Interview with Linda Vorhis James, June 27, 2021

Interview Summary

Linda Vorhis James served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Korea from 1979-1981, and worked as a staff member at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC from 1982-1986. As the child of a US diplomat, she grew up overseas, including a 1961-63 stay in still war-scarred South Korea, which she loved. Two years after college, she applied and was posted to Korea as a tuberculosis control volunteer. During her 10 week training in Chun Cheon (northern South Korea), she met another female volunteer who later served with Linda in the southern town of Goseong, and they became life-long friends. In addition to TB control, she also collaborated with other volunteers to develop a health promotion roadshow, and also organized a walkathon to fund surgery for a pediatric cardiac patient which drew national attention and resulted in increased government funding for pediatric cardiac care. After Peace Corps, she found a job in the Peace Corps office in Washington, and has found herself working with RPCVs ever since, including the past 25 years with her Peace Corps colleague from Chun Cheon. Her ties with Korea are still strong, in part because of the effort the Republic of Korea has made to engage RPCVs since the end of the program in 1981.

Interview Keyword

United States State Department Republic of Korea (South Korea) Korean War Francophone Africa Returned Peace Corps Volunteer networks Korean language Cultural training Pusan, South Korea Goseong, South Korea Chun Cheon, South Korea Peace Corps volunteer training tuberculosis control work community health work community health centers host family maternal-child health promotion living conditions urban infrastructure holidays vacation international travel Thailand birth centers health promotion roadshow hospitality Friends of Korea charity walkathon pediatric cardiac care host country government outreach to RPCVs COS trip trans-Siberian railway Peace Corps headquarters Peace Corps staff work Jody Olsen (former PC director) Operations Crossroads Africa (NGO) International Rescue Committee (NGO) Healthcare Volunteers Overseas (NGO) post-service visit to host country South Korea (Country of service) 1979-1981 (Years of service)

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Interview Usage

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