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Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-066
Jimmy Cloutier served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia from August 2015 to September 2017 in a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) program. His family had immigrated to the U.S. from Quebec, Canada, which helped him relate to students learning a new language. After training in Baghramyan, Jimmy and his wife were stationed in the village of Aragatsavan. Early in their service a neighbor was murdered, and they were pulled out of their site for a week while an investigation ensued. Cloutier's work teaching English involved a trainer-of-trainer approach and experiential learning. He also set-up English clubs, an environmental education program, and a "Border-to-Border" project where he visited 30 communities along a conflict zone to teach a variety of health education topics. Cloutier sees the U.S. differently after his Peace Corps service, and appreciates the value of a strong community helping each other. Interviewed and recorded by Randolph Adams, November 14, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-065
Jennie Davis served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal from June 2011 to September 2013 in a community economic development program. She was born while her father was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana (1980-1984). Prior to joining, Davis had earned a degree in international business and worked at a finance and investment firm. She studied French in grade school, but grasping both French and Wolof was challenging. Davis was stationed in the coastal village of Mboro, where she worked on projects involving leather goods, business training, and an unsuccessful solar drying initiative. She describes struggling with the lack of relationship to her Peace Corps group, and the lessons she learned during her service. She hopes to return to Senegal someday to rekindle the relationships that she made there. Interviewed and recorded by Charlaine Loriston, November 16, 2019. 3 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-062
Regina DeAngelo served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana from 2000 to 2002 as a teacher. She joined mid-career at age 35 and was the oldest in her cohort. She describes training, which included living with a family in a small village outside of Accra, as intense and thorough. After training, DeAngelo began working as a computer-usage teacher at an elite school in Accra. After her first year, Accra was deemed too dangerous and she moved out into the country to teach at a nursing school. DeAngelo particularly enjoyed working with the young women, which included setting up a scholarship so some could afford to go to school, and interviewing a native healer to find out about their ancient religion. Returning home and reintegrating into her own culture proved challenging when confronted both with the abundance and waste in the U.S., and with the sense of being out of step with her age cohort. Interviewed and recorded by Candice Wiggum, March 8, 2020. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-061
Kevin Dixon served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia from 1962 to 1964 in a physical education program (Colombia IV). He discusses being recruited by Peace Corps while in college through an athletics magazine, and training at Texas Western University and at the Outward Bound facilities in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. He was assigned to set up a physical education program at the University of Antioquia in Medellin at the request of an American faculty member who wanted him to play baseball on an American ex-pat baseball team. Through this team, he got to know American consular staff and other ex-pats. In the second year, he traveled throughout the country setting up teams in conjunction with Colombian baseball and basketball leagues. He met his wife Kay, a fellow volunteer, in Colombia, and two of his daughters also served in the Peace Corps. Interviewed and recorded by Evelyn Ganzglass, March 4, 2020. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-060
Katherine (Kay) Gillies Dixon served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia from 1962 to 1964 in an urban community action program (Colombia III). She discusses language and cultural training at the University of New Mexico, Outward Bound training in Puerto Rico, and the eye-opening experience of working in a slum in New York City during training. Stationed in Medellin, Colombia, she distributed CARE provided food out of a health center in the Antioquia barrio, a large red-light district. She also trained people in use of powdered milk in rural areas and helped form clubs for neighborhood university students. Dixon discusses interactions with the U.S. foreign service community and visiting members of Congress. She also talks about reaction to President Kennedy's assassination and her subsequent involvement in Colombia with Partners in the Americas. She married a fellow Colombia volunteer (Kevin Dixon) and two of her daughters also served in the Peace Corps. Interviewed and recorded by Evelyn Ganzglass, March 4, 2020. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-059
Sally Herman Poland served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Turkey from 1964 to 1966 in an urban community development project. Poland attended training at Portland State College. In Turkey she was stationed in Ankara and worked in Gulveren, a low-income neighborhood. In her interview she describes how she involved residents in starting a community center, library, and nursery school. She also describes Peace Corps' publicizing her as the 10,000th volunteer to complete service since the program's start in 1961. Interviewed and recorded by Ivan Browning, February 25, 2020. 3 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-054
Jenna Waites (then Jenna Butts) served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala from 2001 to 2003 on an environmental education and ecotourism project. She trained in Santa Lucia Milpas Altas prior to being stationed in the rural Mayan town of San Juan La Laguna, Solola department. She was assigned to teach environmental education but did not have local school support, so she looked for other ways to help. Waites teamed up with a local park ranger to implement a community ecotourism program, which differed from other aid programs that conditioned local residents to rely on others to provide for them. She continued her service in Danli, El Paraiso department, Honduras, from 2003 to 2004 in a water and sanitation program. Unfortunately, that government agency was not interested in what Waites could offer, so she sought work elsewhere. She ended up partnering with Action Against Hunger to provide expertise and guidance to local technicians on how to improve construction of water systems in rural areas. Interviewed and recorded by Christine Musa, January 22, 2020. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-053
James E. Hill served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo from October 1974 to December 1976 on a primary school construction project. After completing program training in-country, he was stationed in Tsevie. His French language skills were strong to begin with but he had to work hard to understand the construction aspects of the job. One project in Kplaba, a remote village, involved him living with the school director's family for an extended period. Hill worked to build a 3-room primary school and cistern and latrine complexes in cooperation with local subsistence farmers who volunteered to provide the materials and labor. Hill states that he matured greatly from this experience, and learned to appreciate another culture and the importance of small things in life. His international cross-cultural work in the Peace Corps prepared him well for a subsequent career with the Red Cross and the Pan American Health Organization. Interviewed and recorded by Christine Musa, January 14, 2020. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-052
Aaron S. Williams served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic from December 1967 to June 1970 on an USAID project with the Ministry of Education. His group received training at San Diego State University, with home stays in Baja California, Mexico. Williams was initially invited to serve in Honduras, but during training he volunteered to fill a shortage in the Dominican Republic. His first assignment was at Monte Plata, providing in-service training to teachers. He extended his service in Santiago, where he helped to develop educational curriculum. Williams married a Dominican woman during his second year of service. He later spent 22 years with USAID, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean. His final Foreign Service post was Mission Director to South Africa. In 2009, Williams was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the 18th Director of the Peace Corps. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, January 16, 2020. 3 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-17B-1
The recording of this conversation begins on Dictation Belt 17A.4. Sound recording of part of a telephone conversation held on April 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, Director of the Peace Corps. They discuss speaking to Richard M. Helms about the suspicion that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is trying to place people in the Peace Corps. They also discuss facilitating the movement of members of the Peace Corps into the Foreign Service.Machine noise follows the conversation.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 17B, which contains additional sound recording(s) following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-17B, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 17B.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-17B
Dictation Belt 17B contains four sound recordings. The recording of the conversation in item 17B.1 begins on Dictation Belt 17A.4. Item 17B.1 is part of a telephone conversation held on April 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, Director of the Peace Corps. They discuss speaking to Richard M. Helms about the suspicion that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is trying to place people in the Peace Corps. They also discuss facilitating the movement of members of the Peace Corps into the Foreign Service. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 17B.2 is a telephone conversation held on April 3, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss possible requests by the Air Force Inspector General to use polygraph tests to investigate a Defense Department leak. They also discuss seeking input on the matter from Press Secretary Pierre Salinger and Assistant Secretary of Defense Arthur Sylvester. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 17B.3 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Louis Harris. They discuss polling on upcoming elections in Canada and Kentucky. They also discuss Harris’s professional plans. Item 17B.4 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and an unidentified man. First they discuss a topic that is unclear. Then they discuss providing a recommendation for a student applying to Harvard. There is a brief delay before the conversation, and machine noise follows the conversation.Transcript included. Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-17A-4
Sound recording of part of a telephone conversation held on April 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, Director of the Peace Corps. They discuss the suspicion that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is trying to place people in the Peace Corps. The recording of the conversation ends abruptly and continues on Dictation Belt 17B.1.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 17A, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-17A, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 17A.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-17A
Dictation Belt 17A contains four sound recordings from April 2, 1963. Item 17A.1 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Under Secretary of Treasury for Monetary Affairs Robert V. Roosa. They discuss a strategy for the United States and other countries to increase international monetary liquidity. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 17A.2 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and (William) David Ormsby-Gore, the British ambassador to the United States. In preparation for President Kennedy’s prospective meeting with Harold Wilson, they discuss international military arrangements, a nuclear test ban, and trade. Before the conversation, there is a delay, and Ambassador Ormsby-Gore briefly speaks to an unidentified woman. Item 17A.3 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Eugene R. Black. They discuss Lucius Clay’s prospective testimony on funding levels for the foreign aid program and the Alliance for Progress program for Latin America. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 17A.4 is part of a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, Director of the Peace Corps. They discuss the suspicion that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is trying to place people in the Peace Corps. The recording of the conversation ends abruptly and continues on Dictation Belt 17B.Transcript included. Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-1996-032-009
Michael Thieme served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Grenada from 1990 to 1992 with his wife Karen. Growing up in a military family, Thieme was adventurous and had experience living in diverse places. His work project was small business development for a candle factory cooperative. Thieme also taught music and played the organ for a local choir. After returning to the United States, he worked as a Peace Corps recruiter in Boston. Interviewed and recorded by Margaret Pelton, February 7, 1994, as part of a Northeastern University public history class. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file). A user's guide and transcript are available in Box 93.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-1996-032-008
Karen Thieme served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Grenada from 1990 to 1992 along with her husband Michael. Her original project involved fabric design and sales, but was plagued with communication problems. Instead, Thieme switched to teaching art to children, which she found very fulfilling. Interviewed and recorded by Margaret Pelton, February 19, 1994, as part of a Northeastern University public history class. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file). A user's guide is available in Box 93.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-1996-032-007
Maureen Shanley served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia from 1977 to 1979. Shanley was stationed in Bogota and worked for the National Vocational Educational Program (Servicio National de Aprendis, or SENA). She produced video tapes, slide presentations, and instructional manuals for educational use. Interviewed and recorded by Patrick Preston, May 13, 1994, as part of a Northeastern University public history class. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file). A user's guide and transcript are available in Box 93.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-1996-032-006
Dennis Ramsier served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia from 1971 to 1973 in an education program. He trained in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, with the Liberia 23 group. Ramsier taught math in the business school at the University of Liberia in Monrovia. He enjoyed the administrative side of education, and produced a revised bulletin for the College of Business and Public Administration. Interviewed and recorded by Helen B. Howard, May 5, 1994, as part of a Northeastern University public history class. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file). A user's guide and transcript are available in Box 92.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-1996-032-005
Robert S. Newman served as a Peace Corps volunteer in India from 1964 to 1966. He was stationed at an adult literacy and training institute outside of the city of Lucknow. However, the Peace Corps had trained him to raise chickens. It was difficult to establish chicken projects because the people did not really eat eggs or chicken for cultural reasons. Newman met his future wife while in India. Interviewed and recorded by Srikumari Sibbadi, April 29, 1994, as part of a Northeastern University public history class. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file). A user's guide and transcript are available in Box 92.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-1996-032-003
Barbara Kelley served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malaysia from 1966 to 1967 along with her husband Bill. The couple trained in Hawaii. They worked on community development projects. Interviewed and recorded by Helen B. Howard, May 2, 1994, as part of a Northeastern University public history class. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file). A user's guide is available in Box 92.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-1996-032-002
Josh Dohan served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana from 1982 to 1984. He received agriculture extension training in Frogmore, South Carolina. In Ghana, Dohan completed language training and was assigned to the village of Kukoum. He worked on small animal husbandry projects and had the most success with raising rabbits. Interviewed and recorded by James Beauchesne, April 30, 1994, as part of a Northeastern University public history class. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file). An user's guide and transcript are available in Box 92.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-1996-032-001
Mary H. Behnke, known as Lee, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1969 in an education program. She served alongside her husband Michael. The couple was inspired to join the Peace Corps due to President Kennedy's legacy. They were stationed in Blama, where Lee taught at the Holy Ghost Mission school. Interviewed and recorded by Michael O'Connor, May 10, 1994, as part of a Northeastern University public history class. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file). An user's guide and transcript are available in Box 92.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-108-002
Sound recording of President Kennedy’s remarks from the White House Cabinet Room concerning the Peace Corps. In his speech President Kennedy discusses his hopes that the Peace Corps will increase in scope, and characterizes the program’s volunteers’ service as a source of national pride.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-123-009
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks to a group of Peace Corps volunteers in the White House Fish Room. In his speech President Kennedy explains that Peace Corps volunteers are young in spirit, but not necessarily age.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-119-001
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks on the White House South Lawn to a group of Peace Corps trainees.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-017-003
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks on the Peace Corps recorded in the Red Room of the White House. In his speech President Kennedy discusses the mission of the Peace Corps and the importance of public service among America’s youth.