Interview with Robert H. "Bob" Forbes, June 3, 2021

Interview Summary

Robert "Bob" Forbes served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tonga from 1976 through 1978, as part of Tonga 17. Bob grew up on a family tobacco farm near Greenville, NC. When he was 8-9 years old, a neighbor’s stories of overseas work and the speeches of John F. Kennedy triggered his interest in the Peace Corps. Bob applied to Peace Corps in the Spring of 1976 while attending North Carolina State University and left for Tonga later the same year, after graduating with a Civil Engineering degree. Bob’s training and assignment were in Nuku’alofa, Tonga’s capital. His work with the Tonga Water Board involved travel to outlying villages and islands, designing water supply systems, and testing water quality. He joined a local rugby team and enjoyed sailing and spearfishing around the island’s coral reefs. The interview discusses Bob’s experiences as a volunteer and their impact on his life after Peace Corps. It also includes Bob’s recollection of the tragic murder of a fellow Tonga volunteer during his tour that was documented in a 2005 book, American Taboo – A Murder in the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps published a story of Bob’s service in May 2021.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Tonga (country name) Tonga 1976-1978 (date of service) Tonga17 Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Water Supply Engineer, Special Service Omnibus Peace Corps (U.S.)--1970-1980 Tongan (language) North Carolina State University Nuku’alofa Tonga Water Board Peace Corps Volunteer murder

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