Over the past year and a half, I have looked at hundreds of Peace Corps Volunteers’ letters and photos, which are on topics as diverse as the Volunteers and their assignments. Once in a while, however, I come across a pet photo. While more lighthearted than my usual posts, these pictures are too adorable for me to keep to myself, so here are some of my favorites.
Volunteers’ donations only sometimes contain photos or descriptions of pets or animals that they bond with. This could be because these experiences were infrequent, given the temporary nature of Peace Corps service and the amount of traveling that Volunteers often do. It could also be that interactions with local animals became so routine that Volunteers, especially those serving before the use of digital cameras, did not think it necessary to take specific pictures of them. However, those photos that do exist are always a treat to discover while processing collections.
In 1966, Marian Oakleaf became a Volunteer to South Korea. In April, she and the other Volunteers carried out part of their training in Roslyn, Washington, in the heart of the Cascade Mountains. Oakleaf mostly took pictures of local attractions, the mountains, area residents, and her fellow Volunteers. However, two photos of cats snuggled up in blankets feature in her scrapbook of the experience, alongside the lighthearted caption, “Spoiled cats!” [1]
Marian Oakleaf’s cat photos. Marian Oakleaf, 1966, in scrapbook “Peace Corps: 1966-67,” undated, American University Archives, Washington, D.C.
While it is not clear whose cats these were, Oakleaf obviously found them to be a bright spot of her time in Roslyn. Oakleaf left training early to help set up the Peace Corps’ South Korea office in anticipation of the other Volunteers’ arrival. While Oakleaf enjoyed her Peace Corps experience, illness sadly forced her to cut her service short. However, photos such as these preserved happy memories of her Volunteer work, including some very cuddly cats.
Dan Krummes served as a teacher between 1972-1974 in Kaolack, a city in central Senegal. His posthumous donation to the archives included pages of photos, including photos featuring the caption “Moustapha N’Diaye, our wild dog: 1973.” [2] (This is a not uncommon first and last name in Senegal.)
Photo of Moustapha N’Diaye eating food from a Volunteer, 1973. Dan Krummes, 1973, American University Archives, Washington, D.C.
Unfortunately, Krummes’s letters give no additional information about Moustapha, but there was clearly mutual affection between the dog and the Volunteers. Krummes’s letters and photos reveal several highlights of his service: time spent with other Volunteers, settling into life in Kaolack, and taking trips throughout Western Africa. These photos of Moustapha show that Krummes also valued his time with the dog enough to immortalize their encounters.
As these stories show, pets may not have been entirely common for Peace Corps Volunteers to connect with or photograph, but, when they did, the Volunteer would create timeless memories. These are testament to how humans and animals can connect, even when the humans are halfway across the world from their homes. I hope you’ve enjoyed them!
[1] Marian Oakleaf, scrapbook titled “Peace Corps: 1966-1967,” undated, American University Archives, Washington, D.C.
[2] Dan Krummes, c. 1974, American University Archives, Washington, D.C.