November 23, 2005: Headlines: Local Groups: NGO's: Giants: Maryland Returned Volunteers: C. Payne Lucas speaks at third annual "Peace Corps History" series at UMBC

Peace Corps Online: State: Maryland : Messages for Maryland Returned Peace corps Volunteers and Friends of Peace Corps Maryland: November 23, 2005: Headlines: Local Groups: : Maryland Returned Volunteers: Message from the President about our Annual General Meeting on December 4 : November 23, 2005: Headlines: Local Groups: NGO's: Giants: Maryland Returned Volunteers: C. Payne Lucas speaks at third annual "Peace Corps History" series at UMBC

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C. Payne Lucas speaks at third annual "Peace Corps History" series at UMBC

C. Payne Lucas speaks at third annual Peace Corps History series at UMBC

Last Wednesday, November 16, Maryland Returned Volunteers attended one of our premier events for the year, the third annual "Peace Corps History" series that we co-sponsor with UMBC. "It was a dark and stormy night" but over 130 Returned Volunteers and students braved the elements to attend a talk by Africare founder C. Payne Lucas on "the Peace Corps and the challenge in Africa."

Enjoy our photo essay of the event and our introduction to C. Payne Lucas and his service to Africa and to the Peace Corps.


C. Payne Lucas speaks at third annual "Peace Corps History" series at UMBC

Caption: C. Payne Lucas gave a riveting talk to over 130 RPCVs and students at UMBC on November 16.

C. Payne Lucas has spent most of his professional life in development starting with the Peace Corps. C. Payne joined the agency's staff during its first months in 1961, serving abroad in Togo and Niger and in 1967-69 as Peace Corps' Regional Director for Africa.

In 1969, C. Payne and Kevin Lowther were asked by Peace Corps Director Joe Blatchford to establish a new office to help returned volunteers apply the skills they had developed abroad into relevant community-based and professional activities at home. In 1971, they departed the Peace Corps and C. Payne and a group of ex-Peace Corps staff and volunteers did just that - they created Africare.

In the 35 years since its founding Africare has become one of America's leading humanitarian and development organizations. Since its founding in 1970, Africare has delivered more than $450 million in assistance on 2,000 projects to 36 countries Africa-wide.


Peace Corps Online

Caption: C. Payne called the Peace Corps "the most revolutionary program" of the 20th century and spoke about its impact in Africa.

For his work in Africare, C. Payne has been honored by US Presidents as well as the leaders of more than two dozen African nations, receiving decorations from the national orders of Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Senegal, and Zambia and was awarded the 1984 US Presidential End Hunger Award for ourstanding individual achievement. He was recently honored with the Franklin H Williams Award for outstanding leadership contributions that Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Color have made in the area of community service.

These are some of the honors that C. Payne has received for a lifetime of service and I am sure there are many more. But I would like to mention one specific service that C. Payne and his friend Kevin Lowther made to the Peace Corps.


Peace Corps Online

Caption: Maryland Returned Volunteers President Hugh Pickens introduces C. Payne Lucas and presents him with an award for his lifetime of service in the Peace Corps and Africare.

In 1970 C. Payne Lucas and Kevin Lowther wrote a book called "Keeping Kennedy's Promise" which contains a history and an analysis of what works and what doesn't work in a volunteer organization like the Peace Corps. Jack Vaughn was the second Director of the Peace Corps and here is what he wrote about the book "Keeping Kennedy's Promise" when it was reprinted in a special second edition to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps.


Peace Corps Online

Caption: After the talk, members of the Maryland Returned Volunteers enjoyed a buffet and a book signing of C. Payne Lucas's classic book about the Peace Corps - "Keeping Kennedy's Promise." RPCVs Lane Berk and Bruce Cohen (center left) discuss the program.

"The reprinting of this primer of volunteer success abroad is well-timed. It comes at a time when volunteerism has risen to the top of the nation's agenda. It comes right after President Bush has suggested doubling the size of the Peace Corps, and ominously when field conditions in many third world countries have suddenly deteriorated or become more complex.

Examined forty years after Kennedy's first call and in a post Cold War context, this no-nonsense analysis might more appropriately be titled Keeping Volunteerism's Promise. All the guidelines and warnings are there. If anything, the lessons learned are more relevant in today's more pressured world than in the sixties and seventies.


Peace Corps Online

Caption: C. Payne Lucas was Peace Corps Country Director in Niger and Togo in the early 1960's. Here he enjoys a moment with two Returned Volunteers who served with him forty years ago.

The two authors bring impressive resumes to match their candor and insights. This significant work reflects both their volunteer and staff experience in Africa and Washington DC. Their having had first hand access to the long-confidential internal evaluations of the Peace Corps helps lift their insights and judgments beyond the anecdotal. Every Peace Corps staff members should have this book as a prime reference."

That's what Jack Vaughn had to say about Keeping Kennedy's Promise.


Peace Corps Online

Caption: Sunday June Pickens and Chris Seremet of the Maryland Returned Volunteers enjoy a conversation while waiting at the book signing for C. Payne's book about the Peace Corps - "Keeping Kennedy's Promise." All copies of the book sold out at the event.

C. Payne Lucas retired as Africare's President in 2002 but remains active with the organization and serves on its board of directors and we are proud and honored to have him here today to give us some straight talk about Africa, development, and the Peace Corps.


Peace Corps Online

C. Payne Lucas, "Peace Corps Giant"





When this story was posted in November 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Contact PCOLBulletin BoardRegisterSearch PCOLWhat's New?

Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
PC establishes awards for top Volunteers Date: November 9 2005 No: 749 PC establishes awards for top Volunteers
Gaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9.

Top Stories and Breaking News PCOL Magazine Peace Corps Library RPCV Directory Sign Up

Top Stories: November 19, 2005 Date: November 19 2005 No: 751 Top Stories: November 19, 2005
President Bush meets with PCVs in Panama 7 Nov
PC Trainee Wyatt Ammon dies in accident in Zambia 18 Nov
Congress appropriates $322 Million for Peace Corps 17 Nov
James Walsh on the crisis in Nepal 9 Nov
Pam Musk climbs Mount Kilimanjaro 6 Nov
David Morsilli awed by havoc in Mississippi 6 Nov
Tierney Davis in Tsunami Relief Work in Indonesia 1 Nov
Julie Harrold says "Don't change the Peace Corps" 31 Oct
Jacqueline Lyons shares her poems about Peace Corps 28 Oct
Peace Corps returns to its roots in Michigan 28 Oct
David Peterson serves in Katrina Response Team #1 25 Oct
Director Vasquez Travels to Tonga and Fiji 24 Oct
Laura Vanderkam says "Peace Corps needs makeover" 24 Oct
Shriver Center and Maryland RPCVs host C. Payne Lucas 21 Oct
Don Mosley to receive Pacem in Terris honor 17 Oct
Mary Cameron Kilgour writes on abuse 16 Oct
George Packer writes about Iraq for the New Yorker 16 Oct
Richard Celeste says Colorado higher education faces peril 16 Oct
Kevin Quigley says Keep Peace Corps, military separate 16 Oct
Christie and Eric Nelson say no to cars 15 Oct
Isaiah Zagar creates mosaic in Oakland 14 Oct

Military Option sparks concerns Date: September 13 2005 No: 731 Military Option sparks concerns
The U.S. military is allowing recruits to meet part of their reserve military obligations after active duty by serving in the Peace Corps. Read why there is opposition to the program among RPCVs. Director Vasquez says the agency has a long history of accepting qualified applicants who are in inactive military status. John Coyne says "Not only no, but hell no!" and RPCV Chris Matthews leads the debate on "Hardball." Avi Spiegel says Peace Corps is not the place for soldiers while Coleman McCarthy says to Welcome Soldiers to the Peace Corps. Read the results of our poll among RPCVs. Latest: Congressman John Kline introduces legislation to alter the program to remove the Peace Corps as an option for completing an individual’s military enlistment requirement.

Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger Date: October 22 2005 No: 738 Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger
When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject.

Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 years Date: October 22 2005 No: 745 Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 years
Congratulations to the Peace Corps for the highest number of volunteers in 30 years with 7,810 volunteers serving in 71 posts across the globe. Of course, the President's proposal to double the Peace Corps to 15,000 volunteers made in his State of the Union Address in 2002 is now a long forgotten dream. With deficits in federal spending stretching far off into the future, any substantive increase in the number of volunteers will have to wait for new approaches to funding and for a new administration. Choose your candidate and start working for him or her now.

'Celebration of Service' a major success Date: October 10 2005 No: 730 'Celebration of Service' a major success
The Peace Corps Fund's 'Celebration of Service' on September 29 in New York City was a major success raising approximately $100,000 for third goal activities. In the photo are Maureen Orth (Colombia); John Coyne (Ethiopia) Co-founder of the Peace Corps Fund; Caroline Kennedy; Barbara Anne Ferris (Morocco) Co-founder; Former Senator Harris Wofford, member of the Advisory Board. Read the story here.

PC apologizes for the "Kasama incident" Date: October 13 2005 No: 737 PC apologizes for the "Kasama incident"
The District Commissioner for the Kasama District in Zambia issued a statement banning Peace Corps activities for ‘grave’ social misconduct and unruly behavior for an incident that occurred on September 24 involving 13 PCVs. Peace Corps said that some of the information put out about the incident was "inflammatory and false." On October 12, Country Director Davy Morris met with community leaders and apologized for the incident. All PCVs involved have been reprimanded, three are returning home, and a ban in the district has since been lifted.

The Peace Corps Library Date: March 27 2005 No: 536 The Peace Corps Library
Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000  strong Date: April 2 2005 No: 543 Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong
170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.


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Story Source: Maryland Returned Volunteers

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Local Groups; NGO's; Giants

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