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Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2013-004-001
Peter Burr served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 on an agriculture project (Bolivia II). He joined at the age of 32 and was recruited due to his experience with dairy farming. Burr completed training in Arizona, Puerto Rico, and Vermont during an extended session due to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the miner's strike in Bolivia. Stationed at Cochabamba, he worked at a milk plant where he developed a program to record information about each cow. His accomplishments also included improving the processes for dairy production and milk testing, as well as a farm management study. However, the structural limitations in Bolivia and the lack of funds and equipment were frustrating. Burr met and married his wife during his service, and adopted her son. He feels that the Peace Corps was a life-changing experience. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 20, 2012. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2012-026
Patricia A. (Pat) Wand served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia from 1963 to 1965 on a rural community development and health education project. Her training in New Mexico involved an Outward Bound challenge. In Colombia, Wand was assigned with another female volunteer to the small town of Buesaco, near Pasto in southern Colombia along the Pan American highway. Her involvement with the local people went beyond sewing and health classes. Responding to the voiced needs of the outlying communities, Wand and her partner were also involved in building four rural schools and a bridge. In the interview, she relates how she heard about the assassination of President Kennedy, which happened only two months after she arrived in Colombia. Over twenty years later on a return visit to the town, Wand was able to see some of the lasting impact her presence had made among the people with whom she had lived and worked. Interviewed and recorded by Phyllis Noble, July 17, 2012. 3 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2012-023
David Zakem served as a Peace Corps volunteer in four different countries: Somalia (1968-1969, agriculture); Swaziland (1969-1971, secondary education); Belize (1987-1989, community education); and Guatemala (1989-1992, maternal and child health care). He talks about leaving his project in Somalia because he felt the assignment would ultimately hurt the people with whom he was working. The Peace Corps headquarters agreed with his assessment of the situation and reassigned him to Swaziland. After establishing a career in international education and pursuing an advanced degree, Zakem rejoined the Peace Corps and was sent to Central America. In the interview, he discusses the influence of his Peace Corps experience on the rest of his life. Interviewed and recorded by Phyllis Noble, June 9, 2012. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2012-010
John Archer served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1967 to 1969 on a rural community development project. He participated in a Peace Corps Advanced Training Program, which included 8 weeks of training between his junior and senior years of college. After completing additional in-country training, Archer was assigned to the village of San Lorenzo in southeastern Bolivia, where plans to work alongside a Bolivian counterpart did not pan out. He tried to find a creative role for himself amid the village's developmental and social services programs by partnering with a local agricultural extension agent and coaching a basketball team. During the second year, Archer started working more with the Heifer Project to introduce animals to the community, then transitioned to working in an orphanage in Tarija, where he developed recreation programs and tutored the children. Interviewed and recorded by Robert Klein, December 1, 2011. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2014-054
Margaret (Eger) Taylor served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Korea from 1968 to 1970 as an English teacher. She served along with her husband, David Eger. Prior to the Peace Corps, several experiences in her formative years led to her interest in working with people in different cultures, and to a desire to break out of the old-fashioned view of gender roles in the U.S. In Korea, Taylor taught English as a Second Language (ESL) at a women's university in Seoul. She described several instances of cross-cultural gaffes in which well-intentioned and inquisitive Americans inadvertently offended Koreans. Taylor's experience in the Peace Corps influenced her later career as a clinical psychologist. Interviewed and recorded by Phyllis Noble, June 6, 2014. 3 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2014-032
David Wessel served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia from 1962 to 1964 in a rural community development project. He was a member of the Colombia II group. Wessel was the first PCV to hail from the State of Louisiana. He worked in the Department of Antioquia, in a mountainous area of Colombia, where his projects included organizing a cooperative of tomato growers, setting up a town library, and building schools. After completing his service, he worked for a while as a Peace Corps recruiter. Wessel has remained involved in the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) and in the Colombia Support Network. Interviewed and recorded by Phyllis Noble, February 4, 2014. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-023
Jeanette (Kitti) Kitzman served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru from October 1964 to August 1967 on a Latin American arts and crafts project. She had previously worked at a phone company in Southern California for over 15 years. Upon hearing President Kennedy speak about the Peace Corps, Kitzman signed up at the post office to become a volunteer. Her training took place in Puerto Rico. In Peru, she worked with a local weaving co-operative whose members were mostly women. She helped the co-op improve its marketing and increase its sales, and soon the women were able to construct their own building. After finishing her Peace Corps service, Kitzman became an art teacher in Philadelphia. Interviewed and recorded by Kimiko Doherty, August 13, 2011. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-021
Steve Swigart served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil from July 1966 to July 1968 on a lunch program project. He attended training at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He discusses his training program and the difficulty he encountered learning Portuguese. Upon arriving in Brazil, Swigart began his work to implement lunch programs in rural areas of the country. He also talks about his relationships with the nationals, his love for Brazil, and his continued contacts with Brazilians in the United States. Interviewed and recorded by Paul Kinsley, May 31, 2011. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-018-002
Wayne Nishek served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 in an agriculture program. His training was conducted by Arizona State University and included time on the Maricopa Indian reservation. He married Marjorie Odegard before being assigned to Portachuelo, where he worked in a variety of agricultural positions. These included a position at a rice cooperative, where he taught machine repair and agricultural subjects. He also worked one-on-one with local farmers on agricultural issues. In the interview, Nishek discusses his relationships with coworkers and the families in Portachuelo, and the impact that the Peace Corps had on his life. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, May 4, 2011. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-018-001
Marjorie (Marj) Nishek (nee Odegard) served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 in a home extension program. Her training at Arizona State University included time on the Maricopa Indian reservation. She married Wayne Nishek shortly before being assigned to Portachuelo, where she used her experience as a home economist for the position in the district home extension program. Nishek's work included organizing homemaker groups and 4-S (similar to 4-H) groups as well as conducting classes and meetings about nutrition, child care, health care, sanitation, and general home improvement. In the interview, she discusses her relationships with her coworkers and the families in Portachuelo, and the impact the Peace Corps had on her life. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, March 18, 2011. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-016
Bruce Thompson served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from June 1963 to June 1965 as a university teacher. He attended training at the University of California, Los Angeles. Thompson worked mainly in the Bolivian capital of La Paz. In the interview, he describes his work starting the physics department and teaching engineering at the local university. He also talks about living and working in La Paz and the many political events of that time period. Interviewed and recorded by Paul Kinsley, April 5, 2011. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-014-002
Stephen (Steve) Hayden served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Micronesia from 1967 to 1969 on an agricultural development project. The Peace Corps project group was huge but Hayden ended up alone in the small, self-contained world of an island atoll with a population of only 300 people. He became deeply involved with the community and worked with its elders to try to resolve a longstanding land ownership conflict. He returned beginning in 2002 to continue to help the original land claimants establish their rights. Interviewed and recorded by Robert Klein, March 9, 2011. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-014-001
Sally Davenport served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania from 1963 to 1965 in an education program. She had previously worked as a congressional intern and spent a summer with Crossroads Africa in Ghana. Davenport trained at Syracuse University. In Tanzania, she worked as an English teacher in an upper primary school in a remote resettlement village on the shores of Lake Victoria. Interviewed and recorded by Robert Klein, March 9, 2011. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-010
Rose Van Epps Boice served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 as a teacher and researcher (Bolivia II). Her group trained in Arizona and Puerto Rico, ending with intensive Spanish classes at the University of Mayaguez. In Bolivia, first Boice completed a study of the health problems in the sugar cane factory town of Guabira. Then she taught health, English, and physical education at an elementary school in Saavedra. Next Boice was transferred from the Santa Cruz area to the city of Cochabamba, where she completed a study of orphanages that led to reform and improvements in the orphans' quality of life. A group of young adults was formed to continue this effort after the Peace Corps volunteers departed. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, January 26, 2011. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-009
Dan Diliberti served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Chile from 1969 to 1971 as a home construction instructor. He trained in-country around Santiago. In the interview, he explains the training program and introduction to a new culture. Diliberti worked along with his wife in a home construction project that involved members of the local community. He talks about his friendships and relationships with the Chileans and the sense of working together to accomplish set goals. He also described the influence that the Peace Corps had on his later life and career. Interviewed and recorded by Paul Kinsley, February 1, 2011. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-007-002
Ann Diliberti served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Chile from July 1969 to July 1971 as a community service worker. She attended training in and around Santiago, Chile, as part of a construction instructor team along with her husband Dan. Diliberti discusses the culture shock and differences in life experiences she witnessed. She was very involved in her community, making friends and starting various projects, and lived in the same manner as the people she worked with. Interviewed and recorded by Paul Kinsley, December 7, 2010. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-002-011
Larry Wohlwend served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 as a tractor mechanic. He had worked as a diesel mechanic prior to joining the Peace Corps. Wohlwend was assigned to the experiment station in Cochabamba where he was able to repair tractors that had been broken for a long time. He also introduced trench silos as a means of preserving hay. Wohlwend was impressed with the people he met in Bolivia and says that the Peace Corps was the best experience of his life. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 25, 2009. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-002-010
Thomas (Tom) Stachelek served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 on a rural development project. He applied as an 18-year-old directly out of high school and describes his training experiences at Arizona State University and in Puerto Rico. In Bolivia, Stachelek was stationed in the village of Tarata, outside of Cochabamba. Initially he worked with a Ministry of Agriculture extension agent, but ultimately that individual was transferred so he ended up working by himself. One project was building concrete slab latrines in his village. Stachelek also discusses how he heard about President Kennedy's assassination, and how the Peace Corps impacted the rest of his life. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 23, 2009. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-002-009
Sharleen Hirschi Simpson served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 as a nurse. She joined after completing a bachelor of science degree in nursing. Simpson worked as a nurse in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. After the Peace Corps, she earned advanced degrees in nursing and anthropology. Interviewed and recorded by Barbara Lutz, November 30, 2009. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-002-008
William (Bill) Schnek served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 on a rural development project (Bolivia II). He had completed one year of college when he took the exam. He was assigned to work with the Heifer Project based in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Schnek describes how the Heifer Project was introducing new animals into Bolivia. He states that the experience fundamentally changed his life, especially because he ended up marrying a Bolivian woman who was raised in Argentina. They have maintained contact with many people in Cochabamba. Schnek feels that he got more out of the Peace Corps experience than he gave, particularly from working with the youth. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 23, 2009. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-002-007
Ken Rustad served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 on an irrigation project. He went into the Peace Corps right after graduating as a political science major. He was surprised to be assigned to an agricultural group because working on farms was his only related experience. He discusses the extended training of the Bolivia II group. He worked on irrigation projects under Claude Wolfe in an agricultural community development office in Cochabamba. He describes a number of experiences he had in Bolivia. He went into the military after the Peace Corps and also worked with the Office of Economic Opportunity. Note: Interview ends abruptly. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 24, 2009. 2 tapes (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-002-006
Peter Roycraft served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 on an agriculture project. Prior to joining, he had graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in agriculture. His group was sent to many locations during training, including Arizona and Puerto Rico. As a visual learner, Roycraft struggled with the auditory-only Spanish language training. He arrived at the experimental agriculture station near Santa Cruz, Bolivia, expecting to work with dairy cows, but ended up doing forestry and pasture planting work instead. Roycraft has visited Bolivia five times since completing his Peace Corps service, and is a collector of Bolivian art. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 24, 2009. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-002-005
Larry (Butch) Oglesby served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 on a rural development program (Bolivia II). He had previously graduated from a high school program in vocational agriculture. He was assigned to work with the Heifer Project based in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Oglesby focused on the rural area west of Cochabamba and lived with local families. He learned that trying to change the world was harder than he thought and that the volunteers should not try to make the Bolivians be like Americans, but rather help improve their lives. He was drafted into the Army after getting out of the Peace Corps and believes that his experiences in Bolivia enabled him to adapt to anything. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 21, 2009. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-002-004
Peter Nieblas served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 on an agriculture project. He was studying civil engineering as a senior in college when he saw a flyer about the Peace Corps and decided to apply. He requested placement in Latin America because of his Latin background and his ability to speak some Spanish. Nieblas found the training somewhat harsh and not too useful, except for portion at the Agricultural School in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. In Bolivia, he was part of an animal husbandry and dairy project intended to increase local milk production. He was based at the milk processing plant in Cochabamba, which was originally built by the United Nations, but would also travel around to assist local dairy farmers. After the Peace Corps, Peter went back to school and finished a master's degree in civil engineering. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 24, 2009. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-MR-2011-002-003
Paul S. Lofton Jr. served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1962 to 1964 as a milk tester on an agriculture project. He was enrolled in Duke University's Divinity School when he heard about the Peace Corps. After requesting a Spanish-speaking country, he was invited to join the Heifer Project in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Working for the Planta Industriale de Lieche (PIL), Lofton helped set up a milk testing program. He also taught an English class where he inadvertently caused the Bolivians imitate his southern accent. Lofton lived with two different families and notes that everyone had health problems. He played basketball on a team organized by Claude Wolfe, the Heifer Project representative, and traveled during his vacation times to Ecuador and Brazil. Lofton states that the Peace Corps was a good learning experience but he is not sure how much the volunteers actually helped the Bolivians. However, his service did change his life goals and he went on to become a university history professor. Interviewed and recorded by Sharleen Hirschi Simpson, June 23, 2009. 1 tape (web streaming files combined into 1 file).