Open.
Some of the archival materials in this collection may be subject to copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.
Donated by Donna Byrd via Dorothy B. Soper, November 2012.
Opened in May 2015.
Processed by Corbin Apkin.
William Henry Byrd was born on October 6, 1923. Byrd worked as a high school teacher and a mountain climbing guide prior to his time working in the Peace Corps. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara recruited Byrd in 1961 to run the Peace Corps training camps in Puerto Rico. Byrd served as director of the training camps until 1963 when he moved back to Eugene, Oregon, and worked as a legal investigator, and later ran the Outward Bound School. William Byrd died in 2008.
The papers of William Henry Byrd relate to his time serving as Puerto Rico Peace Corps training camp director. Materials include training camp staff memos and Byrd’s weekly reports on the camps. Personal correspondence includes letters about the training camps and tours given by Byrd. Other papers include evaluations on Peace Corps training camps, newspaper clippings and articles about Byrd, Puerto Rico, and the Peace Corps. Publications include a Peace Corps training manual and Volunteer newsletters. Audiovisual materials include photographic prints of Byrd and his family in Puerto Rico and various Peace Corps activities. Also included are numerous presentation slides documenting Byrd’s time in Puerto Rico. This collection is arranged into two series: Series 1. Peace Corps Files, 1961-2008 and Series 2. Photographs, 1961-1963.
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains William Byrd’s files created during his time as director of the training program for the Peace Corps in Puerto Rico. Materials consist of staff memoranda, weekly reports, personal correspondence, training camp evaluations, newspaper clippings, Peace Corps publications, and transcripts and notes for presentations about the Peace Corps.
Materials kept in original order. Folders arranged by format.
This series consists of negatives, photographic prints, and slides. Photographs include William Henry Byrd and his family in Puerto Rico, various landscapes, and Peace Corps camp activities. Of note are photographs of Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. and Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Muñoz Marín.