Interview with Neil Ross, September 17, 2021

Interview Summary

Neil Ross was awed by JFK’s inaugural speech. He applied and received an invitation to work in a forestry project in the Dominican Republic. All projects then were poorly defined. He was told by the Peace Corps Director “Do what you can do”. Neil was approached by a Catholic priest who heard he was teaching a few individuals English. The priest asked if he would teach English at his local seminary for three hours every other day. He also set up an English teacher training project for four nuns. When the priest discovered that Neil had been a trained Scout leader, he asked him to take over his local Scout troop. Neil’s activities as: knot tying, hikes, camp outs, national and international trips, etc. Peace Corps asked him to be the liaison with the Dominican National Scout Association. Neil worked across the country with other PCVs and Dominicans creating a Scout network. Dominican Republic, Nov. 1962 to Nov. 1964, Forestry and Youth Development

Interview Keyword

University of Rhode Island agriculture horticulture JFK inaugural speech application exam recruiter physical exam Veterans Administration Pre-Service Training University of Washington academic training lectures practicums deselection Puerto Rico Arecibo Dos Bocas Camp Crozier Outward Bound health research Santo Domingo publicos Calle Independencia Jarabacoa Restauracion San Juan de la Maguana Jose de las Matas Catholic or communist forest fire fighting rented house hired cook Ayutamiento city hall Alcalde mayor helped teaching English priest seminarians teacher training nuns Scout Master Boy Scouts Salto Jimanoa water fall Dominican National Scout Association Peace Corps liaison National Scout advisor PCV Scout network tea and honey disadvantaged youth national PC recruiter, American universities

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