Interview with Larry W. Pitman, December 20, 2022

Interview Summary

Larry Pitman served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1964-1966 with a university education program. His training took place at the University of Washington in Seattle, except for a final intensive field experience. After arriving in La Paz, Larry was warned that his site, Potosí, was unsafe because of political violence, but Larry persuaded the Director to let him go. His university counterparts in Potosí had no knowledge of his coming, but they invited him to teach English to economics students. With the military coup in 1964, the university was closed, and Larry began to offer English classes at the Bolivian American Cultural Center, until that was bombed. As the violence settled down, Larry resumed teaching, worked with the local community to develop a savings and loan institution, created training materials for teaching English, and established a system for teaching English by radio. Following his return, Larry worked in the U.S. for Peace Corps in a variety of positions, served as Assistant Dean for International Students at the University of Oregon, and had a successful career as an entrepreneur. He credits Peace Corps with his ability to adapt to new situations and challenges.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Bolivia (Country of service) 1964-1966 (dates of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: University Education Peace Corps (U.S.)—1960-1970 Peace Corps (U.S.) – Training (cultural, language, technical) Peace Corps (U.S.)– Recruitment and intake Peace Corps staff Spanish (Language) Quechua (Language) English (Language) Hepatitis Bolivia Potosí La Paz mining Bolivian military coup Bolivian American Cultural Center violence financial institutions student protest Notre Dame University

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