Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2013-004-001
Peter Burr served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 on an agriculture project (Bolivia II). He joined at the age of 32 and was recruited due to his experience with dairy farming. Burr completed training in Arizona, Puerto Rico, and Vermont during an extended session due to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the miner's strike in Bolivia. Stationed at Cochabamba, he worked at a milk plant where he developed a program to record information about each cow. His accomplishments also included improving the processes for dairy production and milk testing, as well as a farm management study. However, the structural limitations in Bolivia and the lack of funds and equipment were frustrating. Burr met and married his wife during his service, and adopted her son. He feels that the Peace Corps was a life-changing experience. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 20, 2012. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).