Herb Probasco served from 1962-64 in the Philippines as an elementary English teacher's aide - now newspaper editor
Peace Corps alumni say experiences vary
By Heidi White Staff Reporter
Thirty-five years ago, President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps, saying: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
Ever since, more than 140,000 Americans have given two years of their lives to aid people in more than 120 developing countries.
An anniversary celebration was held Monday night in the Nebraska Union with cultural booths set up by former volunteers, speakers and a performance from a Turkish dance troupe.
Of the 7,100 volunteers now serving, 31 are University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates, said Jeffery Martin, public affairs specialist for the Peace Corps recruiting office in Denver.
Herb Probasco, a 1961 UNL graduate and editor of the Daily Nebraskan during the 1960-61 year, was among the first of the Peace Corps volunteers from UNL.
"I had gotten to know quite a few foreign students and got interested in spending time in a foreign country," Probasco said.
He chose the Peace Corps to fulfill that interest and served from 1962-64 in the Philippines as an elementary English teacher's aide.
He said he was quite idealistic and assumed there would be a lot for him and the other volunteers to do. His experience was different than most, however, because the Philippines already had a developed school system.
"It wasn't our mission to pioneer a lot of change," Probasco said.
Neil Jacobson, a 1988 graduate of Morehead State University, had quite a different experience when he served from 1989-91 in Kenya as a small business adviser.
Jacobson spent two days a week teaching business classes and three days traveling in the area working on projects to develop businesses geared toward Kenya's growing tourism trade.
He said volunteers' experiences could vary.
"If you are able to be open-minded, you can gain more from it," Jacobson said.
More information on the Peace Corps is available from UNL campus representative Ruth Ann Thompson at 472-3201 or 475-3096.
