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.

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



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American Taboo: A Peace Corps Tragedy Returned Volunteers met with author Philip Weiss in Baltimore on June 18 to discuss the murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner. Weiss was a member of a panel that included three psychiatrists and a criminal attorney. Meanwhile, the Seattle U.S. Attorney's office announced that Dennis Priven cannot be retried for the murder. "We do not believe this case can be prosecuted by anyone, not only us, but in any other jurisdiction in the United States." Read background on the case here.

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June 16, 2005: Special Events Philip Weiss, PCV murder writer, speaks in Baltimore June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 NPCA to hold Virtual Leaders Forum on July 29 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 "Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures" in NY thru Sept 30 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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June 14: Peace Corps suspends Haiti program After Uzbekistan, the Peace Corps has announced the suspension of a second program this month - this time in Haiti. Background: The suspension comes after a US Embassy warning, a request from Tom Lantos' office, and the program suspension last year. For the record: PCOL supports Peace Corps' decision to suspend the two programs and commends the agency for the efficient way PCVs were evacuated safely. Our only concern now is with the placement of evacuated PCVs and the support they receive after interrupted service.

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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 6, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Kinky Friedman will "sign anything except bad legislation" 6 Jun Niels Marquardt Makes Chimpanzee Protection a Priority 6 Jun Laurence Leamer needs approval for "Today" appearance 6 Jun Desperate Housewives' Ricardo Chavira is son of RPCVs 6 Jun Anthony Sandberg runs Berkeley sailing school 5 Jun Amy Smith field-tests sugarcane charcoal 5 Jun Mary Johnson organizes workshop on genocide 3 Jun Jonathan Lash in 100 most Influential Business Leaders 3 Jun Hastert jump-starts Chris Shays' Campaign 3 Jun John Coyne says 41 RPCVs applied for scholarships 3 Jun James Rupert writes on bombing in Kandahar mosque 1 Jun John McCain says to expand opportunities for service 1 Jun Jay Rockefeller's relationships with Japanese go way back 1 Jun Anat Shenker met her husband during service in Honduras 31 May Ryan Clancy punished without hearing for visiting Iraq 30 May Melissa Mosvick remembered as a fallen American hero 29 May Kurt Carlson played basketball against Togo's national team 29 May Helen Thomas's favorite president remains JFK 24 May

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