Rubin, Vera D.
Variant namesOn March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the U.S. Peace Corps to promote international peace efforts through volunteer workers. Based on its specialization in Caribbean research, the Research Institute for the Study of Man (RISM) was selected to train Peace Corps volunteers to assist and support the vocational adult education programs sponsored by the government in Jamaica, West Indies. The initial phase of the training program was conducted between April 2 - May 31, 1962 with Peace ...
From the description of Records of the Jamaica Peace Corps Training Program 1962 1961-1982 (bulk 1962-1962). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 694062522
On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the U.S. Peace Corps to promote international peace efforts through volunteer workers. Based on its specialization in Caribbean research, the Research Institute for the Study of Man (RISM) was selected to train Peace Corps volunteers to assist and support the vocational adult education programs sponsored by the government in Jamaica, West Indies.
The initial phase of the training program was conducted between April 2 - May 31, 1962 with Peace Corps volunteers housed at the International House situated on the Columbia University campus. Dr. Vera Rubin served as a consultant for the program, which was co-directed by Drs. Lambros Comitas and Robert Stigler. Course work included Caribbean (area) studies, American studies and world affairs, technical and agricultural training, commerce, industrial arts and health care. Noted anthropologists Sidney Mintz, David Lowenthal, M.G. Smith and others gave lectures. Many individuals involved in public service provided lectures for the American Affairs unit, notably Dean Acheson, U.S. Secretary of State from 1949 - 1953, Zbigniew K. Brzezinski, and Adlai E. Stevenson.
The Program's field trips and extra-curricular activities included a visit to Hyde Park, New York, where volunteers spoke with Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, attending the birthday party of President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in New York City and visits to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
During the second phase of the training program, volunteers received additional instruction and orientation to the region at the University College of the West Indies (UCWI) at Mona, Jamaica, W.I. Approximately 30 Peace Corps volunteers were assigned to diverse institutions, including youth camps at Chestervald and Cobbla, Regional Trade Training Centers, Teacher Training Colleges that included the Mico Training College for Teachers, the Shortwood Training College for Women Teachers, and at Frome Senior High Schools, Holmwood Technical School in Manchester, Vere Technical School in Clarendon and technical institutes in Port Antonio and Montego Bay. Their work responsibilities included teaching industrial arts, vocational skills, commercial bookeeping, chemistry, biology and physics. Other volunteers worked as nurse-educators, participated in agricultural projects or assisted the Jamaican Library Service, and the University College of the West Indies with cataloguing and classification.
From the guide to the Records of the Jamaica Peace Corps Training Program, Bulk, 1962, Bulk, 1962 1961-1982, (New York University Archives)
| Role | Title | Holding Repository |
|---|
Filters:
| Place Name | Admin Code | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyde Park |z Dutchess County |z N.Y. | |||
| Jamaica | |||
| Hyde Park--Dutchess County--N.Y | |||
| Washington (D.C.) | |||
| Washington (D.C.). | |||
| West Indies | |||
| Jamaica. | |||
| New York (N.Y.) | |||
| West Indies | |||
| New York (N.Y.) |
| Subject |
|---|
| American history and culture |
| Anthropology |
| Communism |
| Geography |
| Vocational guidance |
| Vocational guidance |
| Occupation |
|---|
| Activity |
|---|
Person
Birth 1911
Death 1985
Americans
English
