Worth-Nelson, a University of Michigan-Flint instructor, will speak inAnn Arbor on a panel of Peace Corps authors, 3 p.m. at the University ofMichigan Hatcher Graduate Library, 913 S. University Avenue. Worth-Nelson wrote the novel "Night Blind" based on her experiences in Tonga, including a murder that took place involving two volunteers. "It's been with me my whole life," said Worth-Nelson, 60. "It reallychanged my view of world. The impact of being a young person and goingoverseas in somewhat uncomfortable conditions and working hard andcoming to understand another culture and your own culture - it growsyou up."
Tonga RPCV Jan Worth-Nelson speaks in Ann Arbor in celebration of 50th anniversary
Flint woman who served in Peace Corps to speak in Ann Arbor in celebration of 50th anniversary
Published: Thursday, October 14, 2010, 4:37 PM Updated: Thursday, October 14, 2010, 5:58 PM
Caption: Jan Worth-Nelson, an English instructor at UM-Flint, wrote a self-published novel called "Night Blind" about her experiences in the Peace Corps in the 1970s in Tonga. She is surrounded by gifts and other Tongan art in this Nov. 13, 2006 Flint Journal file photo.Photo: Steve Jessmore
FLINT, Michigan - Jan Worth-Nelson was only 10 years old when John F. Kennedy stood on the steps of the Michigan Union in Ann Arbor 50 years ago today and gave the speech that would lead to the creation of the Peace Corps.
But that moment would affect her life over and over again for decades.
Worth-Nelson, who lives in Flint, served in the Peace Corps from 1976-78, volunteering in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. She later wrote a novel based on her experience there, and 27 years after returning to the U.S., she'd marry the fellow volunteer she fell in love with in Tonga.
"It's a sweet moment for us because my husband and and I would never have me if it hadn't have been for that night," she said about Kennedy's famous 2 a.m. speech.
Kennedy, a presidential candidate at the time, challenged a crowd of 5,000 students to serve in developing countries in the name of peace.
"It's sort of poignant to think about all the hope that was in the air that night," Worth-Nelson said.
Early this morning, some 1,500 people braved the rain to commemorate the anniversary at the exact spot where Kennedy made the announcement in Ann Arbor.
It was part of a series of events commemorating the milestone.
And tomorrow, Worth-Nelson, a University of Michigan-Flint instructor, will speak inAnn Arbor on a panel of Peace Corps authors, 3 p.m. at the University ofMichigan Hatcher Graduate Library, 913 S. University Avenue.
Worth-Nelson wrote the novel "Night Blind" based on her experiences in Tonga, including a murder that took place involving two volunteers.
"It's been with me my whole life," said Worth-Nelson, 60. "It reallychanged my view of world. The impact of being a young person and goingoverseas in somewhat uncomfortable conditions and working hard andcoming to understand another culture and your own culture - it growsyou up."
