As of December 2024, we have achieved just over 63% of the endowment goal.  Please help keep Tony's memory alive by giving what you can to keep things progressing.

Born in the Republic of Korea on Dec. 23, 1969, to Kumja Jung, he was adopted at eight years old by George and Marylyn Bonville. Tony lived his formative years in Fayetteville, where he excelled in academics, debate and soccer. He was universally loved and respected.

After graduating from The Citadel, Tony returned to South Korea where he taught English, traveled extensively and met his wife, Amanda No. He then returned to the United States and attended the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, where he received his dual master's degree in Asian Studies and Public Affairs. 

While pursuing his PhD, Tony successfully passed the Foreign Service Exam, and was selected as a foreign service officer for the United States Department of State. Tony was an exceptional foreign service officer and leaves behind a powerful legacy of diplomacy, mentorship, and leadership. He brought his passion for excellence, a creative conflict resolution spirit and principled leadership to every assignment. 

Tony first served as the political-military counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Korea followed by an assignment to the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong. He then returned to Washington, D.C. for Dari language training, one of the five languages with which he was credited with competency, and prepared for his assignment to Afghanistan with the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Tony’s next assignment led him to the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, an international organization devoted to improving the global economy and promoting world trade. This assignment was followed by a posting to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, where he unexpectedly succumbed to the cancer which he had defeated 22 years earlier.

How does one distill a life well-lived? He loved traveling to distant lands, a rational political debate, his Korean roots, and a sumptuous Western or Asian gourmet meal with sweet endings. Above all, Tony was passionate about his friends and family. He always offered insightful counsel and assistance. So many have shared stories of the myriad ways Tony touched their lives, gave sound advice, or helped them navigate a difficult situation.

Scholar, diplomat and advocate for peace and the down-trodden in this world, Tony was charismatic, brilliant, magnanimous, caring and wise. He touched many in countless ways, whether providing mentoring, demanding excellence, resolving conflicts between foreign national actors or enjoying wondrous adventures around the globe. Those who loved him and whose lives were profoundly affected by him will miss him dearly.

Tony is survived by his beloved wife, Amanda; his devoted birth mother, Kumja Jung; his loving and protective sister, Donna Sangvic (Roger); his adoptive parents, George and Marylyn Bonville; his siblings by adoption, Robert G. Bonville (Crystal), Kenneth Bonville (Susan) and Mary Lynn McArdle (Richard); and many nieces and nephews with whom he was close. May Tony Rest in Peace knowing how much he is missed and loved.