George Town Festival's Peace Corps Photo Exhibit Launch

Ambassador Jones together with Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng cut the ribbon to launch the photo exhibit. (U.S. Embassy photo)

Former Peace Corps volunteer Al Kordesch shares some history behind the photo taken during his time as a Peace Corps volunter in Malaysia. (U.S. Embassy photo)

On June 16, U.S. Ambassador Paul W. Jones, together with the Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng, launched "An Enduring Bond", a photo exhibit commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Peace Corps in Malaysia in conjunction with the George Town Festival in Penang. Former Peace Corps Volunteers Rick Johannesson and Al Kordesch attended the event with their spouses Penny and Sharon, both of whom are native Penangites. The ceremony illuminated the memories of Peace Corps Volunteers from the 60s, 70s and 80s, and honored the work they did as teachers, architects, doctors, research specialists, and more. 

Ambassador Jones traced the deep and elaborate history of U.S.-Malaysian friendships through Peace Corps in Malaysia, and highlighted the similarities between the Peace Corps and the George Town Festival in their efforts to connect and reconnect people through thoughts and ideas. The Chief Minister spoke fondly of the Peace Corps initiative as a tremendous achievement in spreading peace through education and people-to-people connections. Rick Johannesson also shared memories with the public about his Peace Corps days - in particularly the rewarding feedback from his chemistry students, many of whom went on to brilliant engineering careers. Rick and Al both pinned up old photos to the interactive exhibit corkboard, which is open to any member of the Malaysian public who have photos or stories to share. 

The Peace Corps Photo Exhibit will be available for public viewing at the MPPP Town Hall on Penang Island between June 16 - June 30. The exhibit has traveled through KL, Alor Star, and Seberang-Jaya, and will continue to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak over the course of 2012. The U.S. Embassy is proud to partner with the George Town Festival in a number of programs this year, including Broadway and Hip Hop workshops and performances with world-class American performers at Straits Quay, a photography workshop and photo exhibit with American photographer Justin Mott, and the Peace Corps 50th Anniversary Photo Exhibition.