Indiana Reflections on the Peace Corps
“(During Peace Corps) I met lots of young adults who had decided to put a betterment of self as a secondary goal, who learned over the years that we had learned much more through our experience than we had taught.” Harry Fincken Peru 1970 – 1972; Costa Rica 1972 – 1972 Indianapolis, IN 46220
“(Peace Corps) Helped me to be more loving and accepting of others.” Roberta Karen (Shank) Loney Jamaica 1967-68 Indianapolis, IN 46260
“During the last couple of years, I have made contact through Facebook with a couple of my Saint Joseph’s students, who emigrated to the US to flee the 1990s conflict. They told me that one of my students had become the principal of the school and that another had pursued advanced education to obtain a PhD. I felt that my tour as a Peace Corps teacher had many good results, including improving high school education for girls, even though very few were able to complete grammar school.” Joy E. Marburger PhD Sierra Leone, 1969-1972 Chesterton, IN 46304
“I try to keep up with what happens in Africa, as my time there (in the Peace Corps) left a lasting imprint. If I were young, and had the means, I would return to have another look to see what has changed and what remains the same.” Mary Durazzo Ghana 1968-1970 Michigan City, IN 46360
“Peace Corps launched me on a lifelong passion for public service.” David Van Gilder Botswana 1986 – 1988 Huntertown, IN 46748
Indiana Reflections on the Peace Corps
“No matter where or when we served, we all faced the same obstacles in learning and adapting to a foreign culture.” Faith Van Gilder Botswana 1986 – 1988 Huntertown, IN 46748
“The Peace Corps has changed my philosophy of life for the better. I realized from my work with other people that I wanted to focus on a life of service rather than a life based on the accumulation of wealth.” William Spencer Miller Indonesia 1963 – 1965; Peace Corps Staff in Thailand 1965, Federated States of Micronesia 1967, Tonga 1968 – 1970, and Philippines 1970 – 1973 Nashville, IN 47448
“Before Peace Corps, I thought happiness happened because of circumstances outside myself. I learned in Peace Corps that happiness comes from within.” Nancy A. Watson-Talbott Morocco 1975 – 1977 Santa Claus, IN 47579
“When we look at all that is going on with government spending overseas, we know that the Peace Corps is the best way to help a country to grow from developing to developed. Just a simple thing like helping with a water source, keeping vaccines in a proper safe storage container, watching trends to help keep a communicable disease from spreading, etc.” Richard L. Servies Ghana 1972 - 1974 Crawfordsville, IN 47933
