Interview with William "Bill" Baird, May 23, 2021

Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project

Interview Summary

Bill Baird served with his wife Samera in the Peace Corps in the Marshall Islands in Micronesia teaching English as a Second Language from 1968-1970. They were married two years before they served. Their group, Micronesia 7, had an initial language training and psychological evaluation in Escondido, California, before leaving for Micronesia by way of Guam for the rest of their pre-service training. He and his wife intentionally served in sites on Namorik Atoll and Ebon Atoll; both were remote locations, though he could have taught science topics in a centrally-located high school. Their accommodations and diet were simple, and he learned local fishing techniques to augment their diet and to participate in the reciprocal life of their sites. Returning to the US was challenging, particularly during the Vietnam War era, but he went on to earn his MA and PhD and taught science at the high school and college level for the rest of his career.

Interview Accession

2021oh0459_pcrv0242

Interviewee Name

William "Bill" Baird

Interviewer Name

Craig Tower

Interview Date

2021-05-23

Interview Rights

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Baird, William Interview by Craig Tower. 23 May. 2021. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Baird, W. (2021, May 23). Interview by C. Tower. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

Baird, William, interview by Craig Tower. May 23, 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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