Peace Corps Volunteers

  by Mary K. Cantrell November 9, 2021 Photos by Cody Bjornson • “I’m not a Buddhist. I’m not anything. I’m an artist. I’m a fool,” Ho Baron (Nigeria 1966-67, Ethiopia 1968) muses on his identity early one morning while wandering the brick paths of his self-made sculpture garden outside of his home in El Paso’s Manhattan Heights Historic District. Baron wears a T-shirt, cargo shorts, white tube socks, and a mischievous expression. Baron, 79, is surrounded by totemic, surreal creatures of his own making. His “gods for future religions,” a tongue-in-cheek concept, are humanoid figures cast in bronze and stone. With deep grooves and maze-like textures, they appear simultaneously ancient and futuristic. The artist decided to capitalize on his ability to reach an audience, given his house’s location right off of the busy Piedras Street, and set up a public sculpture garden with twelve primary pieces, which he jokingly refers . . .

  Boca Raton – It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved friend, mentor and colleague, Gerald B. “Jerry” Hildebrand (Peru 1964-66). On October 5th, 2021, Jerry passed away in his home in Boca Raton where he had lived and worked for the last four years. Everyone who knew him was touched by his kindness, generosity of spirit, and his unwavering commitment to making a difference in the world. His contagious enthusiasm was inspirational. One of his favorite quotes sums up how Jerry approached his life and work: “Some men see things as they are and ask why, I see things that never were and ask why not?” ~Robert F. Kennedy Jerry was an involved member of the Stockton community for over twenty-five years, leading the Katalysis North/South Development Partnership, a Stockton-based international microfinance development organization from 1989 to 2003, and continued his leadership of . . .

  William Dennis Grubb of Washington, D.C. died on October 25, 2021, at the age of 80. Mr. Grubb (Colombia 1961-63), born in Allentown, PA, and raised in Westport, CT, lived a life of service from the age of 19 when he was appointed as a volunteer in the Peace Corps to serve our country in the interest of world peace. Committed to global change, Mr. Grubb became the first and one of the youngest men of his generation to join the Peace Corps, among the first to serve in this transformative agency. He helped to fulfill the three goals of the Peace Corps: provide technical assistance to a foreign nation, experience living in a different culture and language, and convey the experience to a domestic populace upon returning to the United States. Mr. Sargent Shriver, the first Peace Corps director, called him “One of the first and one of . . .

  Carey Halio CEO, Goldman Sachs Bank USA   In some ways Carey Halio (Guatemala 1995-97) is a world away from the Peace Corps service that ignited her interest in finance. In others she’s bringing learnings from the Guatemalan mountains to Main Street, USA. Halio is the CEO of Goldman Sachs’ banking subsidiary, a fledgling unit inside the 150-year-old firm behind some of its most innovative products. She took the CEO job two years ago after four years as CFO. “When I joined the bank in 2014, it was this quiet little sleepy subsidiary that hadn’t done anything interesting,” she says. “We’re now at this point where we are using this platform to transform Goldman Sachs.” Marcus, Apple Card, transaction banking. The businesses and brand names use cutting-edge tech to touch millions of customers. Together they’ve attracted tens of billions in customer cash that’s been used to lower Goldman’s funding costs . . .

Daily Mail, Nov 4, 2021   Mike Pence is the ‘Brutus’ figure in an internecine ‘war’ among advisors over former President Donald Trump’s election overturn effort, writes former top trade advisor Peter Navarro ( Thailand 1972-75) in his new memoir. Navarro who helped design Trump’s China tariffs writes of battling factions inside the White House and the Trump campaign between ‘Swamp creatures’ who wanted to concede defeat and those who rallied behind a plan to rely on Republican support in the House to try to delay the counting of electoral votes. Trump was an ‘American Caesar,’ Navarro told DailyMail.com in an interview, while Pence, ‘his erstwhile most loyal person in the White House winds up sticking him in the back.’ Former top White House trade official Peter Navarro describes a ‘war’ among White House factions over whether to contest the 2020 election Navarro’s forthcoming book, Trump Time, A Journal of . . .

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Geri Critchley (Senegal 1971-72)   DANIEL MARTIN WEMHOFF (Colombia 1961-63) Dan went home to be with the Lord on October 7, 2021, after a courageous, stoic battle with ALS.  He lived life to the fullest from his early days of baseball with City of Detroit American Legion titles and St Paul High School. He declined a Baltimore Oriole contract and earned his University of Detroit degree while playing baseball and editing the sports desk of the Varsity News. He continued an active athletic life by running and playing hockey well into his senior years. After military service, Dan joined the first Peace Corps group in 1961 and served in Colombia, South America. This began a lifetime interest in international relations, humanitarian service, justice, and foreign literature and films. He spoke Spanish and Portuguese. Dan received a Masters in International Relations from Catholic University, earned . . .

  by Andy Trincia (Romania 2002-04) free-lance writer Carolina Alumni Review September/October ’21   Two days after graduation, Jack Allison ’66 and his fellow University of North Carolina Men’s Glee Club members flew to New York to appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” opening for the Dave Clark Five, the superstar British Invasion rock band. For Allison, who made a name for himself on campus as lead singer for The One-Eyed Jacks, the Sullivan appearance and the glee club’s European tour immediately thereafter were a dreamy signoff from Carolina. Just a year later, Allison recorded a song that went straight to No. 1 — in Africa. He reached the top of the charts after joining the Peace Corps, hoping the two-year stint would help him decide between a career in ministry or medicine. He was sent to Malawi, a narrow, landlocked nation in south-central Africa and one of the world’s . . .

  About 20 former Peace Corps members from around the country gathered outside the historic Sunnyside School at the Beltrami County Fairgrounds on Friday, Aug. 13, to hold a Peace Pole dedication ceremony.   All of the former members at the event served in Uruguay from the years 1965 to 1967, and still get together from time to time. “We’re from all different states in the country,” said Toni Kilkenny-Williams, a former member who now lives in California. “Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Washington, Connecticut. . .” As former Peace Corps member John Eggers lowered the hollow, white Peace Pole over a wooden post, he described the message of the monument. The pole reads “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in English, Ojibwe, Norwegian and Spanish, with each translation displayed vertically on the square pole’s four sides. Former Peace Corps member John Eggers describes the languages displayed on the Peace Pole during a ceremony . . .

  By JOHN FRYAR | jfryar@prairiemountainmedia.com Longmont Times-Call, August 9, 2021  •  Therese Glowacki.(Courtesy Photo) Boulder County commissioners announced Monday that they have named Therese Glowacki to be the county Parks and Open Space Department’s director, effective Aug. 23. Glowacki, a member of the Parks and Open Space staff since 1999, is currently manager of the department’s Resource Management Division. Her appointment will fill the vacancy created when former department director Eric Lane resigned earlier this year. She was a Peace Corps Agriculture Volunteer in Senegal 1983-86, former HQ Staff and Madagascar Staff 1994-96. “I am very excited to lead the department on our diversity and climate action goals, while supporting the bedrock work of the department providing the best in public service in all we do,” Glowacki said in the county’s Monday news release announcing her appointment. The Board of County Commissioners is to take official action on Glowacki’s appointment at . . .

YMCA of the USA Names Suzanne McCormick as Next President and CEO  Source: YMCA of the USA   Chicago, IL, Aug. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Suzanne McCormick (Thailand 1989-91) has been named president and chief executive officer of YMCA of the USA (Y-USA). She will be the 15th person and first woman to lead the Y in the United States. McCormick brings more than 27 years of experience as a senior and executive leader in nonprofit, for-impact organizations to the role, most recently serving as U.S. President of United Way Worldwide and a member of their global management team. McCormick’s s tenure with Y-USA will officially begin in September, replacing Kevin Washington, the organization’s first Black president and CEO who is retiring after serving as Y-USA’s president and CEO for more than six years and after more than 40 years of service to the YMCA. “The National Board began the search for Kevin Washington’s successor with the goal of . . .

By Kathleen Coskran (Ethiopia 1965-67)     Ethiopian Tsehai Wodajo’s life was changed by a young Swedish woman, Eva Nordin, who showed up in Tsehai’s village in Ethiopia more than 40 years ago. Eva saw Tsehai’s potential and made it possible for her to stay in high school and to go on to university. Tsehai never forgot Eva who made such a difference in her life and was inspired to find a way to provide that opportunity for other girls and young women. She and her friends Hanna Getachen-Kreusser and Ann (Chartrand) Jensen (Ethiopia 1964-66) (the first PCV in Bahar Dar) had the idea for Resources Enriching African Lives — REAL. In 2004 Tsehai and Ann traveled to Ethiopia to establish the first REAL site in Nedjo, in western Ethiopia, with a local supervising committee and a mentor for 15 girls. REAL has grown to 8 sites, and is currently opening . . .

  Steve Kaffen Remembers Jerry Black   Jerry Black (Comoros Island 1992-94; PC Office of Inspector General 2010-21) passed away from gun violence on June 29, 2021. I worked with Jerry in OIG, and on Sunday, August 25th, attended a “Celebration of Life Service” at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Bethesda, MD along with members of OIG (past and present), the Peace Corps community, and Jerry’s family. In addition, over 120 participated via Zoom. The speakers were principally from Jerry’s family, including his wife Cathy Feingold and their oldest son, Myles. The service contained interludes of live music in recognition of Jerry’s facility with trumpet and guitar. Representing the agency, Kate Raftery, Expert Consultant in the Peace Corps’ Office of the Director, expressed the agency’s condolences and detailed Jerry’s lifelong commitment to international development and to the Peace Corps, which included service as a secondary school English teacher in the Comoros . . .

  Retired Nurse who lived for Adventures By Tampa Bay Times Reporter Kristen Hare (Guyana 2000-02)   Dolores Johnson (Nepal 2002-04) was born in Jamaica and made her home in Florida. She died at 84.   Four Peace Corps volunteers left their posts in Nepal and, for 10 days, traveled by train across India. They saw the Taj Mahal and the city of Kolkata. Sometimes, they rode in air-conditioned sleeper cars. Sometimes, they could only get tickets in third class. One night, they discovered they only had two sleeper seats for four people. So they folded down the seats and piled in, attempting a little sleep. Naomi Odell tucked herself next to her friend, Dolores Johnson. “That whole trip I felt kind of bad,” said Odell, then just out of college. “Poor Dolores.” Mrs. Johnson was in her early 60s then, retired, a new grandmother and the eldest among the . . .

  The Large-Scale Textile Portraits of Hollis Chatelain Orange County Arts Commission July 16, 2021 • Meet Hillsborough textile artist Hollis Chatelain  (Togo 1980-81). She creates large-scale, colorfully saturated textile portraits through a process called textile painting. To create the artworks, she draws out enlarged depictions of scenes that appear to her in monochromatic dreams, frequently using surrealist imagery. She then translates the design onto fabric, dyes the fabric in monochromatic shades, then adds all vibrant color through thread with quilting. Her textile art is internationally exhibited — held in the permanent collections of The Discovery Channel, The American Embassy in Mali, and the Durham Public Library, amongst others — and she currently has a 30 year retrospective of her work on exhibit at the Quilters Hall of Fame in [Marion] Indiana. As the subjects for her textiles, Hollis often draws upon the 12 years she spent working for humanitarian organizations . . .

  The Lillian Carter Award honors outstanding returned Peace Corps volunteers who served at age 50 or older • WASHINGTON – On Thursday, returned Peace Corps volunteer Carole Anne “Aziza” Reid, of Harlem, New York, was honored with the agency’s prestigious Lillian Carter Award at a virtual ceremony. This biennial award honors outstanding individuals who served in the Peace Corps at age 50 or older, and who demonstrate a commitment to civic engagement and service, advancing the Peace Corps’ mission of promoting world peace and friendship, and the Peace Corps’ Third Goal of strengthening Americans’ understanding of the world and its people. “If you are thinking about serving in the Peace Corps, especially if you are 50 or older, I encourage you to take the leap,” said Reid. “I was 53 when I enlisted as a volunteer, and I started walking towards my best self. My journey continues today, and . . .