June 4, 2005: Headlines: Awards: Chicago Daily Herald: "In these times of terrorism, one of the very best ways to promote democracy is to join the Peace Corps," says Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn as he marks the 44th anniversary of the first Peace Corps volunteers leaving for their mission in Ghana on June 4, 1961.

Peace Corps Online: State: Illinois: February 8, 2005: Index: PCOL Exclusive: Illinois : June 4, 2005: Headlines: Awards: Chicago Daily Herald: "In these times of terrorism, one of the very best ways to promote democracy is to join the Peace Corps," says Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn as he marks the 44th anniversary of the first Peace Corps volunteers leaving for their mission in Ghana on June 4, 1961.

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-245-37.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.245.37) on Saturday, June 25, 2005 - 6:13 am: Edit Post

Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn marks the 44th anniversary of first Peace Corps volunteers leaving for Ghana on June 4, 1961

Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn marks the 44th anniversary of first Peace Corps volunteers leaving for Ghana on June 4, 1961

There is more to the fight against terrorism and the spread of democracy than guns and armored vehicles. "In these times of terrorism, one of the very best ways to promote democracy is to join the Peace Corps," says Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn as he marks the 44th anniversary of the first Peace Corps volunteers leaving for their mission in Ghana on June 4, 1961.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn marks the 44th anniversary of first Peace Corps volunteers leaving for Ghana on June 4, 1961

Seeds planted in Peace Corps bloom into public service

Jun 4, 2005

Chicago Daily Herald

There is more to the fight against terrorism and the spread of democracy than guns and armored vehicles.

"In these times of terrorism, one of the very best ways to promote democracy is to join the Peace Corps," says Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn as he marks the 44th anniversary of the first Peace Corps volunteers leaving for their mission in Ghana on June 4, 1961.

In a ceremony Friday at the Thompson Center, Quinn honored local Peace Corps volunteers who not only answered President Kennedy's call to help the world, but continue to dedicate their lives to public service.

"I was in the sixth grade when he (Kennedy) drove through Batavia," says Thomas Weisner, the recently elected mayor of Aurora and one of the Peace Corps volunteers who will be honored tonight at the Chicago Area Peace Corps Association's 17th Annual Founder's Day Dinner in Chicago.

That seed planted, Weisner's public service career blossomed in 1980 when, around the age of 30, he and his wife, Marilyn, left Aurora and journeyed 6,782 miles for a stint as Peace Corps volunteers in the Solomon Islands.

"I don't think I'd be mayor today if it weren't for that experience," Weisner says.

Weisner says spending five years in that Third World nation, much of it in the interior rain forest, taught him to be open- minded, to not judge quickly and to realize that sometimes his way might not be the best way.

Echoing the mantra of other volunteers, Weisner says he learned more as a volunteer than he taught.

"I think that what my wife and I learned is that color and culture and religion and language are irrelevant, and we are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of God," Weisner says.

Pausing a moment, he also quips that he also learned "indoor plumbing is nice, but not critical."

For Cook County Circuit Court Judge Patrick T. Murphy, his two years in an all-black, all-Muslim region of Somalia gave him a perspective that most South Side white Irish Catholic boys aren't going to get at home.

"You come away with knowledge about yourself and the world that you didn't have before," says the judge, who put in a full career as public guardian before he joined the bench.

"These Illinois citizens who entered the Peace Corps took those experiences and put it to work here in Illinois," Quinn says. "They are our elected officials and community leaders who continue to lead by example."

Calling her years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Turkey a "life- altering experience," Suzanne Franklin says she learned the world wasn't as simple or as different as she once thought.

"Even though we were different, we shared many values," says Franklin, who with her husband, Stephen, ran an orphanage for street kids and youngsters left homeless by earthquakes in Turkey. She now heads the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.

Other volunteers honored by Quinn include John Gorman, who worked in India and now is spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office; Kenneth Lehman, who worked in Guatemala and later founded the not-for-profit Winning Workplaces; Cook County Circuit Court Associate Judge Rita Novak, who volunteered in Colombia; Dana Peterson, who served in Colombia and now is the chief financial officer for Chicago Commons, an organization that helps the poor; Frank Schell, who worked in India and now presides over Chicago Commons; Oak Park Village President David Pope, who spent two years as a volunteer in Thailand; Chicago Alderman Ed Smith, who served in India; and Jerry Stermer, who volunteered in Ecuador, and now is president of the Voices for Illinois Children charity.


The Peace Corps will host a suburban information session from 6 to 8 p.m. June 21 at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library in Arlington Heights. More information is available on the web at http://www.peacecorps.org.

Alderman Smith says the Peace Corps flag should fly on every public building in the United States, as it is the best way to raise our image around the world in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and ongoing wars.

"We have to vigilant about making people understand we really are a nation of good people, "he says.






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Story Source: Chicago Daily Herald

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Awards; State Government; Terrorism

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