Interview with Gary Robinson, July 23, 2023

Interview Summary

Gary Robinson served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia from 1962 through 1964 in the Community Development Program. He later worked in Peace Corps training programs for Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Nepal, Guinea, and Paraguay. He became Regional Program and Training Officer for Central America and Assistant Director of Training for Latin America. Gary’s Colombia training began in February 1962 at Arizona State University and continued in Puerto Rico with Outward Bound. The group completed training at La Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. He was assigned to Ibagué, Tolima, to work with Acción Comunal and the Colombian Federation of Coffee Growers. He helped establish community action groups in 7 communities and worked to build school lunch rooms and potable water systems, and was a Coffee Federation extension team member. At the country director’s request, Gary moved to Bogota in his second year to serve as a Volunteer Leader for Bogota, Cundinamarca, and Meta.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Colombia (country of service) 1962-1964 (date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Community Development Ecuador Peru Bolivia Colombia Nepal Guinea Paraguay Arizona State University (training) Outward Bound Puerto Rico (training) La Universidad de Los Andes Ibagué, Tolima Acción Comunal Colombian Federation of Coffee Growers Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970 Peace Corps (U.S.) – Training (cultural, language, technical) Peace Corps staff Spanish (language)

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