Remembering RPCV Dennis Grubb (Colombia 1961-63)

Dennis with some students

One of the youngest and first Peace Corps Volunteers, Dennis Grubb began serving in Colombia at age 19 in 1961. He was a sophomore at Penn State when President John F. Kennedy mentioned the idea of a Peace Corps; Grubb left school and became part of the first group of Volunteers. It changed his life.

He trained several hundred future Volunteers, and he literally became the Peace Corps poster boy, his face appearing on a flyer displayed in post offices across the U.S. He served as an aide to Sargent Shriver, who esteemed him “one of the first and one of the best” Volunteers. He was a great advocate for Peace Corps on Capitol Hill.

Equipped with degrees from the Southern Illinois University School of Law and American University, he went to Tunisia on a Fulbright. His international experience translated to work with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and USAID, introducing reforms in major markets across the world, particularly India.

He worked in 23 countries and visited 60, promoting peace and understanding. At the center were Peace Corps ideals; he served the community as treasurer of the board of National Peace Corps Association.

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Congressional Record
Vol.167,  no. 197
House of Representatives
Remembering William Dennis Grubb

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and lasting contributions of William Dennis Grubb. One of the first volunteers to join the Peace Corps at the age of 19, Mr. Grubb heeded President John F. Kennedy’s call for public service in 1960, and dropped out of Penn State University to serve his country and global community by joining the Peace Corps at the age of 19. Mr. Grubbs passion for public service only grew with time, devoting his life to the international development, eventually living in over 23 countries in his pursuit to help people across the globe.

In his time in the Peace Corps, Dennis — as he is known to his friends — helped to develop community health programs, promote literacy, and assist in the development of physical infrastructure for the communities in which he worked.

After completing his final tour or service Columbia, Mr. Grubb returned to Washington, D.C where he worked closely beside the leader of the Peace Corps, Sargent Shriver, as the organization went through a period of important reform to grow the program’s scope and size.

In time Dennis began working to train future volunteers for their missions, instructing them on the varied skills their tours would require. Through his work on the first Peace Corps mission abroad to his training of international diplomacy and development it is today.

Outside of his dedication to the Peace Corps, Mr. Grubb pursued education, completing his BA and later a master’s degree from American University in Washington D.C where he was a fixture of the community until the end of his life.

He would also advise private and public organizations on issues of international development, increasing investment a economic progress in developing nations.

Dennis was a devoted Christian, a friend of Mother Teresa and a proud community member of St. Augustin’s Episcopal Church.

His is survived by his partner Ana Carmen Benoisa, Gordy Rogers, and his sister Marcia Grubb.

Signed

John Garamendi
Member of Congress, CA – 03