Peace Corps Volunteers Whit and Diane Sears were working in Phitsanulok, a city about 700 miles north of where the tsunami hit.




Peace Corps Volunteers Whit and Diane Sears were working in Phitsanulok, a city about 700 miles north of where the tsunami hit.


Couple offer Asia insight

Northwest Herald
Crystal Lake, Ill.
January 2, 2005

In 2003, Whit and Diane Sears joined the Peace Corps and were assigned to Thailand.

Thankfully, the couple, who lived for 25 years in Johnsburg, have been working in Phitsanulok, a city about 700 miles north of where the tsunami hit.

"At this point, we have been instructed not to go to the area," Diane Sears wrote to me in an e-mail last week. "We can do the same things you can. We can give money or blood."

Diane Sears was 65 when she joined the Peace Corps, and Whit was 70. The couple have been mentoring young teachers in Thailand since arriving there.

They joined the Peace Corps after their four children were grown and out of the house. They've always been very giving. While living in Johnsburg, they served as emergency foster-care parents for the McHenry County Mental Health Board.

In 2003, the Northwest Herald reported that to join the Peace Corps, the Sears's got rid of most of their possessions. They stored what they could into two 5-by-10 storage lockers in the basement of son Angus' home and took 80 pounds of luggage each to Thailand.

For Whit Sears, the Peace Corps was a chance to do something he always had wanted to do. The Harvard Business School graduate wrote in the alumni bulletin that "I wanted to be a teacher - it just took me 70 years to get there."

And now Whit and Diane Sears have found themselves in an area of the world ravaged by one of the worst natural disasters in modern times.

"The extent of this disaster is so great that it takes time to absorb it emotionally," Diane Sears wrote.

Among those unaccounted for, Sears said, are a German engineer and his wife who worked with the Phitsanulok city planner.

Although hit hard, Thailand is better equipped to handle the disaster than some of the other countries in the region, they said. Blood centers have been expanded, and banks have set up accounts to collect money to fund aid efforts.

"Thailand has one of the best developed medical services in Southeast Asia, and they welcome the aid they are receiving from other countries and international organizations," Diane Sears wrote.

People in Thailand understand natural phenomena and are dealing with the disaster as best they can, she said.

"Support right now for the victims and the disaster-relief crews is extremely high," she wrote, "but rebuilding will be a long-term project, and the challenge will be for the general public, both here and in the developed world, to maintain the help needed."

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Peace Corps issues appeal to Thailand RPCVs Peace Corps is currently assessing the situation in Thailand, anticipates a need for volunteers and is making an appeal to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps. Also read this message and this message from RPCVs in Thailand. All PCVs serving in Thailand are safe. Latest: Sri Lanka RPCVs, click here for info.

---

January 1, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Lesotho RPCV starts "Touching Tiny Lives" 1 Jan Guatemala RPCV was grassroots veterinarian 31 Dec Reginald Hodges will head Durham Literacy Center 30 Dec Ed Seidel is Director of Marine Resources Aquarium 30 Dec PC wants happy, shiny faces without felony convictions 29 Dec Newspaper says PC could go to India and Indonesia 29 Dec Tom Johnson choses to spend Christmas in Sierra Leone 28 Dec Barry Rosen helps compile textbooks for Afghanistan 28 Dec Dorinda Dove learned to appreciate midwifery in Africa 28 Dec RPCVs host Exhibition at University of Rochester 28 Dec Mike Tidwell calls on Sierra Club Official to step down 28 Dec RPCV says we can express patriotism as we see fit 26 Dec more top stories...

---

The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005.

Changing of the Guard With Lloyd Pierson's departure, Marie Wheat has been named acting Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations responsible for the day-to-day management of the Peace Corps. Although Wheat is not an RPCV and has limited overseas experience, in her two years at the agency she has come to be respected as someone with good political skills who listens and delegates authority and we wish her the best in her new position.

Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."

RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia survived Monday's attack on the consulate without injury. Five consular employees and four others were killed. Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman to hold the position, has been an outspoken advocate of rights for Arab women and has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions.

Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors.

The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.

Charges possible in 1976 PCV slaying Congressman Norm Dicks has asked the U.S. attorney in Seattle to consider pursuing charges against Dennis Priven, the man accused of killing Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner on the South Pacific island of Tonga 28 years ago. Background on this story here and here.

Your vote makes a difference Make a difference on November 2 - Vote. Then take our RPCV exit poll. See how RPCV's are voting and take a look at the RPCV voter demographic. Finally leave a message on why you voted for John Kerry or for George Bush. Previous poll results here.

Read the stories and leave your comments.