Folder 26

1963 Mar 03, 4 p. w/env. Letter to Folks Found out that her necklace she had been wearing was worth one hundred dollars; her W2 for income tax hasn’t come from Liberia yet, “Jail here I come;” had discussed retirement plans with a Department of Agriculture Cloth Specialist who was able to give her the full run-down on retirement; has a meeting with the Peace Corps.
1963 Mar 06, 2 p. no env. Letter to Mary from Margaret Friend and family news
1963 Mar 06, 2 p. w/env. Letter to Folks Discusses her concern for a friend in AID that lived next to her in Turkey; got a teaser from Kentucky University on a contract job in Indonesia; “Last night this friend and I saw Lawrence of Arabia 2.95 per seat. I never heard of reserved seats in a movie;” will be working on educational teaching materials for the South American Alliance for Progress program.
1963 Mar 11, 2 p. w/env. Letter to Folks Finally got her W2; is having trouble getting her driver’s license renewed due to lack of understanding; is hoping to get a part time job with the Peace Corps rather than a full time job; “I have so many good friends here I’m going to hate to leave Wash. I’m truly glad to have had this home base experience. I’m very happy in this little dump of a hotel.” Newspaper Clippings “Instant Prosperity Bedevils Ancient Libya” “Ellender Accuses U.S. of ‘Tiptoe Diplomacy’” The Washington Daily News, Mar. 9, “Ellender’s Odyssey”
1963 Mar 13, 2 p. w/env. Letter to Folks The Peace Corps have called and asked to borrow Mary for training 55 corpsmen going to Liberia; had been asked to join a party given for Ambassador Peel of Liberia.
1963 Mar 14, 4 p. w/env. Letter to Velma Mentions working with the Peace Corps at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania to train 55 people, mostly girls, to go to Liberia to teach primary grades; is trying to prepare teaching aides for the Alliance for Progress Program in South Africa; friend and acquaintance news; “There are lots of things going on here in Wash. At night but women alone are warned to stay off the streets after 8:00pm. Drug stores are running big ads of tear gas pens legal to carry for protection. Think I should go back overseas to be safe;” “Boy, talk about jealousy—I just can’t get material out here one bit easier than I could in Liberia. Three depts. want it here but no two can get together on it so I’m just at a state of flux.”
1963 Mar 26, 4 p. w/env. Letter to Velma C.A. Border might have to go in for surgery; is helping Velma locate the locations of some mutual friends; “I can hear not a blanket-blank word from the Peace Corps. It’s not that I’m so anxious to be employed. It’s that I want them to understand under what conditions I can now be employed;” did a little research and found out that AID has less than 20 Home Economists on direct in the U.S. and she’s only found 4 University Contract Home Ec., “There must be something wrong with us that even our best friends won’t tell us;” discusses how a certain acquaintance has such a wrong view on foreign service and is against both AID and the Peace Corps.
1963 Mar 31, 1 p. w/env. Letter to Brother Discusses news with friends; think she’s getting too comfortable in Washington making so many friends and is ready to move out; “I still like big cocktail parties. You can stay just one hour and disappear and no one missed you. You can hold a glass of orange juice all that time and pick and choose a little food and move away from the people you don’t like;”
1963 Mar 31, 3 p. no env. Letter to Folks Mentions that she might be able to land a part time job with the Peace Corps; Verda is going to have surgery; filled out her retirement applications and plans on leaving Washington in April.
1963 Mar [?], 3 p. w/env. Letter to Folks Had been all lined up for retirement, “But here at the office they asked me why I left Libya? They said there was a job there and they had wanted me to stay and do it. So they said would I wait here in Wash. Until they got rid of the Agr. Chief and see if they can get me back. Well I just think I don’t want to go;” discusses how she prefers an apartment over a house; is going to visit the Home Economics department at Howard University.