Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-070
Richard Shields served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia from 1963 to 1965 in an elementary education program. During his senior year in college, he was moved by Kennedy's speech introducing the Peace Corps and decided to serve. His initial weeks-long training started at Syracuse University where he learned about health and safety and about his job. Thereafter, he left for Liberia where cultural immersion began. Shields lived in a zinc-roofed house in Ganta near the border of Guinea. His training didn't quite prepare him for what the reality was on the ground. He learned how to teach English, reading, and social studies without resources, demonstrate concepts with everyday activities, and more. He started a food program to provide meals to students, a Boy Scouts troop, and even a glee club. He recalls his battle with malaria, awareness of his privilege, and the emotions he felt upon the news of Kennedy's assassination. Because of the Peace Corps, Shields dedicated his life to teaching in under-served communities. Interviewed and recorded by Charlaine Loriston, October 15, 2019. 1 digital audio file.