Interview with Richard H. "Dick" King, April 20, 2021

Interview Summary

Richard "Dick" King served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador, from 1966 to 1969, in the Community Development Program. Dick grew up in a white, upper middle class environment in Rochester NY. Attending Earlham College, and a foreign study program in England, introduced him to a more diverse world. Earlham’s emphasis on community and global affairs, and a desire for a draft deferment, motivated him to apply to Peace Corps. His Peace Corps training began at the University of Oklahoma, and continued in Vera Cruz Mexico. It included Spanish language and culture, and an Outward Bound survival program. Dick was the first volunteer to be assigned to San Alejo, a result of the mayor’s campaign promise to bring a Peace Corps Volunteer. Music and soccer were ice breakers for his acceptance in the community. He played trombone in mariachi bands, played soccer, and formed a youth soccer league. He was assigned to a public health clinic, but largely found projects of his own through interactions with locals. Dick extended for a third year, moving to San Salvador to work with a Salvadoran Community Development Agency, and traveled extensively throughout the country.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970 El Salvador (country of service) El Salvador 1966-1969 (date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Community Development Earlham College Vietnam War University of Oklahoma (training site) Vera Cruz Mexico (training site) Spanish (language) Outward Bound San Alejo (assignment site) San Salvador (assignment site) youth soccer Caritas, Catholic Relief Services

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