Peace Corps Commemorative
The Peace Corps program was established by Executive Order 10924, which was issued by President John F. Kennedy on March 1, 1961. The program was legislatively authorized by Congress on September 21, 1961, with passage of the Peace Corps Act (Pub.L. 87–293). Between 1961 and 2013, over 215,000 Americans joined the Peace Corps. The National Peace Corps Association, a nonprofit organization for Peace Corps alumni, established the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation to advocate for a commemorative to honor the mission of the Peace Corps and the values on which it was founded.
Maurice L. Albertson
Albertson has been credited with changing the face of U.S. volunteerism. He recalled that the phone rang at 2 AM on a 1961 morning, and that when he answered he found himself talking to Sargent Shriver, first director of the Peace Corps. Shriver was calling to ask him about a CSURF study on creating a youth volunteer group. Shriver apologized for the hour, but said he'd been working on the program all night and had worked his way to Albertson on his list of people to call. He wanted Albertson to come to Washington immediately. The CSURF research Albertson oversaw was used in setting up the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps remained true to the original vision in Albertson's opinion.