Katie and John Zawacki departed for St. Lucia to begin a tour with the Peace Corps



Katie and John Zawacki departed for St. Lucia to begin a tour with the Peace Corps

Roanoke County couple prepares for service in the Eastern Carribbean

Posted: 3:29 p.m.

By Suzanne Wardle
The Roanoke Times

Caption: After 30 years in Roanoke, Katie (foreground) and John Zawacki decided to join the Peace Corps. They left today for a two-year assignment in the Carribbean. Photo by Andrea Psimer | The Roanoke Times

The Zawacki's temporary home at Sunscape Apartments was cluttered with papers, boxes and knick-knacks. A folding table stood behind the futon and a wooden stool looked out of place beside three green plastic chairs.

"My daughter said to her husband, 'My parents are living like college students,'" said 59-year-old Katie Zawacki.


That changed today, when Katie and her husband John, 69, departed for St. Lucia to begin a tour with the Peace Corps that will last two years and three months.

"We're going for an adventure, to live in another country again," Katie Zawacki said. "We were looking for something to do. John had just retired and we didn't want to stay here forever."

Although they have lived in the Roanoke Valley for 32 years, the Zawackis are no strangers to the rest of the world. Two years ago, they volunteered for the Peace Corps and prepared to travel again.

"We both have years of experience and skill," John said. "Our wisdom, patience and tolerance are assets to the Peace Corps."

The Zawacki's bring other assets too: skills they learned at their jobs. Katie worked more than 14 years at Blue Ridge Behavioral Health Care as a prevention specialist and John was an electrical engineer at General Electric for 34 years. Katie said she would like to work with young children again while John said he hoped he could help people in Eastern Carribbean with the more technical aspects of life.

Although they are going to Eastern Carribbean, John and Katie do not yet know their exact destination.

Although only 6 percent of the 7,733 Peace Corps volunteers are older than 50, a Peace Corps spokeswoman said the organization encourages older people to volunteer.

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.

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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...

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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.

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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.

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