From 1964 to 1966, Richard and Ruth Sparks served as Peace Corps volunteers in Nigeria. Their daughter Amelia served in Morocco from 1994-1996.



“They told me my experience was harder. They were given housing and household help, whereas I had to find my own housing, do my own cooking and cleaning and that kind of thing. I think their selection and training process was probably harder, or at the very least, less relevant. We had excellent culture and language instruction in-country whereas they did teacher training in New York City. It did not really teach them much about being in a Nigerian village,” Amelia said.

From 1964 to 1966, Richard and Ruth Sparks served as Peace Corps volunteers in Nigeria. Their daughter Amelia served in Morocco from 1994-1996.

From Africa to Asia, a Spirit of Service Binds a Peace Corps Family

In celebration of the 45th anniversary, this is the third in a series featuring Peace Corps legacy families.

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 9, 2006 – Growing up in an Illinois farmhouse frequented by foreign exchange students and decorated with artifacts her parents had collected in Africa, Amelia Sparks, 33, always knew she wanted to experience other cultures firsthand.


Amelia with her neighbors in Morocco
"I was raised with an awareness and appreciation for different cultures,” Amelia, who served in Morocco from 1994-1996, said. “My parents always strongly encouraged studying a foreign language and traveling abroad.”

Not only did her parents encourage travel and volunteerism, they experienced it firsthand. From 1964 to 1966, Richard and Ruth Sparks served as Peace Corps volunteers in Nigeria. The couple met during their Peace Corps training in New York City, but the relationship developed once they arrived at their sites in Nigeria.

“We met on the first day of training as Richard and another volunteer stood on the porch at Barnard College, greeting all the young women and offering to carry their bags. My response was: ‘I can do it.’ A decade later, this was Amelia's first full sentence,” said Ruth.

During their service in Nigeria, both Richard and Ruth, now 64 and 63 respectively, worked in the education sector, teaching science through experiments that could be done with materials purchased in local markets. While Ruth taught in a Catholic boys high school, Richard trained elementary school teachers at the Methodist Teachers Training College.

Richard and Ruth were among the first generation of Peace Corps volunteers influenced by John F. Kennedy’s vision. Richard was a junior at Amherst College in Massachusetts when President Kennedy spoke there in October 1963, and he remembers the powerful dedication Kennedy gave at the campus’ new Robert Frost Library.

Although this speech, and others Kennedy delivered, had a lasting impact on Richard, the memoriam that Amherst College President Dr. Calvin Plimpton gave after Kennedy’s death played an even bigger role: “He spoke about how much he appreciated the focus of President Kennedy on the college, the poet, and the subject of the artist in society, as though nothing else were going on the world. There wasn't a dry eye in the packed chapel when President Plimpton finished. Then he said: ‘Let us stand a moment in silence to honor him ... then let us go and do the work he could not complete.’ I applied to the Peace Corps the next day.”

Amelia said it was her parents’ influence that convinced her to join the Peace Corps immediately after college.

“I was raised to believe that ‘for everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required.’ For my parents, their inspiration came almost directly from Kennedy. For me, it was Maya Angelou who gave words to my motivation. During a presentation at our school, she told us that our tuition had been paid and that we needed to go out and pay the tuitions of others. I think I ended up using that quote in my Peace Corps application,” she said.

Like many Peace Corps legacy families, Amelia’s parents could empathize with her as she faced the triumphs and challenges of her service. Both during her service and after, they frequently shared stories, comparing their assignments and discussing the ways that the Peace Corps had changed through the years.

“They told me my experience was harder. They were given housing and household help, whereas I had to find my own housing, do my own cooking and cleaning and that kind of thing. I think their selection and training process was probably harder, or at the very least, less relevant. We had excellent culture and language instruction in-country whereas they did teacher training in New York City. It did not really teach them much about being in a Nigerian village,” Amelia said.

The Sparks family’s volunteerism did not end after Amelia’s Peace Corps service came to a close. Following her service as a health educator in Morocco, Amelia went to Sri Lanka as a Peace Corps Crisis Corps volunteer to assist with tsunami efforts in 2005. While there, she worked with the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, a local organization that was attempting to track, coordinate and give public accountings of the hundreds of organizations that had come into Sri Lanka to help after the tsunami. Amelia continues to be involved with the Peace Corps and currently works at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Both Richard and Ruth Sparks continue to volunteer in their community and beyond. When the Biafran Civil war erupted in Nigeria about two years after their service ended, the couple lectured about the origins of the conflict and helped raise relief funds for the refugees.

“I continue to do presentations and displays about Nigeria at schools and libraries,” said Ruth. “I have no trouble keeping the children’s attention when I walk into a classroom dressed in my traditional Nigerian dress, a parting gift from my students in Isuikwuato.”

Amelia hopes she can influence others the way her parents influenced her. “I am constantly encouraging people, because people will tell me that they thought about it or would have liked to have done it. I tell them it is never too late, that it is not just for single 22 year-olds. I would like to do Peace Corps again, but I’d like to go as a married couple, because it would help to have a partner along to share day-to-day life.”

When this story was posted in September 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

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September 12, 2006: This Month's Top Stories John Coyne writes: The Lion in the Garden 12 Sep John McCain says: We passed up an opportunity after 911 12 Sep Jody Olsen speaks at Headquarters about 911 11 Sep Bill Moyers Returns to Investigative Reporting 8 Sep Boating Accident kills two PCVs in Mali 7 Sep Director Vasquez bids Farewell to Washington 7 Sep James Rupert writes: Pact reached with pro-Taliban forces 6 Sep Carol Bellamy to speak at Global Risk Conference 5 Sep New trial ordered for Jerry Mark in murder case 2 Sep Ken Hill to step down as NPCA Chairman 1 Sep Clintons, Gearans dine at resort 1 Sep 'Chris Matthews' Turns 5 31 Aug Taylor Hackford thinks Chuck Berry is a pain in the ass 31 Aug John Kefalas alleges dirty tactics in house race 30 Aug DRI receives Charity Navigator's highest ratings 29 Aug Kris Holloway writes "Monique and the Mango Rains'' 28 Aug Richard Celeste writes: Watch Out For Voting Day Bugs 28 Aug Donna Shalala boosted UM's image 27 Aug Leonard Robinson devoted his life to the underserved 24 Aug Phil Hardberger will run for re-election in 2007 24 Aug Snakes on the Plain - the black mamba 23 Aug Eunice Kennedy Shriver still going strong 20 Aug

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Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director Read our story about Ron Tschetter's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was carried on C-Span. It was very different from the Vasquez hearings in 2001, very cut and dried with low attendance by the public. Among the highlights, Tschetter intends to make recruitment of baby boomers a priority, there are 20 countries under consideration for future programs, Senator Dodd intends to re-introduce his third goal Peace Corps legislation this session, Tschetter is a great admirer of Senator Coleman's quest for accountability, Dodd thinks management at PC may not put volunteers first, Dodd wants Tschetter to look into problems in medical selection, and Tschetter is not a blogger and knows little about the internet or guidelines for volunteer blogs. Read our recap of the hearings as well as Senator Coleman's statement and Tschetter's statement.

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Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq Timetable In a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense.

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Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

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The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

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Support the US-Peruvian Trade Pact Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, the Peace Corps President, has been lobbying both Democratic and Republican legislators to support the US-Peruvian trade pact before July 28, when his term ends and a US congressional recess begins. If President Bush fails to get approval before Congress goes on recess, it will be a case study proving that the United States does not reward its friends. Please call your representatives.

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PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

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History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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