Remarks by Peace Corps Acting Director Jody Olsen at the Memorial Service for Peace Corps Volunteer Catherine “Kate” Puzey to the Government and People of Benin



On behalf of the Peace Corps and the family of Kate Puzey, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the people and government of Benin for setting aside this day to commemorate Kate’s life and service in Benin. This memorial service for Kate is poignant testimony to the very special bonds that exists between the Peace Corps and the people of Benin. I attended Kate’s funeral in Georgia on Saturday. It was an emotionally moving occasion filled with soul-felt tributes to a woman who was loved, admired, and respected for who she was and for all she had accomplished in her too brief a life. It was also an occasion to learn of Kate’s unqualified love for Benin and its people. I would like to share with you one of Kate’s depth of feeling for Benin:

Remarks by Peace Corps Acting Director Jody Olsen at the Memorial Service for Peace Corps Volunteer Catherine “Kate” Puzey to the Government and People of Benin

Remarks by Peace Corps Acting Director Jody Olsen at the Memorial Service for Peace Corps Volunteer Catherine “Kate” Puzey to the Government and People of Benin

Cotonou, Benin

March 25, 2009

On behalf of the Peace Corps and the family of Kate Puzey, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the people and government of Benin for setting aside this day to commemorate Kate’s life and service in Benin. This memorial service for Kate is poignant testimony to the very special bonds that exists between the Peace Corps and the people of Benin.

It was only last fall that we gathered together in joy to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Peace Corps program in Benin. On that occasion, we had the great pleasure of thanking you, the people of Benin, for opening your hearts and your homes to the Volunteers who have had the unique and wonderful experience of spending two years in your beautiful country.

Today, we gather again, but this occasion is necessitated by a far more somber reason—we have lost one of our family members. When I say we, I mean all of us, Kate’s family in Georgia, her Peace Corps family, and you, the people of Benin, who embraced Kate from the day she arrived in Benin, nurtured her throughout her service in Badjoude, and now mourn her death.

I attended Kate’s funeral in Georgia on Saturday. It was an emotionally moving occasion filled with soul-felt tributes to a woman who was loved, admired, and respected for who she was and for all she had accomplished in her too brief a life. It was also an occasion to learn of Kate’s unqualified love for Benin and its people. I would like to share with you one of Kate’s depth of feeling for Benin:

I’ve become familiar with so many new sounds. I now know the sound of a chicken when it’s being killed, a goat when it’s giving birth, the baby next door when it’s hungry. I know the sound of the tonal repetitions in the local language when two close friends meet in passing; the rumble of the flour grinder two houses down and the hum of a nearby generator; the sound of mice and big lizards running around my ceiling at night and the ruckus that ensues when one chases the other (I always root for the lizard); the sound of the marché across the way from me carrying on well into the night; the deep-throated grumble of cattle as they graze in front of my house; the low clicking orders of their herder; the whining of children versus the baying of goats, though I swear one goat sounds like he’s always saying in a deep grumpy voice “Badddddd!” (I’ve named him Eeyore); all the different bird and insect calls. I’m even learning to discern the voice of each student who, in passing at night, will see me cooking dinner by candlelight and holler out from the dark “Good Evening, Madame Catherine!”

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: March, 2009; Peace Corps Benin; Directory of Benin RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Benin RPCVs; Safety and Security of Volunteers; Crime; Murder; Congress

When this story was posted in March 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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

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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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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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Feb 22, 2009: Return to Indonesia? Clinton says PC expects to resume in Indonesia 18 Feb Indonesia still touchy about Peace Corps 17 Feb PCVs Remain Safe in Madagascar 30 Jan Dodd's Senate seat up for grabs? 21 Feb Tony Hall Talks About Poverty and Hunger 18 Feb Pro Football Player Aaron Merz to serve in Zambia 17 Feb Moyers could be new Murrow for US Public Diplomacy 17 Feb Obituary for Nigeria CD Francis Underhill Macy 10 Feb George Packer writes: Parties argue government role 10 Feb James Rupert writes: Missile Strikes Counterproductive? 10 Feb Danny Hevrol in Madagascar amidst fighting 6 Feb Reed Hastings writes: Please Raise My Taxes 6 Feb Obama overrides Hillary on Chris Hill appointment 6 Feb Joseph Acaba has "The Right Stuff" 4 Feb Maureen Orth writes: A New Start 2 Feb Henry Rayburn could make art out of anything 1 Feb Obama out to marry military power with diplomacy 30 Jan Mike Fay honored by the San Diego Zoo 30 Jan Charles Stroh writes: Karzai seen as impediment to change 29 Jan Madeleine Meek writes: The market and the bath 26 Jan NPCA gets new Web Site 22 Jan Read more stories from January and February 2009.

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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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