North Florida Reflections on the Peace Corps

“As a volunteer, my favorite memory was seeing 70 women come to a meeting to start a vegetable garden. The year before, not a single man wanted to work with me to improve traditional farming techniques.” John Edward Mooney Senegal 1975 – 1977; Staff Lesotho 2007 - 2009, Uganda 2009 – 2011 St. Augustine, FL 32084

“Had it not been for my three years in Peace Corps Thailand, I would have never under-stood the difficulty and reward of learning a new language; I would have never received a scholarship and teaching assistantship in graduate school; I would have never become a nationally recognized teacher of English as a second language; and I would have never become a citizen of planet Earth. That’s all Peace Corps did for me.” Dean C. Stecker Thailand 1972 – 1975 St. Augustine, FL 32084

“To have been able to return to Liberia, now as an experienced professional, to resume making a difference on a larger scale: Liberia Reads! is a primary teacher training program. Liberia Reads to Learn is a level differentiated reading lab program. Both of these programs are from ongoing collaborative non-profit efforts of Liberian and American educators.” Geraldine Melosh, PhD Liberia 1973 – 1975 Palatka, FL 32177

“By helping me understand the meaning of what giving back represents and the rewards from working hard alongside a full spirited community feels like, being a Peace Corps volunteer taught me more of who I am as an individual, and I am forever thankful.” John Paul Martinez Peru 2008-2010 Jacksonville, FL 32247

North Florida Reflections on the Peace Corps

“Although I had already lived in Japan and Spain before joining Peace Corps, I will always fondly remember the Peace Corps experience as being fundamental to my youth. It has stuck with me ever since. As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, I co-founded the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida (1982) and co-founded the First Coast Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (2004). If I were to move elsewhere in the US, I would found another association, assuming one didn't already exist.” Steven D. Orr Panama 1964 – 1966 Jacksonville, FL 32258

“(My proudest Peace Corps moment was to) understand I really had made some great friends and an impact on people’s lives; when a good friend of mine in my town told me she was naming her baby after me, despite the fact that most people in town could hardly pronounce my name!” Jenna Waites Guatemala 2001 – 2003 Jacksonville, FL 32260

“The Peace Corps led me to a career as a teacher, a career I had not considered previously.” Robert A. Hollister, PhD Nigeria 1967 - 1967; Kenya 1967 - 1968 Jacksonville, FL 32277

“My (Peace Corps) village was small, but everyone knew each other. Not in the way where you know everyone's business, but when there was a crisis, everyone banned together. I loved everyone knowing my name, or when I was gone people took turns feeding and caring for my dog. These villagers lack in a lot of resources and materials, but they are rich.” Audrey M. Kidwell Burkina Faso 2008 – 2012 Tallahassee, FL 32301

North Florida Reflections on the Peace Corps

“The Peace Corps was wondrously conceived, and all young Americans today should be given the opportunity to experience and serve their country abroad. While every Peace Corps volunteer has something to contribute abroad, of equal value is what, as a volunteer, you will learn, and what you bring back home to share with others.” Robert R. Burke Bolivia 1966 – 1968 Tallahassee, FL 32301

“(My favorite Peace Corps memory was) My students, my colleagues, my neighbors, all the kind people who helped me when I didn’t know what I was doing, who shared their culture, history, concerns, and dreams with me.” Kathleen Herron Benin 1975-1978,1980-1981; Haiti (staff) 1984-1985 Tallahassee, FL 32303

“I worked as an ethnomusicologist for the Chilean Department of Culture, transcribing Chilean folk music that was sung by elders in remote rural places, so it could be taught by music teachers in urban elementary schools. I also conducted personal research during several religious folk festivals throughout Chile. Those experiences, along with developing a proficiency in Spanish (and later Portuguese), provided me with foundations for the rest of my life, because I chose a career in ethnomusicology, specializing in the traditional music of Latin America, including flute and string traditions, music of diverse cultural and ethnic groups, music in shamanism and other belief systems, and so much more. I am quite certain that none of what I have accomplished in the nearly 50 years since I was a Peace Corps volunteer would have been possible without the opportunities provided to me by the Peace Corps, both directly and indirectly.” Dale Olsen Chile 1966 – 1968 Tallahassee, FL 32308

North Florida Reflections on the Peace Corps

“To me, Peace Corps gave those of us raised in the 1950s and the Cold War a chance to get out and experience life and the people beyond our borders. It certainly changed my life and has provided me with an international perspective as well as influencing my career.” Dr. Sharleen Simpson Bolivia 1962 - 1964 Gainesville, FL 32605

“The Peace Corps created a vivid picture of friendships and the value of collaboration and mutual support. In every way that I can imagine, I was a better person and a better citizen because of my experience in the Peace Corps.” Joe D. Thigpen Brazil 1963 – 1965 Alachua, FL 32615

“I felt that my greatest accomplishment was showing the Peruvians (that I got to know and work with) that Americans were good, honest, and caring people and that we shared many of the same values and concerns.” James Hencin Peru 1968 - 1970 Gainesville, FL 32653