Interview with John Arango, April 7, 2020

Interview Summary

John Arango served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in community development in Colombia from 1961-1963; as instructor and director of community development instruction at the University of New Mexico from 1963-1966; and Peace Corps Country Director in Panama from 1969-1970 and Ecuador from 1970-1973. He discusses the special treatment his group got as the  first to enter training and Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)’s role in training and administration. He discusses training under Richard Poston, community development expert at Rutgers University and on-going tensions between unstructured community organizing and specfic community development activities. He discusses the evolution of Peace Corps training and Peace Corps staff’s role in matching volunteers with assignments that met their working styles and goals. In Ecuador, he implemented projects to demonstrate ways to reduce poverty. He thinks Peace Corps’ Third Goal should include using skills and experiences learned through service to address systemic injustices in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Interview Keyword

Colombia (Country of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Community development 1961-1963 (Date of service) Peace Corps training 1963-1966 (Date of service) Peace Corps Country Directors Panama (Country of service) Ecuador (Country of service) 1970-1973 (Date of service) Peace Corps launch U.S. role and coup attempt in Panama Peace Corps impact Domestic dividend Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) Richard Poston Baker Brownell John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson Jack Vaughn 1969-1970 (Date of service) University of New Mexico Radio. Clothing. Coffee. Physics. Gold mining

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Colombia Colombia. Peace Corps (U.S.)--Panama Panama. Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador Ecuador Volunteers Engineering. Education. Higher education. Rutgers University Training. Journalists. News. International travel. Travel. Family. Friends. Volunteer workers in community development Politicians. Government Agriculture. Water. Schools. Food. Politics. Community development. United States. Foreign policy International affairs. Indigenous people Research. Poverty.

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Interview Usage

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