June 23, 2005: Headlines: COS - Ethiopia: Return to our Country of Service - Ethiopia: San Jose Mercury News: The last time Gary Wilson lived in Ethiopia it was a different era. He was a Peace Corps member in the 1960s explaining to high school students why police in the American south were turning hoses on African-Americans protesting for civil rights, as captured by TV.

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Ethiopia: Peace Corps Ethiopia : The Peace Corps in Ethiopia: June 23, 2005: Headlines: COS - Ethiopia: Return to our Country of Service - Ethiopia: San Jose Mercury News: The last time Gary Wilson lived in Ethiopia it was a different era. He was a Peace Corps member in the 1960s explaining to high school students why police in the American south were turning hoses on African-Americans protesting for civil rights, as captured by TV.

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-245-37.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.245.37) on Friday, June 24, 2005 - 11:38 pm: Edit Post

The last time Gary Wilson lived in Ethiopia it was a different era. He was a Peace Corps member in the 1960s explaining to high school students why police in the American south were turning hoses on African-Americans protesting for civil rights, as captured by TV.

The last time Gary Wilson lived in Ethiopia it was a different era. He was a Peace Corps member in the 1960s explaining to high school students why police in the American south were turning hoses on African-Americans protesting for civil rights, as captured by TV.

The last time Gary Wilson lived in Ethiopia it was a different era. He was a Peace Corps member in the 1960s explaining to high school students why police in the American south were turning hoses on African-Americans protesting for civil rights, as captured by TV.

Retired Pioneer teacher plans return to Ethiopia

By HongDao Nguyen
San Jose Mercury News
San Jose, Calif.
June 23, 2005

The last time Gary Wilson lived in Ethiopia it was a different era. He was a Peace Corps member in the 1960s explaining to high school students why police in the American south were turning hoses on African-Americans protesting for civil rights, as captured by TV.

More than 40 years later, Wilson, a retired San Jose special education teacher from Pioneer High School, is planning to return to the African nation to teach high school students math and eventually hopes to open an orphanage there.

''I see it as a selfish act because it will complete my life,'' Wilson said. ''Everything that was missing in my life will be in place.''

Late next month or early August, Wilson is planning a two-week trip to visit representatives from the health and education ministries and set a foundation for his next visit that he expects to last the rest of his life.

Since he came back in 1964 to the United States, where's he's been a longtime non-denominational pastor and most recently taught at Pioneer, the 65-year-old Wilson said he's thought about Ethiopia.

Wilson was born in San Jose and grew up in Watsonville and Santa Clara. As a youth, he was attracted to Africa, he said, because of the ''Tarzan mystique,'' the animals, the jungle. ''They are, for the most part, a very impoverished society, and yet the people manifested joy in living,'' he said. ''The harshness of some of the realities of their life cannot take the joy of life away from them.''

Barbara Lepiane, the principal at Pioneer, said Wilson has helped needy students at the San Jose school. ''He has great compassion for people who have less than what than we have.''

Wilson, who has never married and has no children, said he plans to teach for two or three years, then with his $2,000 a month retirement check he wants to run an orphanage.





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Story Source: San Jose Mercury News

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Ethiopia; Return to our Country of Service - Ethiopia

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