FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, October 18, 1999

People Magazine Features Peace Corps Volunteers in Guatemala; Six-Page Story on Hollywood Couple in October 25 Issue

Washington, D.C., October 18, 1999—Nick and Julie Bosustow, Peace Corps volunteers serving in Guatemala, are featured in a six-page story on their experiences in the October 25 edition of People magazine, now on newsstands.

The Bosustows\', both 59, who hail from Pacific Palisades, Calif., have been working in San Cristobal, in the western highlands of Guatemala, since May. Nick works with local textile weavers, pottery-makers, and bakers, helping them with basic business skills. Julie teaches health to elementary pupils at four local schools.

They initially considered becoming Peace Corps volunteers in the 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy founded the organization. That interest was renewed when their daughter, Nicole, joined, serving as an agricultural extensionist in Lesotho from 1996-1998.

"The Peace Corps has been a part of our generation. We\'ve always talked about joining, but we were raising kids, involved in careers, and paying a mortgage. When Nicole decided to join, the Peace Corps became a part of our lives," Nick said.

The Bosustows\' sold their home of 28 years and left successful careers in Los Angeles to "shake up our lives, contribute to the world, and have an adventure," Julie said. Eight percent of Peace Corps volunteers are married and 7 percent are over the age of 50.

Nick won an Academy Award in 1971 for an education film titled, \'Is It Always Right to be Right?\', narrated by Orson Welles, and an Emmy Award in 1981 for \'The Wrong Way Kid,\' featuring Dick Van Dyke. He was nominated for another Academy Award in 1973 for \'The Legend of John Henry\'. Nick\'s father, Stephen, was a well-known film producer in Hollywood, who won several Academy Awards in the 1950s for his Mr. Magoo cartoon productions.

In Los Angeles, Julie Bosustow taught first and second grade at Mark Twain Elementary School in Lawndale. She earned her master\'s degree in education and an undergraduate degree in anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating with honors.

The couple\'s other daughter, Jennifer, is a senior at San Francisco State University. She spent a year abroad studying Spanish in Madrid.

People reporter Don Sider and photographer Judy Walgren traveled to Guatemala for one week in July to visit the Bosustows\', to learn about their work and life in San Cristobal.

The Bosustows\' are two of nearly 175 Peace Corps volunteers currently serving in Guatemala. Since 1961, more than 155,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps, working in 134 countries. Today, more than 7,000 Peace Corps volunteers are serving in 78 countries, working in education, the environment, health and nutrition, business advising, and community development.



Read the People Magazine Story

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