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National Peace Corps Association > News > Polyglot > What Do You Call a Peace Corps Volunteer Who Never Returned?
What Do You Call a Peace Corps Volunteer Who Never Returned?
By Kevin Quigley on Saturday, July 17th, 2010
Having dinner at Bangkok’s Londoner Pub on Sukhumvit Soi 33 with more than 25 former Peace Corps makes me realize that the term “RPCV” does not apply to most of the individuals in this room. Many of them are NRPCVs (Never Returned Peace Corps Volunteers).
Thanks to the help of Bill Knowlton, I had the opportunity to have dinner with a group of individuals connected to Peace Corps who reside or were passing through Bangkok. This group ranged over every decade, every Peace Corps continent, and many of its fields of service.
This remarkable and diverse group included Harvey and Rosemary, who were in the pioneering group in Thailand, both of whom married Thais. It also included Jim, a former country director in Nepal, who just helped Peace Corps return to Indonesia; Steve who was recruiting for a new university in Abu Dhabi and served in Honduras; Larry who served in Ghana; Whitney and Selena who served in Panama; and Alice and Lisa who had finished their service here in Thailand in the past few years, but weren’t finished with Thailand. Carolyn Nickels, President of Friends of Thailand, brought a special guest: Khun Alisa, who has worked as Peace Corps staff here for the past 36 years, and with whom volunteers have been in love with for all these years.
This Bangkok group did not “bring the world home” because they truly had made the world their home.
Over dinner, we had a lively conversation about the Peace Corps’s first fifty years, our individual yet connected Peace Corps experiences, and the opportunities to revitalize the agency during its upcoming golden anniversary.
The Bangkok group readily committed to doing an event on March 1st as part of the Peace Corps global birthday party that NPCA is organizing. Given the breadth of experience that I learned about during dinner, I can’t wait to see the photos and videos that comes from whatever group turns up in Bangkok on March 1, 2011.
NPCA’s President Kevin Quigley (Thailand 76-79) is in Thailand with his family, mixing a little business with pleasure.
What an interesting group of NRPCVs! I appreciate your blog which brings the world home. Enjoy all the Thai food and hospitality as you travel around the Kingdom.
Natalie (Thailand 67-69)
This was a great get-together, and watching the Thai RPCVs reuniting and enjoying themselves was a lot of fun.
Although I was a volunteer in Jamaica (’79-’81), the Bangkok RPCV group has Volunteers from many countries, who have found their way to Thailand. Our monthly luncheons and happy-hours are great networking and socializing opportunities.
I have lived in Pattaya for the past 10 years — retired, now 68. I am an (N) RPCV — Liberia 64 — former PC/Liberia staff and former PC/Washington staff — twice ……long PC career.
I have heard of these periodic get-togethers, but have never figured out how to make contact ……. could someone get back to me here with a COMMENT and let me know more about the get-togethers.
Many thanks.
Glad to hear some things haven’t changed in Bangkok over these many years. I hope you enjoyed a good game of darts Kevin!
It’s difficult to comprehend it was 34 years ago that you helped welcome our Group 59 to Thailand!
Thom Marallo (Thailand ’77-’79)
A Peace Corps Volunteer who never returned — S/he is unofficially known as US-Ambassador-At-Large.
It been a while since I finally relented and returned to the US (15 years and 31 days so for…but whose counting) but I remember quite a few of those dinners and miss them quite a bit. Say hey to Bill for me and remind him he’s overdue for an East coast visit!
Gees, I didn’t know I’ve been a ‘U.S. Ambassador-At-Large’ for 30 years! Did I miss out on any government benefits? Getting ready to finally return to the U.S. in a couple of months. LOTS of memories and experiences to share in the final chapter.
https://www.tripping.com/profile/scott_gannon/info