Rappelling in the Organ Mountains, learning about John F. Kennedy’s death, taking four-hour Spanish classes daily and raising chickens are some of the Peace Corps volunteers’ memories of training at New Mexico State University in 1963.
Approximately 65 men and women came from all areas of the United States to train from September to December in preparation for a two-year mission in Guatemala.
About half of the initial Peace Corps group will congregate on the NMSU campus Friday, Oct. 9, for a 52-year reunion. The individuals will be traveling from various areas, including Alaska, Guatemala, Florida, Washington, D.C., California, Minnesota and New Jersey.
“We were city folk who were trained how to raise chickens while at NMSU,” Peace Corps member Mary Cordero said. “We stayed in the dorms and were also trained in Latin American history, Guatemalan history and Spanish.”
Head of NMSU Agricultural Services Paul Duffield directed the group. The assistant director of NMSU’s Cooperative Extension Services – Jacob Tejada – was instrumental in the implementation of the Peace Corps training program. Cordero said Tejada coordinated details with the government, the training sessions and extension work.
“We all loved Mr. Tejada,” trainee Pat Smits said. “He was terrific. Our time at NMSU was very pleasant. The language training was excellent, especially for those of us who had no experience.”
While the Peace Corps members have vivid memories of their training at NMSU, Kennedy’s assassination is what they remember most.
“When Kennedy was shot on Nov. 22, 1963, it had a profound effect on the group,” volunteer Tim Kraft said. “Most of us wanted to join the Peace Corps because of Kennedy.”
Dave Smits cannot forget hearing the news of the assassination.
“I remember when we were in the NMSU dining hall and we got word of JFK’s assassination,” Smits said. “I can remember people weeping. He was a real inspiration, and we were motivated by him.”
Despite the harrowing news of the president’s assassination, the Peace Corps members went on with their preparation at NMSU.
Kraft remembers rigorous physical training in the Organ Mountains.
“We would hike to the top, turn around, throw ourselves off the mountain and rappel down the slope,” Kraft said. “We would also traverse from one peak to another.”
The outdoor training for the group was actually supposed to take place in Puerto Rico, but that trip was canceled due to an outbreak of dengue fever. Instead, a mountain climbing group in Las Cruces trained the volunteers. Some of the outdoor training also took place in Chihuahua, Mexico.
During the Organ Mountain training excursion, a few hikers – not affiliated with the Peace Corps – had an accident while mountain climbing.
“One of the hikers was stranded, so we helped out with an organized rescue,” trainee Bernie Engel recalled. “I remember it happened at night, and we assisted the helicopter crew by taking supplies, such as water and stretchers.”
While Kraft recalls learning how to vaccinate hogs and how to build a dam, he said that learning Spanish was the most valuable aspect in preparation for two years in Guatemala.
“We had rigorous training in Spanish, totaling 240 hours,” Kraft said. “It was really good, and NMSU should be proud of what its faculty did.”
In addition to learning how to mountain climb and rappel, Pat Smits has other memories.
“We had to float for an hour,” she said. “We also learned how to make compost from an ag person at NMSU.”
According to Cordero, all of the trainees had their wisdom teeth extracted by two local dentists in order to avoid impacted teeth and potential pain while in Guatemala.
“After all of our wisdom teeth were removed, we attended a party hosted by the dentists,” Cordero recalled. “We even made a big papier-maché wisdom tooth to take to the party.”
While in Guatemala, Peace Corps members took on various roles to assist locals with rural community development. Volunteers worked with colonias, formed what were called “betterment committees,” formed a financial cooperative and built a school.
Because of her background with the handicapped population, Cordero was asked if she would work for the school for handicapped.
“I primarily helped with organizational aspects of the school,” Cordero said.
Pat and Dave Smits were required to remain in the capital, as they were expecting a child and Peace Corps representatives wanted Pat to receive the best medical care possible. After their daughter was born, they moved on to volunteer in an Indian village and were welcomed with open arms.
“At that point we were viewed as a family in their midst,” Dave Smits recalls. “Our baby was a door-opener to the Guatemalan women in particular. Everyone thought she looked like the Gerber baby.”
While Engel said that learning Spanish was very beneficial upon their arrival in Guatemala, other aspects of the training helped as well.
“The climbing and the rappelling gave us confidence, and we felt we could survive new experiences and new challenges” he said. “Many of us ended up working on ag-type projects, so that was helpful as well.”
What is unusual about this particular Peace Corps group, according to Kraft, is that it is one of few groups whose members have kept in touch throughout the years.
“We all have different lives in the public sector,” Kraft said. “But we’ve had reunions in Guatemala, New Jersey, California and now Las Cruces.”
Pat Smits agrees.
“We had our first reunion after 40 years, and it was as if we had just seen each other yesterday,” she said. “When we see each other, it’s not about comparing to see who’s doing better; we all want to know if everyone has had a good life.”
Group members have even come together to publish a book about their experiences. The book is titled “Recollections of Our Peace Corps Service 1963-1965: Kick-off, Life in Guatemala, and Afterwards.”
A contributor and editor of the book, Dave Smits believes the experience had a major impact on everyone’s lives.
“My wife and I have been married for 52 years, and the duration of our marriage is in part due to our Peace Corps experience,” he said. “It was a challenge that makes you a better person.”
When the group reunites this weekend, they will have lunch at Taos Restaurant in the Corbett Center Student Union, tour the campus and have a big picnic at Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park. They will also have dinner in Mesilla to reminisce about the times they spent in the town in 1963.
Information from NMSU