John Guy, 78 years young, took the oath to become a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine



The three months of training proved to be a “culture shock and required a serious adjustment of attitudes,” he said. Mr. LaPlante is one of those people who never retire, working for years as a Telegram & Gazette reporter, supervisor and editor while a resident in Webster and Dudley, and later as owner of a public relations firm and information officer at Assumption College while living in Auburn and Worcester.

John Guy, 78 years young, took the oath to become a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine

At 78, LaPlante off to Ukraine for Peace Corps

Ed Patenaude So I’ve Heard

Longtime friend John Guy LaPlante’s latest odyssey became official Dec. 19. After three months as a Peace Corps trainee in Ukraine, John Guy, 78 years young, took the oath to become a Peace Corps volunteer.

“Yes, I’ve made it,” he emphasized in an e-mail to this corner. There were 86 volunteers in Group 33, he said, adding, “Only eight seniors and I was the oldest by far.” He went to Ukraine to teach English, and training included heavy doses of Ukrainian and Russian, languages his prospective students might understand.

The three months of training proved to be a “culture shock and required a serious adjustment of attitudes,” he said. Mr. LaPlante is one of those people who never retire, working for years as a Telegram & Gazette reporter, supervisor and editor while a resident in Webster and Dudley, and later as owner of a public relations firm and information officer at Assumption College while living in Auburn and Worcester.


He’s authored columns, travel pieces and a couple of world travel books in recent years. Even some of us who cherish his friendship were surprised by his decision to join the Peace Corps. John Guy LaPlante will teach at a State Language School and at a major library in a city described as two hours from Kiev.

English teacher and Peace Corps Volunteer John Guy LaPlante will greet his first class after Christmas, or Jan. 7 when Santa visits in Ukraine.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: January, 2008; Peace Corps Ukraine; Directory of Ukraine RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Ukraine RPCVs; Older Volunteers

When this story was posted in December 2008, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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

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Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez.

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PCOL's Candidate for Peace Corps Director Honduras RPCV Jon Carson, 33, presided over thousands of workers as national field director for the Obama campaign and said the biggest challenge -- and surprise -- was the volume of volunteer help, including more than 15,000 "super volunteers," who were a big part of what made Obama's campaign so successful. PCOL endorses Jon Carson as the man who can revitalize the Peace Corps, bring it into the internet age, and meet Obama's goal of doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011.

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December 14, 2008: This Month's Top Stories Michael Adlerstein to make UN green 21 Nov Harris Wofford writes: America at a turning point 14 Nov Margaret Krome writes: Obama win shows power of idealism 11 Nov Joseph Acaba to fly on February Shuttle Mission 11 Dec Mary Matterer caught in Bangkok protests 6 Dec Gen. Victor Renuart Jr. son served in Peace Corps 6 Dec Kim Kohler opposes mega-projects in Guatemala 5 Dec Gretchen Snoeyenbos' small town in Mali 5 Dec Tim Shriver Calls for 'Dept of Development and Service' 4 Dec Phil Lilienthal brings camp to kids in South Africa 3 Dec New Peace Corps for Kids Web Site 3 Dec Ilene Gelbaum brings infants into the world 26 Nov Jonathan Zimmerman writes: Nepal's ban on private schools 26 Nov George Packer writes: Will Obama Change? 25 Nov Aly and Buddy Shanks exhibit African art 23 Nov Luke King heads Mercy Corps in Congo 23 Nov Echoes of JFK unavoidable in Obama Presidency 23 Nov Joseph Opala Connects Africa to Gullah Community 21 Nov William Yeatman writes: Coal in Kyrgyzstan 20 Nov Doyle may become next PC Director 14 Nov Michael O'Hanlon writes: How to Win in Afghanistan 14 Nov New: More Stories from October and November 2008.

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Some PCVs return to Bolivia on their own Peace Corps has withdrawn all volunteers from Bolivia because of "growing instability" and the expulsion of US Ambassador Philip Goldberg after Bolivian President Evo Morales accused the American government of inciting violence in the country. This is not the first controversy surrounding Goldberg's tenure as US ambassador to Bolivia. Latest: Some volunteers have returned to Bolivia on their own to complete their projects.

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PCVs Evacuated from Georgia The Peace Corps has announced that all Volunteers and trainees serving in the Republic of Georgia are safe and they have been temporarily relocated to neighboring Armenia. Read the analysis by one RPCV on how Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili believed that he could launch a lightning assault on South Ossetia and reclaim the republic without substantial grief from Moscow and that Saakashvili's statements once the war began demonstrated that he expected real Western help in confronting Russia.

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