Interview with Kathleen H. Beckman, February 1, 2021
Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Kathleen Beckman served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968, in the Education Program. Factors influencing her to volunteer included John F. Kennedy; the tradition of service she was introduced to by attending a Jesuit school; and friends who volunteered. Kathy was selected for Ethiopia 6, a group of approximately 600 volunteers. Amharic language and Ethiopian culture training was conducted at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, MA. Kathy was assigned as an English teacher at a school in the small town of Shashamene. In addition to teaching, she started an after school Activities Club for girls to promote their staying in school. She and her students also participated in a summer WHO/Ethiopian Ministry of Health project to bring 5,000 vaccinations against smallpox and BCG (tuberculosis) to rural Ethiopians. Kathy later served as an AmeriCorps Volunteer in Florida, teaching Computer Literacy. The interview discusses her background, motivation for volunteering, training, experiences at her assignment site, travel in Ethiopia, and views on the value of Peace Corps service.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
Peace Corps (U.S.) Ethiopia (country of service) Ethiopia 1966-1968 (date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970 Shashamene (assignment site) Smallpox vaccination BCG (tuberculosis) vaccination AmeriCorps Amharic (language) Ethiopia 6 (training cohort)Interview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
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All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
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Beckman, Kathleen H. Interview by Julius Sztuk. 01 Feb. 2021. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Beckman, K.H. (2021, February 01). Interview by J. Sztuk. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Beckman, Kathleen H., interview by Julius Sztuk. February 01, 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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