Interview with William "Bill" Saphir, February 9, 2021
Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project
Interview Summary
William "Bill" Saphir served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand from 1967 to 1970 in the Malaria Eradication Program. Training for Saphir’s group, Thailand 21, was conducted in Hilo, Hawaii and the Philippines. He believes the training was excellent in preparing volunteers for their assignments. Saphir was assigned to the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, commonly known as Korat, where he lived in the Wat Bun neighborhood. His job was as Assistant to the Zone Chief in Thailand’s WHO and USAID sponsored National Malaria Eradication Project (NMEP) that entailed travel to many outlying villages and newly developing settlements. Saphir extended his service one year to complete work in an area that he was instrumental in starting. The interview discusses training, living and working in Thailand, the impact of Peace Corps service on those served as well as volunteers, and post-service involvement with the Peace Corps community. Saphir remains in contact with many fellow RPCVs, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
Thailand (Country of service) Philippines 1967-1970 (Date of service) World Health Organization Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Health Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Malaria Eradication Hilo (Hawaii) Thailand 21 (Training cohort) Thai (Language) Korat (Thailand) Nakhon Ratchasima (Thailand) Wat Bun (Thailand) Museum of the Peace Corps Experience Vietnam WarInterview LC Subject
Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Thailand Thailand Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970 Acculturation Communication and culture Culture Culture shock Intercultural communication Interpersonal communication and culture Interpersonal relations Interpersonal relations and culture Language and culture Language and languages Lifestyles Manners and customs Voluntarism VolunteersInterview Rights
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All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
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Saphir, William Interview by Julius Sztuk. 09 Feb. 2021. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Saphir, W. (2021, February 09). Interview by J. Sztuk. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Saphir, William, interview by Julius Sztuk. February 09, 2021, Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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