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...
In Memoriam – April 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: The late filmmaker and educator Judy Irola. Photo by Douglas Kirkland, courtesy of American Society of Cinematographers Our tributes include pioneering filmmaker Judy Irola and a leader in bioethics. A former Peace Corps Costa Rica Country Director and an award winning architect. A Black leader in education and a member of Peace Corps’ first public health group in South Korea — who went on to lead a long career in nursing. An American Museum of...
In Memoriam — March 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 Jonathan Pearson Our tributes include recognition of Peace Corps’ first Country Director in Pakistan, who was also an international lawyer. A nationally known archeologist and forensic researcher. An international business degree recipient who helped bring greetings and joy to countless people around the world. We honor the wide range of contributions made by members of the Peace Corps community who recently passed away and commemorate their hard work and dedication to service throughout their careers. F. Kingston “King”...
In Memoriam — February 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 Jonathan Pearson Our tributes include recognition of a lifetime legal servant from western Wisconsin who established the first victim-witness protection program, a groundbreaking leader at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, and an education leader in Southern California. Roger William LeGrand Jr. (1946 – 2021) devoted his lifetime to service beginning with his time studying to be a Catholic priest in the Servite Order at Our Lady of Benburb Priory in Northern Ireland. After graduating from...
In Memoriam – January 2021
Remembering those we’ve recently lost in the Peace Corps community A Cuban exile who became a country director. A leader in Peace Corps’ early efforts of training volunteers on college campuses. Returned Volunteers in western Massachusetts who were leaders in their communities in so many ways. These are among those who recently died, and whom we recognize for their service. Photo: Francis Lauren Keegan, who worked with universities early on to train Peace Corps Volunteers. Francis Lauren Keegan (1925 – 2020) graduated from Santa Clara University and earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame after service with the...
In Memoriam – December 2020
Remembering those we’ve lost recently in the Peace Corps Community Count among those we have lost recently a man who was considered to be the greatest athlete in the world — a man whose athletic achievements in his youth were paired with a lifetime of humanitarian commitment. Rafer Johnson (1934–2020) was the world’s greatest athlete, winning the gold medal in the decathlon and setting a new world record during the 1960 Summer Olympics. That was just one of the many awards and honors he received in his lifetime both inside and outside of sports. The Olympic gold marked Johnson’s...
In Memoriam – November 2020
Remembering those we’ve lost recently in the Peace Corps Community Whether in law, government, social work, or the arts, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and former Peace Corps staff are leaders and visionaries in their selected fields. We honor those leaders who recently passed away. Drew Saunders Days III (1941-2020) graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in English Literature before receiving his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1966. A year after graduating law school, Days served in the Peace Corps in Honduras from 1967 to 1969. After serving, Days became a successful civil rights lawyer focusing on police misconduct, school...
In Memoriam: Drew S. Days III, first African American to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice
He also served as Solicitor General of the United States. He was a man of principle and devoted much of his life’s work to racial equality. By Steven Boyd Saum Photo courtesy Yale University Law School The Peace Corps community mourns the loss of a pioneer for our nation: Drew S. Days III, the first African American to lead the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice — and the first Black man to lead any division at Justice. He was appointed in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter. Later, under President Bill Clinton he also served as Solicitor General of...
In Memoriam: Walter Carrington
He led Peace Corps programs, served as a top diplomat, and achieved important milestones in civil rights. By Jonathan Pearson One of the first country directors appointed by Sargent Shriver in 1961, Walter C. Carrington led Peace Corps programs in Tunisia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone in the 1960s before serving as Regional Director for Africa. But that was just one facet of a remarkable life. Prior to that, at Harvard he founded the chapter of the NAACP. He was the youngest-ever member of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and in the late 1950s his commission work included leading an investigation into the racist practices of the Boston Red Sox...
In Memoriam: Former Peace Corps Director Joseph Blatchford
Third director of the agency, he led during turbulent times By Steven Boyd Saum The Peace Corps community mourns the loss of Joseph H. Blatchford, third director of the Peace Corps. He took on that role at a time that heralded, he said, a “new world and a different America from 1961” when the Peace Corps was launched. Joseph Blatchford was appointed to lead the Peace Corps by President Richard Nixon in May 1969 — and he headed the agency during turbulent times of Nixon’s first administration. Tapped for the post at 34 years old, he came with nearly a...