H. Lynn Beck is a Nebraska farm boy who joined the Peace Corps. Beck worked with Indian farmers in El Salvador where he learned to speak Spanish fluently. His Spanish teacher told him three weeks into his first college semester that, perhaps, he should drop the course because not everyone has the ability to learn languages. Later, he spent almost a year in Nicaragua working with farmers and then 10 years in Brazil ranging from the Northeast to Central to Southern parts of the country. This included an arid area, a mining area, and the tropical area around Cuiaba, Matto Grosso where cities grew from jungle to 25,000 people in five years.
Beck managed farms in Nebraska and Kansas for eight years and then moved to Illinois where, after a couple of years, he started teaching at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. After many adventures, Beck is now retired.
H. Lynn Beck is a Nebraska farm boy who joined the Peace Corps. Beck worked with Indian farmers in El Salvador where he learned to speak Spanish fluently. His Spanish teacher told him three weeks into his first college semester that, perhaps, he should drop the course because not everyone has the ability to learn languages. Later, he spent almost a year in Nicaragua working with farmers and then 10 years in Brazil ranging from the Northeast to Central to Southern parts of the country. This included an arid area, a mining area, and the tropical area around Cuiaba, Matto Grosso where cities grew from jungle to 25,000 people in five years.
Beck managed farms in Nebraska and Kansas for eight years and then moved to Illinois where, after a couple of years, he started teaching at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. After many adventures, Beck is now retired.
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A Long Time Ago…
Lynn,
It was sometime around 1966-7, when I first met you. You were then part of a contingent of former ag students/majors, trained at Purdue, who had been assigned to projects in rural El Salvador. I was the Peace Corps Director. Disclaimer: I had my 90th birthday this month, so please forgive inaccuracies, or differences in our recalls.
When someone told me about your books, I recognized your name. My recall is of a tall, blond haired youth with, to my mind, a unique quality about him. I say unique, because in the context of others in your group, you were becoming aware of the inequities in the country’s social and political systems. This set you apart from your fellow volunteers who, while doing their jobs, seemed unaware of these same inequities.
You served, for me, as example of what the Peace Corps’ experience should produce. In describing you to others, I used the term “radicalized.” You might remember the experience in another way. For me, the point was that you demonstrated an awareness of the socio-political environment that was unique among volunteers then.
In learning about your later travels and subsequent life, I was so pleased to see how you combined your values and life in such a creative way. I’m obviously very late in learning about your life post-El Salvador, but nonetheless delighted and happy to be able to say I knew you when.
Every good wish,
Douglas Walker
El Salvador 1967-71
Mr. Walker,
I remember you perfectly. You had a beautiful wife and a VW station wagon. One Thanksgiving I was in San Salvador disheartened and you and your lovely wife invited me to your house to eat an American Thanksgiving meal. It was delicious. With your help, I put myself together again and returned to Sonsonate. You were so perfect for your job. I could not have completed my term without your help and that of our PC Director. My experience in El Salvador changed my life forever. Even now, it impacts me.
I hope you had a chance to read “Living in El Salvador.” You might also enjoy Living in Nicaragua and Living in Brazil. Living in Brazil has created much interest in the book community. It appears that some traditional publishing company is interested in acquiring it and movie producers have shown some interest. I hope it works out. Let me know if you read the book.
Where are you living? I live in the metro East of St. Louis (in Illinois). I taught at a regional university for 16 years. I am so happy to hear from you. Stay healthy and thank you for remembering me.
Lynn Beck
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