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PETER WOLFE-- 1957- 1984
Peter grew up near Grand Rapids, Michigan. He graduated from Putney School,
worked as a forester, attended Marlboro College, and graduated from the Univ. of
Michigan in Natural Resources.
At 25, he joined the PC and was assigned to Guatemala at a site near El
Salvador, where his job was to educate the community about conserving
their dwindling fisheries resources on which they depended. He learned that
there was a strong conservation movement in Guatemala, but that
organizations didn't cooperate with each other so were often ineffective. The
Guatemalan Tourist Department, under which he worked, reassigned him to
Guatemala City to help the organizations coordinate their missions. After he
died, the organizations followed up by forming an umbrella group, the Peter
Wolfe Guatemalan Natural Resources Association. (His name has since been
dropped.)
Peter was murdered as he walked home one night. No one knew why, and
several conspiracy theories arose. The State Department wouldn't investigate or
prosecute the known killer until finally Loret Ruppe, Peace Corps director and
PC Guatemalan Director Ron Arms camped outside State Dept. Director Schultz'
office. The killer was connected to families in high places,
which evidently paid for Guatemala's best defense attorney. The prosecution got
nowhere.
His friends will be glad to know that Peter's brother made it his mission to
find out what happened. His original research did seem to support a conspiracy.
However, John took a former Guatemalan judge to Guatemala and together they made
an extensive investigation, including interviewing witnesses, the lawyers, etc,
and checking documents. (By this time the killer had died in a motorcycle
accident) They concluded that there was no conspiracy against either the PC or
Peter. The young killer--a menace to his own neighborhood--acted on his own on
the spur of the moment when he accosted Peter on the street.
About Peter: As Peter's parents, we want to tell about
Peter in the words of others who wrote or spoke about him after he died.
(Note: our family has lost touch with many close to Peter. We would love to know
what you are doing. We are Willard and Joan Wolfe, PO Box 191, Frankfort, MI
49635. 231-352-6803.) The following seem to sum up the many comments we
received:
Peter's Peace Corps Work:
Words spoken at the memorial service by Ron Arms,
Country Director, PC Guatemala:
"...the wire rimmed glasses, the tuft of black hair, the sparkle in his eyes
encased a sharp mind. His energy and enthusiasm gave witness to a large capacity
for work. The quick sense of humor earned him friends in many places...
Peter gave his life to the work of peace. In one of God's beautiful places he
worked to preserve its flora and fauna. When local bureaucrats quarreled over
jurisdictional issues, he used his negotiating skills to help people explore
avenues of cooperation. He urged his fellow workers and himself to greater
efforts when frustration blocked progress. When resources were scarce he wrote
letters, knocked on doors and did all he could to gather what help was possible.
He invested time and energy in organizing an international conference aimed at
improved coordination of conservation efforts. (Another) of his cherished
projects was the creation of (an environmental reference library). In more ways
than I have time to mention, Peter spent his life to help others...
I can pay him no higher tribute than to encourage us all to continue to work
for peace wherever we are..."
--from a Peace Corps volunteer:
"I will always remember how he lit up a room with his presence and was always
there to listen, offer guidance or help. He brought out the best in everyone."
--from a Guatemalan :
...I feel happy inside because I can tell you how much I learned from him in a
few months... The task does not end, and the more Guatemalans care and do for
the conservation and protection of their heritage, the more strong we will all
feel Peter's presence among us."
--from a conservation researcher in Guatemala:
"Peter was one of the most dedicated and delightful people (my colleague and I)
met in 10 years of conservation work in Latin America...so incredibly gifted at
analyzing a difficult environmental situation and presenting a sequence of ideas
on how to cope with it. His dedication to aiding Guatemala's beginning
environmental movement is unmatched by anyone. Peter seemed destined to become
one of the most influential international conservationists in America."
Peter's Personality: "A walking definition of gusto"
-- from one of Peter's friends from the University of
Michigan:
"...We (his friends) remembered some of the good times as well tough times we
shared at U of M and wound up having a pretty good laugh. It seemed a bit ironic
considering the circumstances, but not out of place. When I think of Pete, I
can't help but feel good because that is the emotion he was consistently able to
create. It's unfortunate that so many people in an academic setting like Ann
Arbor lose sight of the purpose behind their education and become self-centered,
while more important values diminish. Pete, on the other hand, saw something
else. It seemed the more Pete learned, the more he wanted to share that
knowledge and the more he wanted to help people. If only more people had that
insight, it wouldn't be necessary to have to pray so hard for peace.
"I truly feel richer for having known Pete. He was a walking definition of
gusto. Pete had a rare gift of being able to lift people from terrible moods by
making you laugh from the pit of your stomach. He was just plain good to be with
and I will treasure his memory greatly. ... We learned about the genuine values
in life from him, and for that we raise our glass to him."
-- from his brother John's eulogy:
"It is difficult to write a eulogy for your only brother, made many times more
difficult because my brother, Peter Harper Wolfe, had a personality and soul so
complex and encompassing that I can convey only small fragments...
"Peter lived fully. He packed more self-imposed suffering and self-doubt into
his life, as well as joy and good times, than most who live two or three times
his age. He wrote a note that I found in a cigar box in his bedroom. It said,
simply, "I don't want to be mellow. (signed) Peter Wolfe." His gift was to take
from that cauldron of pain, frustration and despair, from those very dark
moments of the soul, to extract from this a joie de vivre, a gusto, and a
remarkable sense of humor and understanding that touched many people, many, many
times. ...
My parents and I have received many beautiful letters from people sharing their
grief with us. The most comforting to me came from Peter's kindergarten teacher,
who reminded all of us:
"No good, having been given,
no love, having been shared,
is ever lost."
-- from others:
Name: Linda Mayes
Email:
ruin1987@msn.com
Date: 27-Aug-2007
Pete (Peter Wolfe) was a wonderful friend to my husband Stu. Pete lived with us
in the cabin at Prickett Dam while he worked at AllWood in Baraga MI before he
joined the Peace Corps. I have a photo of him during our days at Michigan Tech,
with a big grin on his face and raising his glass in a toast "to life, to life,
....and if our good fortune never comes, here's to whatever comes..." that was
Pete.
Name: Carlos Paniagua
Email: britishcolumbian@aol.com
Date: 28-Jul-2005
I met Peter and his parents during the time he served in
Guatemala. At the time I was involved with conservation organizations and we
shared common interest and goals with Peter.
Peter played a very important role in helping all the conservation groups to
work together to help to save the valuable natural resources of Guatemala.
I had the pleasure to work with him, we traveled to Washington DC to meet with
the most important conservation agencies and since then we became friends.
Peter was unique, he was a very fine and nice man and had a strong and genuine
interest in helping Guatemalans in their effort to preserve the natural wonders
of the country.
I will always remember, miss and honor him. The world needs more people like
him.
Name: Peter Roth
Email: peterandlynne@comcast.net
Date: 20-Apr-2005
I was a volunteer in
Guatemala in 1983 --Peter came in the group after mine. I left in August 83
when the political violence and lawlessness reached a frenzy and a golpe de
estado. It was a hard scary place to be even though Peace Corps had assured me
when I joined that it was safe. I could tell many strange tales of how the
violent world was growling all around us.
I knew Peter, though not well. I remember arguing with him one night over
beers (about politics and economics, in a friendly and collegial way) and I was
struck by the force of his personality and the strength of his commitment to
what he was setting out to do. I also remember (by this time I had moved on and
was in South America) how his death affected me and how the local official
"response" shocked me but did not surprise me. "Life is cheap in Guat," it told
me.
I never knew until today what the outcome was. What a great brother to pursue
the truth so relentlessly--like Peter I'd guess.
Name: Susan
Breuer
Email:
Date:
11-Apr-2005
I never met Peter,
but from what I read here, he obviously epitomized the moral ethical ideals that
Bishop Spong hopes for us to come to, fulfilling all those concepts we mulled
over tonight. How very many places he must still exist. And this may sound
trite or unfeeling, but I feel how lucky you are to have had the years that
you did with such a son. And for some reason I want to sign this with "God
Bless"
Name: Tim
Tibbits
Email:
tim_tibbitts@nps.gov
Date: 28-Jun-2004
Dear Willard, Joan, and John Wolfe: Peter and I were friends during his time at Marlboro College, and he was among my best friends at that time. He brought many, many laughs to us, and offered wisdom in his understated way. I still think of him often, and still miss him. I'd like you to know that even after all these years, Peter's touch on some of us is still very strong.
- Name:
Dianna Noyes
- Email:
-
Date: 17-Jun-2004
Dear Dr. & Mrs. Wolfe and John,
Found this page sort of by accident this morning, and it made me so happy, and so sad. I wanted to let you know that I still think of Peter, especially in the spring when I drive past the apple orchard in Marlboro that he took me to one evening when it was in full bloom. What a gift he was. I still miss him.
Best,
Dianna Noyes
- Name:
-
Email:
- Date:
09-Mar-2004
It is people like Peter in this world who make it a better place. Knowing his parents, I think he had the best childhood one could have and a sense of being so he was able to give to others as he did. God Bless Peter and God Bless the Peace Corps.
Mary Jo
- Name:
Donna Mack
- Email:
donnamack@fpcv.org
- Date:
01-Feb-2004
Dear Joan,
I just read what you and others have written about your son Peter, and it made me cry. He sounds a lot like my Jeremiah.....intelligent and introspective, ehthusiastic and energetic, kind and funny.....and above all loving. How wonderful to have such a son and how terrible to lose him.
It sounds like Peter gave a great deal of help and comfort to his fellow volunteers by listening and making them laugh. That sounds so much like Jeremiah. Many of his fellow volunteers told me that if it hadn't been for Jeremiah's outrageous sense of humor, they might not have been able to complete their service. Jeremiah taught people to create buildings out of mud and straw, but I think his greatest gift to others was his kindness and humor.
How lucky we were to have such wonderful sons.
Warmest regards,
Donna Mack
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