Close
Not finding the information you're looking for? Please contact the Archives research staff.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-015
Thomas Michael McMahon served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) from 1961 to 1963 in education and irrigation projects. He was part of the first group of volunteers in mainland Asia. McMahon trained at the Experiment in International Living site in Putney, Vermont, with 31 recruits and studied the Bengali language and the social life and history of East Pakistan. He faced a medical problem and possible de-selection after training and was greatly relieved to enter the country with his group in November 1961. After homestay in Dacca and training in Comilla, he was assigned to teach electricity and physics in a technical school in Rajshahi where he helped to rewire emergency lights and became known as an electrical troubleshooter. In the second year, McMahon served as engineer advisor on the Ganges-Kobadak irrigation project and later became a volunteer leader. After the Peace Corps, he worked as a nuclear engineer and served 8 years as the mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania. McMahon continues with international projects and has two daughters who also became Peace Corps Volunteers. Interviewed and recorded by Patricia Wand, August 25, 2018. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-013
Robert C. Terry, Jr. worked as a Peace Corps contractor from 1961 to 1963 to establish the program in East Pakistan, which was the first in mainland Asia. As a representative of the Experiment in International Living, Terry attended the March 1961 student conference at American University to plan the Peace Corps and then, as a contract staff member, began recruiting volunteers. In August 1961, he welcomed 33 Peace Corps recruits to their training on the Experiment campus in Putney, Vermont. As Peace Corps Provincial Director in East Pakistan, Terry set up, oversaw, evaluated, and revised the placement assignments of volunteers working on a wide variety of projects. Due to his participation in the early days of Peace Corps formation, Terry knew the key players and shares historically significant stories. After his time with the Peace Corps, he built a career in development, including the founding and promoting of service and learning organizations. Interviewed and recorded by Patricia Wand, August 23, 2018. 3 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).