Roger Lewis’ Contribution to the Peace Corps Commemorative was Foundational and Enduring
By Jonathan Pearson
For years, many within the Peace Corps community desired a presence among the national treasures that are dotted on or near Washington’s National Mall, to recognize the contributions of a quarter million Peace Corps Volunteers and former staff who served our nation.
One of those efforts was sparked in 2001 on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol, when Kevin Quigley and his wife, Susan Flaherty, were attending the annual Memorial Day concert. Looking over the National Mall, a conversation began where they lamented that the area contained tributes primarily to “wars and dead presidents”. What about the Peace Corps, they asked?
By year’s end, Susan established a non-profit organization for such a purpose. Kevin, who was hired as president of National Peace Corps Association in 2003, began promoting and building support for the concept.
And then came Roger Lewis.
Susan knew of Roger Lewis (RPCV Tunisia, 1964-66), a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Maryland, and a connected and knowledgeable protector of the Washington, D.C. landscape. For thirty years, Roger wrote a “Shaping the City” column for the Washington Post. He was also a regular guest discussing city and regional planning and architecture on the highly popular “Kojo Nnamdi Show”, a public affairs program on WAMU, DC’s primary public radio station.
While listening to the Nnamdi show in 2008, Susan learned something else about Roger. She learned he was a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who worked on architecture projects in Tunisia between 1964 and 1966. She immediately called Kevin to share the news. Kevin called Roger soon after to ask if he would be involved in the Peace Corps project. Roger agreed immediately.
First Step – Congress
Kevin and I (and later, Kevin’s successor, Glenn Blumhorst) had the honor of organizing and participating in dozens of meetings with Roger starting in 2009, as the first, critical step in the process was congressional passage of legislation to authorize a proposed Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation to “establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia.”
This legislation was originally introduced by California RPCV Congressman Sam Farr, known by his colleagues as “Mr. Peace Corps”. When a new RPCV Congressman, Joseph Kennedy III of Massachusetts, came to Washington, Representative Farr relinquished his sponsorship and encouraged Kennedy to take the lead.
In January 2014, the legislation became the first bill introduced by Congressman Kennedy that was signed into law. The work of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation was officially underway.
On Capitol Hill, Roger brought unsurpassed expertise to the table, whether testifying before congressional committees in support of the Peace Corps Commemorative or discussing the legislation during meetings with congressional staff. His knowledge of the federal Commemorative Works Act and previous work on similar projects was invaluable. He also attended and spoke at several of NPCA’s Capitol Hill lobby days, providing RPCV advocates with key information and talking points as they prepared to meet with congressional offices.
During a period where a number of newer monuments seemed to compete with each other in terms of size and cost, Roger was passionate in his belief that more modest, cost-effective tributes could be constructed with equal meaning and impact.
It also didn’t hurt that Roger’s advocacy for the Peace Corps Commemorative before federal agencies and city commissions involved conversations with people he was familiar with, including some of his former University of Maryland students who had advanced to positions that intersected with the Commemorative Works approval process.
Just the Beginning
At one point in the not-so-recent past, I ran into Roger at a Peace Corps community gathering and asked him how he was doing, and how things were progressing with the commemorative. He smiled and shared that the five year campaign to pass the necessary commemorative legislation was easy compared to the planning, hurdles, and obstacles that came next.
Thus it was that over the past ten years, Roger has led and guided the commemorative project towards completion. This included reviewing dozens of potential site locations with the National Park Service (NPS), and coordinating a global competition to consider and choose a design for the commemorative.
With a design in hand, Roger guided the project through a lengthy and arduous approval process, filled with countless meetings, negotiations, re-designs, and approvals.
And now, the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation is in the fundraising phase, with the added challenge that all funds for the project – including funds to the NPS to pay for maintenance costs in perpetuity – must be secured before groundbreaking can begin.
Over the years, countless members of the Peace Corps community from every part of the country have contributed in ways large and small to bring the Peace Corps Commemorative project to the pinnacle of success. But Roger stands alone at the top of the mountain.
And now, very sadly, after fifteen years of hard work, and as the culmination of that work nears, Roger will not be there to help break ground for this project he held so dear.
We can hold some solace in knowing he lived to see the commemorative round the last corner, heading for the finish line.
Well done, Roger Lewis.