Press Release
September 9, 2024
Contact: Mallory Covington
Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0876
mallory.covington@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/research
Oral History Interviews With Oklahoma Peace Corps Volunteers Now Available Online
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oral history interviews with 14 Peace Corps volunteers from Oklahoma are now available on the Oklahoma Historical Society Audio Archives YouTube page.
President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps in 1961. Within five years, approximately 15,000 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) had been assigned to 55 underdeveloped nations, where they served two-year assignments and collaborated with host-country nationals on topics like education and community development. The Peace Corps suspended operations and brought home all PCVs due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but the program rebounded. Today there are approximately 7,300 PCVs serving in 61 countries.
The idea to record the in-depth oral history interviews started when Richard Green, who served as a teacher and sanitation worker in the Philippines from 1967-1969, contacted Mallory Covington, archival collections manager in the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Research Division. Green wanted to collaborate to archive interviews that he planned to record so they would be available to the public and permanently stored in the OHS archives. Green used a video camera to record two-to-three-hour interviews with Returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) and learn more about why and how they joined; the training period, including learning a new language; detailed descriptions of their location and assignments; and what it was like adapting to unfamiliar cultures.
Green gave copies of the interviews to the OHS. The RPCVs interviewed served in countries like Guatemala, Ghana, Ukraine, the Philippines and Brazil, with dates of service ranging from the mid-1960s to 2019. Green hopes to record more interviews when additional RPCVs are identified. RPCVs interested in doing an interview with Green can contact him at 405-371-1457 or richard.green98@gmail.com.
Green said another major benefit of the new oral history project is to enable those interested in joining the Peace Corps to obtain a great deal of very useful, practical information on what to expect during the two years of service. After listening to one or more interviews, Green hopes people will be motivated to learn more and possibly apply to serve.
It’s estimated that more than 1,400 Oklahomans have been PCVs, and 47 are currently serving. The numbers are relatively low compared to larger states, but the experience for many has been “beneficially transformative.” The interviews are available online at okhistory.org/peacecorps.
The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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