Interview with Richard Pyle, September 9, 2020

Interview Summary

Richard Pyle grew up in a small, Midwestern towns. His parents had a strong focus on community service - which influenced Pyle. He graduated from William Jewell College in history and Spanish. He received his master’s degree in counseling and guidance at Illinois State University, then began working at DePauw University where he met his wife. She was interested in the Peace Corps and Pyle also had a similar interest. They were accepted to Jamaica with Pyle assigned to a teacher training program for guidance and counseling. Pre-Service Training was both impressive (American studies, outward bound, skills, and cross-culture) and disturbing (psychological testing and peer reviews). Pyle was assigned to Lucea, a poor parish, near Montego Bay and Negril. He worked with teachers at primary schools and provided counseling at the high school. He played a lot of sports: tennis, soccer, and basketball with the neighborhood kids. Pyle helped found what became a Rotary Club.

Interview Keyword

Jamaica (Country of service) 1966-1968 (Date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Counseling and guidance Pre-service training Communism Psychological assessments Outward Bound Teacher training Lucea (Assignment site) Student councils Discipline Sports Relationships Personal growth

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Jamaica Jamaica Voluntarism Communication and culture Culture Culture shock Nonprofit organizations Non-governmental organizations School management and organization Manners and customs

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Interview Usage

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