Polyglot
Shriver Condolences Delivered
By Guest Contributor on Thursday, April 28th, 2011
In his condolence message to the family of Peace Corps’ founding director, Sargent Shriver, NPCA Board member Bob Graulich succinctly summed up the feelings of many:
“Proud to have been a ‘Sarge’ volunteer.
Proud to have answered his call, ‘Serve, serve, serve!’
Thank you, Sarge, for the opportunity to change lives.”
On April 27th, NPCA representatives met with Shriver’s son Tim at his Special Olympics office in downtown Washington, D.C. to present the family with a condolence book from members of the Peace Corps community. For a few weeks after the passing of this visionary leader, NPCA gathered responses from RPCVs all across the world, wishing to pay their respects to the man whose vision shaped America’s peaceful diplomacy for the past half century. (See R. Sargent Shriver: 1911-2011)
Within the book of condolences are the recollections from nearly 650 Peace Corps volunteers representing every decade of Peace Corps service. Contributors range from volunteers who were in the first group in their country, to currently serving volunteers, to the parents of RPCVs. The collection tells of life-changing stories from dozens of Peace Corps countries and demonstrates how Sargent Shriver’s visionary legacy lives on to this day.
Throughout the book, RPCVs praise Sarge’s leadership, thanking him for inspiring their service, their dedication, and their love of peace-building through global cultural interaction. As Fran Kennedy of Sacramento, California wrote, “Sarge will remain as the brightest shining star in the Peace Corps crown as it is carried into many more countries in the world.”
Follow this link to read the reflections and tributes to Sargent Shriver.
Very special thanks to NPCA intern Jocelyn Fong for contributing this blog post, and for compiling the condolences for this project.
Thanks for sharing our thoughts with his family. This is very touching.
No matter how dark and dreary a day might be, I can remember Sargent Shriver when visited my project and he still lifts my spririts. I also remember the jaleo of meeting him and his party at Punto Caucedos airport and delivering them through the back door of the National Palace to a meeting with the President of the Dominican Republic.
My only regret is that we still persist in following the ages old precept of waiting until after our “heroes” have passed from this earth, before we let them know how much they mean to us.
Even recognizing that Sarge’s passing was long, painful & lacking in ability to recognize much of what we may have done, he could still have physically seen this document with our innermost feelings: And I’m sure it would have drawn that unique smile!
Let’s let this error in Sarge’s case become an object lesson, and “do the honors” when the honoree can most visibly appreciate it!