In Memoriam: Roger K. Lewis (1941-2024)

October 4, 2024

Dear Friends and Supporters,



It is with a heavy heart that the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation announces the passing of our President, Roger K. Lewis, who died on Wednesday at his home in Washington, D.C. after undergoing a medical procedure. He was 83, and is survived by his wife Ellen, their son Kevin and his wife, and four granddaughters.

Roger’s dedicated leadership and steadfast commitment to Peace Corps Park has been critical in building the coalition that brought us from the initial concept through a competitive design competition and numerous rounds of design reviews to an elegant result that is scheduled for final approval this month. His legacy will live on in our hearts, and in every part of this project that he championed with such vigor and skill.


A celebrated author, architect and journalist, Roger’s history with the Peace Corps and volunteer service dates from his time in Tunisia, where from 1964-66 he worked with local partners to design some 30 government buildings as a Peace Corps Volunteer. After returning to the U.S., he opened his own architecture and urban design firm, and worked on a range of projects that included residential developments, community centers, and affordable housing. At the University of Maryland in College Park, he served on the faculty for 37 years, and was a founding faculty member of the School of Architecture, where he taught and mentored dozens of young architects.


Roger was well known and influential as the author of “Shaping the City”, a column that appeared in the Washington Post for more than 30 years. The column featured his clever cartoons and commentary on the changes in the urban landscape of our nation’s capital and the implications for the people who live and work there. For many years, he was a regular guest addressing these topics on WAMU’s weekly Kojo Nnamdi Show. He also volunteered his time and lent his design expertise as an advisor on commemorative works such as the World War I Memorial that was dedicated just three weeks ago.


His journey as a champion of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation began more than 12 years ago, and its work remained Roger's most passionate commitment until the day of his death. He was instrumental in persuading Congress to authorize the project under the Commemorative Works Act in 2014 and worked as a close partner with the National Park Service, which will own Peace Corps Park in perpetuity. In subsequent years, he led the PCCF in sponsoring a series of competitions to select a design team, and interacted continuously with the chosen designers, public artist Larry Kirkland and landscape architect Michael Vergason, to refine the design and secure formal approval. After our $10 million capital campaign got underway, Roger became our most eloquent and persuasive spokesman.


Roger’s passion for the values of peace, generosity and friendship have left an indelible mark on us, on Peace Corps Park, and on the countless visitors who will experience the meaning and message of the Park. We are lucky to have benefited from his wisdom and guidance and invite all of those who knew and loved Roger to share your tributes to him in whatever form you like. You may share your memories of Roger in a reply to this email, and we thank you for your role in ensuring that his legacy lives on in Peace Corps Park.

With affection and deepest respect,


Tony Barclay

Acting President, Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation

Peace Corps Education Volunteer, Kenya, 1968-70

March 27, 2025
March Newsletter: Updated timeline: The path to Peace Corps Park takes shape
February 28, 2025
February Newsletter: Now is the time to show our strength in unity
January 28, 2025
January Newsletter: Our values need champions, and your voice matters
December 30, 2024
Dear Supporters, When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic, trying to keep as low a profile as a six-foot tall red-headed American guy can, I remember a moment on a crowded bus when I felt a tap on my shoulder. A local man asked me, “are you from the Peace Corps?”, and told me that as a boy, his village didn’t have water until a Peace Corps Volunteer helped install a clean water system. He had never gotten the chance to thank that young man.
December 23, 2024
Dear Supporters, I write to you today as one of the thousands of Nepalis–and perhaps millions of people around the world–whose lives have been touched and transformed by their association with the Peace Corps.
December 17, 2024
Dear Supporters, From my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa to my term as director of the Peace Corps, I have seen how lives are changed by people working together, through service, to further the cause of peace. That service is an important part of our nation's legacy. Americans have always stood for democracy, justice, equality, and service. The belief that what unites us is so much greater than that which divides us. The knowledge that, through service, we can create a better world together. These are the values that continue to draw people to our shores and reflect the best of America. Peace Corps Park is a space where stories of service will come alive—a place where we will celebrate the uniquely American spirit of Peace Corps dedicated to fostering understanding and building bridges of peace. It is a place where anyone, regardless of culture, race, faith, ethnicity, or background, can reflect upon the idea that we are all part of one human family. Peace Corps Park is more than a place on the map. It is a living, breathing testament to America’s compassion and perseverance in service of humanity. Please join me in ensuring that this symbol of the American idea becomes a reality, with a donation that will ensure future generations are inspired by the ideas that inspire us. Your generosity is not just an investment in a park; it is an investment in hope and the idea that, even in times of division, we can find common ground. That even when challenges feel insurmountable, we can persevere. That together, through compassion and action, we can create a world that reflects the very best of who we are. Many thanks for your support, and for your faith in the power of peace through service. Let’s work together to make our vision a reality. With warm regards,
December 10, 2024
Dear Supporters, When I was in Congress, they called me “Mr. Peace Corps” for my consistent advocacy on behalf of the agency that inspired me to 44 years of service in elected office. My two years in a poor barrio in Medellin, Colombia taught me how to listen to the needs of the people living around me to find real solutions to the problems felt by people in poverty everywhere. I learned that if someone has a safe place to sleep, access to education, and quality health care, then they have a chance in this world, and that philosophy has animated my lifelong commitment to service here in the U.S. The Peace Corps is a powerful idea that remains as bold as it was almost 65 years ago, and that boldness deserves a place among the monuments and memorials that decorate the landscape in Washington, D.C. Like me, tens of thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers learned how to hear, from listening in a foreign language and observing, from a place of total immersion, how to fix things abroad that also needed fixing back home. Our nation is stronger for it. Peace Corps Park is a ray of sunshine in a divided world, representing our belief that idealism gets results. Please join us in ensuring the Park becomes a reality at a time when we need to advocate loudly for our values . “Yes we can!” John F. Kennedy believed that telling the Peace Corps story back home was a lifetime commitment. I’m sure if he were alive now he’d still be saying, “Ask not what Peace Corps Park can do for you, but what you can do for the Park”. We are asking our community of supporters to help us raise the remaining amount needed to put shovels in the ground and to be part of the team that made this permanent symbol of peace and partnership in our nation’s capital a reality.  Thank you. Give peace a chance. Sam Farr Peace Corps Colombia (1964-66) U.S. Congress, D-Carmel, Calif. (1993-2017)
December 3, 2024
Invest in the future with Peace Corps Park on Giving Tuesday Dear Supporters, Every year, the season of thanks encourages us to reflect on the things we are grateful for, but also to think about the future and the world we want to see. For Peace Corps Park, we are so grateful for the achievements of the past year–both in inspiring major donors like Jacqueline Mars and Ces Butner and in securing design approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts–and profoundly excited about the future. With more than $5 million already raised, the only real hurdle in this journey toward groundbreaking is raising the remaining funds for this meaningful project. On this Giving Tuesday, we invite everyone to make Peace Corps Park a central part of your giving plans with a tax deductible donation . There are many ways to give , and all of them will help bring Peace Corps Park to life in our nation’s capital. Most of all, your generosity will help us match Ces Butner's $500,000 gift before the end of the year and show how this community can rise to meet his challenge. At its most impactful, your charitable giving is an investment in the future: A way of saying “the world would be a better place if more people lived these values.” And while Peace Corps Park will commemorate the bold vision that JFK laid out when creating the Peace Corps almost 65 years ago, our mission is decidedly forward-looking. We believe the world is a better place when people from different walks of life partner with each other in service of a shared future, and that creating a permanent beacon to these ideals in our nation’s capital is a critical part of telling America’s story to the more than 25 million people who visit the National Mall every year.
November 26, 2024
November Newsletter: Announcing a major gift in this season of thanks
October 24, 2024
September Newsletter: Peace Corps Community Leading the Way
More Posts
Share by: