Interview with Steven Grindle, August 16, 2023
Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Steve Grindle served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic from 1967-1969 working with Credit and Agriculture Co-ops. Originally from Massachusetts, Steve had traveled widely in Asia and was in his last year in law school at Boston College when he applied. After meeting his group in Philadelphia, including his to-be-wife Merilee Serrill; training, in the form of language and culture, took place mostly in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. His first site was San Francisco de Macoris, where he worked with cacao co-ops and married Merilee. In their second year, they and their pet goat Lillian and pet parrot Cuca moved to a barrio just outside the town of Samana on the beautiful Samana peninsula where he worked with coconut co-ops. Upon completion, Steve and Merilee took Cuca back to the US and then traveled around Latin America. After returning home, Steve ended up working with public legal services and then in private law practice.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
Steve Grindle Credit and Agricultural Co-op Dominican Republic 1967-1969 (years of service) Vietnam War Boston College Law School USAID “Village Pacification” VietCong Scherborn Foxborough Massachusetts Patriots, Brown University International Relations Philadelphia Merilee Serrill Arecibo, Puerto Rico San Francisco de Macoris Honda 50 motorcycle birth control Spanish Catholic Church Santo Domingo Samana Puerto Plata Haiti Lillian the Goat Cuca the Parrott Coconuts Cacao US Marines Colombia Ecuador Public Legal Services Private Law Practice Friends of the Dominican Republic dog stonedInterview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
Add this interview to your cart in order to begin the process of requesting access to a copy of and/or permission to reproduce interview(s).
Grindle, Steven Interview by Sonia Desai. 16 Aug. 2023. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Grindle, S. (2023, August 16). Interview by S. Desai. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Grindle, Steven, interview by Sonia Desai. August 16, 2023, Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt71lvgl15m55