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Peace Corps
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The founding of the Peace Corps is one of President John F. Kennedy's most enduring legacies. Yet it got its start in a fortuitous and unexpected moment. Kennedy, arriving late to speak to students at the University of Michigan on October 14, 1960, found himself thronged by a crowd of 10,000 students at 2 o'clock in the morning. Speaking extemporaneously, the presidential candidate challenged American youth to devote a part of their lives to living and working in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Would students back his effort to form a Peace Corps? Their response was immediate: within weeks students organized a petition drive and gathered 1,000 signatures in support of the idea.
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The Loret Miller Ruppe Peace Corps Master’s International Program in Forestry has been in existence since 1996. The program is named for Houghton resident Loret Miller Ruppe, the longest serving director of the Peace Corps. Students from a wide range of academic backgrounds enter the program. Current students have undergraduate degrees in fine arts, music, mathematics, anthropology, biology, philosophy, history, chemistry, and French.
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The Peace Corps since its creation during the Kennedy administration has had a significant impact on America, though the extent of the impact is yet to be determined. The military wing has touched the lives of millions of people with bullets, possibly more, and aided others with their deaths in their times of need. And what was the US going to do about the surplus Napalm left over from the Vietnam war? Who is going to save Nixon's dog from Cambodian Communists? Who was going to beat down innocent civilians in times of boredom? The Peace Corps was a viable solution to many of these problems and more.
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Since 1961, 200,000 Peace Corps heroes have served around the world. Their service has brightened the futures of the millions of people's lives they have touched as well as making the world a better place than it would have.
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The first Peace Corps volunteers are elected to U.S. Congress. Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts -- a volunteer in Ethiopia from 1962 to 1964 -- and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut -- a volunteer from the Dominican Republic from 1966 to 1968. Tsongas is elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978, Dodd in 1980.
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The Peace Corps is advancing this message this week during its first career fair. About 50 alumni are at the fair, which is running until Thursday at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington. Some traveled from as far away as California, Michigan and Canada to fill the Shriver conference rooms.
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