Since the conception of Peace Corps, thousands of volunteers have answered the call to serve, inspired both by the national emphasis on providing government aid to other nations as well as the need of the countries they served in. David Crozier of West Plains, Missouri and Larry Radley of Chicago, Illinois both answered that call in 1961, serving in Colombia. Sadly, they would not have the opportunity to return home; both perished in a plane crash on April 22, 1962. They were the first Peace Corps Volunteers to die in service.
56 years later, NPCA was proud to partner with Central Missouri Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and Columbia Missouri Alumni Chapter of the Nation Peace Corps Association in order to honor both these men in a memorial in Bolivar, Missouri. Family members of both Radley and Crozier spoke of what it meant to have a Peace Corps member of their families, and the legacies of both men.
David Crozier’s sister, Nancy Crozier Brown, spoke of the bond the two families share: "God has a way of making good things happen from bad things, seemingly bad things, brought the Radley's and the Crozier's families closer together."
Both of Radley's siblings attended the memorial, discussing some of their last communications with Larry before the crash:
"One of the last letters my brother wrote to me, he quoted a philosopher who said 'it's better to live humbly for a cause than to die nobly for one,' and it's somehow ironic my brother and David died nobly because they lived humbly," said Gordon Radley.
Interestingly, both of Radley siblings went on to serve in the Peace Corps. In fact, his sister Elana began serving in Columbia one year after her brother's death.
"Through their deaths, they demonstrated their total commitment as Peace Corps volunteers to truly share the destiny of the people they have come to serve," Elana Radley Rozenman said.
The event also drew attention to the congressional bill, House Bill 1295 which was written to allow the Peace Corps logo to be used on the gravestones of fallen peace corps volunteers, currently this is not permissible.
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First Photo: Nancy Crozier Brown addressing the audience and speaking of the legacy of her brother. Second Photo: Elana Rozenman (Larry’s sister) and Nancy Crozier Brown (David's sister) both attended the event and spoke of their families bonds due to the tragedy.
Rebecca Taylor is a communication fellow for NPCA. She served as an education volunteer in China (2015-2017) and in Liberia (2017-2018). In the fall, she will begin her Masters in Corporate Communication and Marketing at I.E. Business School in Spain.
