Former volunteer to Afghanistan celebrates 50 years of Peace Corps

Edie Maxey, left, of Fulton, and her roommate while she was in Afghanistan, Louisa Furno of Wheaton, Md., join thousands of past Peace Corps volunteers on Sept. 25 as they walk from Arlington Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial carrying the flags of the countries in which they served. The Peace Corps celebrated its 50-year anniversary from Sept.22-25 in Washington, D.C.
Edie Maxey, left, of Fulton, and her roommate while she was in Afghanistan, Louisa Furno of Wheaton, Md., join thousands of past Peace Corps volunteers on Sept. 25 as they walk from Arlington Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial carrying the flags of the countries in which they served. The Peace Corps celebrated its 50-year anniversary from Sept.22-25 in Washington, D.C.

Though Afghanistan has suffered a considerable amount over the years and is still in turmoil today, Edie Maxey looks back on her time there with fondness.

Maxey, now 73, was 26 years old when she joined the fourth Peace Corps group to enter Afghanistan in 1964. She worked in legal research for the Ministry of Justice in the capital, Kabul, until 1966.

"I've never been treated nicer in any place I worked than I was by the Afghans in the Ministry of Justice," Maxey recalled.

Maxey recently returned from Washington, D.C., where she joined thousands of other past Peace Corps volunteers in celebrating the organization's golden anniversary. Fifty years ago, on Sept. 22, 1961, Congress officially approved legislation establishing the Peace Corps under President John F. Kennedy. From Sept. 22-25, various events were held in and around the nation's capital commemorating the occasion.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.