Category Archives: Documents

William Dennis Grubb in Colombia

Place of Service: Zipacón

Service Type: Community Development

Dates in Service: 1961-1963

Keywords: Business, Community Development

Accession Date: January 14, 2022

Access: No restrictions

Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Photographs
  • Reports
  • Publications
  • Film/Video
  • Sound

Related Items in Other Repositories:

JFK Library: Peace Corps, 1962: January-March subcollection- see scans 36-38, 60-61 for an advertisement featuring Grubb, a report on an administration trip to Colombia, and a letter about Grubb from Sargent Shriver, Peace Corps Director, to Gordon Tullock, a University of Virginia professor

Finding Aid:

Box 1

  1. Documents
    1. Documents, 1961-July 1963, undated
    2. Documents, August 1963-1970
    3. Documents and Photos on National Politics, c. 1978-1984
    4. Documents and Similar Materials, 1981-1986
    5. Documents and Similar Materials, 1988-1990, undated
    6. Documents, 2008-October 2010, undated
    7. Documents, c. November 2010-2018
    8. Documents from Grubb’s passing and funeral, 2021
    9. Graduate Projects, 1966-1969
    10. Stamps, Money, and Envelope, undated
  2. Newspaper Articles
    1. Newspaper Articles and Photos, 1961
    2. Newspaper Articles, 1962-1964
    3. Newspapers, 1983-1984
    4. “After the Yankees Left For Home,” article, September 29, 1986
    5. Oversized Articles, c. 1961-1969 [in oversized collections]
  3.  Photos
    1. Photos, c. 1961-1963
    2. Photos, c. 1960s
    3. Photos, c. 1980s
    4. Large Photos, c. 1961-1963
    5. Filmstrips and Related Photos, c. 1960s
  4. Publications
    1. Making a Difference: The Peace Corps at 25, autographed by Loret Miller Ruppe, Peace Corps Director, 1981-1989
    2. Portrait of a Peace Corps Gringo by Paul Arfin, autographed by Arfin, 2009
    3. New York City and Bogotá Maps, 1971, 2007
    4. Peace Corps 50th Anniversary Poster [in oversized collections)
  5. Audiovisual (Box 2)
    1. DVDs/ CDs
      1. American Idealist: The Story of Sargent Shriver, 2008
      2. School at Ricon Santo, undated
    2. Miniature tape labeled “TV,” undated
    3. 6 film reels
  6. Other
    1. Peace Corps Colombia button, c. 2010s

 

Peter Reid in Tanzania

Place of Service: Mwanza (Bwiru Boys Secondary School)

Service Type: Education

Dates in Service: 1964-1966

Keywords: Education, Youth,

Accession Date: April 13, 2023

Access: No restrictions

Collection Size: 5 linear feet

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Photographs
  • Reports
  • Publications

Related Items in Other Repositories:

Nunn Center Oral History Interview

Finding Aid:

Note: Peter Reid is also the author of Every Hill a Burial Place: The Peace Corps Murder Trial in East Africa. Most of these documents are from Reid’s research and writing process for the book.

  1. Box 1: 1960s Documents
    1. Tanganyika Independence Act, 1961
    2. Training Directory, 1964
    3. Tanganyika Directory, December 1965
    4. State Department file scans on trial; 1966, 2012; Part 1
    5. State Department file scans on trial; 1966, 2012; Part 2
  2. Box 2: Note Cards
    1. Note Cards with research for Every Hill a Burial Place
  3. Box 3: Every Hill a Burial Place Writing, Drafts and Publishing Logistics
    1. Reviews and Descriptions
    2. Table of Contents
    3. Every Hill a Burial Place draft, c. 2018
    4. FOIA Requests, 2012
    5. Every Hill a Burial Place Annotated Outline, 2019
    6. Responses to Every Hill a Burial Place draft, c. 2018-2019
    7. Dollar-Pound Calculations, 2017
    8. Opinion Polls and Folder Notes, c. 2018
    9. Every Hill a Burial Place draft comments, 2014-2017
    10. 1966 Timeline
    11. Abstract and Keywords
    12. Blurbs
    13. Book Cover
    14. Dramatis Personae
    15. Acknowledgements/Dedication
    16. Manuscript Submission 7/22/19
    17. Every Hill… Final Galley Prints
    18. Every Hill a Burial Place Index Drafts, c. 2020
    19. Kentucky Schedule
    20. Kentucky-Marketing
    21. UK Copy Edition-Annie Barva
    22. Manuscript cleanup
    23. Kentucky Readers Comments
    24. Map
    25. Every Hill
    26. Getty Images
    27. Peace Corps World Wide postings
    28. Tanzania PC Timeline
    29. Bibliography
    30. Kosmski [sic]
    31. Green/Hoover Library
    32. Clemmer permission
    33. Duncan Whitfield permission
    34. Ellison permission
    35. Essaye permission
    36. Georgiadis permission
    37. Hawes permission
    38. JFK permission
    39. McHay permission
    40. McPhee permission
    41. The Daily Nation photos
    42. Peppy Wedding Photo
    43. Every Hill a Burial Place draft photos, c. 2015-2019
    44. Michigan State
    45. Ohio U. Press
    46. Rutgers
    47. Stanford University Correspondence, 2019
    48. Brill Publishers
    49. PC Files I: March-April [1966]
    50. PC Files II: May-August [1966]
    51. PC Files III: 8/66-1/67
    52. PC Files PHR
    53. Manuscript 11/18
    54. End Notes
    55. Printed Academic Reviews
  4. Box 4: Every Hill a Burial Place Research (donor alphabetized by topic)
    1. A
      1. Assessors
      2. Autopsies-copies
      3. Anatomy/pathology
    2. B
      1. Book Locker
      2. Bagley, Gail
      3. Carroll Brewster
      4. Body disposition
      5. Bail
      6. Batimba Prison
      7. Brooke-Edwards
    3. C
      1. Clemmer, Betty
      2. Coyne online 2010
      3. Conclusion/epilogue materials
      4. Coyne, John
      5. Ceremony in Lone Tree
      6. Counsel [sic]
      7. Communication-Tanzania
    4. D
      1. Dower
      2. Daniels, Trish
      3. DAR, Maswa, Mwanza
      4. Dunne, Marianne
      5. Dockeray, G.C. Dr.
    5. E
      1. Ellison Letters
      2. Essaye, Terry
      3. Ellison, Phil and Ann
      4. Engle Ellison, Pam
      5. US Embassy/PC Roster, 1966-1967
      6. Erokwu, Judge
      7. Effiwat, Edenden
    6. F
      1. Ferenbach, Vicky Simons
      2. Fallen PCVs
      3. Fry, Donn
      4. National Archives, FOIA Request
    7. G-H-I
      1. Hawes, Charlotte
      2. Georgiadis-Notes from Talk
      3. Georgiadis, Byron (Nick)
      4. Harvard [?] Convictions, U.S.
      5. Hamilton, Donna
      6. Peace Corps Handbook
    8. J-K
      1. Kinsey, Bill
      2. Kinsey, Peverly
      3. Kennedy Library
      4. King, Barrington
      5. Kennedy Presidency
      6. Kifunta, Martin C.D. Inspector [?]
      7. Josephson, Bill
      8. Journal of Africa Law
      9. Kopjes, Geology
      10. Kajina, Timothy
    9. L
      1. Libel/Privacy
      2. Ledbetter, Delores
      3. Llamarada- Mt. Holyoke
      4. Father Robert Lepbure
    10. M
      1. Nancy Neaher Mass
      2. McHugh Documents
      3. Mganga, Philip AMO [?]
      4. Lawrence Mbogoni
      5. McPhee, Jack
      6. Gene Mihaly
      7. McHugh Sections
      8. Tom McHugh
      9. Mugobi, Fred
      10. Maps
      11. Mbeya
      12. Meisler, Stanley
      13. Mwanza
    11. N-O
      1. Nyerere, Julius
      2. Oliver, John
    12. P-Q
      1. Platt, Judge Harold
      2. Preliminary Hearing, 5 May 1966
      3. Platt Decision
      4. Post-trial Communication and Press
      5. Preliminary May Procedure in US and [?]
      6. Peace Corps Books
      7. Peace Corps L[?]
      8. Archives/Peace Corps
      9. Peace Corps History
      10. Peace Corps Online
    13. R
      1. Richter, Richard and Joan
      2. Ratigan, Barbara
      3. Ruth Reynolds, Sunday News NY[?]
      4. Read, Jamey
      5. [?], Stuart
      6. J. Read of Tanzania law[?] change, 1968
    14. Box 5: S
      1. Sullivan, Kathleen
      2. Sack, Paul
      3. OJ Simpson
      4. Site-Description
      5. Singh, Gurbachan
      6. Sayusayu
      7. Stevens, Robert
    15. T
      1. Time Magazine 9/16/66
      2. Tanzania VII COS Report
      3. Tarini [?], Charles Father
      4. Vilindo, M[?]-Witness [empty]
      5. Word/Pages in a book-estimates
      6. Teachers for East Africa
      7. Tanganyika 1923 Law of Property and Conveying Ordinance
      8. Tanganyika Order in Council, Prisoners[?]
      9. Tanzania Interim Constitution 1965
    16. W
      1. Women and the Peace Corps
      2. Tanzania Report on Party, 1965
      3. Website Links
  5. Publications
    1. Every Hill a Burial Place: The Peace Corps Murder Trial in East Africa, 2020, 2022
  6. Newspapers (in Oversize Collections)
    1. Newspapers, 1964-1965; 2009
    2. Newspapers, 1966, 1989

Edward Ferriter in India 

Place of Service: Ranipet 

Service Type: Health Education 

Dates in Service: 1970-1972 

Keywords: Education, Health, Youth 

Accession Date: September 2023 

Access: No restrictions 

Collection Size: 0.2 linear feet 

Document Types 

  • Reports 
  • Publications 

Finding Aid: 

  1. Documents 
    1. Peace Corps Documents, 1970-1972 
    2. Training Booklet, 1970 
  2. Publications 
    1. Memoir, 2020 (2 copies) 

Marian Oakleaf in South Korea

Place of Service: Seoul 

Service Type: Setting up The Peace Corps’ South Korea office  

Dates in Service: 1966-1967 

Keywords: Business 

Accession Date: April 23, 2016 

Access: Third Party Donation, no rights; one restricted folder 

Collection Size: 1 linear foot 

Document Types 

  • Correspondence 
  • Scrapbooks 

Finding Aid: 

  1. Box 1: Documents  
    1. Training and Service Log, June-December 1966 
    2. Peace Corps Correspondence, 1965-1966 
    3. Correspondence Received, 1966-1967 
    4. Peace Corps Volunteer Questionnaire, 1965 (Restricted) 
    5. Obituary, 2016 
  2. Box 2: Scrapbook, 1965-1967, 1999 

Ann Marie Quinlan (Culhane) in Jamaica

Place of Service: Ocho Rios

Service Type: Business

Dates in Service: 1990-1992

Keywords: Business, Community Development

Accession Date: February 11, 2023

Access: Restrictions on one folder [see below]

Collection Size: 0.25 linear feet

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Photographs

Finding Aid:

  1. Documents
    1. Correspondence
      1. Correspondence with Lavae Aldrich and Lynne Alexander, 1990-1992
      2. Correspondence with parents Tom and Jane Culhane, June 1990-August 1991 (Part I)
      3. Correspondence with parents Tom and Jane Culhane, September 1991-May 1992 (Part II)
      4. Letters to Quinlan from Jamaica Group 54 post-return, May 1993-May 1994
    2. Other Documents
      1. Peace Corps Application and Invitation paperwork, c. 1989-1990
      2. Training Materials, 1990
      3. ID Cards, calendars, planners, and journal, c. 1990-1992
      4. Travel Brochures and Pamphlets, undated, c. 1990
      5. Plane Ticket and Map of Jamaica, undated, 1992
      6. Group 54 RPCV Soon Come Newsletter, undated, 1993
      7. Application Materials and Peace Corps ID Cards, c. 1989-1990 (Restricted)
  2. Photos
    1. Photo Slides, c. 1990-1992

Barbara VanderWerf (Jones) in Iran

Places of Service: Kerman and Arak

Service Type: Education

Dates in Service: 1964-1966

Keywords: Community Development, Education

Accession Date: March 21, 2023

Access: No restrictions

Collection Size: 0.25 linear feet

Document Types

  • Publications

Finding Aid:

  1. Training Materials, 1969
  2. Peace Corps magazines featuring stories about Iraq, 1964-1970
  3. Memoir, 2021

Daniel Buck in Peru

Places of Service: Puno, Chucuito

Service Type: Cooperative Farming Assistance, Agriculture

Dates in Service: 1965-1967

Keywords: Agriculture, Community Development

Accession Date: May 26, 2023

Access: No restrictions

Collection Size: 0.01 linear feet

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Photographs
  • Reports

Finding Aid:

Box 1

  1. Documents, c. 1965-1987
    1. Correspondence, undated, 1965-1967
    2. Training Materials, 1965
    3. Peace Corps Papers, Reports, and Report Drafts, undated, 1966-1967
    4. Papers from work with Peace Corps organization, 1967-1969, and ACTION, 1979-1980; undated, c. 1967- c. 1987
  2. Photos, 1965-1967
    1. Photos, 1965-1967

Robert T. K. Scully in Kenya

Place of Service: Bungoma (St. Mary’s Kibabii Secondary School)

Service Type: Education

Dates in Service: 1964-1966

Keywords: Education, Youth

Accession Date: March 23, 2023

Access: No restrictions

Collection Size: 3 linear feet

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Photographs
  • Reports
  • Publications
  • Film/Video
  • Sound

Related Items in Other Repositories:

Oral History Interview [Kennedy Presidential Library]

Finding Aid:

  1. Box 1: Peace Corps Experience and Connections, c. 1964-2001
    1. Correspondence
      1. Peace Corps Correspondence, 1964
      2. Peace Corps Correspondence, 1965
      3. Peace Corps/Kenya/Kibabii Correspondence, 1966 undated, January-June 1966
      4. Peace Corps/Kenya/Kibabii Correspondence, July-December 1966
      5. Kenya/Kibabii Correspondence, 1967-1968
      6. Kenya/Kibabii Correspondence, 1970
      7. Kenya/Kibabii Correspondence, c. 1971-1972
      8. Kenya/Kibabii Correspondence, c. 1973-1979
      9. Kenya/Kibabii Correspondence, 1980-1987
      10. Kenya/Kibabii Correspondence, c. 1994-2001
    2. Peace Corps Journal, 1964-1966
    3. Training Materials and Information
      1. Peace Corps Training Papers, 1964
      2. Peace Corps Training Notebooks, 1964
      3. Peace Corps Kenya Information, 1964
    4. Mary’s Kibabii Secondary School Materials
      1. Kibabii Student Essays, 1965 (1 of 2)
      2. Kibabii Student Essays, 1965 (2 of 2)
      3. Kibabii Student Essays, 1966
      4. Kibabii School Student Papers on Local History, 1966
      5. Kibabii Chronicle, 1966
      6. Drama Society Script Drafts, c. 1966
      7. Kibabii Student Reunion, 1995
    5. Publications
      1. Scully’s Kenya-Related Publications, 1969-1979
      2. Scully’s Thesis, “The Elgon Bantu Before the Coming of the Europeans,” 1970
      3. Box 2: Scully and Kibabii Publications, 1970-1995
    6. Miscellaneous
      1. Congregation of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Utrecht Yearbook, 1966-1967 [in Dutch]
      2. Ticket Books, 1966-1968
  2. Later Trips to Kenya with Students, c. 1970-1993
    1. Fort Sites
      1. Bukusu- South Mateka Fort Sites [Lumboka], 1970
      2. Bukusu- Seritanga Area Fort Site, 1970
      3. Bukusu- Chwele Area Maps and Fort Sites, 1970,
      4. Bukusu- Sangalo Maps and Fort Sites, 1970
      5. Chetambe Hill Project, Bukusu, Kenya, c. 1970
    2. Notebooks
      1. Numbered Field Report Books,1970-1971
      2. Unnumbered Field Notebooks, 1970-1971
      3. Scully’s Kenya Student Trip Reports, 1974 (1 of 2)
      4. Scully’s Kenya Student Trip Reports, 1974 (2 of 2)
    3. Publications and Assignments
      1. Scully’s Kenya Student Trip Reports: Related Correspondence and Publications, c. 1974-1993
      2. Dean Cowen 1974 Student Trip Report, “The History of Kibabii,” 1974
      3. Bukusu Clan Papers and Related History, c. 1970
      4. Scully Bukusu Fort publication, 1975
    4. Maps
      1. Bukusu Maps, c. 1970 (1 of 2)
      2. Bukusu Maps, c. 1970 (2 of 2)
  3. Friends of Kenya and National Peace Corps Association Materials, c. 1989-2011
    1. Documents
      1. Friends of Kenya Board Notes and Emails, c. 1996-1997
      2. Box 3: Friends of Kenya Peace Corps Correspondence, c. 1995-2011
      3. Friends of Kenya Newsletters including “Moto Moto,” c. 1994-2002
      4. Friends of Kenya Notes/Meetings; undated, 1989-2000
      5. Friends of Kenya Correspondence and Miscellaneous; undated, 1992-2003 (1 of 2)
      6. Friends of Kenya Correspondence and Miscellaneous; undated, 1992-2003 (2 of 2)
      7. Friends of Kenya Correspondence and Miscellaneous; undated, 1995-2002 (centered around 2000) (1 of 2)
      8. Friends of Kenya Correspondence and Miscellaneous; undated, 1995-2002 (centered around 2000) (2 of 2)
      9. Kibabii-St. Mary’s School Meetings and President Daniel Arap Moi Meeting, c. 1995-1998
      10. Friends of Kenya Correspondence and Related Publications; undated, c. 2000-2003 (1 of 2)
      11. Friends of Kenya Correspondence and Related Publications; undated, c. 2000-2003 (2 of 2)
      12. Peace Corps/Teachers for East Africa Alumni Meeting/ The Carter Presidential Library, c. 1998-2009
      13. Miscellaneous Correspondence, Friends of Kenya, Kibabii, Kenya Programs and Contacts; undated, 1993-1999
      14. National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) Board Notes; undated, 1997-2003 (1 of 2)
      15. National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) Board Notes; undated, 1997-2003 (2 of 2)
      16. Peace Garden Program, 1999
      17. Friends of Kenya-Polio Kenya Program, undated, 1996-1999
      18. Friends of Kenya Miscellaneous Correspondence; undated, 1997-1998, 2000-2002 (1 of 2)
      19. Friends of Kenya Miscellaneous Correspondence; undated, 1997-1998, 2000-2002 (2 of 2)
      20. Friends of Kenya Directory, 1994
    2. Other
      1. Friends of Kenya- Marafiki Tee Shirt, undated
      2. Box 4: Friends of Kenya and Friends of Malawi Miscellaneous Tapes, 1994-1995
  4. Photos, c. 1964-2000
    1. Peace Corps Kenya Photos, c. 1964-1969 (1 of 3)
    2. Peace Corps Kenya Photos, c. 1964-1969 (2 of 3)
    3. Peace Corps Kenya Photos, c. 1964-1969 (3 of 3)
    4. Chetambe Hill Project Photos, Bukusu, Kenya, c. 1970
    5. Miscellaneous Photos of Circumcision Ceremony, August 1966 (Content Warning)
    6. Miscellaneous Photos, c. 1964-2000
    7. Miscellaneous Negatives, c. 1964-2000

Ruth Chandler in Brazil

Dates in Service: c. 1964-1966

Keywords: Community Development, Education, Youth

Accession Date: September 29, 2022

Access: No restrictions on research. No deed of gift as donation through third party.

Collection Size: 0.1 linear feet (located in small collections)

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Publications

Finding Aid:

  • Hot Lunch Digest Brazil VII newsletter, 1964-1965
  • Associated Correspondence with the newsletters, 1969, 2017
  • Missionary flier for RPCVs, undated

The Case of the Peace Corps Fellow and the Mysterious Napkin

Hi! My name is Emily Messner, and I have spent the past school year as the Peace Corps Community Archive Fellow, cataloging new collections and writing blog posts. As the year ends, I want to share the most unexpectedly remarkable story I encountered in my work. Therefore, this post is a little different because it involves an archival collection and my work to solve a very unique mystery. In the process, I’d also like to give you all a little “peek behind the curtain” to see what it’s like to be a student-archivist. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Arnold Zeitlin

Of course, this story starts long before me. It begins with a donor-Arnold Zeitlin. In 1961, Arnold Zeitlin was a journalist living in Pittsburgh. He was paying attention to the newly-elected President Kennedy’s policies, especially his implementation of the Peace Corps. Zeitlin then followed in the footsteps of his hero, famed journalist Edward R. Murrow, to work for the government. Additionally, the idea of trading television reviews for service appealed to him. [1] The Peace Corps accepted Zeitlin, and in the summer of 1961, he was on his way to California to take part in a training and selection process.

After a false start, Ghana accepted Arnold Zeitlin as part of the very first Peace Corps group to start their service-Ghana I. He served as an English teacher in Ghana’s capital city, Accra. During his time as a Volunteer, Zeitlin continued writing newspaper articles about his experiences, primarily for Pittsburgh newspapers. Zeitlin’s Peace Corps experience also featured love: he met his wife, got married, and ultimately divorced some years later. After completing his service, Zeitlin resumed his career in journalism, although he also continued to write and think about the Peace Corps. This included one of the first memoirs about Peace Corps Service, To The Peace Corps With Love, which he published in 1965. Recently, Zeitlin donated a great deal of his Peace Corps materials to the Peace Corps Community Archive at American University.

Arnold Zeitlin in Accra with his students, c. 1961-1963. American University Archives, Washington, D.C.

Chapter 2: An Archival Puzzle

In November 2022, I had three months under my belt at my fellowship, and I was ready to start processing another collection. I grabbed the box with Arnold Zeitlin’s donations and opened it up to see a great deal of fascinating material. The donation included everything from newspapers, to photos, to correspondence, and much more. I prefer to start working on new collections by processing any correspondence. Letters written before or during a Volunteer’s service usually give me valuable information about the Volunteer and their experiences. This context makes it easier to understand the significance of the rest of their donation. Archivists do their best to preserve the original organization of donations. Sometimes, such as in the case of Zeitlin’s correspondence, the donor only organizes some of their letters. I therefore put the rest of his letters into chronological order.

As I was doing this, I found an object that was not a letter at all: this napkin, which had no clear connection to any of the letters I sorted. It had a very strange collection of phrases on it in Zeitlin’s handwriting, such as, “I do not like to see women smoke,” “I wish I could be as happy as others seem to be,” and “I am more sensitive than most.” [2]

What was the story behind this napkin? A full transcript of the letter’s phrases is at the end of the post. Arnold Zeitlin, napkin with list of phrases, 1961, American University Archives, Washington, D.C.

Finds such as this napkin are fairly unusual. In my three years of experience, I have never seen anything quite like this. More delicate paper products such as napkins, especially a completely unfolded one, are not the easiest to write on. Nor are they easy to preserve for several decades. And then there were all the odd phrases, which made no sense and slightly concerned me. As I continued processing the collection, I became more and more confused: What was this object, and what did it mean? Since my position is only a few hours a week, it took me quite a while to process Zeitlin’s collection, and the mystery grew deeper and deeper in my mind.

Chapter 3: Mystery Solved!

The very last set of items that I had to process in Arnold Zeitlin’s collection were a few dozen newspaper articles about Ghana I’s service. Zeitlin wrote about half of them. I began the delicate process of sorting and scanning them- newspaper ages poorly and easily tears. As I started to scan the newspaper articles that Zeitlin wrote during Ghana I’s California training, a few bolded words suddenly leapt out at me. These were the phrases from the napkin!

Mystery solved! Arnold Zeitlin’s newspaper article that included information from the napkin. Arnold Zeitlin, “Peace Corps Quiz Probes Aspirant,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, date unknown. American University Archives, Washington, D.C.

After a little more reading, I realized that Zeitlin was writing a humorous, slightly frustrated article about the battery of psychological tests he and fellow hopeful Volunteers had to take. Words on the napkin were quotes from what he considered the most ridiculous true/false psychological questions on a test. [3] In To the Peace Corps With Love, which I would read later, Zeitlin discussed enduring the wide range of psychological tests and interviews, alongside his equally humored and incredulous peers. His conclusion was that the Peace Corps was bending over backwards to make sure that this first group of Volunteers would carry out their work as smoothly as possible. [4] He also noted that one of the psychologists, Brewster Smith, had not taken kindly to his critical article on the matter. Even as he hurried to join the rest of Ghana I after their arrival, his send-off included a good-natured, exasperated warning to write no further articles about psychiatrists. [5]

To confirm my findings, I contacted Arnold Zeitlin himself, who graciously answered my list of questions about a small occurrence that had happened more than sixty years before. To supplement the memoir, Zeitlin noted that he thought that the Peace Corps’ reliance on all of the odd tests to predict Volunteers’ performance was “absurd.” [6] He found the situation so ridiculous that he had to write an article. Zeitlin enjoyed the opportunity to share his experiences-whether fascinating or ridiculous- with his readers back in Pittsburgh. [7] Finally, Zeitlin wrote that he had been able to become friends with Brewster Smith years later over a lunch in Hong Kong, where Zeitlin was living at the time. [8] With all of this information, the ends of my napkin mystery tied themselves in a surprisingly neat bow. You can see the results in the finding aid for Zeitlin’s collection, which includes an entry just for the napkin. Zeitlin recently passed away, after a long, rich life. I am very grateful for the time he took to tell me about his experiences.

Arnold Zeitlin with his wife, celebrating his ninetieth birthday. Photo from Arnold Zeitlin.

Epilogue: The Mysteries Continue

This is not the only mystery that I have focused on this year. For example, one of my first blog posts was on a mystery novel inspired by the author’s lived experiences in the Peace Corps. And while this “case” was a more involved puzzle than most of my work entails, mini-mysteries are not uncommon while working in archives. If part of a donation comes without enough context through the materials surrounding it, it becomes a little mystery of its own. That is fine by me! Figuring out more information about these items is one of my favorite parts of this wonderful job. On that note, I am very excited to say that I will be back again as the fellow for the 2023-2024 school year. So be on the lookout for more Peace Corps mysteries and intrigues that I uncover in my work, starting in August!

Transcription of the napkin’s phrases:

  • I like to flirt 
  • I believe my sins are unpardonable 
  • I like to talk about sex 
  • I am more sensitive than most 
  • Often I cross the street in order not to meet someone I know 
  • Some people are so bossy that I feel like doing the opposite of what they request, even though I know they are right 
  • I certainly feel useless at times 
  • I have diarrhea once a month or more 
  • When I am with people, I am bothered by hearing very queer things 
  • Everything is turning out just like the prophets of the Bible said it would 
  • I wish I could be as happy as others seem to be  
  • I do not like to see women smoke  
  • I would certainly enjoy besting a [crude?] at his own game 
  • At times I think I am no good at all 
  • I am attracted by members of the opp[osite] sex 
  • Christ performed miracles such as changing water into wine 
  • WX or Lincoln 

[1] Arnold Zeitlin, email message to author, February 7, 2023; Arnold Zeitlin, To the Peace Corps With Love (Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1965), 19.  

[2] Arnold Zeitlin, napkin with list of phrases, 1961, American University Archives, Washington, D.C. 

[3] Arnold Zeitlin, “Peace Corps Quiz Probes Aspirant,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, date unknown. American University Archives, Washington, D.C. 

[4] Arnold Zeitlin, email message to author, February 7, 2023; Arnold Zeitlin, email message to author, February 7, 2023. 

[5] Zeitlin, To the Peace Corps With Love, 48. 

[6] Arnold Zeitlin, email message to author, February 7, 2023. 

[7] Arnold Zeitlin, email message to author, February 7, 2023; Arnold Zeitlin, email message to author, February 7, 2023. 

[8] Arnold Zeitlin, email message to author, February 10, 2023.