January-February 2013

A belated Happy New Year 2013 to all!!  I apologize for not getting out a newsletter sooner.  The past year has been one of transition for FOI.  Some details here and on our new FOI website.                

You may know we lost the www.FOIndia.org website when our web host went out of business or was totally damaged by one of the severe storms that hit New Jersey. Our new website is https://Ganga633.Squarespace.com.  You can access it using the full address but most browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer, Google, etc) will bring you to it by entering only Ganga633 in the search box or line of the browser. Note: letters are not case sensitive.

Also John Kuberka, our FOIndia.org Webmaster for several years needed to devote more time to his work with returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.  John, we want to thank you so much for your patience and technical support in introducing FOI into the digital age.  I am not sure we can thank you enough for all that you did for us.  We wish you the very best in your most important and difficult work.  We send you and those you work with out blessings.  

  Our new Webmaster is Maureen Nichols, whom many of you met through email or personally during the Peace Corps 50th Reunion in Washington DC in 2011. Maureen, welcome again and thank you for all you are doing.  Maureen brings with her memories of India as a daughter of John Chromy, an India 3 RPCV, and the technical and social media skills to keep FOI up with the times while maintaining the security of FOI information. Also, she says please check out Friends of India's new Facebook Page and Like us.

Also of note: India III RPCVs  (1963-1966) had their 50^th Anniversary of entering the Peace Corps reunion in Puerto Rico (PR) the last week of January 2013.  A group of sixteen participated, 11 volunteers and 5 spouses. This group served in Mysore/Karnataka and Punjab/Himachal Predesh…mostly working in agriculture and home science.  About seventy Trainees began “Outward Bound” training at Arecibo, (PR) in January 1963 before going to icy cold St. Paul campus of the U of Minnesota for three months.  In June 1963, 41 were sworn-in as PC Volunteers and left for India! These were the days of overnight disappearances!! So 10 India III RPCVS is not a bad showing after 50 years!!!    A set of pictures of this reunion can be accessed on Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/113951791574681383395/albums/5841187520876209057?authkey=CJHj9tr2toTRpwE  and a pdf  summary of the reunion is posted on Ganga633 as 50^th in Puerto Rico.

  From this gathering in Puerto Rico, Mary Andrews as agreed to coordinate India III information and activities and to link it to Ganga633 website. So please contact her or if you need assistance please email me and I will pass it on to her. A few other India groups are doing this and my hope is that more groups will do the same.  If you have a website, it can be linked to FOI or use Ganga633 to house your information.  Maureen will be sure to apply any special security requirements you want.   In any case please visit Ganga633 and give your suggestions, updates, stories, photos, etc. to Maureen (mnichols@austin.rr.com) and myself  (FOIndiaSlattery@aol.com).  Also please:        

1. Let other RPCVs and family members know about the website and newsletter and to contact us if they want a newsletter by email or by mail.
2. Encourage our friends, here in the US and in India to participate.  
3. Help make the ­ Friends of India a home that includes both subgroups, e.g.,

Individual India groups (1-130) or by activity, e.g., agriculture, science teacher training, well-drilling, health and nutrition, etc.

Final Notes:  

(1)   Please, please keep sending FOI-related Photos and stories (digital or otherwise) to Maureen or me for website.

(2)   PayPal is available on the Ganga633 website.

(3)   We will be doing only two newsletters per year.

May this be a wonderful year for you all,

Namascaram

Jack Slattery, 

FOIndiaSlattery@aol.com