Interview with Stephen Eric Johnson, April 27, 2023

Interview Summary

Dominican Republic, 1967 – 1969, community development

A Minnesotan, Steve was raised mainly in Rochester and the Minneapolis inner-ring suburb of Richfield. A graduate student at the University of Minnesota, he considered Peace Corps service a preferable option to being drafted for military service in Vietnam. Steve’s pre-service training was at Camp Radley in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Prior to selection/deselection, Steve’s DR XXI group shadowed volunteers already in the DR for three weeks; Steve was assigned to Christopher Dodd, a future US senator. Steve subsequently worked for two years in the communities of Naranjo Dulce and Jaya in the foothills outside San Francisco de Macoris, where he facilitated projects in school construction, the construction of home water cisterns, road improvement projects, and the like. Back in Minnesota, he began an international education career focused on study abroad and student exchange, a part of which involved developing and leading many short- and long-term study abroad programs in the Dominican Republic. Serving on the Friends of the DR Board for a number of years, he helped plan and manage the 50th PC Anniversary event in Santo Domingo in 2012.

Interview Keyword

Dominican Republic community development application motivation draft Vietnam military deferral Richfield, Minnesota parents University of Minnesota Sociology St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Pre-Service Training Camp Radley Arecibo Puerto Rico outward-bound Volunteer selection Senator Dodd Moncion site assignment Gurabito training site Cibao Valley training visit San Francisco de Macoris Naranjo Dulce/Jaya site assignments Oficina de Dessarollo de la Comunidad Office of Community Development (OCD) schools roads tanques de agua cisterns cement floors latrines friends publico taxi promotores extensionists encargados superviors Hernan supervisor Moises Acosta Zone Supervisor Agricultura Agricultural Ministry Florence Bernard Tony Tramantano Merilee and Steven Grindle Steve Vick PCVs Nagua Samana Peninsula Cayo Levantado Politics Dr. Balaguer President communist arrest threat coming home international education career continued connections to D.R.

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