Age no barrier for Peace Corps volunteer

Lindsey Wagner / Charlottesville Daily Progress
Published: July 14, 2007

To prevent "early onset old lady disease," Virginia Greene decided to take action - she joined the Peace Corps.

At 73, Greene is one of the 5 percent of Peace Corps volunteers who are over the age of 50.

On Tuesday, Greene will be bound for Philadelphia for a few days of training before departing for Johannesburg, South Africa. After three months of more training there, she will spend the next two years in a village educating primary school teachers.

"I have a lot of time on my hands, and I've had a comfortable life," said Greene, a Charlottesville resident. "I'm telling people it's give back time."

Greene recalled a vacation in China several years ago when she stayed in an elegant new hotel. Across the street, people were living in shacks.

"I thought, 'Look at me spending pots of money, and they're cooking over flames,'" she said. "I want to get to know people better than looking out through a luxurious hotel's window."

Although Greene is an active member of St. Paul's Memorial Church and volunteered at a Siamese cat rescue center, she said she wanted to help on a larger scale. At the same time, she denied being a Pollyanna.

David McIlhiney, associate rector at St. Paul's Memorial Church, said he thinks Greene's strongest resource will be her education. She holds a bachelor's and a doctorate in chemistry, from Sweet Briar College and the University of Virginia, respectively.

"She won't teach them much chemistry," McIlhiney said, "but she can teach them to look at the world in certain ways."

Greene also saw a certain strength in her schooling: "Heaven knows I've absorbed enough education," she said. "I hope I can reverse engineer it."

Peace Corps spokesman Stephan Chapman pointed out that older volunteers are more educated in life experiences than the stereotypical, fresh-from-college volunteer. In certain communities, older volunteers also command more respect among the locals than a 20-something does.

Although prospective volunteers must pass a health exam, the Peace Corps has no age limit. In fact, the oldest volunteer currently serving recently celebrated her 80th birthday in Thailand.

Greene, who said she's nervous about learning a new language, said she is looking forward to her "adventure" serving as a teacher and community resource, and possibly teaching a bit of amateur theater to the villagers and seeing an elephant or two.

"It's very hard to set goals when I haven't even seen the situation," Greene said. "I hope I will do some good. … I think it will probably change me, no question."