Administrative Information
Historical Note
Collection Overview
List of Countries
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Andre, Babette Yvonne, 1963-1965
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Babette Yvonne Andre was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eastern Cameroon as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and a Community Development volunteer in Baffoussam. She was in the first group to serve in East Cameroon after the two sides joined in 1961. She talks about her Peace Corps training in Ohio, living in a government compound, teaching English to 52 students, traveling the areas and coming down with Hepatitis before returning to the United States. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Melanie Spence, November 11, 2007. |
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Benthin, Merrilie, 1969-1972
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Merrilie Benthin volunteered to teach English as a foreign language in Cameroon from 1969 to 1972. She trained in Quebec and was totally immersed in learning French. However she was asked to teach English when she arrived in Cameroon. During her stay, she started and English Library and taught English through music by singing a simple English song. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Ernest Zaremba, August 21, 2004. |
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Johnson, Ted, 1991-1994
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Ted Johnson joined the Peace Corps in 1991, and worked in a cooperatives development program in Cameroon. In this interview, Johnson describes the cooperation between the Peace Corps and the United States Agency for International Development in developing the cooperatives program, and his working with the coffee farmers on the new Cameroonian Cooperative law. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, June 1, 2007. |
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Folsom, Ann,
1987
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Oral History Interview user's guide |
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Box 70 |
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Stephens, Amalia, 1973-1975
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Amalia Stephens served in the Central African Republic from 1973 to 1975 teaching English as a foreign language in a high school. In the interview she talks about her living conditions, isolation, and her energetic and motivated students. Amalia also helped to organize some training with the Peace Corps in the Central African Republic. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Julia MacGregor, January 20, 2007. |
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Mayer, Kathe Kahn, 1962-1964
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Entering the Peace Corps from college, Kathe Mayer was a member of Ceylon I, in the education project. She trained at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and spent one month training in country, where she had language training in Singhalese. Mayer was assigned to a girls school (1200 students) in a British-style system. She taught lower form science, where she introduced "hands-on" lab science. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, September 11, 2003. |
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Vaughn, Margaret Weld, 1966-1968
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Margaret W. Vaughn served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chad teaching English as a second language. Speaks of training, work conditions, and life in Chad. |
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3 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, June 15, 2004. |
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Crew, Carol, 1964-1966
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Carol Crew served in Chile with a cooperative development program. She received intensive language training at Notre Dame, and in Puerto Rico on an extended home-stay in a small village. Her assignment was initially uncertain, however Crew ended up in Santiago doing television production of educational programs about cooperatives. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, September 24, 2002. |
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Karem, Kenny, 1966-1968
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Kenny Karem trained at the University of Washington, Seattle. It was a very stressful training because there were over seventy-five trainees reduced to forty Peace Corps volunteers. The group was under constant scrutiny by psychologists. Karem spent one month in Puerto Rico before being assigned to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the south of Chile, working with Mapuche Indians. He had no defined job. After nine months, Karem transferred to the Hoof and Mouth Disease Treatment Program, under the Ministry of Health. He discusses the effects of Vietnam and the Draft. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, September 6, 2003. |
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Nawrot, Tom, 1975-19770
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Tom Nawrot served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, September 1972 – September 1974 and in Chile from April 1975 – April 1977 as a teacher trainer. He attended training at Brockport, SUNY. He worked mainly in cities and at universities and helped volunteers in the rural field locations directly and counseled many who came into the cities. He offered practical technical information for teachers in the area of science. He met his future wife in Chile and stayed their briefly after his tour of duty. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Paul Kinsley, March 8, 2009
(See also Peru.)
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Powell, Joan, 1965–1967
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Oral History Interview user's guide. |
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Box 70 |
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Kuykendall, Kate, 1999-2001
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Kate Kuykendall joined the Peace Corps in 1999 to work in an English teacher training project in China. After training at a teacher training university in Chungdu she was assigned to a teacher's college in Xichang in the Sichuan Province. She lived at the school and became conversant in Mandarin by her second year. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, April 5, 2004. |
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Barber, Prudence, 1962-1964
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Prudence Barber served in Columbia on an urban community development project. A graduate of Boston University, she had taught high school French and Spanish for several years in Nebraska. Her training was in three phases: at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; at an Outward Bound camp in Puerto Rico; and at internships in New York City settlement houses. Barber was assigned, briefly, to Medellin and then to Cartagena where she worked with the local junta, an Accion communal community group. Her role was ill-defined and she worked mostly with women’s groups. |
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1 tape. Interviewed by Robert Klein, September 22, 2006. |
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Bullard, Jean and Bill, 1970-1972
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Joint interview with husband and wife who volunteered after he retired from the U.S. Forest Service. Their main assignment was at a national park, but they performed many other projects, including putting together a walking tour guide for their town. Their assignment wasn't panning out, they were offered another park but when a Colombian ranger was murdered there, they became concerned about their safety and terminated early. Shortly after they left, a Forestry Peace Corps volunteer was kidnapped and held for a long period of time until ransom was paid. They felt the Peace Corps was not supportive or effective in the kidnapping ordeal. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Ann Marie Quinlan, December 18, 2002. |
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Ellegant, Howard, 1964-1966
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Howard Ellegant, a trained architect, was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, 1964-1966, in an architects and engineer project. He trained at LA State, the Puerto Rican training site, and in country. He was assigned to Medellin to work in an Alliance for Progress program to develop schools in rural areas. It was a joint Colombia-US program and was staffed by both Colombians and Peace Corps Volunteers. Howard made architectural plans for rural school buildings, traveling out to various sites. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, June 14, 2009. |
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Lopes, Phil, 1961-1963
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Phil Lopes worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Columbia on community development. He was first assigned to Santa Cruz, Santander Del Sur, where he worked at the Rokefeller Foundation Station. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, October 15, 2001. |
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Roll, Joanne Powhida, 1963-1965
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Joanne Roll worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Columbia on rural health development. She trained at the University of New Mexico in Alburqueque along with 300+ volunteers traning for Columbia, Ecuador and Brazil. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, June 18, 2005. |
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Stevenson, William, 1963-1965
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William "Sandy" Stevenson was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Columbia from 1963 to 1965 working as an architect. He trained at the University of New Mexico with an emphasis on language. He assisted in organizing farmers into co-ops to better market produce. He designed libraries and schools based on the function and need of individual towns. His goal was to let the townspeople realize "that Americans are real people." |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Ernest Zaremba, August 21, 2004. |
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Thompson, Bernadette (Spanuello), 1965-1967
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Bernadette “Bunny” Spanuello worked at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI as a secretary for Brother Leo Ryan who was preparing prospective Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Moto Grosso, Brazil. It was at this time that she became intrigued by the prospect of traveling, seeing new things and helping people. She previously had taught school for 7 years. Mrs. Thompson was invited to join the Educational Television Program – instructing teachers how to incorporate televised instruction in to their classrooms. She was one of 42 teachers who received pre-service training at California State College at Los Angeles (now California State University at Los Angeles). They received training in language and culture; in addition, her group received another month of training in Puerto Rico to learn about the school system. During her first year she lived in Ibagué, the provincial capitol of Tolima, and helped to develop the content and methodology for delivering educational television. IN addition, she assisted teachers at local schools so they could engage the children and make use of lesson guides sent from the production studio in Bogotá. During her second year she did similar work in Bogotá where she worked in the city schools as well as those in rural areas. She subsequently married another volunteer (William Thompson), raised a family and taught and worked in interior design. |
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1 tape. Interviewed by Wendy McLaughlin, July 11, 2009. |
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Thompson, William W., 1965-1967
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Bill was attending graduate school at Boston University and working at a television studio (WBGH) when he heard about the Peace Corps project. His motivation for joining was his desire to deepen his Spanish speaking abilities and to make a contribution in his field. Mr. Thompson was invited to join the Educational Television project that Colombia was undertaking to televise educational lessons countrywide. He attended 10 weeks of training with 62 other volunteers at California State Collage at Los Angeles (now California State University at Los Angeles). Their training involved classes in culture, first aid, history, and Spanish. Mr. Thompson was placed in Bogotá where he worked as a Producer\Director videotaping instructional television programs which were broadcast to schools. He trained Colombians to sustain the project. In addition, he taught organ at the National University and played concerts. After his service, he married another volunteer, Bernadette “Bunny” Spanuello, raised a family, and continues to work in television broadcasting. |
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1 tape. Interviewed by Wendy McLaughlin, May 23, 2009. |
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Black, Jeremy, 1992-1994
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Jeremy Black served with the Peace Corps as an English teacher in the Comoros Islands. |
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1 tape. Interviewed by Peter Black, August 5, 2005. |
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Gorman, Frank, 1971
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After serving in Morocco Frank Gorman re-enlisted for another year and was sent to the Congo. No white people had been seen in the Congo since missionaries were slaughtered there 10 years previously. Frank had to work with a black man so as to not be perceived as being hostile. He was able to build a school for the blind with a floor plan geared to their needs. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Ernest Zaremba, August 19, 2004.
(See also Morocco.)
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Berk-Seligson, Susan and Mitchell A. Seligson, 1968-1970
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Mitchell and Susan traveled to Costa Rica as a married couple to work in a rural area, not far from the border with Panama. They were to work with Community Development and nutrition. |
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3 tapes. Interviewed by Barbara Kaare-Lopez, June 6, 2008 |
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Foote, Sally H., 1968-1970
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Sally Foote served in Costa Rica from 1968 to 1970 as a member of Costa Rica IX. Her project was originally designed to field a three-member team; one member focusing on public health, the second on bean/corn agriculture, and the third on microeconomics or co-ops. However, Sally (trained in Public Health) was assigned alone to a small town in the interior of Costa Rica. She worked with her community to organize to raise funds, successfully, to construct a small clinic building for public health services. The second year of service, Sally transferred to San Jose. There, she was assigned to the Special Education School for the visually and/or hearing impaired. In her interview Sally describes the psychological strategies employed during Peace Corps training and the selection process. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Joanne M. Roll, June 6, 2008 |
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Fowler, Jennifer W., 1968-1971
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Jennifer Walter Fowler was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica from 1968 to 1971. As a member of Costa Rica IX, she trained in Public Health to become one of a three person team. The other team members were trained in bean/corn agriculture and microeconomics. Jennifer worked helping her community to successfully raise money to build a public health clinic. She also taught nutrition in the elementary school. Early in her service, Jennifer married a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer. Their home became a gathering place for Peace Corps Volunteers as well as Costa Ricans. In her interview, Jennifer also comments on health care delivery in her site and how differently male and female Volunteers were perceived. |
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1 tape. Interviewed by Joanne M. Roll, June 5, 2008. |
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Lang, Bruce, 1968-1971
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Bruce Lang was a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica from 1968 to 1971. He worked on a co-op program with local farmers (that is still in existence today). He assisted in a local land reform measure so that farmers could eventually own their own land. |
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1 tape. Interviewed by Katie Langland, June 7, 2008. |
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Bosworth, Celia, 1992-1994
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein. |
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Turner, William, 1962-1964
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Bill Turner was a Peace Corps volunteer in the first and only Peace Corps project in Cyprus. He served as a geologist doing basic water development survey mapping. He became fluent in Greek and knowledgeable in Turkish. Opposite of the 60's era BA generalists, he joined with a specific professional skill needed in a project. The project was suddenly withdrawn in late 1963, because of a developing Civil War. |
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2 tapes. Interviewed by Robert Klein, April 25, 2003. |
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