Two Remembrances: F. Kingston Berlew and Murray Frank
Kindred spirits who they helped shape the early years of the Peace Corps By Bill Josephson Pictured: Dr. Mahmud Hussain, vice chancellor of Dacca University — one of the host institutions for Peace Corps Volunteers serving in East Pakistan since October 1961 — chats with Peace Corps Representative to Pakistan F. Kingston Berlew of Washington, DC. Photo courtesy Peace Corps F. Kingston Berlew, a distinguished lawyer, walked into my Peace Corps General Counsel’s office unannounced in 1961 and said that he wanted to join the Peace Corps. He had a wife and children; service as a Volunteer was out. King...
In Memoriam – October 2021
As we mourn the loss of members of the Peace Corps community, we celebrate the lives they led with a commitment to service. By Molly O’Brien and Caitlin Nemeth Photo: Anne Hughes — activist and arts patron whose dedication and service led to the city of Portland establishing Anne Hughes Day in recognition of her civic contributions. Our tributes include a spirited arts champion and a power lawyer. A former Peace Corps India staff member and a public servant. A physician who dedicated his life to others and a leader in the Florida Peace Corps community. Several teachers and professors. We honor the wide range...
In Memoriam – September 2021
As we mourn the loss of members of the Peace Corps community, we celebrate the lives they led with a commitment to service. By Molly O’Brien and Caitlin Nemeth Photo: Jan Knippers Black — scholar and activist whose work influenced generations of students. Photo courtesy Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Our tributes include a prominent scholar and a foreign correspondent. An award-winning research ecologist and a lifelong educator. A former medical director of Peace Corps and a dedicated physician who delivered over one thousand babies. A notable chemist and a civil rights lawyer. Several civil servants and many...
Remembering Some We’ve Lost: Ambassador Larry L. Palmer
He began his career as a teacher with the Peace Corps | 1949–2021 He was a diplomat who devoted decades to advancing peace, prosperity, equality, and democracy in the Caribbean. Peace Corps service set him on that path. Equipped with a bachelor’s from Emory University, he headed to Liberia as a Volunteer (1971–73) and taught general science, biology, math, and chemistry. He admired the commitment of U.S. Embassy staff he met. He completed graduate degrees in African studies and education, then embarked on a career that took him to the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Ecuador before he was appointed...
In Memoriam – August 2021
As we mourn the loss of members of the Peace Corps community, we celebrate the lives they led with a commitment to service. By Molly O’Brien and Caitlin Nemeth Photo: William B. Robertson — Peace Corps country director and the first Black senior decision-maker in any governor’s office in the South. By John Frischkorn, Virginia Department of Highways. Courtesy of the William B. Robertson Library, Bluefield State College, West Virginia. Our tributes include a lifelong nurse and teacher. A talented architect and public servant devoted to education. One of the founders of the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience and a strong Peace...
In Memoriam – July 2021
As we mourn the loss of members of the Peace Corps community, we celebrate the lives they led with a commitment to service. By Molly O’Brien and Caitlin Nemeth Photo: Lifelong civil rights activist Hardy Frye pictured. Our tributes include Chuck Woodward, a key leader in the early years of the Peace Corps; a former ambassador; and a senator in Guam. Lifelong civil rights activist Hardy Frye (pictured) and an inspiring coach. A dedicated veterinarian and a social worker. Several Peace Corps staff and many dedicated military veterans. We honor the wide range of contributions made by members of the Peace Corps...
Serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nigeria Changed Charles Larson’s Worldview. So He Embarked on a Life-long Journey to Bring Works by African Writers to U.S. Readers.
A remembrance: As a scholar, he profoundly shaped the study of African literature. And his work illuminated the pages of WorldView magazine for years. By David Arnold Charles Larson. Photo courtesy the Larson family. When his papers were archived at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, African literature scholar Charles R. Larson told an interviewer that in two years teaching as a Peace Corps Volunteer, “Nigeria totally altered my worldview. When I returned home I was determined to see that works by African writers were reprinted in American editions.” He was true to that determination. Larson, who served...
In Memoriam – June 2021
As we mourn the loss of members of the Peace Corps community, we celebrate the lives they led with a commitment to service. By Molly O'Brien & Caitlin Nemeth Photo: Tommy Schultz III, talented writer and photographer, gone too soon. His service with the Peace Corps in the Philippines taught him the importance of marine conservation. Our tributes include an innovative playground designer and play expert. A talented travel writer and photographer. A scholar and expert on African Literature. Several lifelong educators and a social worker. Servicemen who continued their devotion to their communities. We honor the wide range of contributions made by...
In Memoriam – May 2021
As we mourn the loss of members of the Peace Corps community, we celebrate the lives they led with a commitment to service. By Molly O’Brien & Caitlin Nemeth Our tributes include former U.S. Ambassador Larry L. Palmer, left, and an award-winning musician. A decorated State Department diplomat and a public health official specializing in infectious diseases. Educators with a lifelong commitment to their students. A dedicated physical therapist and a doctor who served as an instrumental member of the NPCA Board of Directors. We honor the wide range of contributions made by members of the Peace Corps community who recently passed...
Fierce Advocate for the Land
A remembrance of Paul Johnson By Jake Arce Paul Johnson understood what it means to tend the earth. He was a farmer and a state and national leader in the movement to conserve soil and water. As chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, he led the agency to produce a national report card on the state of America’s private lands. He called it “A Geography of Hope.” Johnson joined the Peace Corps in 1962, serving in one of the first groups in Ghana. After returning to the United States in 1964, he completed studies in natural development, earning...