Reflections on Sargent Shriver, Peace Corps Director extraordinaire and the 25th anniversary of the Peace Corps September 1986.

AuthorSchoonover, Brenda Brown

Since his death on January 18, 2011 at the age of 95, a great deal has been written and spoken about Robert Sargent Shriver, an exemplary American who had an incredible life dedicated to civil rights and international peace-building. Sargent Shriver died a little more than a month short of March 1, 2011, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Peace Corps Act. Over the course of this year there will be numerous celebrations marking the birth, success and endurance of the Peace Corps. Along with those will be many more tributes to Robert Sargent Shriver ("Sarge") for other than President John F. Kennedy, himself, Sarge most symbolizes the Peace Corps, Shriver was not only its first Director, but also one of founding fathers and one of the chief architects who put the organization together in six months.

On March 1, 2011, there were a number of local Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) 50th birthday parties celebrating the signing of the Peace Corps Act in 1961. The idea of the house parties sprang from the National Peace Corps Association, which aimed for 500 parties and reported 740 such events. For example about 25 people gathered in my town in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. There will be birthday events throughout the year with numerous large programs in Washington in September. It will be impossible to recognize the Peace Corps' 50th milestone without continuing to honor the life and deeds of Robert Sargent Shriver, who during his tenure from 1961 to 1966 put the agency on solid footing, which has stood the test of time for half a century.

Robert Sargent Shriver, known as Sarge since childhood, was a man of many accomplishments with an outstanding career in public and international service. In the late 1950s, as Head of Chicago's School Board and the Catholic Interracial Council, Shriver led successful efforts to integrate Chicago's public and parochial schools. In addition to being the first Director of President John F. Kennedy's creation, the Peace Corps, under the Johnson Administration, Shriver was Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity; helped establish the War on Poverty Program, the Job Corps, VISTA and Head Start, the Community Action Program, Legal Services to the Poor and Foster Grandparents. He was Ambassador to France from 1968 to 1970 and Vice Presidential candidate in George McGovern's unsuccessful run for President in 1972. In the 1980s and 1990s, Shriver was Chairman of the Board of Special Olympics International, advocating against violence and discrimination directed at the intellectually disabled.

As a loyal former Peace Corps Volunteer, since my 1961 two-year Peace Corps assignment in the first group to arrive in the Philippines, over the years, I have tried to attend historical Peace Corps marker anniversary celebrations: the 10th, 25th, 40th etc. In addition, since we have gotten older, my close-knit Philippines, Group One has held mini-conferences every two years. Starting with Chicago 2003, we have since met in Toronto, Boston and Pasadena, California.

I want to turn the clock back to 1986 and reflect on the 25th anniversary of the Peace Corps because of all of the celebrations, to date, the most memorable were those five days in September in the nation's capital in which Sargent Shriver played a prominent role.

The 25th Anniversary of the Conference of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and Staff was held from September 18 to 22, 1986 with Monday, September 22 devoted to the first 300 volunteers. From start to finish, it was a particularly moving experience. Loret Rupee, then Director of the Peace Corps under the Reagan Administration and Sargent Shriver appeared to be co-hosts, a dynamic duo who displayed mutual admiration and respect for each other and a great love of the Peace Corps. The Washington Post reported that Ruppe is fond of saying that she can "still see the same stars that Sargent Shriver saw in the eyes of young people in America."

Conference activities began on Thursday evening with a...

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