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Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-083
Jack Franklin Davies served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji from 1978 to 1980 as a rural development technician. He discusses his childhood in a military family and how he was recruited into the Peace Corps. His training consisted of an orientation in San Francisco and in-country language and culture training, including a village stay. Davies was assigned to the island of Vanua Levu, the second largest island in Fiji. He talks his experiences traveling to remote villages for his work in rural development. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, June 10, 2019. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-064
Betty Ansin Smallwood served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji from October 1969 to December 1971 as an elementary school teacher. She discusses her motivations for joining the Peace Corps, and mentions attending an event at age 12 where John F. Kennedy spoke. Smallwood was recruited as a married couple with her husband John, and their training was conducted in Hilo, Hawaii. She then taught at the Navukailagi District School on the outer island of Gau. In the interview she discusses her life and work in Fiji, and her continued connections with fellow volunteers and students. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, November 6, 2018. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-046
Christine (Laws) Anderson served as a Peace Corps Vvlunteer in Fiji from 1974 to 1976 in an education program. Prior to her volunteer service, she had worked for the Peace Corps as a staff member in Los Angeles, California. Anderson's training was conducted in Suva, Fiji, and included homestays with both Fijian and Indo-Fijian families. She then began her work as an arts and crafts teacher trainer at Nasinu Teachers College in Suva. The interview includes a discussion of her motivations for joining the Peace Corps, her recruitment and training experiences, her life and work in Fiji, and her continuing connections with fellow volunteers and her former students. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, November 27, 2018. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-043
Beth Shearer served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji from 1970 to 1973 in a secondary education program. She joined with her husband. Her training was conducted in Suva, Fiji, where she studied the Hindi language. Training also included a homestay with an Indo-Fijian family. She taught at the All Saints Junior Secondary School in Labasa. The interview includes a discussion of Shearer's experience growing up overseas, her motivations for joining the Peace Corps, and her daily life in Fiji. She also talks about a return trip to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project, and her continued connections with fellow volunteers. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, 6 November 2018. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-040
Paul Milo served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji from 1975 to 1977 as a math teacher. His training was conducted in Suva, Fiji, and included a homestay with an Indo-Fijian family. He worked at Suva Grammar School for a semester, then transferred to Adi Cakobau, a highly regarded girls school in the more remote area of Sawani. The interview includes a discussion of his motivations for joining the Peace Corps, his work and life in Fiji, and how he has continued his connections with fellow volunteers and students. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, November 26, 2018. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-028
James (Jim) Reierson served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji from July 1973 to July 1975 as a physics teacher. After an orientation in San Francisco, Reierson's training was conducted in Suva, Fiji, and included language classes and cross-cultural orientation, including stays with families in two Fijian villages. He taught physics at the University of the South Pacific (USP), where the faculty included several other Peace Corps volunteers and expatriates. The interview includes a discussion of his life prior to Peace Corps service, his motivations for joining, and his working and living experiences. Reierson also discusses his continuing connections to Fiji after his Peace Corps service. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, October 17, 2018. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-026
Ben Bryan served as a Peace Corps volunteer in South Korea from 1979 to 1981 on a health education project. He also served in Fiji from 1981 to 1984. His initial technical training was conducted in Louisiana, followed by further technical, cultural, and language training in Korea with a homestay with a local family. Bryan's health education project focused on Hansen's disease (leprosy) and he was stationed at a health clinic in Jinju. Because the Peace Corps program in Korea was being phased out, he was unable to extend his service there, but accepted a similar health education posting in Fiji. He went through training again before being posted to Suva where he produced visual medical aids and served as a driver for the hospital. The interview includes a discussion of Bryan's motivations for joining the Peace Corps, his recruitment and training, his work and life in both countries, and his post service experience. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, October 7, 2018. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-025
David Downes served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji from October 1967 to October 1969 as an English teacher. His initial training was conducted in Hawaii, and included language and cross-cultural orientation. Downes lived in Navua, a town on the island of Viti Levu, and taught English in a secondary school. After completing service in Fiji, he worked with Peace Corps and ACTION as a staff member in various roles. The interview includes a discussion of his motivations for joining the Peace Corps, his work and life in Fiji, and his post service experience. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, October 17, 2018. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-023
William M. (Bill) Dillon served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji from 1978 to 1981 as a land use planner. His training was conducted in Suva, the capital of Fiji, and included homestays in a local village and with an Indian family. Dillon worked at the Native Land Trust Board in Suva. The interview includes a discussion of his motivations for joining the Peace Corps, his recruitment and training experiences, and his life and work in the city. He also talks about his post service experiences and later return trips to Fiji. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, September 12, 2018. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-020
Steven Smith served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji from 2008 to 2010 in an environmental program. During training he was housed with a local family in a village setting, which he feels was essential to his understanding of the local customs. Smith was assigned to Biausevu village in the Nadroga district and worked on projects in the area that included restoration of trails, re-forestation, and the revival of a traditional farming technique. He engaged village youth in the projects in order to gain acceptance and to help raise money. Smith also worked on a rubbish recycling project, introducing practices that he believes are still being followed, and arranged for a fellow volunteer to provide some public health education in his village. The interview also includes his observations about how the Peace Corps has influenced his life. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, October 9, 2019. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-119
Lew Jones served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji from October 1968 to January 1973 on a cooperatives project. His prior military service on a U.S. Navy destroyer influenced his decision to serve less developed populations. While finishing his undergraduate degree, Jones met a Peace Corps recruiter and decided to apply. He was initially invited to Malaysia, but that offer fell through, and he was then invited to Fiji. He was in the second training group of the Fiji program, which was held on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. Once in Fiji, Jones worked with cooperatives, initially in rural villages and later at the main training center in Suva. He lived on an outer island, in a small town, and in a suburb of the capital city on the main island of Viti Levu. By the end of his service, Jones had successfully trained his local counterpart to take over his job. He developed lasting relationships with the locals and continues to remain in touch with them. He has visited Fiji three times since completing his service, including a Habitat for Humanity build in 2011 with Friends of Fiji, and in 2018 for the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps Fiji. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, July 16, 2019. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-114
Stephen (Steve) Wiley served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji from 1970 to 1971 as an elementary school teacher. His decision to join was influenced by his desire to pursue a career in teaching and to avoid the draft. He applied and was invited to Fiji, but then realized that he wanted to get married first. He and his new wife Sally applied together and were selected for the next Fiji training group. Training was conducted in Hilo, Hawaii, and covered Fijian language and culture as well as teacher training. Wiley taught at an elementary school in the rural village of Laselevu, where he and his wife were the only non-Fijian teachers, and he spent a great deal of time preparing lesson plans. In retrospect he regrets not socializing more with the men of the village to gain a better understanding of their lives and viewpoints. After completing their two years of Peace Corps service, the Wileys stayed in Fiji for an additional year while Steve continued as a teacher and Sally served as headmistress of the Fiji School for the Intellectually Handicapped. The interview includes discussion of living conditions in the village and visits to other parts of Fiji. Interviewed and recorded by Julius (Jay) Sztuk, June 30, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).