Jerry Springston's left for Ethiopia in 1961 to teach Math and Science to villagers in Eritrea (now a separate country). His send off included a visit to the White House to meet President Kennedy. Service was important to him and he continues to be an active Rotarian in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Jerry Springston began his Peace Corps odyssey at Gustavus Adophus College in St. Peter Minnesota in early 1961 when, as a junior he wrote an article on the Peace Corps and becoming an ambassador for peace. After submitting the article, he received a document asking, “Why don't you join?” Soon after a telegram arrived congratulating him, “You have been invited to the Peace Corps in Ethiopia.” While preparing for this adventure, he was invited to the White House where President Kennedy hosted a ceremony honoring the first Peace Corps volunteers. The preparation for service was conducted at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
Within 30 days of arriving in Ethiopia he was invited to dine with Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia. Jerry was also invited to dine at an official's home where he was served a true delicacy - the testicle and unknowingly ingested a tape worm. When he noticed movement on his leg, he went to the missionary doctors at his site who treated him, but eventually he required surgery to remove the worm which was 12 feet long. Everyone had a pet, so the worm was named Sargent.
“My assignment was to be a classroom teacher at a middle school in Tessenei, Eritrea, Ethiopia. Tessenei was a small village on the boarder of Eritrea and the Sudan in northeast Africa near the Nubian Desert. The school's students were members of one of two native tribes: the Islamic Beni Amar and the Animistic Kunama. The Beni Amar were patriarchal, patrilineal and patrilocal; while the Kunama were matriarchal, matrilineal and matrilocal, where the husband lives with the wife's family. The two tribes lived on the opposite sides of the Gash River [wadi]. We had 8 students in the eighth grade and they all graduated.” Jerry and his partner taught math and science in English. Most of them enrolled in the Camboni College in Asmara. One of the students, Abdu Alim Issa, became an exchange student to Middlebury, NH and ultimately graduated from Middlebury in that city. Today he is an American citizen and has retired from a career in medical insurance.”
When Jerry returned from Ethiopia the speaking circuit opened up and he spoke in 45 different settings that first year. He went on to become a Baptist minister serving in Denver, CO and then in Charles City, Iowa where the congregation sponsored a family who had escaped during the civil war. They flew from NYC where each member were given a warm coat. They had quite a culture shock entering a grocery store.
More recently Jerry became a consultant for congregations in crisis for 17. He finally retired in 2005.
Jerry first joined Rotary International in 1971 in Charles City, Iowa and was president of the Charles City Rotary Club in 1974-1975. He moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1986 and joined the Cedar Rapids-West Rotary Club in 1986, where his membership continues. He was Governor of Rotary District 5970 in 1992-93.