Archive - February 2013

At DC’s Kennedy Center for the performing arts yesterday, February 3, 2013, fittingly enough in the 50th-year Anniversary of the death of President Kennedy, eight choirs from around the country joined together to perform “A Musical Remembrance of the Life and Service of John F. Kennedy.”  The program involved an above-stage jumbotron showing film footage capturing highlights of JFK’s life even as the choirs and a full orchestra presented the world premier of “Let the Word Go Forth.”  Almost 350 choristers sung lyrics borrowing words from the “Ask now what your country can do for you . . .” speech and verbatim excerpts of other addresses by JFK.   The program closed with a stirring rendition of “America the Beautiful.”  One can only imagine how moving that anthem sounded then, as lifted up on the soaring voices of hundreds of mostly young choristers in the red and gold Concert Hall.  I . . .

There were three PCVs who began their Peace Corps experience as employees of the agency in Washington, D.C., in early 1961 working at the original HQ the Maiatico Building across the street from Lafayette Square Park, and within sight of the White House. Two of them were Alan and Judith Guskin (Thailand 1961-64) who had on the night of October 14, 1960, created the ground surge for the Peace Corps on college campuses, first in Michigan, and then across the Mid West and the rest of America. Later they would go to Thailand as PCVs. The other person was Blair Butterworth. I am not sure how Blair arrived at the Peace Corps, or why, but he did arrive, a recent graduate of Princeton, and moved into Georgetown with another buddy, and started working as staff for the Peace Corps before going to Ghana as a PCV. Last year, at the . . .

[This is, as you see, a very early talk by Shriver about the Peace Corps. It was given in the first month of the agency. Indeed it was given in the first days, 23 days after the signing of the Executive Order creating the agency. I want to thank Bob Arias (Colombia 1964-66) for bringing it to my attention and sending me a copy. It is interesting to read the early expectations Sarge had about the Peace Corps, and what he hoped all of us would achieve overseas. Did we fulfill his dreams? Has the Peace Corps lived up to his lofty goals all these 50+ years later.] THE PEACE CORPS SPEAKS FOR ITSELF Speech by Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. Director, The Peace Corps New York Herald Tribune Youth Forum March 24, 1961 I was invited here to speak for the Peace Corps, but in a sense, no one can . . .