Celebrating four decades of service in education, research and writing, Diane Falk is a leader in her field. She is the daughter of Constance Moorehead, a renowned actress. She followed in the footsteps of her late father, Lee Falk, who was, in addition to being a theater writer, producer and director, a popular culture creator, writer and illustrator of two newspaper adventure stories, “Mandrake the Magician” and “The Phantom.” Ms. Falk maintained her father’s legacy by contributing to several continuations of his stories, as well as his biography. She also attended her father’s alma mater, Columbia University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English and world literature, and an interdisciplinary Master of Library Science and Journalism. She also met her husband at Columbia. Additionally, she completed coursework as a liberal arts major in various subjects including astrophysics, French and Spanish languages, and social science.
In her own career, Ms. Falk has contributed to numerous books, magazines, websites, and international service and education projects. Most notably, she served as the research director and head librarian for “The World & I” magazine (now The World & I Online), an affiliate at The Washington Times, and an education research specialist for nearly 20 years. She is also proud to have worked with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification USA, where she was able to make lasting contributions toward world peace and unification. She also maintained involvement with the New World Encyclopedia and works with PhD candidates within her youth ministry. Ms. Falk is a gifted journalist, able to ask insightful questions that get to the heart of the matter. She chose to channel her abilities into writing because she felt that it was vital to be able to record accurately the legacy, perspective, ideas and accomplishments of the times. She also attended a master class, hosted by famed choreographer Martha Graham.
Civically, Ms. Falk has volunteered her expertise to organizations such as the Universal Peace Foundation, United to Serve America, the International Education and Service Unification Project, the Washington Times Foundation and the International Academy of Arts. As part of a project of United to Serve America, she served as a professor at the Washington Saturday College, an affiliate and community outreach project of Howard University. In addition, in 1992, Ms. Falk volunteered as one of 300 staff members to teach English and philosophy classes in the Ukraine for 3,000 students from the then-recently-dissolved Soviet Union, also known as the Commonwealth of Independent States. Through this program, she was able to connect with students through education because although they lacked material things, they were not lacking in enthusiasm or intelligence. For her contributions and accomplishments to her field, she has been recognized by organizations such as the Universal Peace Federation, The Washington Times and the District of Columbia Library Association.
Ms. Falk attributes her many professional successes to her mentors, educators, family, friends and spiritual leaders within the Unification Movement, which promotes interfaith dialogue to work toward peace and understanding. In addition, she maintains professional and civic affiliation with the Women’s Federation for World Peace (an NGO within the United Nations), the International Federation for World Peace, the American Library Association, the Special Libraries Association, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations and the Columbia University Alumni Association. She is also a member of the professional non-fiction reading group of the Special Libraries Association and the Academy of American Poets, as well as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). In her spare time, Ms. Falk enjoys traveling, photography, music, theater and collecting research archives. She was selected for inclusion in the ninth edition of Who’s Who in Science and Engineering for her work in a science conference. Altogether, she was listed in a total of 35 editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the East, Who’s Who in the World and Who’s Who of American Women.
Currently working in Washington, DC, Ms. Falk is continuing freelance research, writing, and editing and resides with her husband, William P. Fitzpatrick, who is an engineer at Georgetown University Law Center and graduate school. Her extended family members have also had major accomplishments in their respective fields of the arts and scholarship. Additionally, her sister, Valerie Falk, is a studio artist and art historian, and her brother, Conley S. Falk, is a personal presentation consultant and is currently studying to become a minister. Her niece, Rondi J. Silva, PhD, studied as an urban educator at the City University of New York. Another niece, Marie Louise Stegal, is a fundraiser and director of development for performing arts organizations. Her nephew, Tony Silva, is a choreographer and composer. Looking toward the future, Ms. Falk plans to continue contributing to her field through teaching, research and writing.