{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00617:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.999663924306786, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Edwards. No, we did that at Edwards because why? Well, because Edwards is flat and it's large and so it has a lot of room for error and a lot of accommodation. If you want to land and the -- I don't know, three-mile, 15,000-foot runway is not enough, that's okay, you just keep on going. So it has a lot of latitude and flexibility there so it's a good place to do that sort of thing. That's why Edwards is located there as a test site. So plus the weather is great, as far as inclement weather and rain and that sort of thing. So no, Edwards was where we did all that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were there for all of the testing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, as a matter of fact I was not. I was off on one of these other things. So I did not go to the actual [Approach] and Landing Tests. I didn't go to any of them. I was aware of what was happening and getting the data from them, but I didn't actually go witness any of them. Kind of would have liked to, but I had other [assignments]. I couldn't do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had on about three different hats at that point. So can imagine you were a little busy. What was it like going back to the environment of an airplane company then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh I loved it. I’m glad you mentioned it, yes, because like I said before I started out kind of on the flight line in General Dynamics and Convair with the B-58 and the TFX/F-111 kind of thing, and oh I just love being around airplanes. Yes, so that brought back a lot of memories. Now I liked working with airplane people if you like. So that was fun. That was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can imagine it was."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00617:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.555182138118651, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, as a matter of fact I was not. I was off on one of these other things. So I did not go to the actual [Approach] and Landing Tests. I didn't go to any of them. I was aware of what was happening and getting the data from them, but I didn't actually go witness any of them. Kind of would have liked to, but I had other [assignments]. I couldn't do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had on about three different hats at that point. So can imagine you were a little busy. What was it like going back to the environment of an airplane company then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh I loved it. I’m glad you mentioned it, yes, because like I said before I started out kind of on the flight line in General Dynamics and Convair with the B-58 and the TFX/F-111 kind of thing, and oh I just love being around airplanes. Yes, so that brought back a lot of memories. Now I liked working with airplane people if you like. So that was fun. That was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can imagine it was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and of course I knew a lot about what it took to build an airplane and how airplanes perform and function and so forth. So that was very helpful in addition to fun and enjoyable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were still working all the payload issues at this point."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00617:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 16.17242459790961, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh I loved it. I’m glad you mentioned it, yes, because like I said before I started out kind of on the flight line in General Dynamics and Convair with the B-58 and the TFX/F-111 kind of thing, and oh I just love being around airplanes. Yes, so that brought back a lot of memories. Now I liked working with airplane people if you like. So that was fun. That was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can imagine it was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and of course I knew a lot about what it took to build an airplane and how airplanes perform and function and so forth. So that was very helpful in addition to fun and enjoyable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were still working all the payload issues at this point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. That's why I couldn't get to the ALT tests at Edwards."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Space Shuttle was supposed to launch I think originally in '78, but the dates kept getting pushed [back]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00617:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.858249553232902, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and of course I knew a lot about what it took to build an airplane and how airplanes perform and function and so forth. So that was very helpful in addition to fun and enjoyable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were still working all the payload issues at this point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. That's why I couldn't get to the ALT tests at Edwards."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Space Shuttle was supposed to launch I think originally in '78, but the dates kept getting pushed [back]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and I don't remember when we actually first launched. Was it '81?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Eighty-one, yes. How did those dates impact the work that you were doing at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00617:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 18.731388392481, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. That's why I couldn't get to the ALT tests at Edwards."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Space Shuttle was supposed to launch I think originally in '78, but the dates kept getting pushed [back]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and I don't remember when we actually first launched. Was it '81?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Eighty-one, yes. How did those dates impact the work that you were doing at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It didn't really impact. We were kind of going down a parallel path, and we were like I said before in working with accommodations in payload integration, we fed that back in as quickly as we could so that they would still be meaningful as design drivers for the Orbiter. But the drifting of the Orbiter launch date probably helped us a little bit I suppose. Gave a little bit more time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things we didn't talk about, and I was wondering if you were involved in this at all, were you involved in the pricing of payloads, what it cost to actually fly, and working with that side of the house?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00617:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.9126969, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes, I guess, Jennifer, the original thought was to be launching Shuttles, I don't know if it was weekly, but certainly monthly. The payload schedule I guess would be rather heavy. But it wasn't long before it was apparent that we weren't going to be launching the Shuttle that frequently. So it never really came to be a problem with the payload accommodation process. So it really was not a problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any responsibilities for the first Space Shuttle mission, for STS-1?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not directly, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you when STS-1 finally lifted off the pad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Gosh, I don't remember. (Laughter) I really don't. I don't remember where I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember where you were when it landed?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00617:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.347441, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not directly, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you when STS-1 finally lifted off the pad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Gosh, I don't remember. (Laughter) I really don't. I don't remember where I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember where you were when it landed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, don't remember that either. That's part of going with the territory I guess. I don't remember. I don't remember. And the only reason I remember the Apollo 11 Saturn V launch is because like I said we raced down there in our private hired airplane, rented airplane, to be sure we could watch it, because we couldn't get a commercial flight. So I remember that one. But no, I don't remember the first Shuttle launch."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the first STS mission that you helped support in terms of payload? Do you recall?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00617:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.83049, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Gosh, I don't remember. (Laughter) I really don't. I don't remember where I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember where you were when it landed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, don't remember that either. That's part of going with the territory I guess. I don't remember. I don't remember. And the only reason I remember the Apollo 11 Saturn V launch is because like I said we raced down there in our private hired airplane, rented airplane, to be sure we could watch it, because we couldn't get a commercial flight. So I remember that one. But no, I don't remember the first Shuttle launch."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the first STS mission that you helped support in terms of payload? Do you recall?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was probably that first flight. I'm having trouble remembering, but I think we probably had a dummy payload in that first flight. By dummy payload, probably just a big old something that would span the bay and be attached to the supports on the sidewalls and had some mass and a proper center of gravity location, and it was just structure and had no avionics, maybe some measurements, accelerometers and that sort of thing, but it wasn't a functioning something, it was just a dud sitting in there, and I think we had that on that first flight, and if we did, why, of course I was involved in that, but I don't remember. But yes that would have gone through our process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm wondering if you could walk us through the process of scheduling a payload and sort of mixing and matching payloads for missions and how that all worked."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00617:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the PIMs were located in the Program Office. The Engineering would support the process and the panels as well as Ops, Life Sciences and Crew. In some cases there would be different technical disciplines in Engineering that would support in some of those cases -- for example I was located at the time in the Structures and Mechanics Division. So any disciplines that resided within that division then I was responsible for. Later on I moved, relocated to the Engineering Directorate office. Then I was responsible for the same thing but for all of the [directorate’s] technical disciplines, avionics and propulsion and so on and so forth. So that's kind of the way it was set up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever have the opportunity to work in mission control when some of your payloads were up and being deployed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The way that worked was that in a mission if there's what we call an anomaly, then a team is scrambled to go work the anomaly in a room adjacent to the control room. Yes, I've supported many of those. (Laughter) It's kind of a tiger team where you go over during the mission, day or night, whenever it is, doesn't matter, and in my case usually I would grab the real smart people from the Engineering Directorate, whether it was only in our Structures Division or later on throughout the directorate, to form the components of the tiger team for investigating the specific anomaly that had occurred. Those anomaly investigations usually were conducted by somebody in the Program Office or somebody in Mission Ops. I don't recall now who did that, but somebody did that. Then Engineering was one of the supporters of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any particular missions that stand out in terms of anomalies that you recall? Or just too many to remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Too many. Well, the Superzip incident was one for example. But there were others and I just don't remember them. I don't recall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Once the Space Shuttle was up and running and it was declared operational, did you make any sort of changes to the process that you had devised in the '70s?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00987:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was hired here as a contractor in the 80’s. She had Robert’s job, she was a [Glenn Research Center] historian. She [subsequently] went to [The] Aerospace Corporation. I haven’t talked to her in a number of years. Bonnie is a very nice lady, and she shared an office with the Report Control [Office]. I get over to Report Control, and they introduced me to Bonnie. I talked with Bonnie, and she was telling me they’re trying to accumulate [historical NACA/NASA] papers. I told her the story about Abe. I think Abe had passed away at the time. They contacted Abe’s family and they were able to get all the archived pictures, historical pictures [and documents]. It went back for a long time. Just a little incident that happened at the dinner, and I told her the story. I said, “See if you can get it, that would be a lot of historical, archival material.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s great. Such a richness in that legacy that tends to get lost when people throw boxes away."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, exactly right. They don’t have to worry about me, but I’ve got to give this all to Robert. He’s going to have to take care of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I think they’re ready to start processing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve run out of stories, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet you haven’t, but we probably have run out of time, so we’ll probably need to close up now. We certainly thank you for spending as much time with us as you did."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.85731897032434, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you can talk about where you were at then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, uh, a year before I left, I was still living at home with my widowed mother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Home being?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Home being Philadelphia, and had been thinking about the Peace Corps quite a bit. I was out in the working world and um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where have you done a degree?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.6629889853557485, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had done a degree at Saint Joseph's College in Philadelphia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Majoring?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In education. I had taught initially for a year, but I had the travel bug, so decided that I didn't want to stay in the classroom, and I joined the airlines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was doing quite a bit of traveling and seeing the world and just thought that I would like to stop off in some place and really spend some time there rather than just in and out so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's go back to when you were in college."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.40332109483972, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In education. I had taught initially for a year, but I had the travel bug, so decided that I didn't want to stay in the classroom, and I joined the airlines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was doing quite a bit of traveling and seeing the world and just thought that I would like to stop off in some place and really spend some time there rather than just in and out so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's go back to when you were in college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do any kind of volunteer work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.114801216488578, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was doing quite a bit of traveling and seeing the world and just thought that I would like to stop off in some place and really spend some time there rather than just in and out so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's go back to when you were in college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do any kind of volunteer work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely, yeah. Yeah. Well, starting in high school and I will say the good nuns taught us many fine things back then, that was part of our curriculum to have to do, not have to do. Well, you did have to do it, but you did it and you liked it. But every year there was some kind of, some kind of volunteer work, even wheeling patients around in the Philadelphia hospitals and things like that. So, so yeah, the seeds of volunteerism, I guess we're born at a very young age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through high school, did you do any travel?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.794223573876198, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do any kind of volunteer work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely, yeah. Yeah. Well, starting in high school and I will say the good nuns taught us many fine things back then, that was part of our curriculum to have to do, not have to do. Well, you did have to do it, but you did it and you liked it. But every year there was some kind of, some kind of volunteer work, even wheeling patients around in the Philadelphia hospitals and things like that. So, so yeah, the seeds of volunteerism, I guess we're born at a very young age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through high school, did you do any travel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but I dreamt of traveling, so that was my, uh, that was my goal. Most of my classmates, I guess, were dreaming of getting married and having children and things like that. But I was different. I wanted to see the world first. So that was my primary goal and motivation. And actually joining the airlines was one way to achieve that, which I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went to college, though, at that point, your initial intention was to become a teacher?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.549137304306886, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely, yeah. Yeah. Well, starting in high school and I will say the good nuns taught us many fine things back then, that was part of our curriculum to have to do, not have to do. Well, you did have to do it, but you did it and you liked it. But every year there was some kind of, some kind of volunteer work, even wheeling patients around in the Philadelphia hospitals and things like that. So, so yeah, the seeds of volunteerism, I guess we're born at a very young age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through high school, did you do any travel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but I dreamt of traveling, so that was my, uh, that was my goal. Most of my classmates, I guess, were dreaming of getting married and having children and things like that. But I was different. I wanted to see the world first. So that was my primary goal and motivation. And actually joining the airlines was one way to achieve that, which I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went to college, though, at that point, your initial intention was to become a teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right. Because my mother was a teacher. My aunt was a teacher. My brother was a teacher. The whole family were teachers. But I had this wanderlust. I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through college, do you particularly recall the presidency of Kennedy?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.387930338118762, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but I dreamt of traveling, so that was my, uh, that was my goal. Most of my classmates, I guess, were dreaming of getting married and having children and things like that. But I was different. I wanted to see the world first. So that was my primary goal and motivation. And actually joining the airlines was one way to achieve that, which I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went to college, though, at that point, your initial intention was to become a teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right. Because my mother was a teacher. My aunt was a teacher. My brother was a teacher. The whole family were teachers. But I had this wanderlust. I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through college, do you particularly recall the presidency of Kennedy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Actually, I was. Yeah, I do. Of course I do. Of course I do. I'm just thinking. Yeah, I loved them. I just loved them. And, you know, it was the first time I became interested in politics, interested in the country, interested in how we were relating with the world. And uh yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You grew up in a Catholic family."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.319922597909736, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right. Because my mother was a teacher. My aunt was a teacher. My brother was a teacher. The whole family were teachers. But I had this wanderlust. I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through college, do you particularly recall the presidency of Kennedy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Actually, I was. Yeah, I do. Of course I do. Of course I do. I'm just thinking. Yeah, I loved them. I just loved them. And, you know, it was the first time I became interested in politics, interested in the country, interested in how we were relating with the world. And uh yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You grew up in a Catholic family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And of course he was the first Catholic president."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.35546955323304, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Actually, I was. Yeah, I do. Of course I do. Of course I do. I'm just thinking. Yeah, I loved them. I just loved them. And, you know, it was the first time I became interested in politics, interested in the country, interested in how we were relating with the world. And uh yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You grew up in a Catholic family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And of course he was the first Catholic president."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right, yeah. And I might add, this is a little aside, I didn't vote for him because it was my first election and there was a part of me that was saying, I didn't want anyone ever to accuse me of voting for him because he was Catholic. But it shows how politically naive I was at the time. You know, he actually, I mean, people can't believe that I didn't vote for him for that reason. I mean, it doesn't speak very highly of my intelligence at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall hearing of the Peace Corps in the early days when it first, '61 was when it started?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.506077281370043, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And of course he was the first Catholic president."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right, yeah. And I might add, this is a little aside, I didn't vote for him because it was my first election and there was a part of me that was saying, I didn't want anyone ever to accuse me of voting for him because he was Catholic. But it shows how politically naive I was at the time. You know, he actually, I mean, people can't believe that I didn't vote for him for that reason. I mean, it doesn't speak very highly of my intelligence at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall hearing of the Peace Corps in the early days when it first, '61 was when it started?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, he, uh. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your reaction?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.78453031263338, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right, yeah. And I might add, this is a little aside, I didn't vote for him because it was my first election and there was a part of me that was saying, I didn't want anyone ever to accuse me of voting for him because he was Catholic. But it shows how politically naive I was at the time. You know, he actually, I mean, people can't believe that I didn't vote for him for that reason. I mean, it doesn't speak very highly of my intelligence at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall hearing of the Peace Corps in the early days when it first, '61 was when it started?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, he, uh. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My reaction was, isn't that great? I loved it. I kept following it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were, in '61 you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.205033680703757, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, he, uh. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My reaction was, isn't that great? I loved it. I kept following it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were, in '61 you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was still in school. I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "High school or college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 15.783370756337508, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My reaction was, isn't that great? I loved it. I kept following it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were, in '61 you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was still in school. I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "High school or college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, college. Yeah. So that, uh, yeah. And then shortly after that, I got out and then I worked for the airlines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For how many years?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.781939205354947, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, college. Yeah. So that, uh, yeah. And then shortly after that, I got out and then I worked for the airlines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For how many years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wow. Gosh, it's been so long ago. I forget. All told, I think I worked for the airlines for about 11 years, but I worked for them when I came back from Peace Corps. United Airlines, I worked for. And they were one of the few places, I guess, that they were, first of all, they were very good to their employees. And they, what really triggered me was that you could take a leave of absence to go in the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I guess being young and single and on my own, so to speak, you know, having job security was a part of my agenda. So that was like the clincher that said, OK, I can afford to do this. I will have a job when I come back and I'll be fine so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where'd you travel as a stewardess, were you national or international?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.261653339944377, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I guess being young and single and on my own, so to speak, you know, having job security was a part of my agenda. So that was like the clincher that said, OK, I can afford to do this. I will have a job when I come back and I'll be fine so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where'd you travel as a stewardess, were you national or international?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn't a stewardess. My hips were too big. My hips were too big when I, that's what they told me back then. And I look at them today, I, but no, I worked on the ticket counter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I worked at Kennedy Airport in New York and then followed up, came back to Philadelphia and worked in the center city ticket offices."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that enabled you to do a lot of traveling?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 21.310683135733797, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I worked at Kennedy Airport in New York and then followed up, came back to Philadelphia and worked in the center city ticket offices."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that enabled you to do a lot of traveling?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I traveled all over. Oh, I was on an airplane every chance I got."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Overseas?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Overseas, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 15.90075903970422, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I traveled all over. Oh, I was on an airplane every chance I got."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Overseas?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Overseas, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, Italy. France. Germany. Scandinavia. Vienna. Um. England. Ireland."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In college, did you study language?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.000937086054591, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, Italy. France. Germany. Scandinavia. Vienna. Um. England. Ireland."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In college, did you study language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was always in love with languages. I, uh, well, in high school, a good Catholic high school, I had four years of Latin, three years of French. In college I had two years of German. And loved languages. But I always felt they didn't teach it adequately. They taught it visually, not orally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so when I actually did go in the Peace Corps and was learning Spanish for the first time at age 29, I found it very difficult to tackle a new language that I had never had any background with. The Latin helped out a lot but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was the process by which you decided that, OK, I think I'll join the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.112152317838435, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was always in love with languages. I, uh, well, in high school, a good Catholic high school, I had four years of Latin, three years of French. In college I had two years of German. And loved languages. But I always felt they didn't teach it adequately. They taught it visually, not orally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so when I actually did go in the Peace Corps and was learning Spanish for the first time at age 29, I found it very difficult to tackle a new language that I had never had any background with. The Latin helped out a lot but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was the process by which you decided that, OK, I think I'll join the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just said this is the only way I'm going to be able to go and live abroad and be not and sort of taken care of in a way. But it was more than that. It was, it was an adventure. It was a real adventure. And it also was something that I believed in. I really heard the message, I guess, that I really thought that we ought to do, get to know the rest of the world a little bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you particularly recall the application process?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.23572479759826, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so when I actually did go in the Peace Corps and was learning Spanish for the first time at age 29, I found it very difficult to tackle a new language that I had never had any background with. The Latin helped out a lot but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was the process by which you decided that, OK, I think I'll join the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just said this is the only way I'm going to be able to go and live abroad and be not and sort of taken care of in a way. But it was more than that. It was, it was an adventure. It was a real adventure. And it also was something that I believed in. I really heard the message, I guess, that I really thought that we ought to do, get to know the rest of the world a little bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you particularly recall the application process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, well, I went down to I think the Customs House here in Philadelphia. Took a test and filled out tons and tons of questionnaires, I guess. And other than that, I guess the next thing was, uh, I got a letter saying, can you join us at X, Y, Z?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you fill in the application, I think there's a place where you indicate where you would like to go. Do you remember what you had said?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.150805330664733, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just said this is the only way I'm going to be able to go and live abroad and be not and sort of taken care of in a way. But it was more than that. It was, it was an adventure. It was a real adventure. And it also was something that I believed in. I really heard the message, I guess, that I really thought that we ought to do, get to know the rest of the world a little bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you particularly recall the application process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, well, I went down to I think the Customs House here in Philadelphia. Took a test and filled out tons and tons of questionnaires, I guess. And other than that, I guess the next thing was, uh, I got a letter saying, can you join us at X, Y, Z?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you fill in the application, I think there's a place where you indicate where you would like to go. Do you remember what you had said?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, initially I said I'd go anywhere. I really was open and, um, hadn't really given much thought. I mean, there wasn't any part of the world that I wouldn't have wanted to see. And my first invitation to join them, which came very quickly, was to Ivory Coast. And I figured that was because I had the French language skills. But I had started to think after I had done that, that maybe, maybe I ought to think of a language that I could use when I came back. And so I switched. When I had to turn down the Ivory Coast, I then narrowed my countries to Spanish speaking. And then the second invitation came to join this Guatemala group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And the invitation was to Guatemala and to rural community development."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.16756147851637, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, well, I went down to I think the Customs House here in Philadelphia. Took a test and filled out tons and tons of questionnaires, I guess. And other than that, I guess the next thing was, uh, I got a letter saying, can you join us at X, Y, Z?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you fill in the application, I think there's a place where you indicate where you would like to go. Do you remember what you had said?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, initially I said I'd go anywhere. I really was open and, um, hadn't really given much thought. I mean, there wasn't any part of the world that I wouldn't have wanted to see. And my first invitation to join them, which came very quickly, was to Ivory Coast. And I figured that was because I had the French language skills. But I had started to think after I had done that, that maybe, maybe I ought to think of a language that I could use when I came back. And so I switched. When I had to turn down the Ivory Coast, I then narrowed my countries to Spanish speaking. And then the second invitation came to join this Guatemala group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And the invitation was to Guatemala and to rural community development."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. About which you knew?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.297290531684856, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, initially I said I'd go anywhere. I really was open and, um, hadn't really given much thought. I mean, there wasn't any part of the world that I wouldn't have wanted to see. And my first invitation to join them, which came very quickly, was to Ivory Coast. And I figured that was because I had the French language skills. But I had started to think after I had done that, that maybe, maybe I ought to think of a language that I could use when I came back. And so I switched. When I had to turn down the Ivory Coast, I then narrowed my countries to Spanish speaking. And then the second invitation came to join this Guatemala group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And the invitation was to Guatemala and to rural community development."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. About which you knew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew zilch. Having been born and raised in the city, I mean, rural, alone, the word was like foreign language to me. And that actually became quite a, quite a joke in a way. I think most of the volunteers were from cities or suburbs near cities, and most of us weren't brought up on a farm or knew anything about agriculture. So it was, it was rather comical to see us city slickers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your family deal with your decision to go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.441433924094284, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. About which you knew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew zilch. Having been born and raised in the city, I mean, rural, alone, the word was like foreign language to me. And that actually became quite a, quite a joke in a way. I think most of the volunteers were from cities or suburbs near cities, and most of us weren't brought up on a farm or knew anything about agriculture. So it was, it was rather comical to see us city slickers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your family deal with your decision to go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. They were, they were a little surprised, but not really, because I was always off on a plane going somewhere. My mother, though, who was getting up there, and this has to do with my Catholic background. The first question she said is, how are you going to get to Mass on Sunday? And I said, I don't know. And I really didn't. And she acquiesced. It was, you know, it was something that I just was ready to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about your fellow workers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.379371026771427, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew zilch. Having been born and raised in the city, I mean, rural, alone, the word was like foreign language to me. And that actually became quite a, quite a joke in a way. I think most of the volunteers were from cities or suburbs near cities, and most of us weren't brought up on a farm or knew anything about agriculture. So it was, it was rather comical to see us city slickers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your family deal with your decision to go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. They were, they were a little surprised, but not really, because I was always off on a plane going somewhere. My mother, though, who was getting up there, and this has to do with my Catholic background. The first question she said is, how are you going to get to Mass on Sunday? And I said, I don't know. And I really didn't. And she acquiesced. It was, you know, it was something that I just was ready to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about your fellow workers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were just so excited for me. They just thought it was terrific. In fact, another woman in the airline business in the city of Philadelphia, I forget, I think she worked for Sabena Airlines, which was the Belgium Airlines. She had already gone, and I wasn't that friendly with her. But it was not a, out of the ordinary for people to be doing this. So, oh, they threw me a great big party. I had a wonderful going away party. And one of the, one of my colleague's husbands who was a commercial artist, did a fantastic pencil drawing of me, which I still have to this day that I love, you know, showing me in the jungle, hanging up my laundry on a clothesline in the trees. And I treasure that. It was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you known anyone who was in the Peace Corps up through the years?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.421523363079363, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. They were, they were a little surprised, but not really, because I was always off on a plane going somewhere. My mother, though, who was getting up there, and this has to do with my Catholic background. The first question she said is, how are you going to get to Mass on Sunday? And I said, I don't know. And I really didn't. And she acquiesced. It was, you know, it was something that I just was ready to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about your fellow workers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were just so excited for me. They just thought it was terrific. In fact, another woman in the airline business in the city of Philadelphia, I forget, I think she worked for Sabena Airlines, which was the Belgium Airlines. She had already gone, and I wasn't that friendly with her. But it was not a, out of the ordinary for people to be doing this. So, oh, they threw me a great big party. I had a wonderful going away party. And one of the, one of my colleague's husbands who was a commercial artist, did a fantastic pencil drawing of me, which I still have to this day that I love, you know, showing me in the jungle, hanging up my laundry on a clothesline in the trees. And I treasure that. It was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you known anyone who was in the Peace Corps up through the years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never knew anyone who had actually been there. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you know anything about Guatemala?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.357248181199292, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were just so excited for me. They just thought it was terrific. In fact, another woman in the airline business in the city of Philadelphia, I forget, I think she worked for Sabena Airlines, which was the Belgium Airlines. She had already gone, and I wasn't that friendly with her. But it was not a, out of the ordinary for people to be doing this. So, oh, they threw me a great big party. I had a wonderful going away party. And one of the, one of my colleague's husbands who was a commercial artist, did a fantastic pencil drawing of me, which I still have to this day that I love, you know, showing me in the jungle, hanging up my laundry on a clothesline in the trees. And I treasure that. It was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you known anyone who was in the Peace Corps up through the years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never knew anyone who had actually been there. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you know anything about Guatemala?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, except that I always had loved geography as a student, so I knew where it was. I knew my, I knew my globe well. I knew the countries. And I started reading up more in depth about it. And it really wasn't that far away as the crow flies. So it wasn't like going to Africa or places like that. I did know that we couldn't come home for the two years, but I thought if anything had happened at home, you know, I was close."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. What, uh, where did you go for training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.174720201332548, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never knew anyone who had actually been there. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you know anything about Guatemala?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, except that I always had loved geography as a student, so I knew where it was. I knew my, I knew my globe well. I knew the countries. And I started reading up more in depth about it. And it really wasn't that far away as the crow flies. So it wasn't like going to Africa or places like that. I did know that we couldn't come home for the two years, but I thought if anything had happened at home, you know, I was close."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. What, uh, where did you go for training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went to University of New Mexico in Las Cruces."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you flew from Philly?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 7.9719113348139405, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, except that I always had loved geography as a student, so I knew where it was. I knew my, I knew my globe well. I knew the countries. And I started reading up more in depth about it. And it really wasn't that far away as the crow flies. So it wasn't like going to Africa or places like that. I did know that we couldn't come home for the two years, but I thought if anything had happened at home, you know, I was close."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. What, uh, where did you go for training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went to University of New Mexico in Las Cruces."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you flew from Philly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Philadelphia there. Had to meet a bus at the airport, which was identified. Um. And I remember sitting on that bus like waiting for other people to get on. It wasn't just for us. I think there were other public passengers using this bus, but I could just spot. I knew right away who the other volunteers were. And in fact, one woman got on, a girl then. She came and sat next to me. She ended up being my roommate and she's still one of my closest friends. So from that moment on, we were all headed in the same direction. I remember being. For all my traveling, I had not been to the Southwest. So seeing the desert and the brownness, that's what really sort of got to me and depressed me really. The brownness was not to my liking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember what months it was?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.903594240511038, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Philadelphia there. Had to meet a bus at the airport, which was identified. Um. And I remember sitting on that bus like waiting for other people to get on. It wasn't just for us. I think there were other public passengers using this bus, but I could just spot. I knew right away who the other volunteers were. And in fact, one woman got on, a girl then. She came and sat next to me. She ended up being my roommate and she's still one of my closest friends. So from that moment on, we were all headed in the same direction. I remember being. For all my traveling, I had not been to the Southwest. So seeing the desert and the brownness, that's what really sort of got to me and depressed me really. The brownness was not to my liking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember what months it was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, February. February of, uh, February of '67. And I guess, I guess the plane must have gone to El Paso."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then got the bus up to the university."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Las Cruces?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.337326933901153, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, February. February of, uh, February of '67. And I guess, I guess the plane must have gone to El Paso."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then got the bus up to the university."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Las Cruces?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Las Cruces, yeah. And Las, I mean, the university itself looked like desert. And we were living in barrack-like dorms. The guys were on the first floor and the women were on the second floor, but we had quite a few married couples."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were on the campus?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.819252148779059, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then got the bus up to the university."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Las Cruces?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Las Cruces, yeah. And Las, I mean, the university itself looked like desert. And we were living in barrack-like dorms. The guys were on the first floor and the women were on the second floor, but we had quite a few married couples."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were on the campus?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were right on the campus. Oh, yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember first gathering as a group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.35472460975451, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Las Cruces, yeah. And Las, I mean, the university itself looked like desert. And we were living in barrack-like dorms. The guys were on the first floor and the women were on the second floor, but we had quite a few married couples."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were on the campus?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were right on the campus. Oh, yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember first gathering as a group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're, I mean, now you're 29."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.9496940108383445, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were right on the campus. Oh, yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember first gathering as a group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're, I mean, now you're 29."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm 29, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your impressions of the group, I mean."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.610771123153716, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're, I mean, now you're 29."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm 29, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your impressions of the group, I mean."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess my first impression was, what have I gotten myself into? I just thought that I may have made the biggest mistake of my life. I just, it was just so many different people, I guess, from what I had been used to and brought up with. And it wasn't that I was frightened. It was just that, um, well, this is really going to be different. And yet in hindsight, it was wonderful because in quick, quick time you become truly bonded. And they were the most wonderful people in the world. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a distinct group just for Guatemala to train together?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.345301247948574, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm 29, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your impressions of the group, I mean."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess my first impression was, what have I gotten myself into? I just thought that I may have made the biggest mistake of my life. I just, it was just so many different people, I guess, from what I had been used to and brought up with. And it wasn't that I was frightened. It was just that, um, well, this is really going to be different. And yet in hindsight, it was wonderful because in quick, quick time you become truly bonded. And they were the most wonderful people in the world. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a distinct group just for Guatemala to train together?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. We were all training for the same."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't a mix of people going to Central America?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.161445831053971, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess my first impression was, what have I gotten myself into? I just thought that I may have made the biggest mistake of my life. I just, it was just so many different people, I guess, from what I had been used to and brought up with. And it wasn't that I was frightened. It was just that, um, well, this is really going to be different. And yet in hindsight, it was wonderful because in quick, quick time you become truly bonded. And they were the most wonderful people in the world. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a distinct group just for Guatemala to train together?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. We were all training for the same."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't a mix of people going to Central America?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was all for this specific project, which was, well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, go ahead."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.8460509233933005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. We were all training for the same."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't a mix of people going to Central America?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was all for this specific project, which was, well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, go ahead."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, within the training there was, it was called rural community development. And most of us did do that. But there were some isolated assignments, like some of the people that had artistic background were sent up into the highlands and worked with the Indians in the villages to set up co-ops. So there was somewhat of a mixed assignment, but the people that got those assignments were either trained as artists and also had some Spanish skills so that they were more proficient in language, that they could pick up the Indian dialects because the object was to have a solid survival rate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they were part of your training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.606723248214778, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was all for this specific project, which was, well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, go ahead."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, within the training there was, it was called rural community development. And most of us did do that. But there were some isolated assignments, like some of the people that had artistic background were sent up into the highlands and worked with the Indians in the villages to set up co-ops. So there was somewhat of a mixed assignment, but the people that got those assignments were either trained as artists and also had some Spanish skills so that they were more proficient in language, that they could pick up the Indian dialects because the object was to have a solid survival rate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they were part of your training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were still part of our same training group, because even in the towns it was, it was somewhat of a rural atmosphere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was, what were the components of training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.340803609127531, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, within the training there was, it was called rural community development. And most of us did do that. But there were some isolated assignments, like some of the people that had artistic background were sent up into the highlands and worked with the Indians in the villages to set up co-ops. So there was somewhat of a mixed assignment, but the people that got those assignments were either trained as artists and also had some Spanish skills so that they were more proficient in language, that they could pick up the Indian dialects because the object was to have a solid survival rate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they were part of your training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were still part of our same training group, because even in the towns it was, it was somewhat of a rural atmosphere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was, what were the components of training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, OK. First of all, language. Intensive language. I think that ate most of the day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many hours a day?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.934226232363923, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were still part of our same training group, because even in the towns it was, it was somewhat of a rural atmosphere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was, what were the components of training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, OK. First of all, language. Intensive language. I think that ate most of the day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many hours a day?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, gosh. Just trying to remember. I think at least 4 to 5 hours of language a day. Maybe I'm overestimating that. I don't know. But that was what we started out with in the morning. Language, language, language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it just classroom or did you have language lab with the earphones and speaking?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6348472004492876, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, gosh. Just trying to remember. I think at least 4 to 5 hours of language a day. Maybe I'm overestimating that. I don't know. But that was what we started out with in the morning. Language, language, language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it just classroom or did you have language lab with the earphones and speaking?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, no, I don't. I don't remember the language lab. It's funny. I know we went to Guadalajara for two weeks halfway through training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were assigned to different Mexican families. And that was a good, good way to practice what we had been learning. But our teachers were excellent. They were from all different countries in South America and therefore they each had a little different dialect of their own. And we were shifted around among them so that we had, we were forced to almost hear Spanish, and we spoke nothing but Spanish in the class, I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just in the class though?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9276080004992084, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, no, I don't. I don't remember the language lab. It's funny. I know we went to Guadalajara for two weeks halfway through training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were assigned to different Mexican families. And that was a good, good way to practice what we had been learning. But our teachers were excellent. They were from all different countries in South America and therefore they each had a little different dialect of their own. And we were shifted around among them so that we had, we were forced to almost hear Spanish, and we spoke nothing but Spanish in the class, I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just in the class though?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, just in the class. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And as well as the books and the grammar and all. But it was hard. It was very hard for me, the Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The expectation was that in the work you were going to be doing, you would be working in Spanish?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.252897778332454, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were assigned to different Mexican families. And that was a good, good way to practice what we had been learning. But our teachers were excellent. They were from all different countries in South America and therefore they each had a little different dialect of their own. And we were shifted around among them so that we had, we were forced to almost hear Spanish, and we spoke nothing but Spanish in the class, I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just in the class though?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, just in the class. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And as well as the books and the grammar and all. But it was hard. It was very hard for me, the Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The expectation was that in the work you were going to be doing, you would be working in Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely. Oh, definitely. We were, we were assigned to people that were, first of all, extremely poor farmers. And we, that was the only way we were going to be able to communicate. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was anything said that your ability to learn the language up to a certain level would be part of the selection process?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6143308648138377, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, just in the class. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And as well as the books and the grammar and all. But it was hard. It was very hard for me, the Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The expectation was that in the work you were going to be doing, you would be working in Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely. Oh, definitely. We were, we were assigned to people that were, first of all, extremely poor farmers. And we, that was the only way we were going to be able to communicate. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was anything said that your ability to learn the language up to a certain level would be part of the selection process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you recall how?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.015923183126486, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely. Oh, definitely. We were, we were assigned to people that were, first of all, extremely poor farmers. And we, that was the only way we were going to be able to communicate. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was anything said that your ability to learn the language up to a certain level would be part of the selection process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you recall how?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think they used the guidelines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Foreign Service ratings."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.46213687014054, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you recall how?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think they used the guidelines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Foreign Service ratings."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think Foreign Service rating."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One, two, three, four, five."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.957929855711711, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think they used the guidelines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Foreign Service ratings."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think Foreign Service rating."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One, two, three, four, five."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you're right. And I believe you could even score zero. And it meant something. But I think survival rating, if I my memory was one, I think one, and I think five, which is the highest, was an educated native born. Yeah. Yeah. And not many volunteers even got that far. But I think they wanted you to get to a one by the time you left for country of service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if any of your trainees were Hispanic?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.39769983967968, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think Foreign Service rating."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One, two, three, four, five."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you're right. And I believe you could even score zero. And it meant something. But I think survival rating, if I my memory was one, I think one, and I think five, which is the highest, was an educated native born. Yeah. Yeah. And not many volunteers even got that far. But I think they wanted you to get to a one by the time you left for country of service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if any of your trainees were Hispanic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was one woman. I was thinking as I was talking about the five rating, because there was one woman, Ann Salemi, whom we don't know whatever happened to her, but she was a five. I mean, she was a five when she went in and very much way over us. She had been raised in South America at times and so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There were married couples in the group as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.886333155199644, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you're right. And I believe you could even score zero. And it meant something. But I think survival rating, if I my memory was one, I think one, and I think five, which is the highest, was an educated native born. Yeah. Yeah. And not many volunteers even got that far. But I think they wanted you to get to a one by the time you left for country of service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if any of your trainees were Hispanic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was one woman. I was thinking as I was talking about the five rating, because there was one woman, Ann Salemi, whom we don't know whatever happened to her, but she was a five. I mean, she was a five when she went in and very much way over us. She had been raised in South America at times and so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There were married couples in the group as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Lots of married couples, yeah. Coming from their honeymoon, some of them, right to training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with them, the expectation was that both would serve as volunteers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.429259061332937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was one woman. I was thinking as I was talking about the five rating, because there was one woman, Ann Salemi, whom we don't know whatever happened to her, but she was a five. I mean, she was a five when she went in and very much way over us. She had been raised in South America at times and so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There were married couples in the group as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Lots of married couples, yeah. Coming from their honeymoon, some of them, right to training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with them, the expectation was that both would serve as volunteers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the same location. Mm hmm, yeah, yeah, sure, sure. Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What else did you do in training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.447543294009515, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, then there was, um, oh, what do you call it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cultural?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, cultural. Oh, yeah. Cultural and area studies, sure, which would be sort of like social studies. And the history. The history. The history of the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "American studies?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You learn about communism?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.163936993343905, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, cultural. Oh, yeah. Cultural and area studies, sure, which would be sort of like social studies. And the history. The history. The history of the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "American studies?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You learn about communism?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't remember studying. No, no. The emphasis was totally on the history of Guatemala and Latin America. And no, don't remember any indoctrination kind of thing, that's what I call that. But no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about technical studies?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.737707770382117, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You learn about communism?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't remember studying. No, no. The emphasis was totally on the history of Guatemala and Latin America. And no, don't remember any indoctrination kind of thing, that's what I call that. But no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about technical studies?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Technical studies, we were taken out to the local agriculture parts of the campus and we had our gardens. We were planting things. And, you know, for these city slickers, you know, holding a spade and planting and all. It was, it was hands-on. I remember having to get up early one morning at 3:00 because the pigs had just had piglets and we went out and had to clip their ears to identify them. And that was quite a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You could handle it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.083589839977922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Technical studies, we were taken out to the local agriculture parts of the campus and we had our gardens. We were planting things. And, you know, for these city slickers, you know, holding a spade and planting and all. It was, it was hands-on. I remember having to get up early one morning at 3:00 because the pigs had just had piglets and we went out and had to clip their ears to identify them. And that was quite a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You could handle it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A funny. Well, yeah, we did it, but I mean much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[inaudible]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. I did it. Much squealing like the pigs, but we did it. And then I remember having to kill a chicken single handedly and chopping off the head. And you know that was in case we were stranded I guess, if we're hungry and we had to get food to eat. And that was also quite, quite, uh, quite challenging I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But none of the training was very specific to the work you would actually be doing? I mean, it was sort of general?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.870655377753247, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A funny. Well, yeah, we did it, but I mean much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[inaudible]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. I did it. Much squealing like the pigs, but we did it. And then I remember having to kill a chicken single handedly and chopping off the head. And you know that was in case we were stranded I guess, if we're hungry and we had to get food to eat. And that was also quite, quite, uh, quite challenging I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But none of the training was very specific to the work you would actually be doing? I mean, it was sort of general?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, right. It was general."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone come up from Peace Corps, Guatemala, any returned volunteers or staff?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.013154787349687, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, right. It was general."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone come up from Peace Corps, Guatemala, any returned volunteers or staff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, not that I recall. Not that I recall. Oh, wait a minute. No, no. There were. There were a couple of returned volunteers from Latin America. I can't say specifically Guatemala, but yes. Yes, there were. And I remember one woman, in fact, her name was Sarah, specifically. And she was giving us the inside on, you know, what women should wear and how we should behave and things like that. The cultural aspects of being a woman in a Latin country and what we could expect, not expect. And oh, we had home economics. I couldn't think of that because I'd never had home economics my whole life, but I had to sew. I had to learn how to sew and make dresses, because you weren't really supposed to wear pants down there, so. And we had to buy fabric and we made our own dresses and I hated that. I hated that and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm just not very domestic. And that was, to me, a joke. I did it. I did it. But I, and I never made anything down there. I hired a local person to do anything I needed to be done. So it was so cheap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the oldest, an older, one of the oldest in the group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.681283097055208, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, not that I recall. Not that I recall. Oh, wait a minute. No, no. There were. There were a couple of returned volunteers from Latin America. I can't say specifically Guatemala, but yes. Yes, there were. And I remember one woman, in fact, her name was Sarah, specifically. And she was giving us the inside on, you know, what women should wear and how we should behave and things like that. The cultural aspects of being a woman in a Latin country and what we could expect, not expect. And oh, we had home economics. I couldn't think of that because I'd never had home economics my whole life, but I had to sew. I had to learn how to sew and make dresses, because you weren't really supposed to wear pants down there, so. And we had to buy fabric and we made our own dresses and I hated that. I hated that and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm just not very domestic. And that was, to me, a joke. I did it. I did it. But I, and I never made anything down there. I hired a local person to do anything I needed to be done. So it was so cheap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the oldest, an older, one of the oldest in the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. When I arrived, I became the abuela, which means grandmother in Spanish. That was my first Spanish word. One young man who had studied Spanish came up to me and called, said, hey, an abuela, abuela. And anyway, that was the joke."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That cut two ways."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 7.423647885616898, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm just not very domestic. And that was, to me, a joke. I did it. I did it. But I, and I never made anything down there. I hired a local person to do anything I needed to be done. So it was so cheap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the oldest, an older, one of the oldest in the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. When I arrived, I became the abuela, which means grandmother in Spanish. That was my first Spanish word. One young man who had studied Spanish came up to me and called, said, hey, an abuela, abuela. And anyway, that was the joke."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That cut two ways."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right but uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were only 29."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6929420951298866, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. When I arrived, I became the abuela, which means grandmother in Spanish. That was my first Spanish word. One young man who had studied Spanish came up to me and called, said, hey, an abuela, abuela. And anyway, that was the joke."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That cut two ways."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right but uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were only 29."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know, I know. And I look back now, I was still a kid. But shortly afterwards, a 64 year old nurse came from LA, Los Angeles, and joined our group. So she took the title from me. And she's dead now. Mary Jackson, African American woman. Wonderful lady. [tape break for sirens]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9921578834776517, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right but uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were only 29."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know, I know. And I look back now, I was still a kid. But shortly afterwards, a 64 year old nurse came from LA, Los Angeles, and joined our group. So she took the title from me. And she's dead now. Mary Jackson, African American woman. Wonderful lady. [tape break for sirens]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And Mary Jackson, I said that she took the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Became the grandma."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.324619870530724, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know, I know. And I look back now, I was still a kid. But shortly afterwards, a 64 year old nurse came from LA, Los Angeles, and joined our group. So she took the title from me. And she's dead now. Mary Jackson, African American woman. Wonderful lady. [tape break for sirens]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And Mary Jackson, I said that she took the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Became the grandma."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She became the grandmother. And she was wonderful. Now she, because she was a nurse, and she actually was working in a town as a nurse. So she didn't do what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the group socialize?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.635333173494721, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She became the grandmother. And she was wonderful. Now she, because she was a nurse, and she actually was working in a town as a nurse. So she didn't do what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the group socialize?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would pile in a pickup truck on a Saturday night and be driven by one of the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In training, yeah. Oh, yeah. In training. One of the, I call him a cow hand, I don't know what, but he looked like a cow hand to me. He was a fun guy, but he always seemed to be around. He was around when we cut the piglets' ears and he wasn't really an instructor, but he was there. And he would drive us in this pickup truck to the local bar where they played Western music, and we danced and we let off steam and drank a lot of beer and had a good time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Where in the training did the Guadalajara experience come?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8170368594385788, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would pile in a pickup truck on a Saturday night and be driven by one of the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In training, yeah. Oh, yeah. In training. One of the, I call him a cow hand, I don't know what, but he looked like a cow hand to me. He was a fun guy, but he always seemed to be around. He was around when we cut the piglets' ears and he wasn't really an instructor, but he was there. And he would drive us in this pickup truck to the local bar where they played Western music, and we danced and we let off steam and drank a lot of beer and had a good time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Where in the training did the Guadalajara experience come?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess I was about midway through."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a selection, mid selection board? Do you recall that, with people disappearing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.018929843820643, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In training, yeah. Oh, yeah. In training. One of the, I call him a cow hand, I don't know what, but he looked like a cow hand to me. He was a fun guy, but he always seemed to be around. He was around when we cut the piglets' ears and he wasn't really an instructor, but he was there. And he would drive us in this pickup truck to the local bar where they played Western music, and we danced and we let off steam and drank a lot of beer and had a good time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Where in the training did the Guadalajara experience come?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess I was about midway through."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a selection, mid selection board? Do you recall that, with people disappearing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we. Yeah, there along the way, we became conscious of so-and-so had left or so-and-so had left, but never really conscious."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you all have to see a psychiatrist?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.243255382022937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess I was about midway through."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a selection, mid selection board? Do you recall that, with people disappearing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we. Yeah, there along the way, we became conscious of so-and-so had left or so-and-so had left, but never really conscious."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you all have to see a psychiatrist?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you handle that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.492505980025485, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we. Yeah, there along the way, we became conscious of so-and-so had left or so-and-so had left, but never really conscious."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you all have to see a psychiatrist?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you handle that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, um, that was all new to me. But I will remember one interview. I don't know whether it was the first one or the second one or what, but I remember this one guy saying, and what romance are you running away from? And in a way it was true. However, I was stunned and I just remember turning and looking him straight in the eye and saying, none of your business. And actually, I think that's the right answer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you say it with conviction."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7694510889172057, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you handle that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, um, that was all new to me. But I will remember one interview. I don't know whether it was the first one or the second one or what, but I remember this one guy saying, and what romance are you running away from? And in a way it was true. However, I was stunned and I just remember turning and looking him straight in the eye and saying, none of your business. And actually, I think that's the right answer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you say it with conviction."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, so it was the first time I was ever, I guess. I guess a hot button or whatever I had reached me. And I realized it was now or never, you know, to come up with this or base it or whatever. And so but, you know, it was the truth. And, you know, so I. And that was the end of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you weren't concerned about selection? You felt you were doing well in training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4190754184163032, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, so it was the first time I was ever, I guess. I guess a hot button or whatever I had reached me. And I realized it was now or never, you know, to come up with this or base it or whatever. And so but, you know, it was the truth. And, you know, so I. And that was the end of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you weren't concerned about selection? You felt you were doing well in training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I felt. It was, there were moments when I thought, do I really want to do this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, I was really thinking this is so foreign to me. I mean, the farm work and, I mean, I was a city girl. I was born and raised and um. But they were, they were quick. They were in passing. I always loved adventure. So and I always wanted to do things that were different. So I thought, you know, this is different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you reporting back to family and friends about?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7989726871292255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I felt. It was, there were moments when I thought, do I really want to do this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, I was really thinking this is so foreign to me. I mean, the farm work and, I mean, I was a city girl. I was born and raised and um. But they were, they were quick. They were in passing. I always loved adventure. So and I always wanted to do things that were different. So I thought, you know, this is different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you reporting back to family and friends about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I was a big letter writer. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Some of your doubts as well as the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.221080763476917, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, I was really thinking this is so foreign to me. I mean, the farm work and, I mean, I was a city girl. I was born and raised and um. But they were, they were quick. They were in passing. I always loved adventure. So and I always wanted to do things that were different. So I thought, you know, this is different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you reporting back to family and friends about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I was a big letter writer. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Some of your doubts as well as the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, sure, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How did the Guadalajara, how was that organized?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.790234243452561, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, well, it was organized by somebody, I don't know. But we all went down on a bus and it was a long ride. I remember that. And lots of joking and fun along the way. And when we got to Guadalajara, we were then dispersed. I guess our host families came and picked us up. And I was living with the town sheriff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Excuse me. [tape break] To be the town sheriff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And one other guy in my group was assigned to the same town. I mean, they sort of had us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "These were towns satellite to Guadalajara?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.211371381613956, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Excuse me. [tape break] To be the town sheriff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And one other guy in my group was assigned to the same town. I mean, they sort of had us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "These were towns satellite to Guadalajara?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Satellite to Guadalajara, yeah. Yeah. Neighborhoods or outposts or whatever. And Gordon, Gordon Frost was my partner. They set us up with buddies, you know, somebody that if we really had trouble, we could run to and we each knew where each other was. We would go within walking distance. And the sheriff and his wife and I think about eight children in about a three room house, three or four room. And I remember sleeping with about four of the kids in one bed. And believe me, that was culture shock. That was really culture shock. And uh, it was, that was rattling. That was rattling. Although, you know, I survived it. I survived it. It was OK. There was enough, there were enough good things occurring that were overcoming whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to use your Spanish or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.199223927918464, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Satellite to Guadalajara, yeah. Yeah. Neighborhoods or outposts or whatever. And Gordon, Gordon Frost was my partner. They set us up with buddies, you know, somebody that if we really had trouble, we could run to and we each knew where each other was. We would go within walking distance. And the sheriff and his wife and I think about eight children in about a three room house, three or four room. And I remember sleeping with about four of the kids in one bed. And believe me, that was culture shock. That was really culture shock. And uh, it was, that was rattling. That was rattling. Although, you know, I survived it. I survived it. It was OK. There was enough, there were enough good things occurring that were overcoming whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to use your Spanish or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had to. There was no choice. Oh, yeah. And I was, I was communicating and used my hands a lot to motion and what I didn't know. But yeah, yeah, I was, I was surviving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And people were tolerant of that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.77691547546496, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had to. There was no choice. Oh, yeah. And I was, I was communicating and used my hands a lot to motion and what I didn't know. But yeah, yeah, I was, I was surviving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And people were tolerant of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Oh yeah. And they were laughing at some of my pronunciation and that always helps, you know, a laugh here and there is always."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your agenda for the two weeks?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.418794972738844, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had to. There was no choice. Oh, yeah. And I was, I was communicating and used my hands a lot to motion and what I didn't know. But yeah, yeah, I was, I was surviving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And people were tolerant of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Oh yeah. And they were laughing at some of my pronunciation and that always helps, you know, a laugh here and there is always."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your agenda for the two weeks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Other than language learning?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.813327126838079, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Other than language learning?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't remember. You know, I think I. I think I went with a local school teacher. I sort of remember going to a school situation and maybe being her assistant or helping her out with certain things. Because the sheriff, of course, was doing his sheriff thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the wife was at home with the kids. So I think, I think maybe I was under the guise of the school teacher. The female teacher kind of took me out every day. And but I remember a local Saturday night, uh fiesta. Not fiesta, I don't know what, in the square. Everybody goes to the square on a Saturday night and they promenade around and you have to, if somebody wants to dance with you, they come and give you a cheap gold ring. And I remember being, getting a gold ring and being asked to dance in the town square. And that was, it was, it was strange. It was strange but fun. It was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And during the two weeks, do you occasionally seek out Gordon so you could just sit and talk English?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.570363474264532, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't remember. You know, I think I. I think I went with a local school teacher. I sort of remember going to a school situation and maybe being her assistant or helping her out with certain things. Because the sheriff, of course, was doing his sheriff thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the wife was at home with the kids. So I think, I think maybe I was under the guise of the school teacher. The female teacher kind of took me out every day. And but I remember a local Saturday night, uh fiesta. Not fiesta, I don't know what, in the square. Everybody goes to the square on a Saturday night and they promenade around and you have to, if somebody wants to dance with you, they come and give you a cheap gold ring. And I remember being, getting a gold ring and being asked to dance in the town square. And that was, it was, it was strange. It was strange but fun. It was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And during the two weeks, do you occasionally seek out Gordon so you could just sit and talk English?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. You crave that. You craved it because talking a foreign language all the time is tiring. It's exhausting. It really is. It's because you have to think. You have to translate in your brain and then make it come out. And it can be very, very tiring but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "End of the two weeks, back to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.235016634894484, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. You crave that. You craved it because talking a foreign language all the time is tiring. It's exhausting. It really is. It's because you have to think. You have to translate in your brain and then make it come out. And it can be very, very tiring but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "End of the two weeks, back to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "End of the two weeks, back to Las Cruces for the rest of the training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Big reunion?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Big reunion, yeah. A lot of partying at the town bar that weekend and, oh, tales all the way back on the bus. I mean, we were laughing and comparing notes and things. I mean, it was, uh, it was probably was a real bonding experience there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many were in the group at this point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.055576092462324, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Big reunion, yeah. A lot of partying at the town bar that weekend and, oh, tales all the way back on the bus. I mean, we were laughing and comparing notes and things. I mean, it was, uh, it was probably was a real bonding experience there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many were in the group at this point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we started out with 60 some. We were pretty large group and, um, 13. I remember 13 were either let go or left during training and then another 13 dropped out or were let go in country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I think we ended up in the low forties of people that actually stayed the whole time. And I actually, I know these statistics because I just did them going through that book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. That's OK. Let's come back. You're back in Las Cruces. Another 4 to 6 weeks of training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.728417880513693, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we started out with 60 some. We were pretty large group and, um, 13. I remember 13 were either let go or left during training and then another 13 dropped out or were let go in country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I think we ended up in the low forties of people that actually stayed the whole time. And I actually, I know these statistics because I just did them going through that book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. That's OK. Let's come back. You're back in Las Cruces. Another 4 to 6 weeks of training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "4 to 6 weeks, yeah. It was 13 week training all together. Thirteen weeks, yeah. And then we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More of the same, pretty much same pattern?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.195577630263819, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "4 to 6 weeks, yeah. It was 13 week training all together. Thirteen weeks, yeah. And then we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More of the same, pretty much same pattern?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Technical studies."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Technical studies. Just getting us used to rural life, I guess. Health issues. A lot of health issues. How to boil and how to use iodine tablets for our water. We were then starting to think of what we were to bring. [tape break] For us. And pressure cooker was something that we should buy because we didn't know what kind of veggies we were going to be finding or what kind of anything what we did. But you needed a pressure cooker. It would take forever to cook it. I remember being advised to take a cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, which I still have that same cookbook. It is so old and it's so brown, but it has meaning to me. I won't give it up. And that came in very handy because I had never really done much cooking. As I said, I'm not domestic, so I needed every bit of help when it came to the kitchen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do any side trips out of Las Cruces as part of training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 8.883429173165208, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Technical studies. Just getting us used to rural life, I guess. Health issues. A lot of health issues. How to boil and how to use iodine tablets for our water. We were then starting to think of what we were to bring. [tape break] For us. And pressure cooker was something that we should buy because we didn't know what kind of veggies we were going to be finding or what kind of anything what we did. But you needed a pressure cooker. It would take forever to cook it. I remember being advised to take a cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, which I still have that same cookbook. It is so old and it's so brown, but it has meaning to me. I won't give it up. And that came in very handy because I had never really done much cooking. As I said, I'm not domestic, so I needed every bit of help when it came to the kitchen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do any side trips out of Las Cruces as part of training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The only side trips, no, we was pretty intensive. And just weekends we were pretty much. I don't think, well, we didn't have wheels, we didn't have transportation. We were pretty isolated. We did a very important thing. We learned how to ride horses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was part of the training, because we were told when we got in country we were going to be given the choice of either getting a horse or a bike for our own transportation, because we were, we knew we were going to be in the outpost."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that was the first for you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.794357003907664, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was part of the training, because we were told when we got in country we were going to be given the choice of either getting a horse or a bike for our own transportation, because we were, we knew we were going to be in the outpost."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that was the first for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It certainly was. It certainly was. I had never, well, maybe a pony when I was a kid. Oh, I'll never forget the first day at this ranch. That's right. On Sundays we went to the ranch and we'd ride a horse up the mountains, down the mountains. And I remember this woman, very western looking dried face. And where are you from? I said, Philadelphia. Go bring Pokey. So that's the horse they gave me, Pokey. And I remember getting on the horse and, oh, well, it took me a while to find that center of gravity. And especially going up the mountain and down the mountain, you keep thinking you're going to fall off. And but by the end of the afternoon and we were, we were gone a good two, two and a half hours."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember. And it was rugged. It was rugged. And it was scary to be up high on a horse when you didn't know about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You ever fall off?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.807848152972424, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember. And it was rugged. It was rugged. And it was scary to be up high on a horse when you didn't know about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You ever fall off?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but one of the guys fell off. He was being cocky and he fell into a cactus plant. So, I mean, you know, it was, and we saw some rattlesnakes and thank goodness the horse didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I'll just never forget as we were coming down, and of course you come down off the mountain and there's this flat plain, and then the ranch is beyond. Well, good old Pokey sees home and Pokey turns into Speedy. And I am, I am terrified. I'm terrified. I'm hanging on to him for dear life because I had gotten used to Pokey, but Pokey was heading home. And I made it. I didn't fall off. And I'm glad he, I glad he waited till the end to do that. But he took off and that was quite an experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you finally get down to Guatemala, do you have a chance to choose between the horse and the bike?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:223", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.360559880620608, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but I chose a bike. I had too much Philadelphia in me. I wasn't about to have a horse to take care of and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, that was enough for me. Several of the guys did choose horses. You had to take care of the horses, too. I mean, it was, plus the horses. That was a funny thing because the horses were Guatemalan horses. They were little. One of the guys that did get one, I think his feet almost were touching, touching the ground. So it was, it was sort of comical in a way to see these big gringos on these little horses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Training's over."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Training's over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall final selection? Was there much trauma?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:225", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.733955422911786, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, that was enough for me. Several of the guys did choose horses. You had to take care of the horses, too. I mean, it was, plus the horses. That was a funny thing because the horses were Guatemalan horses. They were little. One of the guys that did get one, I think his feet almost were touching, touching the ground. So it was, it was sort of comical in a way to see these big gringos on these little horses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Training's over."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Training's over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall final selection? Was there much trauma?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I would say that. I think anybody that made it to the last day was considered accepted. I don't remember any formal, like, diploma or anything. Maybe I have one buried somewhere, but I don't remember that. I just remember those that left or were deselected went very quietly without any, you know, it was just something that happened in the dead of night or something and no big deal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get a chance for home leave?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:227", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.148839358790873, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Training's over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall final selection? Was there much trauma?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I would say that. I think anybody that made it to the last day was considered accepted. I don't remember any formal, like, diploma or anything. Maybe I have one buried somewhere, but I don't remember that. I just remember those that left or were deselected went very quietly without any, you know, it was just something that happened in the dead of night or something and no big deal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get a chance for home leave?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we were able to come home if we wanted to, and I did opt to come home. My sister."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you had already packed."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:229", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.609821509767636, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I would say that. I think anybody that made it to the last day was considered accepted. I don't remember any formal, like, diploma or anything. Maybe I have one buried somewhere, but I don't remember that. I just remember those that left or were deselected went very quietly without any, you know, it was just something that happened in the dead of night or something and no big deal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get a chance for home leave?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we were able to come home if we wanted to, and I did opt to come home. My sister."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you had already packed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Oh, we'd packed from there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Everything was in the trunk?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.899801677519596, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we were able to come home if we wanted to, and I did opt to come home. My sister."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you had already packed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Oh, we'd packed from there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Everything was in the trunk?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything was gone. Yeah. And you were allowed to come home and then the next thing you'd meet up with the group, I believe in Houston. We all re-met each other in Houston before the flight to Guatemala. I think I had about three days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any second thoughts when you came back to Philly?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2220018639106622, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Oh, we'd packed from there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Everything was in the trunk?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything was gone. Yeah. And you were allowed to come home and then the next thing you'd meet up with the group, I believe in Houston. We all re-met each other in Houston before the flight to Guatemala. I think I had about three days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any second thoughts when you came back to Philly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. By this time, I was, I was fine. I was OK with it and actually looking forward to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mama didn't grab you and say, no, don't go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.580002071011847, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything was gone. Yeah. And you were allowed to come home and then the next thing you'd meet up with the group, I believe in Houston. We all re-met each other in Houston before the flight to Guatemala. I think I had about three days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any second thoughts when you came back to Philly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. By this time, I was, I was fine. I was OK with it and actually looking forward to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mama didn't grab you and say, no, don't go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no, no, no. I think she was actually quite proud of me, you know, and my sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in training, and that was kind of tough. So I actually came home to see her. She had come home, you know, she was, she was doing OK then. So actually, she died shortly after I got out of the Peace Corps so. She was a nun. She was a nun, by the way so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your other siblings?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.977780078902052, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. By this time, I was, I was fine. I was OK with it and actually looking forward to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mama didn't grab you and say, no, don't go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no, no, no. I think she was actually quite proud of me, you know, and my sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in training, and that was kind of tough. So I actually came home to see her. She had come home, you know, she was, she was doing OK then. So actually, she died shortly after I got out of the Peace Corps so. She was a nun. She was a nun, by the way so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your other siblings?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My other siblings. I had at the time two married sisters with children and a married brother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were accepting of what you were doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:239", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.419755643224502, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no, no, no. I think she was actually quite proud of me, you know, and my sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in training, and that was kind of tough. So I actually came home to see her. She had come home, you know, she was, she was doing OK then. So actually, she died shortly after I got out of the Peace Corps so. She was a nun. She was a nun, by the way so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your other siblings?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My other siblings. I had at the time two married sisters with children and a married brother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were accepting of what you were doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah. I think secretly they thought it was a little crazy, but then they always knew I was a little crazy. I always beat to a different drummer anyway, so they accepted it. I think they just were happy to see me happy, you know, because I wasn't in the mainstream of married, raising kids, or that yet. I was the sort of the oddball single thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you see that boyfriend during the three days?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.91083960358278, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My other siblings. I had at the time two married sisters with children and a married brother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were accepting of what you were doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah. I think secretly they thought it was a little crazy, but then they always knew I was a little crazy. I always beat to a different drummer anyway, so they accepted it. I think they just were happy to see me happy, you know, because I wasn't in the mainstream of married, raising kids, or that yet. I was the sort of the oddball single thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you see that boyfriend during the three days?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. He was, well, he was well gone. He was well gone when I went in the Peace Corps. No, no, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then you report to Houston."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.456488448425311, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah. I think secretly they thought it was a little crazy, but then they always knew I was a little crazy. I always beat to a different drummer anyway, so they accepted it. I think they just were happy to see me happy, you know, because I wasn't in the mainstream of married, raising kids, or that yet. I was the sort of the oddball single thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you see that boyfriend during the three days?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. He was, well, he was well gone. He was well gone when I went in the Peace Corps. No, no, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then you report to Houston."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we all re-met in Houston. I remember being hot as blazes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember flying out of Philadelphia now? This is like the beginning of the two years."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:249", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.3737838798701105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, no memories. It's funny how some people remember, you know? No, I was excited. I really was happy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Houston, I remember waiting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another reunion."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Another reunion. Everybody was chatting. You know, some had gone home. Some hadn't gone home. I remember it being hot as blazes in Houston. I thought Philadelphia got hot, but I was stinking hot. This was June. This was in June. And then we got in country and as I said."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a charter flight or a regular flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:251", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.081982088744567, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Houston, I remember waiting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another reunion."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Another reunion. Everybody was chatting. You know, some had gone home. Some hadn't gone home. I remember it being hot as blazes in Houston. I thought Philadelphia got hot, but I was stinking hot. This was June. This was in June. And then we got in country and as I said."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a charter flight or a regular flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was a regular flight. Yeah, but we probably filled most of the plane. There were about 40 something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you met on arrival?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:253", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.868868987493964, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Another reunion. Everybody was chatting. You know, some had gone home. Some hadn't gone home. I remember it being hot as blazes in Houston. I thought Philadelphia got hot, but I was stinking hot. This was June. This was in June. And then we got in country and as I said."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a charter flight or a regular flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was a regular flight. Yeah, but we probably filled most of the plane. There were about 40 something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you met on arrival?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had to have been met, sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where do you fly into?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.1467518364123, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had to have been met, sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where do you fly into?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Guatemala City."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we were taken to a court, a sort of a motel-like hotel, but it was low rise with a big inner court. And we were to stay there I think one to two weeks. I can't remember exactly how long. Again, for more orientation, to meet some of the local Guatemalan agriculture agents that we were going to be working with or under. And we were being told about resources, you know, Department of Education and this Department of Agriculture. Yeah. Yeah. In other words, I'm jumping ahead a little bit. But in retrospect, in retrospect, as I look back on my role there, I looked on it as one of a facilitator where as I connected. I connected people with agencies or the resources, and I was the middleman rather than the actual teacher or so. And that was really, that was really the thrust of our assignment too. That was what we were trained to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the two weeks, did you meet people from the ministry for which you were working and counterparts?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.7186131515692225, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Guatemala City."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we were taken to a court, a sort of a motel-like hotel, but it was low rise with a big inner court. And we were to stay there I think one to two weeks. I can't remember exactly how long. Again, for more orientation, to meet some of the local Guatemalan agriculture agents that we were going to be working with or under. And we were being told about resources, you know, Department of Education and this Department of Agriculture. Yeah. Yeah. In other words, I'm jumping ahead a little bit. But in retrospect, in retrospect, as I look back on my role there, I looked on it as one of a facilitator where as I connected. I connected people with agencies or the resources, and I was the middleman rather than the actual teacher or so. And that was really, that was really the thrust of our assignment too. That was what we were trained to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the two weeks, did you meet people from the ministry for which you were working and counterparts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who you'd be working alongside?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.604958316673102, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were served some refreshments. And by the way, that Ambassador was shot, right, by I'll call them terrorists while we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, but. I'm going to say something politically incorrect probably."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I thought the way he treated us, if that was the way he treated, you know? I mean, there was something grossly wrong with the demeanor or the body language or whatever. And his replacement, by the way, and this comes close to our term, the end of our two years, was exactly opposite. He was a wonderful guy, came, arrived with his kids, had us go up to the bedroom. The newborn baby was asleep in the drawer. I mean, you know, I thought, thank God they finally have somebody here who can relate, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk a little bit about. What was the particular political environment of Guatemala and its relation to the U.S., just in capsule as it affected you as a volunteer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.449953685192336, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, but. I'm going to say something politically incorrect probably."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I thought the way he treated us, if that was the way he treated, you know? I mean, there was something grossly wrong with the demeanor or the body language or whatever. And his replacement, by the way, and this comes close to our term, the end of our two years, was exactly opposite. He was a wonderful guy, came, arrived with his kids, had us go up to the bedroom. The newborn baby was asleep in the drawer. I mean, you know, I thought, thank God they finally have somebody here who can relate, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk a little bit about. What was the particular political environment of Guatemala and its relation to the U.S., just in capsule as it affected you as a volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. Politically, we met the AID people, you know, because I guess we were going to eventually get milk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There were no civil wars going on in the area, were there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:273", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.320930475546092, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. Politically, we met the AID people, you know, because I guess we were going to eventually get milk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There were no civil wars going on in the area, were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there was, uh, I keep wanting to say terrorism. Well, it's an easy word right now. Yeah, there were things going on. Yes, there were uprisings in the mountains, in the highlands. See, we were not in that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Guatemala?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. There were uprisings among the Indians. There was a big like Che Guevara influence up there. But we were sent to far more conservative places away from that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if you were made aware of that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.356589417273435, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there was, uh, I keep wanting to say terrorism. Well, it's an easy word right now. Yeah, there were things going on. Yes, there were uprisings in the mountains, in the highlands. See, we were not in that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Guatemala?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. There were uprisings among the Indians. There was a big like Che Guevara influence up there. But we were sent to far more conservative places away from that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if you were made aware of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And we were, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any precautions about the way you behave or the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:277", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.28509935252604, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. There were uprisings among the Indians. There was a big like Che Guevara influence up there. But we were sent to far more conservative places away from that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if you were made aware of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And we were, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any precautions about the way you behave or the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, sure. Just just behave. Just sort of behave and don't get into any trouble. I remember one of my first experiences walking around with a guy, Dick Burke, on free time one day, and it seemed every corner there were military with guns and. And Dick, Dick's dead now, gosh. He had been, he was an ex-seminarian and he was a friendly kind of guy. He was a sweet guy, but he was just happy go lucky. And he, I remember him waving to the guys with the guns, you know, excited and making friends. And I, I almost wanted to slap his hand down. You know, he was almost like a fool. Be careful, you know, kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was in Guatemala City?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:279", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.316777058362266, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And we were, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any precautions about the way you behave or the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, sure. Just just behave. Just sort of behave and don't get into any trouble. I remember one of my first experiences walking around with a guy, Dick Burke, on free time one day, and it seemed every corner there were military with guns and. And Dick, Dick's dead now, gosh. He had been, he was an ex-seminarian and he was a friendly kind of guy. He was a sweet guy, but he was just happy go lucky. And he, I remember him waving to the guys with the guns, you know, excited and making friends. And I, I almost wanted to slap his hand down. You know, he was almost like a fool. Be careful, you know, kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was in Guatemala City?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was in Guatemala City as we were wandering around. That was the only sort of time when I thought his behavior wasn't quite what we should be doing, you know, being so silly or."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any talk of the CIA or any attempt to associate you with?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.045403775755883, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was in Guatemala City as we were wandering around. That was the only sort of time when I thought his behavior wasn't quite what we should be doing, you know, being so silly or."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any talk of the CIA or any attempt to associate you with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not then. The only, the only thing that eventually came to pass, and I don't remember during those first two weeks, no, at all. But in time a director by the name of Boubion. I remember, he advised us that some American people were going to be in our regions running these, um, training seminars, things like that, and that we were to be very, uh, sort of disappear or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Avoid them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Avoid them. Yeah. And of course, we didn't. And, you know, and I don't even know the rhyme or reason and, you know, perhaps I'd have to tap another volunteer maybe to get another input into this. But I remember that these quote training groups that were really mostly Guatemalan people. But the Americans were the ones providing the transportation and the equipment and all that. They were fabulous training programs. And, I mean, we were just wanting them for our people whenever that occurred. I think that was a good year into the two years. So that occurred.\n\nAnd I even remember hitching rides back and forth to the capital with these guys, these American guys. And I remember turning point blank to one of them once and asking, are you CIA? And he said, if I am, I don't know it, or something like that. Some non-descriptive. So I didn't ask any more and I just. But I couldn't see. If they were up to something, I don't know what they were up to and it didn't affect me or my community or anything. Only, I would say only in a positive sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's jump back to the two weeks at the end of the. What was the Peace Corps staff at that point, do you recall?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:285", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.828226417506538, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not then. The only, the only thing that eventually came to pass, and I don't remember during those first two weeks, no, at all. But in time a director by the name of Boubion. I remember, he advised us that some American people were going to be in our regions running these, um, training seminars, things like that, and that we were to be very, uh, sort of disappear or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Avoid them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Avoid them. Yeah. And of course, we didn't. And, you know, and I don't even know the rhyme or reason and, you know, perhaps I'd have to tap another volunteer maybe to get another input into this. But I remember that these quote training groups that were really mostly Guatemalan people. But the Americans were the ones providing the transportation and the equipment and all that. They were fabulous training programs. And, I mean, we were just wanting them for our people whenever that occurred. I think that was a good year into the two years. So that occurred.\n\nAnd I even remember hitching rides back and forth to the capital with these guys, these American guys. And I remember turning point blank to one of them once and asking, are you CIA? And he said, if I am, I don't know it, or something like that. Some non-descriptive. So I didn't ask any more and I just. But I couldn't see. If they were up to something, I don't know what they were up to and it didn't affect me or my community or anything. Only, I would say only in a positive sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's jump back to the two weeks at the end of the. What was the Peace Corps staff at that point, do you recall?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mr. [David J.] Boubion. I can't remember his first name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was the director?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:287", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.5869182416739305, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Avoid them. Yeah. And of course, we didn't. And, you know, and I don't even know the rhyme or reason and, you know, perhaps I'd have to tap another volunteer maybe to get another input into this. But I remember that these quote training groups that were really mostly Guatemalan people. But the Americans were the ones providing the transportation and the equipment and all that. They were fabulous training programs. And, I mean, we were just wanting them for our people whenever that occurred. I think that was a good year into the two years. So that occurred.\n\nAnd I even remember hitching rides back and forth to the capital with these guys, these American guys. And I remember turning point blank to one of them once and asking, are you CIA? And he said, if I am, I don't know it, or something like that. Some non-descriptive. So I didn't ask any more and I just. But I couldn't see. If they were up to something, I don't know what they were up to and it didn't affect me or my community or anything. Only, I would say only in a positive sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's jump back to the two weeks at the end of the. What was the Peace Corps staff at that point, do you recall?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mr. [David J.] Boubion. I can't remember his first name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was the director?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was the director. And then there was another assistant, a woman, Sally. Her name, first name was Sally. I can't think of her last name. And I think a couple of Guatemalan secretaries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a technical officer on the Peace Corps staff?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.318798046304367, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mr. [David J.] Boubion. I can't remember his first name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was the director?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was the director. And then there was another assistant, a woman, Sally. Her name, first name was Sally. I can't think of her last name. And I think a couple of Guatemalan secretaries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a technical officer on the Peace Corps staff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. There was a doctor, Dr. Stubblefield, and his wife. He was a married guy, but he was in the Peace Corps office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when did you get your assignment?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.020886718115963, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was the director. And then there was another assistant, a woman, Sally. Her name, first name was Sally. I can't think of her last name. And I think a couple of Guatemalan secretaries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a technical officer on the Peace Corps staff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. There was a doctor, Dr. Stubblefield, and his wife. He was a married guy, but he was in the Peace Corps office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when did you get your assignment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Within those two weeks in the city. Yeah, we were handed out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall how it came about?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:299", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9794036246242372, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was being sent to a site by myself, um, but they had three married couples within, I'd say the nearest one was about two miles from me. Others were slightly longer, but the two mile one I could bike to. So I guess there were seven of us, three couples and me all got in the same bus, thank God. I mean, we were supporting each other, and it was about a three and a half hour ride by rickety bus from Guatemala City. Slow bus, stopping everywhere, all through the little towns. Then we got to Retalhuleu."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Retal?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Retalhuleu. And then we had to transfer to another bus. And all seven of us, thank goodness, were on the next bus because that really, we got off the main road, if you want to call it a main road. And then we were on dirt roads."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was the first one that was dropped off at my site."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, what was the site you were dropped off at?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:301", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.421559582915819, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Retalhuleu. And then we had to transfer to another bus. And all seven of us, thank goodness, were on the next bus because that really, we got off the main road, if you want to call it a main road. And then we were on dirt roads."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was the first one that was dropped off at my site."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, what was the site you were dropped off at?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A one story barrack like structure with a water tower beside it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a village there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:303", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.912843981017576, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was the first one that was dropped off at my site."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, what was the site you were dropped off at?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A one story barrack like structure with a water tower beside it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a village there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there was no town. No, no. No town. It was just, there was a thing in the middle of nowhere. There was a football field, a soccer field, and there was a little tienda or store at the far end of the football field. That was the center of town. That was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the building that was there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:305", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.458715534463973, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A one story barrack like structure with a water tower beside it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a village there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there was no town. No, no. No town. It was just, there was a thing in the middle of nowhere. There was a football field, a soccer field, and there was a little tienda or store at the far end of the football field. That was the center of town. That was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the building that was there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a school. It was a school. And oh, my assignment was to help out the school teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The school teacher."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:307", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.954128371626637, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there was no town. No, no. No town. It was just, there was a thing in the middle of nowhere. There was a football field, a soccer field, and there was a little tienda or store at the far end of the football field. That was the center of town. That was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the building that was there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a school. It was a school. And oh, my assignment was to help out the school teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The school teacher."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The school teacher. See, what they did in training or what they were trying to do was to give us roles. They wanted to give us an identity to go to places so that we'd be more accepted. And I guess some of the work ahead of time had been to go around and send out questionnaires and see if any of these communities wanted to have, host a Peace Corps volunteer there. I mean, I was paying my own way. I got a salary and I bought my own food and all. But did they want anybody to come in? And the school teacher there, the sole school teacher, he was a smart guy and he had two sisters living in the United States. So I think he saw an opportunity here to maybe get some assistance, get some help. And I was to live with him and his wife and his three going on four kids in this structure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had there been any volunteers in the area before?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:309", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.504587079585152, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a school. It was a school. And oh, my assignment was to help out the school teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The school teacher."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The school teacher. See, what they did in training or what they were trying to do was to give us roles. They wanted to give us an identity to go to places so that we'd be more accepted. And I guess some of the work ahead of time had been to go around and send out questionnaires and see if any of these communities wanted to have, host a Peace Corps volunteer there. I mean, I was paying my own way. I got a salary and I bought my own food and all. But did they want anybody to come in? And the school teacher there, the sole school teacher, he was a smart guy and he had two sisters living in the United States. So I think he saw an opportunity here to maybe get some assistance, get some help. And I was to live with him and his wife and his three going on four kids in this structure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had there been any volunteers in the area before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, we were all first timers. This was a brand new introduction. The people had never had volunteers before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was his name? Do you remember?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:311", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.8939856439835014, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The school teacher. See, what they did in training or what they were trying to do was to give us roles. They wanted to give us an identity to go to places so that we'd be more accepted. And I guess some of the work ahead of time had been to go around and send out questionnaires and see if any of these communities wanted to have, host a Peace Corps volunteer there. I mean, I was paying my own way. I got a salary and I bought my own food and all. But did they want anybody to come in? And the school teacher there, the sole school teacher, he was a smart guy and he had two sisters living in the United States. So I think he saw an opportunity here to maybe get some assistance, get some help. And I was to live with him and his wife and his three going on four kids in this structure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had there been any volunteers in the area before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, we were all first timers. This was a brand new introduction. The people had never had volunteers before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was his name? Do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hmm. Oh, God, isn't that awful? I should. Um, Don David. Don David. David Sandoval. Yeah, yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he expecting you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.215539604426113, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, we were all first timers. This was a brand new introduction. The people had never had volunteers before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was his name? Do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hmm. Oh, God, isn't that awful? I should. Um, Don David. Don David. David Sandoval. Yeah, yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he expecting you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. He was expecting me and he was very gracious. His wife, Irma, she was lovely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you wandered around the school and finally found?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:315", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.46171067158457, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hmm. Oh, God, isn't that awful? I should. Um, Don David. Don David. David Sandoval. Yeah, yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he expecting you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. He was expecting me and he was very gracious. His wife, Irma, she was lovely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you wandered around the school and finally found?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. The bus left me off. They, I mean, the bus only comes once a day, so I mean, it's a big thing. And I guess he knew about when I'd be coming, certain days. So they were on the lookout and they came out and greeted me because I just literally got off the bus and standing there with some suitcase and they came out and greeted me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you think to yourself, well, this is the end of the line?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:317", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7352340795384107, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. He was expecting me and he was very gracious. His wife, Irma, she was lovely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you wandered around the school and finally found?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. The bus left me off. They, I mean, the bus only comes once a day, so I mean, it's a big thing. And I guess he knew about when I'd be coming, certain days. So they were on the lookout and they came out and greeted me because I just literally got off the bus and standing there with some suitcase and they came out and greeted me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you think to yourself, well, this is the end of the line?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I remember. I remember really like waving goodbye to the other six people, not knowing how far away they were going from me and uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any tears at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:319", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0391489772649005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. The bus left me off. They, I mean, the bus only comes once a day, so I mean, it's a big thing. And I guess he knew about when I'd be coming, certain days. So they were on the lookout and they came out and greeted me because I just literally got off the bus and standing there with some suitcase and they came out and greeted me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you think to yourself, well, this is the end of the line?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I remember. I remember really like waving goodbye to the other six people, not knowing how far away they were going from me and uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any tears at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I was too terrified to cry. No, I didn't cry. I didn't cry. But um. Oh, well, so he showed me to my room. I did have a private room, thank goodness."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, did he live at the school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.168928638223457, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a one story, one story structure with a breezeway through the middle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which. And then on one half was the one big classroom, huge classroom. And then there were like two storage rooms, I think, which opened up from the breezeway. One of those storage rooms was given to me and it was very small, but adequate. At least it was private."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it have a window?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:329", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.146825479288219, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which. And then on one half was the one big classroom, huge classroom. And then there were like two storage rooms, I think, which opened up from the breezeway. One of those storage rooms was given to me and it was very small, but adequate. At least it was private."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it have a window?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It had high windows, everything was up high, so you couldn't look in and see anybody. But it was up high. It was all screens. I mean, no windows. There were no windows and, um, but high ceilings. Cement floor. Wood walls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Indoor plumbing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any running water?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:333", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.354105529985454, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any running water?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Pump. Pump out back. Now there were lavatories that had originally been installed when the school was built, but they were not used. They were not used. I used that because at least there was a hole there. And what I would do is just get big buckets of water and use that. I could not bring myself to go out in the bushes if I didn't have to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Didn't have to. So I was, it was sort of like my own private bathroom because nobody else did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As soon as you met him, were you, did he know enough English? Did he know some English or were you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:335", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.837895033317172, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Pump. Pump out back. Now there were lavatories that had originally been installed when the school was built, but they were not used. They were not used. I used that because at least there was a hole there. And what I would do is just get big buckets of water and use that. I could not bring myself to go out in the bushes if I didn't have to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Didn't have to. So I was, it was sort of like my own private bathroom because nobody else did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As soon as you met him, were you, did he know enough English? Did he know some English or were you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, he had pieces here and there, but we spoke Spanish. We communicated in Spanish. Oh, no, no. I mean, it was very, very definite that we had to get along by that time in Spanish. And I took my meals there. See, the deal was with the teacher and his wife. And they had all prearranged this. So I was being fed by them, but giving them so much a month or a week. And I really forget how that worked but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall your initial pattern of eating meals with them, what the meals were like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:339", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.9727099176755205, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, he had pieces here and there, but we spoke Spanish. We communicated in Spanish. Oh, no, no. I mean, it was very, very definite that we had to get along by that time in Spanish. And I took my meals there. See, the deal was with the teacher and his wife. And they had all prearranged this. So I was being fed by them, but giving them so much a month or a week. And I really forget how that worked but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall your initial pattern of eating meals with them, what the meals were like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, um, yeah, the. I remember Irma made a wonderful huevos revueltos, that's scrambled eggs. What am I thinking of? No, chile relleno. She made wonderful stuffed chilies. She was actually, she was really a good cook. And I ate extremely well. She'd cook out back over a woodstove and, um, but it tasted good to me. And not much meat. Hardly any meat, but eggs and chicken."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not many vegetables. Of course, we have been told not to eat any lettuce."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you do for water to drink?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:343", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.373715947747556, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not many vegetables. Of course, we have been told not to eat any lettuce."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you do for water to drink?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Water was gotten out of the well, the pump, pumped out, and I got my own tinaja, like an earthenware pot, which would keep it quite cool, by the way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I dropped iodine tablets in it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you didn't have a chance to boil it or anything?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:345", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.193017719719506, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Water was gotten out of the well, the pump, pumped out, and I got my own tinaja, like an earthenware pot, which would keep it quite cool, by the way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I dropped iodine tablets in it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you didn't have a chance to boil it or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, at that point, no. And I would do that. And I can't even remember whether they did the same thing. They didn't have the iodine tablets though. But, you know, in retrospect, I think these wells were safe. I think they really were safe water all along, but we didn't know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the first couple of weeks."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:347", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.99224191079945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I dropped iodine tablets in it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you didn't have a chance to boil it or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, at that point, no. And I would do that. And I can't even remember whether they did the same thing. They didn't have the iodine tablets though. But, you know, in retrospect, I think these wells were safe. I think they really were safe water all along, but we didn't know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the first couple of weeks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first couple of weeks, I thought I was going to go crazy. I mean, that, I went through culture shock. I mean, you know, struggling with the Spanish, for one thing, and thinking, is this going to be it for two years? Am I going to be living this? Because what would happen, I think it was lack of privacy. I had not been used to being, you know, surrounded by people all the time and not know where to get away from or go to. And that was scary to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the children curious about you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.688678419142585, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the first two weeks, yeah. And he was sort of our guardian out in the field. And I'll never forget him pulling in in his jeep. I was never so glad to see anybody in my life. He said, you want to go for a ride? We'll go see the other volunteers. Well, you know, that was like heaven to me. I mean, because I didn't, I didn't have, I didn't know where to go. I didn't know where to go to see them or anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you weren't going to Mass?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That was another. Oh, my mother turning over in her grave. I did. I struggled to get to church. I found out where the Mass was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Retalhuleu. It was about an hour away, down the dirt roads again in that one little rickety bus. And I did for about two Sundays. I got on that thing, it left at like 6:00 in the morning. And God, the chickens running over my feet in my sandals and all this. And I get to the church in the town. It wasn't too hard to find, you know, the only church. I was the only one there. I mean, this whole thing was such an awakening to me and my Catholicity or whatever, you know, too. I mean, I started to really question things in the traveling. Traveling was a big eye opener but. And I came back and I scratched my head. Latin America, Catholic country. I'm the only one at church on Sunday. Something's wrong with this picture. So I stopped going and I wasn't struck by thunder and lightning and I wasn't going to go to hell. And I didn't, you know, and it was sort of the beginning of the end for me in my whole religion. But I never told my mom that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How soon did you get a bike?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:359", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.788491875484673, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Retalhuleu. It was about an hour away, down the dirt roads again in that one little rickety bus. And I did for about two Sundays. I got on that thing, it left at like 6:00 in the morning. And God, the chickens running over my feet in my sandals and all this. And I get to the church in the town. It wasn't too hard to find, you know, the only church. I was the only one there. I mean, this whole thing was such an awakening to me and my Catholicity or whatever, you know, too. I mean, I started to really question things in the traveling. Traveling was a big eye opener but. And I came back and I scratched my head. Latin America, Catholic country. I'm the only one at church on Sunday. Something's wrong with this picture. So I stopped going and I wasn't struck by thunder and lightning and I wasn't going to go to hell. And I didn't, you know, and it was sort of the beginning of the end for me in my whole religion. But I never told my mom that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How soon did you get a bike?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think shortly. Maybe when that Guatemalan guy came, he might have delivered my bike to me, but I didn't have it right away, so I was without wheels for a while. It was all by foot. And I'd be, I'd be just walking on these dirt roads by myself, trying to see the lay of the land. It was a rural community. The town was the school and the little tienda at the end of the football field. There was no center. People lived in thatched roof, bamboo sided, dirt floor homes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were, it was an interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they live on their farms?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:361", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.4316576394274145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think shortly. Maybe when that Guatemalan guy came, he might have delivered my bike to me, but I didn't have it right away, so I was without wheels for a while. It was all by foot. And I'd be, I'd be just walking on these dirt roads by myself, trying to see the lay of the land. It was a rural community. The town was the school and the little tienda at the end of the football field. There was no center. People lived in thatched roof, bamboo sided, dirt floor homes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were, it was an interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they live on their farms?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then so."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:363", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.146286266030461, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were, it was an interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they live on their farms?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There's a distance between. OK."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:365", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.9403180733671785, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There's a distance between. OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. There were distances between the farms and, uh, among the farms I should say. So it was a spread out place and, I mean, I ended up really needing the bike."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But initially you just, for your own curiosity, you were trying to understand the environment you were in."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:367", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.822575637074642, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There's a distance between. OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. There were distances between the farms and, uh, among the farms I should say. So it was a spread out place and, I mean, I ended up really needing the bike."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But initially you just, for your own curiosity, you were trying to understand the environment you were in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Trying to discover what was around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you have any conversations with any farmers or their families as you wandered?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:369", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 8.691750707860715, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. There were distances between the farms and, uh, among the farms I should say. So it was a spread out place and, I mean, I ended up really needing the bike."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But initially you just, for your own curiosity, you were trying to understand the environment you were in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Trying to discover what was around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you have any conversations with any farmers or their families as you wandered?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I would always. I think they had all been told by the school teacher that a Peace Corps volunteer was coming. And I'm just trying to remember, was there ever any formal introduction of me? There may have been, but again, it might have been during that time when I blocked it out, I was just sort of shocked. But as I'd walk along, I'd always say, buenos dias. And, you know, and the one thing is that people in these countries that they're just so kind and friendly and good, you know? I mean, there was no never any fear and I never was afraid of them, and they'd just be respectful. Buenos dias, senorita. You know, and so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was about the only conversation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:373", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.792284824519401, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I would always. I think they had all been told by the school teacher that a Peace Corps volunteer was coming. And I'm just trying to remember, was there ever any formal introduction of me? There may have been, but again, it might have been during that time when I blocked it out, I was just sort of shocked. But as I'd walk along, I'd always say, buenos dias. And, you know, and the one thing is that people in these countries that they're just so kind and friendly and good, you know? I mean, there was no never any fear and I never was afraid of them, and they'd just be respectful. Buenos dias, senorita. You know, and so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was about the only conversation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Until I got into the school situation. The teacher asked me to maybe, you know, I just sort of watched him a couple of days. I mean, he had a heck of a job on his head and he was teaching, oh, I guess about 120 kids in this one classroom. And they ranged in age from 6 to 13. I mean, some of the 13 year olds were coming for first grade. He only taught up to third grade. And these kids still worked on the farm. That's, you know, why many of them hadn't really gone to school or couldn't go to school. But eventually I found a place or positioning. I used to take some of them out under the trees and in my limited Spanish start teaching them to count and we'd use soda bottle caps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And all that. So I was starting to be, I became like his teacher's aide."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what you would do with the kids was, you worked it out with him."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:375", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.435872027243779, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Until I got into the school situation. The teacher asked me to maybe, you know, I just sort of watched him a couple of days. I mean, he had a heck of a job on his head and he was teaching, oh, I guess about 120 kids in this one classroom. And they ranged in age from 6 to 13. I mean, some of the 13 year olds were coming for first grade. He only taught up to third grade. And these kids still worked on the farm. That's, you know, why many of them hadn't really gone to school or couldn't go to school. But eventually I found a place or positioning. I used to take some of them out under the trees and in my limited Spanish start teaching them to count and we'd use soda bottle caps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And all that. So I was starting to be, I became like his teacher's aide."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what you would do with the kids was, you worked it out with him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And I was actually relieving him, you know, sort of being, as I said, a teacher's aide initially and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first were dropped there after the two weeks, did you have any specific sense of what it is your job was going to be?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:377", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.150968919159754, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And all that. So I was starting to be, I became like his teacher's aide."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what you would do with the kids was, you worked it out with him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And I was actually relieving him, you know, sort of being, as I said, a teacher's aide initially and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first were dropped there after the two weeks, did you have any specific sense of what it is your job was going to be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had anyone give it a definition?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:381", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.717245579209573, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had anyone give it a definition?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I, the way it was in my mind was that the first thing was to get to know the people and get them to know you. Earn their trust. And that's, that was the role. I mean, any suspicion and all would be eventually melt away if I came in with a specific purpose. And then the second phase, as I understood it, was to learn what the people were feeling and wanting for their community, expressing thoughts about what would make their lives better, etc., etc. And then with that information, start to connect them to resources and ways that they could achieve these goals."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's what I mean. The whole thing of facilitator was very, very clear to me as to what what we were to do. And so, and that took time. I mean, it was six months before I even began to get that kind of feedback from them. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the first six months."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:383", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.352495088010636, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I, the way it was in my mind was that the first thing was to get to know the people and get them to know you. Earn their trust. And that's, that was the role. I mean, any suspicion and all would be eventually melt away if I came in with a specific purpose. And then the second phase, as I understood it, was to learn what the people were feeling and wanting for their community, expressing thoughts about what would make their lives better, etc., etc. And then with that information, start to connect them to resources and ways that they could achieve these goals."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's what I mean. The whole thing of facilitator was very, very clear to me as to what what we were to do. And so, and that took time. I mean, it was six months before I even began to get that kind of feedback from them. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the first six months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "During the first six months, I started going out and visiting people. Every day I would try to get to one or two or three people during the course of the day because mid-day you really had to quit. It got hot. And everybody was at siesta and all that. But on the morning and maybe in the late afternoon, I'd try again and go. And I would just go. And maybe the teacher, I don't know whether he, I mean, maybe he told me who to go see or who lived down that road. I mean, he was a big help to me and he'd give me the names of the people and maybe somehow they found out that I might be coming or something but. And it was just a matter of going and seeing their homes and visiting them and sitting down with them and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there natural leaders within that community?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:385", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.947216764456263, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's what I mean. The whole thing of facilitator was very, very clear to me as to what what we were to do. And so, and that took time. I mean, it was six months before I even began to get that kind of feedback from them. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the first six months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "During the first six months, I started going out and visiting people. Every day I would try to get to one or two or three people during the course of the day because mid-day you really had to quit. It got hot. And everybody was at siesta and all that. But on the morning and maybe in the late afternoon, I'd try again and go. And I would just go. And maybe the teacher, I don't know whether he, I mean, maybe he told me who to go see or who lived down that road. I mean, he was a big help to me and he'd give me the names of the people and maybe somehow they found out that I might be coming or something but. And it was just a matter of going and seeing their homes and visiting them and sitting down with them and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there natural leaders within that community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not, not readily available to me anyway, at the beginning, but in time there was. And I'll tell you, I'm jumping ahead a little. But when that supposedly CIA connected group came into town, I believe that was their goal, was leadership training. And it was during those workshops that the real leaders became very obvious to me. I mean, there were some that I knew right away and some I was very, very fond of. A guy by name of Eladio, whom I adored, he and his wife. And he was a natural leader. And he blossomed during those trainings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he live in town?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:387", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.496907516062514, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "During the first six months, I started going out and visiting people. Every day I would try to get to one or two or three people during the course of the day because mid-day you really had to quit. It got hot. And everybody was at siesta and all that. But on the morning and maybe in the late afternoon, I'd try again and go. And I would just go. And maybe the teacher, I don't know whether he, I mean, maybe he told me who to go see or who lived down that road. I mean, he was a big help to me and he'd give me the names of the people and maybe somehow they found out that I might be coming or something but. And it was just a matter of going and seeing their homes and visiting them and sitting down with them and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there natural leaders within that community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not, not readily available to me anyway, at the beginning, but in time there was. And I'll tell you, I'm jumping ahead a little. But when that supposedly CIA connected group came into town, I believe that was their goal, was leadership training. And it was during those workshops that the real leaders became very obvious to me. I mean, there were some that I knew right away and some I was very, very fond of. A guy by name of Eladio, whom I adored, he and his wife. And he was a natural leader. And he blossomed during those trainings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he live in town?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He lived in, no, he was in the rural. He had a farm too. But I'm really jumping ahead. I went back to my site 20 years later and he was one of the first ones I asked about. He had moved into town. So he, and I don't know, I don't really know what ever happened to him."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now in a sense though, I mean, other than the school and the tienda, there was still, there was a town or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:389", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.996563906736126, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not, not readily available to me anyway, at the beginning, but in time there was. And I'll tell you, I'm jumping ahead a little. But when that supposedly CIA connected group came into town, I believe that was their goal, was leadership training. And it was during those workshops that the real leaders became very obvious to me. I mean, there were some that I knew right away and some I was very, very fond of. A guy by name of Eladio, whom I adored, he and his wife. And he was a natural leader. And he blossomed during those trainings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he live in town?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He lived in, no, he was in the rural. He had a farm too. But I'm really jumping ahead. I went back to my site 20 years later and he was one of the first ones I asked about. He had moved into town. So he, and I don't know, I don't really know what ever happened to him."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now in a sense though, I mean, other than the school and the tienda, there was still, there was a town or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, no, the nearest town was Retalhuleu, an hour away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that, the people didn't, did they relate to that town administratively?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:391", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.551737674151251, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He lived in, no, he was in the rural. He had a farm too. But I'm really jumping ahead. I went back to my site 20 years later and he was one of the first ones I asked about. He had moved into town. So he, and I don't know, I don't really know what ever happened to him."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now in a sense though, I mean, other than the school and the tienda, there was still, there was a town or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, no, the nearest town was Retalhuleu, an hour away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that, the people didn't, did they relate to that town administratively?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was the market. No, no. That's where they'd go to market. So they'd go on their bus, on this rickety bus to go into town and get some."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And people from other areas would also go there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:397", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5003260276423203, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Yeah. Let me give you a little background on the community I was working in. It was, they were called parcela mientos, parcels, parcels of land. And the land originally had been a finca, a huge farm. Cotton, coffee. No, it couldn't have been coffee. It was probably cotton, owned by Germans in pre-World War II. The Germans had run these farms and lived there part time, I guess. And World War II, they all went back to Germany to fight and they never came back. So the government, the Guatemalan government, then parceled these lands out. So these owners, these farmers were first time landowners."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So in some ways, I'm thinking in my political, politically mature mind now, that this was like the beginning or the budding of a middle class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "People who had a stake, at least in their own futures. They weren't. Because, you know, the difference between wealth and poverty in a lot of these countries is so tremendous. But this was the beginning of a middle, of a middle class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the first six months, what happened with your Spanish?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:399", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8892511418248, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So in some ways, I'm thinking in my political, politically mature mind now, that this was like the beginning or the budding of a middle class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "People who had a stake, at least in their own futures. They weren't. Because, you know, the difference between wealth and poverty in a lot of these countries is so tremendous. But this was the beginning of a middle, of a middle class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the first six months, what happened with your Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it got much better. Much better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Do you remember sort of being more and more comfortable?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:401", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.321390157583111, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "People who had a stake, at least in their own futures. They weren't. Because, you know, the difference between wealth and poverty in a lot of these countries is so tremendous. But this was the beginning of a middle, of a middle class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the first six months, what happened with your Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it got much better. Much better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Do you remember sort of being more and more comfortable?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I did. I got. I never, I never even at the end of the two years, I never scored that high. I think I was a two and a half or maybe a two when I came in, but I was really living with very simple people, uneducated people for the most part. So I didn't need a big vocabulary to get along, but I was learning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever see Peace Corps staff during the six months?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:403", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.80154461953679, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it got much better. Much better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Do you remember sort of being more and more comfortable?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I did. I got. I never, I never even at the end of the two years, I never scored that high. I think I was a two and a half or maybe a two when I came in, but I was really living with very simple people, uneducated people for the most part. So I didn't need a big vocabulary to get along, but I was learning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever see Peace Corps staff during the six months?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would have meetings, group meetings, where we'd meet in some exotic, nice place for a little R&R, which was nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After what? After three months?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:405", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.112827355040878, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I did. I got. I never, I never even at the end of the two years, I never scored that high. I think I was a two and a half or maybe a two when I came in, but I was really living with very simple people, uneducated people for the most part. So I didn't need a big vocabulary to get along, but I was learning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever see Peace Corps staff during the six months?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would have meetings, group meetings, where we'd meet in some exotic, nice place for a little R&R, which was nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After what? After three months?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we met maybe after a month, the first month, and then maybe every two months after that we had regional meetings. And we'd get our notices by telegram."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Everyone, uh, everyone who would come to this were essentially doing the same kind of things?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:407", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.458697061156531, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would have meetings, group meetings, where we'd meet in some exotic, nice place for a little R&R, which was nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After what? After three months?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we met maybe after a month, the first month, and then maybe every two months after that we had regional meetings. And we'd get our notices by telegram."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Everyone, uh, everyone who would come to this were essentially doing the same kind of things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of us were doing the same kind of thing, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the director say anything when you finally came to the meeting and it was obvious that you were going to stay?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:409", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8429967346183673, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we met maybe after a month, the first month, and then maybe every two months after that we had regional meetings. And we'd get our notices by telegram."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Everyone, uh, everyone who would come to this were essentially doing the same kind of things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of us were doing the same kind of thing, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the director say anything when you finally came to the meeting and it was obvious that you were going to stay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember. I don't remember whether there was any formal, um, conclusion or tacit agreement or, I don't remember. But I guess."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The answer was obvious."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:411", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.269996371798186, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of us were doing the same kind of thing, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the director say anything when you finally came to the meeting and it was obvious that you were going to stay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember. I don't remember whether there was any formal, um, conclusion or tacit agreement or, I don't remember. But I guess."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The answer was obvious."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I may, yeah, yeah. I may have been doing so well at that time he didn't even have to bring it up. I mean, it was, I think I may have like thanked him at one point and said, you know, you told me the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the, again, we'll stick with the first six months. That's kind of a. Did you travel out to visit people?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:413", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.522218190886873, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember. I don't remember whether there was any formal, um, conclusion or tacit agreement or, I don't remember. But I guess."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The answer was obvious."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I may, yeah, yeah. I may have been doing so well at that time he didn't even have to bring it up. I mean, it was, I think I may have like thanked him at one point and said, you know, you told me the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the, again, we'll stick with the first six months. That's kind of a. Did you travel out to visit people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, once I found out where my neighbors lived, my closest Peace Corps. Yeah. Yeah. At least once a week I'd go over to their place for dinner, or they'd come to my place and. And there were many trips to the town in those first months because I had to furnish my room. Oh, I didn't. I skipped something. Another thing happened during the first six months, which, um, I was able to move out of the school and move into my own shack, I'll call it. Uh. It had been the former house of the German finca owner. Very humble, wood shack, cement floor, raised off the ground, no screening. So I had to go into town. A lot of the volunteers came to my site and put up the screens for me, you know, so you really. You just crave to be with the other volunteers, you know, and whenever you could, but you still had a job to do. So it was maybe once a week there was some socialization with some other volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So now how soon after you arrived there did you get the shack and start fixing it up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:415", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.691353545429859, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I may, yeah, yeah. I may have been doing so well at that time he didn't even have to bring it up. I mean, it was, I think I may have like thanked him at one point and said, you know, you told me the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the, again, we'll stick with the first six months. That's kind of a. Did you travel out to visit people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, once I found out where my neighbors lived, my closest Peace Corps. Yeah. Yeah. At least once a week I'd go over to their place for dinner, or they'd come to my place and. And there were many trips to the town in those first months because I had to furnish my room. Oh, I didn't. I skipped something. Another thing happened during the first six months, which, um, I was able to move out of the school and move into my own shack, I'll call it. Uh. It had been the former house of the German finca owner. Very humble, wood shack, cement floor, raised off the ground, no screening. So I had to go into town. A lot of the volunteers came to my site and put up the screens for me, you know, so you really. You just crave to be with the other volunteers, you know, and whenever you could, but you still had a job to do. So it was maybe once a week there was some socialization with some other volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So now how soon after you arrived there did you get the shack and start fixing it up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm just trying to think. I think it might have been two months, three months. Once I found out about it. See, in my walking around I found out about it and I learned that that was owned by the government and, you know, we were there under the auspices. So I put in my request and said, could I move there? Because I really, I really was like living in a glass bowl in the school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a delicate matter, telling the teacher that you were moving out?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:417", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8792817171442877, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, once I found out where my neighbors lived, my closest Peace Corps. Yeah. Yeah. At least once a week I'd go over to their place for dinner, or they'd come to my place and. And there were many trips to the town in those first months because I had to furnish my room. Oh, I didn't. I skipped something. Another thing happened during the first six months, which, um, I was able to move out of the school and move into my own shack, I'll call it. Uh. It had been the former house of the German finca owner. Very humble, wood shack, cement floor, raised off the ground, no screening. So I had to go into town. A lot of the volunteers came to my site and put up the screens for me, you know, so you really. You just crave to be with the other volunteers, you know, and whenever you could, but you still had a job to do. So it was maybe once a week there was some socialization with some other volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So now how soon after you arrived there did you get the shack and start fixing it up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm just trying to think. I think it might have been two months, three months. Once I found out about it. See, in my walking around I found out about it and I learned that that was owned by the government and, you know, we were there under the auspices. So I put in my request and said, could I move there? Because I really, I really was like living in a glass bowl in the school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a delicate matter, telling the teacher that you were moving out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. He was fine with it. You know, I wondered whether some of the other people might think, you know, something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what did you do for food?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:419", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0880907968269864, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm just trying to think. I think it might have been two months, three months. Once I found out about it. See, in my walking around I found out about it and I learned that that was owned by the government and, you know, we were there under the auspices. So I put in my request and said, could I move there? Because I really, I really was like living in a glass bowl in the school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a delicate matter, telling the teacher that you were moving out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. He was fine with it. You know, I wondered whether some of the other people might think, you know, something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what did you do for food?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did my own. Then I had to go and buy my propane stove and my five cylinder and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a fridge or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:423", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.577889872625909, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did my own. Then I had to go and buy my propane stove and my five cylinder and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a fridge or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. No refrigeration. So I got very little fresh, fresh food. Eggs, of course. And a guy would come around on a horse every so often and sell me the lomo that it would really be like filet mignon, which is about the only meat you could chew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I buy that from him. I'd have meat once a week, but I'm trying to think what I ate. I mean, I ate lots of beets, lots of root vegetables."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You went in town to buy food too?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:425", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.864322080695455, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. No refrigeration. So I got very little fresh, fresh food. Eggs, of course. And a guy would come around on a horse every so often and sell me the lomo that it would really be like filet mignon, which is about the only meat you could chew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I buy that from him. I'd have meat once a week, but I'm trying to think what I ate. I mean, I ate lots of beets, lots of root vegetables."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You went in town to buy food too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I. Yeah, I did buy them there. That's where I would buy my veggies, in town. I couldn't eat salads. I mean, that was, anything above the ground that couldn't eat. And I crave them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was it a little two burner stove?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:429", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.5362000996240184, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I. Yeah, I did buy them there. That's where I would buy my veggies, in town. I couldn't eat salads. I mean, that was, anything above the ground that couldn't eat. And I crave them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was it a little two burner stove?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, little two propane thing. And my pressure cooker came in mighty handy, you know, and I guess it was turnips and potatoes and beets and eggs. Chicken. Yeah. I mean, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I then set up housekeeping. I then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How close was the nearest house?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:431", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8180001106933537, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, little two propane thing. And my pressure cooker came in mighty handy, you know, and I guess it was turnips and potatoes and beets and eggs. Chicken. Yeah. I mean, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I then set up housekeeping. I then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How close was the nearest house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From my new house? From the, well, I guess my nearest neighbor was, well, my nearest neighbor actually was an Indian family that was sort of the caretakers of this property. So they were within earshot. They would be, oh, I'd say 50 yards, 50 yards away. And then there was another house on the other side of the road. This new residence for me brought me back out to the main road where the bus would go. It wasn't paved yet, but yeah, it was at least not down this rickety lane to the schoolhouse. I felt connected a little bit more. I'm a city girl, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I was wondering whether you felt isolated, I mean, living alone. And were there any security concerns?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:435", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4790124823374735, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From my new house? From the, well, I guess my nearest neighbor was, well, my nearest neighbor actually was an Indian family that was sort of the caretakers of this property. So they were within earshot. They would be, oh, I'd say 50 yards, 50 yards away. And then there was another house on the other side of the road. This new residence for me brought me back out to the main road where the bus would go. It wasn't paved yet, but yeah, it was at least not down this rickety lane to the schoolhouse. I felt connected a little bit more. I'm a city girl, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I was wondering whether you felt isolated, I mean, living alone. And were there any security concerns?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there really wasn't. Yeah. When I, you know, when I think back to a lot of things I did with my life, I was like either dumb or a fool or something. But no, I never felt threatened or at-risk safety wise or anything. No, the people were amazingly respectful and beautiful people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the end of the six months."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:437", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.865569424819415, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there really wasn't. Yeah. When I, you know, when I think back to a lot of things I did with my life, I was like either dumb or a fool or something. But no, I never felt threatened or at-risk safety wise or anything. No, the people were amazingly respectful and beautiful people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the end of the six months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Things were starting to happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you made any particular friends who might be? Sometimes people get one or two people from the country who are sort of their bridge to the culture, you know, that make it a little easier for you to understand what's going on. Did anyone emerge like that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:439", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1839660275771275, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there really wasn't. Yeah. When I, you know, when I think back to a lot of things I did with my life, I was like either dumb or a fool or something. But no, I never felt threatened or at-risk safety wise or anything. No, the people were amazingly respectful and beautiful people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the end of the six months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Things were starting to happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you made any particular friends who might be? Sometimes people get one or two people from the country who are sort of their bridge to the culture, you know, that make it a little easier for you to understand what's going on. Did anyone emerge like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, this Eladio, the one farmer that I really, I really just found him. I think he was, I think he was very bright. I think he, if he didn't go to school, he should have been. He should have gone to school. He had a curiosity. He had a knowledge. Yeah. I would say he helped me with the farmers. I mean, he helped me understand what was going on. And by the end of six months, things were starting to, they were starting to talk to me and really let me know what was on their mind. Of course, the schoolteacher wanted another schoolteacher, full time, paid for by the government, and that was quite obvious. And that was echoed by a lot of the farmers too, because they knew that their children needed another teacher. They were. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's take that issue that's a felt community need. What did you do? What was your role in doing something about it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:447", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.852866983046985, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, we, you know, there's such a big difference in us that you learn to look at yourself. And it was. It was great. I was just got real excited when I found out, yeah, they could do it. And I started on, I started doing it. I started going around getting the signatures and things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have to go, did you have to go all the way into Guatemala City to get information or was it available closer at?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I can't quite remember. I can't quite remember. Maybe the teacher. Maybe the teacher himself knew about it, you know, and maybe. I'm just thinking. I mean, he was a smart guy. He was a smart guy. Maybe he felt that by getting me there, he'd get it. You know, for all I know, he may have had his petition in for a long time and might be, by me being there, you know, tiene cuello. That means, we have collar. You have some pull. I mean, he was politically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't literally carry the petitions around and see that they got signed, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you did, OK."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:449", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.392074425607761, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I can't quite remember. I can't quite remember. Maybe the teacher. Maybe the teacher himself knew about it, you know, and maybe. I'm just thinking. I mean, he was a smart guy. He was a smart guy. Maybe he felt that by getting me there, he'd get it. You know, for all I know, he may have had his petition in for a long time and might be, by me being there, you know, tiene cuello. That means, we have collar. You have some pull. I mean, he was politically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't literally carry the petitions around and see that they got signed, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you did, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. See I would do. That was where I fit in, that's what I would do. I'd go and explain things to people. But I had to earn their trust for them to start, you know, enabling me. Yeah. Whereas the teacher, I don't, I don't know whether he wanted to do it or. I don't know, I guess, I don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was using your collar."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:451", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.991193806230845, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you did, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. See I would do. That was where I fit in, that's what I would do. I'd go and explain things to people. But I had to earn their trust for them to start, you know, enabling me. Yeah. Whereas the teacher, I don't, I don't know whether he wanted to do it or. I don't know, I guess, I don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was using your collar."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right. He was. He was. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was during the second six months or beyond?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:455", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.396535563247957, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right. He was. He was. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was during the second six months or beyond?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Yeah. And I will add, I'm jumping ahead, but they did get a teacher by the time I left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, what was the other thing that they wanted? They, uh, they wanted some health care. They wanted some sort of access to have. And I learned there was a male nurse living in the town where my, one of the married couples was. Well, they had already set up a nursing program there, an education program about nutrition and all that. So I tapped on him and asked him to come to my site one day a week too. So that was good. And I had the women coming to my house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was Guatemalan?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:457", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.218372848053285, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Yeah. And I will add, I'm jumping ahead, but they did get a teacher by the time I left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, what was the other thing that they wanted? They, uh, they wanted some health care. They wanted some sort of access to have. And I learned there was a male nurse living in the town where my, one of the married couples was. Well, they had already set up a nursing program there, an education program about nutrition and all that. So I tapped on him and asked him to come to my site one day a week too. So that was good. And I had the women coming to my house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was Guatemalan?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah. And he was a pompous son of a gun. You know, he would show up once in a while, you know, and then he wouldn't show sometimes, you know. But if he didn't show, I would go into my nutrition courses and cooking. And I showed them how to use a pressure cooker and they, most of them cooked over wood so they didn't even know propane. There were many, many things I could substitute for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you ended up doing direct teaching."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:459", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.131525386725873, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, what was the other thing that they wanted? They, uh, they wanted some health care. They wanted some sort of access to have. And I learned there was a male nurse living in the town where my, one of the married couples was. Well, they had already set up a nursing program there, an education program about nutrition and all that. So I tapped on him and asked him to come to my site one day a week too. So that was good. And I had the women coming to my house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was Guatemalan?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah. And he was a pompous son of a gun. You know, he would show up once in a while, you know, and then he wouldn't show sometimes, you know. But if he didn't show, I would go into my nutrition courses and cooking. And I showed them how to use a pressure cooker and they, most of them cooked over wood so they didn't even know propane. There were many, many things I could substitute for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you ended up doing direct teaching."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was semi teaching. Yeah. At that point, when he wouldn't show and all. But my main goal was to have him come."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't a formal, like you asked people to commit to three months and you would give so many lessons in home ec and what have you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:463", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.69324121818009, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was semi teaching. Yeah. At that point, when he wouldn't show and all. But my main goal was to have him come."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't a formal, like you asked people to commit to three months and you would give so many lessons in home ec and what have you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. It was like by the seat of your pants every week, you know? I mean, the day was set, the day of the week was set. They would show up. And then I started running a, um, storytelling thing. This was all on me with the little kids that they wanted after school to come to my house. And my sister, the nun, had gotten all her kids and her Catholic school to donate money, and I was able to buy a whole library of Spanish books."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, lovely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I had a library going in my house and the kids would come late in the afternoon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where'd you buy the books?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:465", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.548045797977878, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. It was like by the seat of your pants every week, you know? I mean, the day was set, the day of the week was set. They would show up. And then I started running a, um, storytelling thing. This was all on me with the little kids that they wanted after school to come to my house. And my sister, the nun, had gotten all her kids and her Catholic school to donate money, and I was able to buy a whole library of Spanish books."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, lovely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I had a library going in my house and the kids would come late in the afternoon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where'd you buy the books?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the capital, the capital city. I had to go in there and get them. And that was uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The kids would come and sit and read?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:467", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.497828664419863, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I had a library going in my house and the kids would come late in the afternoon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where'd you buy the books?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the capital, the capital city. I had to go in there and get them. And that was uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The kids would come and sit and read?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't running."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:469", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.553142960466515, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the capital, the capital city. I had to go in there and get them. And that was uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The kids would come and sit and read?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't running."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Read stories. They didn't know what stories were, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't running a lending library."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:471", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.72571440051835, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't running."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Read stories. They didn't know what stories were, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't running a lending library."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did I lend them out or not? I may have. I don't know. I don't know. I can't remember. So many, so many important things I can't remember. But I just remember the niceness of that. That was a nice thing. That was fun for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The end of the first year was a break point sort of."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:473", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 13.0285715561315, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Read stories. They didn't know what stories were, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't running a lending library."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did I lend them out or not? I may have. I don't know. I don't know. I can't remember. So many, so many important things I can't remember. But I just remember the niceness of that. That was a nice thing. That was fun for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The end of the first year was a break point sort of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there another conference of volunteers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:475", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.80952395125722, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did I lend them out or not? I may have. I don't know. I don't know. I can't remember. So many, so many important things I can't remember. But I just remember the niceness of that. That was a nice thing. That was fun for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The end of the first year was a break point sort of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there another conference of volunteers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, there were conferences like every two months. We were always meeting each other. There was also a place that we could go to in the city called, it was called the papal house. A retired dentist from, I believe he was from Saint Louis or somewhere in the Midwest. He and his wife, when they retired, took their money, went down and bought this beautiful home in a very nice section of Guatemala and dedicated their lives to running sort of a B&B. At dirt cheap, I think $2, you'd get a bed with sheets on it and three meals and conversation around a big table. I mean, it was really a great place. And volunteers from all groups. And every chance I got, I would go in there.\n\nAnd I had a couple of visitors too. I had my airline people, a couple of airline people flew down at two different times. A woman I had done all my traveling with to Europe, she had moved to San Francisco. She came down and visited me and spent two weeks and then I did my traveling then. I went up to the Petén and we did all the things tourists do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You took a break?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:477", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.677248834730245, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there another conference of volunteers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, there were conferences like every two months. We were always meeting each other. There was also a place that we could go to in the city called, it was called the papal house. A retired dentist from, I believe he was from Saint Louis or somewhere in the Midwest. He and his wife, when they retired, took their money, went down and bought this beautiful home in a very nice section of Guatemala and dedicated their lives to running sort of a B&B. At dirt cheap, I think $2, you'd get a bed with sheets on it and three meals and conversation around a big table. I mean, it was really a great place. And volunteers from all groups. And every chance I got, I would go in there.\n\nAnd I had a couple of visitors too. I had my airline people, a couple of airline people flew down at two different times. A woman I had done all my traveling with to Europe, she had moved to San Francisco. She came down and visited me and spent two weeks and then I did my traveling then. I went up to the Petén and we did all the things tourists do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You took a break?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, took a break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Between the first and second?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:479", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.641387594144716, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, there were conferences like every two months. We were always meeting each other. There was also a place that we could go to in the city called, it was called the papal house. A retired dentist from, I believe he was from Saint Louis or somewhere in the Midwest. He and his wife, when they retired, took their money, went down and bought this beautiful home in a very nice section of Guatemala and dedicated their lives to running sort of a B&B. At dirt cheap, I think $2, you'd get a bed with sheets on it and three meals and conversation around a big table. I mean, it was really a great place. And volunteers from all groups. And every chance I got, I would go in there.\n\nAnd I had a couple of visitors too. I had my airline people, a couple of airline people flew down at two different times. A woman I had done all my traveling with to Europe, she had moved to San Francisco. She came down and visited me and spent two weeks and then I did my traveling then. I went up to the Petén and we did all the things tourists do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You took a break?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, took a break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Between the first and second?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I had to save my money to do it. You know, pay was pretty, pretty modest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any restrictions on your travel at that point? Could you go back to the U.S. if you wanted?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:481", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.712652882383017, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, took a break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Between the first and second?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I had to save my money to do it. You know, pay was pretty, pretty modest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any restrictions on your travel at that point? Could you go back to the U.S. if you wanted?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, we couldn't. No, no. That was the understanding. We were not to go back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the whole two years."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:483", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 11.90294764709224, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I had to save my money to do it. You know, pay was pretty, pretty modest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any restrictions on your travel at that point? Could you go back to the U.S. if you wanted?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, we couldn't. No, no. That was the understanding. We were not to go back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the whole two years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that's changed now. I think it's changed a lot. But no, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so where did you vacation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:485", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.558830718991378, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, we couldn't. No, no. That was the understanding. We were not to go back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the whole two years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that's changed now. I think it's changed a lot. But no, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so where did you vacation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Went up to the highlands, where the Indians are, where most tourists go when they go to Guatemala. That's where all the beautiful costumes and things they make. Lake Atitlán. Went up to the Petén, the Mayan civilization up there. Had to fly in there. And then actually visited another volunteer up there who had, had a very unique job. He was helping a group of Guatemalans homestead up in the jungle. The deal was if they went up in the forest jungle on this plateau and cleared it, they could keep the land. Well, the only way to get to these spots was by the river. So I flew in by airplane and then got on Phil's elongated canoe with a motor, went by about 45 minutes down the river to his site. He lived in a thatched roof."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was Phil's?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:487", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.954256354434864, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that's changed now. I think it's changed a lot. But no, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so where did you vacation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Went up to the highlands, where the Indians are, where most tourists go when they go to Guatemala. That's where all the beautiful costumes and things they make. Lake Atitlán. Went up to the Petén, the Mayan civilization up there. Had to fly in there. And then actually visited another volunteer up there who had, had a very unique job. He was helping a group of Guatemalans homestead up in the jungle. The deal was if they went up in the forest jungle on this plateau and cleared it, they could keep the land. Well, the only way to get to these spots was by the river. So I flew in by airplane and then got on Phil's elongated canoe with a motor, went by about 45 minutes down the river to his site. He lived in a thatched roof."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was Phil's?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Phil Jones. And in fact, I tried to get him to come to this reunion. We were emailing. He's in Kosovo now. He still works for, uh, he worked for the World Bank."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I've heard of him."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:489", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.3936181715942935, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Went up to the highlands, where the Indians are, where most tourists go when they go to Guatemala. That's where all the beautiful costumes and things they make. Lake Atitlán. Went up to the Petén, the Mayan civilization up there. Had to fly in there. And then actually visited another volunteer up there who had, had a very unique job. He was helping a group of Guatemalans homestead up in the jungle. The deal was if they went up in the forest jungle on this plateau and cleared it, they could keep the land. Well, the only way to get to these spots was by the river. So I flew in by airplane and then got on Phil's elongated canoe with a motor, went by about 45 minutes down the river to his site. He lived in a thatched roof."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was Phil's?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Phil Jones. And in fact, I tried to get him to come to this reunion. We were emailing. He's in Kosovo now. He still works for, uh, he worked for the World Bank."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I've heard of him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You have heard of him?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think so."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:491", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6595757462158813, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Phil Jones. And in fact, I tried to get him to come to this reunion. We were emailing. He's in Kosovo now. He still works for, uh, he worked for the World Bank."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I've heard of him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You have heard of him?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really? Phil Jones. He was in this kind of work all forever. I don't know how he stayed married. He's married. His wife lives in Pittsburgh. They have three kids, but he's gone most of the year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Maybe that's how they stay married."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:493", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.9550841624620903, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You have heard of him?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really? Phil Jones. He was in this kind of work all forever. I don't know how he stayed married. He's married. His wife lives in Pittsburgh. They have three kids, but he's gone most of the year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Maybe that's how they stay married."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, you're absolutely right. I can agree with that totally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But OK. End of the first year."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:495", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.172315736068989, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really? Phil Jones. He was in this kind of work all forever. I don't know how he stayed married. He's married. His wife lives in Pittsburgh. They have three kids, but he's gone most of the year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Maybe that's how they stay married."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, you're absolutely right. I can agree with that totally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But OK. End of the first year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yeah, so I went to the Petén, had a great time up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you started your second year, do you recall setting any new goals for yourself? You know, now you can see that your time is finite."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:497", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3025730400766549, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, you're absolutely right. I can agree with that totally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But OK. End of the first year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yeah, so I went to the Petén, had a great time up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you started your second year, do you recall setting any new goals for yourself? You know, now you can see that your time is finite."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I actually had a big calendar and I was counting the days. Not that I, you know, not I was rushing it, but I was, I was looking forward. I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you expected to do 24 months service or was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:499", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4473033778629498, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yeah, so I went to the Petén, had a great time up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you started your second year, do you recall setting any new goals for yourself? You know, now you can see that your time is finite."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I actually had a big calendar and I was counting the days. Not that I, you know, not I was rushing it, but I was, I was looking forward. I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you expected to do 24 months service or was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "24."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's, so it's training plus 24?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:503", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6756831825468514, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "24."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's, so it's training plus 24?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So, no, I didn't come back till June of '69."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. As you went into the second year, do you recall particularly thinking that, setting any goals for yourself or, you know?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:505", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7507590917187238, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So, no, I didn't come back till June of '69."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. As you went into the second year, do you recall particularly thinking that, setting any goals for yourself or, you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just wanted to get the jobs that I had already started done. I wanted to try to see some results."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which at that point was some health care, some school teaching, the petition to get another teacher there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:507", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8341767685763598, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So, no, I didn't come back till June of '69."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. As you went into the second year, do you recall particularly thinking that, setting any goals for yourself or, you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just wanted to get the jobs that I had already started done. I wanted to try to see some results."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which at that point was some health care, some school teaching, the petition to get another teacher there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there was a fourth one."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:513", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1442754027110558, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, well, I didn't even tell you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The library."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was, that was my own thing. I knew that wasn't going to survive after me. I mean, I left them the books. No, they wanted a bridge. You know, you say Peace Corps builds bridges. I mean, it's so bad. But there was, there was one shortcut out to the highway that if this bridge were built, they could get their crops to the town faster and cheaper. And it was this stream like thing and there were great big round tubes. What do they call that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Culverts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Culverts. Yeah, sure. But they were broken and scattered and anything. So that came out, you know, during the first six months or the second six months. Well, that was a whole different ballgame for me because that was out of my bailiwick. So then I had to start finding out what agencies could take care of that. Well, to make a long story short, the bridge was built. The bridge got built before I left and I have pictures and stuff so. But all the men had to provide the labor and, you know, all this information, I'd be the relayer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So again, strictly the role of facilitator."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:515", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2714171141233952, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was, that was my own thing. I knew that wasn't going to survive after me. I mean, I left them the books. No, they wanted a bridge. You know, you say Peace Corps builds bridges. I mean, it's so bad. But there was, there was one shortcut out to the highway that if this bridge were built, they could get their crops to the town faster and cheaper. And it was this stream like thing and there were great big round tubes. What do they call that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Culverts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Culverts. Yeah, sure. But they were broken and scattered and anything. So that came out, you know, during the first six months or the second six months. Well, that was a whole different ballgame for me because that was out of my bailiwick. So then I had to start finding out what agencies could take care of that. Well, to make a long story short, the bridge was built. The bridge got built before I left and I have pictures and stuff so. But all the men had to provide the labor and, you know, all this information, I'd be the relayer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So again, strictly the role of facilitator."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Facilitator, absolutely. I told them, you could do it, what was needed, how much money. I think they all had to chip in some money, but the government would come and then if they provided the labor and, you know, all the rules of the game were brought back and forth. And they did it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You never picked up a shovel and started digging?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:517", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.412685682359328, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Culverts. Yeah, sure. But they were broken and scattered and anything. So that came out, you know, during the first six months or the second six months. Well, that was a whole different ballgame for me because that was out of my bailiwick. So then I had to start finding out what agencies could take care of that. Well, to make a long story short, the bridge was built. The bridge got built before I left and I have pictures and stuff so. But all the men had to provide the labor and, you know, all this information, I'd be the relayer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So again, strictly the role of facilitator."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Facilitator, absolutely. I told them, you could do it, what was needed, how much money. I think they all had to chip in some money, but the government would come and then if they provided the labor and, you know, all the rules of the game were brought back and forth. And they did it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You never picked up a shovel and started digging?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never started planning or anything there. You mean, with their, with their?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, when the project was on, you know, sort of?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:519", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.569650758177031, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Facilitator, absolutely. I told them, you could do it, what was needed, how much money. I think they all had to chip in some money, but the government would come and then if they provided the labor and, you know, all the rules of the game were brought back and forth. And they did it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You never picked up a shovel and started digging?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never started planning or anything there. You mean, with their, with their?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, when the project was on, you know, sort of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. It was, it was, it was really, it was, it was too big a job. I mean, it was, it was a nasty job. Yeah. I wouldn't have had the strength. I mean, first of all, I don't know how they did. Most of them were skin and bones, you know. What they could do with their strength was amazing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during the second year, you didn't say, if I don't finish this, then my time will not have been worth it or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:521", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7440563979744788, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never started planning or anything there. You mean, with their, with their?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, when the project was on, you know, sort of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. It was, it was, it was really, it was, it was too big a job. I mean, it was, it was a nasty job. Yeah. I wouldn't have had the strength. I mean, first of all, I don't know how they did. Most of them were skin and bones, you know. What they could do with their strength was amazing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during the second year, you didn't say, if I don't finish this, then my time will not have been worth it or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, I, you know, I kind of had a philosophical outlook by then. I realized what a mammoth job it is to recreate foreign countries. I mean, you know, if I did a couple small things that were going to make their lives easier, that was going to be fine. And that was all I could ever expect or hope for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you asked by Peace Corps whether you should be replaced?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:523", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9378404421938653, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. It was, it was, it was really, it was, it was too big a job. I mean, it was, it was a nasty job. Yeah. I wouldn't have had the strength. I mean, first of all, I don't know how they did. Most of them were skin and bones, you know. What they could do with their strength was amazing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during the second year, you didn't say, if I don't finish this, then my time will not have been worth it or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, I, you know, I kind of had a philosophical outlook by then. I realized what a mammoth job it is to recreate foreign countries. I mean, you know, if I did a couple small things that were going to make their lives easier, that was going to be fine. And that was all I could ever expect or hope for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you asked by Peace Corps whether you should be replaced?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I don't recall. I don't recall that process. By the way, we were not replaced. They never replaced that program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any idea why?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:525", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1531560468820725, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, I, you know, I kind of had a philosophical outlook by then. I realized what a mammoth job it is to recreate foreign countries. I mean, you know, if I did a couple small things that were going to make their lives easier, that was going to be fine. And that was all I could ever expect or hope for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you asked by Peace Corps whether you should be replaced?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I don't recall. I don't recall that process. By the way, we were not replaced. They never replaced that program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any idea why?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. And I always was curious as to why. I figured were we failures? I don't know. But why it didn't continue, I don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, by the end of the second year, was there more political activity building up in the civil war?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:533", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.04718190349348, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Well, the closest I came to any. Well, the ambassador was killed. There were things going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I was not. I was so removed from it, and most of us were. I mean, we really. We really were apolitical in the true sense of the word. The closest I ever came to knowing that something was happening politically in the country or militarily, whatever you want to call it, was one day coming from the swimming hole with the teacher and the kids. This was in the first year. This was not the second year. And around the turn of the road comes a row all abreast of military with guns. And that, that alarmed me. And they were just coming towards us. And the teacher just quietly said, you know, out of the way, you know. So we just went off to the size and they just kept going. They were obviously looking for somebody. But there was no unrest down in that particular area. There might have been unrest in the towns."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I started to make some Guatemalan friends, maybe upper middle class people. And I know a couple of times got into some political discussions there that made me to believe that the one guy may have been bandero by night or something on this rightist side of things. Yeah. Yeah. You know, like he was saying, what are you doing this for? You know, or what's your, what are you really here for? You know, that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I assume he spoke English."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:537", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5273850660413335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I started to make some Guatemalan friends, maybe upper middle class people. And I know a couple of times got into some political discussions there that made me to believe that the one guy may have been bandero by night or something on this rightist side of things. Yeah. Yeah. You know, like he was saying, what are you doing this for? You know, or what's your, what are you really here for? You know, that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I assume he spoke English."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, but we spoke in Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We spoke in Spanish, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And those people you had met in the town?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:539", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.808205628934815, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, but we spoke in Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We spoke in Spanish, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And those people you had met in the town?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the town. They would find out from the school teacher or they'd find out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would they invite you to dinner?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:541", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1202284765942387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We spoke in Spanish, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And those people you had met in the town?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the town. They would find out from the school teacher or they'd find out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would they invite you to dinner?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. And in fact, I stayed overnight sometimes. I ended up going to their children's birthday parties and things like that. No, there was a sort of an entrée by being an American, uh, an entrée into many, many levels of society."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And their interest was that they just enjoyed the company of an American?\n\nYeah, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:543", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.466920529549154, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the town. They would find out from the school teacher or they'd find out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would they invite you to dinner?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. And in fact, I stayed overnight sometimes. I ended up going to their children's birthday parties and things like that. No, there was a sort of an entrée by being an American, uh, an entrée into many, many levels of society."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And their interest was that they just enjoyed the company of an American?\n\nYeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And you enjoyed good food."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Getting out of my. You got it. You got it. A decent meal. And, you know, some maybe higher level conversation or just a little more learned, you know?\n\nSo life was pretty placid but not."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:545", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8521339217212818, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. And in fact, I stayed overnight sometimes. I ended up going to their children's birthday parties and things like that. No, there was a sort of an entrée by being an American, uh, an entrée into many, many levels of society."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And their interest was that they just enjoyed the company of an American?\n\nYeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And you enjoyed good food."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Getting out of my. You got it. You got it. A decent meal. And, you know, some maybe higher level conversation or just a little more learned, you know?\n\nSo life was pretty placid but not."}, {"role": "user", "content": "With breaks. With breaks now and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there, uh, was there any of the traditional life of festivals and celebrations of births and deaths and marriages? Did you touch on that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:551", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.049566422114241, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, the closest to that, in my site now I'm talking about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, the biggest, well, soccer. Yeah, they all played soccer. The kids play with bare feet in town. That was the big thing. I remember again, it was the first year, being told that the priest was going to come and have Mass. This was the first time, you know, that this had happened. And I'm thinking, oh really? You know, so he came and I was again in the school yard and I saw a lot of the people had come out and Mass was served there and all. And then it wasn't too long after that that an evangelical came. And guess what? Same people were there. You know, again, this is all my head scratching, you know, what's wrong with this picture? This religion thing is like, you know. I mean, it was a social thing. That was a social thing for them. I'm sure they had some beliefs, but it was a lot of social. They didn't have much social life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, it was hard work and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was no point at, say toward the end of the second year, when Peace Corps called you in and alerted you to political problems?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:553", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.499518246793601, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, the biggest, well, soccer. Yeah, they all played soccer. The kids play with bare feet in town. That was the big thing. I remember again, it was the first year, being told that the priest was going to come and have Mass. This was the first time, you know, that this had happened. And I'm thinking, oh really? You know, so he came and I was again in the school yard and I saw a lot of the people had come out and Mass was served there and all. And then it wasn't too long after that that an evangelical came. And guess what? Same people were there. You know, again, this is all my head scratching, you know, what's wrong with this picture? This religion thing is like, you know. I mean, it was a social thing. That was a social thing for them. I'm sure they had some beliefs, but it was a lot of social. They didn't have much social life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, it was hard work and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was no point at, say toward the end of the second year, when Peace Corps called you in and alerted you to political problems?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "None of that? OK."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:555", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.999464718659556, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, it was hard work and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was no point at, say toward the end of the second year, when Peace Corps called you in and alerted you to political problems?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "None of that? OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Yeah. They really, I mean, you know, you read things and say, were you undercover or, you know, things like that going on. And I never felt used or abused or any way connected to the rest of the political scheme of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Peace Corps staff ever come out to your site?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:557", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.554960798510618, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "None of that? OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Yeah. They really, I mean, you know, you read things and say, were you undercover or, you know, things like that going on. And I never felt used or abused or any way connected to the rest of the political scheme of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Peace Corps staff ever come out to your site?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm just trying to remember. I think he may have come out once. I think he may have visited me once or twice at the most. And, um. No, I guess not. You know, not that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you doing any kind of reporting back to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:561", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4011861710007625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm just trying to remember. I think he may have come out once. I think he may have visited me once or twice at the most. And, um. No, I guess not. You know, not that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you doing any kind of reporting back to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, oh yeah. I think we had to do a monthly report."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Spanish. And then at the end of the two years, we had to summarize our two year service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was that for Peace Corps purposes?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:563", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7790957455564027, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, oh yeah. I think we had to do a monthly report."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Spanish. And then at the end of the two years, we had to summarize our two year service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was that for Peace Corps purposes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not for the ministry of?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:565", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.198995272840447, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Spanish. And then at the end of the two years, we had to summarize our two year service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was that for Peace Corps purposes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not for the ministry of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Peace Corps. Well, unless they, um, unless they shared it with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, if they were in Spanish."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:567", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.665550303156052, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not for the ministry of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Peace Corps. Well, unless they, um, unless they shared it with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, if they were in Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was in Spanish. It had to be in Spanish. I really don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Do you recall what your, what it was about, I mean?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:571", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.759938645871669, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was in Spanish. It had to be in Spanish. I really don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Do you recall what your, what it was about, I mean?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have it in this box of mine. I'll have to read and think, you know, and go over what I said. Had I known I was going to be interviewed, I might have, I might have dug through this stuff in a way beforehand. But I sort of, I didn't know whether to get it all out and bore you with it now or just leave it alone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I'm sure. I'm sure in looking over, it's going to trigger a lot, a lot more things, because this is really off the cuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, that's fine. Toward the end of the second year."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:573", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.177709606524076, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have it in this box of mine. I'll have to read and think, you know, and go over what I said. Had I known I was going to be interviewed, I might have, I might have dug through this stuff in a way beforehand. But I sort of, I didn't know whether to get it all out and bore you with it now or just leave it alone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I'm sure. I'm sure in looking over, it's going to trigger a lot, a lot more things, because this is really off the cuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, that's fine. Toward the end of the second year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was counting the days. I was looking forward to going home. I was going to go home via Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My first cousin on my mother's side was getting married, so I was going to stop off. And I remember my cousin. My uncle at the time worried about me showing up at this wedding as a hippie flower child. I mean, you know, they didn't know what to expect. And I was quite proper."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is '69, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:575", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.641899562804529, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I'm sure. I'm sure in looking over, it's going to trigger a lot, a lot more things, because this is really off the cuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, that's fine. Toward the end of the second year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was counting the days. I was looking forward to going home. I was going to go home via Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My first cousin on my mother's side was getting married, so I was going to stop off. And I remember my cousin. My uncle at the time worried about me showing up at this wedding as a hippie flower child. I mean, you know, they didn't know what to expect. And I was quite proper."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is '69, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was '69. I mean, I was quite proper. He was so relieved to see me dressed in a nice dress. And, you know, I mean, you know, there was such a. I got a kick out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how did you feel as you left?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:577", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.157666180893921, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was counting the days. I was looking forward to going home. I was going to go home via Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My first cousin on my mother's side was getting married, so I was going to stop off. And I remember my cousin. My uncle at the time worried about me showing up at this wedding as a hippie flower child. I mean, you know, they didn't know what to expect. And I was quite proper."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is '69, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was '69. I mean, I was quite proper. He was so relieved to see me dressed in a nice dress. And, you know, I mean, you know, there was such a. I got a kick out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how did you feel as you left?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Guatemala, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In relation if you think back to your joining, you know, you didn't have any clear."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:583", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.074987902460796, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I felt good. I felt good. I was glad to be going home. I really felt I had accomplished something. I really felt good about myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought it was the best thing I had ever done for myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In terms of I did something really tough and I survived. It's a great feeling. [tape break] I was ready to come home. I was ready to go on with my life in other ways."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, did you have any clear idea of what you wanted to do or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:591", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.805346597257728, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And I knew that was there, so I'd have a means to support myself. And shortly after I got back, I found out about a job through another returned volunteer who had seen it in Washington or something. I ended up getting a job with Sesame Street as a result of my Peace Corps. I had a wonderful career. I was, uh, they were hiring in Philadelphia, community development. They were looking for returned volunteers. I had Spanish. They wanted people to go around in the ghetto and promote the show."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Lovely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Promote the families, uh, you know, because Joan Cooney, the founder, was trying to close the educational gap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Having the kids watch it in their living rooms with mom. Well, mom, they didn't want it to be used as a babysitter but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who was funding that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:595", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.401662465750281, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Having the kids watch it in their living rooms with mom. Well, mom, they didn't want it to be used as a babysitter but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who was funding that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was government at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, Joan Cooney walked in, you know, and sold her idea and said, we're not only going to make this show, we're going to make sure it gets to the target audience. So to get to the target audience, who's better than a Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like a Head Start program."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:597", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.224069406389201, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was government at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, Joan Cooney walked in, you know, and sold her idea and said, we're not only going to make this show, we're going to make sure it gets to the target audience. So to get to the target audience, who's better than a Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like a Head Start program."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but we went out and so I did that for a couple of years and that was, I loved that job. Then I got promoted and I went to New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have felt good though, because it was such a logical extension of."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:599", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.915632673765779, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, Joan Cooney walked in, you know, and sold her idea and said, we're not only going to make this show, we're going to make sure it gets to the target audience. So to get to the target audience, who's better than a Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like a Head Start program."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but we went out and so I did that for a couple of years and that was, I loved that job. Then I got promoted and I went to New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have felt good though, because it was such a logical extension of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, although the Spanish was Spanglish. I mean, Puerto Rican Spanish is, forget it, forget it. But I mean, it was my hometown and I loved it. It was very creative. And I was able to do a lot for my educational background as well as I love kids. And I thrived in that job. And if I hadn't met and married him, I'd be working for them today. I went to New York, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And at any point, did you think of further education?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:601", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.684036304184199, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but we went out and so I did that for a couple of years and that was, I loved that job. Then I got promoted and I went to New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have felt good though, because it was such a logical extension of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, although the Spanish was Spanglish. I mean, Puerto Rican Spanish is, forget it, forget it. But I mean, it was my hometown and I loved it. It was very creative. And I was able to do a lot for my educational background as well as I love kids. And I thrived in that job. And if I hadn't met and married him, I'd be working for them today. I went to New York, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And at any point, did you think of further education?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, no. No, no, I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your, over the first five years back, your continuing connection to Guatemala, if any?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:605", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.251896671832343, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, no. No, no, I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your, over the first five years back, your continuing connection to Guatemala, if any?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Let me think. Did I, did I write? I think wrote. I wrote to the teacher once in a while and some of the people wrote me then. The downside in a way which hurt me was they all wanted to come and live with me, you know, and I had to say no. I had to say no. There was no way I could have sponsored or supported. And I was really on my own then because my mom was very sickly when I came home, she didn't live too much longer. She was in a nursing home, and so I was living as frugally as I was down there. I was still single. And so. Um, no, I. The job was Sesame Street, was the big chance I got to do. The teaching, I guess I never really was into the teaching. I was too ready to leave it initially to go and join the airlines. I mean, I come from a family of teachers, but I guess."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I did a stint recently before I really retired, I went back into subbing in the Philadelphia system. So that culture shock all over again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall your initial reverse culture shock in coming back from? Can you talk about it a little bit?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:607", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.168774079813714, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Let me think. Did I, did I write? I think wrote. I wrote to the teacher once in a while and some of the people wrote me then. The downside in a way which hurt me was they all wanted to come and live with me, you know, and I had to say no. I had to say no. There was no way I could have sponsored or supported. And I was really on my own then because my mom was very sickly when I came home, she didn't live too much longer. She was in a nursing home, and so I was living as frugally as I was down there. I was still single. And so. Um, no, I. The job was Sesame Street, was the big chance I got to do. The teaching, I guess I never really was into the teaching. I was too ready to leave it initially to go and join the airlines. I mean, I come from a family of teachers, but I guess."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I did a stint recently before I really retired, I went back into subbing in the Philadelphia system. So that culture shock all over again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall your initial reverse culture shock in coming back from? Can you talk about it a little bit?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was worse here. I think it was far worse for me to get adjusted back here than it was in Guatemala."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And essentially, you went to the wedding, but you came back to Philadelphia to live."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:609", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.076415644237459, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I did a stint recently before I really retired, I went back into subbing in the Philadelphia system. So that culture shock all over again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall your initial reverse culture shock in coming back from? Can you talk about it a little bit?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was worse here. I think it was far worse for me to get adjusted back here than it was in Guatemala."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And essentially, you went to the wedding, but you came back to Philadelphia to live."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right, right. Um, I just remember that the speed, everything was moving so quickly. Joe, hey, we're. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're talking about the reverse culture shock."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:611", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.862684049152732, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was worse here. I think it was far worse for me to get adjusted back here than it was in Guatemala."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And essentially, you went to the wedding, but you came back to Philadelphia to live."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right, right. Um, I just remember that the speed, everything was moving so quickly. Joe, hey, we're. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're talking about the reverse culture shock."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The speed of everything back here. The, I guess, big city versus the laid-back kind of gentle communication or the exchanges with the people. Good morning. Good evening. That kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall how you dealt with it? Did you seek out returned volunteers or did you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:615", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.707017344633002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The speed of everything back here. The, I guess, big city versus the laid-back kind of gentle communication or the exchanges with the people. Good morning. Good evening. That kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall how you dealt with it? Did you seek out returned volunteers or did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I did. I joined the returned Peace Corps volunteer group at that point and went to some of their meetings. And but again, I don't know why. I don't know why I didn't stick with it, but whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then I remember driving a car for the first time back here and pulling into a gas station and asking for gas in Spanish. That was a shock. That was a shock because, you know, I mean. Well, that was a big break when you started to dream in Spanish and then you felt you had arrived, you know. But this was a reverse situation there so, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were using your Spanish even though was a variety."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:617", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.785574827370002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I did. I joined the returned Peace Corps volunteer group at that point and went to some of their meetings. And but again, I don't know why. I don't know why I didn't stick with it, but whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then I remember driving a car for the first time back here and pulling into a gas station and asking for gas in Spanish. That was a shock. That was a shock because, you know, I mean. Well, that was a big break when you started to dream in Spanish and then you felt you had arrived, you know. But this was a reverse situation there so, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were using your Spanish even though was a variety."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. In the job. In the Peace Corps job, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, on Sesame Street."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:619", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.872860919300003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then I remember driving a car for the first time back here and pulling into a gas station and asking for gas in Spanish. That was a shock. That was a shock because, you know, I mean. Well, that was a big break when you started to dream in Spanish and then you felt you had arrived, you know. But this was a reverse situation there so, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were using your Spanish even though was a variety."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. In the job. In the Peace Corps job, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, on Sesame Street."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, on Sesame Street, excuse me. Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I mean, that's a nice continuation."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:621", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 12.080956577000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. In the job. In the Peace Corps job, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, on Sesame Street."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, on Sesame Street, excuse me. Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I mean, that's a nice continuation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. And yeah. And it was a job that I never probably would have been interested in had I not done it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What led you, you mentioned that it was 20 years later you made a trip back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:623", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.867729530000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, on Sesame Street, excuse me. Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I mean, that's a nice continuation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. And yeah. And it was a job that I never probably would have been interested in had I not done it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What led you, you mentioned that it was 20 years later you made a trip back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty years later. Oh, that was something. Good friends of ours and neighbors suggested it. They went to Mexico every February for R&R. He was a doctor. He is a doctor, retired now. And his wife, Trudy, is a bit of a travel bug. And she suggested, why don't before we go, meaning her and her husband, go to our place in Mexico, that they go to take a side trip to Guatemala. And of course, I knew she wanted to do something along the lines of my former site. And, you know, I had always thought I'd go back. And so I just jumped on it. I said, yeah, I'd love to. So I don't think the men were that excited about it, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you try to contact anyone in advance?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:625", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.7419217, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. And yeah. And it was a job that I never probably would have been interested in had I not done it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What led you, you mentioned that it was 20 years later you made a trip back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty years later. Oh, that was something. Good friends of ours and neighbors suggested it. They went to Mexico every February for R&R. He was a doctor. He is a doctor, retired now. And his wife, Trudy, is a bit of a travel bug. And she suggested, why don't before we go, meaning her and her husband, go to our place in Mexico, that they go to take a side trip to Guatemala. And of course, I knew she wanted to do something along the lines of my former site. And, you know, I had always thought I'd go back. And so I just jumped on it. I said, yeah, I'd love to. So I don't think the men were that excited about it, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you try to contact anyone in advance?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, yeah, I did. Not in my site, strangely enough, not in my site. But there was an American couple that I had made friends with. Well, he was American. She was Guatemalan, and they were still living there. So I contacted him and asked him, first of all, was it safe? Because things had really gotten bad after I had come back. And he said, Yeah, you're okay. Just have to follow certain rules."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Peace Corps still there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:629", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.86657, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, yeah, I did. Not in my site, strangely enough, not in my site. But there was an American couple that I had made friends with. Well, he was American. She was Guatemalan, and they were still living there. So I contacted him and asked him, first of all, was it safe? Because things had really gotten bad after I had come back. And he said, Yeah, you're okay. Just have to follow certain rules."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Peace Corps still there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was. But I couldn't find anybody when I went, for the short time we were there. I went to the office. There was a Peace Corps office in town, but it was closed. I mean, when I was there, it was open seven days a week, 24 hours a day almost. But it was closed. It was a weekend."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they had closed down. And then when we went to Lake Atitlan, I had heard there was a Peace Corps volunteer there and I asked for her and she was off doing some traveling. So I never did connect to any Peace Corps. But when we pulled into my site and it was. I didn't tell anybody. That was very emotional. That was super emotional. Saw my house from the road and I pulled out a scarf. I had this very unruly hair and I used to wear these bandanas around them. So I had one of the ones that I wore down there still. And I, as I got out of the car, I put it around my head and a woman came out, came out of my old house. Oh, senorita, senorita! Well, mucho tears, mucho crying. I mean, I just. It was like a flood with me, and everybody looked the same. I mean, I thought they look so old when I was there, but they all looked the same. They were younger than I was, most of them. But, you know, they just seem so old because they were so hard driven and worked so hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you jump back into Spanish?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:631", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.4073, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was. But I couldn't find anybody when I went, for the short time we were there. I went to the office. There was a Peace Corps office in town, but it was closed. I mean, when I was there, it was open seven days a week, 24 hours a day almost. But it was closed. It was a weekend."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they had closed down. And then when we went to Lake Atitlan, I had heard there was a Peace Corps volunteer there and I asked for her and she was off doing some traveling. So I never did connect to any Peace Corps. But when we pulled into my site and it was. I didn't tell anybody. That was very emotional. That was super emotional. Saw my house from the road and I pulled out a scarf. I had this very unruly hair and I used to wear these bandanas around them. So I had one of the ones that I wore down there still. And I, as I got out of the car, I put it around my head and a woman came out, came out of my old house. Oh, senorita, senorita! Well, mucho tears, mucho crying. I mean, I just. It was like a flood with me, and everybody looked the same. I mean, I thought they look so old when I was there, but they all looked the same. They were younger than I was, most of them. But, you know, they just seem so old because they were so hard driven and worked so hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you jump back into Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Oh, sure. Oh yeah. And then while the word got out, you know, somebody went off on their bike. And before I knew it, there was a bunch of people. We went down to the schoolhouse. The teacher had just finished a school and it, mucho hugging."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he still there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:635", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.33, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Oh, sure. Oh yeah. And then while the word got out, you know, somebody went off on their bike. And before I knew it, there was a bunch of people. We went down to the schoolhouse. The teacher had just finished a school and it, mucho hugging."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he still there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was still there. They had the other school teacher there. Then I went back to his house and met his mother-in-law, whom I thought she had to have been 100 when I was there. She looked great, I mean. And a lot of crying, a lot of emotional stuff there. And then, and a lot of exchanges. And one of the nicest little things that happened there. The woman that had come out of my house, her son was living in my house. It was a puesto de salud. It was a health center, OK? So that was good number one. The roads were still dirt."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The teacher had a new shiny pickup truck. He didn't have a vehicle when I was there. Um. And the woman had gone back to her house and came back with an armful of mangoes. I left out an important part of my Peace Corps experience, in that we would have classes for these campesinos that my roommate, the same lady I had gotten on the bus with to go and is still my friend, the one I'm meeting out in Arizona. She's a horticulturalist. She had a skill. She had a specific skill, very apropos for there. So we would get the audience. She'd come out and teach these people how to graft. And on my property, in my house, the finca owner's house, the Germans had gorgeous mango trees. She taught the people how to graft mangoes with ba ba ba ba. Here they had started their own mango grove. They had a nice little business going. And she gives me these big, I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's very nice."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:637", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.7, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was still there. They had the other school teacher there. Then I went back to his house and met his mother-in-law, whom I thought she had to have been 100 when I was there. She looked great, I mean. And a lot of crying, a lot of emotional stuff there. And then, and a lot of exchanges. And one of the nicest little things that happened there. The woman that had come out of my house, her son was living in my house. It was a puesto de salud. It was a health center, OK? So that was good number one. The roads were still dirt."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The teacher had a new shiny pickup truck. He didn't have a vehicle when I was there. Um. And the woman had gone back to her house and came back with an armful of mangoes. I left out an important part of my Peace Corps experience, in that we would have classes for these campesinos that my roommate, the same lady I had gotten on the bus with to go and is still my friend, the one I'm meeting out in Arizona. She's a horticulturalist. She had a skill. She had a specific skill, very apropos for there. So we would get the audience. She'd come out and teach these people how to graft. And on my property, in my house, the finca owner's house, the Germans had gorgeous mango trees. She taught the people how to graft mangoes with ba ba ba ba. Here they had started their own mango grove. They had a nice little business going. And she gives me these big, I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's very nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That made me feel good. And Jeannie knows that story too. So. But anyway, yeah, we went back and I was only there. I mean, I only visited. I wasn't staying in the site."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to see Eladio?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:641", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That made me feel good. And Jeannie knows that story too. So. But anyway, yeah, we went back and I was only there. I mean, I only visited. I wasn't staying in the site."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to see Eladio?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's when I asked about Eladio and he was in. They said he had moved into Retalhuleu."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And you know, we hadn't allowed a lot of time. I had, I had mixed emotions about going back. You know, it was part of me that was, like, worried about would they remember me? And did I really, you know, did I really leave an impression or was there a legacy or was it, you know, she came and gone, you know? And so I didn't want to, like, pave the way and then not have anybody show up. You know, sort of that kind of fear, to be perfectly honest, that I thought, you know, I'd done so little. But the feelings and emotions that came out just by stopping in. So we were really only there for about an hour and a half all told. One hour and a half, 2 hours. And then we had to move on because we were on a strict driving schedule and we had been told to be careful at that stage of the game in Guatemala, we had to not travel at night."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But your friends must have been very impressed."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00186:643", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's when I asked about Eladio and he was in. They said he had moved into Retalhuleu."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And you know, we hadn't allowed a lot of time. I had, I had mixed emotions about going back. You know, it was part of me that was, like, worried about would they remember me? And did I really, you know, did I really leave an impression or was there a legacy or was it, you know, she came and gone, you know? And so I didn't want to, like, pave the way and then not have anybody show up. You know, sort of that kind of fear, to be perfectly honest, that I thought, you know, I'd done so little. But the feelings and emotions that came out just by stopping in. So we were really only there for about an hour and a half all told. One hour and a half, 2 hours. And then we had to move on because we were on a strict driving schedule and we had been told to be careful at that stage of the game in Guatemala, we had to not travel at night."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But your friends must have been very impressed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, they were. She's a photographer. She is great. She took great pictures of me, you know, unbeknownst to me, some really good ones. So. Yeah, yeah, they were. They were, she was crying too, Trudy. She was like, it was pretty emotional. And, you know, another little thing that I want to mention is when I was going around and going into all these little huts, whatever you want to call them. Picture of Kennedy, all over. Kennedy's picture was in every one of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was four years after his death. Almost four. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 24.160554006639703, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. My name is Janet Gerardy, and I did my training at Davis, California, and I served in India and our group was India 13."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Now, Janet, what years? What year did you begin training and when did you go to India and when did you come back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We began training I think in February, maybe it was March, of 1965 at Davis. It was three months of training. And I remember it was May of '65, 1965, when we went to India, and I terminated in February or March of 1967. And then I traveled home through Asia and arrived back home sometime that summer, I believe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What led you to join the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, my goodness. Well, when I was in junior college, Peace Corps was new, and I had a couple of friends that went before me. And interestingly enough, all of us had had a professor that had been in India in the Second World War and talked a lot about India. So all of us were in love with India. All of us requested India. But one friend went to Cyprus and one friend went to the Philippines and I was the third one to ask for India and I got it so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you going? Where were you born and where were you living when this happened?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.400615562933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We began training I think in February, maybe it was March, of 1965 at Davis. It was three months of training. And I remember it was May of '65, 1965, when we went to India, and I terminated in February or March of 1967. And then I traveled home through Asia and arrived back home sometime that summer, I believe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What led you to join the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, my goodness. Well, when I was in junior college, Peace Corps was new, and I had a couple of friends that went before me. And interestingly enough, all of us had had a professor that had been in India in the Second World War and talked a lot about India. So all of us were in love with India. All of us requested India. But one friend went to Cyprus and one friend went to the Philippines and I was the third one to ask for India and I got it so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you going? Where were you born and where were you living when this happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was born in Colorado, but I didn't grow up in Colorado. I grew up in Kansas. And then my parents had moved back to Colorado and I was living in La Junta, Colorado, southern Colorado. I went to the junior college there and I had finished the junior college and was sort of at odds as to what to do next, did not have money to go on to college. So that was also a way of getting a little money to go on to college. But it was a way of getting out of my hometown and going off and doing something. But I had also always wanted to travel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kinds of skills did you see yourself bringing to the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.889572847703334, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, my goodness. Well, when I was in junior college, Peace Corps was new, and I had a couple of friends that went before me. And interestingly enough, all of us had had a professor that had been in India in the Second World War and talked a lot about India. So all of us were in love with India. All of us requested India. But one friend went to Cyprus and one friend went to the Philippines and I was the third one to ask for India and I got it so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you going? Where were you born and where were you living when this happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was born in Colorado, but I didn't grow up in Colorado. I grew up in Kansas. And then my parents had moved back to Colorado and I was living in La Junta, Colorado, southern Colorado. I went to the junior college there and I had finished the junior college and was sort of at odds as to what to do next, did not have money to go on to college. So that was also a way of getting a little money to go on to college. But it was a way of getting out of my hometown and going off and doing something. But I had also always wanted to travel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kinds of skills did you see yourself bringing to the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess I do, I don't recall thinking a lot about that at that age. Um. I think I was just more interested in travel. I had always been interested in people and people from other cultures. We had had students from other cultures at the college in La Junta, and I certainly was surprised by the project I got offered because that was a poultry project. I did not grow up on a farm. I had never picked up a chicken. So I probably was more interested in languages and teaching and that sort of thing. And looking back from this point, I can see more what my skills were because I've always taught something. You know, in high school I taught swimming and now I teach ESL. But you know, I think I've always been teaching something all of my life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved in 4-H at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 27.655080941892592, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was born in Colorado, but I didn't grow up in Colorado. I grew up in Kansas. And then my parents had moved back to Colorado and I was living in La Junta, Colorado, southern Colorado. I went to the junior college there and I had finished the junior college and was sort of at odds as to what to do next, did not have money to go on to college. So that was also a way of getting a little money to go on to college. But it was a way of getting out of my hometown and going off and doing something. But I had also always wanted to travel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kinds of skills did you see yourself bringing to the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess I do, I don't recall thinking a lot about that at that age. Um. I think I was just more interested in travel. I had always been interested in people and people from other cultures. We had had students from other cultures at the college in La Junta, and I certainly was surprised by the project I got offered because that was a poultry project. I did not grow up on a farm. I had never picked up a chicken. So I probably was more interested in languages and teaching and that sort of thing. And looking back from this point, I can see more what my skills were because I've always taught something. You know, in high school I taught swimming and now I teach ESL. But you know, I think I've always been teaching something all of my life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved in 4-H at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never. Never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your family react? How did your friends react?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.72786771321399, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess I do, I don't recall thinking a lot about that at that age. Um. I think I was just more interested in travel. I had always been interested in people and people from other cultures. We had had students from other cultures at the college in La Junta, and I certainly was surprised by the project I got offered because that was a poultry project. I did not grow up on a farm. I had never picked up a chicken. So I probably was more interested in languages and teaching and that sort of thing. And looking back from this point, I can see more what my skills were because I've always taught something. You know, in high school I taught swimming and now I teach ESL. But you know, I think I've always been teaching something all of my life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved in 4-H at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never. Never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your family react? How did your friends react?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I think most people were kind of in admiration and excited and probably envious and certainly lots of friends over the years have looked at it that way. I think they look at it as something they would have liked to have done, but see it as an impossibility or something. I'm actually surprised that my parents as I get older because I think my mother let go and let me do things very easily. But I think I would have trouble doing that as a parent, letting a young girl go off. But then I know it's over there and she probably didn't so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the Peace Corps process like, the application process?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 34.14207523690443, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never. Never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your family react? How did your friends react?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I think most people were kind of in admiration and excited and probably envious and certainly lots of friends over the years have looked at it that way. I think they look at it as something they would have liked to have done, but see it as an impossibility or something. I'm actually surprised that my parents as I get older because I think my mother let go and let me do things very easily. But I think I would have trouble doing that as a parent, letting a young girl go off. But then I know it's over there and she probably didn't so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the Peace Corps process like, the application process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember very much about the application process. I remember more about the training and I remember deselection was a big thing at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk a little bit about that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 38.44700646531411, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember very much about the application process. I remember more about the training and I remember deselection was a big thing at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk a little bit about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh my goodness. Well, ours was a very large group, I think, I don't really know, but I think it was around 250 people that trained together. And it was wonderful because it was spring and summer and Davis, California, is a lovely place and we all had bicycles and we could bike around the town and get together. So it was really fun. But everyone was very afraid of being deselected. I do remember that. And I remember we had big deselection interviews and I remember the interview. They asked me, well, what's a girl from a little tiny town like you are wanting to go overseas for? And I thought, well, what a strange question. You know, for me it was strange because I had always wanted to go overseas and I didn't see any difference being from a small town or anything else. But apparently they did. And I had worked at a drugstore in my hometown, and I do remember they came and interviewed the boss of the drugstore, who then later told me that's what he had been doing and I was, you know, it's like having an FBI checkup or something. You sort of wonder if."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It probably was. But, you know, you sort of wonder why they're looking at you and things like that. So to me, it was strange."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you, were you afraid you'd be deselected?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.290824050188146, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, not that I knew where to get or go. The teachers and the principal eventually brought some Indian doctor and he said that I needed to be kept cooler and I needed to drink more liquids. So I remember they would squeeze by hand oranges and give me this orange juice and they would bring ice, which you had to buy in a great big block. And they put it in a tub and put a fan behind it to blow toward me to lower the temperature of the room. I don't think it did much of that, but anyway. I didn't actually find out until my time of terminating that they had paid for this out of their own money. And at the very end of my two years, then they were saying, we hate to ask you this, but they needed to ask for that small amount of money back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To be reimbursed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, yeah, to be reimbursed. So, you know, lots of things that you don't know how to do when you first get there. And I think I was very lucky to have their help because I think it's very easy to die of tropical diseases. And who knows what I really had. It may have just been dehydration, but that can make you very ill."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a Peace Corps medical help available at all or how did that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a Peace Corps doctor in New Delhi. But, uh, you know, I don't even remember if I knew that at the time. But, you know, eventually then, of course, if we had something, we could go to New Delhi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it sounds like you were treasured."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 23.65647116687572, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, yeah, to be reimbursed. So, you know, lots of things that you don't know how to do when you first get there. And I think I was very lucky to have their help because I think it's very easy to die of tropical diseases. And who knows what I really had. It may have just been dehydration, but that can make you very ill."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a Peace Corps medical help available at all or how did that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a Peace Corps doctor in New Delhi. But, uh, you know, I don't even remember if I knew that at the time. But, you know, eventually then, of course, if we had something, we could go to New Delhi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it sounds like you were treasured."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By that time, were you communicating well? Did you feel comfortable with the language? You said that there was a difference between the language you had been taught and the language that was being spoken where you were assigned."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 24.06274574097302, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a Peace Corps doctor in New Delhi. But, uh, you know, I don't even remember if I knew that at the time. But, you know, eventually then, of course, if we had something, we could go to New Delhi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it sounds like you were treasured."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By that time, were you communicating well? Did you feel comfortable with the language? You said that there was a difference between the language you had been taught and the language that was being spoken where you were assigned."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't think I'm that good in Hindi or Punjabi, even at the end of my two years. Of course, you get where you can get by and buy things in the market and things like that. But I was never fluent. But one reason you don't become fluent is that a lot of people that are educated in India speak English. That's not true out, well, it may be now, but out in the villages you did not find people at that time that spoke English. But all of these people that were teachers and the veterinarian that were attached to the center could speak English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the typical day like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 24.797618487989666, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I really don't know. It's like I know that the male volunteers that had been there before were highly respected, which made it easier for me to come. And they had started youth groups, was my understanding, out in the villages, but I actually was not given like from Peace Corps, as I recall, very much information about that. And I don't remember the Indians telling me very much about those youth groups or anything. When I went with that second veterinarian that came, we sometimes went out where some of his trainees had started youth groups and they had distributed day-old chicks. And I remember because we would go out and find chicks hanging, you know, in baskets like a bird cage and under baskets and in all kinds of crazy situations that, you know, they didn't always know how to care for them, or in trying to protect them from getting eaten by dogs or other things, they did things that we wouldn't have approved of. But I don't remember knowing very much about what the volunteers that came before me had done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The veterinarian that you went out with, his youth groups that his trainees had set up, were they all male or were they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And I don't remember any girl youth groups or anything like that. And I guess it never occurred to me to start those, looking back. Um, hmm. Interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But yet when you, in the training group, you were asked, rather at the training center, you were asked to train women or you worked with women? Or maybe I didn't quite understand how that went."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.441798319988518, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And I don't remember any girl youth groups or anything like that. And I guess it never occurred to me to start those, looking back. Um, hmm. Interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But yet when you, in the training group, you were asked, rather at the training center, you were asked to train women or you worked with women? Or maybe I didn't quite understand how that went."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think neither the Indian people on the staff at the gram sevak training center nor I knew exactly what I was supposed to be doing there. And so I think just in exploring the possibilities, they asked me to work with some of the women staff and give some lectures on poultry to them. And I think in turn they gave some of those lectures to the women trainees. You know, whether any of that ever did anything or not, I don't know. And, you know, again, in going to the village, you would just meet different circumstances in different villages. And there were several villages where he would introduce me to a young lady in the village, but the particular village where I ended up, I just made, for whatever reasons, a good connection with the principal of the elementary school there who was interested in helping and having a woman teacher there. And that helped. And then the particular young lady that they introduced me in that village probably was my best friend in India later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's, let's talk a little bit about how you went out to the village. This was in your second year?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.379775911098353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And I don't remember any girl youth groups or anything like that. And I guess it never occurred to me to start those, looking back. Um, hmm. Interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But yet when you, in the training group, you were asked, rather at the training center, you were asked to train women or you worked with women? Or maybe I didn't quite understand how that went."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think neither the Indian people on the staff at the gram sevak training center nor I knew exactly what I was supposed to be doing there. And so I think just in exploring the possibilities, they asked me to work with some of the women staff and give some lectures on poultry to them. And I think in turn they gave some of those lectures to the women trainees. You know, whether any of that ever did anything or not, I don't know. And, you know, again, in going to the village, you would just meet different circumstances in different villages. And there were several villages where he would introduce me to a young lady in the village, but the particular village where I ended up, I just made, for whatever reasons, a good connection with the principal of the elementary school there who was interested in helping and having a woman teacher there. And that helped. And then the particular young lady that they introduced me in that village probably was my best friend in India later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's, let's talk a little bit about how you went out to the village. This was in your second year?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we went, you mean when I moved to a village?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you moved to a village."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 32.64419545677595, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think neither the Indian people on the staff at the gram sevak training center nor I knew exactly what I was supposed to be doing there. And so I think just in exploring the possibilities, they asked me to work with some of the women staff and give some lectures on poultry to them. And I think in turn they gave some of those lectures to the women trainees. You know, whether any of that ever did anything or not, I don't know. And, you know, again, in going to the village, you would just meet different circumstances in different villages. And there were several villages where he would introduce me to a young lady in the village, but the particular village where I ended up, I just made, for whatever reasons, a good connection with the principal of the elementary school there who was interested in helping and having a woman teacher there. And that helped. And then the particular young lady that they introduced me in that village probably was my best friend in India later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's, let's talk a little bit about how you went out to the village. This was in your second year?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we went, you mean when I moved to a village?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you moved to a village."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was in the second year, as I recall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you do in the village? What, how did that work? How did that come about? And why did you want to move and what did you do when you got there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.577463277104837, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't really recall. I suppose that they either just called the center and we were informed that we had to go to Delhi or something like that. I don't really remember how I got the notice. And then, you know, but people from all of the Punjab area were called in. And I remember after that one of the Peace Corps boys in my group had been stationed up at Amritsar on the border, near the border, and they didn't allow him to go back to that area. And he then was stationed at the same town of Nabha at the government poultry farm. So that ended up being a very good friend that I could occasionally share meals with or ride bicycles with and so forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you afraid, when you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I think I was too young to be afraid. You're sort of invulnerable at that age. But I do remember when we were in New Delhi at the hostel, which they had there, because it was very hot we would put our beds up on top of the roof and sleep outside. And I remember on one of the nights we were awakened in the middle of the night and we heard like gunfire. And I remember that people from around the area in New Delhi would come around and make sure that the lights were all off and that you were observing blackout and had the blackout curtains up and things like that. But other than that, one time of hearing some gunfire or something, which was probably from planes in the air, I don't remember being afraid. But I remember people in New Delhi were kind of nervous and afraid, and afraid of foreigners, and people would be afraid that maybe we were Pakistanis. I don't think they even realize fully what a Pakistani looked like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the people in the training site react when Peace Corps evacuated you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember much about that. I think we were just so happy for a lot of us to be together again in a hostel that we were enjoying the time in New Delhi and not very aware of those things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then when you went back, how did, how did that happen, that you went back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 23.97495919678315, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I think I was too young to be afraid. You're sort of invulnerable at that age. But I do remember when we were in New Delhi at the hostel, which they had there, because it was very hot we would put our beds up on top of the roof and sleep outside. And I remember on one of the nights we were awakened in the middle of the night and we heard like gunfire. And I remember that people from around the area in New Delhi would come around and make sure that the lights were all off and that you were observing blackout and had the blackout curtains up and things like that. But other than that, one time of hearing some gunfire or something, which was probably from planes in the air, I don't remember being afraid. But I remember people in New Delhi were kind of nervous and afraid, and afraid of foreigners, and people would be afraid that maybe we were Pakistanis. I don't think they even realize fully what a Pakistani looked like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the people in the training site react when Peace Corps evacuated you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember much about that. I think we were just so happy for a lot of us to be together again in a hostel that we were enjoying the time in New Delhi and not very aware of those things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then when you went back, how did, how did that happen, that you went back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know whether the fighting stopped, but eventually we were sent back and I don't remember much about that either, to tell you the truth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Now, what was your? We were talking about leisure when you mentioned kind of as an aside, you've been evacuated because of violence."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.305510218647942, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember much about that. I think we were just so happy for a lot of us to be together again in a hostel that we were enjoying the time in New Delhi and not very aware of those things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then when you went back, how did, how did that happen, that you went back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know whether the fighting stopped, but eventually we were sent back and I don't remember much about that either, to tell you the truth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Now, what was your? We were talking about leisure when you mentioned kind of as an aside, you've been evacuated because of violence."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Um. Yeah. You were asking me if it was mostly with people locally. When I stayed there the first year, yeah, it was all with people that were local. And, you know, sometimes the women got together to sing songs and do music. I think they had kind of an accordion or something like that that they played. And, uh, what else did we do for entertainment? You know, just visiting mostly and taking walks, lots of long walks and things in the evening. And oh, that was one thing I do remember about the difference between males and females is because Indians often, when you go for a walk, hold hands. And I wasn't bothered by another woman holding my hand, but the male volunteers were usually very bothered by a male Indian wanting to hold their hand.\n\nBut anyway, as far as leisure, you know, singing is a popular group activity and it's kind of assumed that people can sing. And I'm not considered a good singer here and therefore I don't know many songs. So I remember I often sang Christmas songs when I was asked to, you know, do my share of the singing. But it was fun being with the other people that were just the trainees and things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then did that change? Were there, did Peace Corps volunteers come into the area and did you meet?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.895011354053267, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know whether the fighting stopped, but eventually we were sent back and I don't remember much about that either, to tell you the truth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Now, what was your? We were talking about leisure when you mentioned kind of as an aside, you've been evacuated because of violence."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Um. Yeah. You were asking me if it was mostly with people locally. When I stayed there the first year, yeah, it was all with people that were local. And, you know, sometimes the women got together to sing songs and do music. I think they had kind of an accordion or something like that that they played. And, uh, what else did we do for entertainment? You know, just visiting mostly and taking walks, lots of long walks and things in the evening. And oh, that was one thing I do remember about the difference between males and females is because Indians often, when you go for a walk, hold hands. And I wasn't bothered by another woman holding my hand, but the male volunteers were usually very bothered by a male Indian wanting to hold their hand.\n\nBut anyway, as far as leisure, you know, singing is a popular group activity and it's kind of assumed that people can sing. And I'm not considered a good singer here and therefore I don't know many songs. So I remember I often sang Christmas songs when I was asked to, you know, do my share of the singing. But it was fun being with the other people that were just the trainees and things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then did that change? Were there, did Peace Corps volunteers come into the area and did you meet?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a girl that had been trained in a kitchen gardening project and originally been in Rajasthan. [coughs] Excuse me. And she was not very happy there for some reasons. And so they sent her to my area, and this is when I was just beginning to move out into the village. So we did a kitchen garden demonstration project outside in that area that I had talked about, outside the gateway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I get the impression that you were very happy while you were there. Is that my impression or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 31.969149819818846, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a girl that had been trained in a kitchen gardening project and originally been in Rajasthan. [coughs] Excuse me. And she was not very happy there for some reasons. And so they sent her to my area, and this is when I was just beginning to move out into the village. So we did a kitchen garden demonstration project outside in that area that I had talked about, outside the gateway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I get the impression that you were very happy while you were there. Is that my impression or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that's the impression that one has after any travel, when you come back and look at it in retrospect. Um, I don't think I was unhappy there, although I think there was some very difficult times. You know, I think I'm a person that's generally happy by my nature. But there were lots of difficult times too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What are those difficult times, do you think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "[clears throat] I'm sorry, I've got to catch. Um. I think, first of all, when you're stationed somewhere by yourself and in a different culture, it can be very lonely and you have to depend on your own resources. It's not always clear what you're supposed to be doing, and therefore sometimes you don't feel like you're accomplishing much and that this is a very old culture that's not changing very fast and your impact's not a lot. And, you know, a lot of my leisure time was spent just reading or things like that because you just don't know what you're supposed to be doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you? Here we go. Janet, where did you get the books? You're talking about doing a lot of reading. What kind of reading material was available? How did you get it? Was it pertinent to the work you were doing or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 36.14916767772686, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was 23, I think, when I, uh, I think I was 22 when training started and 23 before that finished and 25 then when I terminated."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you have any romantic attachment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Many."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do tell."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'm not sure I'm going to put all of those on the tape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just to give an idea of how."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 39.05463075302984, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Many."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do tell."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'm not sure I'm going to put all of those on the tape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just to give an idea of how."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think at that age you're often attracted to other people. And there were several of the volunteers that I was attracted to. There was a little group of us that often traveled together. At the time, there wasn't any romantic involvement. But Tom O'Connor, who was the one that was stationed there with me, who was about ten years older, I think he was very attracted to me. And I remember when we were in New Delhi with the evacuation process, you know, the Peace Corps wanted us to keep a little bit busy. And so they sent us over to paint the doctor's house. And there were several of us and I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Peace Corps doctor's house?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 37.8384786144776, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'm not sure I'm going to put all of those on the tape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just to give an idea of how."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think at that age you're often attracted to other people. And there were several of the volunteers that I was attracted to. There was a little group of us that often traveled together. At the time, there wasn't any romantic involvement. But Tom O'Connor, who was the one that was stationed there with me, who was about ten years older, I think he was very attracted to me. And I remember when we were in New Delhi with the evacuation process, you know, the Peace Corps wanted us to keep a little bit busy. And so they sent us over to paint the doctor's house. And there were several of us and I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Peace Corps doctor's house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, the Peace Corps doctor's, the interior of his house. So there was a small group from my original group that were over there painting the house, and something got said about dating and things. And I made the comment that I only like to date people my age, not somebody a whole lot older. And later, Jane, uh, I can't think of Jane's last name, but she was the one that did the goat project, made the comment that she thought I had hurt Tom's feelings. And I wasn't aware that he liked me at that time, but obviously he did. And then, uh, but Tom O'Connor was kind of my buddy that often traveled when we went to conferences around the country. And Kurt and Lois, Kurt Nelson, who was the artist and his wife Lois, often the ones that traveled with us. And then there was a tall guy, Bill Moore, that was stationed up in the Kullu Valley that often traveled with us. But anyway, at various times I was attracted to various people, and Bill Moore was one of those people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what happened after Peace Corps? Did those relationships continue or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00214:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.6, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I went, I stayed for 15 months, but I was one of the lucky ones. They had four teachers there and originally I went for three months, came back at Christmas. The teacher who had been sick came back, but then another teacher quit. So I went for another six months. Then the whole project got renewed for a year, so I went for that second year. So I ended up teaching three terms, students at an oil company there, and I loved it. Great experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How was China different from India? How was that experience different from the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I actually expected it to be very similar. And I went on in October, and the very 1st of October is a holiday in China. And so I got to spend one day in Beijing looking around. Of course, Beijing is a very large city. And then I was picked up by a driver and taken out to Tangshan, the town where I was to be. And on the way I kept looking at the towns and villages we passed, expecting them to look somewhat like India, like little villages in Asia, because I had read Pearl Buck and expected them to look similar, but actually they looked very different. It was the fall of the year and they were harvesting corn and, you know, it was very dusty as they were processing these. And the villages were like little concrete block things along the road and not that beautiful adobe thing that you see in India. Later I visited an area in the south of China and it did look more like India there, but I didn't get much chance to get out actually into the villages. But it's just a very different look. It looks more like little truck stops along the way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the people treat you as you had been treated in India?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they certainly treated me very well, especially because I literally went there, not even knowing how to say hello in Chinese. And I had 14 students and all of my students were college graduates. And I understand that at that time that was about 5 percent of the population in China."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What year would this have been?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00821:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.1235635944, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I signed on to a letter that went out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe that’s what I’m thinking of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was a big debate on my part because there were parts of the letter that I was very strongly in support of and parts of the letter that I was not strongly in support of. It’s always a difficulty. Somebody presents you with a letter that you didn’t write yourself. There’s no chance to change it, you’re just being asked to sign on to it. There was more in it that I liked than I didn’t like. After going a few rounds with the authors, I decided to sign on. The good news of that was they had something like seven Nobel laureates as the first signature. So no one has noticed that I’ve actually signed on to that letter. At least nobody that I think matters has noticed that I signed on to that. But I still do that sort of thing.\\n\\n I don’t like to do it that way because as I say you always end up with these letters where you’re saying well I really think this is wrong, this is not right. But 75 percent of the letter I agree with. You’re not allowed to file a minority position. They’re looking for signatures on these things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can’t initial it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. Can’t initial these things. So I turned it down twice. There was a certain pleading. I joined the crowd. I did, but as I said, there were parts of it that I just wish I hadn’t—I don’t want to be necessarily associated with it. But there’s more that I was happy to be associated with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were able to spend time as an administrator. You’ve also spent time as a PI [principal investigator] as part of the Space Studies Board. Where do you feel that you’ve been able to contribute the most to the field of space science?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00821:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 9.6, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I suspect—in the science portion or the administrative side?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Both."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, on the administrative side, certainly the Hubble was the one that required whatever skill I had to bail out the agency. That was the biggest management—it wasn’t a management challenge, it was just a challenge. Because we were in such a deep hole. Of course it had a happy ending, and everybody thinks Hubble is a wonderful success and America’s telescope and all that stuff. Only a few people remember the beginning. So that’s the ultimate success story.\\n\\n On the science side, the good news is I’m a theorist that creates explanations for—what I really prefer is for new phenomena. Fortunately about every five years somebody measures something that’s new and I jump in and offer an explanation, many of which seem to have been right. So that’s why the science has been good. There is a challenge that all theoreticians face at this point in their life, which is when do you realize that you’re not as good as you used to be, and do you retire with dignity before you embarrass yourself, and do you count on your colleagues to tell you that you’re not what you used to be. It happens. Theoretical physics is not something you get to do for your whole life usually. So you have to be careful to know when to retire from the stage. Can’t bring myself to do that yet, but I’m not sure I’m not skating near the edge here of when it’s going to start, when it’s not going to be as good as it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I guess a good thing for you is there always will be unknowns to theorize on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whether I guess right the next time, that’s a good challenge."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask Jennifer. Did you have any questions or any thoughts for Dr. Fisk?\n\nI have one question. But I don’t know. It may be a simple question or it may be a very long answer. Were you involved at all in the decision to get rid of the Centaur for planetary missions?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00575:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.358, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We see them a lot. We just went down last weekend on a trip with them. He was a good example. He came in as Abbey’s golden boy and then kind of fell off the page. No one knows why. Abbey is famous for that. He was a very unusual character. Did you talk to Abbey at all? [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. We would like to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really? He won’t talk to you?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He has not participated, no."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really. He’s the mystery man of the whole program. We used to laugh so hard. They never knew who he was, and they’d show these pictures when we’d come off the Shuttle. There would be all the crew, and an unidentified NASA official. We’d laugh and go, “Yup, there’s George.” [Laughs] He looks just like Alfred Hitchcock, anyway. He is really a character. He was probably the character of the program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m curious. Have you had a chance to read Mike Mullane’s book [\\n\\n Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut\\n\\n ] that came out?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00575:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.62, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really? He won’t talk to you?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He has not participated, no."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really. He’s the mystery man of the whole program. We used to laugh so hard. They never knew who he was, and they’d show these pictures when we’d come off the Shuttle. There would be all the crew, and an unidentified NASA official. We’d laugh and go, “Yup, there’s George.” [Laughs] He looks just like Alfred Hitchcock, anyway. He is really a character. He was probably the character of the program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m curious. Have you had a chance to read Mike Mullane’s book [\\n\\n Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut\\n\\n ] that came out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I thought it was horrible. He had a bunch of stories he was going to tell about my wife. My wife is pretty colorful, and she just told him, she said, “Mike, if you print any of those things, I’ll kill you personally.” I like Mike; he’s a very good friend. But that’s the kind of thing that I just said I will never do is go around and sell stories and make up things. Mike’s first book [\\n\\n Red Sky: A Novel of Love, Space, and War\\n\\n ] that came out was probably the worst piece of junk I ever read in my life. I don’t know if you’ve read that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is it how do you go to the bathroom in space?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00575:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I thought it was horrible. He had a bunch of stories he was going to tell about my wife. My wife is pretty colorful, and she just told him, she said, “Mike, if you print any of those things, I’ll kill you personally.” I like Mike; he’s a very good friend. But that’s the kind of thing that I just said I will never do is go around and sell stories and make up things. Mike’s first book [\\n\\n Red Sky: A Novel of Love, Space, and War\\n\\n ] that came out was probably the worst piece of junk I ever read in my life. I don’t know if you’ve read that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is it how do you go to the bathroom in space?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was some Russian spy story that was absolute trash. It was foul. It was really amazing that he ever got it published. This one was better, but I didn’t like it. I, of course, know everybody; I know all the stories. So it’s one of these things you look at, and I just said, “Why would you write something like this?” Especially my wife just couldn’t believe he was telling stories about his wife and having an abortion and all that. I mean, this kind of stuff, it was just weird, you know, I thought.\\n\\n Some of the guys loved it that came out the heroes, but that really weren’t. Mike had a vision of the world that was unlike about anybody I know, and it came across in his book, I thought. But I don’t know. I read it, but I didn’t much love it. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, if you don’t mind, I was going to ask Sandra if she had any questions for you before we close."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay, good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else you think that we haven’t covered?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00345:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 29.649302445, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[nods agreement]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I think that’s what you’re saying."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah; yeah; yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, Apollo 1’s lessons were learned. And in a remarkably short time they were ready to fly again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when fly they did, they had quite a crew, didn’t they?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00345:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2805, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And “In the beginning” came back to Earth on Christmas Eve."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And after that it was time for—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One thing. You know, the thing that there’s some—the beauty of the thing for me is, I was Division Chief at this time. And I came to the point where running the Division and flight directing, I couldn’t do everything. Well, as it was, I was lucky because if I had been a Flight Director working on Apollo 8, I couldn’t do my job. I was so absolutely mesmerized as that spacecraft went around the Moon. It was—I was just—and then the crew starting reading from the book of Genesis. I mean, I was so emotionally tied into that thing, I couldn’t have made a decision if I needed to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In a peculiar way it was great that that was the crew that followed Apollo 7."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00345:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.645, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And after that it was time for—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One thing. You know, the thing that there’s some—the beauty of the thing for me is, I was Division Chief at this time. And I came to the point where running the Division and flight directing, I couldn’t do everything. Well, as it was, I was lucky because if I had been a Flight Director working on Apollo 8, I couldn’t do my job. I was so absolutely mesmerized as that spacecraft went around the Moon. It was—I was just—and then the crew starting reading from the book of Genesis. I mean, I was so emotionally tied into that thing, I couldn’t have made a decision if I needed to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In a peculiar way it was great that that was the crew that followed Apollo 7."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On [Apollo] 7, Wally had his problems. And on [Apollo] 8 they made up for them in spades."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00345:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.5, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On [Apollo] 7, Wally had his problems. And on [Apollo] 8 they made up for them in spades."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn’t they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But, of course, all of that was wonderful scene-setting. You had achieved escape velocity."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00345:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 5.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn’t they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But, of course, all of that was wonderful scene-setting. You had achieved escape velocity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We knew that could be done. But you still had that LM to check out, and you had an engineer like [James A.] McDivitt to fly a mission for you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00134:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 42.604674136847834, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They showed up in the mail. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really. Okay, there’s no ceremony?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I recall, no. No. Somewhere along the line the Astronaut Office gave me a gold pin that was flown on a mission to signify going from the unflown to the flown astronaut, silver to gold. But I don’t remember if it was anything other than maybe at an Astronaut Office Monday morning meeting and, you know, “Here’s your pin. Congratulations.” But relative to anything with the Air Force and the Astronaut Wings, I’m not sure we did anything special.\\n\\n We did go up to Air Force Headquarters [Pentagon, Washington, D.C.]. We did meet with the Vice Chief of Staff at the time, and maybe he did pin them on us at that time. Now I’m remembering, because van Hoften and Lounge were there, and I do remember we were all in uniform. I don’t know if they gave us a medal or if he gave us our Astronaut Wings, which had flown on the mission. That may have been what it was. That was a long time ago. I’ve forgot it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But that may have been—I’ve got pictures of that. Now I’m thinking about those pictures and saying, “Okay, what was it? What was it that he was pinning on me? Was it a medal or was it the Astronaut Wings?” Probably it was the wings; I doubt that they had the medals squared away by then. So it was a visit back to the Pentagon—it may have been only the second time in my life I had ever been in the Pentagon—and got them squared away. That must have been it. Joe Engle probably arranged that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s nice of him. After this flight you ended up being CapCom [Capsule Communicator] for three more flights. Do you want to talk about the first two, [STS] 61-B and [STS] 61-C? Anything stand out from those two flights?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00134:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 17, "return_to_go": 49.79865115985437, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. Yes. So I think all of the blue training suits may be gone, but if you look back at the pictures of the STS-26 crew and some later crews doing their training over in the water, they’re in blue suits. That’s because the early ones that were developed were made out of that blue material, then they became the training suits when they went to the orange ones, and by the time we flew, we were in orange ones. That’s what we flew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ll have to go back and look at some of the digital pictures and see what we can find."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you go back and look at the STS-26 crew training. Even some of the artwork that I see has us in those blue suits, because that’s what we started out in is training in those things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting. Well, we need to take a break for a second to change our tape."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay.\\n\\n [Tape change]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the mood like at JSC as you were preparing for your flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00134:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.928000000000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did, but I don’t remember anything particularly unique about the Earth observations, other than, you know, we had more time to do it on others because we didn’t have a whole lot of things we had to do after we deployed the TDRS. After we got to orbit, the biggest part of the flight, the test flight, was over, and so there just remained to do that. So we had lots of opportunities to take pictures. I have to go back and look sometime, and see if there’s anything unique that we took."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why don’t you tell us about landing? Did this landing stand out in any way to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very similar to the first landing. Of course, we landed again at Edwards. I was fortunate to fly with two great commanders, who just did a good job of flying the Orbiter around and landing it. One of the things about entries is that the most remarkable parts of them are actually flying down and touching down, and then coming through the high-heating regions of the atmosphere and the trajectory. But from one flight to the next, they’re pretty much the same; not a whole lot of difference in those.\\n\\n It was a bright, clear day at Edwards. There weren’t a lot of clouds or anything like that. When we talk about the landings of my other missions, there will be a different story, different scenario. It was different then. Maybe it was because I was flying. [Laughs] But maybe not. But as a pilot, watching a guy fly and putting the landing gear down and rolling out on the lakebed, we were just ready to high-five each other and go see our families and celebrate a great return to flight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s almost five, but I had a couple more questions for you. Can I go ahead and ask, or would you prefer that we wait till next time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you think that we’ll get to a good breaking point on STS-26, we can go ahead a little bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. I understand that Fletcher and Vice President [George H. W.] Bush were there when you stepped out. Did you know that they were going to be there?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00578:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 88.7416728200495, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it wasn't Scott. Oh, boy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it was Scott."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dave Scott was with them? Okay. Scott took the later one, yes. You look at those pictures, they're going like a 78 RPM [revolutions per minute] record. Well, you're too young to understand 78 RPM records, even probably 33s. How he knew where to reach and fire those retrofire pack and bring that thing under control and take a series of photos was very interesting. When they came back, I'd always get them to autograph a picture for me. When Armstrong autographed the one for me hitting the Agena, he said, \"To Dick Underwood—Next time I'll do better.\" We didn't know what next time was going to be. [Laughter] But the pictures were of great value from the operational standpoint.\\n\\n Then on the next flight, the Agena failed and they put that [augmented target] docking adapter [ADTA] up there, and the nose cone didn't come off. They took a series of pictures on why the failure happened on the nose cone on the wiring operation, which was used to admonish the contractor. The contractor was saying that a space photo's not legal in law courts.\\n\\n Then, of course, [Gemini] XI did it great. They even had a tether line hooked up to the Agena and were going round and round like this [Underwood gestures]. Unbelievable series of photographs. And XII did a similar thing. That ended Gemini at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I read that you were able to get cameras on the unmanned Apollos for public affairs purposes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell us about that and the results?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00578:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 124.1776707819768, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In space? Or in Earth orbit?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just on their missions in general. What preparations did you have as far as preparing the equipment, the cameras, and what facilities? I know you developed a lab."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was the only supervisory aerospace technologist in that whole directorate, and that made a lot of people unhappy. They kept trying to fire one supervisory aerospace technologist in the directory, and I was the only one. But Gilruth and Low and other people were on my side, so it never worked out. They said they wanted me in that directorate so I could have direct access to the processors and the film and all these other things, and interface with the astronauts. I didn't do any real work in photographic techtometry lab other than interface with the people there on situations, and directly with the astronauts and people in Building 4 and the ninth floor of Building 1, who were really the ones who protected me through the whole system of management there at that particular point, and [NASA] Headquarters. Mr. Webb and his successors thought space photography was great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What types of resistance did you encounter?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You mean in my directorate?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In trying to incorporate space photography into the missions."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00578:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 4.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm glad you have it now. All of us, when we get together for a pizza or something about three or four times a year, always say, \"You know, what will the people in the future know about what's going on, what happened and why it happened and how this unique group of people worked together?\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We on this project have had a real privilege of getting to learn about that, and it's definitely been a privilege."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And you look back, like at Apollo 13 where there were battlegrounds and how to safe that spacecraft and wondering if this guy's opinion had prevailed over that guy's, would they have come home and so on. But we had a guy that always made the right decision, or it turned out that way, you know, Gene [Eugene F.] Kranz, a natural-born leader. Gilruth, natural-born leader. The top were naturally born leaders. When you get up in the morning, you wanted to work for them. I don't see that today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think you had something very special then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and it had never been done before, so it was something new. So no one could tell you, \"We used to do it this way.\" [Laughter] I don't know whether that's the problem in building automobile tires today or what, but, you know, it hadn't been done before. So we pretty much set it up what we thought would work best, and the results proved it out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we're thankful that you made sure that we have good pictures to remember it by."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 73.34805729535064, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember. We had heard a great deal about the NACA. Our aeronautics professor at Stanford at that time, [Elliot G. Reid] had worked at Langley Field [Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, now named Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia] and he came to Stanford in 1927 from Langley Field, and was one of their stars. He had talked to us about the NACA. William Durand, who was a retired professor, had been the [second] chairman of the NACA, so we had been exposed at Stanford to the existence of the NACA and it seemed like a very, very natural thing to do. I remember it very well. Once, when we were working in the Stanford wind tunnel, we had a visit from the great Theodore von Kármán, the great man from Caltech, who asked me if I wanted to come to Caltech and study with him for a Ph.D., but I didn’t want to do that, and so I didn’t. I went to work for NACA, and it was the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were no longer a student and you were newly employed. Where did you live and how did you become more integrated to the NACA? Were there places for new employees to live nearby?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My parents had moved up here from Pasadena when my younger sister, who was the youngest of the five siblings in our family, went to Stanford. I lived at home with my father and mother for the first years that I was at NACA. They lived in Los Altos, which is just a few miles from Moffett Field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand you helped inspect some of the new buildings that were coming up, is that true, as they were being built?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you share with us what that entailed?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 79.27561921705626, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My parents had moved up here from Pasadena when my younger sister, who was the youngest of the five siblings in our family, went to Stanford. I lived at home with my father and mother for the first years that I was at NACA. They lived in Los Altos, which is just a few miles from Moffett Field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand you helped inspect some of the new buildings that were coming up, is that true, as they were being built?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you share with us what that entailed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It entailed work for which Frick and I were not qualified, really. We went out and watched what the people were doing in actually building the buildings. I remember once, I went out and watched the contractors laying the concrete for the parking areas for the aircraft in front of the flight hangar, something I had no experience at, no qualifications at, but I was supposed to okay what the people were doing there, in building those. Especially, the things that were most interesting were the work we were doing on the first two wind tunnels. Frick worked on the 7 x 10 [Foot] Low-Speed [Wind] Tunnel and I worked on the 16-Foot High-Speed [Wind] Tunnel. We worked on the drawings for the construction and all kinds of things involved in the construction of the wind tunnels. We got in on the building of the laboratory, literally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You really did know the buildings inside and out, didn’t you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 88.08402135228474, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you share with us what that entailed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It entailed work for which Frick and I were not qualified, really. We went out and watched what the people were doing in actually building the buildings. I remember once, I went out and watched the contractors laying the concrete for the parking areas for the aircraft in front of the flight hangar, something I had no experience at, no qualifications at, but I was supposed to okay what the people were doing there, in building those. Especially, the things that were most interesting were the work we were doing on the first two wind tunnels. Frick worked on the 7 x 10 [Foot] Low-Speed [Wind] Tunnel and I worked on the 16-Foot High-Speed [Wind] Tunnel. We worked on the drawings for the construction and all kinds of things involved in the construction of the wind tunnels. We got in on the building of the laboratory, literally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You really did know the buildings inside and out, didn’t you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You actually worked on the design of the Supersonic Wind Tunnel, is that correct?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 27.23686104223648, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing that helped with the calculations. All the numerical calculating was done on Marchant calculators, which were things that sat on the desk and you pressed in the numbers, and you’d do multiplication, division, addition, subtraction, on these calculators. In the early ones, you had to drive them by turning a crank. As time went on, they became motorized, electric motors, but they still had to be operated by hand. I made the first transonic airfoil calculations, and it took three young women about one year to do the necessary calculation, and the only reason they assigned them that much time, was because this was considered important enough. Those calculations could probably be done today [by electronic calculators] in less than a minute. To think it took three young ladies one year, and now, we do things like that without giving it a second thought."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us some of your personal information as you spent those 17 years at Ames, you mentioned that you had lived with your parents for the first year or so. Did you live close by Moffett Field and the Ames Center after you worked there a few years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I lived in Los Altos, if you know, which is about four or five miles from Moffett Field. There were other people that lived out there, and we had a ride group that would go there every morning and bring us home, and take turns. I would drive a week, then one of the other people would drive for a week, and so forth. That kind of thing went on. That was during the war as well as when I was working at Ames during the 1940s, but I got married in 1947. My wife and I lived together. She’s no longer living—it’s why I’m here alone. She died a year ago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sorry to hear that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The paintings there are her work, in the other room, and that’s a self-portrait of her. She was an artist."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was she local? Was she from this area when you met her?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 23.596512269151646, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I lived in Los Altos, if you know, which is about four or five miles from Moffett Field. There were other people that lived out there, and we had a ride group that would go there every morning and bring us home, and take turns. I would drive a week, then one of the other people would drive for a week, and so forth. That kind of thing went on. That was during the war as well as when I was working at Ames during the 1940s, but I got married in 1947. My wife and I lived together. She’s no longer living—it’s why I’m here alone. She died a year ago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sorry to hear that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The paintings there are her work, in the other room, and that’s a self-portrait of her. She was an artist."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was she local? Was she from this area when you met her?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I met her on a railroad train in the freight yards at Council Bluffs, Iowa, when the train was stalled by the floods. She was living in Southern California. We met on the railroad train, and three months later, we got married. We were married for 66 years. She was a very accomplished abstract artist, and the large painting, Sandra can see it there, over my bed, is one of my favorites of her paintings, and the others are hers, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is beautiful. The colors are just beautiful."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.107235854612938, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The paintings there are her work, in the other room, and that’s a self-portrait of her. She was an artist."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was she local? Was she from this area when you met her?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I met her on a railroad train in the freight yards at Council Bluffs, Iowa, when the train was stalled by the floods. She was living in Southern California. We met on the railroad train, and three months later, we got married. We were married for 66 years. She was a very accomplished abstract artist, and the large painting, Sandra can see it there, over my bed, is one of my favorites of her paintings, and the others are hers, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is beautiful. The colors are just beautiful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, she had a wonderful sense of color. There’s another one you can’t see, back in that corner, which is more colorful. She sold paintings and had several shows in San Francisco."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s quite an accomplishment, especially around here."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 27.89692872734771, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I met her on a railroad train in the freight yards at Council Bluffs, Iowa, when the train was stalled by the floods. She was living in Southern California. We met on the railroad train, and three months later, we got married. We were married for 66 years. She was a very accomplished abstract artist, and the large painting, Sandra can see it there, over my bed, is one of my favorites of her paintings, and the others are hers, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is beautiful. The colors are just beautiful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, she had a wonderful sense of color. There’s another one you can’t see, back in that corner, which is more colorful. She sold paintings and had several shows in San Francisco."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s quite an accomplishment, especially around here."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. San Francisco is a very active place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned you had brothers that were engineers—did they work at Ames as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 29.885476363719675, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, she had a wonderful sense of color. There’s another one you can’t see, back in that corner, which is more colorful. She sold paintings and had several shows in San Francisco."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s quite an accomplishment, especially around here."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. San Francisco is a very active place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned you had brothers that were engineers—did they work at Ames as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, they weren’t engineers. They went to Stanford, but one was a lawyer and one was a businessman. The one that was a lawyer became the president of the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your father must have been very proud he made the choice to move you all to California."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 26.53941818191075, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. San Francisco is a very active place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned you had brothers that were engineers—did they work at Ames as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, they weren’t engineers. They went to Stanford, but one was a lawyer and one was a businessman. The one that was a lawyer became the president of the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your father must have been very proud he made the choice to move you all to California."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My father and mother were born in Italy. My father came to the United States as a boy of 16, with very little money, and an eighth grade education. He let his children know he came to the United States so they could amount to something. My siblings, I had two brothers and two sisters. We all worked hard. Our mother had a sixth grade education. It’s a classic story of the first part of the 20th century, people coming from Europe and raising families in the United States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did your sisters do? You mentioned that one of them was going to Stanford, the youngest one."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 28.377131313234166, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, they weren’t engineers. They went to Stanford, but one was a lawyer and one was a businessman. The one that was a lawyer became the president of the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your father must have been very proud he made the choice to move you all to California."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My father and mother were born in Italy. My father came to the United States as a boy of 16, with very little money, and an eighth grade education. He let his children know he came to the United States so they could amount to something. My siblings, I had two brothers and two sisters. We all worked hard. Our mother had a sixth grade education. It’s a classic story of the first part of the 20th century, people coming from Europe and raising families in the United States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did your sisters do? You mentioned that one of them was going to Stanford, the youngest one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My sister was a teacher of romance languages, and then, during the war, she went into the Navy. She was a Naval, what did they call them?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "WAVES [Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 23.75236812581574, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My father and mother were born in Italy. My father came to the United States as a boy of 16, with very little money, and an eighth grade education. He let his children know he came to the United States so they could amount to something. My siblings, I had two brothers and two sisters. We all worked hard. Our mother had a sixth grade education. It’s a classic story of the first part of the 20th century, people coming from Europe and raising families in the United States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did your sisters do? You mentioned that one of them was going to Stanford, the youngest one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My sister was a teacher of romance languages, and then, during the war, she went into the Navy. She was a Naval, what did they call them?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "WAVES [Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was a WAVE, and spent most of the war in Hawaii, doing work for the WAVES. After the war, she went into the early days of the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency], and was sent abroad in Southeast Asia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s an interesting area to be in at that time in the history of the world, too."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 21.94707569535082, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My sister was a teacher of romance languages, and then, during the war, she went into the Navy. She was a Naval, what did they call them?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "WAVES [Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was a WAVE, and spent most of the war in Hawaii, doing work for the WAVES. After the war, she went into the early days of the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency], and was sent abroad in Southeast Asia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s an interesting area to be in at that time in the history of the world, too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, she did a lot of interesting things. After the war, she was assigned to the embassy in London [England], but she was doing work in a group that was studying what they should do about Fidel Castro in Cuba. They didn’t want to have this group in Washington for fear that it would be discovered. They wanted this group to work by itself without any notice, so they sent them to London. She was involved in that, and she went through a couple of marriages and then she became, after the war, in the CIA, and spent quite a few years in their office in Chile. She did all kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Amazing woman. For the time period, that’s just amazing, what she did."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 16.60786188372313, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was a WAVE, and spent most of the war in Hawaii, doing work for the WAVES. After the war, she went into the early days of the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency], and was sent abroad in Southeast Asia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s an interesting area to be in at that time in the history of the world, too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, she did a lot of interesting things. After the war, she was assigned to the embassy in London [England], but she was doing work in a group that was studying what they should do about Fidel Castro in Cuba. They didn’t want to have this group in Washington for fear that it would be discovered. They wanted this group to work by itself without any notice, so they sent them to London. She was involved in that, and she went through a couple of marriages and then she became, after the war, in the CIA, and spent quite a few years in their office in Chile. She did all kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Amazing woman. For the time period, that’s just amazing, what she did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "During the war, before she went into the WAVES, she applied for a job at Douglas Aircraft. She was living in Southern California. She wasn’t getting anywhere, so she sat down one evening and wrote a letter to Donald Douglas, the president of the company, in Spanish, and sent it to him. Two days later, she got a phone call from Douglas’ secretary, who said, “Come on in.” That was one way to get a job—to go around the Navy red tape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned earlier that you had a student that later became the Center Director of NASA at Ames, and you also mentioned that when you were a student, your professors had told you about NACA, so what did you share with your students about the qualities of NACA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 19.268965288547072, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "During the war, before she went into the WAVES, she applied for a job at Douglas Aircraft. She was living in Southern California. She wasn’t getting anywhere, so she sat down one evening and wrote a letter to Donald Douglas, the president of the company, in Spanish, and sent it to him. Two days later, she got a phone call from Douglas’ secretary, who said, “Come on in.” That was one way to get a job—to go around the Navy red tape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned earlier that you had a student that later became the Center Director of NASA at Ames, and you also mentioned that when you were a student, your professors had told you about NACA, so what did you share with your students about the qualities of NACA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was already employed at Ames, and when he was my student, he was given time off from his work at Ames to do his Ph.D. work. At that time, he and another of his colleagues from Ames were both my students, and they both did their Ph.D. research in related fields, so they both used to come to my office, the two of them together. Ames was closely involved, and another man that we hired very quickly after Washington started pushing money at us was Milton Van Dyke. We had quite a few. Ames was sending people over to us to take advanced training. We were creating quite a service for Ames. We had some excellent students as a result."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What lessons or what do you believe you learned while you worked at NACA that you could share with your students as valuable lessons to take to their jobs?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just talk very positively about Ames, as my professor had done, who had been, gosh, why can’t I remember his name? I did my dissertation under him."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ll have to see if we can find that for you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.75180899820626, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just talk very positively about Ames, as my professor had done, who had been, gosh, why can’t I remember his name? I did my dissertation under him."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ll have to see if we can find that for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’ll come to me, probably after you leave. He had worked for 10 years at Langley Field before he came to Stanford and had talked very positively about NACA, before Ames came into existence. Russell Robinson, who had graduated from Stanford in aeronautics 10 years before I did, had been his student. This professor became a full professor at Stanford at the age of 27. He was the youngest full professor, I think, at Stanford, maybe in any department, but at least certainly in the School of Engineering. He was quite a brilliant man, and he had written a book which was very important, which we used. So our professor, who was such a distinguished person in the field, had worked for NACA. That itself was testimony we didn’t have to hear about, we just knew. William Durand was, I think, the [second] chairman of NACA, and he was one of the people that had to do with the formation of NACA. NACA and Stanford had a close connection."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any regrets of going to Stanford at the time that the space age was beginning? You could have had an instrumental part."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I felt very fortunate that I had done that because people needed this kind of education we were giving them. The country needed a department like ours, and we very quickly became, along with MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge] and Caltech, the three top departments in the United States—and still are. Those were the three outstanding aeronautical departments. A Stanford graduate was Brad [Bradford] Parkinson, who was the key man in putting up the global positioning satellite [GPS] system."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The list is long, isn’t it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.61312110911807, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’ll come to me, probably after you leave. He had worked for 10 years at Langley Field before he came to Stanford and had talked very positively about NACA, before Ames came into existence. Russell Robinson, who had graduated from Stanford in aeronautics 10 years before I did, had been his student. This professor became a full professor at Stanford at the age of 27. He was the youngest full professor, I think, at Stanford, maybe in any department, but at least certainly in the School of Engineering. He was quite a brilliant man, and he had written a book which was very important, which we used. So our professor, who was such a distinguished person in the field, had worked for NACA. That itself was testimony we didn’t have to hear about, we just knew. William Durand was, I think, the [second] chairman of NACA, and he was one of the people that had to do with the formation of NACA. NACA and Stanford had a close connection."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any regrets of going to Stanford at the time that the space age was beginning? You could have had an instrumental part."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I felt very fortunate that I had done that because people needed this kind of education we were giving them. The country needed a department like ours, and we very quickly became, along with MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge] and Caltech, the three top departments in the United States—and still are. Those were the three outstanding aeronautical departments. A Stanford graduate was Brad [Bradford] Parkinson, who was the key man in putting up the global positioning satellite [GPS] system."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The list is long, isn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "After he got his doctor’s degree at Stanford, he went into the military, and then after he got out of the military, he came back and was a professor at Stanford. There has been that kind of thing going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it Elliott Reid [professor at Stanford]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.681245676797854, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I felt very fortunate that I had done that because people needed this kind of education we were giving them. The country needed a department like ours, and we very quickly became, along with MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge] and Caltech, the three top departments in the United States—and still are. Those were the three outstanding aeronautical departments. A Stanford graduate was Brad [Bradford] Parkinson, who was the key man in putting up the global positioning satellite [GPS] system."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The list is long, isn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "After he got his doctor’s degree at Stanford, he went into the military, and then after he got out of the military, he came back and was a professor at Stanford. There has been that kind of thing going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it Elliott Reid [professor at Stanford]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Elliott Reid, where did you get that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Out of this article right here."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 22.979161863108725, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After he got his doctor’s degree at Stanford, he went into the military, and then after he got out of the military, he came back and was a professor at Stanford. There has been that kind of thing going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it Elliott Reid [professor at Stanford]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Elliott Reid, where did you get that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Out of this article right here."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Elliott Reid, good heavens. I know that as well as I know my own name. What is that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an article that was from Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics. It’s a little history. I found it online."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 24.421290959009696, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Elliott Reid, where did you get that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Out of this article right here."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Elliott Reid, good heavens. I know that as well as I know my own name. What is that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an article that was from Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics. It’s a little history. I found it online."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it about Reid?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They mention him, but it talks about Durand and Reid and you and different people in the aeronautics department. It’s the history of the founding of that department.\n\nDo you have any questions?\n\nWhen they made you part of the Navy, when you couldn’t get the deferment and then you became a chief petty officer and you had people working under you that were higher ranked, during that time, did you still receive the same pay as you were before? Or did it revert to Navy pay?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.023656621121884, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Elliott Reid, good heavens. I know that as well as I know my own name. What is that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an article that was from Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics. It’s a little history. I found it online."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it about Reid?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They mention him, but it talks about Durand and Reid and you and different people in the aeronautics department. It’s the history of the founding of that department.\n\nDo you have any questions?\n\nWhen they made you part of the Navy, when you couldn’t get the deferment and then you became a chief petty officer and you had people working under you that were higher ranked, during that time, did you still receive the same pay as you were before? Or did it revert to Navy pay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Navy pay. For the first six months or so, I lived there on the Naval base in the Navy dormitories. We were required to, and we went through boot camp. We were part of the Navy, for sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was just wondering, since you had already been established at a federal level with Ames, and then you have to go into the Navy, was that a cut in pay?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 28.915174023468758, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it about Reid?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They mention him, but it talks about Durand and Reid and you and different people in the aeronautics department. It’s the history of the founding of that department.\n\nDo you have any questions?\n\nWhen they made you part of the Navy, when you couldn’t get the deferment and then you became a chief petty officer and you had people working under you that were higher ranked, during that time, did you still receive the same pay as you were before? Or did it revert to Navy pay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Navy pay. For the first six months or so, I lived there on the Naval base in the Navy dormitories. We were required to, and we went through boot camp. We were part of the Navy, for sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was just wondering, since you had already been established at a federal level with Ames, and then you have to go into the Navy, was that a cut in pay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then people working under you were making, I would assume, more money than you because they were commissioned."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 27.683526692743065, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Navy pay. For the first six months or so, I lived there on the Naval base in the Navy dormitories. We were required to, and we went through boot camp. We were part of the Navy, for sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was just wondering, since you had already been established at a federal level with Ames, and then you have to go into the Navy, was that a cut in pay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then people working under you were making, I would assume, more money than you because they were commissioned."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right, but we didn’t think about that because the war, after all, there was a war going on. We were right here in California, worried about the Japanese. At Ames, the dirigible Macon was gone, but Moffett Field, the Navy station there was the base for blimps that went out over the Pacific here, patrolling, looking for Japanese submarines. There were 13 blimps in that hangar, and one day, in order to take some photographs, they put all 13 blimps in the air at the same time. They were all flying close to each other over Moffett Field, so that they could take a photograph of all 13 of them in one photograph. A fellow that shared the office with me, looking out the window, said, “Now, I know what it feels like to live in the bottom of a goldfish bowl.” Those blimps were all around us, day and night, they were always on patrol out here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they beef up security at Ames during the war? Was it any different?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.75947410304785, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then people working under you were making, I would assume, more money than you because they were commissioned."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right, but we didn’t think about that because the war, after all, there was a war going on. We were right here in California, worried about the Japanese. At Ames, the dirigible Macon was gone, but Moffett Field, the Navy station there was the base for blimps that went out over the Pacific here, patrolling, looking for Japanese submarines. There were 13 blimps in that hangar, and one day, in order to take some photographs, they put all 13 blimps in the air at the same time. They were all flying close to each other over Moffett Field, so that they could take a photograph of all 13 of them in one photograph. A fellow that shared the office with me, looking out the window, said, “Now, I know what it feels like to live in the bottom of a goldfish bowl.” Those blimps were all around us, day and night, they were always on patrol out here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they beef up security at Ames during the war? Was it any different?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have, like now, when we go through the gates, we have to show a badge and that sort of thing because of security. Was it similar when you were there?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 34.177193447830945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right, but we didn’t think about that because the war, after all, there was a war going on. We were right here in California, worried about the Japanese. At Ames, the dirigible Macon was gone, but Moffett Field, the Navy station there was the base for blimps that went out over the Pacific here, patrolling, looking for Japanese submarines. There were 13 blimps in that hangar, and one day, in order to take some photographs, they put all 13 blimps in the air at the same time. They were all flying close to each other over Moffett Field, so that they could take a photograph of all 13 of them in one photograph. A fellow that shared the office with me, looking out the window, said, “Now, I know what it feels like to live in the bottom of a goldfish bowl.” Those blimps were all around us, day and night, they were always on patrol out here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they beef up security at Ames during the war? Was it any different?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have, like now, when we go through the gates, we have to show a badge and that sort of thing because of security. Was it similar when you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I’ve forgotten the details, but yes. It was very much a Navy base."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mr. Vincenti, were you working the day of Pearl Harbor [Naval Base, Hawaii, attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy, December 7, 1941]? Were you actually at work? I know it was a Sunday morning, but I don’t know if you were working."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 36.86354827536771, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have, like now, when we go through the gates, we have to show a badge and that sort of thing because of security. Was it similar when you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I’ve forgotten the details, but yes. It was very much a Navy base."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mr. Vincenti, were you working the day of Pearl Harbor [Naval Base, Hawaii, attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy, December 7, 1941]? Were you actually at work? I know it was a Sunday morning, but I don’t know if you were working."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a Sunday morning?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I believe so."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 32.07060919485301, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I’ve forgotten the details, but yes. It was very much a Navy base."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mr. Vincenti, were you working the day of Pearl Harbor [Naval Base, Hawaii, attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy, December 7, 1941]? Were you actually at work? I know it was a Sunday morning, but I don’t know if you were working."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a Sunday morning?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I believe so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I was playing tennis with one of my fellow workers from Ames, Carl [Carlton] Bioletti, who had been one of the three people working there when I was hired. I heard a car drive—we were playing tennis on a tennis court in the Stanford campus, and there was a street that went by—a car went by and I heard something about the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor. It had happened on a Sunday, as you say. I yelled across the net to Bioletti, who was on the other side, farther from the street, “Carl, the Japanese have just bombed Pearl Harbor.”\\n\\n He said, “That’s Orson Welles again.” Orson Welles had put on a show on the radio about some fictitious military happening [1938 War of the Worlds broadcast]. Afterwards, we found out it wasn’t Orson Welles. That evening, we were having dinner in the home of Carl Bioletti’s sister, in the hills back of Redwood City. On that evening, that woman was serving Japanese food for dinner, so there we were. We figured if word got around about that, they’ll come and raid us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The years that you were able to do your research and your work at NACA, you were always seeking new challenges. How did you know what areas that you wanted to go into? How did you know what theoretical work you wanted to research?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 34.40279970000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Engineers learn a lot from each other. I’m glad you found the name Elliott Reid because that would be troubling me the rest of the day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m glad we could provide that for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s one thing I find, that in getting old, the memory for names—because names are arbitrary. They don’t logically connect for anything else. I find it very difficult to remember names, some of the times, of people that I know them and I have to track them down in some way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s good that it’s easier to track down now. We have more tools to find things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Google is a big help. I’ve used that to sit there at that thing [pointing to computer]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are there other stories or experiences that you want to share with us today? Any other pieces of information that maybe haven’t been?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 38.225333000000006, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s one thing I find, that in getting old, the memory for names—because names are arbitrary. They don’t logically connect for anything else. I find it very difficult to remember names, some of the times, of people that I know them and I have to track them down in some way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s good that it’s easier to track down now. We have more tools to find things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Google is a big help. I’ve used that to sit there at that thing [pointing to computer]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are there other stories or experiences that you want to share with us today? Any other pieces of information that maybe haven’t been?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I don’t think of anything else that pertains to—I’m trying to think if there’s anything more from Ames."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any experiences in the wind tunnels that maybe you haven't shared before, talked about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 40.250370000000004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Google is a big help. I’ve used that to sit there at that thing [pointing to computer]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are there other stories or experiences that you want to share with us today? Any other pieces of information that maybe haven’t been?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I don’t think of anything else that pertains to—I’m trying to think if there’s anything more from Ames."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any experiences in the wind tunnels that maybe you haven't shared before, talked about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. When I first went to work there, I worked on the design of the wind tunnels and when the 40 x 80 Full Scale Wind Tunnel was being built, they put me to work on the design of the doors that open above the test section of the wind tunnel. I didn’t have anything else to do with the 40 x 80, but I did design those doors. If you ever go to Ames and see the 40 x 80 doors open, those are my doors.\\n\\n When they were designing the laboratory in Cleveland of the NACA, what’s the name of that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Lewis Research Center [now Glenn Research Center]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00972:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 41.389300000000006, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I don’t think of anything else that pertains to—I’m trying to think if there’s anything more from Ames."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any experiences in the wind tunnels that maybe you haven't shared before, talked about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. When I first went to work there, I worked on the design of the wind tunnels and when the 40 x 80 Full Scale Wind Tunnel was being built, they put me to work on the design of the doors that open above the test section of the wind tunnel. I didn’t have anything else to do with the 40 x 80, but I did design those doors. If you ever go to Ames and see the 40 x 80 doors open, those are my doors.\\n\\n When they were designing the laboratory in Cleveland of the NACA, what’s the name of that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Lewis Research Center [now Glenn Research Center]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the Lewis Laboratory. We designed their refrigeration wind tunnel. Carl Bioletti was in charge of it and I was working with him. Their wind tunnel was a high speed, pressurized tunnel, but it was also a cool tunnel. I’m not quite sure why, but they wanted to run these at very cold temperatures. When the tunnel is running at cold temperatures, the shell of the tunnel tends to shrink and pull away from the reinforcing rings on the outside. Very fortunately, one of my top professors at Stanford was the great Stephen Timoshenko. Is that a name you’ve ever run into before?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, when I was reading that history, I was reading about him."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 63.520996893779255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I got to the Ad[ministration] Building, which is here, Building 200, and there were not too many others. The big forty-by-eighty-foot wind tunnel was here. The sixteen-foot wind tunnel was here. The seven-by-tens were here, which were subsonic, and this building, which had a little supersonic wind tunnel in the back of it, was here, and this is where they sent me to work in January of ’47."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this building is 207?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s Building 207. So I’ve come full cycle in almost sixty years, and I’m back where I started, as a historian now, but I started here in this building working on the supersonic wind tunnel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your official title when you started?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think P-1, Aeronautical Engineer, as simple as that. They had P-1s, P-2s, P-3s. That was the different grade levels, like GS [General Schedule] now. So just called P-1, Aero Engineer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your first duties when you arrived here at Ames?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 47.65016458650983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Other organizations—I gave papers away from Ames on occasion. Other Centers?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Other Centers or national organizations. Did you belong to any engineering organizations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It wasn’t called the AIAA then, it was called the American Institute of—I think it was AIA. Yes. There were organizations that young engineers, or old engineers, belonged to if they chose to, and they would have annual meetings on occasion, and you’d give papers there, too. You would publish papers. You’d give papers at the NACA conferences, and you’d give papers at academic locations or industry locations. I gave maybe half a dozen in that first six, ten years. Most of the time we spent on-site, writing, getting data and writing. Didn’t do much traveling in those early days. If we picked a conference to give a paper, it was usually not too far away, like L.A. [Los Angeles, California] or San Francisco [California], Washington [D.C.] sometimes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have the opportunity to visit any Laboratories while you were working with NACA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some. You mean other than NACA. Did you mean NACA Labs?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Other NACA Labs"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 45.16684954056648, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It wasn’t called the AIAA then, it was called the American Institute of—I think it was AIA. Yes. There were organizations that young engineers, or old engineers, belonged to if they chose to, and they would have annual meetings on occasion, and you’d give papers there, too. You would publish papers. You’d give papers at the NACA conferences, and you’d give papers at academic locations or industry locations. I gave maybe half a dozen in that first six, ten years. Most of the time we spent on-site, writing, getting data and writing. Didn’t do much traveling in those early days. If we picked a conference to give a paper, it was usually not too far away, like L.A. [Los Angeles, California] or San Francisco [California], Washington [D.C.] sometimes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have the opportunity to visit any Laboratories while you were working with NACA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some. You mean other than NACA. Did you mean NACA Labs?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Other NACA Labs"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we went to Langley and Glenn [Research Center, previously called the NACA Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory, Cleveland, Ohio] and the desert; it was called Dryden [Edwards, California]. It was called the [NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit, renamed the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station, and later called the NACA High-Speed Flight Station] in those days until it was named after Dr. [Hugh L.] Dryden. Yes, see, that’s all there were; there were just the four sites. The others hadn’t come about until after 1958."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went to these other Laboratories, what was the purpose of going?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 49.07427726729609, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some. You mean other than NACA. Did you mean NACA Labs?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Other NACA Labs"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we went to Langley and Glenn [Research Center, previously called the NACA Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory, Cleveland, Ohio] and the desert; it was called Dryden [Edwards, California]. It was called the [NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit, renamed the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station, and later called the NACA High-Speed Flight Station] in those days until it was named after Dr. [Hugh L.] Dryden. Yes, see, that’s all there were; there were just the four sites. The others hadn’t come about until after 1958."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went to these other Laboratories, what was the purpose of going?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly to review data other people had gotten that was similar to your own, or to coordinate on writing papers. But fundamentally it was exchanging information, each other’s, so you could take another step forward and not do the same thing they were doing. You usually kept up with them that way and with reading their papers. You became good friends with your competitors. Everybody always thought of them as friendly competitors, particularly in NACA days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How much time would you spend down at one of the Laboratories when you would go?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 53.415863630328985, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we went to Langley and Glenn [Research Center, previously called the NACA Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory, Cleveland, Ohio] and the desert; it was called Dryden [Edwards, California]. It was called the [NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit, renamed the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station, and later called the NACA High-Speed Flight Station] in those days until it was named after Dr. [Hugh L.] Dryden. Yes, see, that’s all there were; there were just the four sites. The others hadn’t come about until after 1958."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went to these other Laboratories, what was the purpose of going?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly to review data other people had gotten that was similar to your own, or to coordinate on writing papers. But fundamentally it was exchanging information, each other’s, so you could take another step forward and not do the same thing they were doing. You usually kept up with them that way and with reading their papers. You became good friends with your competitors. Everybody always thought of them as friendly competitors, particularly in NACA days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How much time would you spend down at one of the Laboratories when you would go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two or three days. It took longer to get there, so you wouldn’t just go for an overnight visit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you take the train?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 57.12873736703221, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly to review data other people had gotten that was similar to your own, or to coordinate on writing papers. But fundamentally it was exchanging information, each other’s, so you could take another step forward and not do the same thing they were doing. You usually kept up with them that way and with reading their papers. You became good friends with your competitors. Everybody always thought of them as friendly competitors, particularly in NACA days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How much time would you spend down at one of the Laboratories when you would go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two or three days. It took longer to get there, so you wouldn’t just go for an overnight visit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you take the train?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I only took the train once. Our director here, who had been a pilot and had lost an eye during a crash, actually, promised his wife he’d never fly again, and he didn’t. He took the train when he went to Washington [D.C.]. I generally would fly. The first flights I was on was like the old DC-7s, which were slow; it took you seven and a half hours to get across the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were those Ames planes?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 63.47637485225801, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two or three days. It took longer to get there, so you wouldn’t just go for an overnight visit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you take the train?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I only took the train once. Our director here, who had been a pilot and had lost an eye during a crash, actually, promised his wife he’d never fly again, and he didn’t. He took the train when he went to Washington [D.C.]. I generally would fly. The first flights I was on was like the old DC-7s, which were slow; it took you seven and a half hours to get across the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were those Ames planes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, no. We didn’t have passenger planes. In fact, we’ve never basically had passenger planes that we owned. Most of them were research aircraft. We did have a few that could be utilized on occasion for passengers, but fundamentally we didn’t have passenger planes, no. It was all commercial."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have the chance to visit other non-NACA laborator[ies]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 59.41819428028668, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I only took the train once. Our director here, who had been a pilot and had lost an eye during a crash, actually, promised his wife he’d never fly again, and he didn’t. He took the train when he went to Washington [D.C.]. I generally would fly. The first flights I was on was like the old DC-7s, which were slow; it took you seven and a half hours to get across the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were those Ames planes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, no. We didn’t have passenger planes. In fact, we’ve never basically had passenger planes that we owned. Most of them were research aircraft. We did have a few that could be utilized on occasion for passengers, but fundamentally we didn’t have passenger planes, no. It was all commercial."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have the chance to visit other non-NACA laborator[ies]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’d go to the company labs, like Boeing’s up north in Seattle [Washington], McDonnell in L.A. See, the West Coast had a tremendous number of aerospace labs. So I didn’t go—Texas, occasionally; used to be a place called Chance Vought in Fort Worth, Texas. I went there. They were the ones who built the supersonic bomber that used our techniques, called the B-58 bomber. So we’d go there, but mostly it was the West Coast labs. But, as I said, in the early days, like the first ten years, you didn’t do much traveling. Mostly people came to you to collect the data."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when you went to these various laboratories, were you working on research, or what were you doing there?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 35.563794932169635, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not much, no. We knew of their work, and Bob [Robert R.] Gilruth was running it at the time, as I recall. Some people here may have. I did not, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were some of the other people who were working on these studies with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, people like Dave [David E.] Reese and Al [Alvin] Seiff. Harvey Allen, of course, guided us all. Vic [Victor L.] Peterson, who later became the Deputy Director here, worked on them. Another guy named [W.] Pat Peterson worked on the entry studies. Charlie Hall was my real mentor in doing some of the high-speed aerodynamics, which led to the conical camber work. And, of course, the ones I’ve mentioned before, Van Dyke and Vincenti and people like that who were here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think was the ultimate impact of your work on—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Another guy, Murray Tobak, Murray Tobak. He came to the six-by-six about ’48 or ’49, and he was a dynamic stability guy, as opposed to pure static stability, which I tend to focus on. He was very helpful, and bright guy. He’s still around, actually. He retired a couple of years ago, but it’s another name. What was the next question?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think has been the impact of your work on planetary probes?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 43.55801773960169, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess it helped shape some of the probes and determine that there really was some real gas effects—other gas effects, like carbon [dioxide] and [nitrogen]—on certain shapes, so you had to be fairly selective about the shape you used and design it properly, depending on what planetary atmosphere you were going in and what its composition was, if you knew it. We now know pretty much that Mars and Venus are made up mostly of carbon dioxide, which is a very heavy gas; with some nitrogen; very, very little oxygen, if any. So a heavy gas causes a flow field that would be different than, say, nitrogen, so you have to understand the complexity of the different gas mixtures. So I think helping to start understanding that, long before we sent probes out to the planets.\\n\\n The ranges were great things to do this with, because you could get much higher speeds. See, the wind tunnels were limited to Mach numbers of about five, maybe ten. If you heated the air, you could get to ten. But these ranges could get velocities up to 15[000] or 20,000 miles per hour by firing the models, so you could get speeds approaching planetary entry speeds. Well, you couldn’t do that in the wind tunnels. You had to take the data and at the end, extrapolate as best you could. Now, each facility has its own disadvantages, but you use what you can and put them together. Al Seiff and Dave Reese were kind of precursors to working those range sort of problems, though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "While you were working at Ames, the Korean War began. What impact do you think that the Korean War had on Ames?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "What year was the Korean War?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m going to say ’52, ’53."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was fifty-something. Not noticeably. Not noticeably. A few people who were in the Reserves probably left. I know one I can recall. The Korean War really had not too much effect on the research we were doing, I don’t think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve heard there was some discussion of perhaps inducting members of Ames back into the Navy. Do you recall those discussions?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 41.73113082177965, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What year was the Korean War?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m going to say ’52, ’53."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was fifty-something. Not noticeably. Not noticeably. A few people who were in the Reserves probably left. I know one I can recall. The Korean War really had not too much effect on the research we were doing, I don’t think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve heard there was some discussion of perhaps inducting members of Ames back into the Navy. Do you recall those discussions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit, but I never took that awfully seriously. It could have been more serious than I thought, since I was just an engineer. We didn’t pay much attention to politics, actually, as we do now. Now we know. By reading NASA Watch, you know everything that’s happening to everybody every day, every hour. But at my level, we didn’t worry much about politics.\\n\\n One thing about it, the Center had a Financial Management Office with two people in it, two people. The money came in, in the NACA days, and these two people managed the whole budget. Now we have, what, fifty people in the Financial Management Office, and you look at every detail. Engineers at my level never worried about money, ever. We just did what we needed to do. We built the models and tested them, and nobody ever talked to us about dollars. Now, this changed soon after NASA started, probably in the sixties. Then you had to really pay more attention to your budget, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think was the impact of the Cold War on NACA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 44.24652546491836, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Casual Friday or casual any day. I remember starting from bang, wearing a jacket and a tie. You were permitted to wear a sweater, as long as you wore a tie with it. So the dress code in the first ten or fifteen years, as I recall, was—there was never any debate. It didn’t seem strict. It was just something you did.\\n\\n The other reason for it, I think, in his view, was we had a lot of outside interface with company execs and engineers from other companies, and he just wanted the presentation to be right. I don’t recall that the women—it seems to me I don’t recall them wearing slacks in the early days, but I think that was typical wherever you were. It wasn’t just here. Women wore dresses to work, I think, at least in the early days. The ladies that worked in here did.\\n\\n It’s interesting, too, though, talk about the engineers marrying their computers. There were a number of engineers who really married their computers. I mean, they met them here, they worked with them here, and they married them. I didn’t happen to, but a number of my friends did, married the young ladies who were reducing the data for us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you meet your wife?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I met her in Palo Alto [California], which is close by. I ordered some Christmas presents to send home to my family in Virginia. Came back a week later, and they arrived at my house in Palo Alto, and I went storming into this store. “These are Christmas presents that were supposed to be in Virginia. What do you mean sending them to my house here?”\\n\\n And she happened to be the one I—she didn’t do it, but she happened to be the one at the counter. She worked in this clothing store. So after raising hell with her, I asked her to go sailing. And she did, and that was fifty-five years ago. Fifty-six years ago; we’ve been married fifty-five years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Congratulations."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It is. … You’ve got a full house."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 44.71836162768707, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I met her in Palo Alto [California], which is close by. I ordered some Christmas presents to send home to my family in Virginia. Came back a week later, and they arrived at my house in Palo Alto, and I went storming into this store. “These are Christmas presents that were supposed to be in Virginia. What do you mean sending them to my house here?”\\n\\n And she happened to be the one I—she didn’t do it, but she happened to be the one at the counter. She worked in this clothing store. So after raising hell with her, I asked her to go sailing. And she did, and that was fifty-five years ago. Fifty-six years ago; we’ve been married fifty-five years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Congratulations."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It is. … You’ve got a full house."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and my birthday was just held last month. There were twenty of us in the picture, so almost everybody was here, but one or two of them were missing. It was fun. Yes, putting them up that week was an interesting chore. We used a neighbor’s house and a motel uptown in Saratoga [California]; our house. But it worked. It just cost about $10,000 to feed them, I think. Or a lot. Fortunately, they all cook. And we had the swimming pool, so the kids were all happy, so that worked well. …"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that some of the engineers married their computers. Can you talk a little bit about social activities at the Laboratory while you worked for NACA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 45.24262403076341, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It is. … You’ve got a full house."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and my birthday was just held last month. There were twenty of us in the picture, so almost everybody was here, but one or two of them were missing. It was fun. Yes, putting them up that week was an interesting chore. We used a neighbor’s house and a motel uptown in Saratoga [California]; our house. But it worked. It just cost about $10,000 to feed them, I think. Or a lot. Fortunately, they all cook. And we had the swimming pool, so the kids were all happy, so that worked well. …"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that some of the engineers married their computers. Can you talk a little bit about social activities at the Laboratory while you worked for NACA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We didn’t go out socially too much. I guess most of us had three or four friends that we would interface with and have dinners with, and then our kids started growing up together with each other.\\n\\n One thing we did do, which I thought was fun. We’d have a Christmas party every Christmas, and this hangar down here, we’d put on a show in the hangar. For about two or three years, we had a barbershop quartet, and I was a member of it. But we put records on, and we mimed to the barbershop quartet. Nobody knew it for the first few times, and then they caught on. Santa Claus would come in in a helicopter. Can you believe us flying a helicopter into that hangar with Santa Claus now, with all the safety regulations? Every year we’d have something like that for the kids, and that went on probably for ten or fifteen years.\\n\\n But offsite, there was not a lot of gathering of large gatherings. They were two or three at a time. As I say, you’d have two or three of your friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any yearly picnics that were sponsored by the Lab?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 60.95010155111578, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were picnics. I don’t recall ever participating in them much. That was kind of spotty. Each branch or division would have a picnic, generally, not the whole Center. The only thing I recall the whole Center doing together was the Christmas parties, and, of course, the conferences that we had were sort of a bringing together of the technical family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved in any intramural sports?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn’t. I never was good at sports. I liked to read and listen to music, and travel a little bit in those days. Now I’m tired of traveling. It’s been so many, so long. But my wife hasn’t gotten over traveling. She loves to do it. So I wasn’t, no. I wasn’t in sports. Even in high school, I wasn’t in sports."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first arrived at Ames, how did you get around the Laboratory? It seems fairly large now. How were you able to get around?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Walk. Just walk. It’s not all that big. I still walk. It’s grown a fair amount, some of the outer forty, but you could walk from one place to the other in ten minutes, no problem. Cafeteria used to be over under the auditorium, not here, so that’s where people would gather from the outlying branches and buildings for lunch every day, and breakfast. The walking was no problem. A number of branches would keep two or three bicycles around, so some people used bicycles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let’s talk about the transition from NACA to NASA."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 54.06035927977742, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly I took courses at the universities. We did some research grants. You’re given a university grant, and it’s kind of open-ended. You do what you want to, but in this field. So we had a few grants from Stanford and Caltech and places like that, but most of my interface with the universities was actually going back to learn. I went to the Stanford Sloan Program in ’65, which was an attempt to train engineers with some business sense, because none of us had any. Since that time, I think we’ve sent about eighteen people to the Stanford Sloan, and MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts] has a similar program of business. We focused on Stanford, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how long was that program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a year. It’s a year long. You come out with an M.B.A. [Masters in Business Administration] of some kind in business."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you had to look back over your career with NACA and pick one program or project that you thought was your most significant accomplishment, what do you think that would be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It would probably be a toss-up between the conical camber research that I did and the early planetary entry studies. It’s probably a toss-up between those two. One was aero oriented and one was space oriented, and they were both equally exciting in their time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think was your biggest challenge while you were working for NACA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 55.62262142197491, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a year. It’s a year long. You come out with an M.B.A. [Masters in Business Administration] of some kind in business."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you had to look back over your career with NACA and pick one program or project that you thought was your most significant accomplishment, what do you think that would be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It would probably be a toss-up between the conical camber research that I did and the early planetary entry studies. It’s probably a toss-up between those two. One was aero oriented and one was space oriented, and they were both equally exciting in their time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think was your biggest challenge while you were working for NACA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "NACA? Working around people who were much, much more brilliant than I was. It was fortunate, in a sense, because I learned a lot. But just to come in to work in the same office, the same building, with people like R. T. Jones and Harvey Allen and those folks, Dean Chapman, it was a real challenge. You always felt a little intimidated, and then when the outside ones came in, as I said, like von Karman, Lippman [phonetic], and Puckett [phonetic], who are famous names in the aviation world still, written books about the subject, that’s intimidating. I think that was my biggest challenge. It still is sometimes, but now I’ve gotten smart enough to know that I can tell them things they don’t know, too. Like von Karman said, “You know more about this subject than I do, even though I’m more brilliant than you are.” He didn’t quite say that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first arrived, what sort of advice did R. T. Jones give to you as a young fledgling engineer?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 59.580690468861015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It would probably be a toss-up between the conical camber research that I did and the early planetary entry studies. It’s probably a toss-up between those two. One was aero oriented and one was space oriented, and they were both equally exciting in their time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think was your biggest challenge while you were working for NACA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "NACA? Working around people who were much, much more brilliant than I was. It was fortunate, in a sense, because I learned a lot. But just to come in to work in the same office, the same building, with people like R. T. Jones and Harvey Allen and those folks, Dean Chapman, it was a real challenge. You always felt a little intimidated, and then when the outside ones came in, as I said, like von Karman, Lippman [phonetic], and Puckett [phonetic], who are famous names in the aviation world still, written books about the subject, that’s intimidating. I think that was my biggest challenge. It still is sometimes, but now I’ve gotten smart enough to know that I can tell them things they don’t know, too. Like von Karman said, “You know more about this subject than I do, even though I’m more brilliant than you are.” He didn’t quite say that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first arrived, what sort of advice did R. T. Jones give to you as a young fledgling engineer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He said, “Read. Read everything you can read about aerodynamics, about everybody.” He knew people; he even knew [Ludwig] Prandtl, who was another famous German aerodynamicist, and Max [M.] Munk, who trained him, another famous aerodynamicist at Langley. He said, “Just attach yourself to these people and learn from them.” So we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you give us a sense of how Ames has changed since ’47 until today?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 23.484621, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it’s been fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think has been your most significant accomplishment while working for NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "While working for NASA, that would have been in the sixties, starting in the sixties. I’m not sure I did much. I did mostly management. It’s hard to define a management—I guess the most enjoyable thing, and probably the most useful thing, is I get along with people well, so I enjoyed working with people, and I could generally persuade them to do things they sometimes didn’t want to do. Most of them have turned out, they’ve come back and said, “Gee, I’m really glad I did that.” So I think mostly in the personnel relationship with NASA, because I’d done all the technical stuff, actually, before that.\\n\\n Getting people hooked up together. I enjoy getting the right people hooked up, at whatever Center they may be, to pursue a project or a program. I did the same thing in Texas, to a large degree, but I was called the Chancellor for Research, but that’s not the only thing we focused on, because that was a good opportunity to teach and interface with students."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think was your biggest challenge while working in management?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think doing just what I said, trying to get people to go along a path you’d like to see them go for the benefit of both them and the agency. It’s always tough. They have their own idea of what they want to do, and sometimes they may be right. But you’ve got an objective, they’ve got an objective, and to make them meet somehow is the best of all possible worlds, so I think that’s it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I just had one additional question. You had mentioned John Denver. Was there anyone, other famous people, who came while you were working at NACA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My kids had the advantage of meeting a lot of these people, too, which they loved, particularly the astronauts who would come by."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How exciting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We knew one of the astronauts you might know. Did you know Al [Alfred M.] Worden? He was Apollo 15."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He worked here for three or four years after the mission, and he married a young lady from Spain who was a bullfighter, and the headline around here was “Astronaut and Bullfighter Wed.” They had a big party for them. But she really was apparently the second-ranked bullfighter in Spain at the time. …"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, I know you made some notes. Is there anything that we might have overlooked or something that you’d like to talk about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00928:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We knew one of the astronauts you might know. Did you know Al [Alfred M.] Worden? He was Apollo 15."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He worked here for three or four years after the mission, and he married a young lady from Spain who was a bullfighter, and the headline around here was “Astronaut and Bullfighter Wed.” They had a big party for them. But she really was apparently the second-ranked bullfighter in Spain at the time. …"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, I know you made some notes. Is there anything that we might have overlooked or something that you’d like to talk about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. My wife of fifty-five years, who stuck with this the whole time, having kids while I traveled, sending five kids to college with not much money. How she did it, I don’t know. And now that the kids are all finished and they come back home, she’s having her fun traveling. She loves to travel, and I’m tired of it. I do go to Hawaii with her. I like to go to Hawaii.\\n\\n I don’t think we’ve missed much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Well, I thank you very much for your time today. I very much enjoyed it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 16.48582895073144, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We knew it was dangerous, but we didn’t know how dangerous. I didn’t think it was a very good thing for him to do, but he did that. I think that got resolved—they actually went in and cleaned up the home. Radioactivity is dangerous, but you can find it because of Geiger counters, you know where it is. They did take care of that, but that was something that stood back in my mind. What time period is this? Probably 1956, because I got married in ’56, so it would be about that—’56, ’57."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first started out there, we’ve heard that they had classes and training programs, sometimes, that they would send people around to learn different things. Did you have any kind of training when you first started, since you were fresh out of college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember that. I did a lot of training, but I don’t remember any training when I was with NACA. With NASA, I remember quite a bit of training, but I don’t remember any with NACA. I don’t remember going to any classes, although I did get a master’s degree while I was with NACA. They gave us time off from work to go to school, and then I did that and night school, and so on. I got a master’s in 1954. I had a bachelor’s in 1951, but I got a master’s in 1954."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you located on site?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "M&S building, it was called, and I don’t even know the number of it anymore. It was called the M&S building, Materials and Structures building. For a while, we were in a room that we called the DP room. They called it dislocated persons, or something like that, where they put the people that had not gotten clearance because you had to go through a major clearance to get into that building because that’s where the cyclotron was. Eventually, I got that clearance, and so I was in that building someplace."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did it entail to get that clearance?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.9842543897016, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember that. I did a lot of training, but I don’t remember any training when I was with NACA. With NASA, I remember quite a bit of training, but I don’t remember any with NACA. I don’t remember going to any classes, although I did get a master’s degree while I was with NACA. They gave us time off from work to go to school, and then I did that and night school, and so on. I got a master’s in 1954. I had a bachelor’s in 1951, but I got a master’s in 1954."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you located on site?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "M&S building, it was called, and I don’t even know the number of it anymore. It was called the M&S building, Materials and Structures building. For a while, we were in a room that we called the DP room. They called it dislocated persons, or something like that, where they put the people that had not gotten clearance because you had to go through a major clearance to get into that building because that’s where the cyclotron was. Eventually, I got that clearance, and so I was in that building someplace."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did it entail to get that clearance?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] checking you, checking your family, and so on. I remember my family saying, “Did you know that somebody called here?” or “Somebody visited us,” or something like that. That’s all I recall on that. I know you’re going to eventually get into 1958, but do you have any other questions before that time period?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about some of those earlier projects. You said that you went to a laser system—was that still within NACA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 16.64917154411289, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "M&S building, it was called, and I don’t even know the number of it anymore. It was called the M&S building, Materials and Structures building. For a while, we were in a room that we called the DP room. They called it dislocated persons, or something like that, where they put the people that had not gotten clearance because you had to go through a major clearance to get into that building because that’s where the cyclotron was. Eventually, I got that clearance, and so I was in that building someplace."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did it entail to get that clearance?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] checking you, checking your family, and so on. I remember my family saying, “Did you know that somebody called here?” or “Somebody visited us,” or something like that. That’s all I recall on that. I know you’re going to eventually get into 1958, but do you have any other questions before that time period?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about some of those earlier projects. You said that you went to a laser system—was that still within NACA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was still with NACA, yes, and we were interested in lasers. At that time, we didn’t know exactly what they could do, like we know today, but we wanted to know what the effect of different things was on lasers. I had done some experiments with, it was called a ruby laser at that time, and boy, I can hardly remember. Different temperatures, different reactions on a ruby laser and what it did to that. I think I even wrote a paper on that, but I don’t remember that very well. This was a long time ago, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I know. We’re asking you to stretch that memory a little, aren’t we? Let’s talk about some of those early years, and as you mentioned, you got to organize a picnic, and the feeling at the site at that time, when people were first working here in the NACA, we’ve heard people describe it as a campus, or very congenial."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.948135260040983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess so. If you want to go on to that, we will, but if you want to go back to NACA, we can do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We can talk about NACA for a while. You mentioned the events and everything. I was thinking about the open houses, and when people would actually come here to Lewis, famous people or dignitaries."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I sort of remember [President Dwight D.] Eisenhower being here at one time. I don’t know when that was, but I sort of remember that. We did have open houses. I wasn’t so much involved in those except that we were all asked to do something at an open house. Whoever came around looked at everything. It was kind of interesting. Then, you had to spruce everything up and get everything working properly. That’s basically what I remember about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The projects you were working on, were they assigned? You said you were good at organizing and you tended to set things up and then get it going, and then go to the next thing. Were those assignments that came down, or did you have the freedom to see that something needed to be done?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, these were all assignments, at that time. Somebody had an idea and they wanted to create something or make a test on something, and they were all assigned projects. It didn’t get until later on where at least for me, where I had the opportunity to modify what was going on, some ideas I had to see if they really worked, but I had the freedom to do that, but that was later on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When setting those things up, did you actually have anything to do with setting up, like, testing rigs?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.27570584448998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I sort of remember [President Dwight D.] Eisenhower being here at one time. I don’t know when that was, but I sort of remember that. We did have open houses. I wasn’t so much involved in those except that we were all asked to do something at an open house. Whoever came around looked at everything. It was kind of interesting. Then, you had to spruce everything up and get everything working properly. That’s basically what I remember about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The projects you were working on, were they assigned? You said you were good at organizing and you tended to set things up and then get it going, and then go to the next thing. Were those assignments that came down, or did you have the freedom to see that something needed to be done?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, these were all assignments, at that time. Somebody had an idea and they wanted to create something or make a test on something, and they were all assigned projects. It didn’t get until later on where at least for me, where I had the opportunity to modify what was going on, some ideas I had to see if they really worked, but I had the freedom to do that, but that was later on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When setting those things up, did you actually have anything to do with setting up, like, testing rigs?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about working with the technical services groups and maybe photographers or whoever you worked with on some of that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.38976030183948, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about working with the technical services groups and maybe photographers or whoever you worked with on some of that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, I worked with just about everybody at the laboratory. I had an excellent experience with technical services. We had what we called mechanics in our building that we worked in. They were all part of technical services, but they were assigned to different buildings. They were all excellent. They were excellent teachers to me. For some reason or other, they helped me. I guess they liked me. They showed me how to operate all the machines. I was able to operate a lathe, a milling machine, a grinding machine, all those machines that the mechanics use. They showed me how to operate so I could do that, which helped me in the future, so that when I needed to draw a plan for something to be built, I knew how to design it so that it could be built. They didn’t have to come back to me and say, “I can’t do it that way; you have to do it this way.” I knew that ahead of time because of the teaching that they did. I was very fortunate to have that.\\n\\n I met with technical services. When I wrote papers, I had to meet with the people who, at that time, were the typists who typed the papers out. It’s so different now, with computers, I just can’t imagine. Every time you made an error, you had to sort of retype it. They didn’t have copy machines, even, then. That’s hard to remember, that they didn’t have copy machines. If you made an error, you had to do it over again. I worked with the photographers many times. Just about everybody at the laboratory, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s interesting that the photography had so much to do with what people got out of these tests."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you don’t mind, just for a moment, if you can recall working with the types of photography that may have helped with some of the work that you were doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 18.900845572049448, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, space flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about that transition between NACA to NASA."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That happened in 1958, in October ’58. We were all quite interested and happy about that, but there was some dissension, and I’ll tell you why. There were a number of people here who were well-qualified to do anything. At that time, they hired in a bunch of new people because we expanded, obviously, to become NASA. They hired in a bunch of people to be project managers, etc., and they hired them at a higher grade rate than the people that were working here. There were a lot of people who were quite annoyed at that.\\n\\n I don’t think it changed the quality of the work at all, but there were a lot of people that were annoyed that they could have done that job if they had been told to do that, but they were not asked. They brought in new people at a higher rate, and there was a lot of problems with that.\\n\\n What else happened? I think everybody took on the new tasks that were assigned and recognized that we had a race on our hands, basically, to do what we could. Everybody just buckled down and did what they were supposed to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned earlier that you don’t recall the training so much in NACA, but you do in NASA. Was it at that time that you started different training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it was actually later, when I got in to training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you working on after the transition?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.700115183736397, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s what I did, and then I mentioned the LESAC in ’63, got involved in that. That LESAC took quite a bit of time, but the Director wanted us to do that. He thought it was good for the laboratory to get together and party together. I think the idea was if you partied together, you could work together better. As I said, we had two functions a month. One was a function which was lab-wide but involved wives, you could bring your wife into the party, picnic, whatever, dance, it was. The other one was solely for a mixer for the people at the laboratory. They happened on the weekends; they did not happen during work time, but they happened on a Saturday, usually. That kept you pretty busy.\\n\\n We didn’t take work time off—we did it after work, so it was Friday afternoons or in the evenings, or so on. It was interesting. We did a lot of it. We had a lot of fun, actually, the people had a lot of fun. It was a big, big group of friendly people, actually, as I recall it, and they all looked forward to these parties. They were well attended. We were young then, actually. It was interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is something because I know in this Center and a lot of Centers, so many people were young, and it was a very exciting, young, vibrant time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, it really was. Everybody was excited about the work we were doing. In spite of that downside, that thing that I mentioned before, that didn’t seem to alter the working system, it was really good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The spirit of it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The spirit was excellent, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the early years with NACA and when you first started working there, it seemed like a lot of the work that they were doing was in partnerships or helped to benefit industry and other things like that. Then, once it became NASA the goal changed."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.444572426373774, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, it really was. Everybody was excited about the work we were doing. In spite of that downside, that thing that I mentioned before, that didn’t seem to alter the working system, it was really good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The spirit of it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The spirit was excellent, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the early years with NACA and when you first started working there, it seemed like a lot of the work that they were doing was in partnerships or helped to benefit industry and other things like that. Then, once it became NASA the goal changed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was very little of that because there weren’t very many people working on space systems at that time. Now, because once they got developed, of course, now there’s a lot of technology transfer going on, but at that time, there was very little. It was all done by NASA at that time, and the NASA people. In fact, I think we had very few outside contractors at the time, and that was kind of interesting, too. That was a new environment that we had to get used to, the outside contractors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that happen pretty quickly after it switched to NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.271747140415304, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The spirit was excellent, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the early years with NACA and when you first started working there, it seemed like a lot of the work that they were doing was in partnerships or helped to benefit industry and other things like that. Then, once it became NASA the goal changed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was very little of that because there weren’t very many people working on space systems at that time. Now, because once they got developed, of course, now there’s a lot of technology transfer going on, but at that time, there was very little. It was all done by NASA at that time, and the NASA people. In fact, I think we had very few outside contractors at the time, and that was kind of interesting, too. That was a new environment that we had to get used to, the outside contractors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that happen pretty quickly after it switched to NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember when it happened, but I know little by little, more and more outside contractors came in. I’m going to say we had, like, 5,000 people at one time, and I don’t remember how many were civil servants and how many were outside contractors. The only difference between the two is that they got paid from somebody else rather than from NASA. I don’t remember anything that said, “Oh, Jerry, you’re just an outside contractor.” I don’t think there was any difference there. They were treated the same as a NASA employee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even with the social events, did they participate?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.301941267128115, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was very little of that because there weren’t very many people working on space systems at that time. Now, because once they got developed, of course, now there’s a lot of technology transfer going on, but at that time, there was very little. It was all done by NASA at that time, and the NASA people. In fact, I think we had very few outside contractors at the time, and that was kind of interesting, too. That was a new environment that we had to get used to, the outside contractors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that happen pretty quickly after it switched to NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember when it happened, but I know little by little, more and more outside contractors came in. I’m going to say we had, like, 5,000 people at one time, and I don’t remember how many were civil servants and how many were outside contractors. The only difference between the two is that they got paid from somebody else rather than from NASA. I don’t remember anything that said, “Oh, Jerry, you’re just an outside contractor.” I don’t think there was any difference there. They were treated the same as a NASA employee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even with the social events, did they participate?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think they were invited to the social events. I can’t swear to that, but I think they were, because they had badges, they came into the laboratory."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the notes you gave me, right before you said that you’d been an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers since 1966, and you’ve served as chairman on numerous committees, and internationally recognized photovoltaic expert?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 22.557712519031238, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember when it happened, but I know little by little, more and more outside contractors came in. I’m going to say we had, like, 5,000 people at one time, and I don’t remember how many were civil servants and how many were outside contractors. The only difference between the two is that they got paid from somebody else rather than from NASA. I don’t remember anything that said, “Oh, Jerry, you’re just an outside contractor.” I don’t think there was any difference there. They were treated the same as a NASA employee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even with the social events, did they participate?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think they were invited to the social events. I can’t swear to that, but I think they were, because they had badges, they came into the laboratory."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the notes you gave me, right before you said that you’d been an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers since 1966, and you’ve served as chairman on numerous committees, and internationally recognized photovoltaic expert?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You want to talk about that for a minute?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 21.730791687812484, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think they were invited to the social events. I can’t swear to that, but I think they were, because they had badges, they came into the laboratory."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the notes you gave me, right before you said that you’d been an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers since 1966, and you’ve served as chairman on numerous committees, and internationally recognized photovoltaic expert?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You want to talk about that for a minute?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Solar cells—photovoltaics is a fancy word for solar cells—was basically my career. That’s what I did. I worked on developing power systems. Part of that overall area was that, and I mentioned it in the notes that I was on a Space Station task force, that went to [NASA] Headquarters for a year with a group of NASA people from all the Centers, and we essentially developed the Space Station Program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What year was that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 16.36754631979165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You want to talk about that for a minute?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Solar cells—photovoltaics is a fancy word for solar cells—was basically my career. That’s what I did. I worked on developing power systems. Part of that overall area was that, and I mentioned it in the notes that I was on a Space Station task force, that went to [NASA] Headquarters for a year with a group of NASA people from all the Centers, and we essentially developed the Space Station Program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What year was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In 1984; ’83, ‘84 is when I went to Headquarters, but in 1984, January, it was my recollection, President [Ronald] Reagan announced the Space Station Program. We were part of that task team, and that was an interesting time of life. I had moved to Washington [DC] for a year, and the system allowed us to come home once a month, which I did. My wife traveled to Washington to visit me once a month, so I got to see her every couple of weeks. Back to organizing things again, they had a party for this task force, and guess who organized it? I don’t know how it happened—I don’t know if they were looking at history, or what."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your reputation preceded you, I guess."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.239432537437107, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Perhaps, perhaps, but I organized that party for the Space Station task force, as a matter of fact. That went also very well. That was a good time period, too. That was very exciting. It was a good group of people. They were all interested in getting the job done. In fact, they did do the job, they did have a Space Station Program. There were people from all the Centers, which was quite helpful, got to meet a lot of different people. Interestingly enough, they’re pretty much the same, regardless of where you came from.\\n\\n That was a different kind of environment. You didn’t work in the laboratory, you didn’t do any tests, it was all head work and organizing and creating and designing and just matching things together and seeing what’s the best here and what’s the worst here, and so on. That was a good group. That was very interesting. I enjoyed it a lot. I can’t tell you much more about it except I can’t give you any details. We had a lot of meetings and a lot of interaction."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your wife got to come to Washington?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She came once a month. She came once a month and I went home once a month, so I got to see her for two weeks. When she came up to Washington, she would bring some friends of ours, and we would party that weekend. It was kind of fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A nice opportunity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. Then, of course, there’s very many things to see in Washington, which you don’t normally—unless you get there. We got to see a lot of things that we would not have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, on just a vacation or something, yes. Quite different if you live there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 19.154925041596783, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She came once a month. She came once a month and I went home once a month, so I got to see her for two weeks. When she came up to Washington, she would bring some friends of ours, and we would party that weekend. It was kind of fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A nice opportunity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. Then, of course, there’s very many things to see in Washington, which you don’t normally—unless you get there. We got to see a lot of things that we would not have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, on just a vacation or something, yes. Quite different if you live there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My kids were in college at the time, or just graduating from college, so they were busy creating their careers. I guess my two sons did come to see me in Washington, and that was kind of interesting, too. It was a fun time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you do when you came back here?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.172138935107537, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. Then, of course, there’s very many things to see in Washington, which you don’t normally—unless you get there. We got to see a lot of things that we would not have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, on just a vacation or something, yes. Quite different if you live there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My kids were in college at the time, or just graduating from college, so they were busy creating their careers. I guess my two sons did come to see me in Washington, and that was kind of interesting, too. It was a fun time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you do when you came back here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I came back here, I think I became a deputy division chief of an organization on advanced development, is what I recall. It was primarily for the Space Station, worked on advanced development systems, actually. I’m trying to remember the projects we worked on. Why is that part a blank?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don’t know, I could probably try to guess, but maybe they weren’t as exciting as maybe some of the others?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 22.413487705675042, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My kids were in college at the time, or just graduating from college, so they were busy creating their careers. I guess my two sons did come to see me in Washington, and that was kind of interesting, too. It was a fun time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you do when you came back here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I came back here, I think I became a deputy division chief of an organization on advanced development, is what I recall. It was primarily for the Space Station, worked on advanced development systems, actually. I’m trying to remember the projects we worked on. Why is that part a blank?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don’t know, I could probably try to guess, but maybe they weren’t as exciting as maybe some of the others?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they were—they were exciting, but I don’t know why. I’d have to think about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s okay, and you can always add it later. That’s not a problem.\n\nThe [Space] Shuttle Program had started, too.\n\nYes, during that time period."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.52632721009119, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was right before I retired. They decided to make the External Affairs office into an External Programs Directorate. It was basically the same people. They added some additional responsibilities, and they brought in somebody from the outside to be the Director. I was the Associate Director or Assistant Director. At that time, in my mind, the office became involved in a lot of political things, and it wasn’t to my liking. I had been here for 41 years, so it was time to retire, so I retired. Then, that’s a whole new life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Looking back over NACA and maybe those first early years in NASA, which project, or what do you think you did that would be your most significant contribution to the program at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You mean other than the parties?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, other than the parties."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think a significant thing was the LDEF experiment that I mentioned. I don’t know if there was anything outstanding. I did co-invent, and I’m not sure anything came of it, something called solar cell shingles. They were solar cells that you could put on the roof of a house, but they were really antiquated compared to what they’re doing now. We had a technique for making flexible solar cells, they were in flexible systems, and we actually made some shingles that you could put on the roof of the house and connect them together. I have a patent on that, but nothing came of that patent.\\n\\n This was the days before they have the system that they have now, where you created a patent, it was NASA’s patent, and you couldn’t get anything from it. Nowadays, if you have a patent, you can collect royalties from it. I couldn’t do that, and I don’t think anybody would want that patent, anyhow. It was the beginning of solar cell shingles, anyhow. I’m not sure anybody else developed the shingle for the roof of a house before then, but that’s what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s very interesting."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.807030233434652, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You mean other than the parties?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, other than the parties."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think a significant thing was the LDEF experiment that I mentioned. I don’t know if there was anything outstanding. I did co-invent, and I’m not sure anything came of it, something called solar cell shingles. They were solar cells that you could put on the roof of a house, but they were really antiquated compared to what they’re doing now. We had a technique for making flexible solar cells, they were in flexible systems, and we actually made some shingles that you could put on the roof of the house and connect them together. I have a patent on that, but nothing came of that patent.\\n\\n This was the days before they have the system that they have now, where you created a patent, it was NASA’s patent, and you couldn’t get anything from it. Nowadays, if you have a patent, you can collect royalties from it. I couldn’t do that, and I don’t think anybody would want that patent, anyhow. It was the beginning of solar cell shingles, anyhow. I’m not sure anybody else developed the shingle for the roof of a house before then, but that’s what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s very interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was interesting, yes. When I look back at it, I wouldn’t take that patent and try to build something like that. It was a precursor of some of the later ones, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That seems NACA did that a lot, that they led other research being done in the industry."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.34114470381628, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think a significant thing was the LDEF experiment that I mentioned. I don’t know if there was anything outstanding. I did co-invent, and I’m not sure anything came of it, something called solar cell shingles. They were solar cells that you could put on the roof of a house, but they were really antiquated compared to what they’re doing now. We had a technique for making flexible solar cells, they were in flexible systems, and we actually made some shingles that you could put on the roof of the house and connect them together. I have a patent on that, but nothing came of that patent.\\n\\n This was the days before they have the system that they have now, where you created a patent, it was NASA’s patent, and you couldn’t get anything from it. Nowadays, if you have a patent, you can collect royalties from it. I couldn’t do that, and I don’t think anybody would want that patent, anyhow. It was the beginning of solar cell shingles, anyhow. I’m not sure anybody else developed the shingle for the roof of a house before then, but that’s what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s very interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was interesting, yes. When I look back at it, I wouldn’t take that patent and try to build something like that. It was a precursor of some of the later ones, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That seems NACA did that a lot, that they led other research being done in the industry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did a significant amount that way, yes, they did that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there any other memories of things that you worked on that we haven’t talked about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 28.156827448684755, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was interesting, yes. When I look back at it, I wouldn’t take that patent and try to build something like that. It was a precursor of some of the later ones, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That seems NACA did that a lot, that they led other research being done in the industry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did a significant amount that way, yes, they did that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there any other memories of things that you worked on that we haven’t talked about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing comes to mind right now, but probably when I go home, I’ll say."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s fine, and you can certainly do that. I was going to ask Rebecca if she had any questions, if you don’t mind?\n\nI’ve just got a couple. One is you mentioned so much about the reports—what are your thoughts, or what were you told when you first got here about the importance of documenting your work and doing reports?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.285363831871948, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did a significant amount that way, yes, they did that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there any other memories of things that you worked on that we haven’t talked about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing comes to mind right now, but probably when I go home, I’ll say."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s fine, and you can certainly do that. I was going to ask Rebecca if she had any questions, if you don’t mind?\n\nI’ve just got a couple. One is you mentioned so much about the reports—what are your thoughts, or what were you told when you first got here about the importance of documenting your work and doing reports?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew that reports were important. They were not the same as they are today, where what’s the word, I guess, that they use about having it written down? People in academia have a—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like they publish or die, that sort of thing?\n\nPublish or perish?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 34.76151536874661, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing comes to mind right now, but probably when I go home, I’ll say."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s fine, and you can certainly do that. I was going to ask Rebecca if she had any questions, if you don’t mind?\n\nI’ve just got a couple. One is you mentioned so much about the reports—what are your thoughts, or what were you told when you first got here about the importance of documenting your work and doing reports?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew that reports were important. They were not the same as they are today, where what’s the word, I guess, that they use about having it written down? People in academia have a—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like they publish or die, that sort of thing?\n\nPublish or perish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, publish or perish. That wasn’t the mantra, then. It was important to document your work, and you wanted to get that accurate. The people who helped you write reports were quite helpful, quite interesting, but when I look back, it’s such an antiquated system as compared to what you can do today with computers.\\n\\n It was a lot of work to create a report because they had to type it out and you had to look at it, and then you made corrections, and then they had to re-type it. It was a lot of work. You tried to do it right the first time, but you never did. I don’t remember anyone that ever did a write-up that was right the first time. Then, you had to get photographs and try to augment the report with things. It was interesting, but it wasn’t so important. You had to document it, that was important, but it wasn’t the thing that you were working to. You were not working to write a report; you were working to develop something, do something, and that’s what my impression was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The report was the means to share that knowledge?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:102", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 15, "return_to_go": 38.623905965274005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew that reports were important. They were not the same as they are today, where what’s the word, I guess, that they use about having it written down? People in academia have a—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like they publish or die, that sort of thing?\n\nPublish or perish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, publish or perish. That wasn’t the mantra, then. It was important to document your work, and you wanted to get that accurate. The people who helped you write reports were quite helpful, quite interesting, but when I look back, it’s such an antiquated system as compared to what you can do today with computers.\\n\\n It was a lot of work to create a report because they had to type it out and you had to look at it, and then you made corrections, and then they had to re-type it. It was a lot of work. You tried to do it right the first time, but you never did. I don’t remember anyone that ever did a write-up that was right the first time. Then, you had to get photographs and try to augment the report with things. It was interesting, but it wasn’t so important. You had to document it, that was important, but it wasn’t the thing that you were working to. You were not working to write a report; you were working to develop something, do something, and that’s what my impression was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The report was the means to share that knowledge?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. That’s what the report was. It let everybody else know what you did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you know of other areas in the NACA Centers, or even the NASA Centers, that were working on solar energy when you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 26.24878440586, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, publish or perish. That wasn’t the mantra, then. It was important to document your work, and you wanted to get that accurate. The people who helped you write reports were quite helpful, quite interesting, but when I look back, it’s such an antiquated system as compared to what you can do today with computers.\\n\\n It was a lot of work to create a report because they had to type it out and you had to look at it, and then you made corrections, and then they had to re-type it. It was a lot of work. You tried to do it right the first time, but you never did. I don’t remember anyone that ever did a write-up that was right the first time. Then, you had to get photographs and try to augment the report with things. It was interesting, but it wasn’t so important. You had to document it, that was important, but it wasn’t the thing that you were working to. You were not working to write a report; you were working to develop something, do something, and that’s what my impression was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The report was the means to share that knowledge?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. That’s what the report was. It let everybody else know what you did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you know of other areas in the NACA Centers, or even the NASA Centers, that were working on solar energy when you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there were other Centers working on it. I’ll tell you that in a second. Goddard Space Flight Center [Greenbelt, Maryland] had a solar cell group. Marshall Space Flight Center [Huntsville, Alabama] had a group working on solar cells. JPL [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California] had a group working on solar cells. I don’t recall anything at Johnson [Space Center, Houston, Texas]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ames [Research Center, Moffett Field, California], anything with the Ames Center?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 15, "return_to_go": 28.0542048954, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. That’s what the report was. It let everybody else know what you did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you know of other areas in the NACA Centers, or even the NASA Centers, that were working on solar energy when you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there were other Centers working on it. I’ll tell you that in a second. Goddard Space Flight Center [Greenbelt, Maryland] had a solar cell group. Marshall Space Flight Center [Huntsville, Alabama] had a group working on solar cells. JPL [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California] had a group working on solar cells. I don’t recall anything at Johnson [Space Center, Houston, Texas]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ames [Research Center, Moffett Field, California], anything with the Ames Center?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ames, I don’t recall that they did anything on solar cells."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you share information back and forth?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 17.066000000000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was really clicking along, yes, and it was interesting because we’ve never seen that kind of power out of the thing again. It was just that particular day. It was kind of interesting. I did build that system, or I didn’t personally build it; I was in the organization that had it built, so it came out of my organization. I don’t even remember the time period of that. I don’t remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The other question I had, because I think I heard you say something when you first came in, something about the glee club. Was there a glee club here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. That was before I came here, actually. One of the women who was in that glee club was a friend of our family, and she’s since passed away, but she went to my wife’s church and I knew her. When she passed away, her children found this information, knew it had come from NACA, knew I’d worked here, and gave it to me, and so I brought it to Bob, yes. That’s how it got here. I figured if it was history, and you’d think that—you guys know this better than I do—“Just because it’s history, it doesn’t make any difference.” You get that attitude, but I saw that it might be important someplace and brought it here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It says a lot about the community you were talking about, and the atmosphere, and the feeling that people recreated here. They didn’t go off or do other things; they stayed here with their friends, which is a lot different than people do today."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you had a lot of clubs here at NACA and NASA. Skiing clubs, all kinds of clubs, to get people together. That’s what they did. It was a big family, basically, is what it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember any women engineers working in your area at any time, or were they mostly the women secretaries or mathematicians?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.740000000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. That was before I came here, actually. One of the women who was in that glee club was a friend of our family, and she’s since passed away, but she went to my wife’s church and I knew her. When she passed away, her children found this information, knew it had come from NACA, knew I’d worked here, and gave it to me, and so I brought it to Bob, yes. That’s how it got here. I figured if it was history, and you’d think that—you guys know this better than I do—“Just because it’s history, it doesn’t make any difference.” You get that attitude, but I saw that it might be important someplace and brought it here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It says a lot about the community you were talking about, and the atmosphere, and the feeling that people recreated here. They didn’t go off or do other things; they stayed here with their friends, which is a lot different than people do today."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you had a lot of clubs here at NACA and NASA. Skiing clubs, all kinds of clubs, to get people together. That’s what they did. It was a big family, basically, is what it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember any women engineers working in your area at any time, or were they mostly the women secretaries or mathematicians?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had women engineers working in our area from day one, when I got here. I always thought the women were excellent. Not that they were anything special, but I thought they had a slightly different attitude toward work than the guys did. I don’t know how to describe that, but they were really interested in doing what they did, and I think they did a darn good job. I had a lot of women working for me in my time period that I was here, and I always thought that 90 percent of them were top-notch, they did an excellent, excellent job. I would never hesitate, hiring a qualified woman to do something—never. They were good. They were talented, they were dedicated, they were good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you’d like to bring up?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 15, "return_to_go": 18.6, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you had a lot of clubs here at NACA and NASA. Skiing clubs, all kinds of clubs, to get people together. That’s what they did. It was a big family, basically, is what it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember any women engineers working in your area at any time, or were they mostly the women secretaries or mathematicians?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had women engineers working in our area from day one, when I got here. I always thought the women were excellent. Not that they were anything special, but I thought they had a slightly different attitude toward work than the guys did. I don’t know how to describe that, but they were really interested in doing what they did, and I think they did a darn good job. I had a lot of women working for me in my time period that I was here, and I always thought that 90 percent of them were top-notch, they did an excellent, excellent job. I would never hesitate, hiring a qualified woman to do something—never. They were good. They were talented, they were dedicated, they were good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you’d like to bring up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Do you want to talk about after NASA?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure, tell me what you did after that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00950:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Baldwin Wallace, that’s one of the things I did when I first retired. My wife didn’t want me around the house, so she said, “Baldwin Wallace has this new Institute for Learning in Retirement [ILR], made up of retired people who get together and chat, have courses, and do different things.” At that time, though, the group was 25 people. It’s now, I think the last count was 1,400. It’s grown fantastically, but they had one course a year on something or other, and now they have 20 different courses. They’re taught by retirees and some retired professors, and whoever has something to say, they can do that.\\n\\n It’s very well organized, and so, I went to the first couple of sessions of that. I think I took a course there, the first course, and got interested in it, and joined their organizing committee. Then, they selected me as the finance chair for that committee, and I did that for about 10 years. Then, I stopped doing that but I continued on as their ad-hoc chair for a scholarship committee. What they did with some of the funds that they collected was they gave out scholarships to people in advanced learning or continuing education programs. I did that for about 10 years. I think I just stopped doing that about two years ago. That was interesting and I enjoyed that aspect of life, too, but I think I’m keeping busy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like it.\n\nAnd having a good time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Having a good time, absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s like you’re still learning."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I am still learning. I’m enjoying everything I’m doing. My wife and I have had a good life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s wonderful. We thank you for taking time away from her to come see us today and talk."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 13.729712177955433, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, when it started."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you then involved with developing mission rules for the flight center?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you doing at Langley at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a building control branch of the research division. That's where I worked. So I was working on—I can't remember specifically what the job was. It generally was in the field of building control of airplanes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did you move into working with the space program? Do you remember what the first mission was that you worked with?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.81079130883937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you doing at Langley at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a building control branch of the research division. That's where I worked. So I was working on—I can't remember specifically what the job was. It generally was in the field of building control of airplanes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did you move into working with the space program? Do you remember what the first mission was that you worked with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I started working there [at Langley with NACA] before any missions. I think it was probably in October of 1942, about then. I thought it was '42, I don't know. I may have told you [in the] earlier [interview]. I don't remember that well…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…Do you remember John Glenn's Mercury flight when—?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.011990343154855, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a building control branch of the research division. That's where I worked. So I was working on—I can't remember specifically what the job was. It generally was in the field of building control of airplanes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did you move into working with the space program? Do you remember what the first mission was that you worked with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I started working there [at Langley with NACA] before any missions. I think it was probably in October of 1942, about then. I thought it was '42, I don't know. I may have told you [in the] earlier [interview]. I don't remember that well…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…Do you remember John Glenn's Mercury flight when—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved at all with the decision process when he had the problems with his heat shield? Do you remember what some of the discussions were that surrounded that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.124433714616504, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I started working there [at Langley with NACA] before any missions. I think it was probably in October of 1942, about then. I thought it was '42, I don't know. I may have told you [in the] earlier [interview]. I don't remember that well…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…Do you remember John Glenn's Mercury flight when—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved at all with the decision process when he had the problems with his heat shield? Do you remember what some of the discussions were that surrounded that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't a flight controller. No, all that activity took place in the control center, and I think primarily Chris Kraft [Christopher C. Kraft, Jr.] was, primarily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about Chris Kraft."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 11.249370794018338, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved at all with the decision process when he had the problems with his heat shield? Do you remember what some of the discussions were that surrounded that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't a flight controller. No, all that activity took place in the control center, and I think primarily Chris Kraft [Christopher C. Kraft, Jr.] was, primarily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about Chris Kraft."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What do you want to know about Chris Kraft? I've known him for fifty years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us a little bit about him."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.832634215575931, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't a flight controller. No, all that activity took place in the control center, and I think primarily Chris Kraft [Christopher C. Kraft, Jr.] was, primarily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about Chris Kraft."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What do you want to know about Chris Kraft? I've known him for fifty years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us a little bit about him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he's an outstanding individual. He's a real good leader, perhaps the best I've ever met in the engineering field. I feel very strongly, highly toward Chris, very confident. He had more to do with developing NASA operations for manned space flight than anybody else. Of course, he was head of the—when the Space Task Group was first formed, I don't remember the exact name, but it had to do with the operations, particularly at the beginning of Project Mercury, and he was really the leader of the whole space flight program of the United States up till now [Kraft retired from NASA in 1982], including the shuttle program now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you work with him directly on anything?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.369593572862145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What do you want to know about Chris Kraft? I've known him for fifty years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us a little bit about him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he's an outstanding individual. He's a real good leader, perhaps the best I've ever met in the engineering field. I feel very strongly, highly toward Chris, very confident. He had more to do with developing NASA operations for manned space flight than anybody else. Of course, he was head of the—when the Space Task Group was first formed, I don't remember the exact name, but it had to do with the operations, particularly at the beginning of Project Mercury, and he was really the leader of the whole space flight program of the United States up till now [Kraft retired from NASA in 1982], including the shuttle program now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you work with him directly on anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, for years I was his technical assistant, before I was deputy director of the division. So, yes, I worked almost very directly with anything he had to do.\\n\\n Well, I think very highly of him. I can't say enough good things about him, I don't think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wonderful. Were there other individuals that you worked with at NASA that were of the same caliber, perhaps?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.966215080957939, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he's an outstanding individual. He's a real good leader, perhaps the best I've ever met in the engineering field. I feel very strongly, highly toward Chris, very confident. He had more to do with developing NASA operations for manned space flight than anybody else. Of course, he was head of the—when the Space Task Group was first formed, I don't remember the exact name, but it had to do with the operations, particularly at the beginning of Project Mercury, and he was really the leader of the whole space flight program of the United States up till now [Kraft retired from NASA in 1982], including the shuttle program now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you work with him directly on anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, for years I was his technical assistant, before I was deputy director of the division. So, yes, I worked almost very directly with anything he had to do.\\n\\n Well, I think very highly of him. I can't say enough good things about him, I don't think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wonderful. Were there other individuals that you worked with at NASA that were of the same caliber, perhaps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were a lot of really good people, but I can't rate many people that highly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Chris Kraft was the tops."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.629127867731043, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, for years I was his technical assistant, before I was deputy director of the division. So, yes, I worked almost very directly with anything he had to do.\\n\\n Well, I think very highly of him. I can't say enough good things about him, I don't think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wonderful. Were there other individuals that you worked with at NASA that were of the same caliber, perhaps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were a lot of really good people, but I can't rate many people that highly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Chris Kraft was the tops."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…What about Mr. [Robert R.] Gilruth…Robert Gilruth, the director of the Center."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.254586519701159, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were a lot of really good people, but I can't rate many people that highly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Chris Kraft was the tops."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…What about Mr. [Robert R.] Gilruth…Robert Gilruth, the director of the Center."}, {"role": "user", "content": "…You say Gilruth, I recognize who said immediately. Not as directly as with Chris, because he was somewhat removed from me in a high position. But I have a lot of respect for him, too. He was the first man I went to work for at NASA when I went to work for NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you doing there?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.949540577445732, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…What about Mr. [Robert R.] Gilruth…Robert Gilruth, the director of the Center."}, {"role": "user", "content": "…You say Gilruth, I recognize who said immediately. Not as directly as with Chris, because he was somewhat removed from me in a high position. But I have a lot of respect for him, too. He was the first man I went to work for at NASA when I went to work for NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you doing there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Where?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you doing when you worked under Bob Gilruth?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.7217117527174794, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "…You say Gilruth, I recognize who said immediately. Not as directly as with Chris, because he was somewhat removed from me in a high position. But I have a lot of respect for him, too. He was the first man I went to work for at NASA when I went to work for NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you doing there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Where?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you doing when you worked under Bob Gilruth?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was my first job after I got out of school. I went to work in the flight research division, [unclear] branch, and I started to learn something about [unclear] airplanes at that time…."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…When the decision was made to send Apollo 8 around the moon, that was a pretty challenging decision. Do you remember any of the discussions that surrounded that choice? Was it well accepted at the Center?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 8.579679725241643, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Where?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you doing when you worked under Bob Gilruth?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was my first job after I got out of school. I went to work in the flight research division, [unclear] branch, and I started to learn something about [unclear] airplanes at that time…."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…When the decision was made to send Apollo 8 around the moon, that was a pretty challenging decision. Do you remember any of the discussions that surrounded that choice? Was it well accepted at the Center?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any special changes that had to be made in the Mission Control Center or Flight Center to make that mission possible, that you remember?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.866310805824048, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was my first job after I got out of school. I went to work in the flight research division, [unclear] branch, and I started to learn something about [unclear] airplanes at that time…."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…When the decision was made to send Apollo 8 around the moon, that was a pretty challenging decision. Do you remember any of the discussions that surrounded that choice? Was it well accepted at the Center?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any special changes that had to be made in the Mission Control Center or Flight Center to make that mission possible, that you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, when we started the lunar flights, of course, the network for Earth orbital flights, relatively near-Earth orbit flights, the network had to change considerably. They had to add stations that were capable of communicating with the spacecraft when it was at the moon. [Unclear] stations were added, I remember, added or complemented, I should say. One at Bermuda, one at Spain, one at Goldstone, California. There was one more. I'm trying to think of it. Australia. So they had to be brought into the network and made sure they're working. It took a lot of checkouts and that kind of thing. That was the main thing that had happened, other than to the spacecraft you had to add those stations and the lunar capability."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was quite a change, quite a few things to add in there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.184789784248942, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any special changes that had to be made in the Mission Control Center or Flight Center to make that mission possible, that you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, when we started the lunar flights, of course, the network for Earth orbital flights, relatively near-Earth orbit flights, the network had to change considerably. They had to add stations that were capable of communicating with the spacecraft when it was at the moon. [Unclear] stations were added, I remember, added or complemented, I should say. One at Bermuda, one at Spain, one at Goldstone, California. There was one more. I'm trying to think of it. Australia. So they had to be brought into the network and made sure they're working. It took a lot of checkouts and that kind of thing. That was the main thing that had happened, other than to the spacecraft you had to add those stations and the lunar capability."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was quite a change, quite a few things to add in there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it had all been planned for quite a while, of course, because it took a lot of work to get to that position…."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were working with Chris Kraft as his deputy directory of the Johnson Space Center, what do you feel was one of your most significant accomplishments in that role?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5386553158321576, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, when we started the lunar flights, of course, the network for Earth orbital flights, relatively near-Earth orbit flights, the network had to change considerably. They had to add stations that were capable of communicating with the spacecraft when it was at the moon. [Unclear] stations were added, I remember, added or complemented, I should say. One at Bermuda, one at Spain, one at Goldstone, California. There was one more. I'm trying to think of it. Australia. So they had to be brought into the network and made sure they're working. It took a lot of checkouts and that kind of thing. That was the main thing that had happened, other than to the spacecraft you had to add those stations and the lunar capability."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was quite a change, quite a few things to add in there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it had all been planned for quite a while, of course, because it took a lot of work to get to that position…."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were working with Chris Kraft as his deputy directory of the Johnson Space Center, what do you feel was one of your most significant accomplishments in that role?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never asked myself that question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or even during your whole involvement with NASA, we could say. Or even, what do you think would be one of your most significant accomplishments during your whole career at NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9318392398135082, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it had all been planned for quite a while, of course, because it took a lot of work to get to that position…."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were working with Chris Kraft as his deputy directory of the Johnson Space Center, what do you feel was one of your most significant accomplishments in that role?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never asked myself that question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or even during your whole involvement with NASA, we could say. Or even, what do you think would be one of your most significant accomplishments during your whole career at NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I suppose if there was an accomplishment, it was just helping run the flight research division at NASA and being able to participate and plan for all those space missions. I think they were well run. I had something to do with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved at all with working on the docking module for the Apollo-Soyuz mission?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.368710266459454, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never asked myself that question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or even during your whole involvement with NASA, we could say. Or even, what do you think would be one of your most significant accomplishments during your whole career at NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I suppose if there was an accomplishment, it was just helping run the flight research division at NASA and being able to participate and plan for all those space missions. I think they were well run. I had something to do with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved at all with working on the docking module for the Apollo-Soyuz mission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you think about that mission at the time and with working with the Soviet Union, who had been enemies so long? Was it easy to work with them?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7430114071771707, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I suppose if there was an accomplishment, it was just helping run the flight research division at NASA and being able to participate and plan for all those space missions. I think they were well run. I had something to do with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved at all with working on the docking module for the Apollo-Soyuz mission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you think about that mission at the time and with working with the Soviet Union, who had been enemies so long? Was it easy to work with them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, relatively easy, although I didn't work directly with them. I mean, I didn't have a lot of day-to-day kind of contact working those people. But basically, things seemed to get along okay with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you ever have imagined that we'd been working with them again on a space station project?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.15890156353019, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you think about that mission at the time and with working with the Soviet Union, who had been enemies so long? Was it easy to work with them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, relatively easy, although I didn't work directly with them. I mean, I didn't have a lot of day-to-day kind of contact working those people. But basically, things seemed to get along okay with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you ever have imagined that we'd been working with them again on a space station project?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah? Do you think that international cooperation in space is a good idea, then?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.398779515033544, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, relatively easy, although I didn't work directly with them. I mean, I didn't have a lot of day-to-day kind of contact working those people. But basically, things seemed to get along okay with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you ever have imagined that we'd been working with them again on a space station project?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah? Do you think that international cooperation in space is a good idea, then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't have any special knowledge what's going on, but if they can meet their commitments, fine. But as you know, once in a while they seem to be short of money and unable to get some things done, so that makes one question that. I think the man who caused it to happen, who was [Daniel] Goldin, probably didn't have much choice. He was having trouble making the U.S. spend money, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Space flight is certainly an expensive thing to do."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6653105722594934, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah? Do you think that international cooperation in space is a good idea, then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't have any special knowledge what's going on, but if they can meet their commitments, fine. But as you know, once in a while they seem to be short of money and unable to get some things done, so that makes one question that. I think the man who caused it to happen, who was [Daniel] Goldin, probably didn't have much choice. He was having trouble making the U.S. spend money, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Space flight is certainly an expensive thing to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any special memories from your career working in the space program?\n\nAny favorite stories?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.961456191399437, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't have any special knowledge what's going on, but if they can meet their commitments, fine. But as you know, once in a while they seem to be short of money and unable to get some things done, so that makes one question that. I think the man who caused it to happen, who was [Daniel] Goldin, probably didn't have much choice. He was having trouble making the U.S. spend money, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Space flight is certainly an expensive thing to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any special memories from your career working in the space program?\n\nAny favorite stories?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "None that I can tell. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever imagine that when you first started working with NASA that you would see people walking on the moon?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1793957682215965, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any special memories from your career working in the space program?\n\nAny favorite stories?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "None that I can tell. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever imagine that when you first started working with NASA that you would see people walking on the moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, ma'am. It didn't occur to me we'd be doing that. When I started with NASA in 1942, that wasn't even talked about. That happened later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you in the control room when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and they walked on the moon the first time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:50", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.421550853579552, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "None that I can tell. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever imagine that when you first started working with NASA that you would see people walking on the moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, ma'am. It didn't occur to me we'd be doing that. When I started with NASA in 1942, that wasn't even talked about. That happened later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you in the control room when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and they walked on the moon the first time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was, right down the street here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the feeling like for everyone at the time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:52", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6906120595328353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, ma'am. It didn't occur to me we'd be doing that. When I started with NASA in 1942, that wasn't even talked about. That happened later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you in the control room when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and they walked on the moon the first time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was, right down the street here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the feeling like for everyone at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Great exuberance and feeling good, personally feeling good, too, because they had all had a part in making that happen, and it was quite an accomplishment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there ever any question that maybe the Russians would beat us to the moon?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:54", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9895689550364835, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was, right down the street here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the feeling like for everyone at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Great exuberance and feeling good, personally feeling good, too, because they had all had a part in making that happen, and it was quite an accomplishment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there ever any question that maybe the Russians would beat us to the moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was at one time, and then they seemed to be having a lot of trouble with the launch vehicles blowing up and so on that kind of solved that problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you watching in the control room when the last Apollo mission landed on the moon for the last time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:56", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.3217432833738703, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Great exuberance and feeling good, personally feeling good, too, because they had all had a part in making that happen, and it was quite an accomplishment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there ever any question that maybe the Russians would beat us to the moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was at one time, and then they seemed to be having a lot of trouble with the launch vehicles blowing up and so on that kind of solved that problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you watching in the control room when the last Apollo mission landed on the moon for the last time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the feeling like at that time as compared to with Apollo 11?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:58", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.690825870415411, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was at one time, and then they seemed to be having a lot of trouble with the launch vehicles blowing up and so on that kind of solved that problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you watching in the control room when the last Apollo mission landed on the moon for the last time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the feeling like at that time as compared to with Apollo 11?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we hadn't done it so often that it was routine or anything like that. It was still this relief all had gone well and so on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you think we would reach the end of this century and not have gone back yet?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:60", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.100917633794901, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the feeling like at that time as compared to with Apollo 11?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we hadn't done it so often that it was routine or anything like that. It was still this relief all had gone well and so on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you think we would reach the end of this century and not have gone back yet?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't think it would be necessarily to the moon, but I thought we probably would go somewhere else, but it hasn't happened yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somewhere else such as on to Mars?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:62", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.556575148661, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we hadn't done it so often that it was routine or anything like that. It was still this relief all had gone well and so on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you think we would reach the end of this century and not have gone back yet?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't think it would be necessarily to the moon, but I thought we probably would go somewhere else, but it hasn't happened yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somewhere else such as on to Mars?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Possibly that or some other likely place like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think that will be a big part of the future of the space program?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:64", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.0628612762900005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't think it would be necessarily to the moon, but I thought we probably would go somewhere else, but it hasn't happened yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somewhere else such as on to Mars?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Possibly that or some other likely place like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think that will be a big part of the future of the space program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think it will. I can't estimate when, but it will happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You left NASA in 1979, shortly before the space shuttle launched, and then you went to work for OAO Corporation."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:66", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.6254014181, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Possibly that or some other likely place like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think that will be a big part of the future of the space program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think it will. I can't estimate when, but it will happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You left NASA in 1979, shortly before the space shuttle launched, and then you went to work for OAO Corporation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your primary job responsibilities with them?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:68", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.139334909, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think it will. I can't estimate when, but it will happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You left NASA in 1979, shortly before the space shuttle launched, and then you went to work for OAO Corporation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your primary job responsibilities with them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My primary job responsibility was to try to get them some work with Johnson Space Center, which didn't happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They worked with telescopes?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:70", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.599261009999999, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your primary job responsibilities with them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My primary job responsibility was to try to get them some work with Johnson Space Center, which didn't happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They worked with telescopes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "What did OAO do?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they work with telescopes that were like the precursor to the Hubble Space Telescope?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:72", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.9991788999999995, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My primary job responsibility was to try to get them some work with Johnson Space Center, which didn't happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They worked with telescopes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "What did OAO do?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they work with telescopes that were like the precursor to the Hubble Space Telescope?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not to my knowledge. They were doing everything. It was a very small company, but they had some NASA contracts. For one thing, they worked on the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory—you've probably heard of that—which was the spacecraft which was developed for astronomical—it was a telescope. It was a general contract for operations of that. And some other things they were working on. They [unclear]. As far as I know, they're still in business."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think so."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:74", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.3324209999999996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What did OAO do?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they work with telescopes that were like the precursor to the Hubble Space Telescope?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not to my knowledge. They were doing everything. It was a very small company, but they had some NASA contracts. For one thing, they worked on the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory—you've probably heard of that—which was the spacecraft which was developed for astronomical—it was a telescope. It was a general contract for operations of that. And some other things they were working on. They [unclear]. As far as I know, they're still in business."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Up at Goddard Space Flight Center."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since you left NASA, some things have changed. For example, the space shuttle is now being run under contract with United Space Alliance, or USA. Do you think that's a good move? Do you think other things are going to be contracted out like that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:76", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7026899999999996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not to my knowledge. They were doing everything. It was a very small company, but they had some NASA contracts. For one thing, they worked on the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory—you've probably heard of that—which was the spacecraft which was developed for astronomical—it was a telescope. It was a general contract for operations of that. And some other things they were working on. They [unclear]. As far as I know, they're still in business."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Up at Goddard Space Flight Center."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since you left NASA, some things have changed. For example, the space shuttle is now being run under contract with United Space Alliance, or USA. Do you think that's a good move? Do you think other things are going to be contracted out like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know if it's a good move or not, but it was a necessary move in terms of getting more done for the buck. That was the hope, anyway. That was the only reason for doing that in the first place. I don't know if that's working out or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So far it seems to be okay."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:78", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.1141, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Up at Goddard Space Flight Center."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since you left NASA, some things have changed. For example, the space shuttle is now being run under contract with United Space Alliance, or USA. Do you think that's a good move? Do you think other things are going to be contracted out like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know if it's a good move or not, but it was a necessary move in terms of getting more done for the buck. That was the hope, anyway. That was the only reason for doing that in the first place. I don't know if that's working out or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So far it seems to be okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pardon?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So far they haven't had any accidents."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:80", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3489999999999998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know if it's a good move or not, but it was a necessary move in terms of getting more done for the buck. That was the hope, anyway. That was the only reason for doing that in the first place. I don't know if that's working out or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So far it seems to be okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pardon?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So far they haven't had any accidents."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, they're a good company. Boeing's a very capable company, and I expect a lot of people who worked for North American, for example, are now working for Boeing, etc., so I'm not sure it's changed that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think in the future NASA should probably focus most on? Should it be the space station or a flight to Mars or back to the moon, or something else altogether?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:82", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.61, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pardon?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So far they haven't had any accidents."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, they're a good company. Boeing's a very capable company, and I expect a lot of people who worked for North American, for example, are now working for Boeing, etc., so I'm not sure it's changed that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think in the future NASA should probably focus most on? Should it be the space station or a flight to Mars or back to the moon, or something else altogether?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think that in the near future they're going to have to spend their money on the space station, so much they've got into it already. Some further exploration to planets and so on will have to come later. I don't know when. They obviously have to work on the space station first, get something out of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The space station's been planned for a long time, and we had our first space station with Skylab back in the seventies. Did you work with that particular program?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:84", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, they're a good company. Boeing's a very capable company, and I expect a lot of people who worked for North American, for example, are now working for Boeing, etc., so I'm not sure it's changed that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you think in the future NASA should probably focus most on? Should it be the space station or a flight to Mars or back to the moon, or something else altogether?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think that in the near future they're going to have to spend their money on the space station, so much they've got into it already. Some further exploration to planets and so on will have to come later. I don't know when. They obviously have to work on the space station first, get something out of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The space station's been planned for a long time, and we had our first space station with Skylab back in the seventies. Did you work with that particular program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember what your involvement was with the Skylab?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:86", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think that in the near future they're going to have to spend their money on the space station, so much they've got into it already. Some further exploration to planets and so on will have to come later. I don't know when. They obviously have to work on the space station first, get something out of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The space station's been planned for a long time, and we had our first space station with Skylab back in the seventies. Did you work with that particular program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember what your involvement was with the Skylab?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Flight operations. It was the same with all of them—Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you worked in flight operations, were you responsible then for hiring the flight controllers and training them?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:88", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember what your involvement was with the Skylab?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Flight operations. It was the same with all of them—Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you worked in flight operations, were you responsible then for hiring the flight controllers and training them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was not responsible for hiring them. I think individual responsibility was, of course, the personnel office. No, I was not directly responsible for that. What was the second part of your question?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved with training the flight controllers?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:90", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Flight operations. It was the same with all of them—Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you worked in flight operations, were you responsible then for hiring the flight controllers and training them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was not responsible for hiring them. I think individual responsibility was, of course, the personnel office. No, I was not directly responsible for that. What was the second part of your question?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved with training the flight controllers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not directly, again. I'm sure indirectly…."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…Summer, do you have any other questions?\\n\\n [Addressing Mr. Sjoberg] Is there anything in particular that you can think of that you'd like to share with us, a story or just a general thought on the space program?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:92", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was not responsible for hiring them. I think individual responsibility was, of course, the personnel office. No, I was not directly responsible for that. What was the second part of your question?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved with training the flight controllers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not directly, again. I'm sure indirectly…."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…Summer, do you have any other questions?\\n\\n [Addressing Mr. Sjoberg] Is there anything in particular that you can think of that you'd like to share with us, a story or just a general thought on the space program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think there's anything else I want to say."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No? Okay. Well, we appreciate this very much."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00559:94", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not directly, again. I'm sure indirectly…."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "…Summer, do you have any other questions?\\n\\n [Addressing Mr. Sjoberg] Is there anything in particular that you can think of that you'd like to share with us, a story or just a general thought on the space program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think there's anything else I want to say."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No? Okay. Well, we appreciate this very much."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm afraid I didn't tell you very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you gave us a little overview of some of your thoughts on the program, so we appreciate that. It's been very interesting."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.255686235881808, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was going to college in Galesburg, Illinois, at Knox College, a small liberal arts college, about a couple hundred miles from Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was a political science major, but I had had a long-held interest in Africa and in fact, in a way, pulled together a kind of minor in African studies during college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's go back a little bit."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.95076248431312, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was a political science major, but I had had a long-held interest in Africa and in fact, in a way, pulled together a kind of minor in African studies during college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's go back a little bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where had you grown up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.693775698646255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I grew up in the South Side of Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the sort of heart of the Black neighborhood often called Bronzeville."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Siblings?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had three sisters and one brother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the youngest?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.215306331829172, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the sort of heart of the Black neighborhood often called Bronzeville."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Siblings?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had three sisters and one brother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the youngest?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the second. I have an older sister and I was second in birth order."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And let's jump ahead to. And growing up, high school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5725625909213026, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had three sisters and one brother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the youngest?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the second. I have an older sister and I was second in birth order."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And let's jump ahead to. And growing up, high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to high school on the South Side. It was one of the best known of the high schools, DuSable High School, traditional Black high school. I think maybe the second or third Black high school built in Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it by law or by tradition that it was a Black high school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.969513989912558, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the second. I have an older sister and I was second in birth order."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And let's jump ahead to. And growing up, high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to high school on the South Side. It was one of the best known of the high schools, DuSable High School, traditional Black high school. I think maybe the second or third Black high school built in Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it by law or by tradition that it was a Black high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "By tradition and geography."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. And high school, during your four years in high school, did you get to do any volunteer work? What did you do during the summers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.33403839494178, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Usually I had to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't do volunteer work, although there were times when there were high school projects that I was involved in or other kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You'd be involved with meeting other people. The only other sort of projects were choral concerts we often did during the summer too, the high school choir."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were in the choir?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.815598216601978, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't do volunteer work, although there were times when there were high school projects that I was involved in or other kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You'd be involved with meeting other people. The only other sort of projects were choral concerts we often did during the summer too, the high school choir."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were in the choir?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the choir."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got to do some travel?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.350664685113308, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You'd be involved with meeting other people. The only other sort of projects were choral concerts we often did during the summer too, the high school choir."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were in the choir?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the choir."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got to do some travel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Around Chicago, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did the family ever travel anywhere? Did you ever go on vacations?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.967989965861877, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. Once or twice there were treks to Mississippi, which was sort of the homeland."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But not the kind of travel that other families did, you know, vacations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We didn't do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Um. Any other extracurricular activities at high school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.367888846743057, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We didn't do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Um. Any other extracurricular activities at high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Mostly it was choir or some of the, often I was doing summer courses, accelerated courses, that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That wasn't extracurricular though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But in going through high school, your expectation was that you were going to go on to college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.18654316304784, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Mostly it was choir or some of the, often I was doing summer courses, accelerated courses, that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That wasn't extracurricular though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But in going through high school, your expectation was that you were going to go on to college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your family's expectation also?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 8.872275509935605, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your family's expectation also?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. They were pleased to think that. I mean, I was going to be to the first or second to do so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But they certainly had those aspirations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So you graduated high school and had applied to several schools?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.015154950537783, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But they certainly had those aspirations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So you graduated high school and had applied to several schools?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. I went to Knox essentially because it became the most affordable. I got into the University of Chicago, but since I lived in the neighborhood, I really wanted to get out of town. I applied to a couple of other places outside of Illinois, but I had two fellowships. One was a Pullman Fellowship, which I'll tell you about in a minute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The other was an Illinois state one, which gave you money if you went to an institution within the state."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where is Knox College?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.5723943894864245, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. I went to Knox essentially because it became the most affordable. I got into the University of Chicago, but since I lived in the neighborhood, I really wanted to get out of town. I applied to a couple of other places outside of Illinois, but I had two fellowships. One was a Pullman Fellowship, which I'll tell you about in a minute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The other was an Illinois state one, which gave you money if you went to an institution within the state."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where is Knox College?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Knox is in Galesburg, which is southwest of Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. But it's a private."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.191549321651583, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The other was an Illinois state one, which gave you money if you went to an institution within the state."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where is Knox College?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Knox is in Galesburg, which is southwest of Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. But it's a private."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a private school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it's a four year?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.768388135168426, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Knox is in Galesburg, which is southwest of Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. But it's a private."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a private school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it's a four year?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Four year liberal arts school, about 1,600 students or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And so you had the state money and Pullman money."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.632507445768061, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pullman had a company town way south in Chicago, and it was essentially all white, and Pullman was pretty much a segregationist. You could be a porter in his company, but nothing else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So in his desire to sort of organize social services and supports for the people who worked for him and lived in the company town, he created this foundation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the stipulation was that the money went first to the children of Pullman employees, people who lived in Pullman, and then people on the South Side."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As long as you were poor."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.354605549750426, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As long as you were poor. Little did he know that the South Side would become just about totally black."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So a lot of the Pullman money was available for potential Black college students."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So using the Pullman money and the state money, Knox was virtually cost free."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.838450610833807, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So a lot of the Pullman money was available for potential Black college students."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So using the Pullman money and the state money, Knox was virtually cost free."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "$1,002, I think. And I earned that working during the school year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So. Okay. So you got into Knox?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.264945123148674, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So using the Pullman money and the state money, Knox was virtually cost free."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "$1,002, I think. And I earned that working during the school year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So. Okay. So you got into Knox?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. [to other person] Mary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How early did you choose a major? Was it by your second or third year?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.738827914609638, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "$1,002, I think. And I earned that working during the school year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So. Okay. So you got into Knox?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. [to other person] Mary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How early did you choose a major? Was it by your second or third year?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I pretty much was interested in politics from the beginning, politics or history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the African interest?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.988154114631364, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'm not exactly sure where it came from. There were a variety of sort of local institutions in and around the South Side."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "People interested in Africa. There was also an enormous Liberian population, and we knew some of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But even in high school, as I said, I began to develop this interest, reading."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Marcus Garvey was long gone by then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.542393460701515, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "People interested in Africa. There was also an enormous Liberian population, and we knew some of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But even in high school, as I said, I began to develop this interest, reading."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Marcus Garvey was long gone by then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Garvey was long gone, but there were still remnants. And I did have teachers who focused on Africa, for whom it was a serious interest. So by the time I got to college, the interest was embedded."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. And you said during, while you were in college, you worked."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.158214956335017, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But even in high school, as I said, I began to develop this interest, reading."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Marcus Garvey was long gone by then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Garvey was long gone, but there were still remnants. And I did have teachers who focused on Africa, for whom it was a serious interest. So by the time I got to college, the interest was embedded."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. And you said during, while you were in college, you worked."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. I did mail delivery for the school. I was a mailman."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. All right. And what about your summers then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.7313499514833515, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Garvey was long gone, but there were still remnants. And I did have teachers who focused on Africa, for whom it was a serious interest. So by the time I got to college, the interest was embedded."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. And you said during, while you were in college, you worked."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. I did mail delivery for the school. I was a mailman."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. All right. And what about your summers then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Summers I found whatever jobs I could."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Come back up to Chicago?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.368166612759279, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. I did mail delivery for the school. I was a mailman."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. All right. And what about your summers then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Summers I found whatever jobs I could."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Come back up to Chicago?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd come back to Chicago. And once I worked for a design company which did offset printing, and I was the packer and loader of their products. And so I had a variety of jobs of that kind. You know, anything you could get during the summer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during the four years, any opportunities for travel?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.075740680843643, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Summers I found whatever jobs I could."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Come back up to Chicago?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd come back to Chicago. And once I worked for a design company which did offset printing, and I was the packer and loader of their products. And so I had a variety of jobs of that kind. You know, anything you could get during the summer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during the four years, any opportunities for travel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really, I'm trying to think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now your whole life up to the end of college is pretty much in Chicago."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.861934089826271, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd come back to Chicago. And once I worked for a design company which did offset printing, and I was the packer and loader of their products. And so I had a variety of jobs of that kind. You know, anything you could get during the summer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during the four years, any opportunities for travel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really, I'm trying to think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now your whole life up to the end of college is pretty much in Chicago."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much in Illinois. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay.\n\nSo, okay, we're talking about travel during your four years. What was your involvement in school life at Knox?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.402148988695856, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really, I'm trying to think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now your whole life up to the end of college is pretty much in Chicago."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much in Illinois. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay.\n\nSo, okay, we're talking about travel during your four years. What was your involvement in school life at Knox?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, let's see. I was in a fraternity, which was interesting. It sort of organized your social life on campus. It was a local fraternity because in those days, almost all the national fraternities had discriminatory clauses. Hardly any of them would allow Blacks in, and a great many had anti- Jewish clauses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So the fraternity you were involved with, it was integrated?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.410355265700763, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And by local, I mean it had no national, it existed only on this campus."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was involved in things political on campus, you know, student peace union and those kinds of activities."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. It was during those years, of course, the Peace Corps first began, just about the time you started college."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.233728073000847, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And by local, I mean it had no national, it existed only on this campus."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was involved in things political on campus, you know, student peace union and those kinds of activities."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. It was during those years, of course, the Peace Corps first began, just about the time you started college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall when you first heard of Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.148586747778719, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was involved in things political on campus, you know, student peace union and those kinds of activities."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. It was during those years, of course, the Peace Corps first began, just about the time you started college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall when you first heard of Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At the very beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And how you heard about it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.965139571712918, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm not sure exactly how, probably media, but clearly my abiding interest in Africa was key because of Ghana I, you know. I'd had an interest in West Africa, Liberia, Ghana."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And actually knew one or two Ghanaians sort of from Chicago, the University of Chicago area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So the announcement of the formation of Peace Corps and then the formation of Ghana I was something I, this was very much a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were aware of it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.627932857458797, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And actually knew one or two Ghanaians sort of from Chicago, the University of Chicago area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So the announcement of the formation of Peace Corps and then the formation of Ghana I was something I, this was very much a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were aware of it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But setting Peace Corps aside, what was, what was your intended goal once you finished Knox?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.364369841620885, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So the announcement of the formation of Peace Corps and then the formation of Ghana I was something I, this was very much a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were aware of it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But setting Peace Corps aside, what was, what was your intended goal once you finished Knox?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I assumed I'd go on to graduate school. I also thought fairly seriously about doing African studies at the graduate level. And one of the things I came to be aware of was those handful really of very good African studies programs that existed at the graduate level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was, yeah, early on."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.730274131167194, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. One of which was Northwestern."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And because I lived in Chicago and it was sort of close at hand, I actually made a trek or two up to their library while I was an undergraduate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember, I think my senior paper was on African liberation struggles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. And were there any, were there any African study courses at Knox or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.700304590185771, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And because I lived in Chicago and it was sort of close at hand, I actually made a trek or two up to their library while I was an undergraduate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember, I think my senior paper was on African liberation struggles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. And were there any, were there any African study courses at Knox or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. And were there any Africans at Knox?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.230243037676372, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, it's a good distance outside of Nairobi. And although there had been a colonial presence there, it wasn't a place that attracted lots of tourists."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was there maybe a week or two and went into the town to do shopping. And all of the shops were owned by Asians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And this one man behind the counter who was one of the owners of the store in T Falls, really intrigued by this strange person coming, and he told me that he had a relative who'd gone on to the States and he said, do you know Sukhdev? That's an absolutely true story. This was Sukhdev's uncle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it's not that coincidental, he had come from Kenya. But that's like, are you from New York City? Do you know?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.3199492972241043, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right. That's right. So we became fast friends. G. K. Unia was the guy's name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I got all kinds of special treatment because I knew Sukhdev."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there weren't any Black Africans at Knox."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Okay. Let's jump back now. You're approaching graduation. Had you applied to graduate school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.688832552471227, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I got all kinds of special treatment because I knew Sukhdev."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there weren't any Black Africans at Knox."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Okay. Let's jump back now. You're approaching graduation. Had you applied to graduate school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I had decided I really wanted to do Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall applying, the application process?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.098702836079141, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there weren't any Black Africans at Knox."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Okay. Let's jump back now. You're approaching graduation. Had you applied to graduate school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I had decided I really wanted to do Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall applying, the application process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Vaguely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. One of the things in the application usually is you give an indication of your preference for assignment."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.554114262310157, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I had decided I really wanted to do Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall applying, the application process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Vaguely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. One of the things in the application usually is you give an indication of your preference for assignment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I do recall that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your preference?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.060126958122397, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Vaguely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. One of the things in the application usually is you give an indication of your preference for assignment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I do recall that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your preference?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "West Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. And also they may ask if you had a language preference, if you had a second language that you felt comfortable in. Had you studied any foreign language?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.511252175691552, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I do recall that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your preference?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "West Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. And also they may ask if you had a language preference, if you had a second language that you felt comfortable in. Had you studied any foreign language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "German. So none of the ones, none of the places I'm interested in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you applied. I don't know if they were still giving the entrance exam then."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.012502417435058, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "West Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. And also they may ask if you had a language preference, if you had a second language that you felt comfortable in. Had you studied any foreign language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "German. So none of the ones, none of the places I'm interested in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you applied. I don't know if they were still giving the entrance exam then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you apply before you graduated?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.569447130483397, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "German. So none of the ones, none of the places I'm interested in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you applied. I don't know if they were still giving the entrance exam then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you apply before you graduated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so then let's take the story from there. You sent the application in, but it wasn't a done deal. So you must have been exploring other options."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.747200781428975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really diversity effort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So during the summer, I worked for Illinois Bell and waited to hear. And I guess I heard from Peace Corps probably July of '64, telling me that there was a Kenya program, the first one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That training would begin in September and I had to let them know I was interested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it indicate that it was going to be rural community action?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.274667534921083, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So during the summer, I worked for Illinois Bell and waited to hear. And I guess I heard from Peace Corps probably July of '64, telling me that there was a Kenya program, the first one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That training would begin in September and I had to let them know I was interested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it indicate that it was going to be rural community action?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I'm pretty sure it did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you think, what in the world is that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5274083721345373, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That training would begin in September and I had to let them know I was interested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it indicate that it was going to be rural community action?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I'm pretty sure it did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you think, what in the world is that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. And I, you know, I had second and third thoughts, but since I wasn't sure how or when the ideal operation would come up, I decided that this one is there now. And I was also intrigued, I remember, that it was Kenya I. It was early on, '64, so I thought it would be fun to be in, you know, the first group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Up to that point, had you known anyone who'd been in the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1202572495488115, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. And I, you know, I had second and third thoughts, but since I wasn't sure how or when the ideal operation would come up, I decided that this one is there now. And I was also intrigued, I remember, that it was Kenya I. It was early on, '64, so I thought it would be fun to be in, you know, the first group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Up to that point, had you known anyone who'd been in the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I think I'd met a Peace Corps recruiter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was kind of a leap of faith."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.4669524994986793, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I think I'd met a Peace Corps recruiter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was kind of a leap of faith."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when you got the invitation to training, the reaction of your friends, your family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.464276058445452, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like the dark side of the moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They know nothing about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So their trepidation was about the distance and the disconnection."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But you, you had no hesitation when the invitation came?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8491956204949465, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They know nothing about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So their trepidation was about the distance and the disconnection."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But you, you had no hesitation when the invitation came?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I had no hesitation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was it. And Illinois Bell would have to make it without you. They were supportive too I assume?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.276884022772163, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So their trepidation was about the distance and the disconnection."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But you, you had no hesitation when the invitation came?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I had no hesitation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was it. And Illinois Bell would have to make it without you. They were supportive too I assume?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were. They were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it was the Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.752093358635737, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I had no hesitation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was it. And Illinois Bell would have to make it without you. They were supportive too I assume?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were. They were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it was the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And they made clear that, you know, look, when you're done, you can come on back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Okay, good. Uh. So now you finally get to travel outside of Illinois."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.1689926207063746, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were. They were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it was the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And they made clear that, you know, look, when you're done, you can come on back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Okay, good. Uh. So now you finally get to travel outside of Illinois."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm in Milwaukee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you reported directly to Milwaukee?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.912336568773301, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm in Milwaukee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you reported directly to Milwaukee?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Report directly to Milwaukee. I'm 90 miles away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very exciting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't fly?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.830045146633705, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't fly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, actually, I took the train."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Took the train from Chicago to Milwaukee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What a disappointment."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.728450798313216, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Took the train from Chicago to Milwaukee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What a disappointment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And made my way to the YMCA where we were housed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Downtown Milwaukee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, it's kind of an interesting moment for a lot of people. You're suddenly in a room with 30 or 40 other people, all of whom have joined the Peace Corps. And I think inevitably you say, well, how do I match up to this crowd and why are they all looking at me or whatever? Do you remember your?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:225", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.153930160287249, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You could go weeks without seeing a white face unless you went to the A&P or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was a strange kind of juxtaposition coming from college back home and then from home, say, to the Peace Corps group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was kind of like being back at Knox because they all seemed like the kind of people I'd gone to college with, you know, all the roughly the same age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "About how many in the group, do you recall?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:229", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.140654518873148, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was kind of like being back at Knox because they all seemed like the kind of people I'd gone to college with, you know, all the roughly the same age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "About how many in the group, do you recall?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "36. And three of you were African American."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was me, there was Rowan. Nettie Kane. I think I'm leaving out somebody, but if not there, there were at least the three of us I can think of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had it been made clear that it was, it was training and selection that you were going into?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.600727243192386, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "36. And three of you were African American."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was me, there was Rowan. Nettie Kane. I think I'm leaving out somebody, but if not there, there were at least the three of us I can think of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had it been made clear that it was, it was training and selection that you were going into?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay. So now you meet, you see the group and you settle into the why."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.111919159102651, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was me, there was Rowan. Nettie Kane. I think I'm leaving out somebody, but if not there, there were at least the three of us I can think of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had it been made clear that it was, it was training and selection that you were going into?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay. So now you meet, you see the group and you settle into the why."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There are several married couples among?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.679910176780724, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay. So now you meet, you see the group and you settle into the why."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There are several married couples among?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And let's talk about how training began. We'll go through its components in a minute. So what happened after you reported to the Y?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.308518761016082, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My memory is that there was a quick initial meeting, and several people sort of addressed us and welcomed us and began to pass out reams of instructions and paper telling us what was going to happen over the next several weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We got to meet the staff. Most, actually it was two staffs, the training staff and some Peace Corps staffers were out as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The people we actually got to know best at that stage where the training staff, many of whom had connections to the University of Wisconsin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And who was head of the program, do you remember?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.7872430677956475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We got to meet the staff. Most, actually it was two staffs, the training staff and some Peace Corps staffers were out as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The people we actually got to know best at that stage where the training staff, many of whom had connections to the University of Wisconsin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And who was head of the program, do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can remember his face. And if I worked hard at it, his name would come. Joe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, that's alright. But at the same time, there was a Peace Corps staff. They were there for the whole training, too?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:245", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.208047853106275, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The people we actually got to know best at that stage where the training staff, many of whom had connections to the University of Wisconsin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And who was head of the program, do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can remember his face. And if I worked hard at it, his name would come. Joe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, that's alright. But at the same time, there was a Peace Corps staff. They were there for the whole training, too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. They were not. They were there to greet us. They stayed only a couple, three days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And during that time, when you made aware that you were a pioneering group, that you would be the first into Kenya? That kind of thing was being talked about by."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.675608725673639, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can remember his face. And if I worked hard at it, his name would come. Joe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, that's alright. But at the same time, there was a Peace Corps staff. They were there for the whole training, too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. They were not. They were there to greet us. They stayed only a couple, three days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And during that time, when you made aware that you were a pioneering group, that you would be the first into Kenya? That kind of thing was being talked about by."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I assume more by the Peace Corps staff than by."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:251", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.772356451448937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I assume more by the Peace Corps staff than by."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they talked a lot about that, about the Peace Corps mission. My memory is they also talked a bit about selection so that we were made aware that there would be a couple of periods where the staff would come in and there'd be this process and selection would occur and not everybody would make it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, let's, let's leave that for a moment."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:253", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.413729390498819, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they talked a lot about that, about the Peace Corps mission. My memory is they also talked a bit about selection so that we were made aware that there would be a couple of periods where the staff would come in and there'd be this process and selection would occur and not everybody would make it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, let's, let's leave that for a moment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that was sort of the orientation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So initial training took place at, in Milwaukee."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:255", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.126365989443132, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they talked a lot about that, about the Peace Corps mission. My memory is they also talked a bit about selection so that we were made aware that there would be a couple of periods where the staff would come in and there'd be this process and selection would occur and not everybody would make it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, let's, let's leave that for a moment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that was sort of the orientation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So initial training took place at, in Milwaukee."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it must have, you must have started language training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.9181844327145905, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that was sort of the orientation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So initial training took place at, in Milwaukee."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it must have, you must have started language training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's describe the structure of that and how that works."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:261", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8496104107587525, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's describe the structure of that and how that works."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Language training was phenomenal. It was what we'd spent most of our time on. It was several hours a day. We had two sessions, morning and afternoon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And even on Saturday there was a, one session of language. I want to say, it's my recollection, it was five or six hours."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could be, yeah. Small group or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.7526054453811755, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And even on Saturday there was a, one session of language. I want to say, it's my recollection, it was five or six hours."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could be, yeah. Small group or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Small groups. I think there were three groups of 12 or 13."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Each one, each group had two native speakers. One was sort of the lead person. The other was more support."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did they tend to be African Kenyans or white Kenyans?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.867414130100216, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Each one, each group had two native speakers. One was sort of the lead person. The other was more support."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did they tend to be African Kenyans or white Kenyans?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "All African Kenyans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All African Kenyans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Graduate students in the U.S.?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.408237922333574, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All African Kenyans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All African Kenyans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Graduate students in the U.S.?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly. In fact, perhaps all either recent graduates, B.A. graduates, or currently graduate students."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And did anyone indicate that your ability to learn the language would affect whether you became a volunteer or not?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.67683694115256, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly. In fact, perhaps all either recent graduates, B.A. graduates, or currently graduate students."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And did anyone indicate that your ability to learn the language would affect whether you became a volunteer or not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember whether they put it that starkly. It was made clear that this was important, that we were going to be out in the field, out of Nairobi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know whether they said, you know, there's a specific level you have to attain to make it. But it was very clear that you had to do well enough to be in the field using it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the Milwaukee phase, then, there was intensive language."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:277", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.4187077123917335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember whether they put it that starkly. It was made clear that this was important, that we were going to be out in the field, out of Nairobi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know whether they said, you know, there's a specific level you have to attain to make it. But it was very clear that you had to do well enough to be in the field using it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the Milwaukee phase, then, there was intensive language."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very intensive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you also do some area studies, learning about Kenya?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:279", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.243008569324148, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know whether they said, you know, there's a specific level you have to attain to make it. But it was very clear that you had to do well enough to be in the field using it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the Milwaukee phase, then, there was intensive language."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very intensive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you also do some area studies, learning about Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember who headed that up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.472850085585368, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember who headed that up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were a number of people. One of the guys who actually became part of the permanent training staff was a fellow named Roger Simmons. Roger, interesting fellow. He, I think, graduated from Tufts and had an interest in Africa and ended up in Kenya, actually worked in settlement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So somehow or another they found him or he found Peace Corps and they enlisted him as part of the staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was an American?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.830015158005062, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there were a number of people who came through that were really memorable. And Carl Rosberg, who was a famous Kenyan scholar, came in for a short residency of a couple, of three days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe the most memorable one was St. Clair Drake."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Who was a phenomenal presence."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. His main area of expertise is West Africa."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:301", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.625535196166066, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right. And in fact, I remember one evening after class, we all went to some club in Milwaukee and St. Clair Drake taught us the highlife."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Smoking all along."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So there was a fair amount of area studies done by a range of people, some of whom talked about politics. There were anthropologists. A couple of linguists."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was some of it familiar to you because you had done some African studies?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:305", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.710537279217364, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So there was a fair amount of area studies done by a range of people, some of whom talked about politics. There were anthropologists. A couple of linguists."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was some of it familiar to you because you had done some African studies?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, certainly the politics was. Rosberg was someone whose work I knew. And St. Clair Drake's work I knew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So some of it was familiar to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And was there also a component called American studies?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:307", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.233930310241516, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, certainly the politics was. Rosberg was someone whose work I knew. And St. Clair Drake's work I knew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So some of it was familiar to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And was there also a component called American studies?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was, I want to say there are some weird thing like ASWAC or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. American studies, world affairs, and communism."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:311", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.227074457088292, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was, I want to say there are some weird thing like ASWAC or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. American studies, world affairs, and communism."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It's funny. It's coming back. Yeah. Some of that was okay. Some of it was strange. Some of it was almost like USIS propaganda."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like the communist stuff. Yeah. But yeah, there was ASWAC. The American studies was interesting and sort of parallel to the African studies, you know, history, politics. The world affairs, I don't remember it specifically. But I remember the communism stuff was a little heavy handed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. This is all still in the Milwaukee phase?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.80786050787588, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It's funny. It's coming back. Yeah. Some of that was okay. Some of it was strange. Some of it was almost like USIS propaganda."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like the communist stuff. Yeah. But yeah, there was ASWAC. The American studies was interesting and sort of parallel to the African studies, you know, history, politics. The world affairs, I don't remember it specifically. But I remember the communism stuff was a little heavy handed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. This is all still in the Milwaukee phase?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "All in Milwaukee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it's like, it's an academic thing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:315", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.4531783420843105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like the communist stuff. Yeah. But yeah, there was ASWAC. The American studies was interesting and sort of parallel to the African studies, you know, history, politics. The world affairs, I don't remember it specifically. But I remember the communism stuff was a little heavy handed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. This is all still in the Milwaukee phase?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "All in Milwaukee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it's like, it's an academic thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, did, um, well, let's continue. Another component of training is kind of a medical training, health education sort of. Was that there too?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:321", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.148392787495625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was there. Everything was in Milwaukee with one exemption."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We spent a week to ten days in Madison, where the agricultural animal husbandry component was conducted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Making use of, I'm pretty sure they're all different people, folks who are connected to the university there in Madison."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point in training did that come?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:323", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.720436430550694, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We spent a week to ten days in Madison, where the agricultural animal husbandry component was conducted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Making use of, I'm pretty sure they're all different people, folks who are connected to the university there in Madison."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point in training did that come?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm guessing maybe midway or a little bit past midway? It wasn't super early."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let's stick with Milwaukee first."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.35604047838966, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Making use of, I'm pretty sure they're all different people, folks who are connected to the university there in Madison."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point in training did that come?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm guessing maybe midway or a little bit past midway? It wasn't super early."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let's stick with Milwaukee first."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Two questions. Did the group tend to break down into subgroups, cliques? What did you do? Did you have any free time? And if so, without saying anything embarrassing, what did you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:335", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.5897991132612894, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because you were with them 6 hours a day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they weren't cliquish in that you didn't have any time to go off and be a clique. You know, your entire day was structured up through about half of Saturday."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Saturday, I think we trained till noon, we had lunch, then at 2:00 you were off. But for some of us, and I was one of these, some of my Saturday time was given over to dentistry. I mean, they sent us this thing saying, you got to get all your dental work done before you come. Oh, but I couldn't afford it. And neither could apparently a lot of people so they had contracts with one or two dentists and every Saturday we were hieing off to the damn dentist."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you lose all your wisdom teeth?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:341", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1807943940484082, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I lost wisdom teeth. I had fillings. None of that stuff I'd ever been exposed to, you know. So I had several fillings and extractions. And so Sunday was pretty much the only day off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, and Milwaukee being Milwaukee, it wasn't a town that was open to a lot of stuff on Sunday. So you could hang out a little bit, maybe go to a movie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "More often than not, a lot of us ended up spending a chunk of Sunday trying to catch up because they gave us a bunch of reading, you know. And sometimes you'd try to practice the language and there wasn't, you didn't have cars, so your reach was limited."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any phys ed component?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:343", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.423104882276009, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, and Milwaukee being Milwaukee, it wasn't a town that was open to a lot of stuff on Sunday. So you could hang out a little bit, maybe go to a movie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "More often than not, a lot of us ended up spending a chunk of Sunday trying to catch up because they gave us a bunch of reading, you know. And sometimes you'd try to practice the language and there wasn't, you didn't have cars, so your reach was limited."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any phys ed component?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. There was a, there's a component that was regular. I don't remember how often, but we had swimming training. We had regular soccer and other phys ed kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. None of it was a problem for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:345", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.692338758084454, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "More often than not, a lot of us ended up spending a chunk of Sunday trying to catch up because they gave us a bunch of reading, you know. And sometimes you'd try to practice the language and there wasn't, you didn't have cars, so your reach was limited."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any phys ed component?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. There was a, there's a component that was regular. I don't remember how often, but we had swimming training. We had regular soccer and other phys ed kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. None of it was a problem for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, let's, well, let's talk about the Madison phase and then we'll talk about selection. So somewhere near the midpoint of the program, the entire group. Had anyone been deselected by the time you went to Madison?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6344135925688978, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember the first deselection was a guy in my language group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bill Phillip. I don't remember whether it was before or after Madison. I suspect it might have been before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was a strange thing. I don't know if you want me to talk about it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Talk about it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.816015102854331, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bill Phillip. I don't remember whether it was before or after Madison. I suspect it might have been before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was a strange thing. I don't know if you want me to talk about it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Talk about it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were each interviewed by a couple of. [tape break] With these people and they had all kinds of questions. I discovered that they lacked a sense of humor. You know, I'd try to, as I typically did, joke around and they'd look at you very strangely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Up to that point, you had not been given a psychological interview or anything?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:357", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.0177945587270343, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was a strange thing. I don't know if you want me to talk about it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Talk about it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were each interviewed by a couple of. [tape break] With these people and they had all kinds of questions. I discovered that they lacked a sense of humor. You know, I'd try to, as I typically did, joke around and they'd look at you very strangely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Up to that point, you had not been given a psychological interview or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was all new."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:361", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.256536492255598, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was all new."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It was very new. So all of us went through this. And my recollection is that the deselection was carefully scheduled so that. I remember we used to, used to have us do soccer on Saturday after the classes, maybe just before or just after lunch. And we'd be at soccer and somebody was missing. The first time that happened was Phil."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "By the time we got back, he was gone. And, you know, somebody announced that he was deselected afterwards. It was all a mystery. Nobody ever told you why. He just was gone when you got back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A little creepy."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:365", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5512796200686394, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "By the time we got back, he was gone. And, you know, somebody announced that he was deselected afterwards. It was all a mystery. Nobody ever told you why. He just was gone when you got back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A little creepy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Very creepy. And the problem, well, there are probably an infinite number of problems with that. But one of the things that it did was it increased anxiety to a level that you could cut with a knife."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From that point on, you know, because it was mysterious. Nobody knew why. And the guy seemed normal to us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:367", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7236440222984881, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Very creepy. And the problem, well, there are probably an infinite number of problems with that. But one of the things that it did was it increased anxiety to a level that you could cut with a knife."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From that point on, you know, because it was mysterious. Nobody knew why. And the guy seemed normal to us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You wondered maybe it was something in his background, but you didn't know that. So if it could happen to him, why not me?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did it tend to bring the group together?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:375", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.627105658129078, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think there was one other deselection while we were in Milwaukee."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A couple of people sent home from Kenya, but the other deselection was a very quiet, almost effete young man, and we sort of wondered if there was anything in his mannerism or his sort of projected sexuality, whereas Phil seemed like one of us, you know, was involved in sports and so forth. So I remember two being deselected. And the second young man was clearly after the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Madison."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Madison sojourn. I think maybe there were only the two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So let's now talk. The training now shifts over to Madison. And where do you stay at Madison?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:377", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.919006286810087, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A couple of people sent home from Kenya, but the other deselection was a very quiet, almost effete young man, and we sort of wondered if there was anything in his mannerism or his sort of projected sexuality, whereas Phil seemed like one of us, you know, was involved in sports and so forth. So I remember two being deselected. And the second young man was clearly after the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Madison."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Madison sojourn. I think maybe there were only the two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So let's now talk. The training now shifts over to Madison. And where do you stay at Madison?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm pretty sure we stayed in some sort of dorm thing. We were on campus at the University of Wisconsin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And language training continued?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:379", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.243340318677874, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Madison sojourn. I think maybe there were only the two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So let's now talk. The training now shifts over to Madison. And where do you stay at Madison?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm pretty sure we stayed in some sort of dorm thing. We were on campus at the University of Wisconsin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And language training continued?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Language training continued. Yeah, absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there, about the midpoint, was there language testing? Were you given an indication of your progress?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:383", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7819016279973754, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Language training continued. Yeah, absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there, about the midpoint, was there language testing? Were you given an indication of your progress?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did have a couple of tests, maybe about midpoint or maybe a little bit before. Yeah, we had a couple of tests and they told us where we ranked, you know, we were sort of graded."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, the first one I was an S-3, which was the highest, and I ended up in S-4 which was native speaker."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And you were, that makes you an exception in your group, doesn't it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:387", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0887674419720685, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, the first one I was an S-3, which was the highest, and I ended up in S-4 which was native speaker."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And you were, that makes you an exception in your group, doesn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I, I was the highest in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were a couple of others, I remember Mike Davidson, who were quite good, but nobody else had native fluency."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Why you, I mean?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:395", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6594535009481308, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I like palling around with them and talking to them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And what I started to learn was how to create phrases rather than string words together. And I learned that early so I could think and talk in phrases."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that sort of gave me a real jump."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were having social contact with the instructors?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:397", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.843837223275701, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And what I started to learn was how to create phrases rather than string words together. And I learned that early so I could think and talk in phrases."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that sort of gave me a real jump."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were having social contact with the instructors?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, limited, I mean, you know, but yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it was in Swahili?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:405", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.810299075256365, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And I would, I would learn how to say a phrase and I'd practice and get it correct. And I learned more and more and more."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whereas most language study, the way they were doing it, you know, it was typical language study. You learn words and then they try to get you to pull it together. And but rather than learning, oh, jambo and then trying to think the next thing is habare, I learned habare jaco, you know, I learned a whole phrase."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that, that seemed to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You, I gather you were highly motivated in training because you really want, now you really want to get to Kenya?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:407", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1225545280626275, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whereas most language study, the way they were doing it, you know, it was typical language study. You learn words and then they try to get you to pull it together. And but rather than learning, oh, jambo and then trying to think the next thing is habare, I learned habare jaco, you know, I learned a whole phrase."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that, that seemed to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You, I gather you were highly motivated in training because you really want, now you really want to get to Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let's talk about the other, the other part of Madison was technical training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:409", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.469505031180697, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that, that seemed to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You, I gather you were highly motivated in training because you really want, now you really want to get to Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let's talk about the other, the other part of Madison was technical training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:411", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8550055902007743, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let's talk about the other, the other part of Madison was technical training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a blast because it was so foreign to everything in my background and makeup."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you aware it was any, were there any in the group who had agricultural farm experience?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:413", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.283339544667527, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a blast because it was so foreign to everything in my background and makeup."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you aware it was any, were there any in the group who had agricultural farm experience?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, several."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Had actually seen a cow face to face?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:417", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.05350561070065, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, several."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Had actually seen a cow face to face?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. And I remember one or two actually, John Greer, who was sent home early."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He had grown up on a farm. There were a couple of others. Not, most of us had not, but a handful had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So what did they take you through?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:425", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.17818261042623, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember the animal husbandry more specifically because a lot of us were going to be in areas in the central highlands where everybody was going to have a cow and there were going to be sheep. So we had to learn some very basic things about the husbandry of cattle, sheep. There was also, again, a focus on grain production. I remember we saw pictures in a lecture about pyrethrum, which I had never heard of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And actually I think it was at that point a couple of former colonial types, farm owners, were there to talk to us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Kenya. Yeah, mostly it was, um, I'm pretty sure they were all faculty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. But they were trying to say, well, this is the way it works over there in Kenya."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:427", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.753536233806922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And actually I think it was at that point a couple of former colonial types, farm owners, were there to talk to us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Kenya. Yeah, mostly it was, um, I'm pretty sure they were all faculty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. But they were trying to say, well, this is the way it works over there in Kenya."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right, yeah. And, you know, talk about special aspects of animal husbandry and the problem with the native cows and how you had to keep them from breeding with the European cows and that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But didn't you feel like a fraud? I mean, you think."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:429", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.392818037563246, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Kenya. Yeah, mostly it was, um, I'm pretty sure they were all faculty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. But they were trying to say, well, this is the way it works over there in Kenya."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right, yeah. And, you know, talk about special aspects of animal husbandry and the problem with the native cows and how you had to keep them from breeding with the European cows and that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But didn't you feel like a fraud? I mean, you think."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I thought it was the craziest thing in the world. You know, in a week now, I'm going to go over and be the expert."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't point this out to anyone else?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:431", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.992020041736939, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right, yeah. And, you know, talk about special aspects of animal husbandry and the problem with the native cows and how you had to keep them from breeding with the European cows and that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But didn't you feel like a fraud? I mean, you think."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I thought it was the craziest thing in the world. You know, in a week now, I'm going to go over and be the expert."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't point this out to anyone else?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I kept quiet about it. You know, there was a feeling that we got that was communicated, if not directly, it was clearly communicated indirectly that, look, you guys are bright, you got BAs. And even though you've only got a week, you're going to be years ahead of the Africans you're working with so you will know more than they do. Turned out that was a complete falsehood too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:433", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.546688935263266, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I thought it was the craziest thing in the world. You know, in a week now, I'm going to go over and be the expert."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't point this out to anyone else?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I kept quiet about it. You know, there was a feeling that we got that was communicated, if not directly, it was clearly communicated indirectly that, look, you guys are bright, you got BAs. And even though you've only got a week, you're going to be years ahead of the Africans you're working with so you will know more than they do. Turned out that was a complete falsehood too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there was this presumption, and I think this was true in all the early Peace Corps times, that if you've got a BA and, you know, you have a good record, we can train you to do anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. There were several lawyers in the group, weren't there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:437", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.032949302794155, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there was this presumption, and I think this was true in all the early Peace Corps times, that if you've got a BA and, you know, you have a good record, we can train you to do anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. There were several lawyers in the group, weren't there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, there were at least two or three. No, three. Mohan, Davidson, and Baker. Yeah, there were three."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And all of them had joined, I guess, immediately after finishing law school. So they had more education. There might even have been one or two people with masters. I'm not 100 percent sure, but most of us were newly minted BAs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was there any kind of test on the ag portion at the end?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:441", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5098139540668583, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And all of them had joined, I guess, immediately after finishing law school. So they had more education. There might even have been one or two people with masters. I'm not 100 percent sure, but most of us were newly minted BAs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was there any kind of test on the ag portion at the end?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, there were tests, you know, written kinds. We didn't have to perform anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did have to in groups sort of actually touch these animals and things from time to time, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would have lost it right there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:443", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.788682171185398, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, there were tests, you know, written kinds. We didn't have to perform anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did have to in groups sort of actually touch these animals and things from time to time, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would have lost it right there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They actually showed us how to inseminate a cow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And did you or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:447", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.4428174952906145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They actually showed us how to inseminate a cow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And did you or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did not then. But I did do it once in Kenya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They showed us how the hooves of the sheep had to be trimmed to prevent foot rot. And you'd put this purple stuff on it, you know, all kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now were the, there was two married couples at the beginning?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:453", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.881779828930884, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. Dakin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Three."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three. Mohan, Dakin, and Janet and her husband."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Benson."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Benson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Did the women took part in the training alongside?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:455", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.97975536547876, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three. Mohan, Dakin, and Janet and her husband."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Benson."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Benson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Did the women took part in the training alongside?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was no distinction."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:457", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0886170727541777, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Benson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Did the women took part in the training alongside?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was no distinction."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right alongside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the assumption was they were as much volunteers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:459", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2095745252824197, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was no distinction."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right alongside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the assumption was they were as much volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. It's not always the case."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:461", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.343971694758244, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right alongside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the assumption was they were as much volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. It's not always the case."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The only time that it became obvious that there were real gender differences, I remember was when we had our motorcycle training in Kenya. And the women, a couple of them were small, Mohan was, and the women got special treatment on the motorcycle training, but otherwise they went through it just the way we did, everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Madison wraps up and you're back in Milwaukee with about how many weeks left for training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:463", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4933018830647156, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. It's not always the case."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The only time that it became obvious that there were real gender differences, I remember was when we had our motorcycle training in Kenya. And the women, a couple of them were small, Mohan was, and the women got special treatment on the motorcycle training, but otherwise they went through it just the way we did, everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Madison wraps up and you're back in Milwaukee with about how many weeks left for training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe three."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. The tension is still very high?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:465", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6592243145163506, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The only time that it became obvious that there were real gender differences, I remember was when we had our motorcycle training in Kenya. And the women, a couple of them were small, Mohan was, and the women got special treatment on the motorcycle training, but otherwise they went through it just the way we did, everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Madison wraps up and you're back in Milwaukee with about how many weeks left for training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe three."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. The tension is still very high?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very high, because there's at least one selection, deselection coming."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And were you still being pulled out for psychological interviews all through?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:467", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.843582571684834, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe three."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. The tension is still very high?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very high, because there's at least one selection, deselection coming."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And were you still being pulled out for psychological interviews all through?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I think so. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were some people interviewed more than others?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:471", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.276027866277573, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I think so. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were some people interviewed more than others?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That you don't know because they kept it secret."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really very closely guarded."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another, sometimes when groups begin to coalesce in training, there's a problem because often another technique they use for selection is peer ratings. I don't know, do you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:473", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5289198514195252, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That you don't know because they kept it secret."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really very closely guarded."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another, sometimes when groups begin to coalesce in training, there's a problem because often another technique they use for selection is peer ratings. I don't know, do you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't recall anything like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't, uh, you'd like to be assigned with X, but not Y?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:475", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8099109460216947, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really very closely guarded."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another, sometimes when groups begin to coalesce in training, there's a problem because often another technique they use for selection is peer ratings. I don't know, do you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't recall anything like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't, uh, you'd like to be assigned with X, but not Y?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. It may not have been used."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:477", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1221232733574387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't recall anything like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't, uh, you'd like to be assigned with X, but not Y?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. It may not have been used."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else about training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:479", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.469025859286043, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. It may not have been used."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else about training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I just remember it as being utterly exhausting because we were on the go all the time without hardly any break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At any point in the training, was there discussion of the role you as Peace Corps might play going into a newly independent African country?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:481", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.854473176984492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else about training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I just remember it as being utterly exhausting because we were on the go all the time without hardly any break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At any point in the training, was there discussion of the role you as Peace Corps might play going into a newly independent African country?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of points."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That there'd be suspicion of you and so forth?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:483", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.282747974427213, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I just remember it as being utterly exhausting because we were on the go all the time without hardly any break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At any point in the training, was there discussion of the role you as Peace Corps might play going into a newly independent African country?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of points."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That there'd be suspicion of you and so forth?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the flavor of that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:485", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6474977493635703, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of points."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That there'd be suspicion of you and so forth?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the flavor of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought that was done relatively well. I do remember people saying that a country, they won't have a clue about who you are because they won't have had contact, but many people will be suspicious and think you're CIA and other kinds of things. And they talked about the role and how we should handle things. And I was impressed that somebody, I'm not sure who, whether it was the director of the training, made it clear that not only were we not connected to things like the CIA, but should we ever be approached, we should make it clear to them that we were Peace Corps and would not countenance any kind of extra involvement of that sort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was there any discussion about particular, specifically about Africa, an African American going into the African setting of Kenya?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:489", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.503083641189592, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought that was done relatively well. I do remember people saying that a country, they won't have a clue about who you are because they won't have had contact, but many people will be suspicious and think you're CIA and other kinds of things. And they talked about the role and how we should handle things. And I was impressed that somebody, I'm not sure who, whether it was the director of the training, made it clear that not only were we not connected to things like the CIA, but should we ever be approached, we should make it clear to them that we were Peace Corps and would not countenance any kind of extra involvement of that sort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was there any discussion about particular, specifically about Africa, an African American going into the African setting of Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not one word."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Interestingly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we'll speak about that a little later but. And the other African Americans, there was nothing special about the training in relation to them? They were just part of the group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:491", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7812040457662133, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not one word."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Interestingly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we'll speak about that a little later but. And the other African Americans, there was nothing special about the training in relation to them? They were just part of the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. The only one who had any sort of real difference was Roland Johnson, because Roland had been on Peace Corps staff before he became a volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, okay. I didn't know that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:499", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1278830144280034, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Answering questions. So he tried to make it clear that he had decided to volunteer and he wasn't, you know, a special agent of Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he got accepted pretty quickly. So he was the only one for whom there was anything special."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Lenny and I, you know, we were just there, as was Roland."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Training finally comes to an end, and the final selection is announced. Do you recall how that was done?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:503", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.861583968429634, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Lenny and I, you know, we were just there, as was Roland."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Training finally comes to an end, and the final selection is announced. Do you recall how that was done?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not with great specificity. I mean, this last young man was deselected and again hied off before anybody could see him."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember that a lot of us were really pissed at that mode of selection. But at that point, we were also relieved it was done and we were going and it was now time to pack up and go to Kenya, that we didn't have as much time or energy to be pissed as relieved that training was over. But again, it was this very mysterious process. And you didn't have any chance to take leave of the person and find out what they'd been told because they were gone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So once training is over, what month was it then? Was it December?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:505", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.290648853810704, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not with great specificity. I mean, this last young man was deselected and again hied off before anybody could see him."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember that a lot of us were really pissed at that mode of selection. But at that point, we were also relieved it was done and we were going and it was now time to pack up and go to Kenya, that we didn't have as much time or energy to be pissed as relieved that training was over. But again, it was this very mysterious process. And you didn't have any chance to take leave of the person and find out what they'd been told because they were gone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So once training is over, what month was it then? Was it December?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "December."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get any time at home?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:507", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6562765042341154, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember that a lot of us were really pissed at that mode of selection. But at that point, we were also relieved it was done and we were going and it was now time to pack up and go to Kenya, that we didn't have as much time or energy to be pissed as relieved that training was over. But again, it was this very mysterious process. And you didn't have any chance to take leave of the person and find out what they'd been told because they were gone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So once training is over, what month was it then? Was it December?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "December."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get any time at home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did. My memory is it was maybe nearly a week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And you then are buying enough underwear to last you two years?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:511", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.513921610165575, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did. My memory is it was maybe nearly a week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And you then are buying enough underwear to last you two years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And handkerchiefs."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly. Saying goodbye to everybody, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the reaction of your folks and friends now that you're on your way?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:513", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.015468455739527, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And handkerchiefs."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly. Saying goodbye to everybody, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the reaction of your folks and friends now that you're on your way?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think there still was the trepidation about the distance, because communication was not impossible, but extraordinarily difficult so. And mail took forever and you could barely make a phone call, you know. So there still was the concern about the distance and not being able to get their hands on you immediately if anything was wrong. But by the time the training was over, certainly my family knew that this was something I was going to do, and they knew I was a pretty strong character. So they didn't worry that it wasn't anything I could handle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have any second thoughts?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:515", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.572742728599475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly. Saying goodbye to everybody, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the reaction of your folks and friends now that you're on your way?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think there still was the trepidation about the distance, because communication was not impossible, but extraordinarily difficult so. And mail took forever and you could barely make a phone call, you know. So there still was the concern about the distance and not being able to get their hands on you immediately if anything was wrong. But by the time the training was over, certainly my family knew that this was something I was going to do, and they knew I was a pretty strong character. So they didn't worry that it wasn't anything I could handle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have any second thoughts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, absolutely committed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you pack it up and then report where?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:517", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.080825253999416, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think there still was the trepidation about the distance, because communication was not impossible, but extraordinarily difficult so. And mail took forever and you could barely make a phone call, you know. So there still was the concern about the distance and not being able to get their hands on you immediately if anything was wrong. But by the time the training was over, certainly my family knew that this was something I was going to do, and they knew I was a pretty strong character. So they didn't worry that it wasn't anything I could handle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have any second thoughts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, absolutely committed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you pack it up and then report where?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "New York, where I think we must have met at the airport. There wasn't a meeting before that, and we were introduced to the other half of Kenya I, whom we had never met, the education group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was about 50 teachers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:519", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.645361393332684, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, absolutely committed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you pack it up and then report where?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "New York, where I think we must have met at the airport. There wasn't a meeting before that, and we were introduced to the other half of Kenya I, whom we had never met, the education group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was about 50 teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, about 50 teachers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how many were then in your group, 30 something?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:523", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5127918436205974, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, about 50 teachers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how many were then in your group, 30 something?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, 33, 34. Somewhere like that. And so we met them and I don't know whether or not there was a meal at the airport, but we got the powder on a little bit because I remember when we all filed on to the plane, it was a TWA plane, and there was a little bit of mixing. Not much, just a little bit. You know, people met one or two people who either were from the same town or had gone to the same school, had something in common. But mostly you hung with the people you knew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And as I say, they were an interesting group. I remember one or two people I met on the plane. And we flew to Madrid. And I want to say we were there nearly overnight. Then we flew. Strange, we made two stops. I think we might have stopped in Athens, but that was short. Whatever the second stop, Madrid was a long stop. Then we went somewhere else and then straight on to Nairobi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. I'll ask you, do you recall your reception when you got to Kenya?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:525", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.90310204846733, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, 33, 34. Somewhere like that. And so we met them and I don't know whether or not there was a meal at the airport, but we got the powder on a little bit because I remember when we all filed on to the plane, it was a TWA plane, and there was a little bit of mixing. Not much, just a little bit. You know, people met one or two people who either were from the same town or had gone to the same school, had something in common. But mostly you hung with the people you knew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And as I say, they were an interesting group. I remember one or two people I met on the plane. And we flew to Madrid. And I want to say we were there nearly overnight. Then we flew. Strange, we made two stops. I think we might have stopped in Athens, but that was short. Whatever the second stop, Madrid was a long stop. Then we went somewhere else and then straight on to Nairobi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. I'll ask you, do you recall your reception when you got to Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:527", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.225668942741478, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And as I say, they were an interesting group. I remember one or two people I met on the plane. And we flew to Madrid. And I want to say we were there nearly overnight. Then we flew. Strange, we made two stops. I think we might have stopped in Athens, but that was short. Whatever the second stop, Madrid was a long stop. Then we went somewhere else and then straight on to Nairobi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. I'll ask you, do you recall your reception when you got to Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We arrived at the airport, which was a provincial seeming thing then. I mean, the new Jomo Kenyatta Airport is quite big and imposing. But this was a smallish airport."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was just a year after independence."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:539", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.953420874079112, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there's a whole coterie of Kenyans lined up to greet us as we're getting off the plane."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Among them is Jomo Kenyatta."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there were talks and speeches, not long lasting, but very impressive. While we tried to figure out how do we get rid of these damn overcoats because we're sweating bullets."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was anyone in your group chosen as a spokesman?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:543", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4116307087396445, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there were talks and speeches, not long lasting, but very impressive. While we tried to figure out how do we get rid of these damn overcoats because we're sweating bullets."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was anyone in your group chosen as a spokesman?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Philip Schafer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did he give remarks in Swahili?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:545", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6795896763773825, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Philip Schafer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did he give remarks in Swahili?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He gave a few. And I doubt that I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Woke up the crowd?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:553", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.084117781401284, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quickly. But, you know, it's in all the packing up stuff. If it's handy, I'll, I'll actually give it to you and you can make a copy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'll find it eventually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, the greeting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the American ambassador? Who was the American ambassador?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:555", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.426797534890316, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'll find it eventually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, the greeting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the American ambassador? Who was the American ambassador?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Attwood."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was there, I'm sure."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:557", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.8075528165447956, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, the greeting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the American ambassador? Who was the American ambassador?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Attwood."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was there, I'm sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your friendly Peace Corps staff?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:559", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0083920183831063, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Attwood."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was there, I'm sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your friendly Peace Corps staff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Dotty Chambers and Tom Quimby."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tom was the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:565", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.754995909990543, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Tom was there. He was the director."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm trying to think who, if anybody, was the associate. It had to have been somebody for the teachers. I just, I don't remember. I don't think. Well, you weren't there yet. Were you?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Were you there?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I may have been off checking on everything. I was. Yeah. So big reception."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:567", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.061106566656159, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm trying to think who, if anybody, was the associate. It had to have been somebody for the teachers. I just, I don't remember. I don't think. Well, you weren't there yet. Were you?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Were you there?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I may have been off checking on everything. I was. Yeah. So big reception."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Big reception."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did it feel to be in Kenya?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:569", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.401229518506843, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Were you there?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I may have been off checking on everything. I was. Yeah. So big reception."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Big reception."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did it feel to be in Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was really extraordinary. I mean, we were all a little sick, many of us, because we'd had 50,000 inoculations before leaving. And, you know, you're tired because it was a long trip. But simultaneously."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a charter flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:571", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.779143909452048, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Big reception."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did it feel to be in Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was really extraordinary. I mean, we were all a little sick, many of us, because we'd had 50,000 inoculations before leaving. And, you know, you're tired because it was a long trip. But simultaneously."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a charter flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, it was commercial."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:575", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.665609764755614, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, it was commercial."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was commercial."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were elated finally to be here, you know, to see Kenya and Africans and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any publicity in the Chicago papers when you left or by then the Peace Corps was routine?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:587", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.619740977372114, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both groups. There was in-country training with local people for the most part doing, doing the training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was some language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's funny. It brings back memories. Ayeesh Genovie was our language teacher expert and there were other people in too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are the two groups together during this time, or were the teachers being peeled off and sent out to schools?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:589", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.13304553041346, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was some language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's funny. It brings back memories. Ayeesh Genovie was our language teacher expert and there were other people in too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are the two groups together during this time, or were the teachers being peeled off and sent out to schools?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we were together, at least initially. And then they may have been peeled off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, let's concentrate on your experience. Do you recall at what point you? At what point in the whole process did you get any kind of definition of what the job is that you were going to be assigned to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:591", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4811617004594, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's funny. It brings back memories. Ayeesh Genovie was our language teacher expert and there were other people in too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are the two groups together during this time, or were the teachers being peeled off and sent out to schools?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we were together, at least initially. And then they may have been peeled off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, let's concentrate on your experience. Do you recall at what point you? At what point in the whole process did you get any kind of definition of what the job is that you were going to be assigned to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During that two week period, the training included a number of visits by people from Settlement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's, that's the ministry. It's an agency within the Kenya government that concentrates on these."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:593", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8679574449548886, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we were together, at least initially. And then they may have been peeled off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, let's concentrate on your experience. Do you recall at what point you? At what point in the whole process did you get any kind of definition of what the job is that you were going to be assigned to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During that two week period, the training included a number of visits by people from Settlement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's, that's the ministry. It's an agency within the Kenya government that concentrates on these."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The resettlement projects."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Land resettlement areas."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:595", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.297730494394321, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "During that two week period, the training included a number of visits by people from Settlement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's, that's the ministry. It's an agency within the Kenya government that concentrates on these."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The resettlement projects."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Land resettlement areas."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was actually a ministry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a ministry, okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:601", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.78426679615133, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the minister came."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A couple of assistant associate ministers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then the Department of Lands and Settlement, the actual organization, the director, the associate director, and then real people from the field. There were visits."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, weren't there still a significant number of white Kenyans as well as?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:603", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.3158519957237, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A couple of assistant associate ministers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then the Department of Lands and Settlement, the actual organization, the director, the associate director, and then real people from the field. There were visits."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, weren't there still a significant number of white Kenyans as well as?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "African Kenyans in the ministries?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:607", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.562780241634197, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "African Kenyans in the ministries?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. The minister was African, but almost all of the department heads were European."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, this is 1964. Just."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:609", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.291978046260219, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. The minister was African, but almost all of the department heads were European."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, this is 1964. Just."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember when you had your first coherent discussion or talk in Swahili?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:615", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.7763759207959104, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, actually, it was during that sort of Nairobi phase. I remember now we were first at this Y. Really we got sent to the Kenya Institute, KIA, of Administration. That's where we are for this two week period. And there were service people and other people, like we got introduced to some of the kinds of people who were going to be staff out in the field, that assistance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember having a conversation in Swahili with one of the agricultural assistants."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Had little English. Most of these folk had technical training and spoke a teeny bit of English, perhaps, but Swahili was their lingua franca."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But many, many of them also would have a first language like Kikuyu."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:617", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.3070843564399, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember having a conversation in Swahili with one of the agricultural assistants."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Had little English. Most of these folk had technical training and spoke a teeny bit of English, perhaps, but Swahili was their lingua franca."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But many, many of them also would have a first language like Kikuyu."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. All of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Swahili was an added on and then English would be on top of that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:625", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.110782436274807, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember my first conversation there. I was surprised. While we were training, some of the teachers talked to us about this phrase Kiswahili cha jikoni, meaning Kiswahili in the kitchen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which is, you know, broken Swahili that real Swahili speakers don't use. I remember learning, the Swahili that we learned was the correct Swahili. And it's, it's a beautiful language full of concordances and so forth. Nobody used it. It's like, um, kitchen Swahili reminds you of the English equivalent in the movies where people are talking to Native Americans. How, me speak to? You know, that kind of Swahili. I no go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it threw me off a little. I mean, I could understand it, but I expected people to speak the way we'd been taught, but almost nobody did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, um, but you were able to jump into Swahili conversation without hesitation, even though there was some surprises there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:627", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.567536040305341, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which is, you know, broken Swahili that real Swahili speakers don't use. I remember learning, the Swahili that we learned was the correct Swahili. And it's, it's a beautiful language full of concordances and so forth. Nobody used it. It's like, um, kitchen Swahili reminds you of the English equivalent in the movies where people are talking to Native Americans. How, me speak to? You know, that kind of Swahili. I no go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it threw me off a little. I mean, I could understand it, but I expected people to speak the way we'd been taught, but almost nobody did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, um, but you were able to jump into Swahili conversation without hesitation, even though there was some surprises there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point during the two, at any point during the two weeks were you asked any, anything about assignment preference? You'd rather be alone or with or in this area or that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:633", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.2654815367700145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were discussions of that kind."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don't know whether that got all the weight in the world. I think there were clearly personal considerations that determined where people were sent. Preferences may have had something to do with, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I learned that I got sent to one of the most forlorn places because it was presumed that I could handle it. And I was good at language and I had the kind of personality. So it was that rather than my preference. I don't think I would have chosen my spot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Initially you were assigned alone?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:637", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.735162391074092, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I learned that I got sent to one of the most forlorn places because it was presumed that I could handle it. And I was good at language and I had the kind of personality. So it was that rather than my preference. I don't think I would have chosen my spot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Initially you were assigned alone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Well, certainly there weren't other Peace Corps people, but initially all of us, without exception, were assigned as assistant settlement officers. So we worked with the settlement officer at some place, and there was a period of training, mentorship. As many settlement officers were European then as African."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mine was African. He was from [inaudible]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where were you assigned?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:639", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.483513767860102, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Well, certainly there weren't other Peace Corps people, but initially all of us, without exception, were assigned as assistant settlement officers. So we worked with the settlement officer at some place, and there was a period of training, mentorship. As many settlement officers were European then as African."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mine was African. He was from [inaudible]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where were you assigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thomsons Falls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you give a quick description of where it is?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:641", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.9816819642890025, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mine was African. He was from [inaudible]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where were you assigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thomsons Falls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you give a quick description of where it is?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's 160 or 70 miles from Nairobi north and east. It was an area of some European settlement. Lots of sheep, pyrethrum. [phone rings] The center of European settlement was the Thomsons Falls Country Club, which I visited once or twice, and you know, there were Europeans still around and there was horse racing and genteel drinking and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was a, there were a fair number of white Kenyans who stayed on after independence and were considered Kenyan citizens."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:645", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.150224647270373, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's 160 or 70 miles from Nairobi north and east. It was an area of some European settlement. Lots of sheep, pyrethrum. [phone rings] The center of European settlement was the Thomsons Falls Country Club, which I visited once or twice, and you know, there were Europeans still around and there was horse racing and genteel drinking and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was a, there were a fair number of white Kenyans who stayed on after independence and were considered Kenyan citizens."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Citizens?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What was the traditional area you were in? Was it Kikuyu?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:647", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.722471830300414, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Citizens?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What was the traditional area you were in? Was it Kikuyu?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kikuyu. Totally Kikuyu. Most of the Europeans with whom we worked, I think, hadn't planned on remaining permanently in Kenya. It was a sort of transitional period until they made arrangements for the next stage of life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did many of them go on to Rhodesia and South Africa?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:649", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.247190922556015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What was the traditional area you were in? Was it Kikuyu?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kikuyu. Totally Kikuyu. Most of the Europeans with whom we worked, I think, hadn't planned on remaining permanently in Kenya. It was a sort of transitional period until they made arrangements for the next stage of life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did many of them go on to Rhodesia and South Africa?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most did. Some went to Britain, but many went to South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So well, we'll get that when we get into the job situation. So now the group, after two weeks, is finally breaking up and going out to assignments. Was that a wrench? I mean, you'd been together."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:651", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.83021213617335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kikuyu. Totally Kikuyu. Most of the Europeans with whom we worked, I think, hadn't planned on remaining permanently in Kenya. It was a sort of transitional period until they made arrangements for the next stage of life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did many of them go on to Rhodesia and South Africa?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most did. Some went to Britain, but many went to South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So well, we'll get that when we get into the job situation. So now the group, after two weeks, is finally breaking up and going out to assignments. Was that a wrench? I mean, you'd been together."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there's an intensity."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:653", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.478013484637056, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most did. Some went to Britain, but many went to South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So well, we'll get that when we get into the job situation. So now the group, after two weeks, is finally breaking up and going out to assignments. Was that a wrench? I mean, you'd been together."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there's an intensity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was, and I remember it vividly. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:665", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.6862633568675625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In position."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The driver was Akamba who spoke no English whatsoever. And one of the clerks from the office there came. And he had decent English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The settlement officer didn't come. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they picked you up. Finally figured out how to get the motorcycle. Did Peace Corps supply the motorcycle?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:667", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.318070396519514, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The driver was Akamba who spoke no English whatsoever. And one of the clerks from the office there came. And he had decent English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The settlement officer didn't come. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they picked you up. Finally figured out how to get the motorcycle. Did Peace Corps supply the motorcycle?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually the government of Kenya issued it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was, what kind of cycle was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:669", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.908967107243904, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The settlement officer didn't come. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they picked you up. Finally figured out how to get the motorcycle. Did Peace Corps supply the motorcycle?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually the government of Kenya issued it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was, what kind of cycle was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A Triumph."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was British made. Okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:671", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.4544078969376715, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually the government of Kenya issued it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was, what kind of cycle was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A Triumph."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was British made. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And everybody got one. And they all had government licenses. Mine was GK3040."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, did everyone took? Not everyone had ridden motorcycles before."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:673", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.060453218819635, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A Triumph."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was British made. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And everybody got one. And they all had government licenses. Mine was GK3040."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, did everyone took? Not everyone had ridden motorcycles before."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I hadn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So all of a sudden. Were there any serious mishaps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:681", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.969445540039071, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, once they did it, I remember this guy, Buckminster, who came out and trained us. We had two or three sessions. Once they did it, they assumed, all right, you're ready. You know, that's it. Now, the good thing about it was this is '64, '65."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Kenya, there were only a handful of cars up country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nairobi is a little car but nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. The growth came later."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:685", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.135117950665519, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nairobi is a little car but nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. The growth came later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, much later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I'm sure there would have been many more mishaps and even fatalities if the road had been more crowded because, um, we just were far from expert."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if Peace Corps put any restrictions on your use of the cycle?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:691", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.415799657977391, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps didn't, but the government did. We had to follow government regulations, which was no personal use."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, you can use it to go into town to get groceries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But you couldn't take it on holiday."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Into the city. Right. Right. And of course, no one ever did."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:693", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.350888508863768, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, you can use it to go into town to get groceries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But you couldn't take it on holiday."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Into the city. Right. Right. And of course, no one ever did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nobody ever did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, we'll get there. So now you go off into the wild blue yonder in the truck with a Swahili speaking truck driver."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:695", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.389876120959743, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But you couldn't take it on holiday."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Into the city. Right. Right. And of course, no one ever did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nobody ever did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, we'll get there. So now you go off into the wild blue yonder in the truck with a Swahili speaking truck driver."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And mostly it's a relatively short trip."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:697", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 9.322084578844159, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nobody ever did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, we'll get there. So now you go off into the wild blue yonder in the truck with a Swahili speaking truck driver."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And mostly it's a relatively short trip."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, um, probably. I mean, you couldn't do a lot of fast driving. I want to say it was 4 hours anyway. More than that maybe. Four or 5 hours. Because, I mean, the roads were rutted, and, you know, you couldn't do 60."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at all apprehensive? I mean, you're really going into the unknown at this point."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:699", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.802316198715731, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And mostly it's a relatively short trip."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, um, probably. I mean, you couldn't do a lot of fast driving. I want to say it was 4 hours anyway. More than that maybe. Four or 5 hours. Because, I mean, the roads were rutted, and, you know, you couldn't do 60."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at all apprehensive? I mean, you're really going into the unknown at this point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, because I didn't know the place or really anybody where I was going, and it had been made clear to me that I was on an escarpment. The settlement scheme was called Shamata. The Thomsons Falls was this town, but really where I was going was Shamata. And you'd go from Thomsons Falls up on the escarpment, up 9,000 some odd feet in altitude. And there was nothing up there except, you know, the Aberdares."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. The mountains."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:701", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.113684665239701, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, um, probably. I mean, you couldn't do a lot of fast driving. I want to say it was 4 hours anyway. More than that maybe. Four or 5 hours. Because, I mean, the roads were rutted, and, you know, you couldn't do 60."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at all apprehensive? I mean, you're really going into the unknown at this point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, because I didn't know the place or really anybody where I was going, and it had been made clear to me that I was on an escarpment. The settlement scheme was called Shamata. The Thomsons Falls was this town, but really where I was going was Shamata. And you'd go from Thomsons Falls up on the escarpment, up 9,000 some odd feet in altitude. And there was nothing up there except, you know, the Aberdares."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. The mountains."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And nothing was nearby. So you could come back to T Falls, which I want to say was 20 miles or so, you know, rough miles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the scheme?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:703", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4596496280441125, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, because I didn't know the place or really anybody where I was going, and it had been made clear to me that I was on an escarpment. The settlement scheme was called Shamata. The Thomsons Falls was this town, but really where I was going was Shamata. And you'd go from Thomsons Falls up on the escarpment, up 9,000 some odd feet in altitude. And there was nothing up there except, you know, the Aberdares."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. The mountains."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And nothing was nearby. So you could come back to T Falls, which I want to say was 20 miles or so, you know, rough miles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the scheme?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the scheme."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where you ended up."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:705", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.844055142271236, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And nothing was nearby. So you could come back to T Falls, which I want to say was 20 miles or so, you know, rough miles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the scheme?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the scheme."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where you ended up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, go ahead."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:707", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.2711723803013735, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the scheme."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where you ended up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, go ahead."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was a little apprehensive about being in a place so distant, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In sending you out, had Peace Corps set up any kind of emergency communication system? I mean, if you were to double over with some disease, you would jump on your cycle and drive 6 hours."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:713", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.858947023733022, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not to my knowledge."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not to my knowledge. What they did was they gave us a medical kit and said you're on your own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a pretty well supplied medical kit, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And was there any, I guess it may have come later, any talk of if there's political trouble, this is what you should do? Or if we need to get in touch with you in a crisis?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:717", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.233267930534596, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a pretty well supplied medical kit, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And was there any, I guess it may have come later, any talk of if there's political trouble, this is what you should do? Or if we need to get in touch with you in a crisis?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember that, at least initially. I do remember vaguely some sense that if there was trouble, there were gathering spots where."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, where I was the only way to get in touch with me was to ride up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, well, okay, on the scheme?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:725", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.024642479095556, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No phones."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were some phones in T Falls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But not on the scheme."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you arrive in Thomsons Falls and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:737", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.50632803847568, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, I was going to be, I didn't have any factotum. Nobody hired. I'm there. So I spent the first night in this house by myself. And next morning, got on the bike, drove to the scheme office, met him, and told him I wasn't staying there. He thought that was funny. He said, alright, you come stay in my house, which was quite generous. But it turns out, one it was an enormous house and we could actually divide it in half and have two separate parts. He wasn't there much. Ephraim, okay, a little bit about Ephraim. Ephraim had been in the Home Guard. These were the Kenyans who really were part of a quasi-military arm of the colonialist government."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whose job was to keep order and to really be one of the first lines of defense against the Mau Mau."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And as you can imagine, in Kikuyu areas, they were despised. Ephraim was really bright and quite competent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he Kikuyu?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:749", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.271424369733758, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He would go Friday. He lived in Njebi. He would, he had his own vehicle. He'd drive into T Falls, leave the government vehicle, take his vehicle and go to Njebi. And he'd come back maybe Tuesday, as we had our settlement meetings on Tuesday."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he drive with me back to the scheme. He'd be there Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and then he's off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So for the most part."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he have a family in Njebi?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:757", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5661093884068865, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, half the week or more, he wasn't there. So I was pretty much on my own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was easy to share the house because he was on his own there and wasn't there most of the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we got along fine. You know, he was a boon companion, but he was really not happy where he was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, okay, let's think about the first weeks."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:759", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6290104315632072, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was easy to share the house because he was on his own there and wasn't there most of the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we got along fine. You know, he was a boon companion, but he was really not happy where he was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, okay, let's think about the first weeks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're way out at the end of nowhere, with Ephraim not being a hands on, right there settlement officer. First, second, third day. What did you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:761", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6989004795146747, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we got along fine. You know, he was a boon companion, but he was really not happy where he was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, okay, let's think about the first weeks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're way out at the end of nowhere, with Ephraim not being a hands on, right there settlement officer. First, second, third day. What did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the settlement operation was reasonably well organized in most places to the extent that there was an office, there was a staff, and there were ongoing operations. You know, the veterinary assistants and agriculturalists all had jobs to do. And they were out instructing people and so forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So who did they take their orders from?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:767", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9587112201847388, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's two-fold, in a sense, in that they came from separate departments, extension departments."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But essentially they were under the control of the settlement officer. They were seconded, is the British phrase, to the settlement scheme. And the settlement officer ran everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I worked with them and they were happy to have me be there because Ephraim wasn't around a lot, you know. So they, they taught me and they came to me with questions and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the first week, what the hell did you know?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:771", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1835940989935045, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I worked with them and they were happy to have me be there because Ephraim wasn't around a lot, you know. So they, they taught me and they came to me with questions and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the first week, what the hell did you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't know much. But, you know, it's funny, that business about having a BA and being able to do some stuff. I knew, for example, how to create a ledger."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so we made a real ledger because you had to keep track of the loan accounts and all of the disbursements for each farmer. So you know, went in, got these big books, and it was all by hand but we made real ledgers and columns headed with, you know, what did I know? But it was common sense. So it was stuff like that that needed to be done. People hadn't been there that long. So, you know, things were, the operation was in its infancy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, so was independence."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:777", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6235858696755892, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. In fact, there was still people coming in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So there were regulations and procedures. Each person was to get so much of X and Y, and when you had the distribution, you had to record and they had to sign."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I did things like create the ledger and help them construct records. And they would take me out often, you know, they'd be on the back of the motorcycle and we'd go around and look at this issue and this issue."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That would be you and one of the other settlements officers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:779", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8039842996395434, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So there were regulations and procedures. Each person was to get so much of X and Y, and when you had the distribution, you had to record and they had to sign."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I did things like create the ledger and help them construct records. And they would take me out often, you know, they'd be on the back of the motorcycle and we'd go around and look at this issue and this issue."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That would be you and one of the other settlements officers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of the settlement staff, yeah. Sometimes, you know, Ephraim would be there. Um. Oftentimes the office would fill people with questions and issues and problems and requests. So you'd spend a lot of time in the office trying to figure out what they wanted and what you could do to help."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you the point of first contact or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:781", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0044269995994926, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I did things like create the ledger and help them construct records. And they would take me out often, you know, they'd be on the back of the motorcycle and we'd go around and look at this issue and this issue."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That would be you and one of the other settlements officers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of the settlement staff, yeah. Sometimes, you know, Ephraim would be there. Um. Oftentimes the office would fill people with questions and issues and problems and requests. So you'd spend a lot of time in the office trying to figure out what they wanted and what you could do to help."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you the point of first contact or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much, when Ephraim wasn't there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. Well, let me, let me ask you a question. Well, two questions. Why did Peace Corps have to do this? Why weren't there Kenyans to fill?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:783", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2271411106661025, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of the settlement staff, yeah. Sometimes, you know, Ephraim would be there. Um. Oftentimes the office would fill people with questions and issues and problems and requests. So you'd spend a lot of time in the office trying to figure out what they wanted and what you could do to help."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you the point of first contact or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much, when Ephraim wasn't there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. Well, let me, let me ask you a question. Well, two questions. Why did Peace Corps have to do this? Why weren't there Kenyans to fill?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because they weren't trained yet. They, in fact, this is another really good thing about Peace Corps. They made it clear to us, particularly when we got to the country and being trained, if you're really successful, if you do your job, when you leave, there'll be a Kenyan to replace you. So you should be working yourself out of a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was explicit?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:787", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7495569267482747, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because they weren't trained yet. They, in fact, this is another really good thing about Peace Corps. They made it clear to us, particularly when we got to the country and being trained, if you're really successful, if you do your job, when you leave, there'll be a Kenyan to replace you. So you should be working yourself out of a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was explicit?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's completely explicit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It doesn't always happen. Yeah. The other thing is, what was, those Kenyans you were working with immediately, the staff and then the farmers, what was their perception of who you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:815", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.268974756975163, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, that was the term I used there, not Black. They'd say, well who are? You know, I'm an American Negro. So when people would want to know, well, he's Mnegro. I don't know what exactly they thought it was. They knew it was weird."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they knew I wasn't quite European, but they weren't quite sure what it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was exotic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you ever mistaken for Asian?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:821", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8778803250688105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was. Not so much in Thomsons Falls, but in Nairobi often, because I looked Swahili and my Swahili was correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So often I was mistaken for Swahili. Not the subcontinent of India Asia, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But Swahili a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the coast."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:823", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.0865336945209005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So often I was mistaken for Swahili. Not the subcontinent of India Asia, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But Swahili a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the coast."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So let's, uh, a couple of things. For the first three, four months, at the end of that, there seems to be a clear pattern of work that emerged. And did you feel any confidence in what you were doing or any confidence?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:825", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2072596605787782, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But Swahili a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the coast."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So let's, uh, a couple of things. For the first three, four months, at the end of that, there seems to be a clear pattern of work that emerged. And did you feel any confidence in what you were doing or any confidence?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, because I had a great staff. I really had people who knew what they were doing. My clerk, Kihara, spoke good English, was bright as a whip, was enormously useful and supportive. The agriculturalist and the vet, young people, had been well trained. And they had a terrific extension service. They were really very good. So I was well served by them, and a lot of what I attended to were the administrative issues like locating cattle to purchase and arranging their transport to the scheme and finding a place to get fencing material. And settling boundary disputes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was the kind of thing you could do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:827", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3413996228653091, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So let's, uh, a couple of things. For the first three, four months, at the end of that, there seems to be a clear pattern of work that emerged. And did you feel any confidence in what you were doing or any confidence?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, because I had a great staff. I really had people who knew what they were doing. My clerk, Kihara, spoke good English, was bright as a whip, was enormously useful and supportive. The agriculturalist and the vet, young people, had been well trained. And they had a terrific extension service. They were really very good. So I was well served by them, and a lot of what I attended to were the administrative issues like locating cattle to purchase and arranging their transport to the scheme and finding a place to get fencing material. And settling boundary disputes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was the kind of thing you could do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the kind of thing I could do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So I'm gathering that the staff felt you had a role to play, that you weren't some annoying level of administration that had been imposed?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:829", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.490444025405899, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, because I had a great staff. I really had people who knew what they were doing. My clerk, Kihara, spoke good English, was bright as a whip, was enormously useful and supportive. The agriculturalist and the vet, young people, had been well trained. And they had a terrific extension service. They were really very good. So I was well served by them, and a lot of what I attended to were the administrative issues like locating cattle to purchase and arranging their transport to the scheme and finding a place to get fencing material. And settling boundary disputes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was the kind of thing you could do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the kind of thing I could do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So I'm gathering that the staff felt you had a role to play, that you weren't some annoying level of administration that had been imposed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, two things. You didn't spend 24 hours in the office."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:831", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.6560489171176656, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the kind of thing I could do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So I'm gathering that the staff felt you had a role to play, that you weren't some annoying level of administration that had been imposed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, two things. You didn't spend 24 hours in the office."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now, in the thick with the first six months or so, how often did you leave the scheme? Or while you were on the scheme, what did you do when you weren't working?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:833", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7289432412418506, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, two things. You didn't spend 24 hours in the office."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now, in the thick with the first six months or so, how often did you leave the scheme? Or while you were on the scheme, what did you do when you weren't working?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I was working. When you said you weren't in the office 24 hours, I wasn't, but I was in the house maybe 8 hours a day. The rest of the time I was on the scheme. I was either in the office or out in the field. I made it my business to visit every farmer in rotation, and I'd take notes on where they were, what their issues were, what they needed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many farmers approximately?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:837", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8999299274590747, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I was working. When you said you weren't in the office 24 hours, I wasn't, but I was in the house maybe 8 hours a day. The rest of the time I was on the scheme. I was either in the office or out in the field. I made it my business to visit every farmer in rotation, and I'd take notes on where they were, what their issues were, what they needed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many farmers approximately?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Shamata, there were a couple of hundred, maybe 250."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just spent my time going around, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in this case, in that case, the conversations were in Swahili?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:843", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.234471779779252, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, this one would be having trouble with that, or this one. It wasn't all trouble either, you know? Something about who was especially good at something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were pleased because people didn't go around and visit them, you know what I mean?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:847", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5240392342953728, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were pleased because people didn't go around and visit them, you know what I mean?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kind of unusual and weird, but they were wonderfully hospitable and happy to see me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Many of them hadn't yet finished their houses or anything, but they'd always run off and get a kettle of hot water and make some tea. Yeah, we'd sit around and drink tea. And you know, they'd talk about stuff. I did a lot of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you, did you begin to get some sense of the traditional life of the people?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:849", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6933769269948586, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kind of unusual and weird, but they were wonderfully hospitable and happy to see me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Many of them hadn't yet finished their houses or anything, but they'd always run off and get a kettle of hot water and make some tea. Yeah, we'd sit around and drink tea. And you know, they'd talk about stuff. I did a lot of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you, did you begin to get some sense of the traditional life of the people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Births, deaths, celebrations?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:851", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8815299188831762, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Many of them hadn't yet finished their houses or anything, but they'd always run off and get a kettle of hot water and make some tea. Yeah, we'd sit around and drink tea. And you know, they'd talk about stuff. I did a lot of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you, did you begin to get some sense of the traditional life of the people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Births, deaths, celebrations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. And it didn't take that long to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But in a way, you had the advantage. Well, there were other Europeans in, on the scheme or not?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:853", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0905887987590845, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Births, deaths, celebrations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. And it didn't take that long to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But in a way, you had the advantage. Well, there were other Europeans in, on the scheme or not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not on the scheme."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So to deal with Europeans, you had to go into?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:855", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3228764430656494, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. And it didn't take that long to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But in a way, you had the advantage. Well, there were other Europeans in, on the scheme or not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not on the scheme."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So to deal with Europeans, you had to go into?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "T Falls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So in a way, you were, you were in an environment where if you were going to do anything, you were involving yourself with the Kikuyu people who lived there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:857", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.580973825628499, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not on the scheme."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So to deal with Europeans, you had to go into?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "T Falls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So in a way, you were, you were in an environment where if you were going to do anything, you were involving yourself with the Kikuyu people who lived there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, well, did you find yourself going into T Falls much, you know, just to break away and get the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:863", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3058625865960205, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd go maybe once every two weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'd go. We were. The Kenya workweek included a half day Saturday and I followed that. You know, that was what you're supposed to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So sometimes Saturday I'd go into T Falls, and, you know, I didn't. I knew the shopkeepers and some people around and people in the settlement office there. But I'd shop. I might grab a lunch someplace. Meet somebody. There were a couple of volunteers who were in the area sometimes, we'd meet. Then I'd go back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did the European community and people try to recruit you as part of their circle?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:865", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.562069540662245, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'd go. We were. The Kenya workweek included a half day Saturday and I followed that. You know, that was what you're supposed to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So sometimes Saturday I'd go into T Falls, and, you know, I didn't. I knew the shopkeepers and some people around and people in the settlement office there. But I'd shop. I might grab a lunch someplace. Meet somebody. There were a couple of volunteers who were in the area sometimes, we'd meet. Then I'd go back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did the European community and people try to recruit you as part of their circle?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They, they certainly tried to recruit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not recruitment, but."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:875", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.967145151759123, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, I'm not giving them much credit. I remember there were local families that had me and other people over. And, you know, they were interestingly sometimes kind of lonesome for European or Western company too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So there were people in the area, not tons, but there were people. The district headquarters for settlement in T Falls was largely staffed, the upper level staff was all European."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, they, they went out of their way to be nice and open to us, sometimes invite us for dinner. And there were contractors whom we met, you know, who lived locally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, um, so how long before you made a trip back to Nairobi?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:877", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.185716835287914, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So there were people in the area, not tons, but there were people. The district headquarters for settlement in T Falls was largely staffed, the upper level staff was all European."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, they, they went out of their way to be nice and open to us, sometimes invite us for dinner. And there were contractors whom we met, you know, who lived locally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, um, so how long before you made a trip back to Nairobi?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably three months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it required to get together with the group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:879", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.4285742614310157, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, they, they went out of their way to be nice and open to us, sometimes invite us for dinner. And there were contractors whom we met, you know, who lived locally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, um, so how long before you made a trip back to Nairobi?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably three months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it required to get together with the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was a required meeting, yeah, because I didn't have much occasion to go before then. I think it was probably."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember when the group first got back together?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:881", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.587304734923351, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably three months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it required to get together with the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was a required meeting, yeah, because I didn't have much occasion to go before then. I think it was probably."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember when the group first got back together?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Nairobi. There was a meeting. We'd had meetings of people in our area in Nakuru, and that involved, you know, the people within central, not the people in the west or wherever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was just Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:883", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.763671927692612, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was a required meeting, yeah, because I didn't have much occasion to go before then. I think it was probably."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember when the group first got back together?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Nairobi. There was a meeting. We'd had meetings of people in our area in Nakuru, and that involved, you know, the people within central, not the people in the west or wherever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was just Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was just Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it was just the settlement people?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:885", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9596354752140133, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Nairobi. There was a meeting. We'd had meetings of people in our area in Nakuru, and that involved, you know, the people within central, not the people in the west or wherever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was just Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was just Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it was just the settlement people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it, did someone come out from the Nairobi office?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:887", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.1773727502377924, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was just Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it was just the settlement people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it, did someone come out from the Nairobi office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By then, was there a staff person in charge of the settlement? I think there was."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:889", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3081919447086583, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it, did someone come out from the Nairobi office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By then, was there a staff person in charge of the settlement? I think there was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. George somebody?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yeah. Okay. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:891", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4535466052318424, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By then, was there a staff person in charge of the settlement? I think there was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. George somebody?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yeah. Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, so we'd try to see what was on our plates, what issues we had, what we needed, if anything, what observations we had. You know, they were going to pretty quickly put together another group, so they were interested in figuring out what they needed to know to better train the next group and that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did your experience compare to when you're first getting together with the group again? How was the experience others were having?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:893", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.615051783590936, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. George somebody?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yeah. Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, so we'd try to see what was on our plates, what issues we had, what we needed, if anything, what observations we had. You know, they were going to pretty quickly put together another group, so they were interested in figuring out what they needed to know to better train the next group and that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did your experience compare to when you're first getting together with the group again? How was the experience others were having?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of similarities. The main difference I think between and amongst us was some of us went into situations where we had more responsibility more quickly than others. Others went to places where often, you know, there was a European settlement officer and he was really in charge. And that was a major variation, you know. Also, resources. In central, we had more resources available more quickly. Some places it was more difficult to get stuff done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that tribal maybe?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:895", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7945019817677066, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, so we'd try to see what was on our plates, what issues we had, what we needed, if anything, what observations we had. You know, they were going to pretty quickly put together another group, so they were interested in figuring out what they needed to know to better train the next group and that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did your experience compare to when you're first getting together with the group again? How was the experience others were having?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of similarities. The main difference I think between and amongst us was some of us went into situations where we had more responsibility more quickly than others. Others went to places where often, you know, there was a European settlement officer and he was really in charge. And that was a major variation, you know. Also, resources. In central, we had more resources available more quickly. Some places it was more difficult to get stuff done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that tribal maybe?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So being in a Kikuyu area in a way had some advantages."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:903", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.500536475792877, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very real advantages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was there for three or four months in Thomsons Falls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At the end of which time, this was roughly true for most of us, this was part of the plan. Then they found spots for us to be settlement officers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Was that part of the program design or did it evolve?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:905", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6672627508809743, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was there for three or four months in Thomsons Falls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At the end of which time, this was roughly true for most of us, this was part of the plan. Then they found spots for us to be settlement officers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Was that part of the program design or did it evolve?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, that I can't say. I know that it seemed like part of the design, that it had happened to so many of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Now, who, who was, who was in a position to make a judgment that you were ready to become a full time settlement officer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:911", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.287054527957441, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The district settlement officer. The guy in charge of the district."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He assigns you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "With Peace Corps support. But it was their decision, it was strictly Settlement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how did the district office get a reading on how competent you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:919", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.114090120343607, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But again, we had to go in every week to the meeting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They got some sense of where you were. You had to do reports."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They got some sense of how well you knew the place. And, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, so after three, four months, you're being reassigned?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:921", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.348989022604008, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They got some sense of where you were. You had to do reports."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They got some sense of how well you knew the place. And, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, so after three, four months, you're being reassigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That couldn't have been across the board for the whole group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:923", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6099878028933423, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They got some sense of how well you knew the place. And, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, so after three, four months, you're being reassigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That couldn't have been across the board for the whole group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but it happened a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There must have been some who were judged not ready?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:925", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.899986447659269, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That couldn't have been across the board for the whole group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but it happened a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There must have been some who were judged not ready?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were judged ready?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:927", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2222071640658543, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but it happened a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There must have been some who were judged not ready?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were judged ready?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it came as no surprise?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:929", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.5802301822953937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were judged ready?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it came as no surprise?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn't surprised."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So where'd they send you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:933", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.1854693608585105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn't surprised."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So where'd they send you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ol Kalou, which was still in the same region."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But different direction."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. [tape break]"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:935", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4282992898427893, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ol Kalou, which was still in the same region."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But different direction."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. [tape break]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ol Kalou was closer to Thomsons Falls, much easier to get to. It's on the main road from Thomsons Falls that goes to Nairobi essentially."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, had there been a settlement officer there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:937", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6981103220475435, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But different direction."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. [tape break]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ol Kalou was closer to Thomsons Falls, much easier to get to. It's on the main road from Thomsons Falls that goes to Nairobi essentially."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, had there been a settlement officer there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There had been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what had happened to him?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:939", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.997900357830604, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ol Kalou was closer to Thomsons Falls, much easier to get to. It's on the main road from Thomsons Falls that goes to Nairobi essentially."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, had there been a settlement officer there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There had been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what had happened to him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was reassigned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because he was incompetent?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:943", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.701111552877289, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was reassigned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because he was incompetent?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, he was a youngish guy. He was moved to a more responsible position."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was that kind of shifting going on, particularly as many of the Europeans were beginning to leave. So some of the officers in places like Ol Kalou, I've forgotten where he went. I think he went to the west because he wasn't Kikuyu and sometimes I think people preferred to be in their own area. But he was reassigned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were still within the same district?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:945", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.112346169863654, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, he was a youngish guy. He was moved to a more responsible position."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was that kind of shifting going on, particularly as many of the Europeans were beginning to leave. So some of the officers in places like Ol Kalou, I've forgotten where he went. I think he went to the west because he wasn't Kikuyu and sometimes I think people preferred to be in their own area. But he was reassigned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were still within the same district?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's still the district settlement officer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:947", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.569273522070727, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was that kind of shifting going on, particularly as many of the Europeans were beginning to leave. So some of the officers in places like Ol Kalou, I've forgotten where he went. I think he went to the west because he wasn't Kikuyu and sometimes I think people preferred to be in their own area. But he was reassigned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were still within the same district?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's still the district settlement officer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, same district settlement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Is there a house waiting for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:951", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.641078422309539, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, same district settlement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Is there a house waiting for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's a house. Really nice house, you know, compared to where I'd been in the first place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very nice house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At any point did you have a steward or someone to help you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:957", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.622878494251767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, actually. I did. Samatta. Because Ephraim had hired a guy. Joseph. He was a really sweet guy. You know, he was sort of a cook and everything else. And when I got transferred, Joseph said, Mr. Michael, I want to go with you. So I said, fine. So he came with me to Ol Kalou."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And stayed in service working with me as the cook person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were responsible for their salaries, you know, out of our Peace Corps stipend. But, hell, the average salary was so low. And even though I paid at the high end of the scale, it wasn't the problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. So Peace Corps was paying you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:961", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.3615783879651446, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were responsible for their salaries, you know, out of our Peace Corps stipend. But, hell, the average salary was so low. And even though I paid at the high end of the scale, it wasn't the problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. So Peace Corps was paying you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We got, I think it was eight or 900 shillings a month."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was an easy, by now you're familiar with the work and you're moving into a new environment."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:963", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7350870977390493, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We got, I think it was eight or 900 shillings a month."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was an easy, by now you're familiar with the work and you're moving into a new environment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. But the same district settlement office, the same sort of cast of characters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the new office that you're now in charge of?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:967", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.6112186391840115, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. But the same district settlement office, the same sort of cast of characters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the new office that you're now in charge of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. The folks weren't quite as, they were okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They weren't quite of the caliber. So, you know, I had a little more work to do to get them trained and so forth, but they were perfectly fine. And it was a bigger scheme, it was 400 families."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you could do most of the training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:969", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.123576265760013, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. The folks weren't quite as, they were okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They weren't quite of the caliber. So, you know, I had a little more work to do to get them trained and so forth, but they were perfectly fine. And it was a bigger scheme, it was 400 families."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you could do most of the training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you continue the practice of trying to visit all 400?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:971", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.692862517511125, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They weren't quite of the caliber. So, you know, I had a little more work to do to get them trained and so forth, but they were perfectly fine. And it was a bigger scheme, it was 400 families."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you could do most of the training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you continue the practice of trying to visit all 400?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That wasn't common, I mean."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:973", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.325402797234584, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you continue the practice of trying to visit all 400?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That wasn't common, I mean."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That was pretty uncommon. But, you know, one, it's fun and I'm gregarious and love to get out and joke with people. It was just, it was a delight to get out and meet folk, you know. And they were really thrilled and often surprised. Then, you know, once you start doing it, they sort of come to expect it, not in an untoward way, but initially was a real surprise because the only time anybody visited them was if there was a problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now when you're running the office, do you encounter problems you can't solve, I mean, or questions you can't answer? I mean, you're not an expert by any means."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:977", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.809139255845165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That was pretty uncommon. But, you know, one, it's fun and I'm gregarious and love to get out and joke with people. It was just, it was a delight to get out and meet folk, you know. And they were really thrilled and often surprised. Then, you know, once you start doing it, they sort of come to expect it, not in an untoward way, but initially was a real surprise because the only time anybody visited them was if there was a problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now when you're running the office, do you encounter problems you can't solve, I mean, or questions you can't answer? I mean, you're not an expert by any means."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I do encounter some tough problems. You know, there are guys who've got local bulls and I'm supposed to make them castrate them because you don't want the local bulls inseminating the European stock. And that's difficult, you know, to. And you're supposed to, if necessary, really use force. [tape break] But there's human with tractors drawing lines. And so these were hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You do the best you could. But, you know, often everybody wasn't satisfied. So there were local problems of that level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did people have any appeal over your head if they wanted?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:979", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.676821395383516, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I do encounter some tough problems. You know, there are guys who've got local bulls and I'm supposed to make them castrate them because you don't want the local bulls inseminating the European stock. And that's difficult, you know, to. And you're supposed to, if necessary, really use force. [tape break] But there's human with tractors drawing lines. And so these were hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You do the best you could. But, you know, often everybody wasn't satisfied. So there were local problems of that level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did people have any appeal over your head if they wanted?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, they could go to the senior settlement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the district?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:981", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.640912661537241, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You do the best you could. But, you know, often everybody wasn't satisfied. So there were local problems of that level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did people have any appeal over your head if they wanted?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, they could go to the senior settlement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the district?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it, did it happen?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:983", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.712125179485824, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, they could go to the senior settlement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the district?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it, did it happen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. You know, because mostly I worked to try to come up with a reasonable and fair solution."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where people working mostly as subsistence farmers or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:987", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.768055777142992, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. You know, because mostly I worked to try to come up with a reasonable and fair solution."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where people working mostly as subsistence farmers or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much. Well, beyond that there was subsistence farming, but almost all of them had something to sell, whether it was milk to the Kenya Cooperative Creamery. Some had some pyrethrum. Some had sheep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you grew a field of pyrethrum, let's say you had an acre to. You would cultivate it, let it grow, then you collect it. And the settlement scheme, or two or three settlement schemes, would pool the resources to buy a drying device. You'd dry the stuff and you'd take it in to Pyrethrum Board where it would be weighed and you'd get credit and ultimately some money for it. So there was that kind of thing that most farmers were engaged in. There was wool to be sold if you had some sheep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you tend to coordinate that kind of activity?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:989", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.853395307936658, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much. Well, beyond that there was subsistence farming, but almost all of them had something to sell, whether it was milk to the Kenya Cooperative Creamery. Some had some pyrethrum. Some had sheep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you grew a field of pyrethrum, let's say you had an acre to. You would cultivate it, let it grow, then you collect it. And the settlement scheme, or two or three settlement schemes, would pool the resources to buy a drying device. You'd dry the stuff and you'd take it in to Pyrethrum Board where it would be weighed and you'd get credit and ultimately some money for it. So there was that kind of thing that most farmers were engaged in. There was wool to be sold if you had some sheep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you tend to coordinate that kind of activity?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any ever any sense of combining plots to do large scale pyrethrum growing on a basis of efficiency?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:991", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.05932811992962, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you grew a field of pyrethrum, let's say you had an acre to. You would cultivate it, let it grow, then you collect it. And the settlement scheme, or two or three settlement schemes, would pool the resources to buy a drying device. You'd dry the stuff and you'd take it in to Pyrethrum Board where it would be weighed and you'd get credit and ultimately some money for it. So there was that kind of thing that most farmers were engaged in. There was wool to be sold if you had some sheep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you tend to coordinate that kind of activity?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any ever any sense of combining plots to do large scale pyrethrum growing on a basis of efficiency?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Sadly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was Ol Kalou a scheme where the issue of inheritance became a problem? In other words, a farmer's three sons would expect to each get a piece of his land. Or how did that work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:995", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.43126928386373, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Sadly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was Ol Kalou a scheme where the issue of inheritance became a problem? In other words, a farmer's three sons would expect to each get a piece of his land. Or how did that work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was so new then, Bob, that inheritance wasn't an issue that I got faced with, but it certainly, almost certainly would have occurred down the road when the farmer died."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But again, by then, when I got Ol Kalou, it was maybe three years old."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, we'll leave it. Um. So, okay, let's bring it toward the end of the first year. During the first year, did you take any vacation at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:997", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.701410315404143, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was so new then, Bob, that inheritance wasn't an issue that I got faced with, but it certainly, almost certainly would have occurred down the road when the farmer died."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But again, by then, when I got Ol Kalou, it was maybe three years old."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, we'll leave it. Um. So, okay, let's bring it toward the end of the first year. During the first year, did you take any vacation at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I might have, uh. I might have gone to Nairobi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're not going to tell the story about going to Malindi?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1001", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.989395451116224, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I might have, uh. I might have gone to Nairobi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're not going to tell the story about going to Malindi?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. Actually, my best vacation, longest vacation, I'm not sure, it was probably after I was on Ol Kalou a little bit. And maybe it was by the end of the first year, you know, first 14 months. I had become friends with some of the teachers, especially Rose Levinson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Levine."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Levine. And, um, Lance and Joy Sobel and some of their friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were all in Nairobi?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1009", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.686473786185374, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had a good time. And then we all got together, rented a vehicle, and went on this long trek to the coast and to Tanzania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We drove to Mombasa and from Mombasa to Tonga and on. It was quite a trek."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was the sort of major vacation I took. You know, on the weekends when I was at Ol Kalou, we could run into Nakuru and maybe stay overnight. So there was time for fun. The major vacation was that one. That was just a blast."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you didn't, you did the game parks? You must have at some point."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1025", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.604596935932409, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then they came back and got us. It ended up that Joyce and Lance and whoever else, there was somebody else that was in the car, they didn't actually get into Murchison. They had to wait for the car to be dealt with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Jadish and Rose and I, at least the three of us, I'm trying to think if there was a fourth in the VW, did get on to Murchison and you had a good time, but felt awful that our colleagues were stuck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that had to be a second vacation because we wouldn't have done Uganda."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By then there was also a Peace Corps in Uganda I think. You may have made contact with some of them or."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1029", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.450119673990629, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that had to be a second vacation because we wouldn't have done Uganda."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By then there was also a Peace Corps in Uganda I think. You may have made contact with some of them or."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we did. I know we did in Tanzania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In fact, I remember a couple of the volunteers in Tanzania. But so, yeah, we, we did a couple of vacations, you know, and the vacations that I did really were with Joyce, Lance, Rose."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the teachers, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1031", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.944577415545143, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we did. I know we did in Tanzania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In fact, I remember a couple of the volunteers in Tanzania. But so, yeah, we, we did a couple of vacations, you know, and the vacations that I did really were with Joyce, Lance, Rose."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the teachers, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. They became close buddies from the times I would go to Nairobi and we hooked up. And we just had a lot in common and liked each other a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "End of the first year was there a group gathering?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1033", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.49397490616127, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In fact, I remember a couple of the volunteers in Tanzania. But so, yeah, we, we did a couple of vacations, you know, and the vacations that I did really were with Joyce, Lance, Rose."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the teachers, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. They became close buddies from the times I would go to Nairobi and we hooked up. And we just had a lot in common and liked each other a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "End of the first year was there a group gathering?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of your group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1035", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.104416562401411, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. They became close buddies from the times I would go to Nairobi and we hooked up. And we just had a lot in common and liked each other a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "End of the first year was there a group gathering?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of your group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And had, was there a second group of settlement officers in the works or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1037", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.6715739582237905, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of your group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And had, was there a second group of settlement officers in the works or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they were maybe on the ground. I don't think we were there more than a year before they. If, if it was more than a year, it wasn't more than a year and a couple of months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were any of you invited to help train them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1039", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.301748842470878, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And had, was there a second group of settlement officers in the works or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they were maybe on the ground. I don't think we were there more than a year before they. If, if it was more than a year, it wasn't more than a year and a couple of months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were any of you invited to help train them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not in the States, but we were brought, a couple of us were brought into Nairobi when they came in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the two week orientation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1041", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.001943158300976, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they were maybe on the ground. I don't think we were there more than a year before they. If, if it was more than a year, it wasn't more than a year and a couple of months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were any of you invited to help train them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not in the States, but we were brought, a couple of us were brought into Nairobi when they came in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the two week orientation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And we met some of them. And some of them were going to be, you know, in the same area where we were. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right, right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1045", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.644374269507377, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And we met some of them. And some of them were going to be, you know, in the same area where we were. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were going to kind of start off the way we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we got to meet them and, you know, help acquaint them and situate them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do, do you remember? I just, sorry. Do you remember any of your Thanksgivings or Christmases as being particularly lonely times? I mean, it's one of the few times maybe when some people are inclined to get homesick."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1055", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.052031820195727, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because we left before Christmas in '66. So Christmas in '65, went into Nairobi. And Christmas is kind of a major holiday there. Oh, it's weird because it's, you know, hot and gorgeous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember all the celebratory stuff and there was Boxing Day and this. It was kind of nice but different, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that Christmas, I think I hung out with Rose and the Nairobi crew. I don't think we did anything for Thanksgiving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Had you been communicating back home to friends and or family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1057", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.613368689106363, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember all the celebratory stuff and there was Boxing Day and this. It was kind of nice but different, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that Christmas, I think I hung out with Rose and the Nairobi crew. I don't think we did anything for Thanksgiving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Had you been communicating back home to friends and or family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Regularly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Generally upbeat letters? You didn't tell them when you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1089", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.808531806330868, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Brian had been stuck as an assistant in a settlement scheme the whole while."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So Kirkwood said, well, I'm going to switch you with him. I said, no, you're not. You know, the best you can do is you may send me home, but you're not switching me because this is a lie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Peace Corps was not terribly supportive. They didn't want to make waves. They didn't say we wouldn't back you, but they didn't move in to back me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is, after the first year is this happening or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1091", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1205908959231867, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So Kirkwood said, well, I'm going to switch you with him. I said, no, you're not. You know, the best you can do is you may send me home, but you're not switching me because this is a lie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Peace Corps was not terribly supportive. They didn't want to make waves. They didn't say we wouldn't back you, but they didn't move in to back me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is, after the first year is this happening or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's after the first year. I'm on Ol Kalou."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the program's already been in place for a year."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1093", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.46732321769243, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Peace Corps was not terribly supportive. They didn't want to make waves. They didn't say we wouldn't back you, but they didn't move in to back me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is, after the first year is this happening or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's after the first year. I'm on Ol Kalou."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the program's already been in place for a year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And the second group has come?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.82795796020794, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, he wanted to do Brian a favor, and he was pissed at me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I actually got, proved that this guy, the sheep guy. One, that there was a guy, that the guy had actually left saying he was sick and going to get, you know, I got all that out. But Kirkwood didn't want to relent because that wasn't the real reason. He just wanted to help out Brian. So I said I wasn't doing it. And I talked to a Peace Corps person and they said, you know, you've got to sort of figure out if there's a way. In the meantime, my settlement scheme, it turned out. You may remember this really well- known guy, Josiah Mwangi Kariuki, who was assassinated."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a big cause celeb. He was a major figure in Kenyan politics. And his wife had a plot on my scheme. And she and other people really liked me because I went out of my way to do a good job and be a good person. People on the settlement scheme rose up in anger, called a meeting, and made it clear to the settlement people that this guy was lying, that they had been there. Josiah's wife, this is before he was assassinated. He was a major power. He had a big youth movement and so forth. Josiah's wife called Josiah Mwangi. She looked into it and sent word. If you send him home, you're going to have trouble. And all of a sudden the trouble disappeared. Kirkwood got sent away. And Peace Corps was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't know what to do."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.507486913865487, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Didn't know what to do. You know, they really didn't know what to do. In a way I guess they were kind of happy I hadn't been maltreated, but in a way they weren't pleased with the notoriety of it all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, he got sent away and everything was fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But that was the only trouble. And it wasn't the kind of thing I would have written home about. I wasn't worried about it. I was going to stand my ground, you know, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now going sometimes, you know, going into the second year, you know that within ten months or so you're going to, your tour is over."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7860965709616523, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, he got sent away and everything was fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But that was the only trouble. And it wasn't the kind of thing I would have written home about. I wasn't worried about it. I was going to stand my ground, you know, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now going sometimes, you know, going into the second year, you know that within ten months or so you're going to, your tour is over."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And sometimes people say, well, before I leave, you know, I'd like to at least to accomplish X, Y, Z, or have gotten this far. Don't let me put words in your mouth. But was that an element?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0956628566240583, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But that was the only trouble. And it wasn't the kind of thing I would have written home about. I wasn't worried about it. I was going to stand my ground, you know, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now going sometimes, you know, going into the second year, you know that within ten months or so you're going to, your tour is over."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And sometimes people say, well, before I leave, you know, I'd like to at least to accomplish X, Y, Z, or have gotten this far. Don't let me put words in your mouth. But was that an element?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Yeah, I had an agenda. There were certain issues and problems that needed to be dealt with, that I thought were important. For example, we didn't have a cattle dip and I broke my butt trying to get it organized, to get it done. Ultimately, we did get it dug and put up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, you have to deal with other ministries to do that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.4396253962489536, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And sometimes people say, well, before I leave, you know, I'd like to at least to accomplish X, Y, Z, or have gotten this far. Don't let me put words in your mouth. But was that an element?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Yeah, I had an agenda. There were certain issues and problems that needed to be dealt with, that I thought were important. For example, we didn't have a cattle dip and I broke my butt trying to get it organized, to get it done. Ultimately, we did get it dug and put up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, you have to deal with other ministries to do that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. And get the money and get the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now where would you get money from?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2354257836062463, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Lands and Settlement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were supposed to do it, you know, but some places got favored and, you know, it just took forever to get anything done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I got a cattle dip. I got a couple of other major projects done. And one of the most fun things I did, actually, Marie Gadsden came to. I did this big, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Marie was a Peace Corps staff member in charge of education."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6486738069212914, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I got a cattle dip. I got a couple of other major projects done. And one of the most fun things I did, actually, Marie Gadsden came to. I did this big, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Marie was a Peace Corps staff member in charge of education."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. She was in the area, and I invited her to what was an agricultural fair for the scheme. You know, it was an idea I stole from lots of places. We didn't do this shit in Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But what I did was I announced we're going to have a competition and it's going to be a big celebration with prizes. The best pumpkin, the best dish, you know, the Judas cow. So we had all these categories, and, you know, we had a good time. We, uh, we had food, and then everybody showed up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the scheme?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.1022706319634565, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So those were some of the things that I wanted to get done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The fair, one, because it was a community building fun thing, but also to sort of highlight people who really were successful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The cattle dip was another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the the goal that was supposedly part of the program of identifying or finding a replacement? Were you able to do anything for that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3608279406956252, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The cattle dip was another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the the goal that was supposedly part of the program of identifying or finding a replacement? Were you able to do anything for that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. I saw to the continued training of my staff and the man who was clerk, Erastus Kihara, I pushed really hard and got him first to be sort of assistant to me. Brought him from Shamata to Ol Kalou."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Got him to be assistant. And when I left, he became a settlement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Was there, was there any exam or was it strictly?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5120310452173613, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. I saw to the continued training of my staff and the man who was clerk, Erastus Kihara, I pushed really hard and got him first to be sort of assistant to me. Brought him from Shamata to Ol Kalou."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Got him to be assistant. And when I left, he became a settlement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Was there, was there any exam or was it strictly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was training. I don't know. There might have been exams during the training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And the training was done by the Settlement ministry itself?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.680034494685957, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Got him to be assistant. And when I left, he became a settlement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Was there, was there any exam or was it strictly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was training. I don't know. There might have been exams during the training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And the training was done by the Settlement ministry itself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you encouraged him to take whatever courses that were being offered?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8667049940955076, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was training. I don't know. There might have been exams during the training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And the training was done by the Settlement ministry itself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you encouraged him to take whatever courses that were being offered?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was he aware that you would tapped him to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7340420577587368, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And was quite pleased."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, it was a delight to be able to do it. He was. There are a lot of competent people, you know. He was a standout, but the system was really very, very good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It wasn't a spot I could put him in because their ministry was separate in a sense, or their department was, but within Settlement. And I don't think I was the only one who did that. I know that it happened in a couple of instances where people had been identified."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you come to the end of the second year, did you at all consider the idea of extending your tour to, because you never quite finished with the things you're trying?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9267133975097075, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, it was a delight to be able to do it. He was. There are a lot of competent people, you know. He was a standout, but the system was really very, very good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It wasn't a spot I could put him in because their ministry was separate in a sense, or their department was, but within Settlement. And I don't think I was the only one who did that. I know that it happened in a couple of instances where people had been identified."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you come to the end of the second year, did you at all consider the idea of extending your tour to, because you never quite finished with the things you're trying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I gave it a little thought, I did, but I decided to come on back and go to graduate school because I wanted to do African studies and I'd gotten into Northwestern, which was my dream."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had applied while you were in Kenya?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.642953906048981, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had applied while I was in Kenya. And was accepted into Northwestern."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And this was sheer luck. One of the people who came during our training in Milwaukee was a linguist who talked to us about Swahili and, um, I'm slipping on her name right now, but she ended up in the linguistics department at Northwestern and really pushed me to come. And I got a really good fellowship so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I decided to come on in. I knew that even though I was leaving this particular venture, that doing what I was about to do was going to bring me back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, uh, let's stick with the Peace Corps experience."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9366154511655345, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And this was sheer luck. One of the people who came during our training in Milwaukee was a linguist who talked to us about Swahili and, um, I'm slipping on her name right now, but she ended up in the linguistics department at Northwestern and really pushed me to come. And I got a really good fellowship so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I decided to come on in. I knew that even though I was leaving this particular venture, that doing what I was about to do was going to bring me back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, uh, let's stick with the Peace Corps experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Without your being overly modest, I assume you were probably considered one of the better volunteers in the group."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2629060568505937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I decided to come on in. I knew that even though I was leaving this particular venture, that doing what I was about to do was going to bring me back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, uh, let's stick with the Peace Corps experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Without your being overly modest, I assume you were probably considered one of the better volunteers in the group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I suspect so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And often, well, certainly even by '66, the Peace Corps was recruiting very aggressively among returned, the stars of returned volunteers. Were you approached at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6254511742784374, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Without your being overly modest, I assume you were probably considered one of the better volunteers in the group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I suspect so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And often, well, certainly even by '66, the Peace Corps was recruiting very aggressively among returned, the stars of returned volunteers. Were you approached at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, uh, by local staff people wanted me to consider it. But, you know, I was pretty clear by then that I was going to go on to graduate school. So it didn't. It came up. But since I was clear about what I was doing, there was no pressure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've been accepted at Northwestern. Okay. And it's for a master's degree or just?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.028279082531597, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I suspect so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And often, well, certainly even by '66, the Peace Corps was recruiting very aggressively among returned, the stars of returned volunteers. Were you approached at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, uh, by local staff people wanted me to consider it. But, you know, I was pretty clear by then that I was going to go on to graduate school. So it didn't. It came up. But since I was clear about what I was doing, there was no pressure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've been accepted at Northwestern. Okay. And it's for a master's degree or just?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "PhD program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In African studies?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.3647545361462186, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, uh, by local staff people wanted me to consider it. But, you know, I was pretty clear by then that I was going to go on to graduate school. So it didn't. It came up. But since I was clear about what I was doing, there was no pressure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've been accepted at Northwestern. Okay. And it's for a master's degree or just?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "PhD program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In African studies?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "African studies. Political science, but the African Studies Program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So did Peace Corps invited you to stay on or they wanted you to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2438333829166237, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a discussion with the staff. Jim Black, I think, was the guy's name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he clearly encouraged me to stay because he and I got along really well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, but again, you know, I was thrilled with my Peace Corps service, but I wanted to really go do the African studies. So I was pretty clear and I'd been accepted and had a fellowship. So, um, that, that was fine with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a termination conference? Often at the end of service, the group would get."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.604259314351804, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he clearly encouraged me to stay because he and I got along really well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, but again, you know, I was thrilled with my Peace Corps service, but I wanted to really go do the African studies. So I was pretty clear and I'd been accepted and had a fellowship. So, um, that, that was fine with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a termination conference? Often at the end of service, the group would get."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Want to talk about that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1926693328452707, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I have this peculiar kind of ethic. I've noticed at least one other occasion when I'm making a major transition, I get unusually quiet and reflexive. And I'm thinking about where have I been, what has it been like. I said, uncharacteristically, almost nothing. And some of the young people who were my friends thought I was one of the ones who had hated it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was the furthest thing from the truth. It's just that I was thinking about all that I learned, all the people I knew, and a little bit about, all right, what does the next step mean? And I just, I was ruminating rather than anything else. And, you know, a couple of times there were a couple of, three answers that were negative and Benson was obvious and nobody knew who the others were. But because, as I say, I wasn't saying anything, some people thought it was me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a fabulous time and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And generally did most of the group have a sense that they had achieved something?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3251881476058562, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was the furthest thing from the truth. It's just that I was thinking about all that I learned, all the people I knew, and a little bit about, all right, what does the next step mean? And I just, I was ruminating rather than anything else. And, you know, a couple of times there were a couple of, three answers that were negative and Benson was obvious and nobody knew who the others were. But because, as I say, I wasn't saying anything, some people thought it was me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a fabulous time and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And generally did most of the group have a sense that they had achieved something?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Strongly positive feelings. As I say, it was striking that a couple of people would have such negative feelings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, sometimes the negative feelings may be in relation to Peace Corps staff, and that's totally separate in many ways from the job that you're doing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.472431275117618, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a fabulous time and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And generally did most of the group have a sense that they had achieved something?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Strongly positive feelings. As I say, it was striking that a couple of people would have such negative feelings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, sometimes the negative feelings may be in relation to Peace Corps staff, and that's totally separate in many ways from the job that you're doing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you're successful as a volunteer, you've probably integrated more toward the job you're doing than what Peace Corps is expecting of you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8178163890340961, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you're successful as a volunteer, you've probably integrated more toward the job you're doing than what Peace Corps is expecting of you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I don't remember the particular complaints. I kind of think, at least with the Bensons, my memory is they were in a position that didn't work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For a variety of reasons, it wasn't the staff. My recollection is that for the most part, the staff were fairly highly regarded, you know, I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your own, your own assessment is they were supportive?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1331066531285137, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For a variety of reasons, it wasn't the staff. My recollection is that for the most part, the staff were fairly highly regarded, you know, I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your own, your own assessment is they were supportive?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely, without question. I thought George was limited."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not unsupportive, just limited, almost naive. Whereas Black was fabulous. Just a terrific person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was, he was in charge of the settlement part of the program?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1203", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2590073923650151, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely, without question. I thought George was limited."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not unsupportive, just limited, almost naive. Whereas Black was fabulous. Just a terrific person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was, he was in charge of the settlement part of the program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So obviously, you've already given your assessment of what you feel of the two years. And on a broader sense, what do you think was the impact of having been in the Peace Corps on you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3988971026277945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not unsupportive, just limited, almost naive. Whereas Black was fabulous. Just a terrific person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was, he was in charge of the settlement part of the program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So obviously, you've already given your assessment of what you feel of the two years. And on a broader sense, what do you think was the impact of having been in the Peace Corps on you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was life shaping."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, and can you flesh that out?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5543301140308827, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So obviously, you've already given your assessment of what you feel of the two years. And on a broader sense, what do you think was the impact of having been in the Peace Corps on you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was life shaping."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, and can you flesh that out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Sure. I, I don't think it made me a person fundamentally different from the person who went in. It just gave new dimensions to, um. I had a perspective shaped by working with the people with whom I worked. It was internationalist, but it was also a deep appreciation for the humanity of even the poorest folk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And you were spending time with the ordinary farmers on all schemes."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9189260667047934, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Sure. I, I don't think it made me a person fundamentally different from the person who went in. It just gave new dimensions to, um. I had a perspective shaped by working with the people with whom I worked. It was internationalist, but it was also a deep appreciation for the humanity of even the poorest folk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And you were spending time with the ordinary farmers on all schemes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And what was amazing, you know, is with these people who are about as poor as you get, subsistence farmers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But their love of family, their sense of humor, their generosity was always on display. And you couldn't come away with this feeling that these are the poorest of the poor and, oh my God, we've got to help them and bring them up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There's a life there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.369044526796041, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But their love of family, their sense of humor, their generosity was always on display. And you couldn't come away with this feeling that these are the poorest of the poor and, oh my God, we've got to help them and bring them up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There's a life there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's a life there. An amazing life there. I think that's stayed with me. I reject the sort of analyzes of the underclass where, you know, these poor, benighted people. Lord knows we've got to pull them up out of their misery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There really are lives there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You must have a good sense of self confidence because you stood up to a senior settlement officer. I gather you did that without hesitation. I mean, that's pretty nervy."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1219", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9247463293778284, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There really are lives there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You must have a good sense of self confidence because you stood up to a senior settlement officer. I gather you did that without hesitation. I mean, that's pretty nervy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I think I was raised with that. You know, I was raised by two of the strongest people I've ever known."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In an environment where you were not going to be as happy if you weren't forward and so confident as if you were. So I was that way from the beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you proved that in an international setting."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1221", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2497181437531424, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I think I was raised with that. You know, I was raised by two of the strongest people I've ever known."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In an environment where you were not going to be as happy if you weren't forward and so confident as if you were. So I was that way from the beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you proved that in an international setting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know, I've done that throughout my life, battling, you know, even in high school. But, you know, I knew, I'm. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, uh, you're now, you're leaving Kenya."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1223", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6107979375034915, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In an environment where you were not going to be as happy if you weren't forward and so confident as if you were. So I was that way from the beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you proved that in an international setting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know, I've done that throughout my life, battling, you know, even in high school. But, you know, I knew, I'm. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, uh, you're now, you're leaving Kenya."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll jump ahead. One of the questions I ask is, uh, in the years that followed, have you been able to have any contact with the people you worked with in Kenya? Not the volunteers, but the Kenyans. Have you maintained any ongoing contact? And I know there's a lot. Answer that in, you know, in the narrow sense, and we'll broaden it later."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1225", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.011997708337213, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know, I've done that throughout my life, battling, you know, even in high school. But, you know, I knew, I'm. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, uh, you're now, you're leaving Kenya."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll jump ahead. One of the questions I ask is, uh, in the years that followed, have you been able to have any contact with the people you worked with in Kenya? Not the volunteers, but the Kenyans. Have you maintained any ongoing contact? And I know there's a lot. Answer that in, you know, in the narrow sense, and we'll broaden it later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have, not as directly with the farmers. But I've been back to Kenya maybe a dozen more times since."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you been back to Ol Kalou?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1227", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.457775231485792, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll jump ahead. One of the questions I ask is, uh, in the years that followed, have you been able to have any contact with the people you worked with in Kenya? Not the volunteers, but the Kenyans. Have you maintained any ongoing contact? And I know there's a lot. Answer that in, you know, in the narrow sense, and we'll broaden it later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have, not as directly with the farmers. But I've been back to Kenya maybe a dozen more times since."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you been back to Ol Kalou?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to Ol Kalou. I actually looked up my old clerk who had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many years later is this?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.1577471993651747, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to Ol Kalou. I actually looked up my old clerk who had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many years later is this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went back in '87."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was many years later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Although you had been back to Kenya in the intervening years."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3974968881835275, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went back in '87."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was many years later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Although you had been back to Kenya in the intervening years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I'd gone back to do dissertation research in '70."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, well, let's just take the Ol Kalou visit."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.6638854313150304, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was many years later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Although you had been back to Kenya in the intervening years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I'd gone back to do dissertation research in '70."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, well, let's just take the Ol Kalou visit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. People still knew me and remembered me and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you still Mnegro?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1239", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0541795448333704, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. People still knew me and remembered me and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you still Mnegro?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Although they knew a little bit more, you know, there were TV programs and you could actually make a direct call to Kenya as opposed to booking it through London."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So. Most of them remembered me. And I looked up Kihara. He'd been a successful settlement officer, moved on, and actually gotten involved in politics. And I looked up several of the farmers on Ol Kalou. I tried to find Ephraim but couldn't. He might well have been alive and well, and yet I couldn't find him while I was there. So that was a delight when I did get to visit and see. The changes were astounding."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The whole settlement program has changed considerably over the 20 years."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.374119776699188, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just a sea change."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The other thing that was different, and people on the scheme talked about this. When I was there, the civil service was effective, honest. If you needed something, generally you could get it. I mean, it wasn't the computer age, things were slower. But if I needed a map, I went to the Geological Survey. They looked it up and I'd get it. I went back in '87. Corruption was unbounded and you couldn't get anything done. It reminded me of the descriptions of the need for the dash in West Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was palpable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which you hadn't been aware of when you were there as a volunteer."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1261", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.931012069998997, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was palpable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which you hadn't been aware of when you were there as a volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The civil service had a kind of a spree, and it was just a complete change."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a little disheartening, you know, in order to get anything done, you had to use a bribe. And I ran into that as soon as we got into the airport, you had to bribe people to go through customs, you know? Just it was amazing. So there are all kinds of contradictory things. I was pleased to see that many people are doing well. Some of the kids have gone on to school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you been involved with sponsoring or helping any Kenyans to come over?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2566800777766636, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The civil service had a kind of a spree, and it was just a complete change."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a little disheartening, you know, in order to get anything done, you had to use a bribe. And I ran into that as soon as we got into the airport, you had to bribe people to go through customs, you know? Just it was amazing. So there are all kinds of contradictory things. I was pleased to see that many people are doing well. Some of the kids have gone on to school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you been involved with sponsoring or helping any Kenyans to come over?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not at that point. Since then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Up to '87, yeah. And on that trip back you had through the years been back to Kenya enough that you kept your Swahili?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.618533419751848, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a little disheartening, you know, in order to get anything done, you had to use a bribe. And I ran into that as soon as we got into the airport, you had to bribe people to go through customs, you know? Just it was amazing. So there are all kinds of contradictory things. I was pleased to see that many people are doing well. Some of the kids have gone on to school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you been involved with sponsoring or helping any Kenyans to come over?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not at that point. Since then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Up to '87, yeah. And on that trip back you had through the years been back to Kenya enough that you kept your Swahili?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My Swahili was still quite good. I'd often taught it too, both at the college level and as a co-curricular thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. I didn't know. We'll talk about that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.020592688613164, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not at that point. Since then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Up to '87, yeah. And on that trip back you had through the years been back to Kenya enough that you kept your Swahili?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My Swahili was still quite good. I'd often taught it too, both at the college level and as a co-curricular thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. I didn't know. We'll talk about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, in going back to Ol Kalou, you're still, you're. You could converse in Swahili and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.467325209570182, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My Swahili was still quite good. I'd often taught it too, both at the college level and as a co-curricular thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. I didn't know. We'll talk about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, in going back to Ol Kalou, you're still, you're. You could converse in Swahili and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty easily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay, let's, let's zero back now to a little bit of a narrative. You went to Northwestern and working toward a degree in political science and African studies."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.963694677300203, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, in going back to Ol Kalou, you're still, you're. You could converse in Swahili and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty easily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay, let's, let's zero back now to a little bit of a narrative. You went to Northwestern and working toward a degree in political science and African studies."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, oh, sort of talk about your own continuing relationship with Kenya, where you served as a volunteer."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1273", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.515216308111336, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty easily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay, let's, let's zero back now to a little bit of a narrative. You went to Northwestern and working toward a degree in political science and African studies."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, oh, sort of talk about your own continuing relationship with Kenya, where you served as a volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. Um. While I was in Northwestern, the program of African studies, which was a renowned and fabulous program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Herskovits still alive?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.067087803858155, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And she was a force of nature too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there were all kinds of people in and out of the program as guest lecturers. And Gwen made it her business to invite the next generation of leaders to come and get to do. [inaudible] had been there. And I mean, everybody was there. A fair number of Kenyans were part of the program, some as graduate students, you know, some as guests. So through the program, I kept abreast of what was happening.\n\nTowards the end of the program when I had to design a research project, I clearly designed it to take me back to Kenya. So in '69 to '70, I went back for a year, stayed on the coast, but even in '69 and '70, I'd make trips to Nairobi and once or twice to see people up country. So the time at Northwestern deepened my interest in certain academic knowledge on Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And just cemented what had been, not a lifelong, but damn near a lifelong fascination and connection to that world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were, you got to know a fair number of the political leaders?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.296764226509061, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there were all kinds of people in and out of the program as guest lecturers. And Gwen made it her business to invite the next generation of leaders to come and get to do. [inaudible] had been there. And I mean, everybody was there. A fair number of Kenyans were part of the program, some as graduate students, you know, some as guests. So through the program, I kept abreast of what was happening.\n\nTowards the end of the program when I had to design a research project, I clearly designed it to take me back to Kenya. So in '69 to '70, I went back for a year, stayed on the coast, but even in '69 and '70, I'd make trips to Nairobi and once or twice to see people up country. So the time at Northwestern deepened my interest in certain academic knowledge on Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And just cemented what had been, not a lifelong, but damn near a lifelong fascination and connection to that world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were, you got to know a fair number of the political leaders?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that intentional or just the circle you moved in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1285", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5519602516767343, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And just cemented what had been, not a lifelong, but damn near a lifelong fascination and connection to that world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were, you got to know a fair number of the political leaders?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that intentional or just the circle you moved in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. This is not a trick question. As you became thoroughly knowledgeable about Kenya, at any point were you ever approached by the CIA?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1505682119465854, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. This is not a trick question. As you became thoroughly knowledgeable about Kenya, at any point were you ever approached by the CIA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Never, to my surprise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or anyone from State?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.500631346607317, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Never, to my surprise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or anyone from State?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was by State because they wanted me to enter. They had a kind of program, almost like AT&T's program, to identify reasonably young people, bring them in, train them, and set them on a career path."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the Foreign Service?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.889590385119241, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Never, to my surprise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or anyone from State?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was by State because they wanted me to enter. They had a kind of program, almost like AT&T's program, to identify reasonably young people, bring them in, train them, and set them on a career path."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the Foreign Service?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And in fact."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were still a minority at that point."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1299", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.2244038204653505, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. I had a fairly serious interest in them and Mary and I talked about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But the academic world is seductive, even if you're not incredibly happy at any point. There aren't many push factors pushing you out, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I thought about the State Department really seriously, talked to people and, uh, but ultimately decided that I'd stay. You know, once I had kids, there should not have been a case, but I think I tended to think more of staying put."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And you ended up at Hampshire College."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1301", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.693782022739278, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But the academic world is seductive, even if you're not incredibly happy at any point. There aren't many push factors pushing you out, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I thought about the State Department really seriously, talked to people and, uh, but ultimately decided that I'd stay. You know, once I had kids, there should not have been a case, but I think I tended to think more of staying put."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And you ended up at Hampshire College."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And both as dean and professor on and off through the years."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1303", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.2153133585991975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I thought about the State Department really seriously, talked to people and, uh, but ultimately decided that I'd stay. You know, once I had kids, there should not have been a case, but I think I tended to think more of staying put."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And you ended up at Hampshire College."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And both as dean and professor on and off through the years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you continued to go back to Kenya on a fairly regular basis?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1305", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.794792620665775, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And both as dean and professor on and off through the years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you continued to go back to Kenya on a fairly regular basis?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you consciously think, you took students on trips?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1307", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.438658467406416, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you continued to go back to Kenya on a fairly regular basis?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you consciously think, you took students on trips?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometimes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it was part of your mission then to broaden some Americans' understanding of Kenya?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1309", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.154064963784906, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you consciously think, you took students on trips?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometimes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it was part of your mission then to broaden some Americans' understanding of Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because, you know, that's one of the third purposes, or the second purpose of the Peace Corps, that to. And you were very, you were in a very specific place where you could do that. I mean, far more than many other people."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.498845634302353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because, you know, that's one of the third purposes, or the second purpose of the Peace Corps, that to. And you were very, you were in a very specific place where you could do that. I mean, far more than many other people."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I did it in two or three ways. One, there were occasions to take students, but I continued to teach about Africa with a special focus on Kenya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did sort of local presentations, and I remember doing them for the Lions Club, the World Affairs Council in Springfield. I've done that kind of thing a great many times. Um, at one point I thought of taking an adult group, but couldn't pull it off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Adults are difficult."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1317", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.788698313953522, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did sort of local presentations, and I remember doing them for the Lions Club, the World Affairs Council in Springfield. I've done that kind of thing a great many times. Um, at one point I thought of taking an adult group, but couldn't pull it off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Adults are difficult."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They are. And, you know, if you have an infrastructure, if there's an organization that handles that stuff, you can plug in as the leader, but doing it on your own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought it would be fun to do, but I didn't find a group that wanted to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did any of your children ever express an interest in joining the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1321", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.381109029572249, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought it would be fun to do, but I didn't find a group that wanted to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did any of your children ever express an interest in joining the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. Not Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were interested in going to Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did any, have any of them going?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1323", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.201232255080276, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. Not Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were interested in going to Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did any, have any of them going?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Beth did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your oldest daughter, your daughter?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.11248028342253, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were interested in going to Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did any, have any of them going?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Beth did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your oldest daughter, your daughter?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On her own or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1327", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.1249780926917, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Beth did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your oldest daughter, your daughter?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On her own or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She went with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. To Kenya?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1329", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.249975658546333, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On her own or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She went with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. To Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To Kenya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Had she studied Swahili prior to the trip?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1331", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.49997295394037, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She went with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. To Kenya?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To Kenya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Had she studied Swahili prior to the trip?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. How old was she then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1333", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.777747726600412, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To Kenya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Had she studied Swahili prior to the trip?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. How old was she then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was mid-twenties."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so she was in college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1335", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 13.086386362889346, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. How old was she then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was mid-twenties."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so she was in college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And I'm trying to think exactly. Maybe 18, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, okay. Yeah. And it was just father daughter?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1339", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.748625139369562, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And I'm trying to think exactly. Maybe 18, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, okay. Yeah. And it was just father daughter?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, what happened. I have this colleague by the name of Frank who is also a Kenya specialist. And we would frequently go during the summers to study, to you know keep abreast of what's happening in Kenya. Contact old friends. And our routine was we usually go end of June because fares would pump and change July 1. We'd stay a month doing work and then we'd come home. So what I arranged, uh, that particular year. Also this friend wrote this book [inaudible]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He had a real interest in seeing Africa. So I arranged that he and Beth would meet me toward the end of the study period. [phone rings, tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had to ask if any of your children, and you indicated that you took Beth on one of your trips."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1345", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.394547516281978, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nate is quite interested in going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He actually has framed a video project, which, you know, it needs some funding, but he's interested in looking at the connections between the street gangs in Chicago and Cape Town, South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there are real connections. I mean, he'd go to Kenya with me, too, but this interest is more in line with his work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, that's not Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1347", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.438386129202197, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He actually has framed a video project, which, you know, it needs some funding, but he's interested in looking at the connections between the street gangs in Chicago and Cape Town, South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there are real connections. I mean, he'd go to Kenya with me, too, but this interest is more in line with his work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, that's not Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you continue to, your involvement with Kenya and kept your Swahili up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1349", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.598206810224664, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there are real connections. I mean, he'd go to Kenya with me, too, but this interest is more in line with his work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, that's not Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you continue to, your involvement with Kenya and kept your Swahili up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the interesting things you did, I think it's probably worth throwing on the tape, uh, when. I don't know if the system is still in place where the Congress had required elections in a country be monitored."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1351", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.886896455805182, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you continue to, your involvement with Kenya and kept your Swahili up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the interesting things you did, I think it's probably worth throwing on the tape, uh, when. I don't know if the system is still in place where the Congress had required elections in a country be monitored."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk about that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 12.096551617561314, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the interesting things you did, I think it's probably worth throwing on the tape, uh, when. I don't know if the system is still in place where the Congress had required elections in a country be monitored."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've uh, since the first multiparty election in Kenya, monitored nearly a dozen elections in East Africa. Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda. Zanzibar, which is part of Tanzania. But the elections are separate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this is a State Department program?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.773946241734794, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've uh, since the first multiparty election in Kenya, monitored nearly a dozen elections in East Africa. Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda. Zanzibar, which is part of Tanzania. But the elections are separate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this is a State Department program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's, actually it's encouraged by State and the funding initially was through AID. Now it's more private. The same institutions are involved. There were four or five. There was the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the Africa-American Institute, the National Foundation for Electoral Systems, and the Carter Center."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And their interest is what?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1357", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.193273601927549, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've uh, since the first multiparty election in Kenya, monitored nearly a dozen elections in East Africa. Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda. Zanzibar, which is part of Tanzania. But the elections are separate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this is a State Department program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's, actually it's encouraged by State and the funding initially was through AID. Now it's more private. The same institutions are involved. There were four or five. There was the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the Africa-American Institute, the National Foundation for Electoral Systems, and the Carter Center."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And their interest is what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They each have a strong international focus. And some of them specifically are focused on Africa, like the Africa-American Institute. But others have Africa as one of the areas that are of major interest. And in each case, one of the things that really is at the center of their interest is notions of governance. And they all have governance programs of one kind or another. And elections clearly are part of the sort of structure of governance and in Africa, really beginning in the early '90s, finally having succession, you know, sort of independence leaders were passing on.\n\nAnd the question becomes, you know, how is that succession going to be organized? And in many cases, it's not through a democratic process. But the election observation is designed together with probably the U.N. and other places to foster that kind of peaceful and democratic succession process. So I've done election monitoring in presidential elections, parliamentary, local government. The most recent which was Zanzibar in 2005."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were, you were picked because you are knowledgeable about East Africa?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1359", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.65919289103061, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's, actually it's encouraged by State and the funding initially was through AID. Now it's more private. The same institutions are involved. There were four or five. There was the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the Africa-American Institute, the National Foundation for Electoral Systems, and the Carter Center."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And their interest is what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They each have a strong international focus. And some of them specifically are focused on Africa, like the Africa-American Institute. But others have Africa as one of the areas that are of major interest. And in each case, one of the things that really is at the center of their interest is notions of governance. And they all have governance programs of one kind or another. And elections clearly are part of the sort of structure of governance and in Africa, really beginning in the early '90s, finally having succession, you know, sort of independence leaders were passing on.\n\nAnd the question becomes, you know, how is that succession going to be organized? And in many cases, it's not through a democratic process. But the election observation is designed together with probably the U.N. and other places to foster that kind of peaceful and democratic succession process. So I've done election monitoring in presidential elections, parliamentary, local government. The most recent which was Zanzibar in 2005."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were, you were picked because you are knowledgeable about East Africa?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. And probably knowing Swahili doesn't hurt, although many other people don't and they're are also selected. But just knowing about Kenya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Has it led you into any embarrassing exchanges where people don't know you know Swahili?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1365", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7849010850900004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Although it wasn't embarrassing for me. No. On a number of occasions. And, you know, sometimes, I must confess, sometimes I've used that, you know. I was at the coast in Kenya monitoring Mombasa election places, and guys at the site were openly discussing the fact that they were going to bribe people. And I was standing around looking like a goofy American, like all the others, you know. And I knew exactly what they were saying.\n\nAnd in fact, I was on BBC because they interviewed me. I turned in a report, which you're supposed to, not supposed to interfere but you can observe and go to court. And I reported this one guy who was openly bribing people. He would give them the party symbol that he wanted them to vote for, and they had to go in and do that. And then when they came back out, I've forgotten how they demonstrated that they've done it but, and he paid them. And I heard him doing it. I saw him doing it in the line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I reported it, you know. And BBC did a sort of cute tongue in cheek thing where Ford K was one of the parties, and there were two Ford parties. And at the end of it, the reporter said, your name is Michael Ford. And I said yes. And he said, is that Ford K or Ford A?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, yeah, there have been a couple of occasions where people didn't know I spoke Swahili and assumed, oh, American. I made it useful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One last question that now in 2008, it's an issue that's boiled up some and there is the possibility that Peace Corps may expand under a new government. Some people question, you know, what's the value of Peace Corps? And not thinking in 1960s terms when our perceptions may have been different, but what's your feeling now? I mean, what is?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1369", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.672717389000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, yeah, there have been a couple of occasions where people didn't know I spoke Swahili and assumed, oh, American. I made it useful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One last question that now in 2008, it's an issue that's boiled up some and there is the possibility that Peace Corps may expand under a new government. Some people question, you know, what's the value of Peace Corps? And not thinking in 1960s terms when our perceptions may have been different, but what's your feeling now? I mean, what is?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it's even more valuable to citizens of this country to have an organization like Peace Corps. You know, over the years, because of, I think, stupid, shortsighted, mal-intentioned foreign policy, it's just really true that a hell of a lot of people don't think a lot of this country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think, in my experience, good, sincere, thoughtful Peace Corps people can and have made a difference even in a context where there is suspicion about the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. Right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1373", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.7687869, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think, in my experience, good, sincere, thoughtful Peace Corps people can and have made a difference even in a context where there is suspicion about the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think there's been a period in my life when we've been less well-regarded, even when there was talk about the Ugly Americans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think a rejuvenated, expanded Peace Corps could make a significant difference."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think it would be possible to create a genuine international Peace Corps that was not American dominated?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1377", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.31949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think a rejuvenated, expanded Peace Corps could make a significant difference."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think it would be possible to create a genuine international Peace Corps that was not American dominated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think you could certainly make a start. I mean, I remember when I was in Kenya, Cuso, the Canadian volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Canadian, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there were English volunteers, and occasionally we'd get together and talk and, uh, had many of the same values. I don't mean that those are the only ones. They're just examples I think of institutions that had the same mission. And we could talk and we could agree and we'd learn from each other. So, yeah, I think it's possible. What would be really fun is if there were non-Western groups like India that became a part of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1387", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They've put the applications on hold."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They tell me that they'll probably reopen them in the spring."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, the good Lord willing and the creek don't mind, if my health will allow, I intend to apply and I really would want to do it in Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But anywhere you can make it, if you don't, you know, they have to accommodate to you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00235:1391", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, the good Lord willing and the creek don't mind, if my health will allow, I intend to apply and I really would want to do it in Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But anywhere you can make it, if you don't, you know, they have to accommodate to you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So I would, you know, I'm not interested in a bureaucratic position in D.C."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wouldn't want to be the regional director for act, but a country director would be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, that's consistent with your experience through the years."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.571091726016432, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you. Thank you for having me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We appreciate you coming in to talk to us. Can you share with us briefly your background before coming to SpaceX, and then your role here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. I had always had a strong interest in space and space industry, but after graduating engineering school, I found I didn’t want to work for the big bureaucratic companies that were dominating the industry. I went and worked for some consulting firms doing technology and product development, and then onto strategy consulting. After finding that not very fulfilling, I turned back to space. I went back to graduate school, MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge], to pursue a Master’s in aerospace engineering and an MBA [Master of Business Administration], with the express purpose of doing something entrepreneurial in space. While I was there I heard about SpaceX, and it seemed like a perfect fit. So immediately before here, I was at grad school.\\n\\n Here at SpaceX, I’m the Senior Mission Manager for COTS [Commercial Orbital Transportation Services] and CRS, the Commercial Resupply Services. In that role, I’m the primary point of contact with NASA for all programmatic issues, and I’m sort of the overall project coordinator for the missions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why did they put you in that role, with your background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think my background ended up being really a perfect fit. I had been in customer interfacing roles in the consulting industry, and had done business and strategy work, which is just part of the job. It’s very much a management job. I had also developed new technologies and new products, and understood what that took to get big, complex systems into a final ready state. I was able to talk to the customer and manage the project on that side, as well as talk internally to the technical folks, and be respected and knowledgeable about what they were doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You really are kind of the middle man."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 17.301213028907146, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. I had always had a strong interest in space and space industry, but after graduating engineering school, I found I didn’t want to work for the big bureaucratic companies that were dominating the industry. I went and worked for some consulting firms doing technology and product development, and then onto strategy consulting. After finding that not very fulfilling, I turned back to space. I went back to graduate school, MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge], to pursue a Master’s in aerospace engineering and an MBA [Master of Business Administration], with the express purpose of doing something entrepreneurial in space. While I was there I heard about SpaceX, and it seemed like a perfect fit. So immediately before here, I was at grad school.\\n\\n Here at SpaceX, I’m the Senior Mission Manager for COTS [Commercial Orbital Transportation Services] and CRS, the Commercial Resupply Services. In that role, I’m the primary point of contact with NASA for all programmatic issues, and I’m sort of the overall project coordinator for the missions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why did they put you in that role, with your background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think my background ended up being really a perfect fit. I had been in customer interfacing roles in the consulting industry, and had done business and strategy work, which is just part of the job. It’s very much a management job. I had also developed new technologies and new products, and understood what that took to get big, complex systems into a final ready state. I was able to talk to the customer and manage the project on that side, as well as talk internally to the technical folks, and be respected and knowledgeable about what they were doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You really are kind of the middle man."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m very much a middle man."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us what was going on when you walked in the door as far as the COTS program. Had you already received the knowledge that SpaceX had been awarded a Space Act Agreement?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.556903365452383, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think my background ended up being really a perfect fit. I had been in customer interfacing roles in the consulting industry, and had done business and strategy work, which is just part of the job. It’s very much a management job. I had also developed new technologies and new products, and understood what that took to get big, complex systems into a final ready state. I was able to talk to the customer and manage the project on that side, as well as talk internally to the technical folks, and be respected and knowledgeable about what they were doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You really are kind of the middle man."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m very much a middle man."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us what was going on when you walked in the door as far as the COTS program. Had you already received the knowledge that SpaceX had been awarded a Space Act Agreement?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I joined the company October 2006, and we had just received the COTS award. When I joined, my immediate assignments were commercial satellite missions. For two years I worked on those missions and was only loosely involved in the COTS program. Then we won the CRS contract, and I was made the mission manager for that program.\\n\\n That was in 2008, and over the next year my experience working with NASA for the commercial cargo missions—SpaceX senior management had referred the responsibility of COTS to me as folks either moved on or didn’t work out at SpaceX. I was able to leverage the experience I already had from CRS onto COTS and see it through to the end."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The commercial satellite missions that you were working on, that was kind of an industry-to-industry relationship. Is it safe to say this might have been your first industry-to-federal institution relationship that you had to work with?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.729892628280426, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m very much a middle man."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us what was going on when you walked in the door as far as the COTS program. Had you already received the knowledge that SpaceX had been awarded a Space Act Agreement?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I joined the company October 2006, and we had just received the COTS award. When I joined, my immediate assignments were commercial satellite missions. For two years I worked on those missions and was only loosely involved in the COTS program. Then we won the CRS contract, and I was made the mission manager for that program.\\n\\n That was in 2008, and over the next year my experience working with NASA for the commercial cargo missions—SpaceX senior management had referred the responsibility of COTS to me as folks either moved on or didn’t work out at SpaceX. I was able to leverage the experience I already had from CRS onto COTS and see it through to the end."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The commercial satellite missions that you were working on, that was kind of an industry-to-industry relationship. Is it safe to say this might have been your first industry-to-federal institution relationship that you had to work with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Certainly my first industry-to-NASA institution. I had worked with some other federal bodies, FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] in my time here, and some of the energy industries in a past career, but this is my most intense involvement with a government agency."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us some of the first conversations you had with NASA, and how that relationship began to grow. Especially since for NASA this was a different way of doing business, with commercial partners."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.481348923802994, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Certainly my first industry-to-NASA institution. I had worked with some other federal bodies, FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] in my time here, and some of the energy industries in a past career, but this is my most intense involvement with a government agency."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us some of the first conversations you had with NASA, and how that relationship began to grow. Especially since for NASA this was a different way of doing business, with commercial partners."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very much. The early conversations that I was part of were very encouraging, with NASA telling us that they wanted to do things differently, more streamlined, more commercial, and wanted to give us a lot of leeway in the way we did things. I was excited, and I remained excited to work on the programs. I think they’ve done a great job in that.\\n\\n Particularly the COTS program, giving us the freedom to develop how we see appropriate, while of course meeting all of their requirements and standards. SpaceX is seeing a streamlined version of how I think NASA typically works, but it’s still very big and very bureaucratic compared to what a lot of other folks—at least the early folks at SpaceX—are used to dealing with. That’s been a personal challenge for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you give us some examples of items that you found that fell into that category?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of it tends to be around documentation and updates in status, whereas a lot of folks, including myself here, really just want to get the job done. That’s the right thing to do, and do it correctly. Having us spend a lot of time documenting what we’ve done so that other people can review is something we needed to come to terms with. We understand why, but it’s not the way we’d prefer to spend our time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Working in a NASA environment, I know there’s a definite structure of how the documentation proceeds. Without divulging internal secrets, can you give us an example—I’m sure you have to keep some documentation to show how you got from Point A to Point C. What is it that you do here that is a contrast to NASA’s method?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:34", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.2199097601, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were working with the ISS office anyways under COTS because they owned the ISS interface, even though the COTS office managed the Space Act. At least we were already familiar with Kathy [Kathryn L.] Lueders and her team. Having CRS in parallel with COTS was very challenging for me personally, because now I was the primary point of contact for both parties.\\n\\n I found that the COTS office seemed to me smaller and more streamlined. I’m not sure what was going on in the backend, but to me it was a little more streamlined, whereas the CRS office and the ISS office seemed a lot bigger, and I had a lot more folks to work with and satisfy. All the ISS integration activities went through that office as well, which was a massive amount of work. It was challenging, and a little different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you are doing rocket science, as you started to build more hardware some of the milestones started to slip a little bit. Did you ever fear that NASA would terminate the Space Act Agreement because of those milestone slips?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was never really worried about that. Even though things were taking longer, I personally thought the milestones were fairly aggressively scheduled anyways, and we were always making solid, consistent progress. I don’t know the threshold by which NASA would’ve stuck by us, but it felt to me like we had the same common goal, for us to be successful both as a service to NASA and for us to be a successful private company. I never worried they were going to leave us or terminate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You said you entered shortly after the first COTS award was announced. Did you have any involvement in any of the other proposals, the COTS Round 2, or the CCDev [Commercial Crew Development]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn’t involved in those. I think my plate’s full."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you.\n\nHow important do you think NASA’s partnership with SpaceX impacted your progress in developing your technology?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:36", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.355455289, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was never really worried about that. Even though things were taking longer, I personally thought the milestones were fairly aggressively scheduled anyways, and we were always making solid, consistent progress. I don’t know the threshold by which NASA would’ve stuck by us, but it felt to me like we had the same common goal, for us to be successful both as a service to NASA and for us to be a successful private company. I never worried they were going to leave us or terminate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You said you entered shortly after the first COTS award was announced. Did you have any involvement in any of the other proposals, the COTS Round 2, or the CCDev [Commercial Crew Development]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn’t involved in those. I think my plate’s full."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you.\n\nHow important do you think NASA’s partnership with SpaceX impacted your progress in developing your technology?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was critically important. They’ve been a partner with us for a long time, and I think we were able to draw on their expertise. Certainly, having the contract with known financial milestones helped us with the time we needed to develop our technology. Generally, just their support throughout the program has, I think, helped make SpaceX successful. Also, probably a more robust vehicle in the end by having to meet ISS integration requirements and other things along the way. I think we probably ended up with a better vehicle because of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand that there was never a question that although you didn’t have to, your vehicle was going to the Station [to demonstrate its cargo capabilities]. When you were doing all of the work for it, you were making sure that it met all those requirements to be able to berth at the Station."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:38", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.28383921, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn’t involved in those. I think my plate’s full."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you.\n\nHow important do you think NASA’s partnership with SpaceX impacted your progress in developing your technology?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was critically important. They’ve been a partner with us for a long time, and I think we were able to draw on their expertise. Certainly, having the contract with known financial milestones helped us with the time we needed to develop our technology. Generally, just their support throughout the program has, I think, helped make SpaceX successful. Also, probably a more robust vehicle in the end by having to meet ISS integration requirements and other things along the way. I think we probably ended up with a better vehicle because of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand that there was never a question that although you didn’t have to, your vehicle was going to the Station [to demonstrate its cargo capabilities]. When you were doing all of the work for it, you were making sure that it met all those requirements to be able to berth at the Station."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, absolutely. I think that really came handed down from our CEO [Chief Executive Officer], Elon Musk, who’s always said, “We’re doing manned spaceflight, we’re going to Station, we’re going to Mars, we’re going to carry crew, so do it right from the beginning.” I think that was a good choice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Provides that vision?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 10.3153769, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was critically important. They’ve been a partner with us for a long time, and I think we were able to draw on their expertise. Certainly, having the contract with known financial milestones helped us with the time we needed to develop our technology. Generally, just their support throughout the program has, I think, helped make SpaceX successful. Also, probably a more robust vehicle in the end by having to meet ISS integration requirements and other things along the way. I think we probably ended up with a better vehicle because of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand that there was never a question that although you didn’t have to, your vehicle was going to the Station [to demonstrate its cargo capabilities]. When you were doing all of the work for it, you were making sure that it met all those requirements to be able to berth at the Station."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, absolutely. I think that really came handed down from our CEO [Chief Executive Officer], Elon Musk, who’s always said, “We’re doing manned spaceflight, we’re going to Station, we’re going to Mars, we’re going to carry crew, so do it right from the beginning.” I think that was a good choice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Provides that vision?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It does, and it forced us to work out problems and create solutions earlier than maybe we would’ve otherwise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us where you were when Dragon and the Station came together [successful C2+ mission]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5726410000000004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, absolutely. I think that really came handed down from our CEO [Chief Executive Officer], Elon Musk, who’s always said, “We’re doing manned spaceflight, we’re going to Station, we’re going to Mars, we’re going to carry crew, so do it right from the beginning.” I think that was a good choice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Provides that vision?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It does, and it forced us to work out problems and create solutions earlier than maybe we would’ve otherwise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us where you were when Dragon and the Station came together [successful C2+ mission]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in our Mission Control. At that point I didn’t have a role anymore. It was well under the control of the Mission Operations team, but I was there watching. The moment that Dragon was grappled by the Station, that was quite emotional. That was four years of long hours and stress and wondering if we were going to get there.\\n\\n With the C1 launch, we had shown we could bring a capsule back to Earth, so that was piece number one. Now, at that very moment of the grapple, we showed that we could build a vehicle capable of navigating and being berthed to the Station. That was the second and final piece. Now we’re a full-fledged space company, and we can only be successful from here I think. That was a great day. That was my best day at SpaceX, for sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet it was. What was the biggest challenge that you encountered during those years, those four long years?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.85849, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It does, and it forced us to work out problems and create solutions earlier than maybe we would’ve otherwise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us where you were when Dragon and the Station came together [successful C2+ mission]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in our Mission Control. At that point I didn’t have a role anymore. It was well under the control of the Mission Operations team, but I was there watching. The moment that Dragon was grappled by the Station, that was quite emotional. That was four years of long hours and stress and wondering if we were going to get there.\\n\\n With the C1 launch, we had shown we could bring a capsule back to Earth, so that was piece number one. Now, at that very moment of the grapple, we showed that we could build a vehicle capable of navigating and being berthed to the Station. That was the second and final piece. Now we’re a full-fledged space company, and we can only be successful from here I think. That was a great day. That was my best day at SpaceX, for sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet it was. What was the biggest challenge that you encountered during those years, those four long years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had challenges all over the place developing new technology, but more than anything it was trying to keep a schedule. I think we did something unprecedented with the number of people we had and the timeframe we did it. It was a team effort across the board with a lot of smart people, good team players working really really hard, and all in it together. I think that was a challenge, just the pace at which we did it and solved problems along the way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So much was going on at such an intense pace—how was communication shared with your team, and with your NASA partner?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.529, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had challenges all over the place developing new technology, but more than anything it was trying to keep a schedule. I think we did something unprecedented with the number of people we had and the timeframe we did it. It was a team effort across the board with a lot of smart people, good team players working really really hard, and all in it together. I think that was a challenge, just the pace at which we did it and solved problems along the way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So much was going on at such an intense pace—how was communication shared with your team, and with your NASA partner?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think communication was a challenge, to keep it up to date as quickly as possible. We tried to send over information as fast as we got it, whether it was an email, a phone call, a test report, test results. It was, “Let’s keep them informed as much as possible, as quickly as possible,” so that everyone was on the same page. There was no one way, and there was no easy way. It was just talking to them a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s interesting, because you mentioned that so much was based on electronic documentation. So it was also almost like an electronic network that was constantly moving between you and your partners and your teammates."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Before we close, is there anything else that you can think of that you’d like to share with us about your experiences working with this? Or for where you’re going next, based on what you’ve learned through these experiences?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.81, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think communication was a challenge, to keep it up to date as quickly as possible. We tried to send over information as fast as we got it, whether it was an email, a phone call, a test report, test results. It was, “Let’s keep them informed as much as possible, as quickly as possible,” so that everyone was on the same page. There was no one way, and there was no easy way. It was just talking to them a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s interesting, because you mentioned that so much was based on electronic documentation. So it was also almost like an electronic network that was constantly moving between you and your partners and your teammates."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Before we close, is there anything else that you can think of that you’d like to share with us about your experiences working with this? Or for where you’re going next, based on what you’ve learned through these experiences?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it’s been just an amazing experience. I’ve really been honored to be a part of it, to be able to see the second half of COTS all the way through to the end, and be managing the CRS contracts from the very beginning. I’d say when Dragon was grappled to Station, that was my best day at SpaceX.\\n\\n My proudest accomplishment was the first CRS mission, because that was, for me, the one I saw from the very beginning and worked with the ISS office. We really brought cargo to the crew, ice cream included. That was a good mission, and I think we’re well poised for the next 11 under that contract. I’m not involved in the crew work, at least not yet, but that’ll be really exciting. I think the sky’s the limit, literally for SpaceX and the partnership with NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have dealings with the [ISS] International Partners too?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00661:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Before we close, is there anything else that you can think of that you’d like to share with us about your experiences working with this? Or for where you’re going next, based on what you’ve learned through these experiences?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it’s been just an amazing experience. I’ve really been honored to be a part of it, to be able to see the second half of COTS all the way through to the end, and be managing the CRS contracts from the very beginning. I’d say when Dragon was grappled to Station, that was my best day at SpaceX.\\n\\n My proudest accomplishment was the first CRS mission, because that was, for me, the one I saw from the very beginning and worked with the ISS office. We really brought cargo to the crew, ice cream included. That was a good mission, and I think we’re well poised for the next 11 under that contract. I’m not involved in the crew work, at least not yet, but that’ll be really exciting. I think the sky’s the limit, literally for SpaceX and the partnership with NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have dealings with the [ISS] International Partners too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I worked with them primarily through either the Safety Review Panels or the IMMT, the ISS Mission Management Team. Those are formal meetings that were held just before the mission and during the mission. When we did have some anomalies during the mission we would get questions from the partners, and we addressed them and had good answers. It was never an issue. I think they have seemed very supportive along the way. Our interface with them was more limited. NASA really handled that interface primarily, except during real-time operations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Rebecca, do you have any more?\n\nYou talked about SpaceX being well poised at this point as a result of the partnership with NASA. Do you have any involvement working with other commercial opportunities that have become available as a result of the partnership? New customers that you work with, or business you’ve been able to gain?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 30.030394932414477, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thanks, Rebecca."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was your third flight. Your previous flight had landed in November of 1989, and within two years you set to command yet another crew."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you expect to return to space so soon? Tell me how this all happened and how your command took effect with your crew."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were very few commanders, and just by rotation you could determine about when you would fly again. So I was pleased and, of course, very happy to be selected again and have the privilege of flying, flying Space Shuttle Atlantis, in this particular case. It seemed like a very good program, the Defense Support Program, or the DSP. It was a very large satellite, and so I thought it was going to be exciting as I watched it loaded into the payload bay, and then I realized how important the satellite was. So it looked like a great mission. I was flying one more of the Shuttles and I had a great crew. So I was pretty excited about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let’s talk about the Shuttles for a moment. This is the third mission, and the third different Orbiter."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.700438813793863, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you expect to return to space so soon? Tell me how this all happened and how your command took effect with your crew."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were very few commanders, and just by rotation you could determine about when you would fly again. So I was pleased and, of course, very happy to be selected again and have the privilege of flying, flying Space Shuttle Atlantis, in this particular case. It seemed like a very good program, the Defense Support Program, or the DSP. It was a very large satellite, and so I thought it was going to be exciting as I watched it loaded into the payload bay, and then I realized how important the satellite was. So it looked like a great mission. I was flying one more of the Shuttles and I had a great crew. So I was pretty excited about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let’s talk about the Shuttles for a moment. This is the third mission, and the third different Orbiter."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it would have been the third Shuttle. I flew the Space Shuttle Challenger first and then Space Shuttle Discovery and then Atlantis. Each of these ladies had slightly different personalities. You could get inside and hear things on one that you wouldn’t hear on the other. But Discovery and Atlantis were very close to each other. Challenger was a little earlier, and so it had some slightly different characteristics.\\n\\n But at this time I was beginning to think about how I would close out my career. At that time I was thinking that if I flew each of the five Shuttles, that would be a reason to stop flying. So this one just kind of fit right into the scheme, so I was pretty excited about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you’re training and you know you’re going to be on a different Orbiter, do they train you any differently, or is everything just the same?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 29.667154237548736, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were very few commanders, and just by rotation you could determine about when you would fly again. So I was pleased and, of course, very happy to be selected again and have the privilege of flying, flying Space Shuttle Atlantis, in this particular case. It seemed like a very good program, the Defense Support Program, or the DSP. It was a very large satellite, and so I thought it was going to be exciting as I watched it loaded into the payload bay, and then I realized how important the satellite was. So it looked like a great mission. I was flying one more of the Shuttles and I had a great crew. So I was pretty excited about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let’s talk about the Shuttles for a moment. This is the third mission, and the third different Orbiter."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it would have been the third Shuttle. I flew the Space Shuttle Challenger first and then Space Shuttle Discovery and then Atlantis. Each of these ladies had slightly different personalities. You could get inside and hear things on one that you wouldn’t hear on the other. But Discovery and Atlantis were very close to each other. Challenger was a little earlier, and so it had some slightly different characteristics.\\n\\n But at this time I was beginning to think about how I would close out my career. At that time I was thinking that if I flew each of the five Shuttles, that would be a reason to stop flying. So this one just kind of fit right into the scheme, so I was pretty excited about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you’re training and you know you’re going to be on a different Orbiter, do they train you any differently, or is everything just the same?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The training is the same. There may be a few oddities between, or some very few differences, between them, but as far as training is concerned, it would have been invisible for us to determine which one we were actually on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This crew had many rookies, except you and Story Musgrave."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 40.0856140451976, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it’s just that it shows you how the safety program works. They did not want to endanger the crew or the Shuttle, and they certainly did not want to—if it were a satellite of sorts, they wouldn’t want to interfere with what that satellite was performing. Obviously, if it was a rocket body part of some sort, it was in a degrading orbit, and it would come home, and it would be terrible if it had ruined our day. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. You’d already mentioned that this is your second DoD [Department of Defense] mission. I know you can’t say all the details, but were there a lot of similarities in this mission compared to the other ones that you did?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the one in ’89 on STS-33 was a highly classified mission, and so the difference was we had a very small group of folks that we worked and trained with. It was a very closed community. The DSP (Defense Support Program) satellite on STS-44, was an unclassified mission, and so it was readily available to the press and the media, very different from STS-33 where there were a lot of secret activities always going on. So they may have been—and I won’t say there was [laughs]—but they may have been similar or dissimilar, but it was just kind of a different environment that we were in, one secret and one nonsecret."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But still, of course, DoD missions. The length of the flight was shortened some when one of the three Orbiter inertial measurement units failed on orbit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What impact did that have on your flight and your crew, with all those rookies? What was their reaction?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 41.206237827997334, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the one in ’89 on STS-33 was a highly classified mission, and so the difference was we had a very small group of folks that we worked and trained with. It was a very closed community. The DSP (Defense Support Program) satellite on STS-44, was an unclassified mission, and so it was readily available to the press and the media, very different from STS-33 where there were a lot of secret activities always going on. So they may have been—and I won’t say there was [laughs]—but they may have been similar or dissimilar, but it was just kind of a different environment that we were in, one secret and one nonsecret."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But still, of course, DoD missions. The length of the flight was shortened some when one of the three Orbiter inertial measurement units failed on orbit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What impact did that have on your flight and your crew, with all those rookies? What was their reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had completed our primary mission, which was to deploy. We had done a lot of the other scientific and medical investigations. We had some follow-up to do, but once that IMU, inertial measurement unit, was discovered bad, the ground worked a sequence of events so that when we finally deorbited, we had completed, if not 100 percent, pretty close to 100 percent of all of the desired outcomes. So I think we went from ten days to seven days, but we accomplished everything that had been planned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in December of 1991, did you have any idea that would be your last flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 25.15811283035716, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[Laughs] Almost immediately. It was probably in May of ’92. It was one of those things that just fell in place. How, why—it was a mystery. I don’t know why it was. [Laughs] I was up giving a talk at the Department of Energy one evening. It was a Saturday evening. I was staying with my mom, and when I got back home, I had a call from Mr. George W. S. Abbey, and he said he’d like me to come in and meet the next morning at NASA Headquarters, and that the new Administrator, Dan [Daniel S.] Goldin, wanted to speak to me.\\n\\n I said, “Sure, I’ll do that. It does not seem to interfere with the plane that I’m taking back to Houston.” [Laughs] And on Sunday morning I went down to NASA Headquarters to meet Dan Goldin. When he walked in and looked at me, he said, “I’m going to make you an offer you won’t turn down.” That’s when he offered me the chance to move to Washington and run the safety program for the Agency."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You entered that job about the same time that he was instituting his faster, better, cheaper era."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Initially it was “Carpe Diem—seize the day.” A little later faster, better, cheaper came about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at least let you get into the office for a little while before."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dan Goldin, you said came in with the conversation topic that he was going to offer you something that you wouldn’t refuse. So what did he offer you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 26.842347589285733, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Initially it was “Carpe Diem—seize the day.” A little later faster, better, cheaper came about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at least let you get into the office for a little while before."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dan Goldin, you said came in with the conversation topic that he was going to offer you something that you wouldn’t refuse. So what did he offer you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, he offered me the opportunity to become the Associate Administrator for Safety and Mission Assurance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was his expectations of that role?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 23.158163988095257, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dan Goldin, you said came in with the conversation topic that he was going to offer you something that you wouldn’t refuse. So what did he offer you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, he offered me the opportunity to become the Associate Administrator for Safety and Mission Assurance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was his expectations of that role?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He wanted a culture that considered safety mandatory in order to achieve mission success. He was still working from the Rogers Commission, and he wanted not to fall back into the kind of complacency that we had, where we sometimes made choices without doing the risk assessments, and sometimes we did things that were inherently—well, I use the analogy if our decision was flawed, would it be on the front page of the Washington Post [Newspaper]. So you’d do the Washington Post test on it. So what he wanted was a program that was safe and that we could be assured that it would be successful.\\n\\n So I took the title of the organization, which had been “Safety, Reliability, Maintainability,” and things like that, and changed it to Safety and Mission Assurance. I was going to make it Safety and Mission Success, but I believed that the mission success part belonged to the Program Manager, and that we could promise the Program Manager or Project Manager, or the Administrator, that we had done everything possible to assure that it was safe, and that there was a doggone good chance that it would have been successful.\\n\\n We were pretty good at it. We went from ’92 until Space Shuttle Columbia [STS-107 accident] without a major incident of any type, and we had a string of successes for that nine years or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In ’93 you had the first Hubble Space Telescope mission, which was at the time the most complex, having five back-to-back EVAs [Extravehicular Activities] with the teams."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 50.85462118910991, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, to change the perception that they had of themselves. So that was just another thing.\\n\\n Since I was one who believed that the program was the one responsible for all of its down to the locations where the decisions were being made. It was met with some degree of skepticism. Sometimes I had chosen a uniquely qualified person to perform a significant role for a specific reason and that person also had other jobs and responsibilities. It didn’t bother me that this person actually had two roles, but it did bother others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was one of the questions I was going to ask you, because sometimes it’s perceived that Headquarters is telling the Centers what to do, but yet safety encompasses all of the pieces together, and how are you able to build that connection with the Centers and the Headquarters, where there was a respect."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You try your best. There is a community. Different folks have different priorities, but I always held the trump card. I could always say, “I’m sorry. We’re stopping this.” Willingly or unwillingly, we’d get things done. Whether there respect and acceptance from others or not, all I was after was to protect the crew and have a successful mission and stay off of the front page of the Washington Post. We avoided that, also."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your direction and expectations from your office affect the contractors that were responsible for the safety?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "What we did was establish a set of expectations, that if you, as a contractor, intended to do work with NASA, that you would have to comply with. This is the process that we have in NASA. You will, you must, conform to that. If you don’t conform to that, then it will be reflected in one way or another. So what we did, I think, was create harmony between the public sector and the private sector. You could see that they would change their method of operation to reflect what we had done in NASA. So whether they believed in it or not they would mimic what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure, as you mentioned, some might not have been so receptive of some of the areas that you wanted to have attention to. Did they pressure your boss to pressure you to not be so—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 61.548915048283845, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What we did was establish a set of expectations, that if you, as a contractor, intended to do work with NASA, that you would have to comply with. This is the process that we have in NASA. You will, you must, conform to that. If you don’t conform to that, then it will be reflected in one way or another. So what we did, I think, was create harmony between the public sector and the private sector. You could see that they would change their method of operation to reflect what we had done in NASA. So whether they believed in it or not they would mimic what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure, as you mentioned, some might not have been so receptive of some of the areas that you wanted to have attention to. Did they pressure your boss to pressure you to not be so—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dan Goldin and I spent a lot of time talking about a subject, and the subject was who should own the safety community. Dan wanted me to own all of those folks who worked in the safety world, and I argued that’s not right, because the safety and success belongs to the Program Manager. The Program Manager should be responsible for doing whatever he or she needs to do to achieve success and safety, mission safety. My role was to assure that there were standardized guidelines, requirements, processes and oversight that assured that safety was paramount is all that we did. Dan and I had that discussion, perhaps, two or three times during his tenure. Again, he accepted my recommendation—whether he agreed me or not and I am most appreciative of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During your tenure, NASA entered into a partnership with the Russians to do the long-duration flights on Mir [Space Station]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On Mir, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about your experiences working with those and any safety concerns you had, especially after the Progress [re-supply vehicle] hit the Spektr [module]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 53.017851565176045, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a lot of concern about terrorists, and so there was a lot of thought put into how you protect the Shuttle. Folks were considering how to protect the Space Shuttle from small arms fire from offshore and from above. We immediately increased security; SWAT [Special Weapons and Tactics] teams came down. We acquired radar from an Air Force, radar units that could look close to the horizon; could look for small aircraft. So there was a lot of uneasiness, but it was uneasiness because the threat was an unknown. No one had ever violated this country before, so no one was able to scope out what the threat was or what the credibility of it was and how to react and how do you prepare for it. But, we recovered from that and then continued launching, but with significantly increased security in everything that you did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that come out of your office, those changes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. That would have been out of the security group. It would have been out of the Administrator and the security groups, and then implemented by the Centers and the programs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you consider the most important events during your time and your tenure as your first administration job, and I guess you had mentioned some, but if you can think about your most significant contribution to that office, that you felt really left a lasting impression and change that would help the Agency in its goals."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In that office, I mentioned three of them, the things that I put in place that I felt at this point were significant. Probably the most significant events would have been, from my point of view, the continuation of our stay on the Mir; the successful recovery of the Hubble; and the success that we had with our launches and the success of each of the missions. I would put that number one, that NASA was perceived as an Agency that could do extremely difficult things, make it easy, and be successful doing it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to go down for the launches?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 58.90872396130671, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. That would have been out of the security group. It would have been out of the Administrator and the security groups, and then implemented by the Centers and the programs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you consider the most important events during your time and your tenure as your first administration job, and I guess you had mentioned some, but if you can think about your most significant contribution to that office, that you felt really left a lasting impression and change that would help the Agency in its goals."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In that office, I mentioned three of them, the things that I put in place that I felt at this point were significant. Probably the most significant events would have been, from my point of view, the continuation of our stay on the Mir; the successful recovery of the Hubble; and the success that we had with our launches and the success of each of the missions. I would put that number one, that NASA was perceived as an Agency that could do extremely difficult things, make it easy, and be successful doing it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to go down for the launches?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I went to every launch. I’ve participated, gosh, in seventy, seventy-five, or eighty launches. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Looking from the outside in, this time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.611102202073003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, for, rendezvous and dockings and landings. I was generally always in Baikonur, in Kazakhstan, for the launches. Then I’d come back to TsUP for docking, and then for undocking and landing, and then I’d go out to Star City [Russia] to welcome the crew when they came back five hours later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I imagined the landing was something to see, since it’s—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never went to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, just—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They always had simulation. They didn’t have a live feed for the landing. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would imagine you were glad you came down in the Shuttle. [Laughter]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 12.901224668970002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never went to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, just—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They always had simulation. They didn’t have a live feed for the landing. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would imagine you were glad you came down in the Shuttle. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was somewhat more civilized."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it works. It works. We were talking a little while ago about decision making and leadership, and with the last couple of years, there’s some major decisions affecting NASA, one being the fact that the Shuttle will be retiring, that there was not going to be a reservicing mission going back to the Hubble. Then, of course, the new division to go to the Moon and then beyond to Mars. How were you involved with those decisions, and when did you learn that these plans were being discussed?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.001360743300001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They always had simulation. They didn’t have a live feed for the landing. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would imagine you were glad you came down in the Shuttle. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was somewhat more civilized."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it works. It works. We were talking a little while ago about decision making and leadership, and with the last couple of years, there’s some major decisions affecting NASA, one being the fact that the Shuttle will be retiring, that there was not going to be a reservicing mission going back to the Hubble. Then, of course, the new division to go to the Moon and then beyond to Mars. How were you involved with those decisions, and when did you learn that these plans were being discussed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the beginning of the Vision, and so I was kind of ahead of it and had been working along with it. That was my interest. I had nothing to do with the decision not to go back to the Hubble. I was told about that, informed about that. But that was based on an interpretation of the [Admiral Hal] Gehman Report [Chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board], and again, leaders there that make a decision based on the information that he or she has. Sean made a decision based on his interpretation of what the Gehman Report said. It was concluded that a human trip back to the Hubble, where there was no safe haven, was an inappropriate thing to do. So you can challenge the answer, but you can’t challenge the right of a leader to make a decision. Then once it has been made, then you should support it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about the decision for Hubble. I also was going to ask you what you thought, since you spent some time in three of the Orbiters, what did you think about the Shuttle being retired in 2010? Your thoughts about that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.112977700000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s on two levels. My practical level says that it is proper to do that, because as long as you hang on to something like the Shuttle, you will never be able to do other things. The other side of me says it would be so great if we could have the Shuttle and do those other things, also. [Laughs]\\n\\n So what I conclude is that in order to do—the transition should be financed such that the Shuttle is available to support the Station until the CEV and a cargo capability is provided to support the Station, if we’re going to do that, and/or have the capability of carrying humans in space. I am not in support of gaps between the ability of America to put humans in space. So it’s a right decision. We have to pull it down. It ought to incentivize or establish an urgency for whatever the next vehicle is, and if not, I would keep the Shuttle running until we had that capability, but it would require a significant increase in the budget, probably on the order of five to six billion dollars per year to do that. I’ll bet what I just said is confusing, but I know what I meant!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s a big increase, with all that’s going on right now."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It is. It really is. But then we’ve got to decide what’s important. Yes. There’s so many other competing activities out there for that dollar, we’ve got to decide what’s important. So if you have that pull, then NASA is important."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Using the word competing, some feel that China might be our next competitor in the space race."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, bless their heart. If they say they’re going to put a robotic something on the Moon in such and such, and they’re going to put a human on the Moon in such and such, that may establish the sense of urgency, because trying to justify spaceflight without a challenger out there has been extremely difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever have any dealings or information with the Chinese at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 12.347753, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It is. It really is. But then we’ve got to decide what’s important. Yes. There’s so many other competing activities out there for that dollar, we’ve got to decide what’s important. So if you have that pull, then NASA is important."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Using the word competing, some feel that China might be our next competitor in the space race."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, bless their heart. If they say they’re going to put a robotic something on the Moon in such and such, and they’re going to put a human on the Moon in such and such, that may establish the sense of urgency, because trying to justify spaceflight without a challenger out there has been extremely difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever have any dealings or information with the Chinese at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "With the Chinese? No. No, I really haven’t. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just curious, since moving into that area.\\n\\n In February 2005 Sean O’Keefe left the Administrator post, and you became Acting Administrator. Then in April Michael Griffin was named. Tell us about that brief time as NASA’s top leader."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.16417, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, bless their heart. If they say they’re going to put a robotic something on the Moon in such and such, and they’re going to put a human on the Moon in such and such, that may establish the sense of urgency, because trying to justify spaceflight without a challenger out there has been extremely difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever have any dealings or information with the Chinese at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "With the Chinese? No. No, I really haven’t. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just curious, since moving into that area.\\n\\n In February 2005 Sean O’Keefe left the Administrator post, and you became Acting Administrator. Then in April Michael Griffin was named. Tell us about that brief time as NASA’s top leader."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[Laughs] I had tried to work the White House. I went over to OSTP [Office of Science and Technology Policy]—and talked to Jack [John H.] Marburger [III] to try to find out what I would be allowed to do. I was told that we should wait until the new Administrator comes in.\\n\\n So there are things that I would have done. I would have quickly reversed the decision on the Hubble, and there were some other things I would have done. I would have opened it up for discussion, but I’m absolutely certain that I could have quickly reversed the earlier decision."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Think you could have found seven astronauts to go on that trip?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.0713, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "With the Chinese? No. No, I really haven’t. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just curious, since moving into that area.\\n\\n In February 2005 Sean O’Keefe left the Administrator post, and you became Acting Administrator. Then in April Michael Griffin was named. Tell us about that brief time as NASA’s top leader."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[Laughs] I had tried to work the White House. I went over to OSTP [Office of Science and Technology Policy]—and talked to Jack [John H.] Marburger [III] to try to find out what I would be allowed to do. I was told that we should wait until the new Administrator comes in.\\n\\n So there are things that I would have done. I would have quickly reversed the decision on the Hubble, and there were some other things I would have done. I would have opened it up for discussion, but I’m absolutely certain that I could have quickly reversed the earlier decision."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Think you could have found seven astronauts to go on that trip?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More than seven?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.73, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More than seven?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, I could have found them. But that’s, again, one of these questions—okay, the Hubble is kind of like the Station. Hubble has been around for a very long time. It produces interesting information through its imagery. The James Webb Space Telescope is coming along, and they say, “Well, the Hubble has got to be there because the next great telescope will be the James Webb.” Different spectrum. One’s visual, and the other one isn’t.\\n\\n That argument that it has to be there as long as—until—is an argument that I wouldn’t find palatable. If there is anything that the Agency is doing that creates excitement, I would keep it. But you would keep it while you were doing alternative things, other things.\\n\\n So if it was possible to keep the Hubble up there, even though it costs a certain amount of money, until we got something that was as exciting or more exciting than that, I thought it was important that we do everything we can. I thought that if you created a Hubble mission, you’ve already established that it’s dangerous to do it; it’s scary; there’s no safe haven. There’s none of those kind of things like that, but NASA is going to do it. From my point of view, that’s the kind of publicity that we need. You’ll get the science community, “Yes! Man, I know. We taught them. They’ve finally realized how important it was.” Because you need that community. It’s a small community, but you need them. And you need the people out there to believe this is a dangerous mission, and they’re really risking an awful lot by doing it, but they’re going to go do it. To me, that’s the kind of plus stuff that we need."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the questions we just got through talking about was, of course, Michael Griffin was named NASA’s newest Administrator, and had you any expectations, or did you have a desire to be moved into the Administrator position?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not. No. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s pretty definite. [Laughter]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00203:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 3.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not. No. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s pretty definite. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. This was kind of like flying the Shuttle. I had done about everything I wanted to do, and it was time to move on and do something else. So I let them know that. I let them know that fact."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And actually, it was a few months later you announced your decision to retire."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. When Mike first came on, and I’d known Mike for, oh, fifteen years, twenty years, a long time, when Mike came in, he told me that there would be a new Deputy; that they did not know when that new Deputy would be selected, and there was a hope that I would stay until that new Deputy came. So that was in April. I think by the middle of the summer, since there was no one on the horizon, I began to initiate my retirement, or my resignation as the Deputy Administrator. So I began to create a letter that would go to the President, and I was told, “Hold off on it.”\\n\\n Then finally in August, I submitted a copy of it, and they came back, and they said, “Okay, you can use this, except you have to add the statement you will remain until the new Deputy Director is confirmed.” So I modified that statement a little bit and said, “If appropriate, I will do that.” I put a date, I believe, sometime in early October as that date when I would resign. The third of October came and went, and we ended up kind of in the middle of October. So I figured, well, I think it’s time, so I kind of packed up my office. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Kind of gave them a hint, did you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00817:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.414267694730835, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dried, mummified, alligator head and gave that to him as a gift. He seemed a little shocked when he opened the package. [Laughter] I think that was a real positive thing for the relationship, too, was doing that kind of thing. I don't think I've done much of that, but it helps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You also, on the maintenance side, dealt with Mr. Tsygankov. We've interviewed him, and he seemed like a very interesting man to talk to. In fact, he had a common interest with you. I think he invented one of the space welding devices."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering how your conversations and your relationship built with Mr. Tsygankov."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, he's quite a character, and he has a very distinctive personality. Initially, I was a little nervous about trying to establish a relationship with him. It seemed like he might be difficult to warm up to, or to get to warm up to me. But again, through the process of just repeated meetings, and listening as well as talking, I think we established a pretty good relationship.\\n\\n I think you were with me at the TIM when--this is not necessarily the most flattering incident, I guess, but I think it was in some sense important to the relationship, was we had spent like an hour one afternoon negotiating a paragraph, the wording of a paragraph on protocol. We really hashed through it, spent a lot of time on this one paragraph, and we all agreed that that's how it was going to be. When we walked in the next morning, he pulled out the protocol and he wanted to readdress that paragraph again. I got pretty adamant that we had already done that, and I wasn't going to spend any more time working that paragraph. End of story. He just said, \"Okay.\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I remember that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00817:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 34.90474188303426, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering how your conversations and your relationship built with Mr. Tsygankov."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, he's quite a character, and he has a very distinctive personality. Initially, I was a little nervous about trying to establish a relationship with him. It seemed like he might be difficult to warm up to, or to get to warm up to me. But again, through the process of just repeated meetings, and listening as well as talking, I think we established a pretty good relationship.\\n\\n I think you were with me at the TIM when--this is not necessarily the most flattering incident, I guess, but I think it was in some sense important to the relationship, was we had spent like an hour one afternoon negotiating a paragraph, the wording of a paragraph on protocol. We really hashed through it, spent a lot of time on this one paragraph, and we all agreed that that's how it was going to be. When we walked in the next morning, he pulled out the protocol and he wanted to readdress that paragraph again. I got pretty adamant that we had already done that, and I wasn't going to spend any more time working that paragraph. End of story. He just said, \"Okay.\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I remember that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we went on from there. It seems to me that since that point, the relationship was much better, and I think perhaps it was just that he saw that I was willing to take a stand, and in a sense that he couldn't push me around. It may not be the best way to state it, but I was someone who was willing to take a stand on something, and I think it helped."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He wanted to test your negotiating style and see what you were willing to give up with from one day to another."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00817:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 36.919434423499084, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we went on from there. It seems to me that since that point, the relationship was much better, and I think perhaps it was just that he saw that I was willing to take a stand, and in a sense that he couldn't push me around. It may not be the best way to state it, but I was someone who was willing to take a stand on something, and I think it helped."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He wanted to test your negotiating style and see what you were willing to give up with from one day to another."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe so. But you're right. Interestingly, I think he started his career at the Paton Institute in Kiev, in the Ukraine now. There he worked on some of their early welding systems that were flown on the Salyut back as early as the late sixties before he moved here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know he called his welding experiment or machine the Volcano, is what it translated to. I thought that was interesting. He said it's flown on the Shuttle once, but they didn't get to go outside because of the hatch problem. He said that they're trying to remanifest it to fly it again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know where that is. I'm not sure if it's flown on the Shuttle. They were trying to fly it on the Shuttle. I think the deal was that they were manifested, but then because of the Shuttle hatch problem, that had a ripple effect which bumped him from the manifest. They're trying to get it back on the manifest, but there's lingering concerns with the experiment and the potential safety hazards and so forth. So it's a little uncertain what's going to happen with the whole thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk a little bit about when you made the decision to bring your family over to Russia and kind of act as the NASA liaison there in Moscow. Tell us a little bit about how that transpired, the decision process, and how you talked your family into it, or whatever."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00817:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 21.38958706989161, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the data I saw, I couldn't draw any conclusions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because several people that we've talked to in Frank Culbertson's office felt like the Mir operating budget was so small at the beginning of the Phase One Program, that keeping the vehicle up there for them was very difficult, and then this process of this Mir Extension Program was able to get some spares up there that everybody felt was badly needed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I would expect that's probably the case, but from the deliverable reports that I was receiving, there was no way to tell what effect either the money that was being spent in Phase One was affecting that situation, and really pretty much the spares that they were launching and reporting on were on Progress flights, but aside from the deliverable reports that we were receiving, of course, we know that we were launching spares and hardware for them when they were having especially critical failures. We were helping them quite a lot there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Putting them on the Shuttle."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, on the Shuttle. And I think that that had to have been a positive effect for them, not only because it increased the up-mass capacity, but it also provided another dimension to their scheduling flexibility. If we had a vehicle that was being prepared for launch, we in some cases were able to do some light [late] manifest that were critically needed, whereas I'm not sure what the status was of a Progress flight or the availability of a Progress flight in that same time frame, but certainly it had to add a new dimension and give them a little more flexibility to deal with some of these critical situations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Some of your early talks with Mr. Languev have kind of dealt with that subject between moving parts from either Progress or Shuttle to help on the station side, so it seemed like that was kind of all set in motion almost simultaneously."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00817:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.0761, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think certainly onboard maintenance is going to be one of the critical activities, and I think it's going to be one of the significant activities for the crew time standpoint, and certainly there would be some advantage to having people represented in the crew. It may not be the entire crew, but at least have some selected individuals who are very capable and comfortable doing that kind of work. In fact, some of the feedback from the U.S. astronauts who have flown on Mir supports that. There have been some comments, very, very plain comments, that you need to have real handyman types as part of the crew to be able to deal with that. Mir certainly, being an older vehicle and hopefully being higher rates of failures than we'll be experiencing on station with it being a new vehicle, it may be that was more important on Mir that it would be on the station just because of the volume of activity. But certainly we expect the models that we've run indicate that there is going to be a significant number of maintenance tasks required on station, even early in the program, and certainly as the vehicle ages, undoubtedly that will become even more important."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dan Bursch is one of the crew members I picked. I know he's your neighbor. Have you brought him over to work on your Mustang at all and give him some maintenance training at the house? [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "[Laughter] No, I haven't drafted him to help out with anything, but he's kind of a garage mechanic himself, especially woodwork. He's a woodworker."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you could get him to help with the wood floors, too, right? [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Good idea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you think the operational experience from the Shuttle-Mir Program will benefit the International Space Station Program?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00817:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, the stimulus for that was from Shepherd to launch some of those items early. They included the Fluke scopemeter, which is kind of an elaborate multimeter-type device, battery charger, a [unclear]--"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Logic analyzer was one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Logic analyzer, yes, and also the lab view software capability, which is resident on the PC, and an impact driver, and essentially a drill, some things like that that Shep felt were important that he have available early on, because I think his concern is that with being on a vehicle essentially that is right out of the showroom, and never tested in space before in an integrated fashion, that there's potential that there's going to be malfunctions that may require more in-depth activity on the crew member's part than what we would normally expect to see.\\n\\n These tools or diagnostic items were things that were planned to be flown on flight 6A, which would be right at the end of his mission, and he felt that it was important that we try to get them up early. So we worked with the Russians, and we provided the items to them in an off-the-shelf condition, and then it's up to them to try to make any necessary modifications to be compatible with the Russian power system or whatever, and also then to get them certified for flight. They're being launched on flight 2A1 as part of the Russian allocation, but this way we'll have some enhanced capabilities early on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything that we haven't talked about that you would like to add to the discussion?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing that I can think of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have one question that Paul Rollins always likes to ask. He's not here today, so I'll ask it for him. What's your favorite beer?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00614:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 37.9684311117105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The medical checklist is something we fly in every Space Shuttle mission, so this is no new idea. In fact, I would say one of the best medical checklists ever flown was the Skylab medical checklist. It's just an outstanding piece of work. But the idea to train Russians, to fly a supplemental medical kit to Mir, even though our person was to be flying as a cosmonaut, and to have a dual-language checklist, that was pretty much our doing, David and I, who felt that this was necessary to support our crew member and that this could be done. It would mean working very tightly with our Russian counterparts, because they had to certify and launch our kits and essentially agree with everything we put here. So it was quite an effort, but it did work out reasonably well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I notice the page you showed us was about a collapsed lung. Does this {book} range from very minor to very extreme?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. This is designed to handle the simplest headache to the more dire disasters such as a collapsed lung, which you might get from a rapid pressure differential or pressure loss. The treatment for that is relatively simple, although it's something that most people wouldn't think of doing every day, and that is to take a large-bore needle and poke in the right place and decompress the pressure in the chest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're right. Most of us would not do that. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, it's a technical skill that somebody who's technically proficient can do. It's a paramedic-type skill. Cosmonauts and astronauts can be trained to do this very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's the length of training? Share some of the details of what you do on ground before they go up in the Mir. How do you get them prepared?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00614:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.862430000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is that an offer? [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure, I'd be glad to offer it to you. Or do you see yourself as a ground crew person? Is it something you'd like to--"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As I said, I have the second best job in town. Being in my area, which is space medicine, obviously the desire to fly is there. Practicing medicine from afar is very difficult, and everything I do is because I am fascinated in what medicine is like in zero gravity, in space. I see them before they fly, I see them on the video, I see them when they come down, but, boy, even a short exposure to what they go through, to really experience what it's like, it would make me, (a), very much better at what I do, and, (b), of course, it would be very exciting and be very fulfilling.\\n\\n I studied G-induced loss of consciousness and effects of high-G turns for many years before I ever got in a T-38 and did a high-G turn, and all of a sudden the lights went on--or out, depending on how you look at it. But I could understand so much of what I knew from a cognitive standpoint so much quicker. Space flight would be that times 100. So, sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'll see what we can do, but don't count on us. [Laughter] We certainly appreciate your time and your enthusiasm. It's got to be very rewarding to know that those folks that are working with you, I'm sure they get caught up in your excitement and enthusiasm for learning."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Fortunately, we're surrounded by enthusiastic, bright, young, pro-space psychopaths who really work hard at this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is this something you wanted to do? Have you always wanted to be a doctor all your life, and just the aerospace came with it, or the other way around?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00614:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.67, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't say that. I had a lot of interest. In fact, I would say aerospace medicine attracts people who aren't sure where they want to focus, but who are interested in a lot of things. I was a marine biology major as an undergrad. I really liked the ocean and sailing and whatnot. I like to fly. I like medicine. I like medical research. I like astronomy; I build telescopes. There's nothing that pulls all that together better than what I'm doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think you called yourself correct, that you are lucky that you've found something that you can have all your interests in and do well at."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thanks again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You're welcome."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I always ask this question. What's your favorite beer?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00614:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.3, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thanks again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You're welcome."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I always ask this question. What's your favorite beer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My favorite beer. Well, most of my friends in Russia know that I don't tolerate alcohol very well, but I do drink a Guinness about twice a year like clockwork."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We spoke with one of the Russians and he said milk was his favorite beer, because he didn't drink."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00614:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 7.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You're welcome."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I always ask this question. What's your favorite beer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My favorite beer. Well, most of my friends in Russia know that I don't tolerate alcohol very well, but I do drink a Guinness about twice a year like clockwork."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We spoke with one of the Russians and he said milk was his favorite beer, because he didn't drink."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a very unusual Russian. Very unusual Russian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Introduce us to your family. We kind of closed them {photograph} off there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00614:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My favorite beer. Well, most of my friends in Russia know that I don't tolerate alcohol very well, but I do drink a Guinness about twice a year like clockwork."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We spoke with one of the Russians and he said milk was his favorite beer, because he didn't drink."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a very unusual Russian. Very unusual Russian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Introduce us to your family. We kind of closed them {photograph} off there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had to move them [the photographs]. Well, these guys actually get a tremendous amount of credit, because I had to leave them for many, many months at a time during that Phase One period. This is my dear wife, Dr. / Professor Barratt, Michelle, who is a pediatrician up at the University of Texas and Assistant Professor of Medicine, public health master's and all that kind of stuff. And my children, as you can see, some of them are not homegrown, but Angela, Joey, Meeta, Prasad, four reasonably enthusiastic, also relatively pro-space individuals who are also extremely tolerant, and I owe them a lot for having to leave them for so long. But great kids, lots of fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sure they're always glad to see you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00614:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a very unusual Russian. Very unusual Russian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Introduce us to your family. We kind of closed them {photograph} off there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had to move them [the photographs]. Well, these guys actually get a tremendous amount of credit, because I had to leave them for many, many months at a time during that Phase One period. This is my dear wife, Dr. / Professor Barratt, Michelle, who is a pediatrician up at the University of Texas and Assistant Professor of Medicine, public health master's and all that kind of stuff. And my children, as you can see, some of them are not homegrown, but Angela, Joey, Meeta, Prasad, four reasonably enthusiastic, also relatively pro-space individuals who are also extremely tolerant, and I owe them a lot for having to leave them for so long. But great kids, lots of fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sure they're always glad to see you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sure they're very proud of their dad, too."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 14.490576834138388, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I had gone through two years of college. I was tired of school. I had two friends and the three of us decided that we would take a trip down to the tip of South America, Patagonia, and turn around and come back. And the one friend had, uh, his home was in Nome, Alaska. He said he could pick up a jeep and trailer for nothing Army surplus, and you could get a thousand dollar job during that summer. Another friend said you can get a thousand dollars. I said I could get a thousand dollars. So that was our plan. Well, it turned out the whole thing turned out that I was the only one who made any money. The other two couldn't get jobs, couldn't get the jeep, couldn't get the trailer. And so I was rather depressed or did not depressed. I was just disappointed not being able to go. And so I went back to my summer job with Green Giant. And, uh, but before I did that, my mother said, you know, the Peace Corps is looking for people. Maybe you'd be interested in applying for a position or something down South America. That's where you want to go. So I applied and about three weeks later, they said, yeah, report for training. And so I was very happy to go. And, uh, I was looking for adventure and I enjoyed my statement on that very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, tell me whenever you decided to go into the Peace Corps, what did your family think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That they were very supportive. Fact. My mother, who suggested I try and my dad was very supportive and he said, yeah, sounds good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so since you knew you were going to be gone for a couple of years, did you do anything special preparation at home to get ready to go or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. I was ready to go. I was looking forward to something different and I was ready to go. I was wanting to do right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, well, then let's look at when you first got to training in. Tell me a little bit about your impression of that and."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.545085371264875, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That they were very supportive. Fact. My mother, who suggested I try and my dad was very supportive and he said, yeah, sounds good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so since you knew you were going to be gone for a couple of years, did you do anything special preparation at home to get ready to go or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. I was ready to go. I was looking forward to something different and I was ready to go. I was wanting to do right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, well, then let's look at when you first got to training in. Tell me a little bit about your impression of that and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I enjoyed the physical part. I always enjoyed the physical part of training. But my first impression, I got in the plane in Chicago was 72 degrees. The plane landed in Tempe, Arizona, and I walked to the front of the plane and started to step out. There's 113 degrees. I almost turned around back, but I knew I'd committed some, but not the training. I enjoyed the training, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, what can you tell me about the training, from your perspective, what did you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.605650412516528, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. I was ready to go. I was looking forward to something different and I was ready to go. I was wanting to do right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, well, then let's look at when you first got to training in. Tell me a little bit about your impression of that and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I enjoyed the physical part. I always enjoyed the physical part of training. But my first impression, I got in the plane in Chicago was 72 degrees. The plane landed in Tempe, Arizona, and I walked to the front of the plane and started to step out. There's 113 degrees. I almost turned around back, but I knew I'd committed some, but not the training. I enjoyed the training, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, what can you tell me about the training, from your perspective, what did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really knowing what to expect. I didn't know whether the training was appropriate or not. I don't know. The language training I think was good. The physical training was probably more than we needed. But as I said, I enjoyed that. So as far as preparing us for living in Bolivia, I think they probably did as well as they could have. They gave us information about another culture, conflict or not. But you know what to expect from the culture. And I had really, uh. I expected pretty much with the games. I had no disappointments with it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, can you think of anything in particular that had happened in Arizona you remember in your mind?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.450722680573922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I enjoyed the physical part. I always enjoyed the physical part of training. But my first impression, I got in the plane in Chicago was 72 degrees. The plane landed in Tempe, Arizona, and I walked to the front of the plane and started to step out. There's 113 degrees. I almost turned around back, but I knew I'd committed some, but not the training. I enjoyed the training, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, what can you tell me about the training, from your perspective, what did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really knowing what to expect. I didn't know whether the training was appropriate or not. I don't know. The language training I think was good. The physical training was probably more than we needed. But as I said, I enjoyed that. So as far as preparing us for living in Bolivia, I think they probably did as well as they could have. They gave us information about another culture, conflict or not. But you know what to expect from the culture. And I had really, uh. I expected pretty much with the games. I had no disappointments with it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, can you think of anything in particular that had happened in Arizona you remember in your mind?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I enjoyed living on the reservation. I got a kick out of it and a few other things, you know, the little things like Bill call me all night. I missed the bus when you're in Tempe and head back to the Indian reservation, I guess that was not unusual. The people doing the same thing. And of course, pump number one was interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The only cold post in the hole."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.389691867304357, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really knowing what to expect. I didn't know whether the training was appropriate or not. I don't know. The language training I think was good. The physical training was probably more than we needed. But as I said, I enjoyed that. So as far as preparing us for living in Bolivia, I think they probably did as well as they could have. They gave us information about another culture, conflict or not. But you know what to expect from the culture. And I had really, uh. I expected pretty much with the games. I had no disappointments with it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, can you think of anything in particular that had happened in Arizona you remember in your mind?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I enjoyed living on the reservation. I got a kick out of it and a few other things, you know, the little things like Bill call me all night. I missed the bus when you're in Tempe and head back to the Indian reservation, I guess that was not unusual. The people doing the same thing. And of course, pump number one was interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The only cold post in the hole."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't think of any one particular thing, but the whole experience. I enjoyed the one time we went to that Indian meeting, where were the Indian reservation invited to me. I was impressed with it and enjoyed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after Arizona, then what happened? Tell me a little bit about that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.321879852560397, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I enjoyed living on the reservation. I got a kick out of it and a few other things, you know, the little things like Bill call me all night. I missed the bus when you're in Tempe and head back to the Indian reservation, I guess that was not unusual. The people doing the same thing. And of course, pump number one was interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The only cold post in the hole."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't think of any one particular thing, but the whole experience. I enjoyed the one time we went to that Indian meeting, where were the Indian reservation invited to me. I was impressed with it and enjoyed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after Arizona, then what happened? Tell me a little bit about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Journey from Arizona, time for after the training. I flew to Puerto Rico. I don't remember anything particular about it after Arizona. I mean, I remember finishing up with Arizona. Did we go home for a while after that or we go right back to Puerto Rico? But OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, in Puerto Rico, we were in the group that went to New Orleans and"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.357644280622663, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't think of any one particular thing, but the whole experience. I enjoyed the one time we went to that Indian meeting, where were the Indian reservation invited to me. I was impressed with it and enjoyed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after Arizona, then what happened? Tell me a little bit about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Journey from Arizona, time for after the training. I flew to Puerto Rico. I don't remember anything particular about it after Arizona. I mean, I remember finishing up with Arizona. Did we go home for a while after that or we go right back to Puerto Rico? But OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, in Puerto Rico, we were in the group that went to New Orleans and"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, I don't remember anything about New Orleans except seeing the city where we live."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How about once we got in Puerto Rico? What was that experience like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.508493645136292, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Journey from Arizona, time for after the training. I flew to Puerto Rico. I don't remember anything particular about it after Arizona. I mean, I remember finishing up with Arizona. Did we go home for a while after that or we go right back to Puerto Rico? But OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, in Puerto Rico, we were in the group that went to New Orleans and"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, I don't remember anything about New Orleans except seeing the city where we live."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How about once we got in Puerto Rico? What was that experience like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When we landed or when we started raining?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When we got to Arecibo."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.564992939040325, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, I don't remember anything about New Orleans except seeing the city where we live."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How about once we got in Puerto Rico? What was that experience like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When we landed or when we started raining?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When we got to Arecibo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Arecibo, I don't have any recollection of anything in particular. Like I was expecting to be shuffled off to a training center and the next morning we begin training. I expected it. And so I guess what happened was pretty much what I expected. OK, so nothing sticks in my mind."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, how about the training there in your mind about that training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.405547710044805, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When we landed or when we started raining?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When we got to Arecibo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Arecibo, I don't have any recollection of anything in particular. Like I was expecting to be shuffled off to a training center and the next morning we begin training. I expected it. And so I guess what happened was pretty much what I expected. OK, so nothing sticks in my mind."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, how about the training there in your mind about that training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, the only thing I can remember that really stuck in my mind was that running two miles in Arizona, I you know, I don't like to run, but, you know, I did two miles and jog the first time. I jog two miles to try to jog two miles hour in Puerto Rico. I said, no, this humidity is more like. But yeah, the training I had there was interesting. Yeah, of course it was it stressed the Spanish language, I think much more intensely than. But again, the physical training was actually I love the rock climbing. That was that was from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the drown proofing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.117275233383117, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Arecibo, I don't have any recollection of anything in particular. Like I was expecting to be shuffled off to a training center and the next morning we begin training. I expected it. And so I guess what happened was pretty much what I expected. OK, so nothing sticks in my mind."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, how about the training there in your mind about that training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, the only thing I can remember that really stuck in my mind was that running two miles in Arizona, I you know, I don't like to run, but, you know, I did two miles and jog the first time. I jog two miles to try to jog two miles hour in Puerto Rico. I said, no, this humidity is more like. But yeah, the training I had there was interesting. Yeah, of course it was it stressed the Spanish language, I think much more intensely than. But again, the physical training was actually I love the rock climbing. That was that was from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the drown proofing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Hey, when I was a kid, ten years old, that's what I did. And when I got to Peace Corps training, they told me, well, this is drown proofing all it is. I've been doing this all my life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so what about the hiking?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 7.908083592647907, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, the only thing I can remember that really stuck in my mind was that running two miles in Arizona, I you know, I don't like to run, but, you know, I did two miles and jog the first time. I jog two miles to try to jog two miles hour in Puerto Rico. I said, no, this humidity is more like. But yeah, the training I had there was interesting. Yeah, of course it was it stressed the Spanish language, I think much more intensely than. But again, the physical training was actually I love the rock climbing. That was that was from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the drown proofing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Hey, when I was a kid, ten years old, that's what I did. And when I got to Peace Corps training, they told me, well, this is drown proofing all it is. I've been doing this all my life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so what about the hiking?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Loved it. Loved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which group were you in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2312039918310083, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Hey, when I was a kid, ten years old, that's what I did. And when I got to Peace Corps training, they told me, well, this is drown proofing all it is. I've been doing this all my life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so what about the hiking?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Loved it. Loved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which group were you in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, some users talking about that. I was with the Russ Nightawin. I was also with the group with Larry Oglesby. And I can't remember some of the other people in that group. But the reason I remember Russ was that we were scheduled to go over to Mingo. And so we went up to Mingo and we got to the point where we could hardly get through the trees. And the guy said, no, there's no way to get over this. So we went back down to, I guess, the road we're walking on. And Russ and I looked at each other and said, I think we can get up that mountain. So the next day we went back and I went back it over the other guy's window and we were determined if there was any way whatsoever we were going to get over that mountain. But we got to the point where we were squeezing side. We decided, no, there's no way. So that was the thing that stuck in my mind about that that height."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so, uh, did you get separated from the group? Did you make it back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.590226657590009, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Loved it. Loved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which group were you in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, some users talking about that. I was with the Russ Nightawin. I was also with the group with Larry Oglesby. And I can't remember some of the other people in that group. But the reason I remember Russ was that we were scheduled to go over to Mingo. And so we went up to Mingo and we got to the point where we could hardly get through the trees. And the guy said, no, there's no way to get over this. So we went back down to, I guess, the road we're walking on. And Russ and I looked at each other and said, I think we can get up that mountain. So the next day we went back and I went back it over the other guy's window and we were determined if there was any way whatsoever we were going to get over that mountain. But we got to the point where we were squeezing side. We decided, no, there's no way. So that was the thing that stuck in my mind about that that height."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so, uh, did you get separated from the group? Did you make it back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Oh, sure. We wouldn't do. We were going back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9891407306555657, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, some users talking about that. I was with the Russ Nightawin. I was also with the group with Larry Oglesby. And I can't remember some of the other people in that group. But the reason I remember Russ was that we were scheduled to go over to Mingo. And so we went up to Mingo and we got to the point where we could hardly get through the trees. And the guy said, no, there's no way to get over this. So we went back down to, I guess, the road we're walking on. And Russ and I looked at each other and said, I think we can get up that mountain. So the next day we went back and I went back it over the other guy's window and we were determined if there was any way whatsoever we were going to get over that mountain. But we got to the point where we were squeezing side. We decided, no, there's no way. So that was the thing that stuck in my mind about that that height."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so, uh, did you get separated from the group? Did you make it back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Oh, sure. We wouldn't do. We were going back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "How do we get there. Walk. Oh yeah. Sure we walked. Yes, we walked. We got separated. When we finally asked us if we would like being separate and we said, well at first we decided we were thinking, should we burden this fellow poor fellow with beating us? But we were so hungry. So we said yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I assume you took money to bail them out, not to take the money, but he was forced to live off the land."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.432378589617295, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Oh, sure. We wouldn't do. We were going back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "How do we get there. Walk. Oh yeah. Sure we walked. Yes, we walked. We got separated. When we finally asked us if we would like being separate and we said, well at first we decided we were thinking, should we burden this fellow poor fellow with beating us? But we were so hungry. So we said yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I assume you took money to bail them out, not to take the money, but he was forced to live off the land."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, I don't remember. We may have bought something to drink. I don't recall buying anything to eat. I don’t call him either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so Puerto Rico basically was a walk in the park for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.924865099574772, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "How do we get there. Walk. Oh yeah. Sure we walked. Yes, we walked. We got separated. When we finally asked us if we would like being separate and we said, well at first we decided we were thinking, should we burden this fellow poor fellow with beating us? But we were so hungry. So we said yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I assume you took money to bail them out, not to take the money, but he was forced to live off the land."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, I don't remember. We may have bought something to drink. I don't recall buying anything to eat. I don’t call him either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so Puerto Rico basically was a walk in the park for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After Puerto Rico, did you tell me about what happened?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.472072332860858, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, I don't remember. We may have bought something to drink. I don't recall buying anything to eat. I don’t call him either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so Puerto Rico basically was a walk in the park for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After Puerto Rico, did you tell me about what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was excited. Get ready to go. Yeah. While I was packing away. Yes, well, I knew I had a few friends over and talking with them and telling them what I had experienced and what was going to be going on in the future. Yeah, it was it was fun doing it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But what about when you left home for a little bit after getting ready for tell me what your next impression."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.080080369845398, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After Puerto Rico, did you tell me about what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was excited. Get ready to go. Yeah. While I was packing away. Yes, well, I knew I had a few friends over and talking with them and telling them what I had experienced and what was going to be going on in the future. Yeah, it was it was fun doing it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But what about when you left home for a little bit after getting ready for tell me what your next impression."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was anxious to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what happened?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.755644855383775, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was excited. Get ready to go. Yeah. While I was packing away. Yes, well, I knew I had a few friends over and talking with them and telling them what I had experienced and what was going to be going on in the future. Yeah, it was it was fun doing it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But what about when you left home for a little bit after getting ready for tell me what your next impression."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was anxious to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, normal goodbyes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, but when you got to the destination point that they were put together through Miami."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.506272061537527, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was anxious to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, normal goodbyes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, but when you got to the destination point that they were put together through Miami."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you remember about that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.340302290597252, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, normal goodbyes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, but when you got to the destination point that they were put together through Miami."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you remember about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember meeting with the people that were there, you know, the bunch it was going to be going I don't remember anything in particular. It seemed to me that we were pretty happy bunch, we were over here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Except for the Cuban Missile Crisis."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.267002545108058, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you remember about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember meeting with the people that were there, you know, the bunch it was going to be going I don't remember anything in particular. It seemed to me that we were pretty happy bunch, we were over here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Except for the Cuban Missile Crisis."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, of course, because we didn't know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how did you feel when they told you weren't really going to Bolivia yet?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.074447272342287, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember meeting with the people that were there, you know, the bunch it was going to be going I don't remember anything in particular. It seemed to me that we were pretty happy bunch, we were over here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Except for the Cuban Missile Crisis."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, of course, because we didn't know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how did you feel when they told you weren't really going to Bolivia yet?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I don't remember. I guess I probably felt disappointed. But then I believe they told us that this is probably going to be a temporary thing and that we'll eventually be going. But they didn't know exactly when. And they told us we were going to be housed in Vermont for a while. I thought. That's right. Vermont is beautiful this time of year. So I thought, OK, I can handle this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, do you remember anything particular in Vermont? What did you do in Vermont?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.860496969269208, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, of course, because we didn't know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how did you feel when they told you weren't really going to Bolivia yet?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I don't remember. I guess I probably felt disappointed. But then I believe they told us that this is probably going to be a temporary thing and that we'll eventually be going. But they didn't know exactly when. And they told us we were going to be housed in Vermont for a while. I thought. That's right. Vermont is beautiful this time of year. So I thought, OK, I can handle this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, do you remember anything particular in Vermont? What did you do in Vermont?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can remember that we were at any time during the day or night, we could get peanut butter cookie sandwiches or something like that, and I enjoyed the fact that we were basically free. We didn't have any responsibilities to report to here or report to there. And it was kind of a vacation in between training and employment or a placement in Bolivia. So, yes, it was an enjoyable break from training and it was restful. I enjoyed it. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Boston?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.733885521410231, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I don't remember. I guess I probably felt disappointed. But then I believe they told us that this is probably going to be a temporary thing and that we'll eventually be going. But they didn't know exactly when. And they told us we were going to be housed in Vermont for a while. I thought. That's right. Vermont is beautiful this time of year. So I thought, OK, I can handle this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, do you remember anything particular in Vermont? What did you do in Vermont?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can remember that we were at any time during the day or night, we could get peanut butter cookie sandwiches or something like that, and I enjoyed the fact that we were basically free. We didn't have any responsibilities to report to here or report to there. And it was kind of a vacation in between training and employment or a placement in Bolivia. So, yes, it was an enjoyable break from training and it was restful. I enjoyed it. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Boston?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, we were talking about it and I don't remember a thing about Boston. Yeah, well, I guess I did. I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't think we left anybody behind."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.482095023789146, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can remember that we were at any time during the day or night, we could get peanut butter cookie sandwiches or something like that, and I enjoyed the fact that we were basically free. We didn't have any responsibilities to report to here or report to there. And it was kind of a vacation in between training and employment or a placement in Bolivia. So, yes, it was an enjoyable break from training and it was restful. I enjoyed it. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Boston?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, we were talking about it and I don't remember a thing about Boston. Yeah, well, I guess I did. I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't think we left anybody behind."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I remember, you know, the summer I think it was Larry was talking about or somebody I think everyone was talking about the fact that they didn't want our group to influence the group of teachers that was coming in. And I had forgotten all about them until he mentioned it. And so they removed us for a while and sent us to Boston. And I have no recollection of that. You know, if somebody had told me that had happened. I don't like cities. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, OK, so when we finally got to Bolivia, can you tell me something about your impressions or what you thought when you first got to La Paz?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.202327804210162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, we were talking about it and I don't remember a thing about Boston. Yeah, well, I guess I did. I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't think we left anybody behind."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I remember, you know, the summer I think it was Larry was talking about or somebody I think everyone was talking about the fact that they didn't want our group to influence the group of teachers that was coming in. And I had forgotten all about them until he mentioned it. And so they removed us for a while and sent us to Boston. And I have no recollection of that. You know, if somebody had told me that had happened. I don't like cities. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, OK, so when we finally got to Bolivia, can you tell me something about your impressions or what you thought when you first got to La Paz?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cool. Now, when I saw the La Paz coming in over the mountains, got to get down to the airport. I thought this this this is a nice place. I like this place. I like the mountains. The scenery was pretty much what I expected to see, the people were interesting. I mean, the garb and I went and again, we pretty much knew what to expect there. And I saw it and I thought, yeah, this this is interesting. This would be an interesting experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So do you remember much about the trip from La Paz to Cochabamba?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.002586449122402, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I remember, you know, the summer I think it was Larry was talking about or somebody I think everyone was talking about the fact that they didn't want our group to influence the group of teachers that was coming in. And I had forgotten all about them until he mentioned it. And so they removed us for a while and sent us to Boston. And I have no recollection of that. You know, if somebody had told me that had happened. I don't like cities. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, OK, so when we finally got to Bolivia, can you tell me something about your impressions or what you thought when you first got to La Paz?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cool. Now, when I saw the La Paz coming in over the mountains, got to get down to the airport. I thought this this this is a nice place. I like this place. I like the mountains. The scenery was pretty much what I expected to see, the people were interesting. I mean, the garb and I went and again, we pretty much knew what to expect there. And I saw it and I thought, yeah, this this is interesting. This would be an interesting experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So do you remember much about the trip from La Paz to Cochabamba?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I drove. Did you?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Well, that was brave."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.669540499024891, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cool. Now, when I saw the La Paz coming in over the mountains, got to get down to the airport. I thought this this this is a nice place. I like this place. I like the mountains. The scenery was pretty much what I expected to see, the people were interesting. I mean, the garb and I went and again, we pretty much knew what to expect there. And I saw it and I thought, yeah, this this is interesting. This would be an interesting experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So do you remember much about the trip from La Paz to Cochabamba?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I drove. Did you?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Well, that was brave."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I like doing I was doing four wheel drives around the curves, and I like doing that. And I can remember Jim Herberger and Judy and a little silver in their car and they didn't seem to have it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I obviously I wasn't in the car you were in. I practically had a nervous breakdown, but."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.410600554472101, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I drove. Did you?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Well, that was brave."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I like doing I was doing four wheel drives around the curves, and I like doing that. And I can remember Jim Herberger and Judy and a little silver in their car and they didn't seem to have it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I obviously I wasn't in the car you were in. I practically had a nervous breakdown, but."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You should have been you wouldn't have been on it shouldn't be a good thing you weren't in my jeep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I want to go up to Cochabamba then. What where did you end up going? What was your particular job?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.234000616080111, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I like doing I was doing four wheel drives around the curves, and I like doing that. And I can remember Jim Herberger and Judy and a little silver in their car and they didn't seem to have it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I obviously I wasn't in the car you were in. I practically had a nervous breakdown, but."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You should have been you wouldn't have been on it shouldn't be a good thing you weren't in my jeep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I want to go up to Cochabamba then. What where did you end up going? What was your particular job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, well I wasn’t stationed in Cochabamba while we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. You were in Santa Cruz."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.148889573422347, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You should have been you wouldn't have been on it shouldn't be a good thing you weren't in my jeep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I want to go up to Cochabamba then. What where did you end up going? What was your particular job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, well I wasn’t stationed in Cochabamba while we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. You were in Santa Cruz."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know. Yeah. It's like. Yeah. So then we did the trip to Santa Cruz. Did you drive too? That was a better road, wasn’t it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.165432859358162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, well I wasn’t stationed in Cochabamba while we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. You were in Santa Cruz."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know. Yeah. It's like. Yeah. So then we did the trip to Santa Cruz. Did you drive too? That was a better road, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, flat top."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So when we got to Santa Cruz and where did you end up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.961592065953514, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know. Yeah. It's like. Yeah. So then we did the trip to Santa Cruz. Did you drive too? That was a better road, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, flat top."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So when we got to Santa Cruz and where did you end up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh the place we all stayed for just a night or two before we start started being dispersed to our area. There's a pension and I remember that we stayed there. No, I think when we got there it was probably afternoon or something like that. And we were sitting around at these tables and somebody had mentioned maybe Israel clerk had said something about them. They would bring us coffee and a roll or something. And we were sitting there and kind of expecting this because we've been told to expect it. And it turned out that the people running the place didn't do that except in the morning they would bring your coffee rolls. And so they finally, I think, did start to bring but it was something that they didn't expect, as we found out. But that's the only thing I remember about that particular time we went in there and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then where were you posted?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.846213406615016, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, flat top."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So when we got to Santa Cruz and where did you end up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh the place we all stayed for just a night or two before we start started being dispersed to our area. There's a pension and I remember that we stayed there. No, I think when we got there it was probably afternoon or something like that. And we were sitting around at these tables and somebody had mentioned maybe Israel clerk had said something about them. They would bring us coffee and a roll or something. And we were sitting there and kind of expecting this because we've been told to expect it. And it turned out that the people running the place didn't do that except in the morning they would bring your coffee rolls. And so they finally, I think, did start to bring but it was something that they didn't expect, as we found out. But that's the only thing I remember about that particular time we went in there and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then where were you posted?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Santa Cruz."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, in Santa Cruz?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.829126007350018, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh the place we all stayed for just a night or two before we start started being dispersed to our area. There's a pension and I remember that we stayed there. No, I think when we got there it was probably afternoon or something like that. And we were sitting around at these tables and somebody had mentioned maybe Israel clerk had said something about them. They would bring us coffee and a roll or something. And we were sitting there and kind of expecting this because we've been told to expect it. And it turned out that the people running the place didn't do that except in the morning they would bring your coffee rolls. And so they finally, I think, did start to bring but it was something that they didn't expect, as we found out. But that's the only thing I remember about that particular time we went in there and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then where were you posted?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Santa Cruz."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, in Santa Cruz?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, right in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with what"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.810140008166686, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Santa Cruz."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, in Santa Cruz?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, right in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with what"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, let’s see, the AG Extension Agency, I was working with a man who was a veterinarian there, and I worked part time with him and with four cops and I worked with another veterinarian. And my job there was to help them take blood samples to check for brucellosis in the urine. So I alternated between those two officers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you like that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.90015556462965, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, right in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with what"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, let’s see, the AG Extension Agency, I was working with a man who was a veterinarian there, and I worked part time with him and with four cops and I worked with another veterinarian. And my job there was to help them take blood samples to check for brucellosis in the urine. So I alternated between those two officers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the people that you work with pretty easy?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.11128396069961, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, let’s see, the AG Extension Agency, I was working with a man who was a veterinarian there, and I worked part time with him and with four cops and I worked with another veterinarian. And my job there was to help them take blood samples to check for brucellosis in the urine. So I alternated between those two officers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the people that you work with pretty easy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Wonderful people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about the language?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.456982178555123, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the people that you work with pretty easy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Wonderful people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about the language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you had Spanish before you came in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.952202420616803, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Wonderful people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about the language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you had Spanish before you came in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes to that mainly was the polishing, the speech, you know, the length of the grammar as far as the how the structure, but becoming fluent. In other words, you can speak without a lot of infinitives, things like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, there were some people never did get out of the end. So that were you stayed working the whole time you were there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 16.61355824512978, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you had Spanish before you came in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes to that mainly was the polishing, the speech, you know, the length of the grammar as far as the how the structure, but becoming fluent. In other words, you can speak without a lot of infinitives, things like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, there were some people never did get out of the end. So that were you stayed working the whole time you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When that was made? That was the only place I worked with those to do offices."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you remember about midway through how you were feeling?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 16.23728693903309, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes to that mainly was the polishing, the speech, you know, the length of the grammar as far as the how the structure, but becoming fluent. In other words, you can speak without a lot of infinitives, things like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, there were some people never did get out of the end. So that were you stayed working the whole time you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When that was made? That was the only place I worked with those to do offices."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you remember about midway through how you were feeling?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The one problem I remember is that they ran out of the antigen to check for brucellosis. And so for me, it was several months that they were waiting for this and we had nothing of that type to do from that office. And that was frustrating because there wasn't really enough from the other office to keep me busy. And so I was kind of like go to this one office, which we were testing for brucellosis, and I would try to help out there and see what needs to be done. But he was a little bit frustrating. I know Jim Herberger and I wish we could have been sent out into the middle of the jungle, you know, basic agricultural practices. But he said, no, we're not to do that. I was actually looking at my one concern with the job that I had was that in my replacing a Bolivian that could be paid to do this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was a concern I had as well, and I actually was the beginning. Yeah. So what do you remember, particularly from that first year and a particular incidents or adventures or whatever, what did you do when you weren't working?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.596985487814544, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When that was made? That was the only place I worked with those to do offices."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you remember about midway through how you were feeling?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The one problem I remember is that they ran out of the antigen to check for brucellosis. And so for me, it was several months that they were waiting for this and we had nothing of that type to do from that office. And that was frustrating because there wasn't really enough from the other office to keep me busy. And so I was kind of like go to this one office, which we were testing for brucellosis, and I would try to help out there and see what needs to be done. But he was a little bit frustrating. I know Jim Herberger and I wish we could have been sent out into the middle of the jungle, you know, basic agricultural practices. But he said, no, we're not to do that. I was actually looking at my one concern with the job that I had was that in my replacing a Bolivian that could be paid to do this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was a concern I had as well, and I actually was the beginning. Yeah. So what do you remember, particularly from that first year and a particular incidents or adventures or whatever, what did you do when you weren't working?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, well, let's see. The Bolivian American center, I got acquainted with Dan Ritter, who was had been put in place directing that, and he asked me if I would be interested in teaching English to Spanish speaking people. And at first I demurred. And he said, well, I don't know. And he kept asking me and I said, OK, so I started teaching Spanish or English. And I had one class, which were students from about 10 to about 13 and another class, which was adults. And I found out I liked it. I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But before then, no?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.107761653127271, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The one problem I remember is that they ran out of the antigen to check for brucellosis. And so for me, it was several months that they were waiting for this and we had nothing of that type to do from that office. And that was frustrating because there wasn't really enough from the other office to keep me busy. And so I was kind of like go to this one office, which we were testing for brucellosis, and I would try to help out there and see what needs to be done. But he was a little bit frustrating. I know Jim Herberger and I wish we could have been sent out into the middle of the jungle, you know, basic agricultural practices. But he said, no, we're not to do that. I was actually looking at my one concern with the job that I had was that in my replacing a Bolivian that could be paid to do this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was a concern I had as well, and I actually was the beginning. Yeah. So what do you remember, particularly from that first year and a particular incidents or adventures or whatever, what did you do when you weren't working?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, well, let's see. The Bolivian American center, I got acquainted with Dan Ritter, who was had been put in place directing that, and he asked me if I would be interested in teaching English to Spanish speaking people. And at first I demurred. And he said, well, I don't know. And he kept asking me and I said, OK, so I started teaching Spanish or English. And I had one class, which were students from about 10 to about 13 and another class, which was adults. And I found out I liked it. I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But before then, no?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, uh, I never thought about teaching as a career, but I enjoyed that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what, uh, can you tell me about some of the things that you did other than say teaching?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.78640183680808, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, well, let's see. The Bolivian American center, I got acquainted with Dan Ritter, who was had been put in place directing that, and he asked me if I would be interested in teaching English to Spanish speaking people. And at first I demurred. And he said, well, I don't know. And he kept asking me and I said, OK, so I started teaching Spanish or English. And I had one class, which were students from about 10 to about 13 and another class, which was adults. And I found out I liked it. I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But before then, no?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, uh, I never thought about teaching as a career, but I enjoyed that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what, uh, can you tell me about some of the things that you did other than say teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, let's see, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you there during any of the Carnival activities?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.65155759645342, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, uh, I never thought about teaching as a career, but I enjoyed that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what, uh, can you tell me about some of the things that you did other than say teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, let's see, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you there during any of the Carnival activities?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, although I didn't, uh, I went I went to, uh, I guess one of the carnival activities, but I was more a spectator than anything else just to see these people, see what was going on. Um, but the things I remember were things that happened on the job. Um. See, there was one case where I was taking a blood sample from this cow, she was laying down and she reached up with her hind foot and just clipped me across the belt. And I rolled over backwards to do the somersault and the campesinos that were there got a big bang out of that. Another time, I was taking blood samples from a bull, which we didn't have to do. And we told the owner, we don't have to test bulls, but I want you to test me for. Well, you had these huge horns and they'd been cut off, fortunately, in the end. What about that big around? And they had his head tied to this skull. Well, I was taking this blood sample and of course, thick skin working, getting that needle in. And then that head came around right in the middle of the forehead, right near the end of the swing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just with one of the horns. Yeah, it was a flat part."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 20.723952884948243, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, let's see, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you there during any of the Carnival activities?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, although I didn't, uh, I went I went to, uh, I guess one of the carnival activities, but I was more a spectator than anything else just to see these people, see what was going on. Um, but the things I remember were things that happened on the job. Um. See, there was one case where I was taking a blood sample from this cow, she was laying down and she reached up with her hind foot and just clipped me across the belt. And I rolled over backwards to do the somersault and the campesinos that were there got a big bang out of that. Another time, I was taking blood samples from a bull, which we didn't have to do. And we told the owner, we don't have to test bulls, but I want you to test me for. Well, you had these huge horns and they'd been cut off, fortunately, in the end. What about that big around? And they had his head tied to this skull. Well, I was taking this blood sample and of course, thick skin working, getting that needle in. And then that head came around right in the middle of the forehead, right near the end of the swing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just with one of the horns. Yeah, it was a flat part."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I want to see on another time that talking about road conditions, have you ever met a pothole which was so steep and deep that even a four wheel drive vehicle with a winch couldn't pull it out of the hole? I broke the cable on the winch kind of thing back there, wove the thing back together and then got a tire, too, and made a ramp out of the hole. I got my sign out, but, yeah, those are the things that are interesting challenges."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because they were quite a few challenges trying to drive around in the Santa Cruz area. Did you ever go out to the Okinawan Colony?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 20.770312203639808, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I want to see on another time that talking about road conditions, have you ever met a pothole which was so steep and deep that even a four wheel drive vehicle with a winch couldn't pull it out of the hole? I broke the cable on the winch kind of thing back there, wove the thing back together and then got a tire, too, and made a ramp out of the hole. I got my sign out, but, yeah, those are the things that are interesting challenges."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because they were quite a few challenges trying to drive around in the Santa Cruz area. Did you ever go out to the Okinawan Colony?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I never got out there that I can recall. One thing I was assigned to do, though, was to help a new Chinese settlement. And they wanted me to go out there and teach them how to use the tractor. And fortunately, the tractor they had was a John Deere A and I cut my teeth on the John Deere A. So I was able to show them what they can do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Fortunately it wasn’t some Russian tractor. Yeah, yeah. OK, but I didn't know you had gotten involved and I didn't know a lot of the things that you could do it because I was so focused on how I was with you today."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think a lot of us were that way. I mean, we had our jobs and so many of us were so far away geographically. Well, not so far in miles. But, you know, we couldn't get there and we didn't see each other, but once in a while. So we really didn't know what the other people were doing except on occasion we would get together and talk the other day to day, basis, why of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think just as an observation, I think the people in Cochabamba were much closer together because were each other more often. So tell me about some of the jungle tours that you do you have heard."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.300346892933119, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I never got out there that I can recall. One thing I was assigned to do, though, was to help a new Chinese settlement. And they wanted me to go out there and teach them how to use the tractor. And fortunately, the tractor they had was a John Deere A and I cut my teeth on the John Deere A. So I was able to show them what they can do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Fortunately it wasn’t some Russian tractor. Yeah, yeah. OK, but I didn't know you had gotten involved and I didn't know a lot of the things that you could do it because I was so focused on how I was with you today."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think a lot of us were that way. I mean, we had our jobs and so many of us were so far away geographically. Well, not so far in miles. But, you know, we couldn't get there and we didn't see each other, but once in a while. So we really didn't know what the other people were doing except on occasion we would get together and talk the other day to day, basis, why of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think just as an observation, I think the people in Cochabamba were much closer together because were each other more often. So tell me about some of the jungle tours that you do you have heard."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we had 30 days vacation, two to three day vacation periods during the year. And we heard talk about some people going to Rio de Janeiro over the holidays. So a place like this and. I had no interest in it. I'm not a tourist or type. I don't care to go to cities. I don't care to go to shows necessarily. And apparently Jim is the same type. And I was thinking, well, what am I going to do with my vacation? And one day Jim said, no, I'm just let's build a raft float down the river. I said, good. So we spent nine months every weekend doing that building. Eventually, they take a trip."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to actually get down where you meant to go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 17.000385436592353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think a lot of us were that way. I mean, we had our jobs and so many of us were so far away geographically. Well, not so far in miles. But, you know, we couldn't get there and we didn't see each other, but once in a while. So we really didn't know what the other people were doing except on occasion we would get together and talk the other day to day, basis, why of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think just as an observation, I think the people in Cochabamba were much closer together because were each other more often. So tell me about some of the jungle tours that you do you have heard."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we had 30 days vacation, two to three day vacation periods during the year. And we heard talk about some people going to Rio de Janeiro over the holidays. So a place like this and. I had no interest in it. I'm not a tourist or type. I don't care to go to cities. I don't care to go to shows necessarily. And apparently Jim is the same type. And I was thinking, well, what am I going to do with my vacation? And one day Jim said, no, I'm just let's build a raft float down the river. I said, good. So we spent nine months every weekend doing that building. Eventually, they take a trip."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to actually get down where you meant to go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that's right. It took us a little longer than we expected. And we had a few very exciting times, but we accomplished what we wanted to do and we were very happy with it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of exciting time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.13320875922957, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we saw nothing of that sort. They told us to watch for piranhas, but during the flood stage, the water was so roiled up and so muddy that nothing was. I don't know where the fish go, but they weren't biting. Yeah. And we during the night, toward the end of the, uh, I think it was the Rio Grande, they just before we got to the moment we saw some freshwater porpoise, that was the only thing we saw that was in the water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after you got down there, was it Trinidad that you went to, how did you get that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had we had this planned out when we got to Trinidad and we knew we could get a plane back to Cochabamba or Santa Cruz, which city we landed in. But that was planned out for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So would you say that was a highlight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, definitely, definitely, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how long did it take you actually?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.040998468184652, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, definitely, definitely, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how long did it take you actually?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe it was 33 days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thirty-three days."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you lose some weight?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.156664964649613, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe it was 33 days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thirty-three days."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you lose some weight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well you lost all your canned food. So, um, are there any can you think of any other experiences that you will particularly stand out in your mind?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.062961071832902, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you lose some weight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well you lost all your canned food. So, um, are there any can you think of any other experiences that you will particularly stand out in your mind?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I worked with a Bolivian, Julio Flores, who became a very good friend. So I was his American brother and he was my Bolivian brother. He was unusually tall for Indian, same height I was. And we got along just famously. But, yeah, that was interesting. I enjoyed working with the two veterinarians at. I wish I could remember the one’s name, the one I enjoyed working with more. I can't remember his name. I believe he came to the States and he told me he'd come to the States for some training. But those two gentlemen were. Yeah, I enjoyed working with him and the whole the whole office there, the, um. Our culture in the office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you have you maintained contact with him?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.069956746481001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well you lost all your canned food. So, um, are there any can you think of any other experiences that you will particularly stand out in your mind?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I worked with a Bolivian, Julio Flores, who became a very good friend. So I was his American brother and he was my Bolivian brother. He was unusually tall for Indian, same height I was. And we got along just famously. But, yeah, that was interesting. I enjoyed working with the two veterinarians at. I wish I could remember the one’s name, the one I enjoyed working with more. I can't remember his name. I believe he came to the States and he told me he'd come to the States for some training. But those two gentlemen were. Yeah, I enjoyed working with him and the whole the whole office there, the, um. Our culture in the office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you have you maintained contact with him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I haven't. No, I think we exchanged one letter between Julio Flores and myself. But other than that, no, we lost contact."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when you think back about what you did in Bolivia, do you think, um, how do you think you could change what you ended up the trajectory that you as your life, for example, or what you ended up doing? Would you have done the same thing had you not gone into the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.506119440100001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I haven't. No, I think we exchanged one letter between Julio Flores and myself. But other than that, no, we lost contact."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when you think back about what you did in Bolivia, do you think, um, how do you think you could change what you ended up the trajectory that you as your life, for example, or what you ended up doing? Would you have done the same thing had you not gone into the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's somewhat difficult to say, because I had planned on going into veterinary medicine before I left and I continued that I completed my education toward that goal. And after I finished my undergraduate work, I had gotten married in the meantime, and my wife was helping put me through college. I was working part time doing college full time. So when I finished it and got the degree why I had planned to go into veterinary school, but finances were pretty tight and so my wife suggested that you better get it maybe when you're getting a job for at least a year. OK, there aren't any jobs available. Well, the school district over here just 50 miles away looking for teachers, I said teach. You better think about that because we do need a job. So I went over there and I applied and they gave me a contract and I started teaching. And after the first year, uh, I thought, you know, I like this. I enjoy this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, there I was teaching junior high science, eighth grade start with. But I again, I had never intended to go into teaching, but, uh. It was something that I found out. I enjoyed this, and so I never intended to make a career of I just went one year after the next. After the next."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All of a sudden it was a career."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.117910489000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's somewhat difficult to say, because I had planned on going into veterinary medicine before I left and I continued that I completed my education toward that goal. And after I finished my undergraduate work, I had gotten married in the meantime, and my wife was helping put me through college. I was working part time doing college full time. So when I finished it and got the degree why I had planned to go into veterinary school, but finances were pretty tight and so my wife suggested that you better get it maybe when you're getting a job for at least a year. OK, there aren't any jobs available. Well, the school district over here just 50 miles away looking for teachers, I said teach. You better think about that because we do need a job. So I went over there and I applied and they gave me a contract and I started teaching. And after the first year, uh, I thought, you know, I like this. I enjoy this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, there I was teaching junior high science, eighth grade start with. But I again, I had never intended to go into teaching, but, uh. It was something that I found out. I enjoyed this, and so I never intended to make a career of I just went one year after the next. After the next."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All of a sudden it was a career."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not all of a sudden, it took thirty six years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Well, that's pretty amazing. So when did you ever have any health problems?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.686567210000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, there I was teaching junior high science, eighth grade start with. But I again, I had never intended to go into teaching, but, uh. It was something that I found out. I enjoyed this, and so I never intended to make a career of I just went one year after the next. After the next."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All of a sudden it was a career."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not all of a sudden, it took thirty six years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Well, that's pretty amazing. So when did you ever have any health problems?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And only when I first got down to Santa Cruz. I had a little trouble adjusting to the diet for a few weeks. But other than that, nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And so, uh, in terms of what you did down there, how did you how do you feel about you feel like you were able to make a contribution or how did you feel?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 5.2072969, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not all of a sudden, it took thirty six years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Well, that's pretty amazing. So when did you ever have any health problems?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And only when I first got down to Santa Cruz. I had a little trouble adjusting to the diet for a few weeks. But other than that, nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And so, uh, in terms of what you did down there, how did you how do you feel about you feel like you were able to make a contribution or how did you feel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, again, the job I was doing was something that was not wasted. But in the one case, working with, uh, taking blood samples, I was concerned because while I was there, they let one of the technicians go. And I asked the veterinarian, I said am I replacing him, he said no. He said the funding has been cut. And he said and he said, we can't keep him regardless whether you're here or not. So and he wasn't doing their blood testing anyway. That was not his function. So I thought that maybe I could have been you'd been more useful in other areas, but that was the job I enjoyed the most, actually. So he really didn't want to give it up. As far as what we're trying to accomplish. But I think that’s hard to say, because it may it affected me, did I affect the Bolivianos? Who knows? I hope it did. You know, I hope that was a positive experience for them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think they were able to understand a little bit more about Americans from knowing you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7290000000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The ones I worked with, they were wonderful. I mean. I couldn't ask for any better compatriots as far as working. And along the river, when we finally got to a place where there were settlements, when they saw that raft coming in, we stopped where people just swarmed. We want to know what you were doing here. So when they realized they were we were gringos and we had come down the river and this nobody does this. It was an interesting experience for them. And us both. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, I often had thought that one of the things we did was volunteers was push boundaries, but, you know, because they were a lot of traditions there. And while we tried to work with them, I think a lot of times the things we did push some of those boundaries, like, your raft, you know, coming down the river on the raft. So do you think that experience, uh, say, helped you in your years teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe the experience I had in teaching helped me to understand the difficulties that students would have in learning the material. Because trying to teach, especially the adult class, the kids would catch on pretty quick, the adults at some of them were having a tough time. And trying to understand their difficulty, I think helped me to try and understand my students difficulties in understanding and them getting material. Um, well, I guess I wouldn't be having to do with the experience though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I mean, you're, uh, you were teaching down there. Uh, do you think that just all the different people that you met helped you to understand? Did you have much diversity in your classes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, not a lot, pretty homogenous. Uh, northern Illinois at that time, there was very little minority groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, all in all, do you feel are you glad you were in Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.81, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe the experience I had in teaching helped me to understand the difficulties that students would have in learning the material. Because trying to teach, especially the adult class, the kids would catch on pretty quick, the adults at some of them were having a tough time. And trying to understand their difficulty, I think helped me to try and understand my students difficulties in understanding and them getting material. Um, well, I guess I wouldn't be having to do with the experience though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I mean, you're, uh, you were teaching down there. Uh, do you think that just all the different people that you met helped you to understand? Did you have much diversity in your classes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, not a lot, pretty homogenous. Uh, northern Illinois at that time, there was very little minority groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, all in all, do you feel are you glad you were in Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you think it was a positive experience?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, not a lot, pretty homogenous. Uh, northern Illinois at that time, there was very little minority groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, all in all, do you feel are you glad you were in Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you think it was a positive experience?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For me, definitely, and I hope for the people I contacted or was put in contact with down there and I hope works for me, definitely very enjoyable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, do you have anything else you’d like, any other I can think of something that we haven't talked about that stands out in your mind? Do you remember where you were when Kennedy was assassinated?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you think it was a positive experience?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For me, definitely, and I hope for the people I contacted or was put in contact with down there and I hope works for me, definitely very enjoyable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, do you have anything else you’d like, any other I can think of something that we haven't talked about that stands out in your mind? Do you remember where you were when Kennedy was assassinated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Yeah. Um, at the leprosy colony."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were at it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For me, definitely, and I hope for the people I contacted or was put in contact with down there and I hope works for me, definitely very enjoyable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, do you have anything else you’d like, any other I can think of something that we haven't talked about that stands out in your mind? Do you remember where you were when Kennedy was assassinated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Yeah. Um, at the leprosy colony."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were at it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I had been asked to drive Dr. Gray for some reason up to there. And I didn't understand why at first because I thought he was just coming back to Santa Cruz. I thought, well, why is he want me to drive him and bring him back. When I found out he was on his way to La Paz. So I had I had driven him to the leper colony and we were there and I was out in the field just walking around and somebody came out and said President Kennedy had shot. So, yeah, that particular image is in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was the reaction of the people around you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Yeah. Um, at the leprosy colony."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were at it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I had been asked to drive Dr. Gray for some reason up to there. And I didn't understand why at first because I thought he was just coming back to Santa Cruz. I thought, well, why is he want me to drive him and bring him back. When I found out he was on his way to La Paz. So I had I had driven him to the leper colony and we were there and I was out in the field just walking around and somebody came out and said President Kennedy had shot. So, yeah, that particular image is in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was the reaction of the people around you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I mean, when we got back to the hotel with the building, we were just standing around and just kind of shaking our hands and, you know, I suppose some people were crying, I don't remember for sure, but I suppose we all felt kind of, good grief. This is a terrible thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, well, if you don't have anything else that you want to add to this, then I guess we're done."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00244:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I had been asked to drive Dr. Gray for some reason up to there. And I didn't understand why at first because I thought he was just coming back to Santa Cruz. I thought, well, why is he want me to drive him and bring him back. When I found out he was on his way to La Paz. So I had I had driven him to the leper colony and we were there and I was out in the field just walking around and somebody came out and said President Kennedy had shot. So, yeah, that particular image is in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was the reaction of the people around you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I mean, when we got back to the hotel with the building, we were just standing around and just kind of shaking our hands and, you know, I suppose some people were crying, I don't remember for sure, but I suppose we all felt kind of, good grief. This is a terrible thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, well, if you don't have anything else that you want to add to this, then I guess we're done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And thank you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 69.4982955828349, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You're welcome."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'd like to begin with you sharing with us how you first became interested in aviation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, first became interested in aviation. Well, as you mentioned before, I'm borderline actuarially challenged. I was an impressionable young lad during World War II. My father was a chief petty officer in the Navy and in World War II was in the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Coral Sea. I was biased toward Navy, anyway, and aviation in general, and just decided at that time, at a very young age, that I wanted to be a naval aviator, and that desire stayed with me. So it's from the time I was ten, eleven, twelve years old."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You set your career path then. What were your first steps? What did you do after you made that decision?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got an [N]ROTC [Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps] scholarship to Penn State and got a commission as an ensign out of that. I had an instructor, and perhaps misguided at the time, I had intended to make a Navy career. I had an instructor at the ROTC unit there, who said as long as I was going to do that, I ought to go to sea first. So I did go to sea on a destroyer off the West Coast for about a year and a half, before I went to flight training.\\n\\n It's one of those experiences you look back on, and I'm not sorry I did it, but I wouldn't do it again, because it put me a year and a half behind my contemporaries who got their commission either out of colleges or the [U.S.] Naval Academy and went directly into flight training. So when I got to my first squadron, V[A]-44, Al [Alan L.] Bean and I were squadron mates in that squadron, and Al had already been there for a year and a half by the time I got there, for example."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what was your next step after that? How did you keep moving through toward—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 21, "return_to_go": 77.2203284253721, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, first became interested in aviation. Well, as you mentioned before, I'm borderline actuarially challenged. I was an impressionable young lad during World War II. My father was a chief petty officer in the Navy and in World War II was in the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Coral Sea. I was biased toward Navy, anyway, and aviation in general, and just decided at that time, at a very young age, that I wanted to be a naval aviator, and that desire stayed with me. So it's from the time I was ten, eleven, twelve years old."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You set your career path then. What were your first steps? What did you do after you made that decision?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got an [N]ROTC [Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps] scholarship to Penn State and got a commission as an ensign out of that. I had an instructor, and perhaps misguided at the time, I had intended to make a Navy career. I had an instructor at the ROTC unit there, who said as long as I was going to do that, I ought to go to sea first. So I did go to sea on a destroyer off the West Coast for about a year and a half, before I went to flight training.\\n\\n It's one of those experiences you look back on, and I'm not sorry I did it, but I wouldn't do it again, because it put me a year and a half behind my contemporaries who got their commission either out of colleges or the [U.S.] Naval Academy and went directly into flight training. So when I got to my first squadron, V[A]-44, Al [Alan L.] Bean and I were squadron mates in that squadron, and Al had already been there for a year and a half by the time I got there, for example."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what was your next step after that? How did you keep moving through toward—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Jeez, you want an autobiography."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, we do."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 46.08736466939046, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It must have been about that time. I think Apollo 20 had been scratched before then, and about this time was when 18 and 19 were scratched. Then we started working on Skylab, so it probably was about 1970, I would guess, the middle of 1970. Deke had the Astronaut Office form a little Skylab Office, headed by [R. Walter] Walt Cunningham at the time. Joe [Joseph P.] Kerwin was in it, Jack Lousma. We went through the whole thing at Skylab originally.\\n\\n Are you familiar with the wet workshop/dry workshop concept, where the workshop is going to have to be two launches? Jack and I spent many, many hours in the water tanks both at Houston and at Huntsville, because we had to take plugs down to put in the drains from the functioning S-IVB stage to make it habitable. So we did that.\\n\\n The Apollo telescope mount was on a separate launch, so then we were investigating a feasibility of remotely controlled docking of the ATM [Apollo Telescope Mount]. Anyway, we went through all that, so I guess it probably was right after Apollo 13 that I was assigned to work in the Skylab Office Group within the Astronaut Office. But I couldn't tell you when the crews were announced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you surprised that you were put on that crew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember. Maybe I thought it was about time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How were your feelings of knowing the first time you were going to fly, you were going to be there for a while?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, that was all right. It was flying. These guys had it pretty easy. Bruce McCandless [II] had to wait sixteen or seventeen years for his first flight. By '73, I'd been there eight years, seven years, whatever it was. '66 to '73, seven years. So I think it probably was a general feeling of relief in being finally named to a crew and given something to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a specialization that you trained for before you launched? Was there something that specifically you were in charge of, or that you felt—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 50.09707185487829, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember. Maybe I thought it was about time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How were your feelings of knowing the first time you were going to fly, you were going to be there for a while?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, that was all right. It was flying. These guys had it pretty easy. Bruce McCandless [II] had to wait sixteen or seventeen years for his first flight. By '73, I'd been there eight years, seven years, whatever it was. '66 to '73, seven years. So I think it probably was a general feeling of relief in being finally named to a crew and given something to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a specialization that you trained for before you launched? Was there something that specifically you were in charge of, or that you felt—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the EREP package, the Earth Resources Experiment Package. EREP."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you share with us some of the details?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 50.73712574676331, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the EREP package, the Earth Resources Experiment Package. EREP."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you share with us some of the details?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, Skylab, first launch, we were considered—they had this screwy system, they had a Roman numeral system and an Arabic numeral system, so we always went by Skylab II, the first manned launch, crew, first crew. They basically had three primary objectives since Skylab was medical, earth resources and solar. Of course, being the twenty-eight-day mission, then the prime on ours was the medical stuff. Joe Kerwin, being an M.D., obviously then he was the principal contact on the crew for the medical protocol, they called them, not experiments. They were called experiments at the time, I think.\\n\\n We kind of all shared, the three of us, since we were all solar physics dummies, we all shared our non-expertise with the ATM, Apollo Telescope Mount. We were probably about equally proficient, whatever that means, whether it was good or bad, but at least we did get to record a solar flare toward the end of our mission, so we got that. Then, of course, the earth resources stuff. It just fell out that I was tagged to monitor development of the hardware and the crew interface with it, because they had the wide, I guess it was one-inch tape, probably, to record data for some of the sensors, some microwave sensors. We had multispectral cameras and a large five-inch format camera, etc. Plus we had the EVAs. We had a scheduled EVA also, of which we were only doing one, so Pete and Joe were prime on that one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were very much involved in the EVA, as well, isn't that correct?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 56.374584163070345, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, Skylab, first launch, we were considered—they had this screwy system, they had a Roman numeral system and an Arabic numeral system, so we always went by Skylab II, the first manned launch, crew, first crew. They basically had three primary objectives since Skylab was medical, earth resources and solar. Of course, being the twenty-eight-day mission, then the prime on ours was the medical stuff. Joe Kerwin, being an M.D., obviously then he was the principal contact on the crew for the medical protocol, they called them, not experiments. They were called experiments at the time, I think.\\n\\n We kind of all shared, the three of us, since we were all solar physics dummies, we all shared our non-expertise with the ATM, Apollo Telescope Mount. We were probably about equally proficient, whatever that means, whether it was good or bad, but at least we did get to record a solar flare toward the end of our mission, so we got that. Then, of course, the earth resources stuff. It just fell out that I was tagged to monitor development of the hardware and the crew interface with it, because they had the wide, I guess it was one-inch tape, probably, to record data for some of the sensors, some microwave sensors. We had multispectral cameras and a large five-inch format camera, etc. Plus we had the EVAs. We had a scheduled EVA also, of which we were only doing one, so Pete and Joe were prime on that one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were very much involved in the EVA, as well, isn't that correct?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, finally, the way it turned out, yes. But, I mean, had it gone according to the script, without damage to the workshop, I would not have got to do an EVA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's the script just got rewritten right after it launched, didn't it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 14, "return_to_go": 62.63842684785594, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, Skylab, first launch, we were considered—they had this screwy system, they had a Roman numeral system and an Arabic numeral system, so we always went by Skylab II, the first manned launch, crew, first crew. They basically had three primary objectives since Skylab was medical, earth resources and solar. Of course, being the twenty-eight-day mission, then the prime on ours was the medical stuff. Joe Kerwin, being an M.D., obviously then he was the principal contact on the crew for the medical protocol, they called them, not experiments. They were called experiments at the time, I think.\\n\\n We kind of all shared, the three of us, since we were all solar physics dummies, we all shared our non-expertise with the ATM, Apollo Telescope Mount. We were probably about equally proficient, whatever that means, whether it was good or bad, but at least we did get to record a solar flare toward the end of our mission, so we got that. Then, of course, the earth resources stuff. It just fell out that I was tagged to monitor development of the hardware and the crew interface with it, because they had the wide, I guess it was one-inch tape, probably, to record data for some of the sensors, some microwave sensors. We had multispectral cameras and a large five-inch format camera, etc. Plus we had the EVAs. We had a scheduled EVA also, of which we were only doing one, so Pete and Joe were prime on that one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were very much involved in the EVA, as well, isn't that correct?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, finally, the way it turned out, yes. But, I mean, had it gone according to the script, without damage to the workshop, I would not have got to do an EVA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's the script just got rewritten right after it launched, didn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you find out that there was a problem right after the launch of Skylab?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 34.221478014714165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, I wouldn't say that. No, because the whole thing was what shape is the workshop in, was it inhabitable. I mean, it was holding pressure. It was responding to commands. I mean, the attitude control system was functioning. It was an atmospheric system. They flushed the atmosphere a couple of times, so we knew that we—but still 100 percent? No, because we had to get the temperatures under control. The whole thing was whether these things—that's why we launched with three. The plan was if the parasol didn't work, we would jettison it and then lay the twin-pole sunshade over it if we had enough consumables on the CSM. But we didn't know how that would turn out.\\n\\n It's not that we ever said, sat down and said, \"Hey, Pete, what do you think our chances are of going for twenty-eight days?\" We never did that. \"Oh, it's 92.4,\" or something like that. We never did that. But certainly in my mind it was less than 100 percent that we were going to go for 28 days. It was less than 100 percent in my mind that we'd get inside the workshop because of the uncertainty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "How about the outgassing? We didn't know whether or not it innocuous stuff in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did settle down into some type of routine once that you got some of those situations under control."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you share with us what those were and how you all fell into that—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 32.49174374665951, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, without hurting something. But, yes, housekeeping was an important part of every day's activities, and we shared that. We were all qualified, as it were, to work on it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've each had your space that was, I guess, yours, your sleeping area, or tell us—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We each had a sleep compartment, yes. We made a point, and I don't say what's good or bad or anything, but we made a point of eating all our meals together, all three meals together. We also found that, of course, you get used to working in a new environment, and then we could do things quicker and easier, though we thought if we started asking for more work to do, that that had the potential to load the next crew up too much. I think that came to pass with the last crew, when they had the so-called mutiny, mainly because the ground just did not appreciate how much work they were giving Jerry [Gerald P.] Carr and his crew to do at the beginning of the mission. So we got to loaf a little more toward the end.\\n\\n Did you ask me a question?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just talking about individual, you were sharing a living quarters, but yet trying to have an individual space or your own, own area that was yours and how you—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.143920536929066, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Glad you asked. I spent my free time looking out the windows."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You'd mentioned that earlier. I was going to ask you, could you determine where you were by all those views? Did you know where you were at each time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Plus we had what's called the orbital slider on board. Have you seen one?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a little—I can show you one, if you want to shut that thing down for a moment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We sure can."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 33.493245041032296, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Plus we had what's called the orbital slider on board. Have you seen one?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a little—I can show you one, if you want to shut that thing down for a moment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We sure can."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You want to do that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, let's take a break and if you want to get that, we'll come back and you can show us how it works."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 37.2147167122581, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a little—I can show you one, if you want to shut that thing down for a moment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We sure can."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You want to do that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, let's take a break and if you want to get that, we'll come back and you can show us how it works."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All right. Sure. [Tape recorder turned off.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're ready, yes. Please."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 49.67725200584101, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[Referring to orbital slider board] Well, anyway, this is a training article, not a flight article, so I don't want the Air and Space Museum to get mad at me, because I have something that really belongs to them. But the ground would send you up a longitude of the ascending node, which starts here. This is our ground track. So then you'd set this up here and then you could, see, and it rolls. It doesn't work so well anymore, because it's old. So you can line this up at any time, it's time-tagged here, so you could set your stopwatch to it and you go around. Then you could just see at any given time what your position was on the ground."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was convenient. It was handy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. But you could basically tell by looking out the window, too. I mean, Earth geography ought to be familiar with most everyone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have a favorite spot?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 20.672311791362763, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometime in there I moved up. Sometime between officially assigned to STS-6 and coming off the LACIE Project and working on the software stuff, then, yes, I was John's deputy for a while, before he flew. They needed to fly continuity within the office. I forget who was deputy before then, but whoever it was probably left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Part of your role there was that to hire other astronauts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, that was a separate process. The Chief of the Astronaut Office basically is responsible to his boss, depending on whether you're flight operations or flight crew operations, for providing trained crews. So it's seeing that the needs of the assigned crews are met, that the needs of the agency as far as what training is required and what types of people are required for specific missions. Then that's the chief's responsibility, and the deputy aids him to the extent that he wants it or will accept it and take it from there.\\n\\n But the selection process was different. That was headed up by the director of—it was George Abbey, and I forget what his title was, because he went between FOD [Flight Operations Directorate] and FCOD [Flight Crew Operations Directorate] a couple three times in there. Maybe even MOD [Mission Operations Directorate] once, I don't remember. Probably not.\\n\\n Of course, all the board members, not all, but most of the board members were out of the Astronaut Office. The Astronaut Office, Abbey chaired every board, as I remember, and the bulk of the members were from the Astronaut Office. Then you had Human Resources folks in there, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. About ten years passed since you launched with Skylab and when you commanded STS-6."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You trained for Skylab and you trained for Shuttle. Can you tell us what the differences were from those, and how you trained for one era of NASA's space history to another?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 19.48346437584372, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Electrophoresis. But Story [Musgrave] was an M.D., so I said, \"Story, electrophoresis is your baby,\" because they used biological materials in it, so that was his. I was the captain of the ship. If they wouldn't let me do the EVA, then gosh dang it, I was just going to use my prerogative to only do the neat stuff, other neat stuff, which wasn't much.\\n\\n See, it's just like flying. The junior aviators get the best job. They get to fly all the time, because they don't know any better and because they don't have that many other responsibilities. The chiefs, they've got to do paperwork and planning and all that stuff. That's the way it is in the Shuttle missions, too. The commanders, they get the big label that says \"commander,\" but they don't get to do the fun stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, did you enjoy looking out the windows of the Shuttle?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had a little bit more, different type of view this time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Since we were kind of on constraint, and also we had some of the—a couple of the experiments called for us to observe the Earth, not with any detection system. One of them, I think, was low-light-level binoculars or something like that, so we got to the point, the top of the Orbiter, which is really the only useful window. You either had to point your nose at the Earth, or the back of the Orbiter to Earth to see anything worthwhile. So, yes, we got to look out there, but not as much as on Skylab.\\n\\n And just to keep things going, we didn't have the bunks in the Orbiter then like they have now, so I took my sleeping bag up on the flight deck and stretched it out horizontally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wanted to keep that going, that tradition now had been made."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.537182639826355, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had a little bit more, different type of view this time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Since we were kind of on constraint, and also we had some of the—a couple of the experiments called for us to observe the Earth, not with any detection system. One of them, I think, was low-light-level binoculars or something like that, so we got to the point, the top of the Orbiter, which is really the only useful window. You either had to point your nose at the Earth, or the back of the Orbiter to Earth to see anything worthwhile. So, yes, we got to look out there, but not as much as on Skylab.\\n\\n And just to keep things going, we didn't have the bunks in the Orbiter then like they have now, so I took my sleeping bag up on the flight deck and stretched it out horizontally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wanted to keep that going, that tradition now had been made."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I wanted to sleep on my back. Plus it put you closer to the commander seat, if something goes wrong, which it did. We lost a computer one night in the middle of the night and I was glad I was sleeping on the flight deck then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did your crew look to you, since you were the only veteran on that trip?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.819091822029282, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Since we were kind of on constraint, and also we had some of the—a couple of the experiments called for us to observe the Earth, not with any detection system. One of them, I think, was low-light-level binoculars or something like that, so we got to the point, the top of the Orbiter, which is really the only useful window. You either had to point your nose at the Earth, or the back of the Orbiter to Earth to see anything worthwhile. So, yes, we got to look out there, but not as much as on Skylab.\\n\\n And just to keep things going, we didn't have the bunks in the Orbiter then like they have now, so I took my sleeping bag up on the flight deck and stretched it out horizontally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wanted to keep that going, that tradition now had been made."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I wanted to sleep on my back. Plus it put you closer to the commander seat, if something goes wrong, which it did. We lost a computer one night in the middle of the night and I was glad I was sleeping on the flight deck then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did your crew look to you, since you were the only veteran on that trip?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That was a very bad crew from that standpoint. No respect at all [Weitz smiles]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A bunch of independent team members, huh? They all worked together, but they were all very—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.354546468921423, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I wanted to sleep on my back. Plus it put you closer to the commander seat, if something goes wrong, which it did. We lost a computer one night in the middle of the night and I was glad I was sleeping on the flight deck then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did your crew look to you, since you were the only veteran on that trip?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That was a very bad crew from that standpoint. No respect at all [Weitz smiles]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A bunch of independent team members, huh? They all worked together, but they were all very—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, we worked as a team."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Of course, your landing was a bit different this time when you came back to Earth than your original trip up."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 28.17171829880158, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That was a very bad crew from that standpoint. No respect at all [Weitz smiles]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A bunch of independent team members, huh? They all worked together, but they were all very—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, we worked as a team."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Of course, your landing was a bit different this time when you came back to Earth than your original trip up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you tell us about that memorable experience of landing at Edwards?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 19.008868006099036, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, not at all, because you're coming down, you can only modulate drag in Orbiter, you don't have any thrust. No, Orbiter at one time did have little jet engines on it, not enough to take off, but enough to help your lift-to-drag ratio. The approach is so much steeper, I mean, even the approach to the carrier is steeper than it is at an airport, it's commercial. It's nothing compared to the 17 degrees that you're coming down in the Orbiter. So there was really not much transfer outside of it being another flying machine. But as far as technique, there's no transfer from a carrier landing to a Shuttle landing, in my mind."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you've been there, so—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, other people may argue with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then the opposite of that, when you launched, of course, you launched on the Saturn and then you were launching from the Shuttle. You mentioned that simulations helped you prepare for that—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—but what were the differences of launching from that vehicle to the one that you launched to with the Shuttle?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 24.4758895258159, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was long enough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, we did everything we wanted to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "See, the thing to do on the Shuttle would be just launch once a week. I mean, those landings are great. They're a lot of fun. So you'd like to just fly a bunch of one-day missions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Once you were home and that mission was over, then where did your path lead you with NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 23.86209947312878, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, we did everything we wanted to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "See, the thing to do on the Shuttle would be just launch once a week. I mean, those landings are great. They're a lot of fun. So you'd like to just fly a bunch of one-day missions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Once you were home and that mission was over, then where did your path lead you with NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I had another decision to make, and while I was cogitating on those events, we had another couple of selection boards. I guess I went back to being John's deputy, and then, of course, John flew again, on STS-9. So that gave me something to do in the meantime.\\n\\n But that period is kind of overwhelmed by\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n 51-L business. The best thing that ever happened to me from a personal standpoint is—well, George Abbey went to the Cape for every launch and he wanted John there and he wanted me there, also. So we went down and then I got a cold while I was there. I mean, if I couldn't have contact with the families or the crew, then there was no sense of being there. So I'm back to Houston, and I have to believe that having to deal with the families at the Cape was a very, very traumatic episode for John and George, and I was glad that I wasn't there for it. I was in mission control.\\n\\n Since I was a senior member, I think, of FCOD, as soon as I realized what had happened, I didn't know what the procedure was in Building 30. I was afraid I'd get locked in the viewing room, so as soon as I realized what was going on, I basically fled the viewing room and got out of the building, so that I could be free to do other things as required."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your role during that time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.240358898230113, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was, and then the agency, as I mentioned before or alluded to, never really took charge of the investigation, mainly because the agency was in a bit of a turmoil. Gerry [Gerald D.] Griffin had just recent, not that long ago, left as director of the center. I think [Richard H.] Truly was administrator the day of the accident. I don't remember, but I think he was. Jesse [W.] Moore was supposed to come down and be a new center director at JSC, so Code M was kind of in a turmoil. I think that was part of the reason that perhaps the headquarters didn't act as swiftly as they could, and again, the leadership at JSC was in the process of a transition.\\n\\n So, yes, the primary thing at the time was dealing with the loss and the grief, perhaps at the expense of getting on with resuscitating the program, but I still think at the time it was the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a turning point that you know of that put NASA back on that path where flights were going to be scheduled again, people felt that it was time to move forward?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not what I would call a turning point. They had the committee. Whose committee was that? What was the name of that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Rogers Commission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. The Rogers Commission, yes. They did a good job and they had the right people on there, it just took a long time, because it was in a bureaucratic environment of Washington. By then the commission—if I were Rogers, I'd have done the same thing. You have to satisfy perception in many cases, as well as serving the issue, so we had to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at the launch at the Cape when we returned back to space travel?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 26.933732109144568, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not what I would call a turning point. They had the committee. Whose committee was that? What was the name of that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Rogers Commission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. The Rogers Commission, yes. They did a good job and they had the right people on there, it just took a long time, because it was in a bureaucratic environment of Washington. By then the commission—if I were Rogers, I'd have done the same thing. You have to satisfy perception in many cases, as well as serving the issue, so we had to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at the launch at the Cape when we returned back to space travel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember. I was deputy director then, so I probably wasn't—no, I think I wasn't. Whatever. We had then gone back to regular numbered flights, so that was 26, 27, twenty-whatever. You know why we came up with that system? You've been told that, right?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us how that happened."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.059989175781297, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mr. [James M.] Beggs, who was the Administrator of NASA, apparently suffered from—I use the term \"suffer,\" but experienced triskaidekaphobia. He didn't like the number thirteen. So he didn't ever want any mission numbered thirteen, so we went through this system of 51-L. Now, how was that? I think the first digit was the fiscal year that the flight was originally scheduled. One was an East Coast launch. Two, second digit being a two, was a Vandenberg launch, which, of course, has never come to pass. I forget now how the letters came about. But anyway, we've now gone to a numbering system, but, of course, we don't fly them sequentially anyway.\\n\\n See, that was a big decision we had to make at one time. \"Big\" I say. And it turns out that the paperwork was the deciding factor. Once the crew started training for STS-XX, it just was too big a job to make sure you kept the documentation, all the documentation, all the training documents, checklists, the whole thing, to keep it straight. Funny how a little thing like that, but that was, as I remember, the deciding factor for saying that 101 flies three years before 97, or however it works out. But it's confusing to the public sometimes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So in that period then, I got a call from Admiral Truly saying that they wanted me to be the deputy center director. Well, I didn't know if I was keen on that or not. Then Aaron Cohen called me. I'd already planned to go on a hunting trip to Wyoming, so I asked Dick [Truly] if he wouldn't give me a week to let him know.\\n\\n So anyway, for better or worse, I agreed to take the job and [never] regretted it. Aaron Cohen was a great guy to work for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you given specific duties or were you again—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did everything Aaron—like most deputies, I did everything Aaron didn't want to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could have been a different agenda every day, huh?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 22.28887686197922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So in that period then, I got a call from Admiral Truly saying that they wanted me to be the deputy center director. Well, I didn't know if I was keen on that or not. Then Aaron Cohen called me. I'd already planned to go on a hunting trip to Wyoming, so I asked Dick [Truly] if he wouldn't give me a week to let him know.\\n\\n So anyway, for better or worse, I agreed to take the job and [never] regretted it. Aaron Cohen was a great guy to work for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you given specific duties or were you again—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did everything Aaron—like most deputies, I did everything Aaron didn't want to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could have been a different agenda every day, huh?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really, because it was by function. I say that semi-jokingly, but equal opportunity, for example, has always been the job of the—always had been of the deputy center director, dealing with the so-called institution, the non-programmatic functions, like the construction of facilities budget, the institutional budget, in other words, what it takes to keep engineering running, for example, not from a test standpoint, but from facilities and people. So those are the kind of grunt things I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then your position evolved, is that correct, moved into more a—at some point you were the acting center director?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 18.777437680200002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, then George Abbey came down as the deputy. I'd been telling Aaron and the Marine general who was Code M back then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Abramson?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, he was Air Force. That was a long time ago. Anyway, I'd been telling JSC and Code M that I was leaving in spring to summer of '94 for quite a while, because I didn't want to spring any surprises on anybody. So Goldin called me up and he says, \"You're the deputy director. How about if I send George Abbey back down there as the deputy?\" You know, he was nice enough to call me. I said, \"I've got no complaints with that.\"\\n\\n In the meantime, besides, I didn't have to take a cut in pay. [Laughter] The associate director, Dan [Daniel A.] Nebrig, had retired previously, so I moved from one office to the other there, took on the title of associate director, which really was kind of what in the Navy we used to call a twilight cruise. And they would often do that, they'd say, \"Okay, you're going to retire. Where you going to retire to?\"\\n\\n You say, \"I want to retire in Jacksonville, Florida.\"\\n\\n They say, \"Well, we'll see if we can't find a job for you there for your last year, if you promise to be productive for that year.\" Saves you moving expenses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So anyway, it basically was a twilight cruise for me. The associate director and the deputy director kind of shared responsibility, so I'd always left the travel budget and other things like that, really nasty things, up to Dan Nebrig. So then I got to deal with those when he left, when I moved in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that time period where you were in the center director office area, NASA moved into a partnership with Russia for part of the Shuttle/Mir Program. Were you involved in those negotiations and those efforts at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:203", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 15.77461442, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So anyway, it basically was a twilight cruise for me. The associate director and the deputy director kind of shared responsibility, so I'd always left the travel budget and other things like that, really nasty things, up to Dan Nebrig. So then I got to deal with those when he left, when I moved in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that time period where you were in the center director office area, NASA moved into a partnership with Russia for part of the Shuttle/Mir Program. Were you involved in those negotiations and those efforts at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, not really. At that time the Space Station effort was really almost separate from JSC. I mean, we provided facilities for them. We housed some of the Space Station stuff, both Space Station Freedom and later ISS [International Space Station], but they'd come in with the advanced—what's the new building over there, 5A? Or what's the one just south of Building 4, that seven or eight-story building? It's relatively new. It's next to the cafeteria. Took out the Building 4 parking lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think they call it 4 South, the sixth-floor building."}, {"role": "user", "content": "4 South, right. Right. Thanks. 4 South, that's what it is. I was the deputy center director responsibility for facilities, and these Space Station guys come in and they demand three floors or whatever it was, and I say, \"Well, you can't have it. You can half a floor. How about that?\" I mean, we were a host, is what amounted to at that time, so my involvement was practically nonexistent in either Space Station Freedom or International Space Station."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned you were trying to give them enough time to let them know that you were getting ready to retire. Was there something that pushed you toward that decision, or was it just time for you to make change?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 10.1122, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Flying. I mean, that's what you go there for. That's part of the reason that I had always, I think, wanted to be a naval aviator, was I thought that you had to be a little cut above the people who land on 10,000-foot runways to land on an aircraft carrier."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any thoughts about where you think our space program will go in the future?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think it's solid now. As a matter of fact, I just read a thing in the paper yesterday, [William J.] Clinton's budget includes an increase for NASA over this year's. It doesn't keep up compared to what we had in Apollo, adjusted for inflation costs. We're going probably a quarter to a third of real dollars of what it was then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I was going to ask Carol and Sandra if they had a question for you. Do you have anything you want to add?\n\nWhen you were preparing for both of your missions, both for Skylab and for the Shuttle, and you said on Skylab you had been involved with the earth resources primarily, had you had a lot of interest beforehand in anything specifically related to earth studies?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you develop that as you went along? How did you prepare for that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:220", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Another archive photo, we made it very simple, and Pete made it up and we Scotch-taped it to the—we had a separate control panel for most of the EREPs. He Scotch-taped it on there and that will soften it a little bit, and it said, \"CDR and PLT's EREP DS cue card.\" So that was our summary cue card until we double-checked the very important things like the multispectral camera door open, window cover, whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have added a little bit to the flight to be with Pete Conrad for twenty-eight days, from what we understand—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—about his character and personality."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, he's a very serious guy when serious was required, and he was fun to be with when it was time to have fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I heard one time that he fixed the battery on Skylab with a hammer."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:222", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—about his character and personality."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, he's a very serious guy when serious was required, and he was fun to be with when it was time to have fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I heard one time that he fixed the battery on Skylab with a hammer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. That was during the film retrieval EVA. It was a battery regulator or charger regulator. Pete also prided himself as being—he had a sailboat the time, and he prided himself as being a sailor. He'd been into sailing for quite a while. I mean, he had like, I don't know, a twenty-four-foot sailboat at the time. They did a couple of things. They wanted to assess what happens to the material, the mylar material that the parasol was made of after exposure to it. So Pete was happily, busily, sewing this sample. He was sewing the sample together and sewing pieces of Velcro on it, because they wrap around one of the tubular support structures of the ATM. So he's busy there with his needle and thread, and then they said, \"We want you to do this,\" I think CVR charger battery regulator module was sticking some way.\\n\\n So he had a hammer. I guess we just had a hammer in our tool kit. So we had to rig up a restraint so Pete could take it outside, and then he gave it a mighty whack on his way out to the end of the ATM. Sure enough, it was the old \"If it doesn't work, kick it once and see if it works.\" So we got it back into shape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did what it took."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:224", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, he's a very serious guy when serious was required, and he was fun to be with when it was time to have fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I heard one time that he fixed the battery on Skylab with a hammer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. That was during the film retrieval EVA. It was a battery regulator or charger regulator. Pete also prided himself as being—he had a sailboat the time, and he prided himself as being a sailor. He'd been into sailing for quite a while. I mean, he had like, I don't know, a twenty-four-foot sailboat at the time. They did a couple of things. They wanted to assess what happens to the material, the mylar material that the parasol was made of after exposure to it. So Pete was happily, busily, sewing this sample. He was sewing the sample together and sewing pieces of Velcro on it, because they wrap around one of the tubular support structures of the ATM. So he's busy there with his needle and thread, and then they said, \"We want you to do this,\" I think CVR charger battery regulator module was sticking some way.\\n\\n So he had a hammer. I guess we just had a hammer in our tool kit. So we had to rig up a restraint so Pete could take it outside, and then he gave it a mighty whack on his way out to the end of the ATM. Sure enough, it was the old \"If it doesn't work, kick it once and see if it works.\" So we got it back into shape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did what it took."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything else you'd like to add before we close this session today?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00593:226", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. That was during the film retrieval EVA. It was a battery regulator or charger regulator. Pete also prided himself as being—he had a sailboat the time, and he prided himself as being a sailor. He'd been into sailing for quite a while. I mean, he had like, I don't know, a twenty-four-foot sailboat at the time. They did a couple of things. They wanted to assess what happens to the material, the mylar material that the parasol was made of after exposure to it. So Pete was happily, busily, sewing this sample. He was sewing the sample together and sewing pieces of Velcro on it, because they wrap around one of the tubular support structures of the ATM. So he's busy there with his needle and thread, and then they said, \"We want you to do this,\" I think CVR charger battery regulator module was sticking some way.\\n\\n So he had a hammer. I guess we just had a hammer in our tool kit. So we had to rig up a restraint so Pete could take it outside, and then he gave it a mighty whack on his way out to the end of the ATM. Sure enough, it was the old \"If it doesn't work, kick it once and see if it works.\" So we got it back into shape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did what it took."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything else you'd like to add before we close this session today?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I can't think of a thing right now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we certainly thank you for your time and for all the good information."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:0", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 29, "return_to_go": 54.314968057222, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Middle of the tape recording and talking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Today is March the 22nd. This is Wendy McLaughlin interviewing Robert T.K. Scully, also known as Bob Scully."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Atlanta, Georgia. And so I'm just going to kind of go into the questions, Bob, and just feel comfortable to elaborate. And I always like to really start out the interview asking interviewees about their present family, their work, where they reside, what some of their interests are."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Well, Wendy, I want to thank you for doing this project for so many years. I think it's very important that these histories of these early volunteers in particular somehow gets recorded because many of these people, myself included, were entering in some ways unknown territory. In many cases, we were the first American in an area and in my case welcomed with open arms. And it was kind of a relief after the British regime in Kenya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So if you could speak a little bit about your present family and where you reside and some of your interests. What do you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:8", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.490730158850784, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Previous to that, I had worked in university administration in North Carolina, in Minnesota, and various other places, usually in the fundraising and granting field. Before that, I was the ethnographer and the professor at a college, private college and museum. The Yager Museum in Oneonta, New York. And that's what got me into this whole new work, both financial development and also health development. My, my expertise, my area of expertise in the area was community based health programing. And it is, how do you get the communities being served to basically take charge of their own health?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or if you don't have to treat people, this is the way you get a healthier community. Some communities as we know now, but didn't 20 years ago necessarily, really have to buy into a program point to succeed. It cannot be something taken from outside or implanted in them and expect it to succeed. Well, that's, that's kind of a little nutshell."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very, very rich."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[coughs] Forgive me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, so, um. When I take you back to the year before you joined Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:10", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 33.87858906538976, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or if you don't have to treat people, this is the way you get a healthier community. Some communities as we know now, but didn't 20 years ago necessarily, really have to buy into a program point to succeed. It cannot be something taken from outside or implanted in them and expect it to succeed. Well, that's, that's kind of a little nutshell."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very, very rich."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[coughs] Forgive me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, so, um. When I take you back to the year before you joined Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And actually, I should mention on the tape that Bob was in Kenya between October 1964 to December 1966. So if you could think back to 1963 or roughly about a year before you joined Peace Corps and talk a little bit about your life. You know, what you were doing at that time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:12", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 28.753987850433063, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[coughs] Forgive me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, so, um. When I take you back to the year before you joined Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And actually, I should mention on the tape that Bob was in Kenya between October 1964 to December 1966. So if you could think back to 1963 or roughly about a year before you joined Peace Corps and talk a little bit about your life. You know, what you were doing at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota. I'm sorry, University of Missouri. And I have Minnesota connections as well. And was wrapping up an undergraduate degree in history with a couple of minors. I lived at a co-op on campus, something like a fraternity, but it wasn't a fraternity. It was a basically inexpensive housing, good but inexpensive housing, with other men. One of the people staying there was a fellow named Douglas Odalla, who was an engineering student, a graduate student. And there were quite a few overseas students living in the facility, a number from China. There was the one African.\n\nAnd Douglas and I seemed to gravitate toward one another and have our meals together and tea and so on when we had a chance. And I always found him a fascinating person, who was a bit older, a married man with several children back in Kenya. I didn't have enough information to know this at the time, but the name Odalla is a Luo name. You may have heard another similar Luo name, Obama maybe? Has that come across your desk?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I've heard of him."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:14", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 24.17109761159229, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And actually, I should mention on the tape that Bob was in Kenya between October 1964 to December 1966. So if you could think back to 1963 or roughly about a year before you joined Peace Corps and talk a little bit about your life. You know, what you were doing at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota. I'm sorry, University of Missouri. And I have Minnesota connections as well. And was wrapping up an undergraduate degree in history with a couple of minors. I lived at a co-op on campus, something like a fraternity, but it wasn't a fraternity. It was a basically inexpensive housing, good but inexpensive housing, with other men. One of the people staying there was a fellow named Douglas Odalla, who was an engineering student, a graduate student. And there were quite a few overseas students living in the facility, a number from China. There was the one African.\n\nAnd Douglas and I seemed to gravitate toward one another and have our meals together and tea and so on when we had a chance. And I always found him a fascinating person, who was a bit older, a married man with several children back in Kenya. I didn't have enough information to know this at the time, but the name Odalla is a Luo name. You may have heard another similar Luo name, Obama maybe? Has that come across your desk?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I've heard of him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Years later, a Kenyan colleague of mine, someone working at MAP International, Undungay Keating, came in. We were, there was this young new senator from Chicago, Odalla, oh, Obama. And I still remember laughing and I said, wouldn't it be something if he became the first Luo president of the United States? And he laughed because when you hear, you know, Obama, Odalla, Odinga, you know, all of these names, immediately it's Luo, it's Lake Victoria. So we always had a chuckle over that. And what do you know, our first Luo president."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, so the year before you were living in the co-op and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:24", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.561885233606482, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, you know, a couple of months later, it was summer, I was doing the finals. Final courses and credits in the summer to finish my degree."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "An AB in history. And I got the letter from the Peace Corps, you have been selected to go to Kenya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Douglas Odalla happened to be on that summer, and I showed him the letter, he was the first one to look at it, and he hugged me and kissed me and jumped around and said, of course you're going, aren't you? I said, well, I don't know yet. I have to think about this, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you don't remember, there wasn't a long? There wasn't a long application process for you back then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:34", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 21, "return_to_go": 35.8657813571889, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[coughs] Sorry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So Douglas Odalla was kind of my motivator to look into it. So I, of course, had to find out where Kenya was and get some basics about Kenya. I had read a book by Tom Mboya, who had been a Kenyan student who came to America to study, either undergraduate or graduate studies. I forgot which now. And so I did kind of have a Kenyan in my mind at the time. Basically, Africa was Tom Mboya and a few others. I did have a relative on my mother's side who had lived in North Africa for a number of years. And I had been in touch with that relative off and on, had worked at a hospital in Tangier, but had been elsewhere in North Africa. So there was kind of an Africa connect. I knew there were people, at least in the family, who had been there and that had been talked about a little bit.\n\nBut that was about the extent of my exposure, except in anthropology studies and working as an undergraduate. So lo and behold, I kind of said yes. I packed up, left Missouri, went back to my home in New York. I grew up in a place called Suffern, New York, a small town about 30, 40 miles outside of New York City."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Suffern?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "S-U-F-F-E-R-N, Suffern, New York. Old Revolutionary War carriage stop in the Ramapo Mountains, but part of the greater river and mountain area of old Dutch New York. And from the top of the Ramapos you could see the Empire State Building on a clear day. It was, but it was pretty far out there, and it was a different world. It was very rural, a small town, it was not an urban area when I grew up. It was horse country, basically. And we had horses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Appalachian Trail doesn't go through there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:44", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.817763818504805, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost the first message was forget about language. Everything's in English. In fact, students are penalized if they use anything but English at the schools because it's an English media school. You've got to learn English. And I swear, the motivation for learning a language dropped completely. Well, guess what? It really made a difference knowing, knowing Swahili and, uh, and of course, the vernacular of the area which spoke. People use Swahili everywhere. English was still the language of the literati. The people who had had an opportunity to go to school. The vast community could communicate rudimentary in Swahili. The English was, was taking hold, of course. It had been an English colony, as you know.\n\nAnd so but that was, that was a kind of a surprise when I got there. And the guy who did my household workings and that sort of thing, laundry, cooking, and hauling water and this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Guy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, my guy named Baraza, who became a good friend of mine, but I mean, he spoke not a word of English, and his main language was Lubukusu, which of course, I did a double take on that, you know. And so we worked with Swahili and some Lubukusu, as I learned it. He knew all the words for foods in English, but not much more. And I was happy to learn Swahili. So I didn't push the English because I thought, well, look, if I'm ever going to pick this language up, it better start at home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we, you know, we did very intensive work. We built, we kind of built rapport with one another. And we became a support group. And most of us have a very fond feeling of one another even today. We've had a couple of reunions and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How large was your group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:46", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.01973757611645, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, my guy named Baraza, who became a good friend of mine, but I mean, he spoke not a word of English, and his main language was Lubukusu, which of course, I did a double take on that, you know. And so we worked with Swahili and some Lubukusu, as I learned it. He knew all the words for foods in English, but not much more. And I was happy to learn Swahili. So I didn't push the English because I thought, well, look, if I'm ever going to pick this language up, it better start at home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we, you know, we did very intensive work. We built, we kind of built rapport with one another. And we became a support group. And most of us have a very fond feeling of one another even today. We've had a couple of reunions and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How large was your group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, probably about maybe 120 or so. We were going to three countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, but the people that trained with you at Columbia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:50", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.839182192736356, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, probably about maybe 120 or so. We were going to three countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, but the people that trained with you at Columbia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About 120, maybe a hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's huge."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Was it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is a huge group."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:52", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.376869103040395, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About 120, maybe a hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's huge."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Was it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is a huge group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe I'm, maybe I'm wrong about that. Let me think. 30, 60, maybe about 90."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It could have been that way back then. I mean, they've changed."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:54", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.085410114489328, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Was it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is a huge group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe I'm, maybe I'm wrong about that. Let me think. 30, 60, maybe about 90."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It could have been that way back then. I mean, they've changed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm thinking about 30 went to each of the countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, that sounds about normal, right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:56", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.98378901609925, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe I'm, maybe I'm wrong about that. Let me think. 30, 60, maybe about 90."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It could have been that way back then. I mean, they've changed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm thinking about 30 went to each of the countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, that sounds about normal, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe 25 to each country, so maybe 75 to 100."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you trained, obviously, at Columbia with people that were going to three different countries."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:58", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 21.093098906776945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm thinking about 30 went to each of the countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, that sounds about normal, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe 25 to each country, so maybe 75 to 100."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you trained, obviously, at Columbia with people that were going to three different countries."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So that's, that's very unique."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:60", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 22.325665451974384, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe 25 to each country, so maybe 75 to 100."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you trained, obviously, at Columbia with people that were going to three different countries."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So that's, that's very unique."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the curriculum was East Africa and the TEA program was Teachers for East Africa. So they were basically all the stuff, all the professional stuff, were on the faculty of that program. So they were transitioning to a different kind of crowd as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Besides obviously the curriculum and the teachers portion of what you were going to be doing in Kenya, what else did you do in training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:62", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 23.695183835527093, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So that's, that's very unique."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the curriculum was East Africa and the TEA program was Teachers for East Africa. So they were basically all the stuff, all the professional stuff, were on the faculty of that program. So they were transitioning to a different kind of crowd as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Besides obviously the curriculum and the teachers portion of what you were going to be doing in Kenya, what else did you do in training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did cross country studies. We did education studies. And although I didn't do this, we could take final exams and get a certificate of some type for education, sort of a, not a master's. I don't think it was a master's, but it was an advanced certificate, possibly could have been led to a master's with some additional coursework. We did the language study. And we had sort of a P.T. or physical exercise type of once or twice a week where we had East African type games explained to us and we went out and we'd practice soccer and that sort of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cool. So that was kind of the cultural piece to make sure you could fit in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:64", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 25.216870928363438, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the curriculum was East Africa and the TEA program was Teachers for East Africa. So they were basically all the stuff, all the professional stuff, were on the faculty of that program. So they were transitioning to a different kind of crowd as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Besides obviously the curriculum and the teachers portion of what you were going to be doing in Kenya, what else did you do in training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did cross country studies. We did education studies. And although I didn't do this, we could take final exams and get a certificate of some type for education, sort of a, not a master's. I don't think it was a master's, but it was an advanced certificate, possibly could have been led to a master's with some additional coursework. We did the language study. And we had sort of a P.T. or physical exercise type of once or twice a week where we had East African type games explained to us and we went out and we'd practice soccer and that sort of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cool. So that was kind of the cultural piece to make sure you could fit in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was basically it. Yes. We, we met with people and then we did a training in schools in New York City. And I was assigned to the Charles. [coughs] [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we were just talking a little bit about the training that you had prior to going to Kenya. Anything else notable that you want to share?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:70", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 29.515597981294153, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was a very good experience at Columbia. The teaching experience in the public school system was very good. I went to Charles Evans Hughes High School, which was a bit of a, I guess maybe inner-city school with a pretty diverse student population."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I thought that gave me a good kind of practice in putting together lesson plans and so on. Of course, I discovered when I got to Kenya that there's an awful lot of lesson plans go into running a system for a whole year and so on. But it was a good experience. A kind of funny thing. I had some discipline issues there and it kind of discouraged me. And I was saying to myself, golly, this is the center of Western civilization, New York City. And the motivation of some of the students were very disappointing and so on and so forth. People didn't do their assignment. I was taught there for about three weeks and I had assignments and basically substitute for a teacher.\n\nAnd I started saying to myself, holy mackerel, I'm going off to the a remote, rural part of Africa. These are urban, civilized, in theory. What's it going to be like there? I don't know. I mean, I'm having enough trouble dealing with the children here, you know, how am I going to deal with them over there? I have my doubts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, I talked to some of the people who were still in the program, who taught in Kenya and had come back. And they reassured me that the students are very motivated in Africa, there's a hunger for education and that I'd find it very different. And that kind of gave me a little more confidence. And with that, we basically had our selection process, several selection processes. These were kind of nerve wracking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell us a little bit more about that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:78", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 36.72549608488668, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had a big reunion, oh, maybe three, four years ago. My wife Jennifer was with me. And several of the people who were deselected were there. And they had, it was still a meaningful experience of them in the training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And some of them, it was in the D.C. area. But I remember having a chat with a fellow I hadn't seen in 50 years almost."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had been friends. We probably, you know, had nearby rooms in the hotel and had had dinners together and. But there he was, married, children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he know why he was deselected?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:82", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 21, "return_to_go": 45.34011862331688, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had been friends. We probably, you know, had nearby rooms in the hotel and had had dinners together and. But there he was, married, children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he know why he was deselected?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think he ever really. They didn't talk about it a whole lot. Possibly for some psychological reasons or emotional reasons. I think they were taking absolutely no risks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And quite honestly, I wasn't sure whether I was, uh, what they were looking for. [coughs] We were talking about training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, there was something, I wanted to go back for a moment. Well, actually, a couple of things if you could address. This is more relevant to what you were just talking about with the training. What were you going to be teaching in Kenya? What was the subjects or the range of subjects that you were going to teaching?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:110", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.22912274926311, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is a Dutchman, Bishop Draper, and I'll tell you, he had people on their, and if he was coming everybody was uptight. So, you know, that was part of the subculture within which I worked. Then very quickly I discovered there was a whole world out there with complex rules and regulations and expectations and so on, called the Lubukusu people. And I learned that there was a hereditary ruler by the name of Chief Sudi. I learned that his first son, his heir apparent, had decided not to be chief, not to be political head of this entity, this large population. And he went into the priesthood, and he was the youngest Catholic bishop at the time, stationed in Nairobi.\n\nBut that was home, where I was. And within about two weeks, I had a bishop knocking at my door with some refreshments for me and so on. And he'd been to America and he wanted to meet the American, first American out there. And Bishop Maurice Otunga and I became lifelong friends. He later became the cardinal archbishop of Nairobi.\n\nAnd I'll put a footnote, it has nothing to do with Peace Corps. When I was working in and out of Nairobi for MAP International, I initiated an AIDS initiative, and it was faith-based leadership. Well, you know what? Guess who my buddy was. We corresponded over the years. We weren't, but I was in town. I let him know I was there. I had an audience with His Eminence, the Cardinal. I gave him all the materials we were developing. It had lots of scripture in it. Lots of, you know, things would make a religious leader comfortable dealing with an issue that they were not comfortable with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many years later was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was back in, uh, '93."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. So that was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quite a while."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "30 years after your Peace Corps service."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:116", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 33.5104564461771, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. There I am sitting with this handsome young guy who appeared at my door about two weeks into my Peace Corps service, shook my hand and warm, wouldn't let me kneel down. I wasn't sure how to behave. He had, he had the stuff on, you know, he had his cross on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I knew something was going on and I knew this was important. And he is a significant leader of that community. He later, he carried the ivory bracelet of peace with him that came from his father and his ancestors. And there was an awesome, sacred responsibility of a tribal nature as well. So I began to learn a little bit more about the greater world, the bigger circle around which surrounded me and so on. And then I found out the old sea captain, who had been shot and left dead by the Nazis, used to make trips over to Uganda, to Tororo hill, huge volcanic megaliths sticking out. You could see it on clear days from the school compound just over the Uganda border. We were right on the border."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he'd go to buy supplies for the mission. Well, by golly, you know, I wanted to do as much traveling as I could, so I'd hitch a ride with him. Oh, he loved talking. He talked for, he talked forever with me. And he was just the greatest guy. And I got to like him very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember his name?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:118", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.12272938464122, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I knew something was going on and I knew this was important. And he is a significant leader of that community. He later, he carried the ivory bracelet of peace with him that came from his father and his ancestors. And there was an awesome, sacred responsibility of a tribal nature as well. So I began to learn a little bit more about the greater world, the bigger circle around which surrounded me and so on. And then I found out the old sea captain, who had been shot and left dead by the Nazis, used to make trips over to Uganda, to Tororo hill, huge volcanic megaliths sticking out. You could see it on clear days from the school compound just over the Uganda border. We were right on the border."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he'd go to buy supplies for the mission. Well, by golly, you know, I wanted to do as much traveling as I could, so I'd hitch a ride with him. Oh, he loved talking. He talked for, he talked forever with me. And he was just the greatest guy. And I got to like him very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember his name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "His name was Father Valstra. V-A-L-S-T-R-A, Father Valstra. The W pronounces as a V. The other priest was Father Kris. Sorry, sorry, Father Klapper, Klipis, Klaper, Koipus. Dutch for Cooper, the English Cooper. And they turned out to be just charming guys. They loved to drink beer. And I began to drink beer while I was there. It's not a custom I've continued, but for the time. Well, the day I arrived in my house from the monks guest cottage, an old, old monk, father, Brother Pacificus, big, chubby old monk, came over with the school car and lugged in a six pack of Tusker beer and put it on my dining room table. And he said, yeah, Mr. Scully, you'll be drinking a lot of this here, you know. And I thanked Brother Pacificus and, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wasn't that considered a sin to be?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:128", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 27.369691924742533, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And make friends. And not be lonely. And I think that was the success that came out of it. But I'll move the, I'll move the film ahead a little bit. The brothers were a nervous wreck about this Cambridge exam. There had been a mini riot at the school when they heard an American was coming to take over the Cambridge courses because it was rumored that Americans didn't really speak English. And this is a very Cambridge Anglo-focused tradition at the time. The exams were set in Cambridge. They were brought to Kenya carefully and monitored under security and then taken back to Cambridge for correction and grading."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then you got the grades several months later, posted all over the country and in the newspapers, by name. So you knew who passed and who didn't and how badly and how well. So this was a big pressure on the school. They'd never had a class and some of the more established schools looked down on them, didn't take them seriously. And a number of schools had very poor records of early classes. So they were kind of nervous. If they didn't do well, would they be thrown out? You know, there were all kinds of political implications here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What would passing the Cambridge exam afford these students?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Entry way into higher education. Without the GCE, the General Cambridge Exam, you could not go on to university. You could not go on to teacher training colleges of a degree level, and many other things. And therein rested a, a true cleavage between the American educator, quote unquote, who had done two months of teaching half seriously at Columbia University. But I sure glad I did it when I got there. And the establishment and the Dutch. None of the Dutch brothers who ran the school had any kind of degree. They did teachers training courses in the Netherlands to teach grade school, and they were all the victims and casualties of the war. So they all lived through the occupation. They didn't have a lot of advantages and the country was just emerging still from war-torn Europe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Teachers for East Africa, the TEA, were they British?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:148", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 22.636007071383386, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, and a generator in the night to give us 2 hours of electricity to study."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh, it was just hard work on the part of the students. But I had to have consultations with the brothers about this. I said, listen, in America, we, we really strive for the best. We assume you can do it unless you prove in your exams you can't. These kids can all go on to higher education. Some of the, some of the brothers haven't been able to do that themselves, let alone go on the university, and they were cloistered into their own societal educational institutions. I said, no, these boys need to go for it. They need to go for the golden ring. They can. And I tried to. And there's just a disconnect on the whole system."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was also a sense of, they don't deserve it, in a way too, they're just kind of poor. I resented that very much. It was like, you know, almost a thing, like we never had these advantages, you know? Why should they? You know, it takes time. The whole thing was, it's going to take generations. And I wasn't patient enough for that. I said, hell no. I'm the first in my family to have a college education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They can do it too."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:152", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 26.711119841214057, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was also a sense of, they don't deserve it, in a way too, they're just kind of poor. I resented that very much. It was like, you know, almost a thing, like we never had these advantages, you know? Why should they? You know, it takes time. The whole thing was, it's going to take generations. And I wasn't patient enough for that. I said, hell no. I'm the first in my family to have a college education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They can do it too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My father was told he couldn't and he didn't. He had a marvelous career. He's a great guy and he accomplished immense things. But he didn't go to college. Why? Too poor. So why try? Well, I wasn't going to let this happen to these kids. And by Jove, we had very high university admissions. I insisted they apply for everything. The monks were, the brothers were saying, ah, you know, let them try for a teacher training college, maybe they'd get in. They had a low opinion of a lot of these kids."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just did not accept that. And I also came from a. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. If you just want to pick up where you left off."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:172", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 32.241813167426905, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not to mention flogging grown men in public places for, you know, break, breaching whatever the colonial rules were at the time. And humiliating people was, you know, it was a very transitional period in Kenyan history. Thank God I was there. I have just, it was just been a wonderful, wonderful experience to have been there at that time. And my journals, my diaries, my field notes, etcetera, are historic documents. Now, I've published a number of things on that, on that period, information I collected from the period. And when I went back to graduate school, I did graduate studies in anthropology. My M.A. was on the Bukusu and pieced together a quick and dirty thing to get me through on the Bukusu people and some of their cultural interests and cultural attributes.\n\nIn my second year, brother Martino took over the fourth form. I worked with a new team taught, but he basically had the class for the next Cambridge. He spoke very good English and boy, he, we, I mean, he got really proficient in English. He was very good to begin with. He was the English master that I basically upgraded. And so he did that and the next year did quite well as well, about the same as the first year, which was good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was, a momentum got started. And a British guy, David Hill, came in to replace me. He did not teach. He taught the lower form English the year I left, and brother Martino took others. It was kind of interesting. But in my evaluation and recommendations to the brother master, headmaster, the brother headmaster, I guess it was. I said, keep your eyes on this Brit. I don't know if it was a bias I had from having a bad taste from my own experiences."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He wasn't a Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, he was, uh, TEAA. Oh, no, I'm sorry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought they were gone."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:206", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 37.16571089829631, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a Bukusu, that's a Bukusu fortified, big moat, it has a moat to keep people out, and then arrows and spears and everything else and that the garbage was found."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I did a couple of publications on this because I didn't want it to be lost somehow. So that's Peter Simi and I'm still in touch with him. Here's another guy. I was just, this was a nice sort of pocket. Anyway, that'll give you an idea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So, you know, you're sitting there and you suddenly realize, holy Toledo. I mean, gee. Do you want to put it back on?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, I've had it on."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:208", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 41.29523433144035, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I did a couple of publications on this because I didn't want it to be lost somehow. So that's Peter Simi and I'm still in touch with him. Here's another guy. I was just, this was a nice sort of pocket. Anyway, that'll give you an idea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So, you know, you're sitting there and you suddenly realize, holy Toledo. I mean, gee. Do you want to put it back on?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, I've had it on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, you have it on. Oh, gosh. Oh, good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hope it's okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00010:230", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 36.486049432048475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which we used to compare notes on and have a late night, you know, swapping of horror stories and war tales when we would get together. Jackie and I are still in touch. Nancy and I met at our 50th, or whenever it was, 45th or whatever, get together. She's going strong. She's had a very interesting career. Jackie, a very interesting after Peace Corps life as well, has done some very fascinating things. As have I think most of the chaps that I had a chance to get to know. But those two women and I had a very special bond because we were it and we were very, we were in sister-brother establishments."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that kind of enabled us to connect. Now, I'm working on a novel right now a little bit about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whether or not, how long it takes, took me four years to get this bloody thing going. That's mainly because I have few other things to do in life besides write. But the second year we get this history project going. USAID or one American agency got a whole shipment of books, donated books from all over, everything you can imagine, and they were in a warehouse to the ceiling. And my next vacation, I went down and I literally, I got ahold of the brothers. They came down with a station wagon and I got. But we trucked back, we built a whole library. Lots of history, of course, but whatever we'd get, old Encyclopedia Britannica, all kinds of things, things that nobody had ever seen before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did they come from?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 8.694269809048741, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is Phyllis Noble. I am interviewing Maria del Carmen Moreno, who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania from 1989 to 1991 when she was evacuated, went on to finish 1991 in Peace Corps service in Mali, and then returned to Mauritania as Peace Corps staff, as a trainer of new volunteers. Yeah, so we'll talk about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maria. Um. Oh, did I say today is, today is May 1st. It's May Day, 2016."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we are in Madison, Wisconsin. So Maria, let's, let's talk about who you were before you joined the Peace Corps. Where were you born?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.9936331211652667, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maria. Um. Oh, did I say today is, today is May 1st. It's May Day, 2016."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we are in Madison, Wisconsin. So Maria, let's, let's talk about who you were before you joined the Peace Corps. Where were you born?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was born in the Dominican Republic, an island in the Caribbean, but grew up in New York City as part of the Dominican diaspora that started moving to the States after 1965."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And, um, how old were you when your family moved?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2151479124058517, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we are in Madison, Wisconsin. So Maria, let's, let's talk about who you were before you joined the Peace Corps. Where were you born?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was born in the Dominican Republic, an island in the Caribbean, but grew up in New York City as part of the Dominican diaspora that started moving to the States after 1965."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And, um, how old were you when your family moved?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was six."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To New York. You were six. So you have pretty strong memories of being a child in Dominican Republic."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.461275458228724, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was born in the Dominican Republic, an island in the Caribbean, but grew up in New York City as part of the Dominican diaspora that started moving to the States after 1965."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And, um, how old were you when your family moved?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was six."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To New York. You were six. So you have pretty strong memories of being a child in Dominican Republic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when you moved to New York, it was you and both of your parents?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7347505091430264, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was six."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To New York. You were six. So you have pretty strong memories of being a child in Dominican Republic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when you moved to New York, it was you and both of your parents?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both of my parents. And, um, there were four of us. Four siblings, four children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you among the four?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7513724405254134, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the middle. So kind of middle daughter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, middle. I have an older sister and an older brother. And then I have my younger sister, and then my parents had two more children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Born in New York?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.168191600583793, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, middle. I have an older sister and an older brother. And then I have my younger sister, and then my parents had two more children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Born in New York?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So six of you altogether. Wow, wow. And what did your parents do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.520212889537547, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Born in New York?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So six of you altogether. Wow, wow. And what did your parents do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So my mom initially worked in a factory, and then, uh, uh, stayed at home when we lost our baby, our, our, um, uh, kind of in- home, um, caretaker. And then and my dad worked, um, kind of it was, um, he worked for a man that had a lot of properties, and he managed his properties, and then eventually he purchased those properties when this man decided to return to Nicaragua."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. So your father purchased the properties that he'd been taking care of."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.9113476550417188, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So six of you altogether. Wow, wow. And what did your parents do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So my mom initially worked in a factory, and then, uh, uh, stayed at home when we lost our baby, our, our, um, uh, kind of in- home, um, caretaker. And then and my dad worked, um, kind of it was, um, he worked for a man that had a lot of properties, and he managed his properties, and then eventually he purchased those properties when this man decided to return to Nicaragua."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. So your father purchased the properties that he'd been taking care of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. And where were the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1237196167130206, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So my mom initially worked in a factory, and then, uh, uh, stayed at home when we lost our baby, our, our, um, uh, kind of in- home, um, caretaker. And then and my dad worked, um, kind of it was, um, he worked for a man that had a lot of properties, and he managed his properties, and then eventually he purchased those properties when this man decided to return to Nicaragua."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. So your father purchased the properties that he'd been taking care of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. And where were the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "These were an apartment building in Manhattan, the Bronx."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Huh. Wow. That must have been a good move I’m thinking for your father."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.359688463014467, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. And where were the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "These were an apartment building in Manhattan, the Bronx."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Huh. Wow. That must have been a good move I’m thinking for your father."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Economically, for the family. Six kids plus two parents. That's eight people."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6218760700160746, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "These were an apartment building in Manhattan, the Bronx."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Huh. Wow. That must have been a good move I’m thinking for your father."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Economically, for the family. Six kids plus two parents. That's eight people."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Eight people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm trying to imagine traveling together as a family. Did you ever go anywhere?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.913195633351194, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Economically, for the family. Six kids plus two parents. That's eight people."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Eight people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm trying to imagine traveling together as a family. Did you ever go anywhere?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We never traveled. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You couldn't. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.2368840370568823, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Eight people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm trying to imagine traveling together as a family. Did you ever go anywhere?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We never traveled. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You couldn't. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We didn't go anywhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And where in New York did you live?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4854267078409804, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We never traveled. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You couldn't. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We didn't go anywhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And where in New York did you live?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we initially lived in Manhattan, which is where the Dominican, uh, community was. And then we moved to the Bronx by Fordham University."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, I can imagine that. And so, um, when you arrived in New York, I'm thinking you probably spoke only Spanish."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7615852309344224, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We didn't go anywhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And where in New York did you live?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we initially lived in Manhattan, which is where the Dominican, uh, community was. And then we moved to the Bronx by Fordham University."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, I can imagine that. And so, um, when you arrived in New York, I'm thinking you probably spoke only Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Only Spanish. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And now you speak English without an accent. So you did a remarkable job of being bilingual."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0684280343715806, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we initially lived in Manhattan, which is where the Dominican, uh, community was. And then we moved to the Bronx by Fordham University."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, I can imagine that. And so, um, when you arrived in New York, I'm thinking you probably spoke only Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Only Spanish. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And now you speak English without an accent. So you did a remarkable job of being bilingual."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go to school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.4093644826350897, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Only Spanish. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And now you speak English without an accent. So you did a remarkable job of being bilingual."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go to school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. You mean undergrad or?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, no, I mean, as a child."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5659605362612108, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go to school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. You mean undergrad or?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, no, I mean, as a child."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So first, initially it was in, um, Manhattan. It was an elementary school, and then we moved to the Bronx and I went to high, I went to a Catholic school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A Catholic school. So elementary school was public school."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.7399561514013453, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. You mean undergrad or?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, no, I mean, as a child."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So first, initially it was in, um, Manhattan. It was an elementary school, and then we moved to the Bronx and I went to high, I went to a Catholic school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A Catholic school. So elementary school was public school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And middle school was, uh, public school. And then high school was a Catholic school, a Catholic school in the Bronx."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the Bronx. What was the name of the school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8221735015570503, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So first, initially it was in, um, Manhattan. It was an elementary school, and then we moved to the Bronx and I went to high, I went to a Catholic school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A Catholic school. So elementary school was public school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And middle school was, uh, public school. And then high school was a Catholic school, a Catholic school in the Bronx."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the Bronx. What was the name of the school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Saint Thomas Aquinas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Saint Thomas Aquinas. Okay. And, um, I went to a Catholic school too. That's why I'm smiling. Um, so at Saint Thomas Aquinas in high school, uh, you already spoke Spanish. Were you required to take another foreign language?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9135261128411669, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And middle school was, uh, public school. And then high school was a Catholic school, a Catholic school in the Bronx."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the Bronx. What was the name of the school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Saint Thomas Aquinas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Saint Thomas Aquinas. Okay. And, um, I went to a Catholic school too. That's why I'm smiling. Um, so at Saint Thomas Aquinas in high school, uh, you already spoke Spanish. Were you required to take another foreign language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, all the school, all the schooling was in English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. Sure."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0150290142679632, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Saint Thomas Aquinas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Saint Thomas Aquinas. Okay. And, um, I went to a Catholic school too. That's why I'm smiling. Um, so at Saint Thomas Aquinas in high school, uh, you already spoke Spanish. Were you required to take another foreign language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, all the school, all the schooling was in English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, I mean, in high school, no, they counted my Spanish as a foreign language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't have to."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1278100158532924, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, all the school, all the schooling was in English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, I mean, in high school, no, they counted my Spanish as a foreign language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't have to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't have to take another language or take Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spanish, right. You had that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2531222398369917, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, I mean, in high school, no, they counted my Spanish as a foreign language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't have to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't have to take another language or take Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spanish, right. You had that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I already had it. Yeah. It's kind of interesting, but it was an all girls school. I don't know if that's what you went?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did go to an all girls Catholic school."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.392358044263324, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't have to take another language or take Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spanish, right. You had that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I already had it. Yeah. It's kind of interesting, but it was an all girls school. I don't know if that's what you went?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did go to an all girls Catholic school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I loved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Oh, good. Yeah. You had to wear uniforms?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7189605484732395, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I loved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Oh, good. Yeah. You had to wear uniforms?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I loved it. I loved everything about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quite the opposite of my experience. And so how did you learn? You must have learned to read and write in Spanish in school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.909956164970266, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I loved it. I loved everything about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quite the opposite of my experience. And so how did you learn? You must have learned to read and write in Spanish in school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I was in school in the Dominican Republic prior to coming to the States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.122173516633629, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quite the opposite of my experience. And so how did you learn? You must have learned to read and write in Spanish in school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I was in school in the Dominican Republic prior to coming to the States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So even though I was so young, yeah, I was already in school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you were already literate in Spanish."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3579705740373655, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I was in school in the Dominican Republic prior to coming to the States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So even though I was so young, yeah, I was already in school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you were already literate in Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then when you came here, you had to switch to English."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6199673044859617, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So even though I was so young, yeah, I was already in school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you were already literate in Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then when you came here, you had to switch to English."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was that like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9110747827621797, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then when you came here, you had to switch to English."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was that like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, well, that was very hard, but, you know, I learned it. I don't know how, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm thinking that at age six, to be thrust into."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.59391948489158, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, well, that was very hard, but, you know, I learned it. I don't know how, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm thinking that at age six, to be thrust into."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I lived in a Spanish community, so everything was in Spanish. The only thing that was in English was school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But school must have seemed, um, ultra difficult for that first year until, I mean, kids pick up languages quickly, but the beginning must be."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.9932438721017554, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I lived in a Spanish community, so everything was in Spanish. The only thing that was in English was school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But school must have seemed, um, ultra difficult for that first year until, I mean, kids pick up languages quickly, but the beginning must be."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're at Saint Thomas of Aquinas. Um, what did you, what did you do as a kid when you were, uh. I'm not, I'm not talking about academics, but, um, extracurricular activities."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7342165598103643, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know, I played tennis. Uh, um, so I spent a lot of time traveling to and from a place to play tennis, so. So sometimes that was a two hour train ride to Queens."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Manhattan."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that's what I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that tennis then brought you into other corners of New York. You must know New York very well then."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0380183997892938, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Manhattan."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that's what I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that tennis then brought you into other corners of New York. You must know New York very well then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I did before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, of course."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.375575999765882, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that's what I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that tennis then brought you into other corners of New York. You must know New York very well then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I did before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, of course."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Uh, so you played tennis. Um, did you hang out with, uh, both Hispanic kids, girls and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7506399997398687, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I did before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, of course."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Uh, so you played tennis. Um, did you hang out with, uh, both Hispanic kids, girls and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, you know, not really. I mean, we weren't really allowed to hang out, so my, my dad was very strict. So you went to school, you either went to a job, or you went to sports, and you came home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You came home?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.6304197527652695, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, you know, not really. I mean, we weren't really allowed to hang out, so my, my dad was very strict. So you went to school, you either went to a job, or you went to sports, and you came home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You came home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And so and we had a very large extended family. So we really didn't need anybody else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were, we were quite a large group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds wonderful. It sounds very warm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.144910836405855, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And so and we had a very large extended family. So we really didn't need anybody else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were, we were quite a large group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds wonderful. It sounds very warm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What, what about, um, summer jobs after you were 16? Did you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.605456484895394, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were, we were quite a large group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds wonderful. It sounds very warm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What, what about, um, summer jobs after you were 16? Did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, no, I played tennis. I played tennis through, yeah, until I went to college. My summers were filled with tennis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You must have been very good."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.117173872105994, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What, what about, um, summer jobs after you were 16? Did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, no, I played tennis. I played tennis through, yeah, until I went to college. My summers were filled with tennis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You must have been very good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I loved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you still play?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.685748746784437, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, no, I played tennis. I played tennis through, yeah, until I went to college. My summers were filled with tennis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You must have been very good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I loved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you still play?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit. Yeah, not as much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Excellent. So then you graduate from high school and then you went to college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.0952763853160405, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I loved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you still play?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit. Yeah, not as much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Excellent. So then you graduate from high school and then you went to college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to American university in Washington, D.C."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "American University, the very place we were just talking about that has the Peace Corps Community Archive, in Washington, D.C."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.550307094795601, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit. Yeah, not as much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Excellent. So then you graduate from high school and then you went to college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to American university in Washington, D.C."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "American University, the very place we were just talking about that has the Peace Corps Community Archive, in Washington, D.C."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was your first time living outside of New York?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.055896771995112, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to American university in Washington, D.C."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "American University, the very place we were just talking about that has the Peace Corps Community Archive, in Washington, D.C."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was your first time living outside of New York?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In D.C., did you live in a dorm?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.617663079994569, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was your first time living outside of New York?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In D.C., did you live in a dorm?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I lived in the dorms."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And what did you study at?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.1307367555495205, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In D.C., did you live in a dorm?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I lived in the dorms."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And what did you study at?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I, I did political science and Russian studies."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Russian studies. Did you study Russian?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.700818617277245, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I lived in the dorms."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And what did you study at?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I, I did political science and Russian studies."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Russian studies. Did you study Russian?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, I did, there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you hadn't done that in high school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.334242908085828, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I, I did political science and Russian studies."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Russian studies. Did you study Russian?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, I did, there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you hadn't done that in high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you plunged into that brand new in college."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.038047675650919, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, I did, there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you hadn't done that in high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you plunged into that brand new in college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. I'm thinking how difficult that is."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.820052972945465, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you plunged into that brand new in college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. I'm thinking how difficult that is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, the alphabet. Yeah. Well, I mean, I did learn to speak the language so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Radically different from Spanish. It's not like French or Italian or something."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 8.688947747717183, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. I'm thinking how difficult that is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, the alphabet. Yeah. Well, I mean, I did learn to speak the language so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Radically different from Spanish. It's not like French or Italian or something."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Well, you took on. What, what drew you, what attracted to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.788824379897755, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Well, you took on. What, what drew you, what attracted to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was, uh, you know, I was, I was a, um, an avid reader and, um, my, at the time when I was filling out my, which I think, uh, when I was filling out my application for courses, I must have been reading. I used to go through like phases, like I would read all these French authors, or I would read all these Latin American authors. And I was reading maybe the Russian authors at the time. So I was heavily into Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky and some of these other Russian authors. So maybe that's why. And, you know, and I saw that they had Russian language and Russian studies, so I just decided to take it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then made a minor out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wonderful. And your major was, did you say political science?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.432027088775283, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was, uh, you know, I was, I was a, um, an avid reader and, um, my, at the time when I was filling out my, which I think, uh, when I was filling out my application for courses, I must have been reading. I used to go through like phases, like I would read all these French authors, or I would read all these Latin American authors. And I was reading maybe the Russian authors at the time. So I was heavily into Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky and some of these other Russian authors. So maybe that's why. And, you know, and I saw that they had Russian language and Russian studies, so I just decided to take it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then made a minor out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wonderful. And your major was, did you say political science?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Political science."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And again at AU, did you have to work part time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.14669676530587, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then made a minor out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wonderful. And your major was, did you say political science?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Political science."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And again at AU, did you have to work part time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did you do there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.489749092970209, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did you do there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I worked at a church on, on the campus. So it was a, you know, ecumenical, um, office. And I worked there the whole time I was at AU."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Summertime too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, just during the year and then during the summer, I'm trying to think, um. Well, I, uh, freshman, um, I think I went, oh, yeah, I went back to New York and I worked. So I had one, in one of my semesters, I did an internship on Capitol Hill, and then it also took me to New York City because I worked for the congressman. So I worked in New York City. And another one, I worked for the mayor's office. So I would go back to the city, to New York, to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And work there in the summers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.988610103300232, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I worked at a church on, on the campus. So it was a, you know, ecumenical, um, office. And I worked there the whole time I was at AU."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Summertime too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, just during the year and then during the summer, I'm trying to think, um. Well, I, uh, freshman, um, I think I went, oh, yeah, I went back to New York and I worked. So I had one, in one of my semesters, I did an internship on Capitol Hill, and then it also took me to New York City because I worked for the congressman. So I worked in New York City. And another one, I worked for the mayor's office. So I would go back to the city, to New York, to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And work there in the summers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Summers, mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Which Congressman?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.431789003666924, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, just during the year and then during the summer, I'm trying to think, um. Well, I, uh, freshman, um, I think I went, oh, yeah, I went back to New York and I worked. So I had one, in one of my semesters, I did an internship on Capitol Hill, and then it also took me to New York City because I worked for the congressman. So I worked in New York City. And another one, I worked for the mayor's office. So I would go back to the city, to New York, to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And work there in the summers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Summers, mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Which Congressman?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I. Roberto Garcia. The name. Yeah, I don't remember. I mean, yeah, he eventually went to jail for some racketeering problem. I found it odd, I never saw him in the office the whole time I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's an interesting part of your education too."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.92421000407436, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Summers, mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Which Congressman?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I. Roberto Garcia. The name. Yeah, I don't remember. I mean, yeah, he eventually went to jail for some racketeering problem. I found it odd, I never saw him in the office the whole time I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's an interesting part of your education too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then, uh, eventually you went to the Peace Corps. Did you go to the Peace Corps immediately after?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.0792716099683455, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then, uh, eventually you went to the Peace Corps. Did you go to the Peace Corps immediately after?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I did apply to the Peace Corps. And actually, the reason I decided in the Peace Corps was because at American University, a lot of people, a lot of my friends, um. So I was in the political science department, but a lot of my friends were in the international relations department."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And a lot of them went on to the Peace Corps. So that's where."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So, you knew people who were."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.036137790084378, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And a lot of them went on to the Peace Corps. So that's where."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So, you knew people who were."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew people who had been in the Peace Corps or were going to Peace Corps. And then the whole Kennedy, you know, give back to your country, service. I mean, American University put a lot of emphasis on service. So, so I knew that that's what I was going to do after. And I did apply to Peace Corps, and I was accepted to go to, I believe it was Costa Rica, but it was to teach English and I didn't want to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I declined."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when was that? When was that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.8717750494868857, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I declined."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when was that? When was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was May of 1985."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "1985."}, {"role": "user", "content": "'85."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "'85. And you were still a student at AU?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1908611660965396, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was May of 1985."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "1985."}, {"role": "user", "content": "'85."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "'85. And you were still a student at AU?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I graduated in May of '85."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So right then when you graduated, you applied."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.545401295662822, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "'85."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "'85. And you were still a student at AU?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I graduated in May of '85."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So right then when you graduated, you applied."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or you had applied and you were invited to Costa Rica. And you turned that down."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.939334772958691, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I graduated in May of '85."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So right then when you graduated, you applied."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or you had applied and you were invited to Costa Rica. And you turned that down."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they say anything to you about how, oh, if you turn down what we offer you, you might not ever get another invitation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.377038636620767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or you had applied and you were invited to Costa Rica. And you turned that down."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they say anything to you about how, oh, if you turn down what we offer you, you might not ever get another invitation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So what did you tell them? How did you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.863376262911964, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they say anything to you about how, oh, if you turn down what we offer you, you might not ever get another invitation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So what did you tell them? How did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I just said I choose to decline my offer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't tell them why?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.004168225817239, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I just said I choose to decline my offer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't tell them why?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't want it. You wanted something else not teaching English."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.412553365206468, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't want it. You wanted something else not teaching English."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I didn't think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, the teaching English just didn't, didn't seem to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had they, in the application project, had they asked you for your preferences? Had they asked if there was any place you would not go to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.04018933976107, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, the teaching English just didn't, didn't seem to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had they, in the application project, had they asked you for your preferences? Had they asked if there was any place you would not go to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, that was pre, pre-choice. I mean, it wasn't. I mean, I had Spanish so you know they automatically put me in a Spanish speaking country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yeah. I don't remember very much of that process. I know that the, my second time around I was very deliberate as to where I wanted to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where you wanted to go and what you wanted to do."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.933543710845633, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, that was pre, pre-choice. I mean, it wasn't. I mean, I had Spanish so you know they automatically put me in a Spanish speaking country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yeah. I don't remember very much of that process. I know that the, my second time around I was very deliberate as to where I wanted to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where you wanted to go and what you wanted to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, um. So you decline the invitation to, to go to Costa Rica. And then what happened? Did you have to apply all over again?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.399922785796479, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, so, I mean a year's passed between that. So then I stayed, I worked in the Dominican Republic that following year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I worked at a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, and then I went to graduate school at Boston University."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you did?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 9.333247539773865, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I worked at a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, and then I went to graduate school at Boston University."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you did?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you're now in Boston, at Boston University studying?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.093618024381157, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "International relations. Um, and then, my, uh, I did a two year program because I worked full time at the, at that time. And during the summer, I did an internship in the UN, in the Dominican Republic. And then I realized that I wanted to go work overseas. So when I graduated from BU the following May, I was trying to get overseas. And in one conversation with one potential employer, he was, you know, he showed me the stack of job applicants and, you know, talked to me about some of their qualifications. He says, you must have a plan B."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he goes, what's your plan B? And I said, well, I guess it's Peace Corps. He goes, well, you should, you know, put plan B into gear just in case."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because a lot of the organizations would want me to stay in country, in, work in the United States in their home office for one to two years before they would send me overseas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And you weren't sure you wanted to do that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.752562447710778, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't want to do that. So I wanted to go overseas right away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I went home and I applied for the Peace Corps that day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Second time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Second time. Same, same application form, having to fill the whole thing out?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.391736053011975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I went home and I applied for the Peace Corps that day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Second time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Second time. Same, same application form, having to fill the whole thing out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "But this time I selected the continent and the language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you said you wanted Africa."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.396071403308607, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I said I wanted Africa, or I wanted Nepal, whichever was first."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that I wanted French or, you know, another language. So I wanted to learn another language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I wanted to go and experience another place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Something radically different from what you were already comfortable in."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:203", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.217857114787341, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that I wanted French or, you know, another language. So I wanted to learn another language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I wanted to go and experience another place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Something radically different from what you were already comfortable in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. What a character you have, so strong that you just really want to learn as much as you possibly can."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.130952349763712, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I wanted to go and experience another place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Something radically different from what you were already comfortable in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. What a character you have, so strong that you just really want to learn as much as you possibly can."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this is now 1987, maybe?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 9.034391499737458, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. What a character you have, so strong that you just really want to learn as much as you possibly can."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this is now 1987, maybe?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "'88."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "'88. And how long did it take before you got an invitation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.59376833304162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this is now 1987, maybe?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "'88."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "'88. And how long did it take before you got an invitation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I didn't, uh, so this is, this is May. Um, this is June, June '88. So I applied and then I, uh, I was selected to go into training in March of '89."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's a long time. So you had to fill all that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.90588683091558, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I didn't, uh, so this is, this is May. Um, this is June, June '88. So I applied and then I, uh, I was selected to go into training in March of '89."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's a long time. So you had to fill all that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. Well, I was working in D.C. at that point, at that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In D.C."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And what were you doing in D.C.?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.450985367683978, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. Well, I was working in D.C. at that point, at that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In D.C."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And what were you doing in D.C.?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was working at PAHO, Pan American Health Organization, just doing odd jobs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Using Spanish?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.056650408537753, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And what were you doing in D.C.?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was working at PAHO, Pan American Health Organization, just doing odd jobs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Using Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. Okay. Yeah. And, and now you have a master's degree in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:219", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.729611565041948, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was working at PAHO, Pan American Health Organization, just doing odd jobs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Using Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. Okay. Yeah. And, and now you have a master's degree in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "International relations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "International relations. You're just so qualified to do so many things. I would think people would just zap you up. So. So you're, um, working in D.C. with a connection with, uh, Panama?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:221", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.366235072268831, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. Okay. Yeah. And, and now you have a master's degree in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "International relations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "International relations. You're just so qualified to do so many things. I would think people would just zap you up. So. So you're, um, working in D.C. with a connection with, uh, Panama?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "PAHO, which is the Pan American."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Pan American, not Panama, but Pan American Health Organization. Okay. And then in, did you say March of '89?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:223", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.073594524743145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "International relations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "International relations. You're just so qualified to do so many things. I would think people would just zap you up. So. So you're, um, working in D.C. with a connection with, uh, Panama?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "PAHO, which is the Pan American."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Pan American, not Panama, but Pan American Health Organization. Okay. And then in, did you say March of '89?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In March of '89."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You began training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:227", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8192524996828945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In March of '89."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You began training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Began training in Frogmore, which is, uh, where you did the agricultural. You did like six, 6 or 8 weeks of agricultural training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's Frogmore?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Frogmore is in, um, I don't know if it's South Carolina or North Carolina. It's close to Hilton Head, not very far from Hilton Head."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Island sort of?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:229", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.021391666314327, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Began training in Frogmore, which is, uh, where you did the agricultural. You did like six, 6 or 8 weeks of agricultural training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's Frogmore?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Frogmore is in, um, I don't know if it's South Carolina or North Carolina. It's close to Hilton Head, not very far from Hilton Head."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Island sort of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, well, Frogmore, it's on the mainland. Hilton Head is on an island."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so near and coastal."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2459907403492525, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Frogmore is in, um, I don't know if it's South Carolina or North Carolina. It's close to Hilton Head, not very far from Hilton Head."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Island sort of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, well, Frogmore, it's on the mainland. Hilton Head is on an island."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so near and coastal."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And this is where Peace Corps would go and do their ag training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah. All right. So you were going to be an?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.495545267054725, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, well, Frogmore, it's on the mainland. Hilton Head is on an island."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so near and coastal."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And this is where Peace Corps would go and do their ag training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah. All right. So you were going to be an?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Agricultural volunteer at this point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Agricultural. But you didn't know exactly specifically. Did you know that it would be Mauritania?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.77282807450525, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And this is where Peace Corps would go and do their ag training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah. All right. So you were going to be an?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Agricultural volunteer at this point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Agricultural. But you didn't know exactly specifically. Did you know that it would be Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You knew it would be Mauritania."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.080920082783611, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Agricultural volunteer at this point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Agricultural. But you didn't know exactly specifically. Did you know that it would be Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You knew it would be Mauritania."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So everybody who went to, there were, uh, like 3 or 4 countries. And everybody who was doing ag, ag volunteer in Mauritania was in that training. Well, I think actually every, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. But also people going to different countries?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:239", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3121334253151233, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You knew it would be Mauritania."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So everybody who went to, there were, uh, like 3 or 4 countries. And everybody who was doing ag, ag volunteer in Mauritania was in that training. Well, I think actually every, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. But also people going to different countries?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Tunisia. Um, yeah. There were a number of other countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All were francophone?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.569037139239026, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So everybody who went to, there were, uh, like 3 or 4 countries. And everybody who was doing ag, ag volunteer in Mauritania was in that training. Well, I think actually every, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. But also people going to different countries?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Tunisia. Um, yeah. There were a number of other countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All were francophone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. Okay. So you're not talking about culture or language at Frogmore?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.854485710265584, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Tunisia. Um, yeah. There were a number of other countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All were francophone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. Okay. So you're not talking about culture or language at Frogmore?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, yes, strictly technical."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Agriculture and, uh, learning the skills you'd need in agriculture. Something brand new."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.524056432426647, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, yes, strictly technical."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Agriculture and, uh, learning the skills you'd need in agriculture. Something brand new."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. It worked well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. How long were you in Frogmore?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:249", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.8045071471407184, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. It worked well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. How long were you in Frogmore?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I think it was either 6 or 8 weeks. I can't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many volunteers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:251", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.005007941267465, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. It worked well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. How long were you in Frogmore?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I think it was either 6 or 8 weeks. I can't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many volunteers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were a lot. I mean, because it was not just the Mauritanias. So, um. I don't know. There were a lot of us. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:253", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2277866014082943, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I think it was either 6 or 8 weeks. I can't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many volunteers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were a lot. I mean, because it was not just the Mauritanias. So, um. I don't know. There were a lot of us. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we did gardening. Yeah, just farming techniques and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Organic farming? Or were they talking about fertilizers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.750353828899129, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we did gardening. Yeah, just farming techniques and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Organic farming? Or were they talking about fertilizers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they don't. Yeah, because I remember they did use fertilizer, because I remember I killed one of my plants because I put too much. Yeah. So, so it was not organic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they're telling you how to do gardening, planting?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0559486987768096, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they don't. Yeah, because I remember they did use fertilizer, because I remember I killed one of my plants because I put too much. Yeah. So, so it was not organic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they're telling you how to do gardening, planting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Um. Just that whole process and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, I'm thinking about how that might differ from country to country is the soil and the temperature, the climate and the soil differ in different places."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:261", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.395498554196455, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they're telling you how to do gardening, planting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Um. Just that whole process and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, I'm thinking about how that might differ from country to country is the soil and the temperature, the climate and the soil differ in different places."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know, but they didn't talk about the fact that where I was in Mauritania was very, it was the desert. So that wasn't, it wasn't brought up. I mean, we were farming in good. And yeah, it was, it was good. It was very different from where I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So, but so, so you did that training and then you went to Mauritania?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.772776171329394, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Um. Just that whole process and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, I'm thinking about how that might differ from country to country is the soil and the temperature, the climate and the soil differ in different places."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know, but they didn't talk about the fact that where I was in Mauritania was very, it was the desert. So that wasn't, it wasn't brought up. I mean, we were farming in good. And yeah, it was, it was good. It was very different from where I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So, but so, so you did that training and then you went to Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we did more training. There was language and culture and some technical."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, um, before we leave Frogmore, uh, where were you living? Were you in, uh?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.657748359665918, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we did more training. There was language and culture and some technical."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, um, before we leave Frogmore, uh, where were you living? Were you in, uh?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We lived in a, in a house, a dorm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Everybody lived together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So, like, maybe it was sometimes used as a school."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.515738715636936, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Everybody lived together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So, like, maybe it was sometimes used as a school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm. I can't remember. I do remember us was doing a weekend family in the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was for how long did you say?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:273", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.9063763507077067, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm. I can't remember. I do remember us was doing a weekend family in the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was for how long did you say?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was 6 to 8 weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "6 to 8 weeks. Okay. And then you all get on a plane somewhere?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.2293070563418964, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was for how long did you say?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was 6 to 8 weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "6 to 8 weeks. Okay. And then you all get on a plane somewhere?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In New York, out of New York to Mauritania via Paris."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So at this point, somewhere you have to say goodbye to your mom. You have this big family, and you're all very close. Did you then go home to your family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:277", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4770078403798848, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was 6 to 8 weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "6 to 8 weeks. Okay. And then you all get on a plane somewhere?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In New York, out of New York to Mauritania via Paris."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So at this point, somewhere you have to say goodbye to your mom. You have this big family, and you're all very close. Did you then go home to your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. In the Dominican, in the Dominican Republic. At that point, my parents were living in the Dominican Republic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you went back to the Dominican Republic?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:279", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7522309337554276, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In New York, out of New York to Mauritania via Paris."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So at this point, somewhere you have to say goodbye to your mom. You have this big family, and you're all very close. Did you then go home to your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. In the Dominican, in the Dominican Republic. At that point, my parents were living in the Dominican Republic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you went back to the Dominican Republic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes.\n\nTo see your parents, hug them with. Were they worried about you? You're going off to Africa.\n\nI think my mom. My dad was like, good luck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right. He knew you to be the strong person that you are. Moms are, the job description of your mom is to worry. And your siblings? Um, what were they saying?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.058034370839364, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. In the Dominican, in the Dominican Republic. At that point, my parents were living in the Dominican Republic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you went back to the Dominican Republic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes.\n\nTo see your parents, hug them with. Were they worried about you? You're going off to Africa.\n\nI think my mom. My dad was like, good luck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right. He knew you to be the strong person that you are. Moms are, the job description of your mom is to worry. And your siblings? Um, what were they saying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I mean, I have, my two sisters are world travelers, so that was fine. And then my brothers were like, oh, why are you going there? You know, they, nobody really knew anything about Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course not. I would have had to look it up on a map."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.397815967599293, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes.\n\nTo see your parents, hug them with. Were they worried about you? You're going off to Africa.\n\nI think my mom. My dad was like, good luck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right. He knew you to be the strong person that you are. Moms are, the job description of your mom is to worry. And your siblings? Um, what were they saying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I mean, I have, my two sisters are world travelers, so that was fine. And then my brothers were like, oh, why are you going there? You know, they, nobody really knew anything about Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course not. I would have had to look it up on a map."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So did I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, so, um, and so you're, you get together with other volunteers in New York to fly over. How old were you then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:285", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6642399639992145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I mean, I have, my two sisters are world travelers, so that was fine. And then my brothers were like, oh, why are you going there? You know, they, nobody really knew anything about Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course not. I would have had to look it up on a map."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So did I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, so, um, and so you're, you get together with other volunteers in New York to fly over. How old were you then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I, um, so let's see. This is '91. 23."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're 23, you've already got a master's degree under your belt, and you're in New York."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:287", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.9602666266657938, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So did I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, so, um, and so you're, you get together with other volunteers in New York to fly over. How old were you then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I, um, so let's see. This is '91. 23."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're 23, you've already got a master's degree under your belt, and you're in New York."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or maybe 24, maybe 24."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And it's 1989. Um, what month are we in now?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.17807402962866, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I, um, so let's see. This is '91. 23."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're 23, you've already got a master's degree under your belt, and you're in New York."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or maybe 24, maybe 24."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And it's 1989. Um, what month are we in now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, we are June."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "June, June of '89. And you all get on a plane. Was it a special chartered plane going only to Mauritania?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3089711440318448, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or maybe 24, maybe 24."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And it's 1989. Um, what month are we in now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, we are June."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "June, June of '89. And you all get on a plane. Was it a special chartered plane going only to Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It was, we went to Paris. So it was like a United or American."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Peace Corps staff go with you on the plane?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4544123822576052, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, we are June."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "June, June of '89. And you all get on a plane. Was it a special chartered plane going only to Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It was, we went to Paris. So it was like a United or American."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Peace Corps staff go with you on the plane?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a Peace Corps staff person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somebody accompanying you. Okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6160137580640057, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It was, we went to Paris. So it was like a United or American."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Peace Corps staff go with you on the plane?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a Peace Corps staff person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somebody accompanying you. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, maybe not. No, now that I mention it, now that I think about it. No, they were meeting us in Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you have to transfer planes in Paris without a Peace Corps staff sort of shepherding you from place to place?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:297", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7955708422933396, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a Peace Corps staff person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somebody accompanying you. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, maybe not. No, now that I mention it, now that I think about it. No, they were meeting us in Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you have to transfer planes in Paris without a Peace Corps staff sort of shepherding you from place to place?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people were there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:299", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.9950787136592663, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, maybe not. No, now that I mention it, now that I think about it. No, they were meeting us in Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you have to transfer planes in Paris without a Peace Corps staff sort of shepherding you from place to place?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were about 24 of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the age of 23 or 24, were you older than most of them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:301", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1056430151769625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were about 24 of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the age of 23 or 24, were you older than most of them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Most of them were 21, 22."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So fresh out of college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:303", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.228492239085514, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were about 24 of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the age of 23 or 24, were you older than most of them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Most of them were 21, 22."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So fresh out of college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they're all, you're all supposed to take care of yourselves in a, in an airport where maybe people don't speak French."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:305", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3649913767616821, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Most of them were 21, 22."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So fresh out of college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they're all, you're all supposed to take care of yourselves in a, in an airport where maybe people don't speak French."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And find your way to an international."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:307", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.516657085290758, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they're all, you're all supposed to take care of yourselves in a, in an airport where maybe people don't speak French."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And find your way to an international."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, flight that's going, what now? From Paris."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:309", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.6851745392119533, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And find your way to an international."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, flight that's going, what now? From Paris."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Paris to Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's the name of the capital city?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:311", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7613050435688369, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, flight that's going, what now? From Paris."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Paris to Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's the name of the capital city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nouakchott."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nouakchott. And did the, is there an airport there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8458944928542632, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Paris to Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's the name of the capital city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nouakchott."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nouakchott. And did the, is there an airport there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a direct flight from Paris?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:315", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9398827698380702, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nouakchott."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nouakchott. And did the, is there an airport there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a direct flight from Paris?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And um. So you get in, it's June and we're in West Africa. Mauritania. I'm trying to think, Mauritania is north of Senegal?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:317", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0443141887089669, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a direct flight from Paris?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And um. So you get in, it's June and we're in West Africa. Mauritania. I'm trying to think, Mauritania is north of Senegal?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. It's just where the continent begins to swing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:319", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1603490985655187, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And um. So you get in, it's June and we're in West Africa. Mauritania. I'm trying to think, Mauritania is north of Senegal?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. It's just where the continent begins to swing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, Senegal is the westernmost point, and now we're beginning to swing around on, on that part of West Africa. Nouakchott. You get off the plane. Do you remember getting off the plane? Was it walking down?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:321", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2892767761839097, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. It's just where the continent begins to swing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, Senegal is the westernmost point, and now we're beginning to swing around on, on that part of West Africa. Nouakchott. You get off the plane. Do you remember getting off the plane? Was it walking down?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. On the outside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The outside. So right away you're hit with a."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:323", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4325297513154551, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, Senegal is the westernmost point, and now we're beginning to swing around on, on that part of West Africa. Nouakchott. You get off the plane. Do you remember getting off the plane? Was it walking down?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. On the outside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The outside. So right away you're hit with a."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A sandstorm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Oh, I thought you were going to say heat. A sandstorm?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:327", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7685552485375988, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A sandstorm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Oh, I thought you were going to say heat. A sandstorm?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was horrible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:331", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0722904302933316, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was horrible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So immediately."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Immediately there was a sandstorm. And, uh, and so everybody's covered, you know, because apart from the fact that most, most people were covered because the Muslim country, because of the sandstorm, you know, even the women had their faces covered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Women and men."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:333", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.191433811437035, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So immediately."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Immediately there was a sandstorm. And, uh, and so everybody's covered, you know, because apart from the fact that most, most people were covered because the Muslim country, because of the sandstorm, you know, even the women had their faces covered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Women and men."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And men."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would have their faces covered. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:335", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3238153460411501, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Immediately there was a sandstorm. And, uh, and so everybody's covered, you know, because apart from the fact that most, most people were covered because the Muslim country, because of the sandstorm, you know, even the women had their faces covered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Women and men."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And men."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would have their faces covered. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that was. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't have, your faces weren't covered."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:337", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4709059400457223, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And men."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would have their faces covered. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that was. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't have, your faces weren't covered."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we didn't, we. Yeah. That was a mistake."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Whoa. Maybe somebody in New York could have mentioned that to you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:343", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0177036214618957, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, um. Yeah, but that was a, you know, that was like the first shock that the fact that everybody was covered, you couldn't see people's faces. So, you know, and certainly for me, coming from New York City, where, you know, it's so important to see who you're seeing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And only the thieves would cover themselves. So that was the initial. That was the first, I remember feeling that image of the bandits with their."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do remember feeling shocked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And, and then you're in the airport. You have to go through, uh, immigration and."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:345", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2418929127354397, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And only the thieves would cover themselves. So that was the initial. That was the first, I remember feeling that image of the bandits with their."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do remember feeling shocked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And, and then you're in the airport. You have to go through, uh, immigration and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, by that point we did have, um, Peace Corps volunteers who were there and Peace Corps staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yeah. But sometimes that's not the most efficient of things. And you have to get all your luggage and make sure everybody's got their stuff. Um, and among your group, um. What did you say, there were 20, 20?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:347", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4909921252615996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do remember feeling shocked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And, and then you're in the airport. You have to go through, uh, immigration and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, by that point we did have, um, Peace Corps volunteers who were there and Peace Corps staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yeah. But sometimes that's not the most efficient of things. And you have to get all your luggage and make sure everybody's got their stuff. Um, and among your group, um. What did you say, there were 20, 20?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About 26 of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "26 of you. Um, was it a mixture of men and women?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:349", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.767769028068444, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, by that point we did have, um, Peace Corps volunteers who were there and Peace Corps staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yeah. But sometimes that's not the most efficient of things. And you have to get all your luggage and make sure everybody's got their stuff. Um, and among your group, um. What did you say, there were 20, 20?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About 26 of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "26 of you. Um, was it a mixture of men and women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Men and women, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, and, um, any married couples?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:351", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0752989200760488, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About 26 of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "26 of you. Um, was it a mixture of men and women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Men and women, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, and, um, any married couples?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were, there were, uh, two. Two that I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then what happened? You get off. You're dead tired."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4169988000844986, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Men and women, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, and, um, any married couples?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were, there were, uh, two. Two that I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then what happened? You get off. You're dead tired."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Get off the bus. Get off the plane"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't sleep?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7966653334272205, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were, there were, uh, two. Two that I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then what happened? You get off. You're dead tired."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Get off the bus. Get off the plane"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't sleep?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, we did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're exhausted."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:357", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 4.218517037141356, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Get off the bus. Get off the plane"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't sleep?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, we did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're exhausted."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. And we arrive in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You arrive at?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:361", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.26977411992759964, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. And we arrive in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You arrive at?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Nouakchott. It's during the day. So we arrived in the morning because it was an old flight. Um, an all night flight. Uh, well, the first thing was you notice, you know, the boys were sent to one side. The girls were sent to another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Um, and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of a hotel lobby?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:363", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.2997490221417774, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Nouakchott. It's during the day. So we arrived in the morning because it was an old flight. Um, an all night flight. Uh, well, the first thing was you notice, you know, the boys were sent to one side. The girls were sent to another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Um, and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of a hotel lobby?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, this is the airport."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Even in the airport, they separated the men from the women?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:365", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.33305446904641933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Um, and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of a hotel lobby?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, this is the airport."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Even in the airport, they separated the men from the women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. Um, yeah. And then just, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even married couples had to split up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:371", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.4568648409415902, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then, and then there was an emphasis on, on it being a dry country. So make sure that you didn't have any alcohol."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. And then the Peace Corps people picked us up on the other side. We got on a bus and then we went to the Peace Corps house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. What's that like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:373", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5076276010462113, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then, and then there was an emphasis on, on it being a dry country. So make sure that you didn't have any alcohol."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. And then the Peace Corps people picked us up on the other side. We got on a bus and then we went to the Peace Corps house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. What's that like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That, you know, it was just one big block of cement. I mean, it was nothing. All the houses were either brown or maroon, surrounded by dunes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Even in the capital city?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:375", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5640306678291237, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. And then the Peace Corps people picked us up on the other side. We got on a bus and then we went to the Peace Corps house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. What's that like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That, you know, it was just one big block of cement. I mean, it was nothing. All the houses were either brown or maroon, surrounded by dunes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Even in the capital city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. And maybe there was one tree inside the compound. So all the houses were, had high walls built on the outside, you know, so you had to go through a door and then there was a guard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And the high wall was a concrete block wall?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:379", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.696334157813733, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. And maybe there was one tree inside the compound. So all the houses were, had high walls built on the outside, you know, so you had to go through a door and then there was a guard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And the high wall was a concrete block wall?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Painted brown."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you went into such a gate in a wall and you found yourself in a compound with maybe a tree in it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:381", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7737046197930366, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Painted brown."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you went into such a gate in a wall and you found yourself in a compound with maybe a tree in it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And then, so it's still late morning, lunchtime maybe."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:385", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9551908886333785, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And then, so it's still late morning, lunchtime maybe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then that was, um, you know, sitting on the floor eating. They started, you know, talking about you eat with your hand, with your right hand, not your left hand. You have to wash your hands before you eat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and the way you have to sit in terms for women sitting properly and making sure you don't put your feet out or your knees. So it's, you know, very kind of covered up. And, you know, right away that whole cross-cultural started just because of the importance of having your legs covered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the very beginning."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:387", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0613232095926428, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then that was, um, you know, sitting on the floor eating. They started, you know, talking about you eat with your hand, with your right hand, not your left hand. You have to wash your hands before you eat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and the way you have to sit in terms for women sitting properly and making sure you don't put your feet out or your knees. So it's, you know, very kind of covered up. And, you know, right away that whole cross-cultural started just because of the importance of having your legs covered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the very beginning."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, you know, overall, I think Peace Corps does a good job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right. What were you eating?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:389", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.179248010658492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and the way you have to sit in terms for women sitting properly and making sure you don't put your feet out or your knees. So it's, you know, very kind of covered up. And, you know, right away that whole cross-cultural started just because of the importance of having your legs covered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the very beginning."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, you know, overall, I think Peace Corps does a good job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right. What were you eating?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was rice and maybe fish with, um. Um, well, either fish with that peanut sauce or chicken and couscous, but everything was in one bowl."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you all reached?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:391", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3102755673983244, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, you know, overall, I think Peace Corps does a good job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right. What were you eating?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was rice and maybe fish with, um. Um, well, either fish with that peanut sauce or chicken and couscous, but everything was in one bowl."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you all reached?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Into it. How do you pick up couscous or rice with your fingers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:393", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4558617415536936, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was rice and maybe fish with, um. Um, well, either fish with that peanut sauce or chicken and couscous, but everything was in one bowl."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you all reached?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Into it. How do you pick up couscous or rice with your fingers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you pick up, um, you grab with your hand and then you make a ball. So you have to squeeze, squeeze, squeeze."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so, you're squeezing the couscous or the rice to make a ball?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:395", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6176241572818817, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Into it. How do you pick up couscous or rice with your fingers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you pick up, um, you grab with your hand and then you make a ball. So you have to squeeze, squeeze, squeeze."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so, you're squeezing the couscous or the rice to make a ball?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To make a ball. And then you put it in your mouth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you somehow, what, do you make a depression with your thumb to pick up some meat?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:397", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7973601747576462, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you pick up, um, you grab with your hand and then you make a ball. So you have to squeeze, squeeze, squeeze."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so, you're squeezing the couscous or the rice to make a ball?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To make a ball. And then you put it in your mouth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you somehow, what, do you make a depression with your thumb to pick up some meat?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's all the same pickup."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow. Okay, so your hand gets kind of full of rice and."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:399", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9970668608418292, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To make a ball. And then you put it in your mouth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you somehow, what, do you make a depression with your thumb to pick up some meat?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's all the same pickup."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow. Okay, so your hand gets kind of full of rice and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the process of this. Can you lick your fingers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:403", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4655146430146035, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the process of this. Can you lick your fingers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because you have, no, because you have to put your hand back in the bowl."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back in. That's right, that's right. Of course, it wouldn't be hygienic."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:405", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7394607144606704, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because you have, no, because you have to put your hand back in the bowl."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back in. That's right, that's right. Of course, it wouldn't be hygienic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, boy. I'm thinking of all the bad habits I'd have to break if it were me. So you're all sitting around in circles? One great big circle or small group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:407", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.043845238289634, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because you have, no, because you have to put your hand back in the bowl."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back in. That's right, that's right. Of course, it wouldn't be hygienic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, boy. I'm thinking of all the bad habits I'd have to break if it were me. So you're all sitting around in circles? One great big circle or small group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, small groups. So it's, you know, 6 or 7."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you have to reach to, reach that communal bowl. So you can't have too many of you. Yeah. Okay. And so that was your introduction."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:409", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.38205026476626, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, boy. I'm thinking of all the bad habits I'd have to break if it were me. So you're all sitting around in circles? One great big circle or small group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, small groups. So it's, you know, 6 or 7."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you have to reach to, reach that communal bowl. So you can't have too many of you. Yeah. Okay. And so that was your introduction."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what happened. You probably were allowed to rest for the rest of the day."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:415", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.661248648513388, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then we started classes, language classes and cross cultural section with the Peace Corps volunteers of the different regions came to speak to us. We did a, um, during our training, we did, um, family visits. So we went and would live with a family for one week. So we did French and depending on where you were going, you did, like I did Arabic because that was the, I was going to the north. So people who were going south were doing other languages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe Wolof?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wolof, yeah. Pulaar."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were learning both French and Arabic?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:417", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7347207205704311, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wolof, yeah. Pulaar."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were learning both French and Arabic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Wow, what a challenge."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:419", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8163563561893679, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were learning both French and Arabic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Wow, what a challenge."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very challenging."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Two at once. So let's, let's talk about the language stuff. There's, um, so much that I want to know about your training, but since we're on language, how did you do that? Were you, were you in small groups?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:421", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9070626179881865, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Wow, what a challenge."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very challenging."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Two at once. So let's, let's talk about the language stuff. There's, um, so much that I want to know about your training, but since we're on language, how did you do that? Were you, were you in small groups?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, very small group. Maybe 2 or 3."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Oh, excellent. Excellent. Um, for. And then you had a few hours of French and then a few hours of Arabic?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:423", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0078473533202073, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very challenging."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Two at once. So let's, let's talk about the language stuff. There's, um, so much that I want to know about your training, but since we're on language, how did you do that? Were you, were you in small groups?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, very small group. Maybe 2 or 3."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Oh, excellent. Excellent. Um, for. And then you had a few hours of French and then a few hours of Arabic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. And then cross-cultural."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you, how were you learning it? Was it, um, I'm still on the language thing. Um, was it all conversational or were you given any written?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:425", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.119830392578008, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, very small group. Maybe 2 or 3."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Oh, excellent. Excellent. Um, for. And then you had a few hours of French and then a few hours of Arabic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. And then cross-cultural."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you, how were you learning it? Was it, um, I'm still on the language thing. Um, was it all conversational or were you given any written?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it was all conversation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you couldn't see what it looked like in writing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:431", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5361185083374593, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah, you could write it, but that wasn't, the focus was really on, you know, just learning. It was about living the language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, what do you need to know? How do you ask? How do you, when you arrive, how do you introduce yourself? How do you ask where the bathroom is?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That sort of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So in both French and Arabic."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:433", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.706798342597177, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, what do you need to know? How do you ask? How do you, when you arrive, how do you introduce yourself? How do you ask where the bathroom is?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That sort of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So in both French and Arabic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, I, I'm thinking about how I learn languages. Um, visually I need to sort of in my mind's eye, I need to see how you spell it, and then I can move on. But this, that wasn't an option. You just had to remember the sound."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:435", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8964426028857524, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That sort of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So in both French and Arabic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, I, I'm thinking about how I learn languages. Um, visually I need to sort of in my mind's eye, I need to see how you spell it, and then I can move on. But this, that wasn't an option. You just had to remember the sound."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And reproduce that sound for various situations."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:437", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.107158447650836, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, I, I'm thinking about how I learn languages. Um, visually I need to sort of in my mind's eye, I need to see how you spell it, and then I can move on. But this, that wasn't an option. You just had to remember the sound."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And reproduce that sound for various situations."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I mean, they did have some booklets, but, you know, the problem with the Arabic was that it was the Peace Corps wrote it, would write it phonetically. Um, so it's, I mean, you know, it couldn't. I mean, you would eventually have to study Arabic, classical Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. To get the writing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:439", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.3412871640564843, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And reproduce that sound for various situations."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I mean, they did have some booklets, but, you know, the problem with the Arabic was that it was the Peace Corps wrote it, would write it phonetically. Um, so it's, I mean, you know, it couldn't. I mean, you would eventually have to study Arabic, classical Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. To get the writing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To get the writing alphabet, yeah. Um, so that's why the focus was on learning to speak, using it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. And who were your language teachers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:441", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4903190711738716, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I mean, they did have some booklets, but, you know, the problem with the Arabic was that it was the Peace Corps wrote it, would write it phonetically. Um, so it's, I mean, you know, it couldn't. I mean, you would eventually have to study Arabic, classical Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. To get the writing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To get the writing alphabet, yeah. Um, so that's why the focus was on learning to speak, using it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. And who were your language teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "These were Mauritanians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mauritanians. Okay. And they were fluent in both French and Arabic?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:443", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6559100790820795, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To get the writing alphabet, yeah. Um, so that's why the focus was on learning to speak, using it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. And who were your language teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "These were Mauritanians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mauritanians. Okay. And they were fluent in both French and Arabic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And probably something else too."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:445", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8399000878689773, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "These were Mauritanians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mauritanians. Okay. And they were fluent in both French and Arabic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And probably something else too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at least three languages."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:447", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0443334309655303, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And probably something else too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at least three languages."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. If not more."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Puts us to shame."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:459", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.103289793157717, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And during that time, and the only reason I say this is so at least it's, uh, documented. Documented because the Mauritanian government put all these Mauritanians who were claimed to be Senegalese in the stadium, and then Peace Corps volunteers were brought in to translate because they knew the local languages of these people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So it was a very ugly experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So these were some of our trainers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But this was a little bit later?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:461", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2258775479530188, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So it was a very ugly experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So these were some of our trainers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But this was a little bit later?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "These were right before, right before we arrived. So we were not sure if we were going to go to Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, because that happened. That tension was already going on when you entered the country."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:463", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.362086164392243, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So these were some of our trainers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But this was a little bit later?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "These were right before, right before we arrived. So we were not sure if we were going to go to Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, because that happened. That tension was already going on when you entered the country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So and in Frogmore, you're, you're actually living in the Peace Corps house when you're not with a family in Frogmore."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:465", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5134290715469367, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "These were right before, right before we arrived. So we were not sure if we were going to go to Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, because that happened. That tension was already going on when you entered the country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So and in Frogmore, you're, you're actually living in the Peace Corps house when you're not with a family in Frogmore."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't mean Frogmore. I mean in Nouakchott."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:469", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7573198414159711, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't mean Frogmore. I mean in Nouakchott."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. No, we're living in a, um. During the training, we were living in a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like, it's like the training center, but it looked like a Chinese hotel or something. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were living, your classes, your language classes."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:471", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8414664904621901, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. No, we're living in a, um. During the training, we were living in a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like, it's like the training center, but it looked like a Chinese hotel or something. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were living, your classes, your language classes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We're all in this training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All your cultural, uh, cultural orientation, and everything was all in the same building where you were sleeping?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:475", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0388475190891235, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We're all in this training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All your cultural, uh, cultural orientation, and everything was all in the same building where you were sleeping?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Um."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And which was right next to the stadium."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Next to the stadium, which you had just been talking about, where people had been held?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:477", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1542750212101371, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Um."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And which was right next to the stadium."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Next to the stadium, which you had just been talking about, where people had been held?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sort of like imprisoned?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:479", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2825278013445969, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And which was right next to the stadium."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Next to the stadium, which you had just been talking about, where people had been held?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sort of like imprisoned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Before they were deported to Senegal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I see, I see. So by the time you were there, this wasn't. had passed."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:481", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4250308903828854, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sort of like imprisoned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Before they were deported to Senegal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I see, I see. So by the time you were there, this wasn't. had passed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The, the stadium was no longer containing these Senegalese Mauritanians. Okay. Ah. So training consisted heavily of language, very heavy on language learning and cultural things. Can you remember what some of the cultural stuff was? You know, some of it you already talked about. Some of the basics."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:483", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5833676559809837, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Before they were deported to Senegal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I see, I see. So by the time you were there, this wasn't. had passed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The, the stadium was no longer containing these Senegalese Mauritanians. Okay. Ah. So training consisted heavily of language, very heavy on language learning and cultural things. Can you remember what some of the cultural stuff was? You know, some of it you already talked about. Some of the basics."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. In terms of being covered up, in terms of dress, in terms of, you know, you would go into a meeting and people, men would not, if you were a woman, would not, um, give you the hand."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you didn't shake hands."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:485", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7592973955344264, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The, the stadium was no longer containing these Senegalese Mauritanians. Okay. Ah. So training consisted heavily of language, very heavy on language learning and cultural things. Can you remember what some of the cultural stuff was? You know, some of it you already talked about. Some of the basics."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. In terms of being covered up, in terms of dress, in terms of, you know, you would go into a meeting and people, men would not, if you were a woman, would not, um, give you the hand."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you didn't shake hands."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you were a woman."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:487", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9547748839271404, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. In terms of being covered up, in terms of dress, in terms of, you know, you would go into a meeting and people, men would not, if you were a woman, would not, um, give you the hand."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you didn't shake hands."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you were a woman."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, sometimes. Well, you could extend the hand, but they wouldn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They wouldn't take it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:489", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.171972093252378, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you were a woman."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, sometimes. Well, you could extend the hand, but they wouldn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They wouldn't take it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They wouldn't take it. Um, and then just, you know, history of Mauritania, the different ethnic groups and. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And did that seem good?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:491", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4133023258359754, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, sometimes. Well, you could extend the hand, but they wouldn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They wouldn't take it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They wouldn't take it. Um, and then just, you know, history of Mauritania, the different ethnic groups and. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And did that seem good?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like a good orientation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:495", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.979385587451821, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like a good orientation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was very good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long were you there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:497", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.088206208279801, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was very good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long were you there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, I think that was the whole. We did, we were, um, sworn in in September, so three months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, good. That's a good, good chunk of time."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:499", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.2091180091997789, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long were you there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, I think that was the whole. We did, we were, um, sworn in in September, so three months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, good. That's a good, good chunk of time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during that training time, did you mention that you were sometimes living with a family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:503", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.2581703817281219, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during that training time, did you mention that you were sometimes living with a family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So we would do, um. Oh, I can't remember. There was a word where they would go out and you live with a family for a week. So a village. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So a village, in a village setting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And you didn't have responsibilities other than to just kind of be there and participate in whatever, whatever it was going on with the family."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:505", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.2868559796979132, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So we would do, um. Oh, I can't remember. There was a word where they would go out and you live with a family for a week. So a village. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So a village, in a village setting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And you didn't have responsibilities other than to just kind of be there and participate in whatever, whatever it was going on with the family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your experience like? Where did you, what village, do you remember what village you went to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:507", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.31872886633101466, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So a village, in a village setting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And you didn't have responsibilities other than to just kind of be there and participate in whatever, whatever it was going on with the family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your experience like? Where did you, what village, do you remember what village you went to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I don't remember the village, but, uh, you know, I just remember the discomfort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:511", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.39349242756915387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I don't remember the village, but, uh, you know, I just remember the discomfort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, and I did get sick. Um, um, you know, just sleeping outside and practicing outside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sleeping outside?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I mean, you slept outside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Under a mosquito net or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:513", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.43721380841017093, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, and I did get sick. Um, um, you know, just sleeping outside and practicing outside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sleeping outside?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I mean, you slept outside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Under a mosquito net or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was dry. It was the desert."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. That's right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:515", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.48579312045574546, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I mean, you slept outside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Under a mosquito net or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was dry. It was the desert."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. That's right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So it's, uh. And then just eating with the family, um, you know, the hospitality that, you know, they would not have, for a meal they would not have meat, but they would roast, um, a goat because you were a guest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. So they were knocking themselves out for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:517", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5397701338397172, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was dry. It was the desert."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. That's right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So it's, uh. And then just eating with the family, um, you know, the hospitality that, you know, they would not have, for a meal they would not have meat, but they would roast, um, a goat because you were a guest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. So they were knocking themselves out for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that was, yeah, it was, it was good. And then, you know, it gave us an opportunity to practice the language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was towards the end of your three months or so of training that you had, you already had some language?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:519", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5997445931552413, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So it's, uh. And then just eating with the family, um, you know, the hospitality that, you know, they would not have, for a meal they would not have meat, but they would roast, um, a goat because you were a guest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. So they were knocking themselves out for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that was, yeah, it was, it was good. And then, you know, it gave us an opportunity to practice the language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was towards the end of your three months or so of training that you had, you already had some language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was your family predominantly speaking Arabic or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:521", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6663828812836015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that was, yeah, it was, it was good. And then, you know, it gave us an opportunity to practice the language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was towards the end of your three months or so of training that you had, you already had some language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was your family predominantly speaking Arabic or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Arabic, yeah. Because I was going north. Yeah. Well, once you left the capital it was Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So French is not spoken throughout the country unless you're highly educated."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:523", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.740425423648446, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was your family predominantly speaking Arabic or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Arabic, yeah. Because I was going north. Yeah. Well, once you left the capital it was Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So French is not spoken throughout the country unless you're highly educated."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, you were part of the ministry or. Uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you were functioning in Arabic?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:527", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9141054612943778, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, you know, you were part of the ministry or. Uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you were functioning in Arabic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I must have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, clearly."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember much, but I must have been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thinking about the, the scary part here is not having any control over the food that you're eating and how it was prepared. So you did get sick."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:529", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0156727347715309, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I must have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, clearly."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember much, but I must have been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thinking about the, the scary part here is not having any control over the food that you're eating and how it was prepared. So you did get sick."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did get sick."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You couldn't do your own cooking. You couldn't make sure the water was boiled. It was."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:535", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3932410627867364, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I mean, you know, the, the advice was always you don't drink. Um, you try not to drink, but, you know, one of the, one of their hospitalities is once you arrive, they come and bring you a bowl of milk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So you don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There you go."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:537", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.548045625318596, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I mean, you know, the, the advice was always you don't drink. Um, you try not to drink, but, you know, one of the, one of their hospitalities is once you arrive, they come and bring you a bowl of milk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So you don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There you go."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I suppose if you drank tea, you'd be pretty sure the water was boiled."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:539", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7200506947984397, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So you don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There you go."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I suppose if you drank tea, you'd be pretty sure the water was boiled."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But, uh, milk. Yeah. Um, that's probably what did you in."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:541", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.911167438664933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I suppose if you drank tea, you'd be pretty sure the water was boiled."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But, uh, milk. Yeah. Um, that's probably what did you in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. And then you come back to Nouakchott, the capital, for some sort of, uh."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:543", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.012408265183259, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But, uh, milk. Yeah. Um, that's probably what did you in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. And then you come back to Nouakchott, the capital, for some sort of, uh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ceremony, and we were. Yeah. And then from there, we packed up and went, and went with the APCD, which is the person for the ag. And he went and he took us each to our villages and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "APCD means Assistant Peace Corps Director?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:545", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1248980724258435, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. And then you come back to Nouakchott, the capital, for some sort of, uh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ceremony, and we were. Yeah. And then from there, we packed up and went, and went with the APCD, which is the person for the ag. And he went and he took us each to our villages and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "APCD means Assistant Peace Corps Director?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But he was the guy who was in charge of the agricultural?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:549", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3887630523775845, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But he was the guy who was in charge of the agricultural?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And he was actually Mauritanian. So that was really good. And he spoke Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So he had a vehicle."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:551", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.543070058197316, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And he was actually Mauritanian. So that was really good. And he spoke Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So he had a vehicle."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you piled into that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:553", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7145222868859067, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So he had a vehicle."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you piled into that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you say we. So it wasn't you by yourself."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:557", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1166941813406255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you say we. So it wasn't you by yourself."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I mean it was everybody that was going to this region."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So he took us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many of you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:561", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.613202693013118, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So he took us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many of you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, there were about six of us. So that we were going to different villages. You had, um, English people who were going to be teaching English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then you had some that were doing agriculture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. So during training, you were mixing not just, not exclusively with agricultural volunteers, but with English teachers as well. But you all had to go through the same language training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:563", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.903558547792353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, there were about six of us. So that we were going to different villages. You had, um, English people who were going to be teaching English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then you had some that were doing agriculture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. So during training, you were mixing not just, not exclusively with agricultural volunteers, but with English teachers as well. But you all had to go through the same language training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So. Yes. Okay. Um, and then you're taken to your site."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:565", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.2261761642137254, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then you had some that were doing agriculture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. So during training, you were mixing not just, not exclusively with agricultural volunteers, but with English teachers as well. But you all had to go through the same language training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So. Yes. Okay. Um, and then you're taken to your site."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you alone at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:567", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4735290713485836, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So. Yes. Okay. Um, and then you're taken to your site."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you alone at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, at my site. But then, um, so my first site was called Mekanet and M-E-K, Mekanet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We can talk about."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:569", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7483656348317593, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you alone at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, at my site. But then, um, so my first site was called Mekanet and M-E-K, Mekanet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We can talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that site, um, we couldn't find it the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even the, even the Peace Corps assistant director couldn't?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:571", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0537395942575105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, at my site. But then, um, so my first site was called Mekanet and M-E-K, Mekanet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We can talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that site, um, we couldn't find it the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even the, even the Peace Corps assistant director couldn't?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the problem was, first of all, we didn't speak Arabic, so we were trying to find it. We didn't speak Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or read the signs."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:573", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.393043993619456, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that site, um, we couldn't find it the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even the, even the Peace Corps assistant director couldn't?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the problem was, first of all, we didn't speak Arabic, so we were trying to find it. We didn't speak Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or read the signs."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were no signs. It was in the desert. And we would stop and ask people and we must have been pronouncing it wrong. So we didn't get it until we had our APCD arrived and he knew. And then the person, then they directed us to go through the dunes, zigzag our way through until we came to this flat area. And there was Mekanet in the middle of nowhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Surrounded by dunes. Really, truly a sand desert?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:579", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.65438133555481, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Mekanet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mekanet. Which translated to a place that does not exist."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's how you, nowhere."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:581", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.1715348172831215, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mekanet. Which translated to a place that does not exist."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's how you, nowhere."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's probably why we couldn't find it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh that's nowhere."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:583", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.746149796981246, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's how you, nowhere."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's probably why we couldn't find it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh that's nowhere."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Anyways."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness, how isolated can you get?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:585", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.273499774423607, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's probably why we couldn't find it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh that's nowhere."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Anyways."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness, how isolated can you get?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it wasn't that far. It was less than ten miles. But it's still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the capital city?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:587", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.859444193804007, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Anyways."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness, how isolated can you get?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it wasn't that far. It was less than ten miles. But it's still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the capital city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, from the, from this regional capital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What's the regional capital?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:589", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1771602153377856, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it wasn't that far. It was less than ten miles. But it's still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the capital city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, from the, from this regional capital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What's the regional capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ayoun el Atrous. Ayoun, A-I-O-U-N [sic], el Atrous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. We'll worry about the spelling later. Ayoun el Atrous is the regional capital?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:591", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.530178017041984, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, from the, from this regional capital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What's the regional capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ayoun el Atrous. Ayoun, A-I-O-U-N [sic], el Atrous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. We'll worry about the spelling later. Ayoun el Atrous is the regional capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far is Ayoun el Atrous from?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:593", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8113089078244267, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ayoun el Atrous. Ayoun, A-I-O-U-N [sic], el Atrous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. We'll worry about the spelling later. Ayoun el Atrous is the regional capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far is Ayoun el Atrous from?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably 20 hours from Nouakchott."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From, 20 hours?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:599", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.8563908200609416, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Over land?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "20 hours."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That could be wrong. I could be wrong. But it seemed far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So. Oh, my goodness, that's a long way away."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:601", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.173767577845491, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "20 hours."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That could be wrong. I could be wrong. But it seemed far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So. Oh, my goodness, that's a long way away."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm trying to think, maybe 13 hours, maybe 13."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even 13 is a long way if you need."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:603", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.526408419828323, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That could be wrong. I could be wrong. But it seemed far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So. Oh, my goodness, that's a long way away."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm trying to think, maybe 13 hours, maybe 13."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even 13 is a long way if you need."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's very far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a long way to go. And then from Ayoun el Atrous how far to Mekanet? Oh, you said about ten miles."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:605", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8071204664759146, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm trying to think, maybe 13 hours, maybe 13."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even 13 is a long way if you need."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's very far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a long way to go. And then from Ayoun el Atrous how far to Mekanet? Oh, you said about ten miles."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So it was less than an hour to car drive because you had, you're going through the desert. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And thinking about taking less than an hour to go ten miles is shocking."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:607", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.119022740528794, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's very far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a long way to go. And then from Ayoun el Atrous how far to Mekanet? Oh, you said about ten miles."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So it was less than an hour to car drive because you had, you're going through the desert. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And thinking about taking less than an hour to go ten miles is shocking."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From our perspective here in the United States. Okay. So you get to Mekanet. And, um, has there ever been a Peace Corps volunteer there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:609", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 3.465580822809771, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So it was less than an hour to car drive because you had, you're going through the desert. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And thinking about taking less than an hour to go ten miles is shocking."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From our perspective here in the United States. Okay. So you get to Mekanet. And, um, has there ever been a Peace Corps volunteer there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That was the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were the first volunteer."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:613", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5747911392713223, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That was the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were the first volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In this, um. And so what was happening is that a lot of these, these were Moor, which is white, the white Moors, and they had Black Moors as either slaves or did all the work, physical work for this village. And in terms of, it wasn't really a village. I mean, it was a place that had a few one room cement houses and then next to it is a tent. So the Moors would really use the tent as their living quarters and use the one room house, cement house, as a storage area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So then they would, I lived with the chief of that village and he rented the one room house to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you lived in a one room house that maybe was designed to be a storage shed?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:617", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7096186904584225, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So then they would, I lived with the chief of that village and he rented the one room house to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you lived in a one room house that maybe was designed to be a storage shed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, it was just the one room. Yeah, it was just a one room. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Window?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was two, two lower windows on the bottom. You know, windows couldn't be on the top because of the sandstorm. So they were on the bottom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. So you can't really see out, but you get a little bit of light coming in."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:619", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7884652116204695, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, it was just the one room. Yeah, it was just a one room. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Window?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was two, two lower windows on the bottom. You know, windows couldn't be on the top because of the sandstorm. So they were on the bottom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. So you can't really see out, but you get a little bit of light coming in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes.\n\nYeah. But you didn't spend any time in that room. Only if there was a sandstorm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You just slept in there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:621", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8760724573560772, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was two, two lower windows on the bottom. You know, windows couldn't be on the top because of the sandstorm. So they were on the bottom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. So you can't really see out, but you get a little bit of light coming in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes.\n\nYeah. But you didn't spend any time in that room. Only if there was a sandstorm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You just slept in there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't even sleep there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:623", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9734138415067525, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes.\n\nYeah. But you didn't spend any time in that room. Only if there was a sandstorm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You just slept in there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't even sleep there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You slept outside. Only if there was a sandstorm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness. So it was a place you could go and get away from the sand if you had to. And that was its reason for being there. So what was inside? You have a chair?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:627", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2017454833416696, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You slept outside. Only if there was a sandstorm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness. So it was a place you could go and get away from the sand if you had to. And that was its reason for being there. So what was inside? You have a chair?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I had my, a Peace Corps trunk. No. My Peace Corps trunk. My Peace Corps mat, my pillow. You know, just posters and postcards. My writing material."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you wanted to write, you didn't have a table and chair."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:631", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4836363991872465, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you wanted to write, you didn't have a table and chair."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You just said on, on the, on the mat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Or I suppose you could sit on your trunk."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:637", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8005986271429991, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Whew. Boy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, Arab, Arab countries, you don't sit on. You don't, I mean, I don't know if you've ever seen where they have a bunch of pillows in a room. So it was like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, in a sense that you sat on, you know, the, the trunk was used as a table, and I used my mattress, my sleeping mattress as a chair."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Um. Um. I'm still trying to digest this. This is really shocking, um, bare bones situation."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:641", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9883933668432088, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, in a sense that you sat on, you know, the, the trunk was used as a table, and I used my mattress, my sleeping mattress as a chair."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Um. Um. I'm still trying to digest this. This is really shocking, um, bare bones situation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Electricity?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "None."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "None in all of Mekanet?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:647", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3558208049975429, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. So Mekanet was really just, um, you know, this, this valley surrounded by sand dunes. There was a water well, and so a lot of animals would go there to drink, and it was probably not a village always. Uh, but because of the desertification and the lack of movement of people, they just, you know, it was really a place to store things and to come to. There was a palmery not very far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A palmery?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A palmery where you go and get dates."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so maybe they would come and set their, um, tents, uh, up, um, during the, the date season. And you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That well with water seems to be for a reason why."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:649", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5064675611083809, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A palmery where you go and get dates."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so maybe they would come and set their, um, tents, uh, up, um, during the, the date season. And you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That well with water seems to be for a reason why."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mekanet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Something surface to be gathering. Um, telephone?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:651", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6738528456759787, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so maybe they would come and set their, um, tents, uh, up, um, during the, the date season. And you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That well with water seems to be for a reason why."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mekanet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Something surface to be gathering. Um, telephone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No electricity, no running water. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you didn't, you didn't have your, you were not issued a phone by Peace Corps because it wouldn't be used?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:653", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8598364951955317, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mekanet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Something surface to be gathering. Um, telephone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No electricity, no running water. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you didn't, you didn't have your, you were not issued a phone by Peace Corps because it wouldn't be used?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were no phones then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. This is 1989."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:655", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.066484994661702, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No electricity, no running water. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you didn't, you didn't have your, you were not issued a phone by Peace Corps because it wouldn't be used?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were no phones then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. This is 1989."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, so no phone, no electricity, no running water?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:657", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.296094438513002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were no phones then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. This is 1989."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, so no phone, no electricity, no running water?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, if you wanted to drink water, did you have a way to boil it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:661", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8346844919913603, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, if you wanted to drink water, did you have a way to boil it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I just, I filtered it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You filtered."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I put, um, drops of, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Chlorine? To kill whatever bacteria might be in it after you filter it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:663", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.149649435545956, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I just, I filtered it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You filtered."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I put, um, drops of, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Chlorine? To kill whatever bacteria might be in it after you filter it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. And so you sleep outside, so you haul your mat out of your little tiny house, which isn't really a house, and you sleep on it outside. And the reason you do that is because that's what everybody else does?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:665", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.499610483939951, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I put, um, drops of, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Chlorine? To kill whatever bacteria might be in it after you filter it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. And so you sleep outside, so you haul your mat out of your little tiny house, which isn't really a house, and you sleep on it outside. And the reason you do that is because that's what everybody else does?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And it's also very hot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. It would be hotter inside that concrete tiny storage area than outside at night?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:667", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.888456093266612, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. And so you sleep outside, so you haul your mat out of your little tiny house, which isn't really a house, and you sleep on it outside. And the reason you do that is because that's what everybody else does?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And it's also very hot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. It would be hotter inside that concrete tiny storage area than outside at night?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it get very cold at night?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:669", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.098284548074013, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And it's also very hot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. It would be hotter inside that concrete tiny storage area than outside at night?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it get very cold at night?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It did like, you know, December, January, you know, the. I don't know if it was very cold, but it was relatively cold. For there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Um, how close are, so you're on a compound sort of or in a big tent with?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:671", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.331427275637792, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it get very cold at night?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It did like, you know, December, January, you know, the. I don't know if it was very cold, but it was relatively cold. For there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Um, how close are, so you're on a compound sort of or in a big tent with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A family. And this, was this considered your host family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:673", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5904747507086574, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It did like, you know, December, January, you know, the. I don't know if it was very cold, but it was relatively cold. For there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Um, how close are, so you're on a compound sort of or in a big tent with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A family. And this, was this considered your host family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you had a host father and a host mother. Let's talk about those people. Because when you came home from wherever you went to do your work, you'd come home to these people."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:675", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.878305278565175, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A family. And this, was this considered your host family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you had a host father and a host mother. Let's talk about those people. Because when you came home from wherever you went to do your work, you'd come home to these people."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were they?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:677", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.198116976183528, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you had a host father and a host mother. Let's talk about those people. Because when you came home from wherever you went to do your work, you'd come home to these people."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So he was the chief of the village."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. What was his name?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:679", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4423521957594754, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So he was the chief of the village."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. What was his name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He could have been Mohammed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you call him?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:685", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.11570945920367, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. And her name was, oh my God, Aisha, I think it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and the only thing I remember about, she was very big, physically big and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Both tall and wide."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:687", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3507882880040776, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. And her name was, oh my God, Aisha, I think it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and the only thing I remember about, she was very big, physically big and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Both tall and wide."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Big, wide. Yes. And that was considered beautiful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:691", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9022077629679965, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Big, wide. Yes. And that was considered beautiful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the, yeah, and it was considered a sign of wealth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, but she was one of the people that kept saying, you know, we do not work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We do not work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:693", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.224675292186663, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the, yeah, and it was considered a sign of wealth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, but she was one of the people that kept saying, you know, we do not work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We do not work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We meaning women or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:695", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.58297254687407, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, but she was one of the people that kept saying, you know, we do not work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We do not work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We meaning women or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, women. So because I was always trying to encourage them to go to the garden."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. And this was outside her cultural concept of what women do."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:697", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9810806076378555, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We meaning women or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, women. So because I was always trying to encourage them to go to the garden."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. And this was outside her cultural concept of what women do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. She said women, they, we do not work. Look at our hands. And all henna."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, of course. They would decorate their hands with henna. Oh, well, that puts you in kind of a predicament, isn't it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:699", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.423422897375395, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, women. So because I was always trying to encourage them to go to the garden."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. And this was outside her cultural concept of what women do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. She said women, they, we do not work. Look at our hands. And all henna."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, of course. They would decorate their hands with henna. Oh, well, that puts you in kind of a predicament, isn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you're there to work. And yet the cultural norms of your family are that women don't work."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:701", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.914914330417105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. She said women, they, we do not work. Look at our hands. And all henna."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, of course. They would decorate their hands with henna. Oh, well, that puts you in kind of a predicament, isn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you're there to work. And yet the cultural norms of your family are that women don't work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, well, we'll get back to that later. Did she work in the kitchen? Did she, did she have a kitchen? Or who cooked?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:703", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.349904811574561, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you're there to work. And yet the cultural norms of your family are that women don't work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, well, we'll get back to that later. Did she work in the kitchen? Did she, did she have a kitchen? Or who cooked?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The, the, um, African slaves from the village across that would bring the food in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you're talking again. You talked about white Moors and."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:705", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7221164573050673, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, well, we'll get back to that later. Did she work in the kitchen? Did she, did she have a kitchen? Or who cooked?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The, the, um, African slaves from the village across that would bring the food in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you're talking again. You talked about white Moors and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then the Black Moors would bring the couscous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So your mother, your host mother, Aisha, was a white Moor."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:707", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.135684952561186, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The, the, um, African slaves from the village across that would bring the food in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you're talking again. You talked about white Moors and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then the Black Moors would bring the couscous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So your mother, your host mother, Aisha, was a white Moor."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "White, meaning her skin, her complexion was white."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:709", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.595205502845762, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then the Black Moors would bring the couscous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So your mother, your host mother, Aisha, was a white Moor."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "White, meaning her skin, her complexion was white."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. Okay. And so the people who did the work were the Black."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:711", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.105783892050847, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "White, meaning her skin, her complexion was white."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. Okay. And so the people who did the work were the Black."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Black skin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And were they actually slaves? Were they owned by the family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:719", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5404418412602463, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, with my family, this, uh, this woman would bring the dinner every night, and her husband did all the physical labor for the family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, you know, there was slavery in Mauritania until the '80s."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, but, you know, there was, uh, it was outlawed in 1980."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Which doesn't mean it didn't happen."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:723", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.025236841062032, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, but, you know, there was, uh, it was outlawed in 1980."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Which doesn't mean it didn't happen."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. So I think there was definitely a relationship. Uh, it was not a reciprocal relationship."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, these people, you know, when I decided to visit the Haratin across the dunes, I was told to be careful that, you know, they, they didn't have, they were not very hygienic. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is what you were told?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:725", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.1391520456244797, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. So I think there was definitely a relationship. Uh, it was not a reciprocal relationship."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, these people, you know, when I decided to visit the Haratin across the dunes, I was told to be careful that, you know, they, they didn't have, they were not very hygienic. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is what you were told?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. By the White Moors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they warned you to be careful when you went over there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:727", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.15461338402719965, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, these people, you know, when I decided to visit the Haratin across the dunes, I was told to be careful that, you know, they, they didn't have, they were not very hygienic. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is what you were told?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. By the White Moors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they warned you to be careful when you went over there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they didn't speak of ownership, but it was a very, um, uh. I mean, other Blacks, other ethnic groups would speak of the Haratin as slaves of the white Moors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And were they paid, did they get something in exchange?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:729", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.17179264891911072, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. By the White Moors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they warned you to be careful when you went over there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they didn't speak of ownership, but it was a very, um, uh. I mean, other Blacks, other ethnic groups would speak of the Haratin as slaves of the white Moors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And were they paid, did they get something in exchange?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they got paid in, uh, in food. Not money."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, okay. So they had to grow the food. They had to do the labor of farming?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:733", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.21208969002359349, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they got paid in, uh, in food. Not money."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, okay. So they had to grow the food. They had to do the labor of farming?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did the farming of the, um, uh, the, what was turned into couscous. The wheat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, but they, you know, they, the, the family would bring in produce from the, from Ayoun el Atrous and then they would parcel out a portion to give to this family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I see, I see. That's what they got in exchange for their labor. And then they had, but they had to provide the couscous."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:735", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.2356552111373261, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did the farming of the, um, uh, the, what was turned into couscous. The wheat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, but they, you know, they, the, the family would bring in produce from the, from Ayoun el Atrous and then they would parcel out a portion to give to this family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I see, I see. That's what they got in exchange for their labor. And then they had, but they had to provide the couscous."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And also cook those vegetables and things."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:737", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.26183912348591787, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, but they, you know, they, the, the family would bring in produce from the, from Ayoun el Atrous and then they would parcel out a portion to give to this family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I see, I see. That's what they got in exchange for their labor. And then they had, but they had to provide the couscous."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And also cook those vegetables and things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were no vegetables."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, there were no vegetables?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:739", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.29093235942879764, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And also cook those vegetables and things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were no vegetables."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, there were no vegetables?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Strictly couscous or meat, and milk. That's it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No carrots even?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:741", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.3232581771431085, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were no vegetables."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, there were no vegetables?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Strictly couscous or meat, and milk. That's it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No carrots even?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. No greens?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:743", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.35917575238123167, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Strictly couscous or meat, and milk. That's it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No carrots even?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. No greens?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No greens. That was my job, to introduce vegetables to this community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. We'll get to that in a minute. I just want to, I just want to get straight on your living situation here. What, what it meant for you living there. Uh, so the meat that you were eating would be?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:747", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.44342685479164407, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No greens. That was my job, to introduce vegetables to this community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. We'll get to that in a minute. I just want to, I just want to get straight on your living situation here. What, what it meant for you living there. Uh, so the meat that you were eating would be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A goat, they would kill a goat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or a cow or a camel. You know, something special. It would not be all the time that they had meat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. So sometimes it's just."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:749", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.49269650532404896, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A goat, they would kill a goat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or a cow or a camel. You know, something special. It would not be all the time that they had meat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. So sometimes it's just."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just couscous and milk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's it. Couscous and milk."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:751", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5474405614711655, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or a cow or a camel. You know, something special. It would not be all the time that they had meat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. So sometimes it's just."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just couscous and milk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's it. Couscous and milk."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you boil the milk? I mean, how could you keep yourself from getting sick when you were out there? Yeah. You're shaking your head."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:753", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6082672905235172, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just couscous and milk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's it. Couscous and milk."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you boil the milk? I mean, how could you keep yourself from getting sick when you were out there? Yeah. You're shaking your head."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's nothing. There was nothing to do. That was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. That was it. Yeah. You had no access to a little propane burner."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:757", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7509472722512558, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's nothing. There was nothing to do. That was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. That was it. Yeah. You had no access to a little propane burner."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A store."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nothing. Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, also, you know, like if, if I did, where would I, where would I have done that? You know, like, then you would have done it. If I did it in my house and I would have people coming in, you know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It would, it would, it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:759", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8343858580569509, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A store."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nothing. Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, also, you know, like if, if I did, where would I, where would I have done that? You know, like, then you would have done it. If I did it in my house and I would have people coming in, you know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It would, it would, it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't have a private space."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. It would have been culturally inappropriate."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:761", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9270953978410565, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, also, you know, like if, if I did, where would I, where would I have done that? You know, like, then you would have done it. If I did it in my house and I would have people coming in, you know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It would, it would, it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't have a private space."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. It would have been culturally inappropriate."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Awkward. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Wow. So there you are. And they've never had a Peace Corps volunteer before. And so you're quite the oddity."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:763", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.030105997601174, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't have a private space."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. It would have been culturally inappropriate."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Awkward. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Wow. So there you are. And they've never had a Peace Corps volunteer before. And so you're quite the oddity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, they don't get it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:765", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1445622195568599, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Awkward. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Wow. So there you are. And they've never had a Peace Corps volunteer before. And so you're quite the oddity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, they don't get it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They had, maybe they had not asked for a Peace Corps volunteer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:769", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.413039777230691, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They had, maybe they had not asked for a Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They had?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why? The family, the family or the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:771", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5700441969229901, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They had?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why? The family, the family or the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, the, the village, so I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how big is the, how many families?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:775", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9383261690407283, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, the, the village, so I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how big is the, how many families?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean we're talking maybe 100 people. Yeah. I mean it was very small. Um, and not everybody was always there. That was the other thing. You know, it was hard to tell how many people it had, because you had elder and little ones. I mean, there weren't those middle aged sort of working population. People would leave."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or they would. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the grandparents would take care of the children when, say, if people in their 30s and 40s would go out to do something and, and the grandparents would take care of the kids?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:777", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.153695743378587, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean we're talking maybe 100 people. Yeah. I mean it was very small. Um, and not everybody was always there. That was the other thing. You know, it was hard to tell how many people it had, because you had elder and little ones. I mean, there weren't those middle aged sort of working population. People would leave."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or they would. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the grandparents would take care of the children when, say, if people in their 30s and 40s would go out to do something and, and the grandparents would take care of the kids?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Schools, were there schools?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:783", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9543151486674715, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was one school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A one room school, but it was all in Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was religious school. It wasn't necessarily a school. A madrassa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A madrassa. Yeah. Okay. So let's talk about this. So your first day, the Assistant Peace Corps, the AP."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:785", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2825723874083015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A one room school, but it was all in Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was religious school. It wasn't necessarily a school. A madrassa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A madrassa. Yeah. Okay. So let's talk about this. So your first day, the Assistant Peace Corps, the AP."}, {"role": "user", "content": "APCD."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "APCD brings you here, introduces you to your family, shows you what your accommodations will be."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:789", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9414473918621002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "APCD."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "APCD brings you here, introduces you to your family, shows you what your accommodations will be."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, so you want me to tell? Let me tell you the little story, how it really went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was pretty traumatic. So we, uh, because of, um, so the way they did it in Mauritania was that a Peace Corps volunteer would stay with you overnight the first night to help with the language, the translation, and kind of adjustment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A Peace Corps volunteer who had been in the country for some time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:791", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.268274879846778, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, so you want me to tell? Let me tell you the little story, how it really went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was pretty traumatic. So we, uh, because of, um, so the way they did it in Mauritania was that a Peace Corps volunteer would stay with you overnight the first night to help with the language, the translation, and kind of adjustment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A Peace Corps volunteer who had been in the country for some time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. And spoke that language. So it worked with that group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:793", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.6314165331630868, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was pretty traumatic. So we, uh, because of, um, so the way they did it in Mauritania was that a Peace Corps volunteer would stay with you overnight the first night to help with the language, the translation, and kind of adjustment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A Peace Corps volunteer who had been in the country for some time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. And spoke that language. So it worked with that group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so as a woman, but I got a man to stay with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. That'd be awkward."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:795", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9237961479589853, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. And spoke that language. So it worked with that group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so as a woman, but I got a man to stay with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. That'd be awkward."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, because there were I don't think there were female that worked in the North."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were the first female up there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:797", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2486623866210946, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so as a woman, but I got a man to stay with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. That'd be awkward."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, because there were I don't think there were female that worked in the North."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were the first female up there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm not sure why. Yeah, I'm not sure. We, yeah, why would they? I don't understand why they sent a man. But anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A white guy."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:801", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6773609711371534, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm not sure why. Yeah, I'm not sure. We, yeah, why would they? I don't understand why they sent a man. But anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A white guy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A white guy. Yes. Who was, who spoke Arabic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So he stayed with me that night and he had dinner with us, and it was wonderful. And then so I was already nervous because I knew he had to leave the next morning, the minute the Peace Corps driver would come in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, off you go."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:807", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9291645694611157, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Off he'd go. So, you know, we get up in the morning and we're having our tea because it's what you do in the morning. You have tea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. And sometimes eventually they'll bake bread, but not all the time. Um, so you could, you could hear the sound of the, of the, of the car long before you could see the car."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because of the dunes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's right, I remember those. Yes."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:811", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1471167524211303, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because of the dunes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's right, I remember those. Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then so I'm sitting down with him and we're talking and, and I can hear the car."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So at that point, you know, I, I get very, I got very nervous and, uh, and then the car is coming and all the kids are following the car. And then the driver gets out and he has a bunch of bread on his arm, and he hands it to me. He says, here, here's the bread for you. Good luck. And then the Peace Corps volunteer turns to me. He takes his mattress, puts it in the car. He says, you're a woman, I cannot give you my hand, but good luck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What you really want is a hug at that point."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:815", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.416193521507568, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So at that point, you know, I, I get very, I got very nervous and, uh, and then the car is coming and all the kids are following the car. And then the driver gets out and he has a bunch of bread on his arm, and he hands it to me. He says, here, here's the bread for you. Good luck. And then the Peace Corps volunteer turns to me. He takes his mattress, puts it in the car. He says, you're a woman, I cannot give you my hand, but good luck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What you really want is a hug at that point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. And then he goes and gets in the truck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, and the truck starts going away. And, uh, and at that point, I just started bawling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was just going to say, I would cry."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:819", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5138191623550221, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, and the truck starts going away. And, uh, and at that point, I just started bawling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was just going to say, I would cry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was crying. And then my family came over. And then one of the young boys who spoke a little bit of French, uh, they came over and said, habibti, don't cry. We're your family now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Aww."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know, that was very sweet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's very nice."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:821", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5709101803944691, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was crying. And then my family came over. And then one of the young boys who spoke a little bit of French, uh, they came over and said, habibti, don't cry. We're your family now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Aww."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know, that was very sweet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's very nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did they call you, habib?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:825", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7048273832030482, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did they call you, habib?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Habibti, which is dear. It's an endearing term."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Habibti?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How lovely. How lovely."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:827", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7831415368922757, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Habibti, which is dear. It's an endearing term."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Habibti?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How lovely. How lovely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was one of the children?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:831", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9668414035707107, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was one of the children?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, uh, no. The mother of the family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But the boy translated to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. I see, I see."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:833", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0742682261896785, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, uh, no. The mother of the family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But the boy translated to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. I see, I see."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So yeah, that was, yeah, that was very touching. But that was very, uh, never to be forgotten."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding. No kidding. You are so isolated."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:835", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1936313624329762, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But the boy translated to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. I see, I see."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So yeah, that was, yeah, that was very touching. But that was very, uh, never to be forgotten."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding. No kidding. You are so isolated."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And it was far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Talk about the, the first few days, the first week. Uh, what did you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:841", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5262432955184858, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, you know, I try to talk. I drank a lot of tea. Um, I was locked in the. So there was only one latrine in the whole village, and I was going to have a latrine built for me because my family didn't have one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there was one latrine, and I'm not sure who it belonged to. But, you know, I had to walk a little bit ways, a ways to do that. And, um. And the kids locked me in the latrine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That first week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They thought that was funny."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:843", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5847147727983175, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there was one latrine, and I'm not sure who it belonged to. But, you know, I had to walk a little bit ways, a ways to do that. And, um. And the kids locked me in the latrine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That first week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They thought that was funny."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They thought that was hilarious. So, of course, you know, somebody opens the latrine and lets me out, and I go back home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you hollering? I mean, what?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:847", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.721870089874466, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They thought that was hilarious. So, of course, you know, somebody opens the latrine and lets me out, and I go back home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you hollering? I mean, what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. I don't think so. I don't know, I don't know, I just kept knocking, you know. Yeah. It was horrible. And, uh, but the kids got a real beating for doing that. So that was nice. So but, but the kids had it in for me. There was one boy who just, you know, um, and he was one of the instigators of the locking of the door. So at another point, he also threw like dung, like cow manure, at me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So once again, he also got a beating for that. And after that he stayed away. But, um, you know, that first week was a lot of adjustment. You know, I walked a lot and tried to understand, you know, they didn't really have a garden, a very big garden. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what they had was growing wheat to make couscous?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:849", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8020778776382955, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. I don't think so. I don't know, I don't know, I just kept knocking, you know. Yeah. It was horrible. And, uh, but the kids got a real beating for doing that. So that was nice. So but, but the kids had it in for me. There was one boy who just, you know, um, and he was one of the instigators of the locking of the door. So at another point, he also threw like dung, like cow manure, at me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So once again, he also got a beating for that. And after that he stayed away. But, um, you know, that first week was a lot of adjustment. You know, I walked a lot and tried to understand, you know, they didn't really have a garden, a very big garden. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what they had was growing wheat to make couscous?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, no, that one was, uh, the wheat was done in where the Haratin lived. It wasn't done there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What was this family trying to grow?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:853", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9902196020225871, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, no, that one was, uh, the wheat was done in where the Haratin lived. It wasn't done there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What was this family trying to grow?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, there was just a, a community garden, but, you know, the goats would get in there, and it's just horrible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and then I, you know, just trying to make friends with some of the young people. It is very hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're walking around."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:855", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.100244002247319, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, there was just a, a community garden, but, you know, the goats would get in there, and it's just horrible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and then I, you know, just trying to make friends with some of the young people. It is very hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're walking around."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Walking around, drinking a lot of tea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And you didn't really have a function yet."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:857", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2224933358303545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and then I, you know, just trying to make friends with some of the young people. It is very hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're walking around."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Walking around, drinking a lot of tea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And you didn't really have a function yet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So people were looking at you, saying, huh?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:859", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3583259287003937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Walking around, drinking a lot of tea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And you didn't really have a function yet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So people were looking at you, saying, huh?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I know. What are you doing here? Why does your family not like you and they've sent you so far away?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh! Is that their perception of it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:861", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5092510318893262, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So people were looking at you, saying, huh?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I know. What are you doing here? Why does your family not like you and they've sent you so far away?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh! Is that their perception of it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How could anyone let their daughter go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:863", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6769455909881401, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I know. What are you doing here? Why does your family not like you and they've sent you so far away?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh! Is that their perception of it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How could anyone let their daughter go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. Why aren't you married?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah, because by then you're 24."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:867", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.07030319875079, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. Why aren't you married?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah, because by then you're 24."}, {"role": "user", "content": "24, 25. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So. Yeah. But it was, um, so it took a lot of adjustment and then, you know, I did some gardening there, but they didn't get it. You know, I would bring in an onion and they would throw it to the goats because they said it's not red like a tomato. So red, a tomato turns green and then turns red. Um. So, and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But tomatoes are not indigenous to Africa. They came from here."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:871", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.555929875000975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So. Yeah. But it was, um, so it took a lot of adjustment and then, you know, I did some gardening there, but they didn't get it. You know, I would bring in an onion and they would throw it to the goats because they said it's not red like a tomato. So red, a tomato turns green and then turns red. Um. So, and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But tomatoes are not indigenous to Africa. They came from here."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But you know, we were introducing things. We're introducing green peppers and onions and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so that was hard. At one point there was a caravan that came in, um, and that had one of the Peace Corps volunteers from the capital, from the regional capital, Ayoun el Atrous, so that was kind of nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Arriving in a caravan?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:873", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.8399220833344168, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But you know, we were introducing things. We're introducing green peppers and onions and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so that was hard. At one point there was a caravan that came in, um, and that had one of the Peace Corps volunteers from the capital, from the regional capital, Ayoun el Atrous, so that was kind of nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Arriving in a caravan?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In a caravan of camels, yeah. Uh, so that was kind of, you know, I remember having just this good feeling like, oh, I'm not as isolated as it seems."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. How, was there a postal service or something like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:875", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.044357870371574, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so that was hard. At one point there was a caravan that came in, um, and that had one of the Peace Corps volunteers from the capital, from the regional capital, Ayoun el Atrous, so that was kind of nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Arriving in a caravan?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In a caravan of camels, yeah. Uh, so that was kind of, you know, I remember having just this good feeling like, oh, I'm not as isolated as it seems."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. How, was there a postal service or something like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Ayoun, in Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So if you wanted to, really the only way to communicate with your parents at this point is by letter."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:877", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2715087448573046, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In a caravan of camels, yeah. Uh, so that was kind of, you know, I remember having just this good feeling like, oh, I'm not as isolated as it seems."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. How, was there a postal service or something like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Ayoun, in Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So if you wanted to, really the only way to communicate with your parents at this point is by letter."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you would write a letter. Did you have paper and envelopes?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:879", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.523898605397005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Ayoun, in Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So if you wanted to, really the only way to communicate with your parents at this point is by letter."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you would write a letter. Did you have paper and envelopes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, but you know, the letters. We would write the letters and send them to New York via somebody that was leaving from the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, you, got it, you wouldn't send it to the Dominican Republic."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:881", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8043317837744497, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you would write a letter. Did you have paper and envelopes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, but you know, the letters. We would write the letters and send them to New York via somebody that was leaving from the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, you, got it, you wouldn't send it to the Dominican Republic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You would send it to New York. And then somebody in New York would send it on."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:883", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.115924204193833, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, but you know, the letters. We would write the letters and send them to New York via somebody that was leaving from the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, you, got it, you wouldn't send it to the Dominican Republic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You would send it to New York. And then somebody in New York would send it on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Would get it to them. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Take a long time before your parents would get it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:885", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4621380046598147, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You would send it to New York. And then somebody in New York would send it on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Would get it to them. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Take a long time before your parents would get it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long from, um, Mekanet? Because it has to go from there to."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:887", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.846820005177572, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Would get it to them. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Take a long time before your parents would get it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long from, um, Mekanet? Because it has to go from there to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was no post office in Mekanet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. So you would have to, you could only post it when you went."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:889", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.274244450197302, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long from, um, Mekanet? Because it has to go from there to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was no post office in Mekanet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. So you would have to, you could only post it when you went."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Ayoun. And then from Ayoun to New York, how long would it take?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:891", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.526938277997002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was no post office in Mekanet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. So you would have to, you could only post it when you went."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Ayoun. And then from Ayoun to New York, how long would it take?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, probably three weeks. 3 or 4 weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just to get to New York, 3 or 4 weeks. And then from New York to Dominican Republic, another week?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:893", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6965980866633357, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Ayoun. And then from Ayoun to New York, how long would it take?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, probably three weeks. 3 or 4 weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just to get to New York, 3 or 4 weeks. And then from New York to Dominican Republic, another week?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Another 3 or 4 weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "3 or 4 even?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:897", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.0945655390905378, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Another 3 or 4 weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "3 or 4 even?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, man."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so, so there's really no way to have a dialog via letters."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:901", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3513154803586882, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so, so there's really no way to have a dialog via letters."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. So but when I would go into, into Nouakchott in the capital. So we went, you know, probably every three months. I would call my parents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Call them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been very reassuring to them. From the Peace Corps office?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:903", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.501461644842987, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. So but when I would go into, into Nouakchott in the capital. So we went, you know, probably every three months. I would call my parents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Call them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been very reassuring to them. From the Peace Corps office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, from the hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the hotel. You had to pay for that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:905", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6682907164922076, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been very reassuring to them. From the Peace Corps office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, from the hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the hotel. You had to pay for that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Um, did you get sick up there? I know you got sick in training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:909", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.0596181685088983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Um, did you get sick up there? I know you got sick in training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did not, I did not get sick after that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was very careful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Good for you. So you settle in, you spend some time getting to know people, walking around, getting your bearings about where you are in relation to other things. How often do you get into Ayoun?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:911", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1773535205654426, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did not, I did not get sick after that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was very careful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Good for you. So you settle in, you spend some time getting to know people, walking around, getting your bearings about where you are in relation to other things. How often do you get into Ayoun?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, probably once a month, over the weekend."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's pretty sparse. So for a whole month at a time, you're not speaking English to anybody?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:913", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3081705784060473, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was very careful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Good for you. So you settle in, you spend some time getting to know people, walking around, getting your bearings about where you are in relation to other things. How often do you get into Ayoun?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, probably once a month, over the weekend."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's pretty sparse. So for a whole month at a time, you're not speaking English to anybody?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're totally immersed."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:915", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.453522864895608, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, probably once a month, over the weekend."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's pretty sparse. So for a whole month at a time, you're not speaking English to anybody?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're totally immersed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Totally immersed. Um, how did you take care of your mental health?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:917", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6150254054395645, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're totally immersed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Totally immersed. Um, how did you take care of your mental health?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I wrote a lot of letters, and I read a lot of books."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. You had books with you. Did Peace Corps give you books?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:919", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7944726727106273, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Totally immersed. Um, how did you take care of your mental health?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I wrote a lot of letters, and I read a lot of books."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. You had books with you. Did Peace Corps give you books?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get a book locker?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:923", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2153983613711445, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get a book locker?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, we, I bought books with me and then the Peace Corps library had books. And then when we would go into Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You'd switch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would switch."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:925", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4615537348568273, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, we, I bought books with me and then the Peace Corps library had books. And then when we would go into Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You'd switch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would switch."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. So that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a lantern or something?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:927", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7350597053964747, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would switch."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. So that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a lantern or something?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I had lanterns and a lot of candles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah. So you're reading by candlelight."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:929", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.038955228218305, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. So that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a lantern or something?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I had lanterns and a lot of candles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah. So you're reading by candlelight."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, and your host, did anybody else in your host family sit around reading in the evening?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:931", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.376616920242561, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I had lanterns and a lot of candles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah. So you're reading by candlelight."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, and your host, did anybody else in your host family sit around reading in the evening?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They might have thought that was kind of weird."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:933", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.75179657804729, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, and your host, did anybody else in your host family sit around reading in the evening?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They might have thought that was kind of weird."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But um, you had more education than they did. You were, you read."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:935", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.168662864496989, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They might have thought that was kind of weird."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But um, you had more education than they did. You were, you read."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they, you know, they would, they would, um, yeah. They, you know, that wasn't done there, right?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. So eventually you set into your routine of how you're going to live there, and then eventually you're an agriculture volunteer."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:941", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.718330403973921, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I realized it wasn't going to work there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So then I asked the Peace Corps about getting a transfer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To transfer. Oh, so I went from my village. I went to Ayoun, I transferred to Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you realized it wasn't going to work, because any attempts to start a garden were, animals would come in and tear it down, and it just."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:943", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.353700448859912, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So then I asked the Peace Corps about getting a transfer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To transfer. Oh, so I went from my village. I went to Ayoun, I transferred to Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you realized it wasn't going to work, because any attempts to start a garden were, animals would come in and tear it down, and it just."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were not, they weren't, you know, they were not at a stage to work on having a garden."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And I mean."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:945", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.059667165399902, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To transfer. Oh, so I went from my village. I went to Ayoun, I transferred to Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you realized it wasn't going to work, because any attempts to start a garden were, animals would come in and tear it down, and it just."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were not, they weren't, you know, they were not at a stage to work on having a garden."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And I mean."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were nomadic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Culturally, they didn't perceive your role as maybe a white Moor. I mean, if you were going to be living with a white Moor family, that your role was not to get your hands in the dirt."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:947", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.844074628222113, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were not, they weren't, you know, they were not at a stage to work on having a garden."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And I mean."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were nomadic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Culturally, they didn't perceive your role as maybe a white Moor. I mean, if you were going to be living with a white Moor family, that your role was not to get your hands in the dirt."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was a pretty impossible situation. So how long did you stay there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:949", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.604527364691237, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were nomadic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Culturally, they didn't perceive your role as maybe a white Moor. I mean, if you were going to be living with a white Moor family, that your role was not to get your hands in the dirt."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was a pretty impossible situation. So how long did you stay there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was probably there until, um. Uh, March. So from September to March."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a long time."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:953", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 7.1660831662854765, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was probably there until, um. Uh, March. So from September to March."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a long time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, a very long time. I mean, it took the whole process to get me moved took a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A long time. But then I did, and I moved to Ayoun. And there I worked with different groups. You know, I would just go out and seek women's groups, or I did math with a group of Malian women and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With Malian women?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:955", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.517870184761641, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, a very long time. I mean, it took the whole process to get me moved took a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A long time. But then I did, and I moved to Ayoun. And there I worked with different groups. You know, I would just go out and seek women's groups, or I did math with a group of Malian women and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With Malian women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they were not, you know, they were not Moors. Okay. So I didn't work with Moors after getting out of Mekanet, because most of the women who were doing marketing, working in the market tended to be, um, Afro, Africans, Black Africans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Moors, um, are like the Berbers of North Africa."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:957", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9087446497351563, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A long time. But then I did, and I moved to Ayoun. And there I worked with different groups. You know, I would just go out and seek women's groups, or I did math with a group of Malian women and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With Malian women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they were not, you know, they were not Moors. Okay. So I didn't work with Moors after getting out of Mekanet, because most of the women who were doing marketing, working in the market tended to be, um, Afro, Africans, Black Africans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Moors, um, are like the Berbers of North Africa."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Okay, so now you're in Ayoun and you worked with people of."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:959", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.34304961081684, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they were not, you know, they were not Moors. Okay. So I didn't work with Moors after getting out of Mekanet, because most of the women who were doing marketing, working in the market tended to be, um, Afro, Africans, Black Africans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Moors, um, are like the Berbers of North Africa."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Okay, so now you're in Ayoun and you worked with people of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Different groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of a different race altogether."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:965", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 4.846432936648615, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah.\n\nSo there I used French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because they spoke French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I lived with a Bambara family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. And Bambara is one of the African groups in Mauritania?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:967", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0515921518317946, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because they spoke French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I lived with a Bambara family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. And Bambara is one of the African groups in Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were originally, they speak Bambara. So I think Malians, there's a group from Mali that speaks that are Bambara."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bambara. But with them you spoke French?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:969", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2795468353686608, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I lived with a Bambara family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. And Bambara is one of the African groups in Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were originally, they speak Bambara. So I think Malians, there's a group from Mali that speaks that are Bambara."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bambara. But with them you spoke French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because Peace Corps training had not included Bambara?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:971", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.5328298170762897, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were originally, they speak Bambara. So I think Malians, there's a group from Mali that speaks that are Bambara."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bambara. But with them you spoke French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because Peace Corps training had not included Bambara?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There's no way you can learn it out when you're trying to function in a job. So did, did you sort of give up on agricultural work at that time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:977", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1026472113529353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. You know, I, um, I worked with another Peace Corps volunteer who was a health volunteer, Phoebe Jones, and she and I worked in school, and I would do the agriculture, planting, gardening, and she would work on the health component."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So her and I partnered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I worked in school. Yeah. Now that I think about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Totally different work situation, radically different from just ten miles away."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:979", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.336274679281039, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So her and I partnered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I worked in school. Yeah. Now that I think about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Totally different work situation, radically different from just ten miles away."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. And that was really nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ten miles was a world apart."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:981", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5958607547567096, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I worked in school. Yeah. Now that I think about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Totally different work situation, radically different from just ten miles away."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. And that was really nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ten miles was a world apart."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you live in Ayoun?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:983", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.884289727507455, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. And that was really nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ten miles was a world apart."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you live in Ayoun?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I lived with a family in Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A family. Okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:985", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.204766363897172, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you live in Ayoun?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I lived with a family in Ayoun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A family. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I lived inside a compound."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What was that like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:989", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4873658813545338, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I lived inside a compound."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. What was that like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, that was wonderful. I loved it. Yeah. So a house with kids. Um, one, the oldest, young, the oldest daughter, when I moved in, was just getting ready to come to the States. Her husband was working on a PhD. So she left. And then the younger, her sister, who was 16, Aminatou. And, um, so we, you know. Yeah, it was great. It was wonderful, I loved it. I loved being part of a family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, um, I'm writing down Aminatou here. Um, and in that family, the, the host mother did the cooking?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:991", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.652628757060593, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, that was wonderful. I loved it. Yeah. So a house with kids. Um, one, the oldest, young, the oldest daughter, when I moved in, was just getting ready to come to the States. Her husband was working on a PhD. So she left. And then the younger, her sister, who was 16, Aminatou. And, um, so we, you know. Yeah, it was great. It was wonderful, I loved it. I loved being part of a family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, um, I'm writing down Aminatou here. Um, and in that family, the, the host mother did the cooking?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And, and the young lady, Aminatou, she was also a lot responsible more for, she would go to school, but then responsible for doing things in the house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the house. And did you get some vegetables into your diet there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:993", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.83625417451177, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, um, I'm writing down Aminatou here. Um, and in that family, the, the host mother did the cooking?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And, and the young lady, Aminatou, she was also a lot responsible more for, she would go to school, but then responsible for doing things in the house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the house. And did you get some vegetables into your diet there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. They, they ate a little bit more green."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But it was still basically meat and couscous or rice?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:997", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1558693512490985, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. They, they ate a little bit more green."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But it was still basically meat and couscous or rice?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and fish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And fish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Fish. Yeah. Because this is the Black Africans. So they did the couscous with the peanut sauce. The Moor diet was basically couscous, you know, roasted meat and, um, couscous with milk or."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:999", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2842992791656649, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and fish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And fish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Fish. Yeah. Because this is the Black Africans. So they did the couscous with the peanut sauce. The Moor diet was basically couscous, you know, roasted meat and, um, couscous with milk or."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whereas the Black Africans had rice, fish, fish with vegetables."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where would the fish come from? How close to the coast are you here?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1001", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.426999199072961, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Fish. Yeah. Because this is the Black Africans. So they did the couscous with the peanut sauce. The Moor diet was basically couscous, you know, roasted meat and, um, couscous with milk or."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whereas the Black Africans had rice, fish, fish with vegetables."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where would the fish come from? How close to the coast are you here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were not close to the coast. I think it probably came from, oh, people bring it in. That's right. There was a truck that would come in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the coast?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1005", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7617274062629147, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were not close to the coast. I think it probably came from, oh, people bring it in. That's right. There was a truck that would come in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From the coast?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And would, uh, with a freezer, sell fish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you're still in desert?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1009", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1749721064974255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And would, uh, with a freezer, sell fish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you're still in desert?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. But there are, uh, Ayoun has, uh, you know, was a, was a, um, colonial town, so it had a grid."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So you had mud houses, but mud compounds, but yeah. It had a, you know, there were streets."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And so you have a compound where the walls are made of mud."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1011", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.416635673886028, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. But there are, uh, Ayoun has, uh, you know, was a, was a, um, colonial town, so it had a grid."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So you had mud houses, but mud compounds, but yeah. It had a, you know, there were streets."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And so you have a compound where the walls are made of mud."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Baked adobe sort of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was your house like that too?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1013", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6851507487622537, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So you had mud houses, but mud compounds, but yeah. It had a, you know, there were streets."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And so you have a compound where the walls are made of mud."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Baked adobe sort of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was your house like that too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you say, and rocks?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1015", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9835008319580596, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Baked adobe sort of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was your house like that too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you say, and rocks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And rocks. Because this, Ayoun is very rocky."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. Did you have a room yourself?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1017", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.315000924397844, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you say, and rocks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And rocks. Because this, Ayoun is very rocky."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. Did you have a room yourself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, I have a one room. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you slept inside or inside?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1019", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.683334360442049, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And rocks. Because this, Ayoun is very rocky."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah. Did you have a room yourself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, I have a one room. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you slept inside or inside?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Inside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. This is really quite different from that experience."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1021", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.092593733824499, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, I have a one room. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you slept inside or inside?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Inside."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. This is really quite different from that experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How difficult and how rich that experience had been up in Mekanet that now you can sort of, uh, relax from that and get some work done. Wow. Kids in that family? You talked about Aminatou."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1025", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6081404121290102, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How difficult and how rich that experience had been up in Mekanet that now you can sort of, uh, relax from that and get some work done. Wow. Kids in that family? You talked about Aminatou."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. Young kids."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and then Aminatu was a young lady, so maybe 15, 16. Her older sister who was leaving, Aisha, she was, I think it must have been 18 or 19. So that was, you know, that. I mean, there was an eye opener because I noticed that people would socialize in the evening, like the young people would get together. Yeah. So it was very different, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And to drink, you would be drinking tea?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1027", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6757115690322335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah. Young kids."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and then Aminatu was a young lady, so maybe 15, 16. Her older sister who was leaving, Aisha, she was, I think it must have been 18 or 19. So that was, you know, that. I mean, there was an eye opener because I noticed that people would socialize in the evening, like the young people would get together. Yeah. So it was very different, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And to drink, you would be drinking tea?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And again no alcohol?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1031", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8342118136200414, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And again no alcohol?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No alcohol. It was a dry country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean there was alcohol, but I don't know where."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were probably encouraged, if you found out, not to join in."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1033", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9269020151333793, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No alcohol. It was a dry country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean there was alcohol, but I don't know where."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were probably encouraged, if you found out, not to join in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was probably all men."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1035", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.029891127925977, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean there was alcohol, but I don't know where."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were probably encouraged, if you found out, not to join in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was probably all men."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, um, do you have electricity now, in Ayoun?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1039", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2714705283036754, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, um, do you have electricity now, in Ayoun?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Running water?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there's a latrine that's not too far away."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1041", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4127450314485281, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Running water?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there's a latrine that's not too far away."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That's on the compound. Inside the compound."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So let's talk about the work. You mentioned, let's talk a little bit more. You started talking about how, um, you partnered with, with Phoebe, Phoebe Jones, and you were doing the agricultural."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1045", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.744129668454973, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That's on the compound. Inside the compound."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So let's talk about the work. You mentioned, let's talk a little bit more. You started talking about how, um, you partnered with, with Phoebe, Phoebe Jones, and you were doing the agricultural."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that was interesting. And we would go to school and she would do the health."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, of eating vegetables and washing your hands. And then I would work with the students to work on the planting of the garden."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, boy. How fun, school garden."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1047", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9379218538388587, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that was interesting. And we would go to school and she would do the health."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, of eating vegetables and washing your hands. And then I would work with the students to work on the planting of the garden."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, boy. How fun, school garden."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know, so that worked out. Yeah, that worked out well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And was it one school or did you travel around to various schools?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1051", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3924961158504425, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know, so that worked out. Yeah, that worked out well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And was it one school or did you travel around to various schools?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, we traveled to schools, but I don't remember how many. I do remember just traveling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then I worked with women, uh, these market women, teaching them how to write the numbers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh good. How to write them in Arabic?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1053", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6583290176116026, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, we traveled to schools, but I don't remember how many. I do remember just traveling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then I worked with women, uh, these market women, teaching them how to write the numbers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh good. How to write them in Arabic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Numbers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, these are, these are not Arabic speakers. In our alphabet."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1055", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.953698908457336, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then I worked with women, uh, these market women, teaching them how to write the numbers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh good. How to write them in Arabic?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Numbers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, these are, these are not Arabic speakers. In our alphabet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Because they knew the number. They knew how to do math, but they didn't know how to write it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Aha. Wow. To have to do all that math in their head is another skill."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1061", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.051713180325564, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then I also, um, when I was there, I worked with, uh, like a women's cooperative planting trees. So, you know, different things. It was good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It worked out well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Better situation than my first one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Clearly, clearly. And so you stayed there for how long?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1063", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.390792422583959, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It worked out well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Better situation than my first one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Clearly, clearly. And so you stayed there for how long?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I stayed there until the Gulf War. And then that's when we were pulled out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the Gulf War. Now the Gulf is way far away from Mauritania."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1065", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.656436025093288, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Better situation than my first one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Clearly, clearly. And so you stayed there for how long?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I stayed there until the Gulf War. And then that's when we were pulled out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the Gulf War. Now the Gulf is way far away from Mauritania."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. But Mauritania received the family of Saddam Hussein. So we were pulled out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Saddam. Saddam Hussein."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1067", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.951595583436987, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I stayed there until the Gulf War. And then that's when we were pulled out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the Gulf War. Now the Gulf is way far away from Mauritania."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. But Mauritania received the family of Saddam Hussein. So we were pulled out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Saddam. Saddam Hussein."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sent his family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sent his family to Mauritania, at which point that meant that Peace Corps had to leave?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1073", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.048827960818912, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps pulled out of the Arab countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they think it was unsafe or just a political?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1075", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.498697734243235, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps pulled out of the Arab countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they think it was unsafe or just a political?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Unsafe. Um, I think they thought it was unsafe. I mean, they went to a skeleton crew even in the embassy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So when was it that you were pulled out?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1077", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.776330815825816, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps pulled out of the Arab countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they think it was unsafe or just a political?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Unsafe. Um, I think they thought it was unsafe. I mean, they went to a skeleton crew even in the embassy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So when was it that you were pulled out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was January. I think January 20th, maybe something like that, of 1990."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been '91."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1079", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0848120175842397, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Unsafe. Um, I think they thought it was unsafe. I mean, they went to a skeleton crew even in the embassy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So when was it that you were pulled out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was January. I think January 20th, maybe something like that, of 1990."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been '91."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you went to Peace Corps Mali."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1081", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.4275689084269327, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was January. I think January 20th, maybe something like that, of 1990."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been '91."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you went to Peace Corps Mali."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we all went to Peace Corps Mali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All of you from Mauritania."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1083", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5861876760299252, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you went to Peace Corps Mali."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we all went to Peace Corps Mali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All of you from Mauritania."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The plane took us, took, it was a charter plane. And they picked up all the volunteers who were called in during that Christmas. So traditionally, Christmas we would have a conference in Nouakchott. So we all came in for the conference."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the conference."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1085", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7624307511443613, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we all went to Peace Corps Mali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All of you from Mauritania."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The plane took us, took, it was a charter plane. And they picked up all the volunteers who were called in during that Christmas. So traditionally, Christmas we would have a conference in Nouakchott. So we all came in for the conference."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the conference."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But from there we got on a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, wait. Did you know that was going to happen?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1087", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9582563901604015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The plane took us, took, it was a charter plane. And they picked up all the volunteers who were called in during that Christmas. So traditionally, Christmas we would have a conference in Nouakchott. So we all came in for the conference."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the conference."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But from there we got on a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, wait. Did you know that was going to happen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you left stuff behind in Ayoun?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1089", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1758404335115573, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But from there we got on a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, wait. Did you know that was going to happen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you left stuff behind in Ayoun?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Things that you maybe, your trunk."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1093", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6862227574216755, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Things that you maybe, your trunk."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your books."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh man. How hard. And, and you had to leave it all behind."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1095", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9846919526907505, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your books."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh man. How hard. And, and you had to leave it all behind."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And get on a plane. You left clothes behind."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1097", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.3163243918786116, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh man. How hard. And, and you had to leave it all behind."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And get on a plane. You left clothes behind."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything. Yeah. You just had whatever you had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Whatever you had with you to go to a conference that was going to be a pretty short conference. Woof. You get on a plane and you go to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.942831813276559, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mali. And we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bamako?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bamako. And then we were there for, um, a few days. And then Peace Corps gave you the option of terminating your service or continuing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that's."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't have that option in Mauritania at all."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.158702014751732, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bamako. And then we were there for, um, a few days. And then Peace Corps gave you the option of terminating your service or continuing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that's."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't have that option in Mauritania at all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They wanted, they didn't even want you to think or talk about anything until you got out of that. They wanted to get you out of there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.398557794168591, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that's."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't have that option in Mauritania at all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They wanted, they didn't even want you to think or talk about anything until you got out of that. They wanted to get you out of there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you're in Bamako. And what, what was the ratio of people who chose to go home or people who chose to extend, uh, in Mali?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.179091624373925, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, the people who extended were very small, I think, in Mali. Um, so I, I remained a Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And two other people decided to stay and work for an NGO."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One woman went to Chad. Um, so I would say Mauritania had probably less than 50 volunteers. Uh, five people maybe stayed as volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And the rest just."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.421212915971028, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And two other people decided to stay and work for an NGO."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One woman went to Chad. Um, so I would say Mauritania had probably less than 50 volunteers. Uh, five people maybe stayed as volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And the rest just."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most people left. Yeah. Most people left or, uh, those who didn't, who weren't volunteers stayed and worked in Africa, were working in Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For some NGOs. Um, did Peace Corps or anybody compensate you for all that you had to leave behind in Mauritania?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.690236573301142, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One woman went to Chad. Um, so I would say Mauritania had probably less than 50 volunteers. Uh, five people maybe stayed as volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And the rest just."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most people left. Yeah. Most people left or, uh, those who didn't, who weren't volunteers stayed and worked in Africa, were working in Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For some NGOs. Um, did Peace Corps or anybody compensate you for all that you had to leave behind in Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you're going to stay in Mali and work, you're going to have to go shopping. You need clothes. You need books."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.321279720124867, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you're going to stay in Mali and work, you're going to have to go shopping. You need clothes. You need books."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. They didn't. Nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nothing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was weird."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That seems very harsh. So, okay. But you decided to stay?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.184197146947691, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And then I went up to Peace Corps Gao."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why? Why?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I wasn't ready to come back home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was weird."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You wanted, you had thought you'd have more time in Africa and you wanted that whole experience."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.022218308570221, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I extended and I was posted in Peace Corps Gao in Mali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which is, and that was a 30 hour bus ride from Bamako. That was a nightmare."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my gosh."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2469092317446897, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I extended and I was posted in Peace Corps Gao in Mali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which is, and that was a 30 hour bus ride from Bamako. That was a nightmare."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my gosh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "God. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go with somebody?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.496565813049655, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which is, and that was a 30 hour bus ride from Bamako. That was a nightmare."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my gosh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "God. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go with somebody?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. Luckily, I did go with someone. Another woman, another volunteer. She was one of the volunteers who extended from Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From Mauritania. Okay. So you knew her?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.7739620144996167, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "God. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go with somebody?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. Luckily, I did go with someone. Another woman, another volunteer. She was one of the volunteers who extended from Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From Mauritania. Okay. So you knew her?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it wasn't Phoebe Jones."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1988504999994738, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Phoebe decided to leave."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, so I went with this woman. Um, unfortunately, she didn't cover her head. So we were on this bus, and we were. At one point, like, eight Tuareg heavily armed men got on our bus. So that was the beginning of knowing that we were going somewhere that was very far away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so that was kind of an uncomfortable. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But when you mentioned that you didn't cover her head."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3320561111105265, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, so I went with this woman. Um, unfortunately, she didn't cover her head. So we were on this bus, and we were. At one point, like, eight Tuareg heavily armed men got on our bus. So that was the beginning of knowing that we were going somewhere that was very far away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, so that was kind of an uncomfortable. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But when you mentioned that you didn't cover her head."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, she didn't cover, yeah. So she."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Against the sand, you mean?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0302638486671643, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were moving north, it was more and more Arab looking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And some of it were not Arab. They could have been Tuareg. Just, they were just covered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, you would."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the women too?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2558487207412936, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And some of it were not Arab. They could have been Tuareg. Just, they were just covered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, you would."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the women too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So in a situation like that, you just make sure you cover yourself too. You don't want to stand out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's right. So. That's right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.506498578601437, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, you would."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the women too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So in a situation like that, you just make sure you cover yourself too. You don't want to stand out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's right. So. That's right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we stood out on that bus."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a scarf on your head?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.784998420668263, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So in a situation like that, you just make sure you cover yourself too. You don't want to stand out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's right. So. That's right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we stood out on that bus."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a scarf on your head?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did have a scarf but she didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you cover your face?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4382696551460037, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did have a scarf but she didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you cover your face?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't cover my face, but. And I could pass actually as a Moor if I didn't speak. Um, I don't remember if she was a blond, but she, we stood out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we got a lot of stares, which was uncomfortable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Um, I would think that after her time in Mauritania, she would have."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.8202996168288927, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't cover my face, but. And I could pass actually as a Moor if I didn't speak. Um, I don't remember if she was a blond, but she, we stood out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we got a lot of stares, which was uncomfortable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Um, I would think that after her time in Mauritania, she would have."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but she was a teacher, so she was in the capital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, that's, that is different."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.0225551298098807, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we got a lot of stares, which was uncomfortable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Um, I would think that after her time in Mauritania, she would have."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but she was a teacher, so she was in the capital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, that's, that is different."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And, um, so we got to our site and there was nobody waiting for us. So after this 30 hour bus ride, we arrive and there's no one waiting. The Peace Corps volunteer, we were told there was a Peace Corps volunteer up there. She doesn't know who we are. So, um, we actually were sent to the Vision, World Vision house, and the person there told us that they had just had a bunch of visitors and they just needed a little bit of rest. So they didn't have room for us. So we had to wait and find this Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you've been, you've been on the road for 30 hours."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1361723664554233, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but she was a teacher, so she was in the capital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, that's, that is different."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And, um, so we got to our site and there was nobody waiting for us. So after this 30 hour bus ride, we arrive and there's no one waiting. The Peace Corps volunteer, we were told there was a Peace Corps volunteer up there. She doesn't know who we are. So, um, we actually were sent to the Vision, World Vision house, and the person there told us that they had just had a bunch of visitors and they just needed a little bit of rest. So they didn't have room for us. So we had to wait and find this Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you've been, you've been on the road for 30 hours."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was a nightmare. And, um, you know, we are, we had to. The driver then said, well, the Peace Corps volunteer is not there. Why don't you come to my house, rest, take a shower, have something to eat, and then we'll go look for her again in the afternoon. So that's what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's kind of risky, but it turned out okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2624137405060258, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And, um, so we got to our site and there was nobody waiting for us. So after this 30 hour bus ride, we arrive and there's no one waiting. The Peace Corps volunteer, we were told there was a Peace Corps volunteer up there. She doesn't know who we are. So, um, we actually were sent to the Vision, World Vision house, and the person there told us that they had just had a bunch of visitors and they just needed a little bit of rest. So they didn't have room for us. So we had to wait and find this Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you've been, you've been on the road for 30 hours."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was a nightmare. And, um, you know, we are, we had to. The driver then said, well, the Peace Corps volunteer is not there. Why don't you come to my house, rest, take a shower, have something to eat, and then we'll go look for her again in the afternoon. So that's what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's kind of risky, but it turned out okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah, that worked out well, so. Thank God."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's Gao like? Gao is in the northern part?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4026819338955843, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was a nightmare. And, um, you know, we are, we had to. The driver then said, well, the Peace Corps volunteer is not there. Why don't you come to my house, rest, take a shower, have something to eat, and then we'll go look for her again in the afternoon. So that's what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's kind of risky, but it turned out okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah, that worked out well, so. Thank God."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's Gao like? Gao is in the northern part?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was, it was very desolate. Much more desolate. It wasn't as pretty as Ayoun. Ayoun had, um, you know, very dark rocks. A lot of the houses were made of rocks or adobe, whereas, in Gao the roads were wider, but the, and the houses were cement, but they weren't painted. And they just had a drab feeling about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to, on that 30 hour bus ride, what were the roads like? Is it a paved road?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7317060912291162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was, it was very desolate. Much more desolate. It wasn't as pretty as Ayoun. Ayoun had, um, you know, very dark rocks. A lot of the houses were made of rocks or adobe, whereas, in Gao the roads were wider, but the, and the houses were cement, but they weren't painted. And they just had a drab feeling about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to, on that 30 hour bus ride, what were the roads like? Is it a paved road?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. There were paved roads the whole way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Potholes or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yeah. But you know, there was a road."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There's a road. Okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.137908754603847, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yeah. But you know, there was a road."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There's a road. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And at one point we had to cross the river or like over, over a river probably."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it was a long, long ride. That's all I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "My geography, my knowledge of the geography isn't very good in Mali. But I'm wondering where the Niger River starts somewhere?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.375454171782052, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And at one point we had to cross the river or like over, over a river probably."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it was a long, long ride. That's all I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "My geography, my knowledge of the geography isn't very good in Mali. But I'm wondering where the Niger River starts somewhere?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that must have been the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That might have been the Niger at its very beginnings."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.63939352420228, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it was a long, long ride. That's all I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "My geography, my knowledge of the geography isn't very good in Mali. But I'm wondering where the Niger River starts somewhere?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that must have been the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That might have been the Niger at its very beginnings."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Um, and what, you know, what made it seem so long was just that we were traversing very desolate areas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And you had been through a somewhat of a trauma. I don't know, maybe that's too strong a word, but you'd been plucked out of."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9326594713358665, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that must have been the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That might have been the Niger at its very beginnings."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Um, and what, you know, what made it seem so long was just that we were traversing very desolate areas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And you had been through a somewhat of a trauma. I don't know, maybe that's too strong a word, but you'd been plucked out of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I, uh, you, you're very shaky. You know, you're in a very shaky situation where you're going to a totally unknown place. What was it? What were you, what were you expecting to do in Gao?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.620567248562798, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I, uh, you, you're very shaky. You know, you're in a very shaky situation where you're going to a totally unknown place. What was it? What were you, what were you expecting to do in Gao?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I was supposed to work with this Peace Corps volunteer, ag extension."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So what I actually ended up doing was working with the people in Gao with the World Vision people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you never did find that Peace Corps volunteer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.2352682081022195, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So what I actually ended up doing was working with the people in Gao with the World Vision people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you never did find that Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did find her. And she showed up that afternoon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Um, you know, I lived with her. Well, I lived with her the whole time I was there, but I think I had intentions of moving and finding a family because I didn't like the fact that she left. She lived in a house by herself.\n\nOh, okay. And you wanted, you liked."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.3725202312246882, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did find her. And she showed up that afternoon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Um, you know, I lived with her. Well, I lived with her the whole time I was there, but I think I had intentions of moving and finding a family because I didn't like the fact that she left. She lived in a house by herself.\n\nOh, okay. And you wanted, you liked."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I liked the warmth and the security of having a family. Um, so I worked with World, I eventually worked with World Vision. We patched up the, uh, relation after that first day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, when they sent you off, we don't have room for you. No room in the inn."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.4139113680274314, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Um, you know, I lived with her. Well, I lived with her the whole time I was there, but I think I had intentions of moving and finding a family because I didn't like the fact that she left. She lived in a house by herself.\n\nOh, okay. And you wanted, you liked."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I liked the warmth and the security of having a family. Um, so I worked with World, I eventually worked with World Vision. We patched up the, uh, relation after that first day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, when they sent you off, we don't have room for you. No room in the inn."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. And, um, so I worked with them and that, that turned out well. But then, you know, eventually we had to call Peace Corps because there were fighting in Gao of the Tuareg, the Tuareg rebellion. And they were they were killing people ten kilometers outside of Gao."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is way before ISIS came in and took advantage of that Tuareg unhappiness."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5110016889227548, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. And, um, so I worked with them and that, that turned out well. But then, you know, eventually we had to call Peace Corps because there were fighting in Gao of the Tuareg, the Tuareg rebellion. And they were they were killing people ten kilometers outside of Gao."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is way before ISIS came in and took advantage of that Tuareg unhappiness."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Um, so at that point, uh, and then you know that, at that time there were these consultants visiting, uh, which was good, because then we used them to get down, to get to Bamako, um, because we told Peace Corps there, you might want to talk to the embassy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are problems up here that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Yeah. So you, you it was your decision to leave Gao and go down to Bamako?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5677796543586164, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Um, so at that point, uh, and then you know that, at that time there were these consultants visiting, uh, which was good, because then we used them to get down, to get to Bamako, um, because we told Peace Corps there, you might want to talk to the embassy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are problems up here that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Yeah. So you, you it was your decision to leave Gao and go down to Bamako?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It was, we called Peace Corps. And then they said, well, can you get out?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you did have, World Vision would have had a phone."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6308662826206849, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are problems up here that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Yeah. So you, you it was your decision to leave Gao and go down to Bamako?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It was, we called Peace Corps. And then they said, well, can you get out?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you did have, World Vision would have had a phone."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, no. No, we had to go to the post office. They didn't have a phone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7009625362452054, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It was, we called Peace Corps. And then they said, well, can you get out?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so you did have, World Vision would have had a phone."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, no. No, we had to go to the post office. They didn't have a phone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Wow. So you had, but there was a phone in the post office. You were able to call Peace Corps and describe what was happening."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7788472624946727, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, no. No, we had to go to the post office. They didn't have a phone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my goodness."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Wow. So you had, but there was a phone in the post office. You were able to call Peace Corps and describe what was happening."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Happening in the, um, across the street from the house where this volunteer lived was the main house of the Tuareg, which was surrounded. Yeah. No, it was a very, uh, shaky situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding. No kidding."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8653858472163031, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. Wow. So you had, but there was a phone in the post office. You were able to call Peace Corps and describe what was happening."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Happening in the, um, across the street from the house where this volunteer lived was the main house of the Tuareg, which was surrounded. Yeah. No, it was a very, uh, shaky situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding. No kidding."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So at that point, they told us just get out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you feel unsafe? Was it scary?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9615398302403367, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Happening in the, um, across the street from the house where this volunteer lived was the main house of the Tuareg, which was surrounded. Yeah. No, it was a very, uh, shaky situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding. No kidding."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So at that point, they told us just get out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you feel unsafe? Was it scary?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, it was scary because you could hear a lot of shots."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow. Oh yeah. So how did you get out?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1219", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0683775891559297, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So at that point, they told us just get out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you feel unsafe? Was it scary?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, it was scary because you could hear a lot of shots."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow. Oh yeah. So how did you get out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "With the Peace Corps, with the two consultants who were visiting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, okay. And they drove you back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1221", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.187086210173255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, it was scary because you could hear a lot of shots."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow. Oh yeah. So how did you get out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "With the Peace Corps, with the two consultants who were visiting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, okay. And they drove you back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In a Jeep or something."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1225", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.4655385310780926, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In a Jeep or something."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On a Jeep. Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. So pulled out twice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. How long had you been up in Gao?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1229", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5747389272569046, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. So pulled out twice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. How long had you been up in Gao?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably 3 or 4 months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It couldn't have been that long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you feel that you accomplished something in that short amount of time? Well, you were teaching. You were working."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7095542311813636, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It couldn't have been that long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you feel that you accomplished something in that short amount of time? Well, you were teaching. You were working."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I was working. You know, I was working with another person, a counterpart. So that was good. Yeah. There was a there were a lot of good things about that situation, you know, working with World Vision, they had villages that they were working in, working with a counterpart. That was all good. And she spoke French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the local language. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But now your French is getting better."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7883935902015151, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I was working. You know, I was working with another person, a counterpart. So that was good. Yeah. There was a there were a lot of good things about that situation, you know, working with World Vision, they had villages that they were working in, working with a counterpart. That was all good. And she spoke French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the local language. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But now your French is getting better."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was much better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So now you're back in Bamako."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1239", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9733254200018705, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was much better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So now you're back in Bamako."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Bamako."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it's."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Peace Corps just told me take your time, whatever you want to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. So what did you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2016363209899634, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Peace Corps just told me take your time, whatever you want to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. So what did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I decided to leave eventually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But then Peace Corps Mauritania reopened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Aha. Because things calmed down."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1245", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.335151467766626, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I decided to leave eventually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But then Peace Corps Mauritania reopened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Aha. Because things calmed down."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Saddam Hussein's family still there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.4835016308518068, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But then Peace Corps Mauritania reopened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Aha. Because things calmed down."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Saddam Hussein's family still there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Left. They had left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, they left so it was okay for Peace Corps to come back."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1249", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5372240342797852, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Saddam Hussein's family still there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Left. They had left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, they left so it was okay for Peace Corps to come back."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So Peace Corps went back. And then at that point, instead of. So I took about two months and not sure what I wanted to do. Then Peace Corps decided to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where are you during those two months, in Bamako?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1253", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6632395484935619, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So Peace Corps went back. And then at that point, instead of. So I took about two months and not sure what I wanted to do. Then Peace Corps decided to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where are you during those two months, in Bamako?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Bamako."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And um, at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Peace Corps is still giving you your living allowance?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9097936193327322, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. And they, and then at that, at one point I went and I stayed with the doctors, the doctor's house. Um. Yeah, no, they were very nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps was very, very supportive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good, good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I wasn't ready and, you know, it was very. It was not a good, I was not in a good place because you know psychologically I think I was a bit traumatized by that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, sure. Sure. You being pulled out twice wherever you were trying to figure out what to do."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1261", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0108817992585912, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps was very, very supportive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good, good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I wasn't ready and, you know, it was very. It was not a good, I was not in a good place because you know psychologically I think I was a bit traumatized by that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, sure. Sure. You being pulled out twice wherever you were trying to figure out what to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then before being pulled out of Ayoun."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1232019991762123, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I wasn't ready and, you know, it was very. It was not a good, I was not in a good place because you know psychologically I think I was a bit traumatized by that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, sure. Sure. You being pulled out twice wherever you were trying to figure out what to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then before being pulled out of Ayoun."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That first placement wasn't working out either. So that's really three separate places where you had to leave. And then, and then you, you're offered an opportunity to work as Peace Corps staff back in Mauritania."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3866691347854474, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That first placement wasn't working out either. So that's really three separate places where you had to leave. And then, and then you, you're offered an opportunity to work as Peace Corps staff back in Mauritania."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, no, in Mali. So they trained, they brought the volunteers to Mali first and we did training there, cross-culture, language. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we went back to Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So people, these were brand new Peace Corps volunteers coming in from New York or someplace, flying in, flying into Bamako, into Mali to begin their Peace Corps training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5407434830949416, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, no, in Mali. So they trained, they brought the volunteers to Mali first and we did training there, cross-culture, language. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we went back to Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So people, these were brand new Peace Corps volunteers coming in from New York or someplace, flying in, flying into Bamako, into Mali to begin their Peace Corps training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had they already done something like you did in, um, in the Frogmore?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7119372034388238, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we went back to Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So people, these were brand new Peace Corps volunteers coming in from New York or someplace, flying in, flying into Bamako, into Mali to begin their Peace Corps training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had they already done something like you did in, um, in the Frogmore?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They were fresh out of college."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1273", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9021524482653598, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had they already done something like you did in, um, in the Frogmore?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They were fresh out of college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or someplace. And, and you were. And so there were people doing language training and cultural orientation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.113502720294844, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They were fresh out of college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or someplace. And, and you were. And so there were people doing language training and cultural orientation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Language and cross-cultural, yeah. All this stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your role?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1277", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.34833635588316, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or someplace. And, and you were. And so there were people doing language training and cultural orientation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Language and cross-cultural, yeah. All this stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your role?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was a cross-cultural trainer there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Well, you had lots of experience of."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1279", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6092626176479556, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Language and cross-cultural, yeah. All this stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your role?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was a cross-cultural trainer there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Well, you had lots of experience of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was good. I mean, I think it allowed me to sort of, um, you know, come full circle. So after, after doing training, I was ready to leave Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And did you accompany these volunteers into Mauritania?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.899180686275506, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was a cross-cultural trainer there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Well, you had lots of experience of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was good. I mean, I think it allowed me to sort of, um, you know, come full circle. So after, after doing training, I was ready to leave Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And did you accompany these volunteers into Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and then I did another training. So two sets of training and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, two trainings in Mali or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.221311873639451, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was good. I mean, I think it allowed me to sort of, um, you know, come full circle. So after, after doing training, I was ready to leave Mauritania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And did you accompany these volunteers into Mauritania?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and then I did another training. So two sets of training and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, two trainings in Mali or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, in Mauritania. So once we did the first training in Mali. Then we went back to Mauritania and then it was fine. And then they figured out they could start doing their training there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So yet another group came in from New York and you did their training in Mauritania."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1285", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5792354151549457, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and then I did another training. So two sets of training and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, two trainings in Mali or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, in Mauritania. So once we did the first training in Mali. Then we went back to Mauritania and then it was fine. And then they figured out they could start doing their training there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So yet another group came in from New York and you did their training in Mauritania."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A couple of those."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1287", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9769282390610505, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, in Mauritania. So once we did the first training in Mali. Then we went back to Mauritania and then it was fine. And then they figured out they could start doing their training there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So yet another group came in from New York and you did their training in Mauritania."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A couple of those."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you decided it was time to go home."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.418809154512278, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A couple of those."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you decided it was time to go home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at this point you had not yet gone back home."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.909787949458087, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you decided it was time to go home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at this point you had not yet gone back home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You'd spent this whole time between Mauritania and Mali."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.455319943842318, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at this point you had not yet gone back home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You'd spent this whole time between Mauritania and Mali."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever had a chance to do some traveling or some?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.061466604269242, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You'd spent this whole time between Mauritania and Mali."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever had a chance to do some traveling or some?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were in Bamako at least, did you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1297", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.62385178252138, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever had a chance to do some traveling or some?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were in Bamako at least, did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I did, I went to, um. Ivory Coast."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. For a little vacation."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1303", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.603363213335226, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little vacation with some of the volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was good, just realized."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Abidjan?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Abidjan. Just realizing that, you know, other places were much better than where I came from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You were in really a hardship."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1307", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.152300263376821, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Abidjan. Just realizing that, you know, other places were much better than where I came from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You were in really a hardship."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, it was, you know, it wasn't typical, typical Peace Corps experience, I think. Um, so that was nice just to see, and the fact that, you know, people ate much better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Had electricity and water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Posh Corps. And you were able to speak French in Ivory Coast too."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1309", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.058111403752022, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, it was, you know, it wasn't typical, typical Peace Corps experience, I think. Um, so that was nice just to see, and the fact that, you know, people ate much better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Had electricity and water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Posh Corps. And you were able to speak French in Ivory Coast too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.182853584879041, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. That was very good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it was, it was good. Overall, you know, I had a very good experience. I mean, and I think for me, so I think the fact that I stuck around and allowed it to run its course and then I was ready to come home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. That's good. You made very good decisions all the way around. And I don't know how many people going through what you went through would be able to say, it was a very good experience. There was very hard experience. And you're looking, you're, you're looking at the positive side of it and talking about the good that you got out of it. And it was a ultimately a good experience for you. You're a very special person. Then you come home. Home to where? To New York or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1319", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.040951419587163, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I came, I came to New York, and then I went to the Dominican Republic and visited my parents. And then I decided to go to France for that summer so I could practice, so I could perfect my French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "French. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So I lived with a French family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I took classes at the Sorbonne. And then in August decided I was going to come to Madison. So I came back to the States. I went to Yale, to New Haven. And to think, I thought maybe Yale would be the school where I would come and do my PhD, and I didn't like it. And then I came to Madison and I stayed, and I've been here ever since."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you came here to the University of Wisconsin. You got a PhD here. In what?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1323", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.692532616774274, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I took classes at the Sorbonne. And then in August decided I was going to come to Madison. So I came back to the States. I went to Yale, to New Haven. And to think, I thought maybe Yale would be the school where I would come and do my PhD, and I didn't like it. And then I came to Madison and I stayed, and I've been here ever since."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you came here to the University of Wisconsin. You got a PhD here. In what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cultural anthropology."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cultural anthropology?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you had such a wonderful grounding in, in living in deeply inside other cultures that you brought with you to your academic studies. How wonderful. And, and, um, do you think you would have gone on for a PhD in cultural anthropology had you not had that Peace Corps experience?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.658369574193637, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cultural anthropology."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cultural anthropology?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you had such a wonderful grounding in, in living in deeply inside other cultures that you brought with you to your academic studies. How wonderful. And, and, um, do you think you would have gone on for a PhD in cultural anthropology had you not had that Peace Corps experience?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yes, because in my graduate work, the reason. So at Boston University, my one professor said, um, when I was finishing my master's and I wanted to do anthropology, she said it would be good for you to go out and get experience and then come back to do your PhD."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that's exactly it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1327", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.62041063799293, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you had such a wonderful grounding in, in living in deeply inside other cultures that you brought with you to your academic studies. How wonderful. And, and, um, do you think you would have gone on for a PhD in cultural anthropology had you not had that Peace Corps experience?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yes, because in my graduate work, the reason. So at Boston University, my one professor said, um, when I was finishing my master's and I wanted to do anthropology, she said it would be good for you to go out and get experience and then come back to do your PhD."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that's exactly it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It took me five years, but I did it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1329", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.689345153325476, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yes, because in my graduate work, the reason. So at Boston University, my one professor said, um, when I was finishing my master's and I wanted to do anthropology, she said it would be good for you to go out and get experience and then come back to do your PhD."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that's exactly it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It took me five years, but I did it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, five years kind of roundabout way from starting from that, yeah, to the coming to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was all."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1331", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.87705017036164, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It took me five years, but I did it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, five years kind of roundabout way from starting from that, yeah, to the coming to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All, you could look at that as one big educational experience."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1333", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.196722411512933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, five years kind of roundabout way from starting from that, yeah, to the coming to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All, you could look at that as one big educational experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was good. You know like I mean, yeah. You know, sometimes you have to, you know, even though you come, you go full circle, it's, it's part of the, that learning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you finished your PhD then, in what, 1992?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1337", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.05768198952214, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was good. You know like I mean, yeah. You know, sometimes you have to, you know, even though you come, you go full circle, it's, it's part of the, that learning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you finished your PhD then, in what, 1992?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, 2004."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "2004."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I finished, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You finished. Yeah. And what have you done since then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1339", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 16.73075776613571, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, 2004."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "2004."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I finished, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You finished. Yeah. And what have you done since then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So you know, I've."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was 12 years ago."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1343", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.544145390291002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So you know, I've."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was 12 years ago."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, that's a long time. Uh, you know, I've worked in numerous capacities in Madison at, uh, I was a knowledge management coordinator at the World Council of Credit Union, where it was really my anthropology that got me that job. I, uh, I've been very interested in engaging young people in science. So I've done a lot of science outreach through Edgewood. And then the last four years I've been working at the Earth Partnership, uh, at the Arboretum, UW Arboretum, on ecological restoration, which is training teachers and community members to do restoration and the reasons why. And my position is really multicultural. So I bring my anthropological to the work. So I work with Native American communities, I work with Latino communities. And now I'm taking UW students overseas to do restoration in other countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in somewhere in all this time you've married. You have."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1345", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.382383766990001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, that's a long time. Uh, you know, I've worked in numerous capacities in Madison at, uh, I was a knowledge management coordinator at the World Council of Credit Union, where it was really my anthropology that got me that job. I, uh, I've been very interested in engaging young people in science. So I've done a lot of science outreach through Edgewood. And then the last four years I've been working at the Earth Partnership, uh, at the Arboretum, UW Arboretum, on ecological restoration, which is training teachers and community members to do restoration and the reasons why. And my position is really multicultural. So I bring my anthropological to the work. So I work with Native American communities, I work with Latino communities. And now I'm taking UW students overseas to do restoration in other countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in somewhere in all this time you've married. You have."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Married, children. Yeah. So I have my twins, who are going to be 17 in four days. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you married a guy who himself was."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1347", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 9.3137597411, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in somewhere in all this time you've married. You have."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Married, children. Yeah. So I have my twins, who are going to be 17 in four days. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you married a guy who himself was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't meet him in the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1349", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.793066379000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Married, children. Yeah. So I have my twins, who are going to be 17 in four days. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you married a guy who himself was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't meet him in the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but we met through mutual Peace Corps people. So I met him through my, at a party of my, um, Peace Corps trainers, Julia and Emmett, Julian Paulsen and Emmett Millen. And Emmett studied with Charles, my husband, at UW doing his master's. So they're very good friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's, it all comes together, doesn't it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1351", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.325629310000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't meet him in the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but we met through mutual Peace Corps people. So I met him through my, at a party of my, um, Peace Corps trainers, Julia and Emmett, Julian Paulsen and Emmett Millen. And Emmett studied with Charles, my husband, at UW doing his master's. So they're very good friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's, it all comes together, doesn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else you'd want to say? Would you recommend it to a young woman today?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.917365900000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but we met through mutual Peace Corps people. So I met him through my, at a party of my, um, Peace Corps trainers, Julia and Emmett, Julian Paulsen and Emmett Millen. And Emmett studied with Charles, my husband, at UW doing his master's. So they're very good friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's, it all comes together, doesn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else you'd want to say? Would you recommend it to a young woman today?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I would. I think, you know, you have to go in, you know, clearly with, uh, open eyes and open mind and, uh, and be very aware that, you know, it's not the same world as when I went in. You know, I was very lucky to go to a dry country, so I didn't have to deal with a lot of issues that I think countries where alcohol."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, there's that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.574851000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else you'd want to say? Would you recommend it to a young woman today?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I would. I think, you know, you have to go in, you know, clearly with, uh, open eyes and open mind and, uh, and be very aware that, you know, it's not the same world as when I went in. You know, I was very lucky to go to a dry country, so I didn't have to deal with a lot of issues that I think countries where alcohol."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, there's that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is prevalent. Yeah. So I was very grateful for that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm thinking dry in two ways. Okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1359", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.1171, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is prevalent. Yeah. So I was very grateful for that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm thinking dry in two ways. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then, um, living with a family I think was critical for me. So I would highly recommend that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. No, I, you know, for me, I would say that my defining, the moment in my life that has defined me was my Peace Corps service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wonderful. Thank you, Maria."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1361", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.019, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then, um, living with a family I think was critical for me. So I would highly recommend that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. No, I, you know, for me, I would say that my defining, the moment in my life that has defined me was my Peace Corps service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wonderful. Thank you, Maria."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hello. Um, we're going to get back to this discussion with Maria because she's written a piece that she just read for me. And I think we should include this in the interview. It's, it's very lovely. So here's Maria reading now to you something that she's written. Who did you write it for?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1363", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.91, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah. No, I, you know, for me, I would say that my defining, the moment in my life that has defined me was my Peace Corps service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wonderful. Thank you, Maria."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hello. Um, we're going to get back to this discussion with Maria because she's written a piece that she just read for me. And I think we should include this in the interview. It's, it's very lovely. So here's Maria reading now to you something that she's written. Who did you write it for?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I wrote this when I was for the 50th anniversary. The UW did a celebration."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "50th anniversary of Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1365", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hello. Um, we're going to get back to this discussion with Maria because she's written a piece that she just read for me. And I think we should include this in the interview. It's, it's very lovely. So here's Maria reading now to you something that she's written. Who did you write it for?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I wrote this when I was for the 50th anniversary. The UW did a celebration."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "50th anniversary of Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that would have been 2011?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00016:1367", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 11.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I wrote this when I was for the 50th anniversary. The UW did a celebration."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "50th anniversary of Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that would have been 2011?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Okay, so let's hear it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00485:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 40.964846926915435, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My pleasure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know you have a busy schedule. Let's begin by you telling us what your roles and responsibilities are here at Johnson Space Center, as training lead."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As a training lead, I sort of am the maestro over a group of instructors. We work predominantly in the simulator to train a Space Shuttle crew for a mission. We get assigned to a specific mission, and we follow that crew from the time they're assigned until the time that they fly. We do all of their training in the simulator.\\n\\n Also in here, in what we call the single-system trainer, the individual instructors who are responsible for different discipline areas on the Shuttle, like control and propulsion or data processing systems, environmental control and life support systems, they come in with the crew members prior to going to the simulator, and actually train those individual systems. They teach them how they work, just normally, and then we also have classes that throw in malfunctions. So they can come in here and practice malfunctions.\\n\\n When we take them across the street to the simulator, we actually throw it all together, all the different disciplines, and that's where we practice, actually, flying for the mission."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long have you been doing this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I joined the Training Division here at the Johnson Space Center in 1987, probably about April or May. I forget now, it's been so long. But I've been doing this for about eleven years now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you always been in this capacity, or were you doing things before this?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00485:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 28, "return_to_go": 57.381434490217025, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and I think everybody realized that. With the teamwork, we also realized that there's no holding of information. This was a dangerous feat we were trying to pull off, if you really think about it. So the crew had to be well trained. We also had to understand how the mechanism worked so that we could figure out how to break it in simulations. So if we didn't know how it worked, we couldn't give them realistic scenarios and teach them how to potentially get out of a hairy situation should it arise. That didn't actually happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that part of your job duty to come up with these scenarios with the situations to get them to figure out how to survive?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. A lot of people chuckle, a lot of my friends chuckle at my job, and I said, \"Well, I actually have a really great job. I don't have a whole lot of stress, because I can take it out on the poor astronauts.\" [Laughter] Actually, the astronauts like to joke that we give them a really hard time, but I think they knew we're their biggest cheerleaders. We're sitting down there, and we try to throw things in, and as they go through the training flow it will get a little more difficult and a little more difficult. We're actually down there going, \"Yeah!\" when they get it right, when they figure out what we've done to them and actually get themselves out of a sticky situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe you can go into creating thousand-piece puzzles when you get through with this job."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[Laughter] That's right. I might need to do that, actually. My brain's full at this point in time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you experience any differences in training the astronauts compared to the cosmonauts?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00485:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 41.74658050511162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The other thing that amazed me is, once I would explain to them, for example, rapid cabin depressurization and I'd show them on our CRT displays where that might occur, once they knew what it looked like here, they could go pick it out. They would point, \"Oh, yeah\" once I'd put the malfunction in \"that's where it's dropping.\" You could see that these people were just as smart as our astronauts.\\n\\n It's really funny, Bill Cosby once, I remember him saying, trying to talk to foreigners, people tend to shout at them. [Laughter] He's like, \"They're not deaf; they just don't speak the language.\" You had to be very careful, because you would find yourself, if you couldn't get a point across, you'd just say it louder. And it doesn't get across any different. It's the language; it's not the level of the volume. [Laughter]\\n\\n I realized at that time that these folks were the best of their best, just like our astronauts here are. Now that we have some of our astronauts that have gone over there and trained, I imagine it's the same feeling for them. It's got to be frustrating to be a highly intelligent individual and outstanding in your field, and then to be constrained by language and not be able to get your points across. So we tried very hard to help alleviate that for them. But it was fun. We had some fun moments. They were all really good folks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What other missions have you worked on, other than 71?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. I worked 71, 76, 79 for a little while, and then I left and went to another job and then came back. I did STS-84 and STS-89, and 86 was in between there, too. I lose track. But I did all of those missions for docking. In some cases I was also their systems instructor at the same time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've been up close and personal with Shuttle-Mir?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, from day one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since the beginning."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00485:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 15, "return_to_go": 31.931220021540003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that trip."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's a feat in itself, is for you to train them, but yet knowing that that's not their actual environment that they're going to be training in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Does that pose a challenge to you and to them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it's always a challenge, because if you think about it, we practice launches over here. But I can't imagine going from our simulator, which I hear is fairly realistic, to actually knowing that you're sitting on top of all of this rocket fuel and it just lit. That's got to kind of make you leave your brain back on the launch pad for just a moment.\\n\\n I think they have similar problems. But one of the nice things about having so many flights to do, that after every flight, I would talk to the crew members. We have what we call a training debriefing. \"What could we have done better? What did you notice that was different? Was there any we call them gotchas any gotchas that you ran into? How can we change the procedures to make them better?\\n\\n Actually, all of the docking procedures and all of this duct work and what we call tunnel ops, tunnel operations, because that whole area back to the docking system we called the tunnel, we revised that for every flight. It got better every time. By the last three flights we pretty much had it down. We're actually going to be using this docking mechanism for our International Space Station flights. I think we've learned a tremendous amount of lessons from the Shuttle-Mir Program and will use that in the ISS flights that are going to be coming up in the future."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But I have to assume that not one flight is the same as the one before it. Each had its own unique characteristics for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00485:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.962231400000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not at all. It was amazing to me when it first happened on STS-60, and to this day it still I'm amazed at what we're doing now and the direction that we're going. I think it is really interesting. I've trained and worked with every astronaut candidate class that has come in since 1990, and they have evolved. Went from being all Americans, to now we're bringing in international astronauts from the international space agencies. So we're seeing a change and a moving in that direction. I just couldn't have imagined that a few years ago, because you kind of grow up with NASA as all fighter pilot types and they go and they sit on top of rockets and they go into space and do wonderful things. But you don't think about anybody from another country joining NASA, it was such an American icon. I think it just speaks to the direction that we're moving as a whole for human space flight. That's the next step, is the cooperative, international cooperation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long are they in this trainer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In this trainer? Classes in here are typically two hours long. Classes in the simulator are four hours, five hours, eight hours, ten hours, all the way up to thirty-six hours. Just prior to a flight, they'll do what we call a long simulation, which will take thirty-six hours, usually whatever the critical objective is on the flight. For example, on a docking flight, we take the window just prior to docking and after docking, and we will work all the way through that time line and practice doing everything that they're going to do. It's the big dress rehearsal. All of those things tend to happen in the last twelve weeks of training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is your time period that you're with, when you said you're assigned to the team?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It can be anywhere from a year and a half to flight, or nine months to flight, depending on what the objectives are. I guess for most of the Mir crews, I worked with them about a year. We'd be assigned with them for a year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you train them more?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00485:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.069146000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In this trainer? Classes in here are typically two hours long. Classes in the simulator are four hours, five hours, eight hours, ten hours, all the way up to thirty-six hours. Just prior to a flight, they'll do what we call a long simulation, which will take thirty-six hours, usually whatever the critical objective is on the flight. For example, on a docking flight, we take the window just prior to docking and after docking, and we will work all the way through that time line and practice doing everything that they're going to do. It's the big dress rehearsal. All of those things tend to happen in the last twelve weeks of training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is your time period that you're with, when you said you're assigned to the team?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It can be anywhere from a year and a half to flight, or nine months to flight, depending on what the objectives are. I guess for most of the Mir crews, I worked with them about a year. We'd be assigned with them for a year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you train them more?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess as an instructor, you can always say you can always train them more. But most of the people that we have chosen in our astronaut program are just phenomenal folks. We set out our objectives, what we want to teach, almost at the beginning, and we go after that, and they learn it very well. It's really amazing. You can always go deeper. This is such a complex mechanical system and flight machine, the Shuttle. Then you can add all the other complexities of the docking system and using the arm to put the docking module on top of the docking mechanism, and then docking it with Mir. So it's pretty complex stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any other thing that you would have liked to have done other than this, now you've done it? Or are there other things you'd like to move to?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00485:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 11.187940000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It can be anywhere from a year and a half to flight, or nine months to flight, depending on what the objectives are. I guess for most of the Mir crews, I worked with them about a year. We'd be assigned with them for a year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you train them more?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess as an instructor, you can always say you can always train them more. But most of the people that we have chosen in our astronaut program are just phenomenal folks. We set out our objectives, what we want to teach, almost at the beginning, and we go after that, and they learn it very well. It's really amazing. You can always go deeper. This is such a complex mechanical system and flight machine, the Shuttle. Then you can add all the other complexities of the docking system and using the arm to put the docking module on top of the docking mechanism, and then docking it with Mir. So it's pretty complex stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any other thing that you would have liked to have done other than this, now you've done it? Or are there other things you'd like to move to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hadn't really thought about that, I mean, other than just going into space. [Laughter] If they could just take me with them. I think I, as an instructor, have been very blessed, or very lucky, I'm not really sure which. I've just sort of got some really good assignments. I got to work on a lot of missions that were considered firsts. Even now I'm on a first, which is a first female commander. So I consider myself very, very lucky. I don't have too many regrets, things I didn't get to do.\\n\\n I probably would still like to go to Russia, but at the time I was just too busy training them here, so I couldn't go there. I couldn't necessarily cut me loose from the schedule."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm going to ask Carol or Mark if they have some questions for you. Before we let you go on back to your other job duties, would like for you just to kind of tell us about what's here and how you walk people through that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00485:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.4, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They need to feel comfortable."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I guess the one thing about this is, imagine if you took that whole back wall and moved it up to about right there, that's actually how small the vehicle is in real life. So this is kind of spread out a little bit. There's a lot more room in here than there is on the Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Carol, did you have a question?\n\nYou mentioned there were a lot of lessons learned from the Shuttle-Mir Program that will be beneficial to the International Space Station. I know one of those probably dealt a lot with the docking. Are there any others, in particular, that really stand out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, I think one of the things that we learned was the language thing, not only Russian, but we now have Japanese, French, Spanish, German international astronauts in residence. Most of them speak English. But a lot of our folks, our instructors, who are having to, I guess, work training issues with these different agencies are having to travel now. So we've got people learning Japanese. We've got people learning French. I guess it's something we didn't have to worry about in the days of us just flying Americans. You come in, you already speak the language, it's no problem. This throws an extra complexity in it that you have to take into account.\\n\\n Also there's a lot of cultural difference. I think one of the things that we learned with the Russians is they tend to be very I guess it's the personal space. Maybe you've heard about this. They tend to be closer than Americans are. So, getting used to that. Also, they tend to talk louder. It might sound like they're shouting, and they're not. So there's a lot of little things that we've learned. They are training folks in cultural differences. I’ve had a class on Japanese cultural diversity. I also understand that they're getting the same for Americans [a class for the foreigners on American culture] so they understand us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That might be interesting for us to take."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00604:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 17, "return_to_go": 48.91166000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "By that point, putting the telescope together you might say was a simple task in comparison to testing it. It’s certainly more glamorous to do the testing of the telescope in cryogenic vacuum conditions. It uses something called interferometry to measure the primary mirror, and that was what my dissertation was on. It’s one of my specialties.\\n\\n I think I left the team putting the telescope together in very good shape, and made the choice to do the more challenging, more glamorous thing. Knowing that I would have to move to Houston, Texas, which provided a lot of consternation to me and my family at the time. We really weren’t sure that we wanted to do that, to pick up and move here.\\n\\n The only time I had ever been here, I came out for a PIT (the Product Integrity Team) meeting here one year. I remember driving from the airport. At the time I [Interstate]-45 was just a construction disaster, and that corridor of Houston is really ugly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew into [William P.] Hobby [Airport]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Hobby. Just coming from Hobby to here, I was shocked. “Oh my god, I’m moving to this place.” In the end we like it here, and we’re staying. So yes, I decided to go with what was more challenging and more glamorous and where I could have I think the biggest impact. It would last longer. The telescope was being put together in probably 2016 or so. Although actually if I had done that first half, I probably would have been put on the second half anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you came down, what state was the SESL at that point? What did it look like? How did you start coming up with these plans for the test?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "What is SESL?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s the Space Environment Simulation Lab. That’s [JSC] Building 32. I don’t know how you guys refer to it, but that’s what we call it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 36.891987830230306, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s my pleasure, totally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought we’d start off with a relatively easy question. Why don’t you give me an overview of your career at NASA."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I started working for USBI [United Space Boosters, Inc.] in 1978. Previously I was employed at Lockheed Missiles. I worked on the Trident Missile Program, the Fleet Ballistic Missile. When that program ended, I came over to USBI. So in 1978 they were looking for mechanical engineers and pyro and ordnance engineers. I got hired as a mechanical engineer.\\n\\n So I’ve been working since then on Space Shuttle, totally Space Shuttle, STS-1 through STS-135. I’ve been lucky enough to work every mission. It’s been quite a thrill really. [Today I am the director of program management for United Space Alliance.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "135 missions, that’s amazing. Since you started in ’78, would you tell me what was going on [at that time]? They were supposed to launch the Shuttle at that point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually in 1978, when I first started working here, there was no flight hardware here. There was no paperwork on how to put it together. I was hired to be one of the technical people, an engineer, to write assembly documentation for the SRB, specifically the forward assembly of the SRB. I was a forward skirt engineer. I wrote the ordnance and the mechanical installation and the mass properties paperwork for the forward skirt.\\n\\n At that time the VAB [Vehicle Assembly Building] was still set up for the Apollo Program, because when Apollo ended, they just walked away from it. So we had to retrofit and activate the low bay of the VAB. We took out some stands, we put new stands in, platforms and ladders that would access SRB hardware. So my first real job responsibility was the activation manager for the VAB. That was before we ever had any flight hardware. Ultimately we got the facility ready to accept flight hardware and then in ’79 we started to get flight hardware, and we started building the first Space Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been really exciting."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 40.991097589144786, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I started working for USBI [United Space Boosters, Inc.] in 1978. Previously I was employed at Lockheed Missiles. I worked on the Trident Missile Program, the Fleet Ballistic Missile. When that program ended, I came over to USBI. So in 1978 they were looking for mechanical engineers and pyro and ordnance engineers. I got hired as a mechanical engineer.\\n\\n So I’ve been working since then on Space Shuttle, totally Space Shuttle, STS-1 through STS-135. I’ve been lucky enough to work every mission. It’s been quite a thrill really. [Today I am the director of program management for United Space Alliance.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "135 missions, that’s amazing. Since you started in ’78, would you tell me what was going on [at that time]? They were supposed to launch the Shuttle at that point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually in 1978, when I first started working here, there was no flight hardware here. There was no paperwork on how to put it together. I was hired to be one of the technical people, an engineer, to write assembly documentation for the SRB, specifically the forward assembly of the SRB. I was a forward skirt engineer. I wrote the ordnance and the mechanical installation and the mass properties paperwork for the forward skirt.\\n\\n At that time the VAB [Vehicle Assembly Building] was still set up for the Apollo Program, because when Apollo ended, they just walked away from it. So we had to retrofit and activate the low bay of the VAB. We took out some stands, we put new stands in, platforms and ladders that would access SRB hardware. So my first real job responsibility was the activation manager for the VAB. That was before we ever had any flight hardware. Ultimately we got the facility ready to accept flight hardware and then in ’79 we started to get flight hardware, and we started building the first Space Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been really exciting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell me about getting ready for that first flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 39.990108432383096, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually in 1978, when I first started working here, there was no flight hardware here. There was no paperwork on how to put it together. I was hired to be one of the technical people, an engineer, to write assembly documentation for the SRB, specifically the forward assembly of the SRB. I was a forward skirt engineer. I wrote the ordnance and the mechanical installation and the mass properties paperwork for the forward skirt.\\n\\n At that time the VAB [Vehicle Assembly Building] was still set up for the Apollo Program, because when Apollo ended, they just walked away from it. So we had to retrofit and activate the low bay of the VAB. We took out some stands, we put new stands in, platforms and ladders that would access SRB hardware. So my first real job responsibility was the activation manager for the VAB. That was before we ever had any flight hardware. Ultimately we got the facility ready to accept flight hardware and then in ’79 we started to get flight hardware, and we started building the first Space Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been really exciting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell me about getting ready for that first flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first days were pretty hectic actually. There was no written documentation, no paperwork, no procedures, no guidelines. We had to do everything from scratch. It was a long time; working 60 hours a week was not uncommon at all. We worked quite a bit. We even worked through Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in 1980 to get STS-1 ready. STS-1, of course, launched April 12th, 1981. So leading up to that was pretty feverish.\\n\\n With the advent of no procedures, no guidelines, not only did we have to write the instructions but we had to develop our own procedures, our safety procedures, our hazardous material handling activities. Anything that you can think of that’s required that’s commonplace today wasn’t there. We had to do it all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How’d you come up with those type of procedures? Did you ask people from the Apollo Program? Or did you do it as you were working with the first SRB?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 41.10012048042566, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell me about getting ready for that first flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first days were pretty hectic actually. There was no written documentation, no paperwork, no procedures, no guidelines. We had to do everything from scratch. It was a long time; working 60 hours a week was not uncommon at all. We worked quite a bit. We even worked through Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in 1980 to get STS-1 ready. STS-1, of course, launched April 12th, 1981. So leading up to that was pretty feverish.\\n\\n With the advent of no procedures, no guidelines, not only did we have to write the instructions but we had to develop our own procedures, our safety procedures, our hazardous material handling activities. Anything that you can think of that’s required that’s commonplace today wasn’t there. We had to do it all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How’d you come up with those type of procedures? Did you ask people from the Apollo Program? Or did you do it as you were working with the first SRB?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were quite a few Apollo type folks that were still here. The word of the day was, “Well back in Apollo we did it this way” so there was quite a bit of that. We just literally took the drawings and developed the procedures from the drawings.\\n\\n The Apollo is one type of vehicle. The Space Shuttle was completely unique in the fact that it’s a reusable vehicle. We had to plan ahead to be able to reuse it again, where Apollo hardware is completely expendable. An interesting task, because no one had ever done it before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you working in tandem with the Marshall Space Flight Center [Huntsville, Alabama] and Morton Thiokol and other [contractors]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 36.04953145731563, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were quite a few Apollo type folks that were still here. The word of the day was, “Well back in Apollo we did it this way” so there was quite a bit of that. We just literally took the drawings and developed the procedures from the drawings.\\n\\n The Apollo is one type of vehicle. The Space Shuttle was completely unique in the fact that it’s a reusable vehicle. We had to plan ahead to be able to reuse it again, where Apollo hardware is completely expendable. An interesting task, because no one had ever done it before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you working in tandem with the Marshall Space Flight Center [Huntsville, Alabama] and Morton Thiokol and other [contractors]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Marshall Space Flight Center was the design agency for SRB. Thiokol was the company that did the motor segments of the SRB, the RSRB [Reusable Solid Rocket Booster]. So they did their work out in Utah. They filled the motor segments with propellant and shipped them here. Our job at the time here was to do the subassembly work, the assembly and integration work, as well as the stacking. There were two contracts. There was an MBAC Contract (Marshall Booster Assembly Contract) and a KBAC Contract (Kennedy Booster Assembly Contract). United Technologies had both of those contracts in the beginning. Ultimately the KBAC Contract went a separate path, and we retained the MBAC Contract. The work that was done then by that contract is what USA [United Space Alliance] SRB still does today. This particular facility we’re in, [the Solid Rocket Booster Assembly and Refurbishment Facility], is designed for the SRB work. Once we moved out of the VAB and came here and up until today it’s all been just SRB and a Marshall Contract."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did you move officially out of the VAB into this facility?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Think this [facility] was dedicated in 1985."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So just before [the Space Shuttle] Challenger [accident, STS-51L]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 38.94392384146181, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Marshall Space Flight Center was the design agency for SRB. Thiokol was the company that did the motor segments of the SRB, the RSRB [Reusable Solid Rocket Booster]. So they did their work out in Utah. They filled the motor segments with propellant and shipped them here. Our job at the time here was to do the subassembly work, the assembly and integration work, as well as the stacking. There were two contracts. There was an MBAC Contract (Marshall Booster Assembly Contract) and a KBAC Contract (Kennedy Booster Assembly Contract). United Technologies had both of those contracts in the beginning. Ultimately the KBAC Contract went a separate path, and we retained the MBAC Contract. The work that was done then by that contract is what USA [United Space Alliance] SRB still does today. This particular facility we’re in, [the Solid Rocket Booster Assembly and Refurbishment Facility], is designed for the SRB work. Once we moved out of the VAB and came here and up until today it’s all been just SRB and a Marshall Contract."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did you move officially out of the VAB into this facility?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Think this [facility] was dedicated in 1985."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So just before [the Space Shuttle] Challenger [accident, STS-51L]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just before Challenger, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about that first flight of STS-1. What are your recollections, besides the ramp-up for the mission? Did you get to see the launch?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 37.715470934957565, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Think this [facility] was dedicated in 1985."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So just before [the Space Shuttle] Challenger [accident, STS-51L]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just before Challenger, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about that first flight of STS-1. What are your recollections, besides the ramp-up for the mission? Did you get to see the launch?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Like I said we worked pretty long hours getting ready. When we finished our first hardware, our STS-1 hardware, we transferred it across what we called the low bay at the time. Handed it off to the other contract, the KBAC Contract. We started building STS-2. We were building STS-2 and STS-3 as the other folks were prepping for the actual launch. We were here the day of the launch. We were in a support mode watching our systems, making sure everything that we had put together worked the way it was supposed to.\\n\\n It was a lot different, STS-1, than the way they launch today. Being the first launch, I don’t think anybody knew what to expect. We’d seen Apollo and Atlas, some of the other rockets. It was pretty fantastic to see the Space Shuttle take off for the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you learn from that first mission that you applied [to future flights]? You said you were working on the STS-2 and STS-3 SRBs. Were there lessons that you learned from the orbital flight tests, STS-1 through 4, that you applied to future stacking efforts and processing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 41.90607881661951, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just before Challenger, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about that first flight of STS-1. What are your recollections, besides the ramp-up for the mission? Did you get to see the launch?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Like I said we worked pretty long hours getting ready. When we finished our first hardware, our STS-1 hardware, we transferred it across what we called the low bay at the time. Handed it off to the other contract, the KBAC Contract. We started building STS-2. We were building STS-2 and STS-3 as the other folks were prepping for the actual launch. We were here the day of the launch. We were in a support mode watching our systems, making sure everything that we had put together worked the way it was supposed to.\\n\\n It was a lot different, STS-1, than the way they launch today. Being the first launch, I don’t think anybody knew what to expect. We’d seen Apollo and Atlas, some of the other rockets. It was pretty fantastic to see the Space Shuttle take off for the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you learn from that first mission that you applied [to future flights]? You said you were working on the STS-2 and STS-3 SRBs. Were there lessons that you learned from the orbital flight tests, STS-1 through 4, that you applied to future stacking efforts and processing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Our job, being subassembly and integration activity, we developed learning curves and continuous improvement activities. So every single launch we learned something new. We played on that. As a matter of fact, when you’re building two SRBs, you build one ahead of the other. As you’re building, say the left side, you’re learning something and you can apply it to the right side. So we’re even learning lessons and applying them between the launches in other words. We build two things for every launch here. So we had twice the learning curve someone else might have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are there differences between the right and left booster?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 40.00255685319632, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did have an articulating arm robot in the VAB but it wasn’t like what we had here. These were the state-of-the-art type robots at the time. The facility was specifically designed to flow the hardware in a very efficient manner, where in the VAB we were just using cells that were available from Apollo. So we started from scratch where the hardware comes in the door here, goes to a different workstation, out the other side a completed assembly. So with that and the machine shop we built, it’s just exponentially more efficient in this building."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people were working on stacking and assembling an SRB in the beginning compared to today?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll say from when we started populating this building. SRB was a little over 800 people at its height in Florida. So it took 800 people to process at a rate of ten or 11 a year. After Challenger we actually increased the number of employees we had because we went through a design certification review. So the total company had around 1,800 to 1,900 between here and Huntsville. Here it takes 800 people 18 months to start from hitting the water to another launch."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s a very lengthy process."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Consider you drop it in the ocean, you tow it back, you strip it, take every component out of it, inspect it, repaint it, repair it, send it over here, send it to this building, start the subassembly work, the TPS [Thermal Protection System] application, inspections along the way. The cables, the ordnance, the integration, the parachutes, and then we transfer it to the VAB six months ahead of schedule. It takes them six months to do their processing, stacking, and then rolling out to the pad. So it’s about an 18-month cycle for us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you expand on those processes a little more? Walk me through—the SRB lands in the Atlantic. You go out and fish it out. Walk us through that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 30.12068407460069, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have a whole group that’s called Planning and Scheduling. That group integrates all these activities, puts out schedules every week. Now they’re put out on the computer so everybody can see the schedule and see exactly where you’re supposed to be no matter what building you’re in. Of course we telecon [teleconference] every day. We have regular meetings three times a week at 8:30 where we do a status of everybody that’s hooked into SRB at that meeting. If they have a problem then everybody knows about it. Put the resources against it. It’s computers and phones and stuff like that. We maintain our communication.\\n\\n This building is, like I said, the Engineering and Administration. So this floor, these are the directors and executives for SRB. They represent operations, safety, engineering, program. So we’re all here. Everybody works for somebody. My boss calls us all in here and gives us our marching orders in the morning. [We go out and] get business done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have things changed in terms of communication since you started out here in ’78?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We used to have what they called a war board. It was a big room with a piece of metal on [one wall] that was painted white. Planners and schedulers would cut magnetic strips out and print Forward Assembly 10 and stick it on the magnetic board with a certain bar. [It] had to have lines down for the months and the days. You put it up there. Then the other forward [assemblies and aft skirts]. Somebody would come in and take a picture. Once a week we’d get a copy of these pictures, eight-by-ten color glossies, and that would be our schedule."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Things have definitely changed. Now you’ve got BlackBerries."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We called those guys X-Acto commandos because they would cut these strips out. Put it on the board and make these schedules. Now we have programs to do that [and Blackberries]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny. How many SRBs can you process or could you process at one time here at KSC?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 18.915788708700717, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was one of the people that helped design this facility, with the idea of being able to process many flight sets. We had redundancies here. We had multiple cells and multiple test [capabilities], like out back we had two hot-fire bays. We could do a flight set. That only took two weeks. We could put another flight set in.\\n\\n So we had designed this place right to be able to meet that demand. We could stay ahead of E tank or Morton Thiokol or the Orbiter people, because we got the opportunity to design and build this [facility] just for that. Everybody else—well, I guess the OPFs were designed of course to process Orbiters. But most of the other folks had to use facilities that were here [since Apollo]. Didn’t have the advantage that we had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you tell me a little bit about building the facility? When did you start putting pencil to paper and say this is what we want? This is what we’re going to need."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About I guess ’82 or ’83. ’83 we started. We were actually looking for a site off Kennedy Space Center, originally. Thought it would be better if we were off the Space Center. But ultimately this location was decided upon. We used to have a fence out front, inside was Marshall Space Flight Center, outside was Kennedy. Yes, we had a fence and gates and stuff like that at one time. You couldn’t come in like you could today. You had to have an escort even to get to here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting. It says a lot about inter-Center rivalry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think that has gone away yet, at least not during my shift of 35 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting. Well, tell me about Challenger. Were you working that flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.461987454111906, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About I guess ’82 or ’83. ’83 we started. We were actually looking for a site off Kennedy Space Center, originally. Thought it would be better if we were off the Space Center. But ultimately this location was decided upon. We used to have a fence out front, inside was Marshall Space Flight Center, outside was Kennedy. Yes, we had a fence and gates and stuff like that at one time. You couldn’t come in like you could today. You had to have an escort even to get to here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting. It says a lot about inter-Center rivalry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think that has gone away yet, at least not during my shift of 35 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting. Well, tell me about Challenger. Were you working that flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I was working Challenger. My crew had built the forward assemblies for Challenger. We had already run into a minor problem on STS-4, where we had a parachute failure and we lost two SRBs. After Challenger happened, we were very personally involved with it thinking that it might have been something that we had done wrong. I was standing out in the LCC [Launch Control Center] parking lot when that happened.\\n\\n I could tell immediately what happened. A lot of people were in awe and didn’t understand or couldn’t comprehend it. But when I saw the SRBs leave I knew exactly what happened. Subsequently to that I was asked to be the technical correspondent on the Johnson Sea Link submarine. I went out for six weeks and identified hardware in a submarine. Picked up pieces till we ultimately found the piece that was what they called the smoking gun. That was retrieved to verify. Challenger was a tough time. Of course the family was here and everything. It was pretty tough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I see from your resume that you did some work with the Rogers Commission. You received a certificate."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.068874949013228, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think that has gone away yet, at least not during my shift of 35 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting. Well, tell me about Challenger. Were you working that flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I was working Challenger. My crew had built the forward assemblies for Challenger. We had already run into a minor problem on STS-4, where we had a parachute failure and we lost two SRBs. After Challenger happened, we were very personally involved with it thinking that it might have been something that we had done wrong. I was standing out in the LCC [Launch Control Center] parking lot when that happened.\\n\\n I could tell immediately what happened. A lot of people were in awe and didn’t understand or couldn’t comprehend it. But when I saw the SRBs leave I knew exactly what happened. Subsequently to that I was asked to be the technical correspondent on the Johnson Sea Link submarine. I went out for six weeks and identified hardware in a submarine. Picked up pieces till we ultimately found the piece that was what they called the smoking gun. That was retrieved to verify. Challenger was a tough time. Of course the family was here and everything. It was pretty tough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I see from your resume that you did some work with the Rogers Commission. You received a certificate."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was partly for the work I did. A lot of folks, I’d say anybody that could do anything to help was doing that so that certificate is not really that big a deal, because everybody was trying to help. Probably my work on the submarine is what that was all about. I was in the service. I’m retired from the Marine Corps, but I was always on the ground, and I’m not a pilot. So going on a submarine was a pretty rare experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There were definitely some changes made to the solid rocket motor. Tell us about the changes that were made to the SRB and how that impacted ground processing here."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.4425137802, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, one of them. I sign for program. The engineer signs, the chief engineer; the director of manufacturing signs. I used to be the director of manufacturing, and then I would go through a complete review of all the paperwork prior to. Now I expect him to do that, and I do the program type review. We sit down. We have usually it’s a videocon [videoconference] with the customer. We go through all the stuff required for certification and what we call COFR, where we sign a certificate of flight readiness (COFR). We present that to the customer and tell them that we’re ready to go. Then if everybody concurs, we got no dissenting opinions, we all sign that piece of paper. Then go forward to the big flight readiness review up in OSB-2."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any big issues since you’ve been project manager on the SRBs?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’s been a couple times when I’ve been pretty hesitant to sign the piece of paper, and I’ve made some people do some other work. But pretty much by that time everything’s been pretty much ironed out. We do it before we transfer the hardware. The COFR is already after the hardware transfers, as far as the customer and the rest of the community. Because we build so far ahead, we’re a year ahead of what’s going on. Like I said earlier, it takes 18 months. Well, at the end of a year, there’s still six months left for the activities up the road. We’re pretty much done. It’s fixed before we get to that [point in the launch schedule]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were ready to fly STS-135?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "September, last year. Yes, and I didn’t change my opinion from September till last week. We were ready to go. There were a couple issues that came up during that period from STS-134 that we had to work, but they were not big issues where I would go and say I’m taking my signature off. We can’t do it. They were things that we worked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell me what some of those issues were?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I worked for USBI since ’78 to ’99. United Technologies, a wonderful company. I liked it a lot. They asked me if I wanted to be the base manager to keep a UTC flag here. I had an offer of staying with United Technologies and starting a little office here.\\n\\n USA offered me the job of director of manufacturing. Seeing as how I grew up with these guys, I was thinking probably stay with the project, the SRB Project. So when the opportunity came I took that and was able to more or less be one of the guiders or directors of what was going on, of the new SRB. Either good, bad, or indifferent, it’s probably part my responsibility, the way we ended up. I can’t blame any of my management, that’s for sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you want to take a look at your notes and see if we may have overlooked something? Or is there something that you think we might not have covered about the SRB and processing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Man, we’ve done a lot of talking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hope I haven’t tired you out too much."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it’s all right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just want to make sure we gather those details before you retire, of course."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00713:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Man, we’ve done a lot of talking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hope I haven’t tired you out too much."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it’s all right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just want to make sure we gather those details before you retire, of course."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m going to retire, but I’m sort of not going to retire, so we’ll see what happens. I don’t know. I guess the bottom line of it all is I’ve done this for [as] long as I can remember. My father took me out in October of ’57 to see the Sputnik go over. Ever since then that’s pretty much all I wanted to do. So it’s been pretty good for me. I always say what more could you really ask for but to work on your dream. Great dream, with an even greater team, which I’ve had a great team. So basically that’s it in a nutshell. It’s been great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I thank you. Thank you very much for your time today."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00564:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 30.980487090513265, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As I recall, we didn’t make any changes as I recall when I came aboard. I don’t recall that there were any significant changes made as a result of that. We still had to use the same helicopters, because those are the helicopters that were available to us. As far as I know, there weren’t any procedures on his part, you know, on a crew part. But that one was a close call. That was a close call."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. We’ve heard about that from a couple of people, I guess. Of course, just a few years ago, they dredged it up from the bottom of the ocean again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I think, as we discussed, I don’t think they’ll ever be able to, in examining the spacecraft, determine what happened or what didn’t happen. I have my own feelings of what happened, but I would not want to put them on tape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, maybe afterwards you can share those with us."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That brings to mind some other things. What sort of dangers did the spacecraft itself pose once you got it aboard ship? What would you do with it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00564:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. I did for ten years after I left NASA, right. It was much the same work. It was the contractor. First, it was Krug Life Sciences, and now it’s Wyle [Laboratories]. They support the docs in the control center. They are the biomedical engineers that sit at the consoles and assist the doctors in monitoring the flights. So, operationally they’re involved. They operate the clinical laboratories. The contractors operate the clinical laboratories over on site.\\n\\n A large part, also, is the development of some of the devices, the exercise devices, and that kind of experiment equipment is designed and developed and supplied to NASA. So it was somewhat of a continuation of the same type of work that our group over in the Bioengineering Division at NASA performed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How has the role of life sciences changed from the start of your involvement with it until you left, if it has at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d say on the early missions I guess the right word to use, it was kind of an adjunct to space flight. It was care and feeding of the astronauts. Now one of the major justification for Space Station has been life sciences research, so it’s gone from care and feeding and making sure that we get them back in a healthy condition, to really a fundamental thrust of space flight, that is, being able to determine what it will take for long-duration missions in space."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s an excellent point, particularly now as the Station is getting into the stages where they’re able to do some work up there instead of just assembling and such."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I wanted to give Carol and Tim a chance to ask some questions if they came up with any. Carol? Tim? Okay.\\n\\n That was all the questions I had up to this point, but I want to give you an opportunity to make any final remarks or if any other stories came to mind before we close since I know we’re almost out of time for you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00564:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d say on the early missions I guess the right word to use, it was kind of an adjunct to space flight. It was care and feeding of the astronauts. Now one of the major justification for Space Station has been life sciences research, so it’s gone from care and feeding and making sure that we get them back in a healthy condition, to really a fundamental thrust of space flight, that is, being able to determine what it will take for long-duration missions in space."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s an excellent point, particularly now as the Station is getting into the stages where they’re able to do some work up there instead of just assembling and such."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I wanted to give Carol and Tim a chance to ask some questions if they came up with any. Carol? Tim? Okay.\\n\\n That was all the questions I had up to this point, but I want to give you an opportunity to make any final remarks or if any other stories came to mind before we close since I know we’re almost out of time for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I covered most of the things I could think about that. Everybody urges me to write a book and tell a lot of the behind-the-scenes stories, but I don’t care to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hopefully, as I think we talked about last time, the recovery story will get included in some of the books in the future, like it hasn’t been in the past."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00564:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I wanted to give Carol and Tim a chance to ask some questions if they came up with any. Carol? Tim? Okay.\\n\\n That was all the questions I had up to this point, but I want to give you an opportunity to make any final remarks or if any other stories came to mind before we close since I know we’re almost out of time for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I covered most of the things I could think about that. Everybody urges me to write a book and tell a lot of the behind-the-scenes stories, but I don’t care to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hopefully, as I think we talked about last time, the recovery story will get included in some of the books in the future, like it hasn’t been in the past."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then I’d like to thank you once again for taking your time out, both this time and last time, to talk with us."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.568073477686019, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All right. I went to college in Minnesota, Northfield, Minnesota, and I got a small liberal arts school that was maybe three hundred and fifty miles away from where I grew up in southeastern Wisconsin. And I had an opportunity my sophomore year to go to Germany as part of a little work exchange program that maybe I have helped facilitate to Harvard in Germany. And that was my first experience going overseas. OK, first experience having a long plane ride. And I remember while I was over there, I read newspapers about the riots in Watts and some of the things that were going on back in the States. Right. And I thought that's unusual, just the position of my life and things that here am flying over the English Channel, let's say. Yeah. And then in the meantime, reading about this stuff going on in the United States, that was fairly heavy duty and significant."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. What was what was your major?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was I became an English major."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's go. Where had you grown up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd grown up in I was born in Milwaukee. Then my family moved to the country, western Milwaukee, around Wales and Dallas and Delafield. Yeah. Is a farming community. And my dad commuted to Milwaukee. He worked at Schultz Brewery and I commuted to the local watering school, which was two miles down the road."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Genuine one room school. Any siblings?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.408970530762243, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was I became an English major."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's go. Where had you grown up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd grown up in I was born in Milwaukee. Then my family moved to the country, western Milwaukee, around Wales and Dallas and Delafield. Yeah. Is a farming community. And my dad commuted to Milwaukee. He worked at Schultz Brewery and I commuted to the local watering school, which was two miles down the road."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Genuine one room school. Any siblings?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have a sister three years younger, OK. And so when we moved out, I was working in the sixth grade and she into third grade, but because she was the only student in the school in the school and that created the prompter up one grade, you automatically caught up with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you, as you were growing up in a farm community?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.343300589735826, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd grown up in I was born in Milwaukee. Then my family moved to the country, western Milwaukee, around Wales and Dallas and Delafield. Yeah. Is a farming community. And my dad commuted to Milwaukee. He worked at Schultz Brewery and I commuted to the local watering school, which was two miles down the road."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Genuine one room school. Any siblings?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have a sister three years younger, OK. And so when we moved out, I was working in the sixth grade and she into third grade, but because she was the only student in the school in the school and that created the prompter up one grade, you automatically caught up with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you, as you were growing up in a farm community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through high school or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.381445099706472, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have a sister three years younger, OK. And so when we moved out, I was working in the sixth grade and she into third grade, but because she was the only student in the school in the school and that created the prompter up one grade, you automatically caught up with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you, as you were growing up in a farm community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through high school or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during those years, what kind of extracurricular activities did you do to any travel around?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.201605666340525, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through high school or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during those years, what kind of extracurricular activities did you do to any travel around?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There wasn't too much travel. I guess our family as a group maybe drove to D.C. part of one summer and our travels through strictly in the Midwest. And it was probably a long history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do any volunteer work at all during school or while you were in high school or vacations?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.112895184822806, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during those years, what kind of extracurricular activities did you do to any travel around?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There wasn't too much travel. I guess our family as a group maybe drove to D.C. part of one summer and our travels through strictly in the Midwest. And it was probably a long history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do any volunteer work at all during school or while you were in high school or vacations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I do remember working at some of the local farms, as it turns out, to volunteer. But I was never a part of any organization I was volunteering."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was just the community helping out within the community. So when you finished high school, your decision was to go right on to college at that point, yes? Did you have any kind of career goal at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.125439094247563, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There wasn't too much travel. I guess our family as a group maybe drove to D.C. part of one summer and our travels through strictly in the Midwest. And it was probably a long history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do any volunteer work at all during school or while you were in high school or vacations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I do remember working at some of the local farms, as it turns out, to volunteer. But I was never a part of any organization I was volunteering."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was just the community helping out within the community. So when you finished high school, your decision was to go right on to college at that point, yes? Did you have any kind of career goal at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At that point, my only career goal goal was to figure out what my interests were and to get enough experiences to help guide myself there. And I felt I really needed some greater perspectives of things because it was fairly limited living where we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were aware of that also, I guess?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.250487882497291, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I do remember working at some of the local farms, as it turns out, to volunteer. But I was never a part of any organization I was volunteering."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was just the community helping out within the community. So when you finished high school, your decision was to go right on to college at that point, yes? Did you have any kind of career goal at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At that point, my only career goal goal was to figure out what my interests were and to get enough experiences to help guide myself there. And I felt I really needed some greater perspectives of things because it was fairly limited living where we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were aware of that also, I guess?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I would like to say that it was at the top of my mind but I don't think I was that wise at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The family expectation was that you were going to go on to college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.500542091663656, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At that point, my only career goal goal was to figure out what my interests were and to get enough experiences to help guide myself there. And I felt I really needed some greater perspectives of things because it was fairly limited living where we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were aware of that also, I guess?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I would like to say that it was at the top of my mind but I don't think I was that wise at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The family expectation was that you were going to go on to college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, and how did you choose St. Olaf?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.087089002053894, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, and how did you choose St. Olaf?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think because it seemed to fit in a variety of ways for. Onwards, I guess what got me interested first and saying off is that there is I think this is true, that other people just are very small things occurred that put things on the map. But I was working at a church camp one summer and the guy is the most popular guy. There was a guy who was at Saint or college. He had all the finesse and all the experiences of a college guy and attracted all kinds of girls. So I thought, well, if I want to settle, maybe that would happen to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it was nice also because it was just from my home. However, I think I would have preferred to go into the University of Wisconsin where there was a little more of a variety show of things to choose from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you know, it was basically a four year liberal arts college."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 14.541210002282105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think because it seemed to fit in a variety of ways for. Onwards, I guess what got me interested first and saying off is that there is I think this is true, that other people just are very small things occurred that put things on the map. But I was working at a church camp one summer and the guy is the most popular guy. There was a guy who was at Saint or college. He had all the finesse and all the experiences of a college guy and attracted all kinds of girls. So I thought, well, if I want to settle, maybe that would happen to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it was nice also because it was just from my home. However, I think I would have preferred to go into the University of Wisconsin where there was a little more of a variety show of things to choose from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you know, it was basically a four year liberal arts college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And the idea was because I had my folks thought that because I didn't have much of a direction at that point, it would be better to be in the more insulated kind of environment, like saying or write slightly larger than my previous environment, but not as overwhelming as, you know, in the university town."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was your first time living away from home also? ARCHER Yes. Yeah.\n\nSo you started saying off and decided somewhere in the four years that you were an English major and within that four years, it was also included a year or a semester was it in Germany?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 13.93467778031345, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it was nice also because it was just from my home. However, I think I would have preferred to go into the University of Wisconsin where there was a little more of a variety show of things to choose from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you know, it was basically a four year liberal arts college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And the idea was because I had my folks thought that because I didn't have much of a direction at that point, it would be better to be in the more insulated kind of environment, like saying or write slightly larger than my previous environment, but not as overwhelming as, you know, in the university town."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was your first time living away from home also? ARCHER Yes. Yeah.\n\nSo you started saying off and decided somewhere in the four years that you were an English major and within that four years, it was also included a year or a semester was it in Germany?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just the summer. Maybe eight weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, did you was German the foreign language then that you studied?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.388491086806729, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just the summer. Maybe eight weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, did you was German the foreign language then that you studied?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I yes, I was studying German for a semester there. And my folks come from Germanic backgrounds."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they've always had a little interest in German. But beyond that, yeah, it was German that I studied the year before I went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As, let's say, the time you entered college. Were you at all aware of the Peace Corps? Do you recall if anyone you knew was in it or if you read about it or heard about it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.542767874229698, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I yes, I was studying German for a semester there. And my folks come from Germanic backgrounds."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they've always had a little interest in German. But beyond that, yeah, it was German that I studied the year before I went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As, let's say, the time you entered college. Were you at all aware of the Peace Corps? Do you recall if anyone you knew was in it or if you read about it or heard about it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd heard about it and remembered Sargent Shriver and Kennedy and some of the commotion back when it began. And so I had hidden deep background. I would say at that point, I don't think I had met with any volunteers"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And no one had seen all of who you met had been in the Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 12.825297638032998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they've always had a little interest in German. But beyond that, yeah, it was German that I studied the year before I went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As, let's say, the time you entered college. Were you at all aware of the Peace Corps? Do you recall if anyone you knew was in it or if you read about it or heard about it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd heard about it and remembered Sargent Shriver and Kennedy and some of the commotion back when it began. And so I had hidden deep background. I would say at that point, I don't think I had met with any volunteers"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And no one had seen all of who you met had been in the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I recall. Yeah, except for maybe a recruiter who came through. And I don't remember exactly when my first contact, the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you're you're moving on toward graduation would be ‘67. You're going to get a degree in English during the four years. The scene, along with other activities you got involved in."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.694775153369998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd heard about it and remembered Sargent Shriver and Kennedy and some of the commotion back when it began. And so I had hidden deep background. I would say at that point, I don't think I had met with any volunteers"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And no one had seen all of who you met had been in the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I recall. Yeah, except for maybe a recruiter who came through. And I don't remember exactly when my first contact, the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you're you're moving on toward graduation would be ‘67. You're going to get a degree in English during the four years. The scene, along with other activities you got involved in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was involved in a cross-country intramural sports. There was a big program there by which anybody, any member of the school could participate at a level in intramural that was really well organized. You know, I became a manager with my roommate as a team and we went for the whole year and managed this team and a variety of sports and participated in it. Right. And so I think that began as a sophomore. I participated freshman and then as a sophomore became more involved in it. So that was one thing that I was involved in throughout the year. And also I became a counselor my junior year as an attorney. What that means was the amount of freshman and floor and helping to try to make that transition with being students."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that a church based school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.66086128152222, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I recall. Yeah, except for maybe a recruiter who came through. And I don't remember exactly when my first contact, the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you're you're moving on toward graduation would be ‘67. You're going to get a degree in English during the four years. The scene, along with other activities you got involved in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was involved in a cross-country intramural sports. There was a big program there by which anybody, any member of the school could participate at a level in intramural that was really well organized. You know, I became a manager with my roommate as a team and we went for the whole year and managed this team and a variety of sports and participated in it. Right. And so I think that began as a sophomore. I participated freshman and then as a sophomore became more involved in it. So that was one thing that I was involved in throughout the year. And also I became a counselor my junior year as an attorney. What that means was the amount of freshman and floor and helping to try to make that transition with being students."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that a church based school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what's the church?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 9.623179201691356, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was involved in a cross-country intramural sports. There was a big program there by which anybody, any member of the school could participate at a level in intramural that was really well organized. You know, I became a manager with my roommate as a team and we went for the whole year and managed this team and a variety of sports and participated in it. Right. And so I think that began as a sophomore. I participated freshman and then as a sophomore became more involved in it. So that was one thing that I was involved in throughout the year. And also I became a counselor my junior year as an attorney. What that means was the amount of freshman and floor and helping to try to make that transition with being students."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that a church based school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what's the church?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's based on the Lutheran Church of America. OK, it has that background. Right. And religion is part of. Curriculum, the compulsory curriculum."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and what did you do on vacation, you know, during the year or between years of college years, one summer you went to Germany, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.2479768907681725, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what's the church?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's based on the Lutheran Church of America. OK, it has that background. Right. And religion is part of. Curriculum, the compulsory curriculum."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and what did you do on vacation, you know, during the year or between years of college years, one summer you went to Germany, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or the following summer, I was in Peace Corps. I was part of an early training program called the Advanced Training Program ATP, which I would. Why my junior year, OK? I was accepted for that program later in my junior year so that my junior summer suspension training already for Peace Corps, OK, at Notre Dame. And so I spent most of my summer in South during the Peace Corps program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's go to the when at what point did you decide you were going to I gather the recruiter came and you then decided to apply for Peace Corps. Did the recruiter say that there's this program where you can begin your Peace Corps service while you're still in college? And are you aware of that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.9421965452979695, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's based on the Lutheran Church of America. OK, it has that background. Right. And religion is part of. Curriculum, the compulsory curriculum."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and what did you do on vacation, you know, during the year or between years of college years, one summer you went to Germany, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or the following summer, I was in Peace Corps. I was part of an early training program called the Advanced Training Program ATP, which I would. Why my junior year, OK? I was accepted for that program later in my junior year so that my junior summer suspension training already for Peace Corps, OK, at Notre Dame. And so I spent most of my summer in South during the Peace Corps program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's go to the when at what point did you decide you were going to I gather the recruiter came and you then decided to apply for Peace Corps. Did the recruiter say that there's this program where you can begin your Peace Corps service while you're still in college? And are you aware of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you share it with your folks and what was their reaction?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.713551716997744, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or the following summer, I was in Peace Corps. I was part of an early training program called the Advanced Training Program ATP, which I would. Why my junior year, OK? I was accepted for that program later in my junior year so that my junior summer suspension training already for Peace Corps, OK, at Notre Dame. And so I spent most of my summer in South during the Peace Corps program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's go to the when at what point did you decide you were going to I gather the recruiter came and you then decided to apply for Peace Corps. Did the recruiter say that there's this program where you can begin your Peace Corps service while you're still in college? And are you aware of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you share it with your folks and what was their reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did share it and I think they were positive. I think they were relieved that I was interested in something that I was showing a little proactivity and kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about your peers that up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.570613018886382, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you share it with your folks and what was their reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did share it and I think they were positive. I think they were relieved that I was interested in something that I was showing a little proactivity and kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about your peers that up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, some of them part of the screen and others thought it was just another thing that Archer's being interested in. See how long it sticks"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, the draft wasn't a concern?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.522903354318203, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did share it and I think they were positive. I think they were relieved that I was interested in something that I was showing a little proactivity and kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about your peers that up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, some of them part of the screen and others thought it was just another thing that Archer's being interested in. See how long it sticks"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, the draft wasn't a concern?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got that right. But I saw at the end of the tunnel upon graduation because, yeah, I think I would have done kind of an interest in my draft board."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. OK, so peers of yours had been drafted from the community where you"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.469892615909114, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, some of them part of the screen and others thought it was just another thing that Archer's being interested in. See how long it sticks"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, the draft wasn't a concern?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got that right. But I saw at the end of the tunnel upon graduation because, yeah, I think I would have done kind of an interest in my draft board."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. OK, so peers of yours had been drafted from the community where you"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I knew of. Of course I remember. I just knew Vietnam was there and I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And any other travel also right now. So between junior and senior years, you're now what they call you a trainee?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.522102906565681, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got that right. But I saw at the end of the tunnel upon graduation because, yeah, I think I would have done kind of an interest in my draft board."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. OK, so peers of yours had been drafted from the community where you"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I knew of. Of course I remember. I just knew Vietnam was there and I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And any other travel also right now. So between junior and senior years, you're now what they call you a trainee?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you applied for the Peace Corps, I think even in those days, you you used to be able to, one, indicate whether you had any language facility, foreign language, the other if you had a preference for assignment. You know, I'd like to. Do you recall that at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.469003229517424, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I knew of. Of course I remember. I just knew Vietnam was there and I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And any other travel also right now. So between junior and senior years, you're now what they call you a trainee?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you applied for the Peace Corps, I think even in those days, you you used to be able to, one, indicate whether you had any language facility, foreign language, the other if you had a preference for assignment. You know, I'd like to. Do you recall that at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. My preference for us to learn a language and the culture that I could I could relate to for as much as my life as I could. OK, so I thought Spanish would be a great way to go. And I think that was my preference to go over to Latin America or Spanish speaking country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and now when you went into when you were accepted, when you were accepted into a project overseas or simply into this advanced training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.46790522162645, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. My preference for us to learn a language and the culture that I could I could relate to for as much as my life as I could. OK, so I thought Spanish would be a great way to go. And I think that was my preference to go over to Latin America or Spanish speaking country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and now when you went into when you were accepted, when you were accepted into a project overseas or simply into this advanced training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were, the country had already been designated."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And and that's where my invitation arose to be part of the A.P. program, going to Bolivia after my senior year. Oh, and so it was already pretty specific. I think it probably was already marked as a rural community development program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you reported to Notre Dame. Do you recall your reaction? I mean, a couple. I mean, you now you're coming from St. Olaf to a known school. And not only that, you're not putting yourself in the midst of a bunch of other people who've joined who are joining the Peace Corps. You recall your."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.408783579584945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were, the country had already been designated."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And and that's where my invitation arose to be part of the A.P. program, going to Bolivia after my senior year. Oh, and so it was already pretty specific. I think it probably was already marked as a rural community development program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you reported to Notre Dame. Do you recall your reaction? I mean, a couple. I mean, you now you're coming from St. Olaf to a known school. And not only that, you're not putting yourself in the midst of a bunch of other people who've joined who are joining the Peace Corps. You recall your."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ah, yeah. I was really something the first to go to Notre Dame and Big University. You know, it seemed like you could walk for miles and still be on campus. Yeah. But more importantly, the people that I was suddenly with were of all different sizes, shapes, colors, backgrounds, the training, the trainees. Yes, it was incredible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so I gather that's a contrast to say."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 10.454203977316606, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And and that's where my invitation arose to be part of the A.P. program, going to Bolivia after my senior year. Oh, and so it was already pretty specific. I think it probably was already marked as a rural community development program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you reported to Notre Dame. Do you recall your reaction? I mean, a couple. I mean, you now you're coming from St. Olaf to a known school. And not only that, you're not putting yourself in the midst of a bunch of other people who've joined who are joining the Peace Corps. You recall your."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ah, yeah. I was really something the first to go to Notre Dame and Big University. You know, it seemed like you could walk for miles and still be on campus. Yeah. But more importantly, the people that I was suddenly with were of all different sizes, shapes, colors, backgrounds, the training, the trainees. Yes, it was incredible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so I gather that's a contrast to say."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, OK. And so I was I was suddenly in a pool of people who had a whole variety of experiences. I'd never been there. Yeah. And it just opened up a wonderful, sometimes scary part of life. To me it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you find most shocking about other behaviors?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.171337752574005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ah, yeah. I was really something the first to go to Notre Dame and Big University. You know, it seemed like you could walk for miles and still be on campus. Yeah. But more importantly, the people that I was suddenly with were of all different sizes, shapes, colors, backgrounds, the training, the trainees. Yes, it was incredible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so I gather that's a contrast to say."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, OK. And so I was I was suddenly in a pool of people who had a whole variety of experiences. I'd never been there. Yeah. And it just opened up a wonderful, sometimes scary part of life. To me it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you find most shocking about other behaviors?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh. Oh, I was I was with people of other ethnic backgrounds that I hadn't done before. And I sat down here. This feels pretty good. These folks and then people from different traditions around the United States, for example, are Jewish folks, some from the East Coast, some from other places at a Lutheran school, just not much of the Jewish tradition here are much other than studying Jews is honor and people who were raised here as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "See, and were most of the group is finishing up between junior and senior year at college."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.968153058415561, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, OK. And so I was I was suddenly in a pool of people who had a whole variety of experiences. I'd never been there. Yeah. And it just opened up a wonderful, sometimes scary part of life. To me it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you find most shocking about other behaviors?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh. Oh, I was I was with people of other ethnic backgrounds that I hadn't done before. And I sat down here. This feels pretty good. These folks and then people from different traditions around the United States, for example, are Jewish folks, some from the East Coast, some from other places at a Lutheran school, just not much of the Jewish tradition here are much other than studying Jews is honor and people who were raised here as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "See, and were most of the group is finishing up between junior and senior year at college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And everybody was the same age, same stage of education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "About how many were in the group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.853503398239512, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh. Oh, I was I was with people of other ethnic backgrounds that I hadn't done before. And I sat down here. This feels pretty good. These folks and then people from different traditions around the United States, for example, are Jewish folks, some from the East Coast, some from other places at a Lutheran school, just not much of the Jewish tradition here are much other than studying Jews is honor and people who were raised here as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "See, and were most of the group is finishing up between junior and senior year at college."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And everybody was the same age, same stage of education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "About how many were in the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About 60, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And male female?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.837225998043902, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And everybody was the same age, same stage of education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "About how many were in the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About 60, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And male female?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty equally dispersed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, and what do you think? How did the group perceive you? I mean, is the Midwest Lutheran or."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.819139997826557, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About 60, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And male female?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty equally dispersed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, and what do you think? How did the group perceive you? I mean, is the Midwest Lutheran or."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The most unique thing was to get this little publication, this pamphlet, not a pamphlet, but a booklet of everybody's bios and remarkable book. Yes. And so reading that thing was there. And at just beginning, the whole story with there was just a wonderful way to get started. I forget what your question was or how they perceive you. Yeah, they read my Bible. And I do remember some people thought, in fact, the woman that I was stationed with, she said that at first she thought I was some kind of a mindless jock from the Midwest who didn't really know diddley. I don't know all the other folks thought."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was the content of the training, the Notre Dame summit?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.91015555314062, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty equally dispersed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, and what do you think? How did the group perceive you? I mean, is the Midwest Lutheran or."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The most unique thing was to get this little publication, this pamphlet, not a pamphlet, but a booklet of everybody's bios and remarkable book. Yes. And so reading that thing was there. And at just beginning, the whole story with there was just a wonderful way to get started. I forget what your question was or how they perceive you. Yeah, they read my Bible. And I do remember some people thought, in fact, the woman that I was stationed with, she said that at first she thought I was some kind of a mindless jock from the Midwest who didn't really know diddley. I don't know all the other folks thought."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was the content of the training, the Notre Dame summit?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was pretty. It focused on Spanish because the concept of rule, the philosophy of rural development."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any Bolivians teaching?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 11.011283947934022, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The most unique thing was to get this little publication, this pamphlet, not a pamphlet, but a booklet of everybody's bios and remarkable book. Yes. And so reading that thing was there. And at just beginning, the whole story with there was just a wonderful way to get started. I forget what your question was or how they perceive you. Yeah, they read my Bible. And I do remember some people thought, in fact, the woman that I was stationed with, she said that at first she thought I was some kind of a mindless jock from the Midwest who didn't really know diddley. I don't know all the other folks thought."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was the content of the training, the Notre Dame summit?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was pretty. It focused on Spanish because the concept of rule, the philosophy of rural development."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any Bolivians teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a considerable staff of the Spanish people who were Spanish as well as cultural experts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in I guess the language lasted an intense four or five hours a day. Yes. Yes. Was there any implication that you had to get to a certain level by the end of the summer in order to continue with the program?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.679204386593359, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was pretty. It focused on Spanish because the concept of rule, the philosophy of rural development."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any Bolivians teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a considerable staff of the Spanish people who were Spanish as well as cultural experts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in I guess the language lasted an intense four or five hours a day. Yes. Yes. Was there any implication that you had to get to a certain level by the end of the summer in order to continue with the program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was I don't think the selection was part of that formula. It seemed like there was a fair amount of understanding that these maybe people with the first exposure to foreign language that might not bloom at the end of eight by the end of the week. So I think there was some flexibility given the people. How did you do it? I was one of the slower groups and each group was designated by Bolivian city manager and Cochabamba was mine. And it happened to be slower learners. Yeah, one of my friends right next to me, you had an accent that was just a killer accent. He went on to become one of the most successful of the volunteers over the years. But you never would have known that for a week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so, I mean, it was somewhat daunting to challenge. Must be you must have felt pressure to be learning the language. And it was being taught by native speakers, I assume. Were there any within the group who who came with the facility in Spanish?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.421338207325954, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a considerable staff of the Spanish people who were Spanish as well as cultural experts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in I guess the language lasted an intense four or five hours a day. Yes. Yes. Was there any implication that you had to get to a certain level by the end of the summer in order to continue with the program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was I don't think the selection was part of that formula. It seemed like there was a fair amount of understanding that these maybe people with the first exposure to foreign language that might not bloom at the end of eight by the end of the week. So I think there was some flexibility given the people. How did you do it? I was one of the slower groups and each group was designated by Bolivian city manager and Cochabamba was mine. And it happened to be slower learners. Yeah, one of my friends right next to me, you had an accent that was just a killer accent. He went on to become one of the most successful of the volunteers over the years. But you never would have known that for a week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so, I mean, it was somewhat daunting to challenge. Must be you must have felt pressure to be learning the language. And it was being taught by native speakers, I assume. Were there any within the group who who came with the facility in Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Some people were way advanced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was their background?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 7.1348202303621715, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was I don't think the selection was part of that formula. It seemed like there was a fair amount of understanding that these maybe people with the first exposure to foreign language that might not bloom at the end of eight by the end of the week. So I think there was some flexibility given the people. How did you do it? I was one of the slower groups and each group was designated by Bolivian city manager and Cochabamba was mine. And it happened to be slower learners. Yeah, one of my friends right next to me, you had an accent that was just a killer accent. He went on to become one of the most successful of the volunteers over the years. But you never would have known that for a week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so, I mean, it was somewhat daunting to challenge. Must be you must have felt pressure to be learning the language. And it was being taught by native speakers, I assume. Were there any within the group who who came with the facility in Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Some people were way advanced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was their background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some people were native speakers. And one guy was from El Salvador, his family was from El Salvador. And he had spoken Spanish in his home. And was bilingual perfectly. And there were people who were studying to be Spanish Spanish speakers as part of their next career. And so they were way out there, you know, so we had some native speakers. You know,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was all the work academic or you have a chance to do any kind of field work or other activity while you were at Notre Dame?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.372022478180191, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Some people were way advanced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was their background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some people were native speakers. And one guy was from El Salvador, his family was from El Salvador. And he had spoken Spanish in his home. And was bilingual perfectly. And there were people who were studying to be Spanish Spanish speakers as part of their next career. And so they were way out there, you know, so we had some native speakers. You know,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was all the work academic or you have a chance to do any kind of field work or other activity while you were at Notre Dame?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ah, we had field work in a variety of ways, sometimes on several weekends, members of one of the prominent gangs in Chicago spent the weekend at Notre Dame with us and we were organizing activities and panels and whatnot as part of their experience at a campus. Right. And then we spent, I think it was two weeks in Chicago and the Pilson neighborhood, which is primarily was primarily Spanish speaking. And we would go door to door I with the more proficient speaker as part of our cooperative movement, a credit card shop in the Chicago credit co-op that focused on Spanish speaking people. We helped to promote their mission. Door to door in"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the living arrangement during that two weeks? Dormitory?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.635580531311323, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some people were native speakers. And one guy was from El Salvador, his family was from El Salvador. And he had spoken Spanish in his home. And was bilingual perfectly. And there were people who were studying to be Spanish Spanish speakers as part of their next career. And so they were way out there, you know, so we had some native speakers. You know,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was all the work academic or you have a chance to do any kind of field work or other activity while you were at Notre Dame?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ah, we had field work in a variety of ways, sometimes on several weekends, members of one of the prominent gangs in Chicago spent the weekend at Notre Dame with us and we were organizing activities and panels and whatnot as part of their experience at a campus. Right. And then we spent, I think it was two weeks in Chicago and the Pilson neighborhood, which is primarily was primarily Spanish speaking. And we would go door to door I with the more proficient speaker as part of our cooperative movement, a credit card shop in the Chicago credit co-op that focused on Spanish speaking people. We helped to promote their mission. Door to door in"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the living arrangement during that two weeks? Dormitory?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think we had roommates in Chicago or in Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Oh, man. Did they put you up in a hotel or you didn't stay with the family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9284228125681366, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ah, we had field work in a variety of ways, sometimes on several weekends, members of one of the prominent gangs in Chicago spent the weekend at Notre Dame with us and we were organizing activities and panels and whatnot as part of their experience at a campus. Right. And then we spent, I think it was two weeks in Chicago and the Pilson neighborhood, which is primarily was primarily Spanish speaking. And we would go door to door I with the more proficient speaker as part of our cooperative movement, a credit card shop in the Chicago credit co-op that focused on Spanish speaking people. We helped to promote their mission. Door to door in"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the living arrangement during that two weeks? Dormitory?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think we had roommates in Chicago or in Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Oh, man. Did they put you up in a hotel or you didn't stay with the family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. OK, no, that would have been a great idea. Yeah, that's right. That's something that certainly is. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So say at least you had some cool field work. Was there and was there also a selection process going on during the eight weeks, psychological testing, interviews with shrinks or anything like that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.253803125075707, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think we had roommates in Chicago or in Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Oh, man. Did they put you up in a hotel or you didn't stay with the family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. OK, no, that would have been a great idea. Yeah, that's right. That's something that certainly is. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So say at least you had some cool field work. Was there and was there also a selection process going on during the eight weeks, psychological testing, interviews with shrinks or anything like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were getting feedback from the staff along the way. And I remember I, I played volleyball once. We had a variety of extracurricular activities going on. Yeah. And this one staff member was noticing how I was playing. And he also knew from my experience there and he told me at one point that I would need to be showing more proactivity if I wanted to be a successful volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Based on your volleyball game?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.6153368056396746, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. OK, no, that would have been a great idea. Yeah, that's right. That's something that certainly is. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So say at least you had some cool field work. Was there and was there also a selection process going on during the eight weeks, psychological testing, interviews with shrinks or anything like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were getting feedback from the staff along the way. And I remember I, I played volleyball once. We had a variety of extracurricular activities going on. Yeah. And this one staff member was noticing how I was playing. And he also knew from my experience there and he told me at one point that I would need to be showing more proactivity if I wanted to be a successful volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Based on your volleyball game?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Based on volleyball and other things. Oh, OK. But it seemed like that was the culminating activity that brought this to the surface somehow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it must have been the area and the staff sort of eyeballing everybody."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.905929784044083, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were getting feedback from the staff along the way. And I remember I, I played volleyball once. We had a variety of extracurricular activities going on. Yeah. And this one staff member was noticing how I was playing. And he also knew from my experience there and he told me at one point that I would need to be showing more proactivity if I wanted to be a successful volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Based on your volleyball game?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Based on volleyball and other things. Oh, OK. But it seemed like that was the culminating activity that brought this to the surface somehow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it must have been the area and the staff sort of eyeballing everybody."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And I think there was a character deselection, maybe mid-term, you know, maybe after four weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did people disappear?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2288108711600922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Based on volleyball and other things. Oh, OK. But it seemed like that was the culminating activity that brought this to the surface somehow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it must have been the area and the staff sort of eyeballing everybody."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And I think there was a character deselection, maybe mid-term, you know, maybe after four weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did people disappear?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall how the group dealt with that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.587567634622325, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. And I think there was a character deselection, maybe mid-term, you know, maybe after four weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did people disappear?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall how the group dealt with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Are generally we accepted it but we scratched our heads because we could see the creativity and just about everybody there, you know, potential for them. And we were sad when that happened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We knew that as part of that process, we asked to do peer ratings. I'd like to be assigned with X, but not Y."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.986186260691472, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall how the group dealt with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Are generally we accepted it but we scratched our heads because we could see the creativity and just about everybody there, you know, potential for them. And we were sad when that happened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We knew that as part of that process, we asked to do peer ratings. I'd like to be assigned with X, but not Y."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don't, I don't remember the game."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And who was it who ran the training was at Notre Dame or was it a special group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.3179847341016355, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Are generally we accepted it but we scratched our heads because we could see the creativity and just about everybody there, you know, potential for them. And we were sad when that happened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We knew that as part of that process, we asked to do peer ratings. I'd like to be assigned with X, but not Y."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don't, I don't remember the game."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And who was it who ran the training was at Notre Dame or was it a special group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was Peace Corps. His name was William Langford. OK, and I think he was hired by Peace Corps to do that. I don't think he was arrested. So he pulled together the faculty and everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did anyone from Bolivia, Peace Corps or Bolivia itself come and say to you, this is the job you're going to do when you get to Bolivia, when you're a volunteer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.686649704557373, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don't, I don't remember the game."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And who was it who ran the training was at Notre Dame or was it a special group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was Peace Corps. His name was William Langford. OK, and I think he was hired by Peace Corps to do that. I don't think he was arrested. So he pulled together the faculty and everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did anyone from Bolivia, Peace Corps or Bolivia itself come and say to you, this is the job you're going to do when you get to Bolivia, when you're a volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think only in general terms. I don't think I think this program was new and they didn't have a lot of experience already with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at the end of the summer, some people have been selected, you know, during the summer. Were you nervous that that might include you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.551419388342436, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think only in general terms. I don't think I think this program was new and they didn't have a lot of experience already with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at the end of the summer, some people have been selected, you know, during the summer. Were you nervous that that might include you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I do that. I tried to be more proactive. I tried to show my leadership qualities, and so I tried to be a good practice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More volleyball?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I try to be socially, just things like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What wasn't all training? I mean, the groups generally, they break into some kind of cliques or subgroups and there is some free time. Do you recall that process at play?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9460215426027063, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I do that. I tried to be more proactive. I tried to show my leadership qualities, and so I tried to be a good practice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More volleyball?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I try to be socially, just things like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What wasn't all training? I mean, the groups generally, they break into some kind of cliques or subgroups and there is some free time. Do you recall that process at play?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, I remember I was not part of the drinker's at that point, and people were turning or getting close to the age 21 and going out to some of the local bars. We never had much. I've never been in that kind of group and say no. And so it's kind of a wide open field. Right. And part of the participants in this program were really good drinkers and very social. And they kind of knew what to do. Right. So I was a wannabe, but I never made that"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good people begin to pair off with in any marriages that came out of the yes. At the time or, you know, down the pipe."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.384468380669674, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I try to be socially, just things like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What wasn't all training? I mean, the groups generally, they break into some kind of cliques or subgroups and there is some free time. Do you recall that process at play?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, I remember I was not part of the drinker's at that point, and people were turning or getting close to the age 21 and going out to some of the local bars. We never had much. I've never been in that kind of group and say no. And so it's kind of a wide open field. Right. And part of the participants in this program were really good drinkers and very social. And they kind of knew what to do. Right. So I was a wannabe, but I never made that"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good people begin to pair off with in any marriages that came out of the yes. At the time or, you know, down the pipe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some relationships grew and marriage didn't happen. Yeah, yeah. I think yeah. I think we had two marriages before going into it. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's wrap up the summer. You are selected so you're not deselected. The group is now smaller than 60. What's the next step?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 3.7605204229663034, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, I remember I was not part of the drinker's at that point, and people were turning or getting close to the age 21 and going out to some of the local bars. We never had much. I've never been in that kind of group and say no. And so it's kind of a wide open field. Right. And part of the participants in this program were really good drinkers and very social. And they kind of knew what to do. Right. So I was a wannabe, but I never made that"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good people begin to pair off with in any marriages that came out of the yes. At the time or, you know, down the pipe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some relationships grew and marriage didn't happen. Yeah, yeah. I think yeah. I think we had two marriages before going into it. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's wrap up the summer. You are selected so you're not deselected. The group is now smaller than 60. What's the next step?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Next step is to keep on moving through senior year in preparation for growing soon after graduation to Bolivia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what what what would that entail while you're at St. Olaf now you're finishing your degree."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8450226921847813, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some relationships grew and marriage didn't happen. Yeah, yeah. I think yeah. I think we had two marriages before going into it. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's wrap up the summer. You are selected so you're not deselected. The group is now smaller than 60. What's the next step?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Next step is to keep on moving through senior year in preparation for growing soon after graduation to Bolivia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what what what would that entail while you're at St. Olaf now you're finishing your degree."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So I wanted to show my leadership. So I get involved with some things that could give me that forum. And I switched my language direction, certainly to Spanish. Yeah. And I started to think seriously about living on my own. And what I needed is Peace Corps volunteer, OK? And then that senior year around holiday time, we had a reunion, everybody, an official piece by piece growing in here at O'Hare Airport just in order to get a few more classes in order to get a little more cohesive at O'Hare. Yeah, at the hotel right nearby."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was during the Christmas break. Yeah. You were there for, what, five days, six days?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9389141024275348, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Next step is to keep on moving through senior year in preparation for growing soon after graduation to Bolivia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what what what would that entail while you're at St. Olaf now you're finishing your degree."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So I wanted to show my leadership. So I get involved with some things that could give me that forum. And I switched my language direction, certainly to Spanish. Yeah. And I started to think seriously about living on my own. And what I needed is Peace Corps volunteer, OK? And then that senior year around holiday time, we had a reunion, everybody, an official piece by piece growing in here at O'Hare Airport just in order to get a few more classes in order to get a little more cohesive at O'Hare. Yeah, at the hotel right nearby."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was during the Christmas break. Yeah. You were there for, what, five days, six days?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what what went on then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0432378915861498, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So I wanted to show my leadership. So I get involved with some things that could give me that forum. And I switched my language direction, certainly to Spanish. Yeah. And I started to think seriously about living on my own. And what I needed is Peace Corps volunteer, OK? And then that senior year around holiday time, we had a reunion, everybody, an official piece by piece growing in here at O'Hare Airport just in order to get a few more classes in order to get a little more cohesive at O'Hare. Yeah, at the hotel right nearby."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was during the Christmas break. Yeah. You were there for, what, five days, six days?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what what went on then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don't remember the exact best of advice, but certainly a large part of it was just reestablishing friendships with other volunteers and with members of our staff. And there was a nice feeling of how are you doing and what do you need? Congratulations on what you've done. It was a very supportive field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We see you sort of we're expected to report on what you had done back at your school to prepare yourself. And your answer would have been?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1591532128734996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what what went on then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don't remember the exact best of advice, but certainly a large part of it was just reestablishing friendships with other volunteers and with members of our staff. And there was a nice feeling of how are you doing and what do you need? Congratulations on what you've done. It was a very supportive field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We see you sort of we're expected to report on what you had done back at your school to prepare yourself. And your answer would have been?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They are making good progress."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, you're learning. You're taking Spanish classes. Are you doing anything in the community?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2879480143038884, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don't remember the exact best of advice, but certainly a large part of it was just reestablishing friendships with other volunteers and with members of our staff. And there was a nice feeling of how are you doing and what do you need? Congratulations on what you've done. It was a very supportive field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We see you sort of we're expected to report on what you had done back at your school to prepare yourself. And your answer would have been?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They are making good progress."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, you're learning. You're taking Spanish classes. Are you doing anything in the community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I was tutoring a student who needed some tutoring as kind of an outreach. Yeah, I became the head of the recreational program at the union. And so I, I wanted to show some leadership. Yeah. And so I helped to organize staff through your various tournaments, various activities that would appeal to people. I, I decided to start a fundraising program, and so I established, you know, the promotion for the ad and spoke in front of the student body and collected money with some other people and sent it off to here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I'm interested. Do you think you would have gone in that direction had you not decided to become part of the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4310533492265427, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They are making good progress."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, you're learning. You're taking Spanish classes. Are you doing anything in the community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I was tutoring a student who needed some tutoring as kind of an outreach. Yeah, I became the head of the recreational program at the union. And so I, I wanted to show some leadership. Yeah. And so I helped to organize staff through your various tournaments, various activities that would appeal to people. I, I decided to start a fundraising program, and so I established, you know, the promotion for the ad and spoke in front of the student body and collected money with some other people and sent it off to here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I'm interested. Do you think you would have gone in that direction had you not decided to become part of the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. Or possibly that direction? Yeah, those specific activities I probably would not have been involved in then as a leader"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that year, you begin to have a feeling that, hey, I'm a Peace Corps volunteer. I'm doing these. Oh, okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5900592769183808, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I was tutoring a student who needed some tutoring as kind of an outreach. Yeah, I became the head of the recreational program at the union. And so I, I wanted to show some leadership. Yeah. And so I helped to organize staff through your various tournaments, various activities that would appeal to people. I, I decided to start a fundraising program, and so I established, you know, the promotion for the ad and spoke in front of the student body and collected money with some other people and sent it off to here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I'm interested. Do you think you would have gone in that direction had you not decided to become part of the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. Or possibly that direction? Yeah, those specific activities I probably would not have been involved in then as a leader"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that year, you begin to have a feeling that, hey, I'm a Peace Corps volunteer. I'm doing these. Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was surprised to myself with a little push so much and a little expectations out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're you're getting close to graduation. Do you have any second thoughts about this is a crazy decision. Should I just go back to the farm or anything?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.766732529909312, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. Or possibly that direction? Yeah, those specific activities I probably would not have been involved in then as a leader"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that year, you begin to have a feeling that, hey, I'm a Peace Corps volunteer. I'm doing these. Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was surprised to myself with a little push so much and a little expectations out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're you're getting close to graduation. Do you have any second thoughts about this is a crazy decision. Should I just go back to the farm or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I felt really happy I was doing and. And I felt really special, I felt I was lion with a whole lot of people that were going to take me into a new direction in life. And it really gave me what I was needing at that point as far as hope for the future and direction in my life and some kind of structure against which to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And your family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.96303614434368, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was surprised to myself with a little push so much and a little expectations out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're you're getting close to graduation. Do you have any second thoughts about this is a crazy decision. Should I just go back to the farm or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I felt really happy I was doing and. And I felt really special, I felt I was lion with a whole lot of people that were going to take me into a new direction in life. And it really gave me what I was needing at that point as far as hope for the future and direction in my life and some kind of structure against which to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were supportive all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your friends are saying all along, did they kid you or did they just simply feel it was a good thing you were doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1811512714929777, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I felt really happy I was doing and. And I felt really special, I felt I was lion with a whole lot of people that were going to take me into a new direction in life. And it really gave me what I was needing at that point as far as hope for the future and direction in my life and some kind of structure against which to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were supportive all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your friends are saying all along, did they kid you or did they just simply feel it was a good thing you were doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I thought I think they thought it was a good thing that the Peace Corps had such a feeling. I just got a little."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we're sort of wrapping up this summer and your final year at St. Olaf. All of you, you felt the Peace Corps, he challenged you to do more and you had begun to do that. And I gather it felt good. I mean, you felt and you felt yourself part of this bigger thing, which was called, quote, the Peace Corps. Did you ever consider that? Well, suppose I decide not to go what my alternative is or was the whole focus on going Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.423501412769975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were supportive all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your friends are saying all along, did they kid you or did they just simply feel it was a good thing you were doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I thought I think they thought it was a good thing that the Peace Corps had such a feeling. I just got a little."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we're sort of wrapping up this summer and your final year at St. Olaf. All of you, you felt the Peace Corps, he challenged you to do more and you had begun to do that. And I gather it felt good. I mean, you felt and you felt yourself part of this bigger thing, which was called, quote, the Peace Corps. Did you ever consider that? Well, suppose I decide not to go what my alternative is or was the whole focus on going Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I felt really proactively going toward Peace Corps. I really felt I wanted to be a part of that. And I knew in my mind that it was going to give me some wonderful experiences and returns and opportunities. So I didn't think much of what other areas to go to. I had the luxury of focusing on one particular project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you draft board look at all this?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6927793475221944, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I thought I think they thought it was a good thing that the Peace Corps had such a feeling. I just got a little."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we're sort of wrapping up this summer and your final year at St. Olaf. All of you, you felt the Peace Corps, he challenged you to do more and you had begun to do that. And I gather it felt good. I mean, you felt and you felt yourself part of this bigger thing, which was called, quote, the Peace Corps. Did you ever consider that? Well, suppose I decide not to go what my alternative is or was the whole focus on going Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I felt really proactively going toward Peace Corps. I really felt I wanted to be a part of that. And I knew in my mind that it was going to give me some wonderful experiences and returns and opportunities. So I didn't think much of what other areas to go to. I had the luxury of focusing on one particular project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you draft board look at all this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I got a I didn't speak personally with anyone, but I was supported in that. I got to determine and it was encouraged."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, it was not automatic that most boards tended to. So you graduated, you enjoyed celebrated your degree. What was the next step?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9919770528024383, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I felt really proactively going toward Peace Corps. I really felt I wanted to be a part of that. And I knew in my mind that it was going to give me some wonderful experiences and returns and opportunities. So I didn't think much of what other areas to go to. I had the luxury of focusing on one particular project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you draft board look at all this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I got a I didn't speak personally with anyone, but I was supported in that. I got to determine and it was encouraged."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, it was not automatic that most boards tended to. So you graduated, you enjoyed celebrated your degree. What was the next step?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The next step was to pack my bags, basically. And I had proof of it. Yeah, I said my goodbyes, I imagine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And no further training. Not in the States. OK, so the summit the previous summer had been enough for you to be considered part of part of the program and be sent to Bolivia."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.324418947558265, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I got a I didn't speak personally with anyone, but I was supported in that. I got to determine and it was encouraged."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, it was not automatic that most boards tended to. So you graduated, you enjoyed celebrated your degree. What was the next step?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The next step was to pack my bags, basically. And I had proof of it. Yeah, I said my goodbyes, I imagine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And no further training. Not in the States. OK, so the summit the previous summer had been enough for you to be considered part of part of the program and be sent to Bolivia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a further deselection moment at the end of our senior years before we actually left. And so that senior year was all part of a task for us. Yeah, that was monitored."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.693798830620294, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The next step was to pack my bags, basically. And I had proof of it. Yeah, I said my goodbyes, I imagine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And no further training. Not in the States. OK, so the summit the previous summer had been enough for you to be considered part of part of the program and be sent to Bolivia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a further deselection moment at the end of our senior years before we actually left. And so that senior year was all part of a task for us. Yeah, that was monitored."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A good question that we had to do reports to people who were on the staff?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We had the Peace Corps training staff. That's interesting there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.104220922911438, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a further deselection moment at the end of our senior years before we actually left. And so that senior year was all part of a task for us. Yeah, that was monitored."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A good question that we had to do reports to people who were on the staff?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We had the Peace Corps training staff. That's interesting there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so there was always doubt about whether I could make it or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And going into that year, had they been so specific that saying, well, we feel you should demonstrate leadership, you should do something in the community, you should move to this level in language, I mean, a specific set of goals or just general?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.560245469901597, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A good question that we had to do reports to people who were on the staff?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We had the Peace Corps training staff. That's interesting there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so there was always doubt about whether I could make it or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And going into that year, had they been so specific that saying, well, we feel you should demonstrate leadership, you should do something in the community, you should move to this level in language, I mean, a specific set of goals or just general?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they were somewhat specific. Those were qualities that they wanted me to demonstrate. The leadership part organization part the. That gets tricky."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what kind of feedback did you get? You must have gotten something during your sending in these reports. Look, I'm a leader. I just did just this list. Did anyone then report back to you and say, well, John, you're moving in the right direction?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.0669394110017745, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so there was always doubt about whether I could make it or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And going into that year, had they been so specific that saying, well, we feel you should demonstrate leadership, you should do something in the community, you should move to this level in language, I mean, a specific set of goals or just general?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they were somewhat specific. Those were qualities that they wanted me to demonstrate. The leadership part organization part the. That gets tricky."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what kind of feedback did you get? You must have gotten something during your sending in these reports. Look, I'm a leader. I just did just this list. Did anyone then report back to you and say, well, John, you're moving in the right direction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, and who was that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.0209128530886105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, and who was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think that was the director of the program, Walter Langford."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I was in contact with him correspondence. And I think along the way he encouraged me and supported and direction I was going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But also during that year, others, some others in the group either voluntarily dropped or were dropped. Yeah. And you were only aware of that when you reported to the airport, I guess."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.578792058987345, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think that was the director of the program, Walter Langford."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I was in contact with him correspondence. And I think along the way he encouraged me and supported and direction I was going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But also during that year, others, some others in the group either voluntarily dropped or were dropped. Yeah. And you were only aware of that when you reported to the airport, I guess."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Along the way, we hear of people who thought better of not going to Bolivia and for one reason or another dropped out. And I don't know of any specific people who were selected during that time. Yeah, but that was very much a life issue."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you gather, where do you report? Washington? Or Miami?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.0875467322081604, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I was in contact with him correspondence. And I think along the way he encouraged me and supported and direction I was going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But also during that year, others, some others in the group either voluntarily dropped or were dropped. Yeah. And you were only aware of that when you reported to the airport, I guess."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Along the way, we hear of people who thought better of not going to Bolivia and for one reason or another dropped out. And I don't know of any specific people who were selected during that time. Yeah, but that was very much a life issue."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you gather, where do you report? Washington? Or Miami?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was Philadelphia or Philadelphia, something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and at that point, you must have had a list, you know, by, you know, twenty five handkerchiefs and fifteen shirts and so forth and all packed up with. Was that going with you or was it shipped in advance."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.652829702453512, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Along the way, we hear of people who thought better of not going to Bolivia and for one reason or another dropped out. And I don't know of any specific people who were selected during that time. Yeah, but that was very much a life issue."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you gather, where do you report? Washington? Or Miami?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was Philadelphia or Philadelphia, something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and at that point, you must have had a list, you know, by, you know, twenty five handkerchiefs and fifteen shirts and so forth and all packed up with. Was that going with you or was it shipped in advance."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both. There was one guy, this guy who became a success, even though he had the horrible horrible he wore a trench coat and then. He put in numerous pockets in his trench coat and including things like a steam iron and no, I'm not out of steam pressure cooker and all kinds of other metal objects. And so he he had like a suit of armor that he wore on. And of course, then there weren't all the beepers. Right. So he was happy to get on the plane with a lot of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you weren't you weren't bringing household goods. I mean."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.1698107805039015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was Philadelphia or Philadelphia, something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and at that point, you must have had a list, you know, by, you know, twenty five handkerchiefs and fifteen shirts and so forth and all packed up with. Was that going with you or was it shipped in advance."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both. There was one guy, this guy who became a success, even though he had the horrible horrible he wore a trench coat and then. He put in numerous pockets in his trench coat and including things like a steam iron and no, I'm not out of steam pressure cooker and all kinds of other metal objects. And so he he had like a suit of armor that he wore on. And of course, then there weren't all the beepers. Right. So he was happy to get on the plane with a lot of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you weren't you weren't bringing household goods. I mean."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were told the steam pressure cookers were hard to find, hard to find and believe that he'd be really useful at altitude. KLEIN:- Do you remember saying goodbye to your family and friends? Was it?\n\nYes, it was tearful at the airport with my folks. And it was the only time that my sister saw my dad cry. Yeah, well, it's when"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I left, you know, because it was you were going out into the unknown, even though you would describe it pretty fully. Right, as best you could."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.74423420055989, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both. There was one guy, this guy who became a success, even though he had the horrible horrible he wore a trench coat and then. He put in numerous pockets in his trench coat and including things like a steam iron and no, I'm not out of steam pressure cooker and all kinds of other metal objects. And so he he had like a suit of armor that he wore on. And of course, then there weren't all the beepers. Right. So he was happy to get on the plane with a lot of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you weren't you weren't bringing household goods. I mean."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were told the steam pressure cookers were hard to find, hard to find and believe that he'd be really useful at altitude. KLEIN:- Do you remember saying goodbye to your family and friends? Was it?\n\nYes, it was tearful at the airport with my folks. And it was the only time that my sister saw my dad cry. Yeah, well, it's when"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I left, you know, because it was you were going out into the unknown, even though you would describe it pretty fully. Right, as best you could."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. My dad equated Peace Corps to his earlier service during the war as a naval officer. And so he he he saw me in part as a global citizen, but also somebody who was serving this country, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, that's great to. So now we agreed it was Philadelphia, yes, about you remember, how about how many in the group then? Was it down to 45 or so?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.382482445066544, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were told the steam pressure cookers were hard to find, hard to find and believe that he'd be really useful at altitude. KLEIN:- Do you remember saying goodbye to your family and friends? Was it?\n\nYes, it was tearful at the airport with my folks. And it was the only time that my sister saw my dad cry. Yeah, well, it's when"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I left, you know, because it was you were going out into the unknown, even though you would describe it pretty fully. Right, as best you could."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. My dad equated Peace Corps to his earlier service during the war as a naval officer. And so he he he saw me in part as a global citizen, but also somebody who was serving this country, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, that's great to. So now we agreed it was Philadelphia, yes, about you remember, how about how many in the group then? Was it down to 45 or so?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think it was high. You know how they. Yeah. Probably go for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And from there, you flew down to Bolivia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.0916471611850485, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. My dad equated Peace Corps to his earlier service during the war as a naval officer. And so he he he saw me in part as a global citizen, but also somebody who was serving this country, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, that's great to. So now we agreed it was Philadelphia, yes, about you remember, how about how many in the group then? Was it down to 45 or so?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think it was high. You know how they. Yeah. Probably go for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And from there, you flew down to Bolivia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why am I blocking in the name of the capital."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.768496845761165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think it was high. You know how they. Yeah. Probably go for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And from there, you flew down to Bolivia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why am I blocking in the name of the capital."}, {"role": "user", "content": "La Paz."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "La Paz. Yeah. And you recall arriving in La Paz, your impression?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.187218717512406, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why am I blocking in the name of the capital."}, {"role": "user", "content": "La Paz."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "La Paz. Yeah. And you recall arriving in La Paz, your impression?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very much so. But first, before we got there, we go through a little bit of trauma. When we flew from Chile to Miami, we were greeted by fire trucks that were, you know, racing alongside of us. There was some problem with the landing gear that we had. And so that was kind of exciting. And then we changed planes and flew down to Bolivia. And I guess that was that was smooth. But then once we got to La Paz, we continue down to Cochabamba on a DC six that was serviced and flown by Bolivian folks. And it was the last the airline, you know. Yeah. You know, and we lost two engines on the way down, Cochabamba out of the four. And so that was kind of disconcerting. And we were wondering what we were getting into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Now La Paz is at altitude, its 12000. So. But you weren't there. You just changed planes. So you were there for a few days."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.65246524168045, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "La Paz."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "La Paz. Yeah. And you recall arriving in La Paz, your impression?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very much so. But first, before we got there, we go through a little bit of trauma. When we flew from Chile to Miami, we were greeted by fire trucks that were, you know, racing alongside of us. There was some problem with the landing gear that we had. And so that was kind of exciting. And then we changed planes and flew down to Bolivia. And I guess that was that was smooth. But then once we got to La Paz, we continue down to Cochabamba on a DC six that was serviced and flown by Bolivian folks. And it was the last the airline, you know. Yeah. You know, and we lost two engines on the way down, Cochabamba out of the four. And so that was kind of disconcerting. And we were wondering what we were getting into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Now La Paz is at altitude, its 12000. So. But you weren't there. You just changed planes. So you were there for a few days."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just change planes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so by the end, when you finally got the joke, Cochabamba, there must've been some sense of relief that you didn't have to fly anywhere else."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.169405824089389, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very much so. But first, before we got there, we go through a little bit of trauma. When we flew from Chile to Miami, we were greeted by fire trucks that were, you know, racing alongside of us. There was some problem with the landing gear that we had. And so that was kind of exciting. And then we changed planes and flew down to Bolivia. And I guess that was that was smooth. But then once we got to La Paz, we continue down to Cochabamba on a DC six that was serviced and flown by Bolivian folks. And it was the last the airline, you know. Yeah. You know, and we lost two engines on the way down, Cochabamba out of the four. And so that was kind of disconcerting. And we were wondering what we were getting into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Now La Paz is at altitude, its 12000. So. But you weren't there. You just changed planes. So you were there for a few days."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just change planes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so by the end, when you finally got the joke, Cochabamba, there must've been some sense of relief that you didn't have to fly anywhere else."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Thank God we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And was it was it charter flights all the way or just the last?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.74378424898821, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just change planes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so by the end, when you finally got the joke, Cochabamba, there must've been some sense of relief that you didn't have to fly anywhere else."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Thank God we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And was it was it charter flights all the way or just the last?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were like, I think they were all passenger flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok and OK. Now you so you arrive in Cochabamba, which also is at altitude about 8000, 8000. And you talk about your initial impression of being in Cochabamba and now in Bolivia itself?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.270871387764678, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Thank God we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And was it was it charter flights all the way or just the last?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were like, I think they were all passenger flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok and OK. Now you so you arrive in Cochabamba, which also is at altitude about 8000, 8000. And you talk about your initial impression of being in Cochabamba and now in Bolivia itself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was hard for me to remember, too, specifics, because it was just a wonderful collage of new feelings and new smells and sights and every culture and activity. I knew I was finding support among all the other volunteers and the staff, you know, so I wasn't worried about the day to day me. Activities of life, because they were all planned and taken care of for. Oh yeah, residency or curriculum. We were going to spend, I think, six weeks in training in the country outside of Cochabamba. Yeah. And so I wasn't worried about that. I was it was just a happy time in my life to be around so much support."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we weren't worried about what was beyond. When you're out there on your own suddenly trying to be a community developer, I mean, that was still enough down the pike that you didn't worry about it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.856523764182975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were like, I think they were all passenger flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok and OK. Now you so you arrive in Cochabamba, which also is at altitude about 8000, 8000. And you talk about your initial impression of being in Cochabamba and now in Bolivia itself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was hard for me to remember, too, specifics, because it was just a wonderful collage of new feelings and new smells and sights and every culture and activity. I knew I was finding support among all the other volunteers and the staff, you know, so I wasn't worried about the day to day me. Activities of life, because they were all planned and taken care of for. Oh yeah, residency or curriculum. We were going to spend, I think, six weeks in training in the country outside of Cochabamba. Yeah. And so I wasn't worried about that. I was it was just a happy time in my life to be around so much support."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we weren't worried about what was beyond. When you're out there on your own suddenly trying to be a community developer, I mean, that was still enough down the pike that you didn't worry about it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Don't really put words in your mouth."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.507248626869972, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was hard for me to remember, too, specifics, because it was just a wonderful collage of new feelings and new smells and sights and every culture and activity. I knew I was finding support among all the other volunteers and the staff, you know, so I wasn't worried about the day to day me. Activities of life, because they were all planned and taken care of for. Oh yeah, residency or curriculum. We were going to spend, I think, six weeks in training in the country outside of Cochabamba. Yeah. And so I wasn't worried about that. I was it was just a happy time in my life to be around so much support."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we weren't worried about what was beyond. When you're out there on your own suddenly trying to be a community developer, I mean, that was still enough down the pike that you didn't worry about it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Don't really put words in your mouth."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We knew we would be full of support and be supportive along the way. Yeah, I think some of us or I was worried whether I'd have the skills to do whatever I came up with, what I was involved with. We were we were trained to be flexible, to be to recognize things that we could do and how to do that. We had a general philosophical background and kind of a morale of doing, discovering and doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's come back to Cochabamba when you arrived, a couple of things. Everybody talks at one time or another about culture shock. I mean, you're certainly you're stepping into a new environment. Do you recall that particularly or doing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.008054029855524, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Don't really put words in your mouth."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We knew we would be full of support and be supportive along the way. Yeah, I think some of us or I was worried whether I'd have the skills to do whatever I came up with, what I was involved with. We were we were trained to be flexible, to be to recognize things that we could do and how to do that. We had a general philosophical background and kind of a morale of doing, discovering and doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's come back to Cochabamba when you arrived, a couple of things. Everybody talks at one time or another about culture shock. I mean, you're certainly you're stepping into a new environment. Do you recall that particularly or doing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't recall a culture shock or I just recall a change in the name of the standards, and I didn't really. Well, I guess that would be called culture shock. Well, I was we we went from the airport out to by the Kaiya, which was our our home for the next six weeks. And we lived in a big dorm room. Guys, we were separated, you know, from the girls. And we had kind of a regular schedule of getting up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it was Lankford still running things"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.564504477617248, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We knew we would be full of support and be supportive along the way. Yeah, I think some of us or I was worried whether I'd have the skills to do whatever I came up with, what I was involved with. We were we were trained to be flexible, to be to recognize things that we could do and how to do that. We had a general philosophical background and kind of a morale of doing, discovering and doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's come back to Cochabamba when you arrived, a couple of things. Everybody talks at one time or another about culture shock. I mean, you're certainly you're stepping into a new environment. Do you recall that particularly or doing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't recall a culture shock or I just recall a change in the name of the standards, and I didn't really. Well, I guess that would be called culture shock. Well, I was we we went from the airport out to by the Kaiya, which was our our home for the next six weeks. And we lived in a big dorm room. Guys, we were separated, you know, from the girls. And we had kind of a regular schedule of getting up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it was Lankford still running things"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At this point. I think it was more of the country director who probably picked up the guitar. OK, he was not there anyway for this there. They're OK. And some of the staff had most of the staff that switched in to local bolivianos."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They're OK, except for the need to recall who the Peace Corps director was,"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.071671641796942, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't recall a culture shock or I just recall a change in the name of the standards, and I didn't really. Well, I guess that would be called culture shock. Well, I was we we went from the airport out to by the Kaiya, which was our our home for the next six weeks. And we lived in a big dorm room. Guys, we were separated, you know, from the girls. And we had kind of a regular schedule of getting up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it was Lankford still running things"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At this point. I think it was more of the country director who probably picked up the guitar. OK, he was not there anyway for this there. They're OK. And some of the staff had most of the staff that switched in to local bolivianos."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They're OK, except for the need to recall who the Peace Corps director was,"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think, with Geno Bowman."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. So you have a six week in country training program, is selection still part of the process or is you're there? And if you do, you recall at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.635190713107713, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At this point. I think it was more of the country director who probably picked up the guitar. OK, he was not there anyway for this there. They're OK. And some of the staff had most of the staff that switched in to local bolivianos."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They're OK, except for the need to recall who the Peace Corps director was,"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think, with Geno Bowman."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. So you have a six week in country training program, is selection still part of the process or is you're there? And if you do, you recall at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't I don't recall whether we were officially in or if we were still around the edges."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I were there. Tell me about the program that was in Bolivia at the time you arrived and then about the role that any of the volunteer current volunteers played in your training. Those two things."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.150211903453014, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think, with Geno Bowman."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. So you have a six week in country training program, is selection still part of the process or is you're there? And if you do, you recall at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't I don't recall whether we were officially in or if we were still around the edges."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I were there. Tell me about the program that was in Bolivia at the time you arrived and then about the role that any of the volunteer current volunteers played in your training. Those two things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I do think I don't remember specifically what kind of togetherness we built with the current Peace Corps back. Yeah, we did need some volunteers and we did later during that six weeks visit various volunteers in their sights. Right. So there is some interaction there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many volunteers were in country at the time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.722457670503349, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't I don't recall whether we were officially in or if we were still around the edges."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I were there. Tell me about the program that was in Bolivia at the time you arrived and then about the role that any of the volunteer current volunteers played in your training. Those two things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I do think I don't remember specifically what kind of togetherness we built with the current Peace Corps back. Yeah, we did need some volunteers and we did later during that six weeks visit various volunteers in their sights. Right. So there is some interaction there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many volunteers were in country at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think several hundred. Couple hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were they overwhelmingly in rural community development or the government in the variety? OK, but your group, your entire group, the focus was rural community development, which meant that you would all be working under one particular ministry. Let's talk about the six weeks then. What what went on during that time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0249529672259428, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I do think I don't remember specifically what kind of togetherness we built with the current Peace Corps back. Yeah, we did need some volunteers and we did later during that six weeks visit various volunteers in their sights. Right. So there is some interaction there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many volunteers were in country at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think several hundred. Couple hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were they overwhelmingly in rural community development or the government in the variety? OK, but your group, your entire group, the focus was rural community development, which meant that you would all be working under one particular ministry. Let's talk about the six weeks then. What what went on during that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The thing that I first focused on was beautiful. And after classes walking along, it turned out to be that the main highway between our paths in Santa Cruz and which is now grown to incredible heights, of course. But back then, you could walk along the Panamerican Highway, you know, and not worry about any traffic and just absorb the stars. But the days were filled with the variety of classes ranging from more language to more culture. And then we developed more of our basic skills complemented so that we became adept at shearing sheep or riding a horse or there was some conditioning, nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.3610588524732696, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think several hundred. Couple hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were they overwhelmingly in rural community development or the government in the variety? OK, but your group, your entire group, the focus was rural community development, which meant that you would all be working under one particular ministry. Let's talk about the six weeks then. What what went on during that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The thing that I first focused on was beautiful. And after classes walking along, it turned out to be that the main highway between our paths in Santa Cruz and which is now grown to incredible heights, of course. But back then, you could walk along the Panamerican Highway, you know, and not worry about any traffic and just absorb the stars. But the days were filled with the variety of classes ranging from more language to more culture. And then we developed more of our basic skills complemented so that we became adept at shearing sheep or riding a horse or there was some conditioning, nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But there must have been some of the group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:203", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7345098360814104, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The thing that I first focused on was beautiful. And after classes walking along, it turned out to be that the main highway between our paths in Santa Cruz and which is now grown to incredible heights, of course. But back then, you could walk along the Panamerican Highway, you know, and not worry about any traffic and just absorb the stars. But the days were filled with the variety of classes ranging from more language to more culture. And then we developed more of our basic skills complemented so that we became adept at shearing sheep or riding a horse or there was some conditioning, nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But there must have been some of the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. Oh my God. They're just more kind of basic things. I can't remember other good examples, but"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that time, was there anyone from either the Bolivian ministry or Peace Corps staff who began to define the job that you were going to do once he got out here?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.149455373423789, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But there must have been some of the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. Oh my God. They're just more kind of basic things. I can't remember other good examples, but"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that time, was there anyone from either the Bolivian ministry or Peace Corps staff who began to define the job that you were going to do once he got out here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had some officials from the Bolivian ah, counterparts in Bolivia in the area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What would their counterparts title be?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.610505970470877, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. Oh my God. They're just more kind of basic things. I can't remember other good examples, but"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that time, was there anyone from either the Bolivian ministry or Peace Corps staff who began to define the job that you were going to do once he got out here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had some officials from the Bolivian ah, counterparts in Bolivia in the area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What would their counterparts title be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Our actual counterparts were known as community technicians, they were supposed to be our counterparts. And and so they were local folks who had some organizational skills who would be teaming up with. And so this was a new concept in Bolivia and Peace Corps at that point to have a direct conflict."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during the six weeks, did the entire group or just in small clusters go out to villages to see what was going on or everybody left?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9005621894120854, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had some officials from the Bolivian ah, counterparts in Bolivia in the area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What would their counterparts title be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Our actual counterparts were known as community technicians, they were supposed to be our counterparts. And and so they were local folks who had some organizational skills who would be teaming up with. And so this was a new concept in Bolivia and Peace Corps at that point to have a direct conflict."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during the six weeks, did the entire group or just in small clusters go out to villages to see what was going on or everybody left?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm not sure we did it in advance or not, but there were two opportunities for virtually all of us to go to a site. And generally, they were in different geographic areas in the jungle, or some, I think, even went up to the Altiplano or around the palms, certainly around Cochabamba. You know, that was another area. So we had that opportunity to spend time with volunteers in the field. However, for the most part, I don't think we had much interaction with the Bolivian community development folks in the field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the idea that you were going to have some input as to where you were assigned? And so you exposed to two extremes of climate, if nothing else, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2228468771245393, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Our actual counterparts were known as community technicians, they were supposed to be our counterparts. And and so they were local folks who had some organizational skills who would be teaming up with. And so this was a new concept in Bolivia and Peace Corps at that point to have a direct conflict."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during the six weeks, did the entire group or just in small clusters go out to villages to see what was going on or everybody left?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm not sure we did it in advance or not, but there were two opportunities for virtually all of us to go to a site. And generally, they were in different geographic areas in the jungle, or some, I think, even went up to the Altiplano or around the palms, certainly around Cochabamba. You know, that was another area. So we had that opportunity to spend time with volunteers in the field. However, for the most part, I don't think we had much interaction with the Bolivian community development folks in the field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the idea that you were going to have some input as to where you were assigned? And so you exposed to two extremes of climate, if nothing else, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, this was considered a time to shop around for what we thought would be best."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was I'd involved at all in the project you were doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5809409745828216, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm not sure we did it in advance or not, but there were two opportunities for virtually all of us to go to a site. And generally, they were in different geographic areas in the jungle, or some, I think, even went up to the Altiplano or around the palms, certainly around Cochabamba. You know, that was another area. So we had that opportunity to spend time with volunteers in the field. However, for the most part, I don't think we had much interaction with the Bolivian community development folks in the field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the idea that you were going to have some input as to where you were assigned? And so you exposed to two extremes of climate, if nothing else, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, this was considered a time to shop around for what we thought would be best."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was I'd involved at all in the project you were doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were some things that I could do with the idea,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it wasn't built into the project design."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.978823305092024, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, this was considered a time to shop around for what we thought would be best."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was I'd involved at all in the project you were doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were some things that I could do with the idea,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it wasn't built into the project design."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we knew about the idea of a potential support group and somebody we could be involved with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, but OK. Anything else? During the six weeks I wrote, I mean, you do recall when you first began to use Spanish in situations where people spoke only Spanish."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.420914783435582, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were some things that I could do with the idea,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it wasn't built into the project design."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we knew about the idea of a potential support group and somebody we could be involved with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, but OK. Anything else? During the six weeks I wrote, I mean, you do recall when you first began to use Spanish in situations where people spoke only Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Going to the markets every so often we go going to live fire."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess we say we I mean, so it's not like you decide I'm going to go alone and work my way from one side of the market to another."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:219", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.9121275371506465, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we knew about the idea of a potential support group and somebody we could be involved with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, but OK. Anything else? During the six weeks I wrote, I mean, you do recall when you first began to use Spanish in situations where people spoke only Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Going to the markets every so often we go going to live fire."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess we say we I mean, so it's not like you decide I'm going to go alone and work my way from one side of the market to another."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Once we got there, we knew that we were out of town to go to a market. We need transportation and we usually go as a group and a truck. And, you know, take it from there and we break into groups or whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your feeling about your language facility at this point or realized?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:221", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.235697263500718, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Going to the markets every so often we go going to live fire."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess we say we I mean, so it's not like you decide I'm going to go alone and work my way from one side of the market to another."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Once we got there, we knew that we were out of town to go to a market. We need transportation and we usually go as a group and a truck. And, you know, take it from there and we break into groups or whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your feeling about your language facility at this point or realized?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a lot a lot for me to learn still and got this whole two years was going to be a language learning experience. Yeah, I did feel confident to the point that I could basically survive. And I also felt that I had a long way to go in order to have deeper conversations and relationships."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there regional differences in the language? It must have been."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:223", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.5952191816674643, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Once we got there, we knew that we were out of town to go to a market. We need transportation and we usually go as a group and a truck. And, you know, take it from there and we break into groups or whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your feeling about your language facility at this point or realized?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a lot a lot for me to learn still and got this whole two years was going to be a language learning experience. Yeah, I did feel confident to the point that I could basically survive. And I also felt that I had a long way to go in order to have deeper conversations and relationships."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there regional differences in the language? It must have been."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll get to them later. So the six weeks comes to an end when you ask your preferences for assignment as to location, as to whether you're going to be assigned with someone else with the group. And was there any idea did you need a counterpart before you got the assignment or do you have a chance to test that out?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:225", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8835768685194045, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a lot a lot for me to learn still and got this whole two years was going to be a language learning experience. Yeah, I did feel confident to the point that I could basically survive. And I also felt that I had a long way to go in order to have deeper conversations and relationships."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there regional differences in the language? It must have been."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll get to them later. So the six weeks comes to an end when you ask your preferences for assignment as to location, as to whether you're going to be assigned with someone else with the group. And was there any idea did you need a counterpart before you got the assignment or do you have a chance to test that out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did not meet our our boy. We didn't he did not meet that Bolivian component that the technical that I was supposed to work with, I did not do that. We had a I want to two different places from the desert. And one was a lower highlands to the south called telecon. And it was the second place that I decided to go. And I had a really had a choice of places to go. I had that flexibility. And those were two excellent choices. I could have easily enjoyed being in the jungle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you chose Tarija?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:227", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.203974298354894, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll get to them later. So the six weeks comes to an end when you ask your preferences for assignment as to location, as to whether you're going to be assigned with someone else with the group. And was there any idea did you need a counterpart before you got the assignment or do you have a chance to test that out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did not meet our our boy. We didn't he did not meet that Bolivian component that the technical that I was supposed to work with, I did not do that. We had a I want to two different places from the desert. And one was a lower highlands to the south called telecon. And it was the second place that I decided to go. And I had a really had a choice of places to go. I had that flexibility. And those were two excellent choices. I could have easily enjoyed being in the jungle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you chose Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I chose Tarija, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On what basis?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:229", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.5599714426165487, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did not meet our our boy. We didn't he did not meet that Bolivian component that the technical that I was supposed to work with, I did not do that. We had a I want to two different places from the desert. And one was a lower highlands to the south called telecon. And it was the second place that I decided to go. And I had a really had a choice of places to go. I had that flexibility. And those were two excellent choices. I could have easily enjoyed being in the jungle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you chose Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I chose Tarija, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On what basis?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the basis of some programs that were already there. Some volunteers that had that, that it it seemed like a real nice community with opportunities for rural as well as urban kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was your assignment? The assignment you got?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8444127140183872, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I chose Tarija, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On what basis?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the basis of some programs that were already there. Some volunteers that had that, that it it seemed like a real nice community with opportunities for rural as well as urban kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was your assignment? The assignment you got?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. In a small town near Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you assigned there alone?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1604585711315414, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the basis of some programs that were already there. Some volunteers that had that, that it it seemed like a real nice community with opportunities for rural as well as urban kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was your assignment? The assignment you got?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. In a small town near Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you assigned there alone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was sitting there with another Peace Corps volunteer woman, and she had been somebody that she was the one who said that she thought at first."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, yes. Yeah, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.5116206345906016, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. In a small town near Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you assigned there alone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was sitting there with another Peace Corps volunteer woman, and she had been somebody that she was the one who said that she thought at first."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, yes. Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don't think I had too much influence as far as who I was going to be paired up with. So but it was a happy feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're going into a community where the larger community there are several Peace Corps volunteers already there. Who made the arrangements for the housing? And I mean, talk about how you got from the training site to Tarija and what goes on initially."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.790689593989557, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was sitting there with another Peace Corps volunteer woman, and she had been somebody that she was the one who said that she thought at first."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, yes. Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don't think I had too much influence as far as who I was going to be paired up with. So but it was a happy feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're going into a community where the larger community there are several Peace Corps volunteers already there. Who made the arrangements for the housing? And I mean, talk about how you got from the training site to Tarija and what goes on initially."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember how I actually I don't I think we stayed at a hotel for a while and we're basically told it's time to find a place in your community. And so I started looking in San Lorenzo which was my my town. And eventually I found a place that was vacant and that I couldn't go to. It took a few days, I recall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was a transition process hotel. And then you finally found the place, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.445295795048836, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember how I actually I don't I think we stayed at a hotel for a while and we're basically told it's time to find a place in your community. And so I started looking in San Lorenzo which was my my town. And eventually I found a place that was vacant and that I couldn't go to. It took a few days, I recall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was a transition process hotel. And then you finally found the place, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think I had much help in there. I think we were kind of. There was no main office in Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So now it's a loose organization."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your budget? I mean, how are you being paid?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:245", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0188836975911557, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So now it's a loose organization."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your budget? I mean, how are you being paid?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we had the usual Peace Corps. I think it was sixty or eighty dollars."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Living allowance?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Living allowance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was deposited to your account, I assume, in Tarija."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.3543152195457284, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we had the usual Peace Corps. I think it was sixty or eighty dollars."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Living allowance?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Living allowance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was deposited to your account, I assume, in Tarija."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so based on that, you would provide yourself with housing, food and so forth."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:249", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.727016910606365, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Living allowance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was deposited to your account, I assume, in Tarija."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so based on that, you would provide yourself with housing, food and so forth."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You have to sign a lease. I mean, do you recall that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:251", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.1411299006737385, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so based on that, you would provide yourself with housing, food and so forth."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You have to sign a lease. I mean, do you recall that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just you sort of make the arrangement pay on a week by week or month by month basis."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:253", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.6012554451930425, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You have to sign a lease. I mean, do you recall that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just you sort of make the arrangement pay on a week by week or month by month basis."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you know, you move that much, have giving you some introduction to the community center and looking at rent walking around. And we do that walking around, looking for a place to live. And was that done? Did you do that by yourself?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:255", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.112506050214492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just you sort of make the arrangement pay on a week by week or month by month basis."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you know, you move that much, have giving you some introduction to the community center and looking at rent walking around. And we do that walking around, looking for a place to live. And was that done? Did you do that by yourself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your sense of what it was doing that helped pay my taxes, the things."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.680562278016102, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you know, you move that much, have giving you some introduction to the community center and looking at rent walking around. And we do that walking around, looking for a place to live. And was that done? Did you do that by yourself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your sense of what it was doing that helped pay my taxes, the things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just knew it was a quick immersion and I was on my own. And if I were to leave, I got to make it work and be self-reliant and let's go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So on any given day, then at least at the beginning, the initiative to do something had to come just from within you. Right. You weren't on a schedule. I mean, you could have slept the day through what? You could have sat at the bar and drank beer and wouldn't have made any difference in a sense. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.311735864462335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your sense of what it was doing that helped pay my taxes, the things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just knew it was a quick immersion and I was on my own. And if I were to leave, I got to make it work and be self-reliant and let's go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So on any given day, then at least at the beginning, the initiative to do something had to come just from within you. Right. You weren't on a schedule. I mean, you could have slept the day through what? You could have sat at the bar and drank beer and wouldn't have made any difference in a sense. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing but peer pressure and nothing but OK. You know, I support everybody was there trying to get settled in and to ease into whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this woman was living was she also in San Lorenzo? And she went off on her own. At what point are you all right or did you have an office or a ministry or something against which to work, to work, you need to go someplace else. Maybe I'm wrong, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:261", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.901928738291483, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just knew it was a quick immersion and I was on my own. And if I were to leave, I got to make it work and be self-reliant and let's go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So on any given day, then at least at the beginning, the initiative to do something had to come just from within you. Right. You weren't on a schedule. I mean, you could have slept the day through what? You could have sat at the bar and drank beer and wouldn't have made any difference in a sense. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing but peer pressure and nothing but OK. You know, I support everybody was there trying to get settled in and to ease into whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this woman was living was she also in San Lorenzo? And she went off on her own. At what point are you all right or did you have an office or a ministry or something against which to work, to work, you need to go someplace else. Maybe I'm wrong, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was an office of Rural Community Development that the Bolivians had there, and there were"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In San Lorenzo?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.557698598101648, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing but peer pressure and nothing but OK. You know, I support everybody was there trying to get settled in and to ease into whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this woman was living was she also in San Lorenzo? And she went off on her own. At what point are you all right or did you have an office or a ministry or something against which to work, to work, you need to go someplace else. Maybe I'm wrong, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was an office of Rural Community Development that the Bolivians had there, and there were"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In San Lorenzo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "San Lorenzo. Wait, no. This is in Tarija. And that that was kind of our home base for those of us who were going into the countryside and the smaller towns and"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far from San Lorenzo to Tarija?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.175220664557386, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was an office of Rural Community Development that the Bolivians had there, and there were"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In San Lorenzo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "San Lorenzo. Wait, no. This is in Tarija. And that that was kind of our home base for those of us who were going into the countryside and the smaller towns and"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far from San Lorenzo to Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh 12 kilometers or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you get back and forth?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.750245182841541, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "San Lorenzo. Wait, no. This is in Tarija. And that that was kind of our home base for those of us who were going into the countryside and the smaller towns and"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far from San Lorenzo to Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh 12 kilometers or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you get back and forth?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were busses every three hours which were in town, in town. And and so we did get some guidance with those folks, those Bolivian folks at this central office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of guidance?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.389161314268378, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh 12 kilometers or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you get back and forth?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were busses every three hours which were in town, in town. And and so we did get some guidance with those folks, those Bolivian folks at this central office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of guidance?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of people to contact. In fact, one of the guys. Yeah, people to contact us,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point do you meet your technical I mean, assuming it's going to be one?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.099068126964864, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were busses every three hours which were in town, in town. And and so we did get some guidance with those folks, those Bolivian folks at this central office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of guidance?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of people to contact. In fact, one of the guys. Yeah, people to contact us,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point do you meet your technical I mean, assuming it's going to be one?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think I probably met them through this office in one way or another. And I got to know him a little bit at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And who was he and where did he live and what was his background?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:273", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.665631252183182, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of people to contact. In fact, one of the guys. Yeah, people to contact us,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point do you meet your technical I mean, assuming it's going to be one?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think I probably met them through this office in one way or another. And I got to know him a little bit at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And who was he and where did he live and what was his background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, he was a man who lived outside of somewhere and so maybe five kilometers and I don't remember his name. He was skilled in that he had gone through the Bolivian training, I think for a technical he was from that community, that small spark, and he I think he would he was more than an agriculturalist farmer. And he had a long career, a little more of an education. How many people? I think it was about my age, you know, the early 20s."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who did he think you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.295145835759091, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think I probably met them through this office in one way or another. And I got to know him a little bit at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And who was he and where did he live and what was his background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, he was a man who lived outside of somewhere and so maybe five kilometers and I don't remember his name. He was skilled in that he had gone through the Bolivian training, I think for a technical he was from that community, that small spark, and he I think he would he was more than an agriculturalist farmer. And he had a long career, a little more of an education. How many people? I think it was about my age, you know, the early 20s."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who did he think you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was a kind guy. But I don't think we had great in-depth conversations because of my Spanish and wondering initially. And I'm not sure what he thought of me as far as somebody coming from the United States to help him in some way that was useful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So underneath that is a question of how much groundwork had been done either by Peace Corps, by the Bolivian ministry to get this particular program in place, which is combining a volunteer with a technical and working on community development. Was it a new concept? I think it was at that point, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:277", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.8834953730656565, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, he was a man who lived outside of somewhere and so maybe five kilometers and I don't remember his name. He was skilled in that he had gone through the Bolivian training, I think for a technical he was from that community, that small spark, and he I think he would he was more than an agriculturalist farmer. And he had a long career, a little more of an education. How many people? I think it was about my age, you know, the early 20s."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who did he think you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was a kind guy. But I don't think we had great in-depth conversations because of my Spanish and wondering initially. And I'm not sure what he thought of me as far as somebody coming from the United States to help him in some way that was useful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So underneath that is a question of how much groundwork had been done either by Peace Corps, by the Bolivian ministry to get this particular program in place, which is combining a volunteer with a technical and working on community development. Was it a new concept? I think it was at that point, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he had probably been on the job for a year or two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any sense that he didn't do a good job today of putting you there to know, OK?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:279", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.537217081184063, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was a kind guy. But I don't think we had great in-depth conversations because of my Spanish and wondering initially. And I'm not sure what he thought of me as far as somebody coming from the United States to help him in some way that was useful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So underneath that is a question of how much groundwork had been done either by Peace Corps, by the Bolivian ministry to get this particular program in place, which is combining a volunteer with a technical and working on community development. Was it a new concept? I think it was at that point, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he had probably been on the job for a year or two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any sense that he didn't do a good job today of putting you there to know, OK?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah. I thought of him as somebody who would know the local people and then be able to direct me to helping them out in one way or another. And what he thought of my role, I don't know, are the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So what were the first few weeks you were able to find a place to live?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.263574534648959, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he had probably been on the job for a year or two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any sense that he didn't do a good job today of putting you there to know, OK?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah. I thought of him as somebody who would know the local people and then be able to direct me to helping them out in one way or another. And what he thought of my role, I don't know, are the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So what were the first few weeks you were able to find a place to live?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that bring you close to a family from whom you rented or was it just like a landlord tenant kind of relationship?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 5.848416149609954, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah. I thought of him as somebody who would know the local people and then be able to direct me to helping them out in one way or another. And what he thought of my role, I don't know, are the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So what were the first few weeks you were able to find a place to live?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that bring you close to a family from whom you rented or was it just like a landlord tenant kind of relationship?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would. It was kind of a distance tenant relationship. It didn't seem like I gathered anybody really to combine with it at that point. It was for one reason or another, a distant kind of relationship. So I found a house that was out of town, maybe a half a kilometer from the parts of this whole town of 2000. And it seemed perfect in that it was big enough for me to move into and do stuff to"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Electricity, running water, indoor plumbing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:285", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0537957217888376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that bring you close to a family from whom you rented or was it just like a landlord tenant kind of relationship?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would. It was kind of a distance tenant relationship. It didn't seem like I gathered anybody really to combine with it at that point. It was for one reason or another, a distant kind of relationship. So I found a house that was out of town, maybe a half a kilometer from the parts of this whole town of 2000. And it seemed perfect in that it was big enough for me to move into and do stuff to"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Electricity, running water, indoor plumbing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. So I had to clean out the potatoes. There was a corner filled with potatoes and that's how they'd been using it. And so get the kids out and try to create a home here and find out where the water is. And I had to walk a couple hundred yards to get to that. And I wanted to be very resourceful and my water consumption as a result. And then I think I had some sort of a dream. Yeah. And and then I went to the town, had no electricity except for Friday nights. And then they'd crank up the generator, you know, a couple hours, know people could walk around. So it's kind of basic goods."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "People from nearby appear, young young people saying, can I help you? Can I work? You can. I mean, the Africa in Africa, it was common for volunteers to have schools, you know, House colleagues, wherever you want to call it. And there's a whole background to that. But I don't know if that would be if that occurred with you that, you know, someone said, can I help you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:287", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2819952464320417, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would. It was kind of a distance tenant relationship. It didn't seem like I gathered anybody really to combine with it at that point. It was for one reason or another, a distant kind of relationship. So I found a house that was out of town, maybe a half a kilometer from the parts of this whole town of 2000. And it seemed perfect in that it was big enough for me to move into and do stuff to"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Electricity, running water, indoor plumbing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. So I had to clean out the potatoes. There was a corner filled with potatoes and that's how they'd been using it. And so get the kids out and try to create a home here and find out where the water is. And I had to walk a couple hundred yards to get to that. And I wanted to be very resourceful and my water consumption as a result. And then I think I had some sort of a dream. Yeah. And and then I went to the town, had no electricity except for Friday nights. And then they'd crank up the generator, you know, a couple hours, know people could walk around. So it's kind of basic goods."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "People from nearby appear, young young people saying, can I help you? Can I work? You can. I mean, the Africa in Africa, it was common for volunteers to have schools, you know, House colleagues, wherever you want to call it. And there's a whole background to that. But I don't know if that would be if that occurred with you that, you know, someone said, can I help you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, no, there really wasn't I didn't find in that rural area that kind of set sort of. And it seemed like everybody was pretty close to the same level of economics."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the other volunteers in in and around that area were pretty much living on their own. And depending on way, they did their own cooking, cleaning and all that. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5355502738133797, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. So I had to clean out the potatoes. There was a corner filled with potatoes and that's how they'd been using it. And so get the kids out and try to create a home here and find out where the water is. And I had to walk a couple hundred yards to get to that. And I wanted to be very resourceful and my water consumption as a result. And then I think I had some sort of a dream. Yeah. And and then I went to the town, had no electricity except for Friday nights. And then they'd crank up the generator, you know, a couple hours, know people could walk around. So it's kind of basic goods."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "People from nearby appear, young young people saying, can I help you? Can I work? You can. I mean, the Africa in Africa, it was common for volunteers to have schools, you know, House colleagues, wherever you want to call it. And there's a whole background to that. But I don't know if that would be if that occurred with you that, you know, someone said, can I help you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, no, there really wasn't I didn't find in that rural area that kind of set sort of. And it seemed like everybody was pretty close to the same level of economics."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the other volunteers in in and around that area were pretty much living on their own. And depending on way, they did their own cooking, cleaning and all that. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And my counterpart, you know, so she she set up a living situation with the family, which was a real estate thing. Yeah. Yeah. And she looked right off the plaza and her family, in fact, was the police chief and his family. And they had a little interior pass. And they also would have the opportunity to grow up with these kids and to improve her Spanish considered way past living with the family. And I was all alone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you didn't think, well, maybe I should find a family to try to live with?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8172780820148664, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, no, there really wasn't I didn't find in that rural area that kind of set sort of. And it seemed like everybody was pretty close to the same level of economics."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the other volunteers in in and around that area were pretty much living on their own. And depending on way, they did their own cooking, cleaning and all that. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And my counterpart, you know, so she she set up a living situation with the family, which was a real estate thing. Yeah. Yeah. And she looked right off the plaza and her family, in fact, was the police chief and his family. And they had a little interior pass. And they also would have the opportunity to grow up with these kids and to improve her Spanish considered way past living with the family. And I was all alone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you didn't think, well, maybe I should find a family to try to live with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought I could do it on my own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, showing leadership skills."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.130308980016518, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And my counterpart, you know, so she she set up a living situation with the family, which was a real estate thing. Yeah. Yeah. And she looked right off the plaza and her family, in fact, was the police chief and his family. And they had a little interior pass. And they also would have the opportunity to grow up with these kids and to improve her Spanish considered way past living with the family. And I was all alone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you didn't think, well, maybe I should find a family to try to live with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought I could do it on my own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, showing leadership skills."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As it turned out, it changed. I was out of that house after a month or two because I realized I needed to be closer to town to to people to maybe have a better living situation. So I found a room in a house that had several other people in it to whom one of whom was a young male cast. And then there was a guy who was an employee of the local water sanitation board. And so those were two people who I could kind of team up with. I could be friends and I could be with him. And our landlady was a wonderful person who really enjoyed having these three guys living in her periphery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. So so after the month, which much to do somewhat bleak was at the point in the month, did you think? Well, I made a mistake. I ought to chop it and go home."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4781210889072423, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought I could do it on my own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, showing leadership skills."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As it turned out, it changed. I was out of that house after a month or two because I realized I needed to be closer to town to to people to maybe have a better living situation. So I found a room in a house that had several other people in it to whom one of whom was a young male cast. And then there was a guy who was an employee of the local water sanitation board. And so those were two people who I could kind of team up with. I could be friends and I could be with him. And our landlady was a wonderful person who really enjoyed having these three guys living in her periphery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. So so after the month, which much to do somewhat bleak was at the point in the month, did you think? Well, I made a mistake. I ought to chop it and go home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not home, but just a better place to live. I didn't I didn't have thoughts of leaving Bolivia. I just had thoughts of needed to change my living situation in Bolivia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during that first month, did anyone from Peace Corps staff come out to visit you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:297", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8645789876747134, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As it turned out, it changed. I was out of that house after a month or two because I realized I needed to be closer to town to to people to maybe have a better living situation. So I found a room in a house that had several other people in it to whom one of whom was a young male cast. And then there was a guy who was an employee of the local water sanitation board. And so those were two people who I could kind of team up with. I could be friends and I could be with him. And our landlady was a wonderful person who really enjoyed having these three guys living in her periphery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. So so after the month, which much to do somewhat bleak was at the point in the month, did you think? Well, I made a mistake. I ought to chop it and go home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not home, but just a better place to live. I didn't I didn't have thoughts of leaving Bolivia. I just had thoughts of needed to change my living situation in Bolivia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during that first month, did anyone from Peace Corps staff come out to visit you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They sent you out saying, settle in and meet your technical and do and do what?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:299", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 4.293976652971904, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not home, but just a better place to live. I didn't I didn't have thoughts of leaving Bolivia. I just had thoughts of needed to change my living situation in Bolivia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during that first month, did anyone from Peace Corps staff come out to visit you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They sent you out saying, settle in and meet your technical and do and do what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And become involved with community development t, you folks get on it and use your creativity to find yourself a job, basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any favorite kinds of activities? In other ways? It's better to go to a train than to start a basketball club or something, or was it totally open?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:301", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4377518366354487, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They sent you out saying, settle in and meet your technical and do and do what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And become involved with community development t, you folks get on it and use your creativity to find yourself a job, basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any favorite kinds of activities? In other ways? It's better to go to a train than to start a basketball club or something, or was it totally open?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was one guy who was leading an experienced volunteer who was leaving from college. And one of the things he did, he had an incredible he was a very precarious, outgoing kind of person. And he was leaving. And there was some thought that I should pick up some of his activities. And he was he had just finished his two years, one of which was coaching the Nationals, the local the regional basketball All-Star Game. And so there was one activity that I started with that jump started that helped to jump start with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was something were in existence and you could move in."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:303", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.597502040706054, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And become involved with community development t, you folks get on it and use your creativity to find yourself a job, basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any favorite kinds of activities? In other ways? It's better to go to a train than to start a basketball club or something, or was it totally open?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was one guy who was leading an experienced volunteer who was leaving from college. And one of the things he did, he had an incredible he was a very precarious, outgoing kind of person. And he was leaving. And there was some thought that I should pick up some of his activities. And he was he had just finished his two years, one of which was coaching the Nationals, the local the regional basketball All-Star Game. And so there was one activity that I started with that jump started that helped to jump start with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was something were in existence and you could move in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And that was incredible. So I would have to kind of commute there. Right. Of others. And that that was the the only job that could have been a legacy job. So I did that for a while, a number of months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Doing nothing else during those months?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:305", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7750022674511712, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was one guy who was leading an experienced volunteer who was leaving from college. And one of the things he did, he had an incredible he was a very precarious, outgoing kind of person. And he was leaving. And there was some thought that I should pick up some of his activities. And he was he had just finished his two years, one of which was coaching the Nationals, the local the regional basketball All-Star Game. And so there was one activity that I started with that jump started that helped to jump start with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was something were in existence and you could move in."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And that was incredible. So I would have to kind of commute there. Right. Of others. And that that was the the only job that could have been a legacy job. So I did that for a while, a number of months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Doing nothing else during those months?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was trying to set up something and some of that. So I was trying to interact with with various Bolivian people, including the padre in town. Who was, you know, a year after degree of a social movement and actually the agricultural age and the local extension agent and so on and so on. So he became really my focus person and so on and so on. And I would do things with him. And he was very open to helping me and educating me along along the way. And we developed a nice relationship."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where was your technical and what was"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:309", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1913608240137914, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was trying to set up something and some of that. So I was trying to interact with with various Bolivian people, including the padre in town. Who was, you know, a year after degree of a social movement and actually the agricultural age and the local extension agent and so on and so on. So he became really my focus person and so on and so on. And I would do things with him. And he was very open to helping me and educating me along along the way. And we developed a nice relationship."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where was your technical and what was"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The technical was different. And in my daily life and distance, I tried to get involved with him and there just didn't seem to be a job there for me to do. It seemed like what was going on, it didn't seem like I could contribute much to anything that he was doing other than maybe to some occasions. I get equipment and equipment from the"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "USAID?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, USAID, and help facilitate help facilitate him having community meetings. But once the community meeting was going, there wasn't much that I could do other than listen and perhaps offer things. He was the main guy as far as getting people together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But were they focusing on any projects or was just there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:311", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.434845360015324, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The technical was different. And in my daily life and distance, I tried to get involved with him and there just didn't seem to be a job there for me to do. It seemed like what was going on, it didn't seem like I could contribute much to anything that he was doing other than maybe to some occasions. I get equipment and equipment from the"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "USAID?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, USAID, and help facilitate help facilitate him having community meetings. But once the community meeting was going, there wasn't much that I could do other than listen and perhaps offer things. He was the main guy as far as getting people together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But were they focusing on any projects or was just there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, there would be the occasional road project or school project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That the technical would work on with the community. And in a sense, I think what you're saying is there was no particular role for you in that mix."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.70538373335036, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, USAID, and help facilitate help facilitate him having community meetings. But once the community meeting was going, there wasn't much that I could do other than listen and perhaps offer things. He was the main guy as far as getting people together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But were they focusing on any projects or was just there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, there would be the occasional road project or school project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That the technical would work on with the community. And in a sense, I think what you're saying is there was no particular role for you in that mix."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you shifted over and put more effort into the basketball team?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:315", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.005981925944844, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, there would be the occasional road project or school project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That the technical would work on with the community. And in a sense, I think what you're saying is there was no particular role for you in that mix."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you shifted over and put more effort into the basketball team?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Basketball and agricultural agent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the agent came by. I mean, actually, it was a farming community, I assume. And what did they farm?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:317", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2288688066053823, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you shifted over and put more effort into the basketball team?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Basketball and agricultural agent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the agent came by. I mean, actually, it was a farming community, I assume. And what did they farm?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Corn fruits. It was a Mediterranean climate. Some cattle, potatoes, mostly terrible crops like that, very small."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have familiarity with any of that from your own background?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:319", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4765208962282026, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Basketball and agricultural agent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the agent came by. I mean, actually, it was a farming community, I assume. And what did they farm?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Corn fruits. It was a Mediterranean climate. Some cattle, potatoes, mostly terrible crops like that, very small."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have familiarity with any of that from your own background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very little. I've done a bunch of farms, dairy farms, farms with dealers, but most equipment is not very translatable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, and in training, they had not zeroed in on specific agricultural skills."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:321", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7516898846980027, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Corn fruits. It was a Mediterranean climate. Some cattle, potatoes, mostly terrible crops like that, very small."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have familiarity with any of that from your own background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very little. I've done a bunch of farms, dairy farms, farms with dealers, but most equipment is not very translatable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, and in training, they had not zeroed in on specific agricultural skills."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, jump to sort of a somewhat different topic. Uh. In some countries, security became a concern of safety. So volunteers would have a system of reporting back to headquarters and or a network of communication so that if there's a problem, you would know, you know, don't go anywhere or wait for the truck to pick you up. You recall anything like that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:323", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.057433205220003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very little. I've done a bunch of farms, dairy farms, farms with dealers, but most equipment is not very translatable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, and in training, they had not zeroed in on specific agricultural skills."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, jump to sort of a somewhat different topic. Uh. In some countries, security became a concern of safety. So volunteers would have a system of reporting back to headquarters and or a network of communication so that if there's a problem, you would know, you know, don't go anywhere or wait for the truck to pick you up. You recall anything like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, and I remember talking to my folks, there was a guy in particular who had a ham radio who could get us information if we needed it. And I spoke with my folks a couple of times that way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was a Bolivian."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.397148005800003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, jump to sort of a somewhat different topic. Uh. In some countries, security became a concern of safety. So volunteers would have a system of reporting back to headquarters and or a network of communication so that if there's a problem, you would know, you know, don't go anywhere or wait for the truck to pick you up. You recall anything like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, and I remember talking to my folks, there was a guy in particular who had a ham radio who could get us information if we needed it. And I spoke with my folks a couple of times that way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was a Bolivian."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, were you expected to do any kind of regular reporting back to the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:331", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.660010981893008, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not until a further program came to our area a year or two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was when an office was first established, a Peace Corps office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's take. And then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:333", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.17778997988112, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was when an office was first established, a Peace Corps office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's take. And then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was more interaction with the local Peace Corps staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's take the first six months. One, by the end of the six months, what was happening with your language, and two, when you were able to begin to project a specific role for yourself, because at that point you still have at least a year and a half to go."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:335", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.641988866534578, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's take. And then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was more interaction with the local Peace Corps staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's take the first six months. One, by the end of the six months, what was happening with your language, and two, when you were able to begin to project a specific role for yourself, because at that point you still have at least a year and a half to go."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I was feeling very close to the agricultural director and so have the agriculture agent and some of them. So and I felt that I had a future there as far as helping out, you know, every day it's very different with me and yeah. And him that I felt he was doing good work and I wanted to interface in a way that I could with. And so that was where the future was at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were communicating with him in Spanish."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:337", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.157765407260642, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was more interaction with the local Peace Corps staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's take the first six months. One, by the end of the six months, what was happening with your language, and two, when you were able to begin to project a specific role for yourself, because at that point you still have at least a year and a half to go."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I was feeling very close to the agricultural director and so have the agriculture agent and some of them. So and I felt that I had a future there as far as helping out, you know, every day it's very different with me and yeah. And him that I felt he was doing good work and I wanted to interface in a way that I could with. And so that was where the future was at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were communicating with him in Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He spoke no English. All right. And what was your feeling about your Spanish?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:339", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.730850452511824, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I was feeling very close to the agricultural director and so have the agriculture agent and some of them. So and I felt that I had a future there as far as helping out, you know, every day it's very different with me and yeah. And him that I felt he was doing good work and I wanted to interface in a way that I could with. And so that was where the future was at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were communicating with him in Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He spoke no English. All right. And what was your feeling about your Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Knowing that I was improving, you know, I could get conversations going with girls as well. Like I joined a local soccer. And so I was traveling and playing with them. And soccer. Yeah. And so I was developing a little network and friends and I you soccer, you know. Yes, OK, well, from the beginning, you know, we are four weeks and I still try to watch, but yes, that’s the way it goes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were the biggest guy on the team in Bolivia."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:341", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.367611613902026, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He spoke no English. All right. And what was your feeling about your Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Knowing that I was improving, you know, I could get conversations going with girls as well. Like I joined a local soccer. And so I was traveling and playing with them. And soccer. Yeah. And so I was developing a little network and friends and I you soccer, you know. Yes, OK, well, from the beginning, you know, we are four weeks and I still try to watch, but yes, that’s the way it goes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were the biggest guy on the team in Bolivia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was. I was the biggest guy. So they made me the goalie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's terrible. So and just the soccer team had improved by the end of the six months. So after six months, here you must be. What's what's your feeling about being there? I mean, is it worth staying to project a future for yourself?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:343", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.075124015446695, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Knowing that I was improving, you know, I could get conversations going with girls as well. Like I joined a local soccer. And so I was traveling and playing with them. And soccer. Yeah. And so I was developing a little network and friends and I you soccer, you know. Yes, OK, well, from the beginning, you know, we are four weeks and I still try to watch, but yes, that’s the way it goes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were the biggest guy on the team in Bolivia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was. I was the biggest guy. So they made me the goalie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's terrible. So and just the soccer team had improved by the end of the six months. So after six months, here you must be. What's what's your feeling about being there? I mean, is it worth staying to project a future for yourself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was feeling good about opportunities, feeling good about myself. I still desire to have more of a concrete structure going on you some sort of a job that I could go to every day. Yeah, it would give me some satisfaction. And, you know, I had my fingers in a number of things, but I didn't feel like I was the central mover in anything. I felt like I was. And it's just that that's the very best, you know. And, you know, I was still looking for other opportunities and a little disappointed that I had found something really that I could grab lunch together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had the feeling during that time that when you are doing, you really could be done by the Bolivian. I mean, what's the big deal about these girls?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:351", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.783606181141128, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had some of that with the guys that I was living with. Living in my little neighborhood. And they were the same age. And at least this one guy was in kind of a mini Peace Corps and he was from another part of Bolivia. But he was there because he was part of this national water project. And so that was a really nice connection. As it turned out, he dated and married the girl, the only girl in town that I had any kind of beginning a relationship, but I could see what she saw through it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was your connection with Peace Corps during the first year? And did they call you together back in La Paz?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had the occasional workshop or a meeting in Cochabamba, actually. OK, I think we went up to the house once that Cochabamba was our boss, were our boss, was our Peace Corps boy, our Peace Corps boss, OK? And that was a heck of a long way from where we were. Right. And so we didn't have any close contact with that person. I think he came down maybe twice or somebody from that office during the years, at least that first year, it was pretty detached from the main hierarchy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the first, the training group or that group getting back together for the first time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. It was really fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I guess one of the measures you would make would be how much progress others have been making in developing a role for themselves. Did you get a sense that you were way behind, way ahead?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.981784645712365, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had the occasional workshop or a meeting in Cochabamba, actually. OK, I think we went up to the house once that Cochabamba was our boss, were our boss, was our Peace Corps boy, our Peace Corps boss, OK? And that was a heck of a long way from where we were. Right. And so we didn't have any close contact with that person. I think he came down maybe twice or somebody from that office during the years, at least that first year, it was pretty detached from the main hierarchy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the first, the training group or that group getting back together for the first time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. It was really fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I guess one of the measures you would make would be how much progress others have been making in developing a role for themselves. Did you get a sense that you were way behind, way ahead?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got a sense that everybody who was in my situation was feeling more or less the same unless they had a real hard skill set, a real different skill set, like there was one guy who just graduated as an engineer. And so he was busy building things in his community. He was working closely with an appropriate construction crew. But those of us who came from liberal arts backgrounds, who didn't have any hard skills, all of us were experiencing the same difficulties in focusing and developing our role during the first year together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you did have a very basic skill, which is you were an English speaker. And did you ever think of shifting over into a teaching role and someone must have approached you? We are trying to learn English. Were those opportunities there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.090871828569293, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. It was really fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I guess one of the measures you would make would be how much progress others have been making in developing a role for themselves. Did you get a sense that you were way behind, way ahead?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got a sense that everybody who was in my situation was feeling more or less the same unless they had a real hard skill set, a real different skill set, like there was one guy who just graduated as an engineer. And so he was busy building things in his community. He was working closely with an appropriate construction crew. But those of us who came from liberal arts backgrounds, who didn't have any hard skills, all of us were experiencing the same difficulties in focusing and developing our role during the first year together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you did have a very basic skill, which is you were an English speaker. And did you ever think of shifting over into a teaching role and someone must have approached you? We are trying to learn English. Were those opportunities there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, to not a large degree, the school I can't really remember any schools and the of and so I worked with another school that was three or four kilometers out of town and I worked there. Later, I developed some, you know, little programs of English teaching and I tested vision testing and I developed a relationship with them. But I can't remember why I developed a relationship with the top the school right in town. So education can be a possibility. A little bit later on, other members of my group stayed in touch and worked with universities. They were not real. They changed from being real community development people to being university professors. I was. And they were real high on my list of perfect jobs to have. One of them went on to be a Ph.D. and the other something else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the beauty of teaching is that it has specificity. Every time you go in front of a group and you go back again and again and again and which is, you know, makes education in some ways a more satisfying role for a volunteer and community development because it's so diffuse. Right. What was, generally speaking during the first year? How was your health?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:357", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.212079809521436, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got a sense that everybody who was in my situation was feeling more or less the same unless they had a real hard skill set, a real different skill set, like there was one guy who just graduated as an engineer. And so he was busy building things in his community. He was working closely with an appropriate construction crew. But those of us who came from liberal arts backgrounds, who didn't have any hard skills, all of us were experiencing the same difficulties in focusing and developing our role during the first year together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you did have a very basic skill, which is you were an English speaker. And did you ever think of shifting over into a teaching role and someone must have approached you? We are trying to learn English. Were those opportunities there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, to not a large degree, the school I can't really remember any schools and the of and so I worked with another school that was three or four kilometers out of town and I worked there. Later, I developed some, you know, little programs of English teaching and I tested vision testing and I developed a relationship with them. But I can't remember why I developed a relationship with the top the school right in town. So education can be a possibility. A little bit later on, other members of my group stayed in touch and worked with universities. They were not real. They changed from being real community development people to being university professors. I was. And they were real high on my list of perfect jobs to have. One of them went on to be a Ph.D. and the other something else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the beauty of teaching is that it has specificity. Every time you go in front of a group and you go back again and again and again and which is, you know, makes education in some ways a more satisfying role for a volunteer and community development because it's so diffuse. Right. What was, generally speaking during the first year? How was your health?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "First year was fine other than, you know, a short digestive issues. But, it was fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Malaria wasn't a problem where you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:359", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 10.235644232801596, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, to not a large degree, the school I can't really remember any schools and the of and so I worked with another school that was three or four kilometers out of town and I worked there. Later, I developed some, you know, little programs of English teaching and I tested vision testing and I developed a relationship with them. But I can't remember why I developed a relationship with the top the school right in town. So education can be a possibility. A little bit later on, other members of my group stayed in touch and worked with universities. They were not real. They changed from being real community development people to being university professors. I was. And they were real high on my list of perfect jobs to have. One of them went on to be a Ph.D. and the other something else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the beauty of teaching is that it has specificity. Every time you go in front of a group and you go back again and again and again and which is, you know, makes education in some ways a more satisfying role for a volunteer and community development because it's so diffuse. Right. What was, generally speaking during the first year? How was your health?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "First year was fine other than, you know, a short digestive issues. But, it was fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Malaria wasn't a problem where you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The second year I got hepatitis. The first, right toward the time I was going home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the first year, there must have been breaks when you took some vacation. And what do you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:361", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4840491475573288, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "First year was fine other than, you know, a short digestive issues. But, it was fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Malaria wasn't a problem where you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The second year I got hepatitis. The first, right toward the time I was going home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the first year, there must have been breaks when you took some vacation. And what do you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to the north of Argentina. Salta. That was maybe 12 to 14 hour bus ride. So and of course, that was a major change in culture. And very interesting to you there. You know, and I went to Brazil, I think that first year I went to to Rio at some point. Well, I think about it. It's my first year. My parents came down, I guess. And so I was getting some of the capitals of South America."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the three of them came down here with the we able to take them out to San Lorenzo."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:363", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.760054608397032, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The second year I got hepatitis. The first, right toward the time I was going home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the first year, there must have been breaks when you took some vacation. And what do you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to the north of Argentina. Salta. That was maybe 12 to 14 hour bus ride. So and of course, that was a major change in culture. And very interesting to you there. You know, and I went to Brazil, I think that first year I went to to Rio at some point. Well, I think about it. It's my first year. My parents came down, I guess. And so I was getting some of the capitals of South America."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the three of them came down here with the we able to take them out to San Lorenzo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We we we didn't go there. Yeah. I felt that their time was short. And my interests such as well, I wanted to show the beam and the prize and so. Yeah, yeah. And rather than go to someone else or"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do any of the three of them speak Spanish at that time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:365", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.066727342663369, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I went to the north of Argentina. Salta. That was maybe 12 to 14 hour bus ride. So and of course, that was a major change in culture. And very interesting to you there. You know, and I went to Brazil, I think that first year I went to to Rio at some point. Well, I think about it. It's my first year. My parents came down, I guess. And so I was getting some of the capitals of South America."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the three of them came down here with the we able to take them out to San Lorenzo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We we we didn't go there. Yeah. I felt that their time was short. And my interests such as well, I wanted to show the beam and the prize and so. Yeah, yeah. And rather than go to someone else or"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do any of the three of them speak Spanish at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you get that role reversal that occurs where your parents now suddenly are on your turf."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:367", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.407474825181521, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We we we didn't go there. Yeah. I felt that their time was short. And my interests such as well, I wanted to show the beam and the prize and so. Yeah, yeah. And rather than go to someone else or"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do any of the three of them speak Spanish at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you get that role reversal that occurs where your parents now suddenly are on your turf."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. What a shock. Asking me for advice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, it must have felt good. So that was doing between first and second year. They can, uh. Now let's see, you felt pretty much finished up the first year. You're living in San Lorenzo, but your work focuses over in with the agricultural agent. And severance always runs. And so at that point what you would achieve was a little coaching and sort of meant going along with his agent. The technical seems to have gotten lost in the next year. We had a do you have any obligation to touch base with him or."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:369", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7860831390905787, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you get that role reversal that occurs where your parents now suddenly are on your turf."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. What a shock. Asking me for advice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, it must have felt good. So that was doing between first and second year. They can, uh. Now let's see, you felt pretty much finished up the first year. You're living in San Lorenzo, but your work focuses over in with the agricultural agent. And severance always runs. And so at that point what you would achieve was a little coaching and sort of meant going along with his agent. The technical seems to have gotten lost in the next year. We had a do you have any obligation to touch base with him or."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it was left up to me to establish that relationship and to end. Yes, OK. Yeah. And I don't know what his original. Our objectives were what he was instructed to do and not to further his Bolivian superior."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, what about that? What about others in the group? What was their experience with technicals? Because that was supposedly the heart of the program."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:371", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.206759043433976, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. What a shock. Asking me for advice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, it must have felt good. So that was doing between first and second year. They can, uh. Now let's see, you felt pretty much finished up the first year. You're living in San Lorenzo, but your work focuses over in with the agricultural agent. And severance always runs. And so at that point what you would achieve was a little coaching and sort of meant going along with his agent. The technical seems to have gotten lost in the next year. We had a do you have any obligation to touch base with him or."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it was left up to me to establish that relationship and to end. Yes, OK. Yeah. And I don't know what his original. Our objectives were what he was instructed to do and not to further his Bolivian superior."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, what about that? What about others in the group? What was their experience with technicals? Because that was supposedly the heart of the program."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, very little interaction. From what I can gather. It was what I remember. Between those people and volunteers. It seemed like a weak link for one reason or another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's get you into the second year now and what happens, particularly in people who could as you go into the second year, you you really have spent the first year learning the language and maybe a little bit about your community. But then as you went through the second year, you say, well, I know in about a year I'm going home, but before then, by God, I'm going to achieve X, Y or Z. Does that occur to you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:373", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.67417671492664, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it was left up to me to establish that relationship and to end. Yes, OK. Yeah. And I don't know what his original. Our objectives were what he was instructed to do and not to further his Bolivian superior."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, what about that? What about others in the group? What was their experience with technicals? Because that was supposedly the heart of the program."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, very little interaction. From what I can gather. It was what I remember. Between those people and volunteers. It seemed like a weak link for one reason or another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's get you into the second year now and what happens, particularly in people who could as you go into the second year, you you really have spent the first year learning the language and maybe a little bit about your community. But then as you went through the second year, you say, well, I know in about a year I'm going home, but before then, by God, I'm going to achieve X, Y or Z. Does that occur to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah, I still was hungering for something structured to do. And so I got into a couple of things"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talking about going into your second year?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:375", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.082418572140711, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, very little interaction. From what I can gather. It was what I remember. Between those people and volunteers. It seemed like a weak link for one reason or another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's get you into the second year now and what happens, particularly in people who could as you go into the second year, you you really have spent the first year learning the language and maybe a little bit about your community. But then as you went through the second year, you say, well, I know in about a year I'm going home, but before then, by God, I'm going to achieve X, Y or Z. Does that occur to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah, I still was hungering for something structured to do. And so I got into a couple of things"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talking about going into your second year?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I started working more with Project and so through the bad guy and so that was helpful. We were able to bring animals down from the states and get them scattered around the community and that was a short term success or most successful project. And then something came up that really interested me and that was working in study in an orphanage. And there was a German volunteer in town there who was stationed at the orphanage, who had developed a friendship with who. I worked with results from a class that became a place where I could put energy on, are structured in a structured way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you communicated with him or her in German?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:379", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.04002292856878, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I started working more with Project and so through the bad guy and so that was helpful. We were able to bring animals down from the states and get them scattered around the community and that was a short term success or most successful project. And then something came up that really interested me and that was working in study in an orphanage. And there was a German volunteer in town there who was stationed at the orphanage, who had developed a friendship with who. I worked with results from a class that became a place where I could put energy on, are structured in a structured way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you communicated with him or her in German?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, in English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In English."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or Spanish. Oh, actually, I think it was in Spanish. Yeah, it was weird."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was the role that you developed at the orphanage?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:381", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.6000254761875325, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, in English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In English."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or Spanish. Oh, actually, I think it was in Spanish. Yeah, it was weird."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was the role that you developed at the orphanage?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, developing recreational programs and tutoring and teaching some English and just being kind of a big brother in some ways."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many kids were at the orphanage or."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:383", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.111139417986148, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or Spanish. Oh, actually, I think it was in Spanish. Yeah, it was weird."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was the role that you developed at the orphanage?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, developing recreational programs and tutoring and teaching some English and just being kind of a big brother in some ways."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many kids were at the orphanage or."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I remember maybe 30 or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it a church run?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:385", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.456821575540164, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, developing recreational programs and tutoring and teaching some English and just being kind of a big brother in some ways."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many kids were at the orphanage or."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I remember maybe 30 or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it a church run?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was run by nuns and they handled that. Think the girls and the strong volunteer and I got involved with the boys. What age range are I'd say maybe age seven and eight up through 14, 15."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, where's the orphanage located?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:387", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8409128617112933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I remember maybe 30 or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it a church run?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was run by nuns and they handled that. Think the girls and the strong volunteer and I got involved with the boys. What age range are I'd say maybe age seven and eight up through 14, 15."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, where's the orphanage located?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Tarija. Did you consider at that point as this emerged, do you consider moving to Tarija?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:389", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.267680957456992, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was run by nuns and they handled that. Think the girls and the strong volunteer and I got involved with the boys. What age range are I'd say maybe age seven and eight up through 14, 15."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, where's the orphanage located?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Tarija. Did you consider at that point as this emerged, do you consider moving to Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. And I did get an apartment. I asked for the official blessings of Peace Corps to transfer to the city. And they said no, because they already had adequate volunteers. They thought in theory."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Interesting. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:391", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.741867730507769, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Tarija."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Tarija. Did you consider at that point as this emerged, do you consider moving to Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. And I did get an apartment. I asked for the official blessings of Peace Corps to transfer to the city. And they said no, because they already had adequate volunteers. They thought in theory."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Interesting. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And by then, a new program had come to town, a new Peace Corps program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This time they're going to do it right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:393", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.26874192278641, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. And I did get an apartment. I asked for the official blessings of Peace Corps to transfer to the city. And they said no, because they already had adequate volunteers. They thought in theory."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Interesting. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And by then, a new program had come to town, a new Peace Corps program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This time they're going to do it right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everyone trained to be tuberculosis clinicians, OK? And so they all became doctors and medicos. And they were in all these villages around there. They were rural programs. So there were two that came into my town, some of them. So, you know, and various towns in my area as well as all around. And so, you know, 35 or 40 volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was health education as well as"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:395", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.8541576919849, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And by then, a new program had come to town, a new Peace Corps program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This time they're going to do it right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everyone trained to be tuberculosis clinicians, OK? And so they all became doctors and medicos. And they were in all these villages around there. They were rural programs. So there were two that came into my town, some of them. So, you know, and various towns in my area as well as all around. And so, you know, 35 or 40 volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was health education as well as"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some. It was mostly tuberculosis test and get TB shots and support from TB. And they were trained specifically for that. And I eat my heart out because they had a definite job to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And and Peace Corps set up an office in Tarija?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:397", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.504619657761, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everyone trained to be tuberculosis clinicians, OK? And so they all became doctors and medicos. And they were in all these villages around there. They were rural programs. So there were two that came into my town, some of them. So, you know, and various towns in my area as well as all around. And so, you know, 35 or 40 volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was health education as well as"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some. It was mostly tuberculosis test and get TB shots and support from TB. And they were trained specifically for that. And I eat my heart out because they had a definite job to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And and Peace Corps set up an office in Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As a result of that program, to support that program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it AID money mixed in there, too?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:399", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.2273551752900005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some. It was mostly tuberculosis test and get TB shots and support from TB. And they were trained specifically for that. And I eat my heart out because they had a definite job to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And and Peace Corps set up an office in Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As a result of that program, to support that program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it AID money mixed in there, too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quite possibly, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so now you're now you're a commuter. You you're living in San Lorenzo, actually working. And I keep to the Tarija."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:403", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.6880928090000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quite possibly, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so now you're now you're a commuter. You you're living in San Lorenzo, actually working. And I keep to the Tarija."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I had a little apartment for the last few months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Obviously in Bolivia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In spite of what Peace Corps had said that you shouldn’t move."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:405", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.20899201, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I had a little apartment for the last few months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Tarija?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Obviously in Bolivia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In spite of what Peace Corps had said that you shouldn’t move."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, I'm still a resident of San Larenzo. And so with the possibility, you know, with a living place in Tarija. So I wasn’t there five nights out of the week. But more regularly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now through the second year. You you're you've always completely shifted focus now and you're really a social worker at an orphanage or it's a different role. And did you report you reported that back to Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:407", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.7877689000000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Obviously in Bolivia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In spite of what Peace Corps had said that you shouldn’t move."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, I'm still a resident of San Larenzo. And so with the possibility, you know, with a living place in Tarija. So I wasn’t there five nights out of the week. But more regularly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now through the second year. You you're you've always completely shifted focus now and you're really a social worker at an orphanage or it's a different role. And did you report you reported that back to Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, I think so. Probably not to the degree that I most wanted. I really enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so to see what value you then felt that you had, find your place as far as being a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia. So as you're coming near the end of your tour, are you at all tempted to extend because it seems like it took a while to find the niche, but there it is."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:411", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4416900000000004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, I think so. Probably not to the degree that I most wanted. I really enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so to see what value you then felt that you had, find your place as far as being a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia. So as you're coming near the end of your tour, are you at all tempted to extend because it seems like it took a while to find the niche, but there it is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I've been getting first of all, I had hepatitis and I was hospitalized for a while. OK, well, we asked in Cochabamba and then I recovered in at the home of the the the doctor who was the head of that particular program in America. Yeah, no, he was from Uruguay, his wife. But they were basically the medical side of that. And so that was part of that. I was I was concerned about what I was going to do with the rest of my life and I wanted to get into that exploration. And I had been developing during the second year this vision program and the school that I told you about. Also, I taught English and it was outside of Summerlands. So I was getting the feeling that I wanted to study optometry a little bit to develop some further skills and in that area. Yeah. Well, you chose not to. Of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So actually, that second year, you were doing at least two things, I guess, but both sort of school based. As it turned out. OK. OK, well, the question I have for you is, did you let your folks know that you are hospitalized and did they say we're on the next plane? I mean, it must have been a little hairy to them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It may if I told them, I told them I was in good hands and things were going well. And I'm sure they were worried, but they didn't. They were always supporting me to stay as long as I wanted to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do, you know, the Peace Corps officially communicated with them that, you know, you you've been hospitalized and receiving the best care kind of thing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:413", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8241000000000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I've been getting first of all, I had hepatitis and I was hospitalized for a while. OK, well, we asked in Cochabamba and then I recovered in at the home of the the the doctor who was the head of that particular program in America. Yeah, no, he was from Uruguay, his wife. But they were basically the medical side of that. And so that was part of that. I was I was concerned about what I was going to do with the rest of my life and I wanted to get into that exploration. And I had been developing during the second year this vision program and the school that I told you about. Also, I taught English and it was outside of Summerlands. So I was getting the feeling that I wanted to study optometry a little bit to develop some further skills and in that area. Yeah. Well, you chose not to. Of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So actually, that second year, you were doing at least two things, I guess, but both sort of school based. As it turned out. OK. OK, well, the question I have for you is, did you let your folks know that you are hospitalized and did they say we're on the next plane? I mean, it must have been a little hairy to them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It may if I told them, I told them I was in good hands and things were going well. And I'm sure they were worried, but they didn't. They were always supporting me to stay as long as I wanted to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do, you know, the Peace Corps officially communicated with them that, you know, you you've been hospitalized and receiving the best care kind of thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so you're coming out at the end of the tour and you really feel that you're ready to move on to something else in your life. Did the group gather at a what do you usually called end of service conference? You may have stopped by then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:415", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.2490000000000006, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It may if I told them, I told them I was in good hands and things were going well. And I'm sure they were worried, but they didn't. They were always supporting me to stay as long as I wanted to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do, you know, the Peace Corps officially communicated with them that, you know, you you've been hospitalized and receiving the best care kind of thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so you're coming out at the end of the tour and you really feel that you're ready to move on to something else in your life. Did the group gather at a what do you usually called end of service conference? You may have stopped by then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, OK, so let's see if you can picture yourself now you're ready to leave. What was your sense of what you would achieve either personally or in terms of the community as you're leaving to touch you? It was a tough call."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:417", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.61, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so you're coming out at the end of the tour and you really feel that you're ready to move on to something else in your life. Did the group gather at a what do you usually called end of service conference? You may have stopped by then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, OK, so let's see if you can picture yourself now you're ready to leave. What was your sense of what you would achieve either personally or in terms of the community as you're leaving to touch you? It was a tough call."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think the thing that I felt the best about was the friendships and relationships that I developed over the years with Bolivianos and with Bolivia. And I knew much more about the baby. I felt like I could take some of that knowledge and extend it in my future in one way or another to the help that objective, the Peace Corps and bring people together. Yeah. And so that felt good about I did not feel like I had been an important cog in the development of Bolivia. I felt that I had honestly tried in the best way I could to be a part of people's growth and happiness. And I held them in high respect that I really felt it was. I had had some remarkable experiences and I was grateful for the whole process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in leaving, what did you feel your next step was going to be?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:419", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, OK, so let's see if you can picture yourself now you're ready to leave. What was your sense of what you would achieve either personally or in terms of the community as you're leaving to touch you? It was a tough call."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think the thing that I felt the best about was the friendships and relationships that I developed over the years with Bolivianos and with Bolivia. And I knew much more about the baby. I felt like I could take some of that knowledge and extend it in my future in one way or another to the help that objective, the Peace Corps and bring people together. Yeah. And so that felt good about I did not feel like I had been an important cog in the development of Bolivia. I felt that I had honestly tried in the best way I could to be a part of people's growth and happiness. And I held them in high respect that I really felt it was. I had had some remarkable experiences and I was grateful for the whole process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in leaving, what did you feel your next step was going to be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My next step was to. Applied to various schools of optometry, you know, and I was accepted at one or two. And when the moment came, when I thought that was what I was going to follow, I came back to the states and as it turned out, that this that interest disappeared very quickly. And my main interest was to come back to the states finally to live in Madison for a while and to find what I wanted to study and to take it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So by ‘69, the draft was no longer an issue. I forget"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:421", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think the thing that I felt the best about was the friendships and relationships that I developed over the years with Bolivianos and with Bolivia. And I knew much more about the baby. I felt like I could take some of that knowledge and extend it in my future in one way or another to the help that objective, the Peace Corps and bring people together. Yeah. And so that felt good about I did not feel like I had been an important cog in the development of Bolivia. I felt that I had honestly tried in the best way I could to be a part of people's growth and happiness. And I held them in high respect that I really felt it was. I had had some remarkable experiences and I was grateful for the whole process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in leaving, what did you feel your next step was going to be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My next step was to. Applied to various schools of optometry, you know, and I was accepted at one or two. And when the moment came, when I thought that was what I was going to follow, I came back to the states and as it turned out, that this that interest disappeared very quickly. And my main interest was to come back to the states finally to live in Madison for a while and to find what I wanted to study and to take it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So by ‘69, the draft was no longer an issue. I forget"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. And then along I was one year and I had taken my medical and I was probably within weeks of being called and the lottery and my number put me beyond what my grandpa needed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and so it was yeah. It must have been a shock. I mean, or I don't know."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:423", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My next step was to. Applied to various schools of optometry, you know, and I was accepted at one or two. And when the moment came, when I thought that was what I was going to follow, I came back to the states and as it turned out, that this that interest disappeared very quickly. And my main interest was to come back to the states finally to live in Madison for a while and to find what I wanted to study and to take it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So by ‘69, the draft was no longer an issue. I forget"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. And then along I was one year and I had taken my medical and I was probably within weeks of being called and the lottery and my number put me beyond what my grandpa needed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and so it was yeah. It must have been a shock. I mean, or I don't know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was a shock both ways to a shock to be getting my medical and being and to be facing going to Vietnam. And then the shock of getting a number that was beyond."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Really folks living when you came back from Bolivia"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:425", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. And then along I was one year and I had taken my medical and I was probably within weeks of being called and the lottery and my number put me beyond what my grandpa needed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and so it was yeah. It must have been a shock. I mean, or I don't know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was a shock both ways to a shock to be getting my medical and being and to be facing going to Vietnam. And then the shock of getting a number that was beyond."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Really folks living when you came back from Bolivia"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Where where I'd grown up in that farming"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Community and you weren't at all tempted to return to that community to live, you know, and do community development. So you pretty much set yourself the idea of Madison. Did you feel that you could make use or did you plan to make use of your I assume you were relatively bilingual by now? Was that was that part of the mix or the plan?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:427", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was a shock both ways to a shock to be getting my medical and being and to be facing going to Vietnam. And then the shock of getting a number that was beyond."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Really folks living when you came back from Bolivia"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Where where I'd grown up in that farming"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Community and you weren't at all tempted to return to that community to live, you know, and do community development. So you pretty much set yourself the idea of Madison. Did you feel that you could make use or did you plan to make use of your I assume you were relatively bilingual by now? Was that was that part of the mix or the plan?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. As it turned out, after trying to be a journalist and trying to learn to smoke and burning my nose or that I'd taken some courses as a special student when I immediately got here. OK, but then very soon after that, I went into an education program remembering how much I enjoyed. I scored my educational experiences, you know, and joining the educational culturally of the culturally diverse as I focus of the program. And so part of that was we came here in a bilingual peak here in Milwaukee and doing a report there and in various ways trying to use utilize the Spanish come."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go on for an advanced degree? I got a master's in education, which then qualifies you for secondary teaching? Pretty much. Or elementary."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:429", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Where where I'd grown up in that farming"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Community and you weren't at all tempted to return to that community to live, you know, and do community development. So you pretty much set yourself the idea of Madison. Did you feel that you could make use or did you plan to make use of your I assume you were relatively bilingual by now? Was that was that part of the mix or the plan?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. As it turned out, after trying to be a journalist and trying to learn to smoke and burning my nose or that I'd taken some courses as a special student when I immediately got here. OK, but then very soon after that, I went into an education program remembering how much I enjoyed. I scored my educational experiences, you know, and joining the educational culturally of the culturally diverse as I focus of the program. And so part of that was we came here in a bilingual peak here in Milwaukee and doing a report there and in various ways trying to use utilize the Spanish come."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go on for an advanced degree? I got a master's in education, which then qualifies you for secondary teaching? Pretty much. Or elementary."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was targeted with elementary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with a subspecialty of English as a second language or not?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00264:431", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. As it turned out, after trying to be a journalist and trying to learn to smoke and burning my nose or that I'd taken some courses as a special student when I immediately got here. OK, but then very soon after that, I went into an education program remembering how much I enjoyed. I scored my educational experiences, you know, and joining the educational culturally of the culturally diverse as I focus of the program. And so part of that was we came here in a bilingual peak here in Milwaukee and doing a report there and in various ways trying to use utilize the Spanish come."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go on for an advanced degree? I got a master's in education, which then qualifies you for secondary teaching? Pretty much. Or elementary."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was targeted with elementary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with a subspecialty of English as a second language or not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Personally I felt that way. But I didn't get any credential to that effect until later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you settled in Madison and started to teach?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00484:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 43.77160800000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay, you've got time. Don't worry, we'll feed you, okay?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not a problem. It's very interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You see how strong that is? [Displays an example of the shuttle tile.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's densified. I don't have a real one here to show you. They come in different odd shapes and everything else. But what happened is, some of this that was not densified came off, so then you densified and then you added RTV and you added some felt, and then you glued it in place. That's very nice of them to do for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is very nice."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00864:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 89.98925455727795, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I graduated from college and I gave up the idea of going to Germany, because that was far away, and I’d have to brush up on my German and take courses in German. That would have been a nice adventure, but it was easier to go to MIT."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow, I don’t think I hear that statement very often: It was easier to go to MIT."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was closer to my boyfriend too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was important at the time, I’m sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just a sidenote. How many females did you find when you got to MIT in that position?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00864:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 91.09917173030883, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was closer to my boyfriend too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was important at the time, I’m sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just a sidenote. How many females did you find when you got to MIT in that position?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was like when I was in graduate school, even at Hampshire as an undergraduate. The Women’s Movement was also another active movement at the time, equal opportunity for women. In fact, we were trying to get a constitutional amendment, the Equal Rights Amendment. That was also one of the social issues at the time, and one that failed.\\n\\n But I really felt like I was asserting myself for my equal rights to pursue academic studies, and at MIT in Tom McCord’s lab there were many women. My longtime friend and colleague Carle [McGetchin] Pieters was finishing up her PhD there. There were three or four students from Wellesley College [Wellesley, Massachusetts]; MIT had connections with Wellesley College. So there were a number. I was not alone.\\n\\n I was not alone, and Tom McCord encouraged me to work with instrumentation. He was building new instruments with different detectors and pushing the technology. He had a lab and it was a lot of fun. I didn’t feel like I was the only one; I was not the only lonely woman. We had a nice cohort of people and a great group to work with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It makes, I guess, a firmer ground for all to see that all different types of people are involved, and everyone has an equal footing in that door. I believe while you were there that you had an opportunity to go to Hawaii and work in your adventure in astronomy."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00864:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 40.094468589086645, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I realized I was very fortunate, that not everybody could afford to do that. I could still make my mortgage payments. I was fortunate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was rewarding in a lot of different ways."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. Yes. Then the next day after the next press briefing, one of my education and outreach coordinators working for me had arranged to get Bill Haley and the Comets to come to JPL and perform, so we were dancing. The next day I was doing the jitterbug with [JPL Center Director] Charles Elachi the day after the Deep Impact spacecraft hit Comet Tempel 1."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How fun."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yes, that was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He probably remembers that too."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00864:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 44.549409543429604, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. Yes. Then the next day after the next press briefing, one of my education and outreach coordinators working for me had arranged to get Bill Haley and the Comets to come to JPL and perform, so we were dancing. The next day I was doing the jitterbug with [JPL Center Director] Charles Elachi the day after the Deep Impact spacecraft hit Comet Tempel 1."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How fun."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yes, that was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He probably remembers that too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remind him every time I see him. Yes, the adventures."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But as you mentioned, you were always working on proposals. So were you putting this one off into history, and working on the next one?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00864:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 16, "return_to_go": 53.740807707886, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They are. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So here you are, so many years ahead, but still not having what you need."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Then by the time it flies, because it takes five years to develop it, you have to test it. “Fly as you test and test as you fly” is the mantra. It just takes a year. There’s no mass-producing a spacecraft, so what gets flown is not necessarily the latest technology.\\n\\n In fact, it’s interesting because on Deep Impact that spectacle of the comet with this big bright saturated spot like a bull’s-eye on the side of the comet is a spectacular picture, but you don’t see many copies of it anymore, and the reason is that we couldn’t [enlarge it]. We only had 1,000 by 1,000 pixels. I go to Dulles Airport and they often have pictures from Mars and planet pictures, great solar system exploration exhibits. Where is my Deep Impact [on display]? That was really spectacular. Hitting a comet that’s moving at 23,000 miles an hour and hitting it with another spacecraft is really pretty spectacular. The results, the images are spectacular, but you can’t blow them up, because then you start seeing the pixels, and it doesn’t look good.\\n\\n It was the most spectacular thing that a NASA mission had ever accomplished, but because of the limited technology—I still question now whether someone could somehow improve the resolution [using digital reconstruction]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Add that to that postretirement list you have that’s long and growing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because I don’t want to take up all your morning, let me ask you about your adventure to Antarctica. It’s very interesting for most people because that’s not a place where most people get to go. Were you there a year? Or just on the project for a year?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 29.83058146036364, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I joined the Peace Corps because I think I was looking for a little bit of adventure and at the same time I wanted to do something that was good. So the Peace Corps sort of fit both of those requirements of mine, and I was not employed. I had just graduated from college, so it worked out very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you find out about the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had read about it in the newspaper and my brother actually gave me the application and I sent it in. So and then very shortly thereafter, I heard from the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they offered you Colombia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They offered me Colombia. I was kind of surprised. I was hoping I would get Latin America because I'd studied Spanish in college. And what they offered was the physical education portion of the group, which I also liked because at the. I was coming out of college where I'd been involved in sports and, of course, I'd been involved in sports in high school as well. So I thought it was a pretty good mix."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. So what did your friends and your family say about you taking off for two years?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 32.03397940040404, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had read about it in the newspaper and my brother actually gave me the application and I sent it in. So and then very shortly thereafter, I heard from the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they offered you Colombia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They offered me Colombia. I was kind of surprised. I was hoping I would get Latin America because I'd studied Spanish in college. And what they offered was the physical education portion of the group, which I also liked because at the. I was coming out of college where I'd been involved in sports and, of course, I'd been involved in sports in high school as well. So I thought it was a pretty good mix."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. So what did your friends and your family say about you taking off for two years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My mother was delighted. She was a strong supporter of John Kennedy, and he was, you know, it was his effort, identified with him. So she liked it. And of course, at the time, there was a great enthusiasm for the Peace Corps, with just lots of nice newspaper articles about all the good young people that are going into the Peace Corps and how brave they were and what wonderful things they were going to do. So it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was good."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 35.593310444893376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They offered me Colombia. I was kind of surprised. I was hoping I would get Latin America because I'd studied Spanish in college. And what they offered was the physical education portion of the group, which I also liked because at the. I was coming out of college where I'd been involved in sports and, of course, I'd been involved in sports in high school as well. So I thought it was a pretty good mix."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. So what did your friends and your family say about you taking off for two years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My mother was delighted. She was a strong supporter of John Kennedy, and he was, you know, it was his effort, identified with him. So she liked it. And of course, at the time, there was a great enthusiasm for the Peace Corps, with just lots of nice newspaper articles about all the good young people that are going into the Peace Corps and how brave they were and what wonderful things they were going to do. So it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was your training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.214789383214868, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My mother was delighted. She was a strong supporter of John Kennedy, and he was, you know, it was his effort, identified with him. So she liked it. And of course, at the time, there was a great enthusiasm for the Peace Corps, with just lots of nice newspaper articles about all the good young people that are going into the Peace Corps and how brave they were and what wonderful things they were going to do. So it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was your training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was trained in El Paso, Texas, at what was then the University of Texas Western, which later became University of Texas El Paso. The training lasted roughly three months, and for me, it was helpful in a couple of respects. One was I had grown up in Virginia and went to a small men's college in Virginia, so I was sent on with this group, which was a much more diverse group of people than I was accustomed to. And I enjoyed that very much so the Texas Western experience was a good one. In retrospect, the folks there, I don't think, really knew what we were going to face in Peace Corps. So there was a sense of their sort of struggling around trying to find out what we should be doing and what we should be learning.\n\nIn the end, I think the Spanish portion of training was pretty good. Unfortunately, I don't think we were immersed enough because even though I'd had Spanish in college and I had three months of it in Texas, when I got to Colombia, I still found it very hard to utter things out in Spanish and understand what was going on. And I say that mindful that the Colombians speak good Spanish. They enunciate all their syllables and speak more or less a formal Spanish. So it, nevertheless, I spent about a year and or not, maybe not a year, but at least six months once I was on the job, sort of wandering around, speaking half English, half Spanish, and it took a while to get over that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think language instruction has gotten a lot better in this country since the sixties."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 29.12754375912763, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was your training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was trained in El Paso, Texas, at what was then the University of Texas Western, which later became University of Texas El Paso. The training lasted roughly three months, and for me, it was helpful in a couple of respects. One was I had grown up in Virginia and went to a small men's college in Virginia, so I was sent on with this group, which was a much more diverse group of people than I was accustomed to. And I enjoyed that very much so the Texas Western experience was a good one. In retrospect, the folks there, I don't think, really knew what we were going to face in Peace Corps. So there was a sense of their sort of struggling around trying to find out what we should be doing and what we should be learning.\n\nIn the end, I think the Spanish portion of training was pretty good. Unfortunately, I don't think we were immersed enough because even though I'd had Spanish in college and I had three months of it in Texas, when I got to Colombia, I still found it very hard to utter things out in Spanish and understand what was going on. And I say that mindful that the Colombians speak good Spanish. They enunciate all their syllables and speak more or less a formal Spanish. So it, nevertheless, I spent about a year and or not, maybe not a year, but at least six months once I was on the job, sort of wandering around, speaking half English, half Spanish, and it took a while to get over that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think language instruction has gotten a lot better in this country since the sixties."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think that's true. I hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I hope so as well. So you were in El Paso and then you flew. Did you fly directly from there to Bogota? How was that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 23.20814603704105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, thanks. I was rooming initially with an American who was in the binational center and teaching English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which is what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was called the Colombo Americano. And he was gregarious guy from New York, and he liked to have parties and have a good time. So we would. He invited his class to come to have a party and Ello was in the class. That was kind of BYOB, bring your own bottle kind of thing we said, although we supplied a lot of rum and aguardiente and beer and Coke ourselves. But that was. And so they would come. And in Colombia, they do enjoy dancing. They do enjoy parties. So they came. And there was about 60 people there in our little apartment, all dancing the cumbia. And it was great fun and that's how I met Ello. She loved to dance and loves to dance, I should add, to this day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get married there or what was the courtship like as an American?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was very sedate, you know, very, people don't do. At the time, you know, people were very conservative and they were always suspicious of Americans because they'd seen all the American movies. So it was not a real exciting sort of thing, but it was nice. And you know, we'd go out and go to movies and that kind of thing, often with other girlfriends or with her sister and, you know, sort of chaperoned. I never felt like I was really chaperoned, but there was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somebody was there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 24.6757178189345, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was called the Colombo Americano. And he was gregarious guy from New York, and he liked to have parties and have a good time. So we would. He invited his class to come to have a party and Ello was in the class. That was kind of BYOB, bring your own bottle kind of thing we said, although we supplied a lot of rum and aguardiente and beer and Coke ourselves. But that was. And so they would come. And in Colombia, they do enjoy dancing. They do enjoy parties. So they came. And there was about 60 people there in our little apartment, all dancing the cumbia. And it was great fun and that's how I met Ello. She loved to dance and loves to dance, I should add, to this day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get married there or what was the courtship like as an American?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was very sedate, you know, very, people don't do. At the time, you know, people were very conservative and they were always suspicious of Americans because they'd seen all the American movies. So it was not a real exciting sort of thing, but it was nice. And you know, we'd go out and go to movies and that kind of thing, often with other girlfriends or with her sister and, you know, sort of chaperoned. I never felt like I was really chaperoned, but there was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somebody was there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Somebody was kind of around. Not much trouble you could get into anyway. We got engaged at the end of my stay and I went home, and now these are the old days, and got a job. And then I went back and got married in Manizales. So that was sort of the sequence of events."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And talk a little bit about her family."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.070818843561279, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, who knew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. I was probably over there working in new careers or Pep or one of those, do you recall those?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know. But anyway, similar afterwards. Let's just."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would add only that I was drawn to those jobs, I think, because of the Peace Corps experience. If I hadn't gone into Peace Corps and gotten a sense of humanity and people and the way people react, I think I would have gone in quite a different direction."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you sought out that job when you came back."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 11.189798715068086, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. I was probably over there working in new careers or Pep or one of those, do you recall those?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know. But anyway, similar afterwards. Let's just."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would add only that I was drawn to those jobs, I think, because of the Peace Corps experience. If I hadn't gone into Peace Corps and gotten a sense of humanity and people and the way people react, I think I would have gone in quite a different direction."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you sought out that job when you came back."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I did. I wanted that kind of a job. I didn't want a job selling insurance or going to graduate school, so just interested in seeing what I could do to help out, you know, and I was interested in other people that needed help."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So just to go back to Peace Corps for a while, can you talk a little bit about what Manizales was like in the sixties? It seems like it was a pretty big town."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.87755412785343, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would add only that I was drawn to those jobs, I think, because of the Peace Corps experience. If I hadn't gone into Peace Corps and gotten a sense of humanity and people and the way people react, I think I would have gone in quite a different direction."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you sought out that job when you came back."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I did. I wanted that kind of a job. I didn't want a job selling insurance or going to graduate school, so just interested in seeing what I could do to help out, you know, and I was interested in other people that needed help."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So just to go back to Peace Corps for a while, can you talk a little bit about what Manizales was like in the sixties? It seems like it was a pretty big town."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was a fairly big town. They thought of, and to this day, think of themselves as, you know, kind of a culturally nice town because they had these universities, they were the capital yet of a department, and they had, you know, formal theaters, music groups, sort of culturally nice things. And it was, of course, the seat of the Catholic Church there too as well. So Manizales is located about seven to eight thousand feet high in the Andes. It had a climate which some might love. It was a little too rainy for me, and to this day, I think it's a little too rainy, it'd get the rain off the Pacific. But it tended to be beautiful in the Andes. Cold at times, especially when it rained and at night too. But really a rather nice place. We didn't have the tropical heat that you would have on the coast of Colombia or in the Pacific rainforest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you weren't out in the boonies."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.419504586503811, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I did. I wanted that kind of a job. I didn't want a job selling insurance or going to graduate school, so just interested in seeing what I could do to help out, you know, and I was interested in other people that needed help."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So just to go back to Peace Corps for a while, can you talk a little bit about what Manizales was like in the sixties? It seems like it was a pretty big town."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was a fairly big town. They thought of, and to this day, think of themselves as, you know, kind of a culturally nice town because they had these universities, they were the capital yet of a department, and they had, you know, formal theaters, music groups, sort of culturally nice things. And it was, of course, the seat of the Catholic Church there too as well. So Manizales is located about seven to eight thousand feet high in the Andes. It had a climate which some might love. It was a little too rainy for me, and to this day, I think it's a little too rainy, it'd get the rain off the Pacific. But it tended to be beautiful in the Andes. Cold at times, especially when it rained and at night too. But really a rather nice place. We didn't have the tropical heat that you would have on the coast of Colombia or in the Pacific rainforest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you weren't out in the boonies."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We weren't out in the boonies. That's correct. And any time we wanted to, we could go to a Chinese restaurant. At the time, it's much better now. There was the Chinese restaurant and then there were Colombian restaurants. That was about it. There was not an Italian restaurant in town, alas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How was their Chinese restaurant?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.911996115944064, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just an agreement, and that should help. The Colombians have a lot of misgivings about it. And cynicism as well, they might. But yes, it's been signed and I'm very hopeful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What are they cynical about? They don't trust the FARC?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They don't trust the FARC, exactly. And the many of them have bitter memories of, you know, family captured, tortured, killed. I mean it's hard to get over that. So there's, plus there's been an experience with FARC has never been good. And I think it's probably because FARC isn't that well organized within itself. So they'll declare a cease fire. But the next thing you know, there's over here. It's a large country and over here in this other jungle area miles away, they are, you know, they've broken the cease fire and they kidnapped somebody. Stuff like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they really don't have the control."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They don't have as much control as one would think. Plus, I guess the other thing that kind of bothers the Colombians. A lot of the people that committed crimes apparently going to get off scot free, as they say. So we'll see how it works out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But maybe the violence will relent."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2355512399378488, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They don't trust the FARC, exactly. And the many of them have bitter memories of, you know, family captured, tortured, killed. I mean it's hard to get over that. So there's, plus there's been an experience with FARC has never been good. And I think it's probably because FARC isn't that well organized within itself. So they'll declare a cease fire. But the next thing you know, there's over here. It's a large country and over here in this other jungle area miles away, they are, you know, they've broken the cease fire and they kidnapped somebody. Stuff like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they really don't have the control."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They don't have as much control as one would think. Plus, I guess the other thing that kind of bothers the Colombians. A lot of the people that committed crimes apparently going to get off scot free, as they say. So we'll see how it works out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But maybe the violence will relent."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's part of reconciliation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.595056933264276, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They don't have as much control as one would think. Plus, I guess the other thing that kind of bothers the Colombians. A lot of the people that committed crimes apparently going to get off scot free, as they say. So we'll see how it works out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But maybe the violence will relent."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's part of reconciliation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, part of the reconciliation. There's going to be a national plebiscite on the whole thing, whether the public agrees to it or not. I'm not sure how that's going to work yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said in the sixties, the main economy was the university, coffee."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.994507703626973, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's part of reconciliation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, part of the reconciliation. There's going to be a national plebiscite on the whole thing, whether the public agrees to it or not. I'm not sure how that's going to work yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said in the sixties, the main economy was the university, coffee."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that still the case?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.438341892918859, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, part of the reconciliation. There's going to be a national plebiscite on the whole thing, whether the public agrees to it or not. I'm not sure how that's going to work yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said in the sixties, the main economy was the university, coffee."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that still the case?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or maybe you mentioned, and textiles I think you said?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.368323324591184, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or maybe you mentioned, and textiles I think you said?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The textiles have gone pretty much. When I was there, there was a large Colombian factory, which now lays vacant, kind of in the center of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Textile factory?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Textile factory. And then there was Arrow shirts, had a factory out at the end of town. Both of them are gone. And now they still make textile shirts, that kind of thing in Colombia, but I'm not sure where they're making it, they're not making it in Manizales."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what do people do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.853692582879093, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The textiles have gone pretty much. When I was there, there was a large Colombian factory, which now lays vacant, kind of in the center of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Textile factory?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Textile factory. And then there was Arrow shirts, had a factory out at the end of town. Both of them are gone. And now they still make textile shirts, that kind of thing in Colombia, but I'm not sure where they're making it, they're not making it in Manizales."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what do people do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of jobs are connected with the university. Insurance, I suppose. And the business side of coffee. They do assemble refrigerators there, which is a Colombian brand, and they do a lot of an export, make metal wheels for cars."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they've diversified. But coffee is still really important."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.3929917587545475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Textile factory. And then there was Arrow shirts, had a factory out at the end of town. Both of them are gone. And now they still make textile shirts, that kind of thing in Colombia, but I'm not sure where they're making it, they're not making it in Manizales."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what do people do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of jobs are connected with the university. Insurance, I suppose. And the business side of coffee. They do assemble refrigerators there, which is a Colombian brand, and they do a lot of an export, make metal wheels for cars."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they've diversified. But coffee is still really important."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Coffee is king in that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that where Juan Valdez was invented?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.769990843060608, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of jobs are connected with the university. Insurance, I suppose. And the business side of coffee. They do assemble refrigerators there, which is a Colombian brand, and they do a lot of an export, make metal wheels for cars."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they've diversified. But coffee is still really important."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Coffee is king in that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that where Juan Valdez was invented?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. And Valdez is a common Colombian name. The original Juan Valdez was a Cuban, actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was actually a Juan Valdez?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.06034409198986, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the one they use for the advertisements, he and his mule. That was a Cuban. That was kind of a scandal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's funny."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of my friends is in charge of the collection of data for the department, and I should have asked him, should have prepared myself. What are they doing in Manizales these days? All these jobs, but they're. I would say there's active commerce. The unemployment is high. There's a lot of unemployment that's never recorded because people just give up and don't look, but as it is here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it's even worse there, and you do see a lot of young, able bodied people looking for jobs. There's a great underemployment so that university graduates are, you know, working as in restaurants and places like that. Those are the people that come to the U.S. legally or illegally looking for an opportunity. Oftentimes, they really are good people. It's just there's just nothing to do. And even in the larger cities in Colombia, which have absorbed a lot of people, there's a lot of unemployment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe with peace, if there is peace, economic development."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.511493435544288, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of my friends is in charge of the collection of data for the department, and I should have asked him, should have prepared myself. What are they doing in Manizales these days? All these jobs, but they're. I would say there's active commerce. The unemployment is high. There's a lot of unemployment that's never recorded because people just give up and don't look, but as it is here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it's even worse there, and you do see a lot of young, able bodied people looking for jobs. There's a great underemployment so that university graduates are, you know, working as in restaurants and places like that. Those are the people that come to the U.S. legally or illegally looking for an opportunity. Oftentimes, they really are good people. It's just there's just nothing to do. And even in the larger cities in Colombia, which have absorbed a lot of people, there's a lot of unemployment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe with peace, if there is peace, economic development."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I'm hopeful on the peace. I think it's a good opportunity if they make the most of it. It's not going to be perfect, they're going to have problems. But if they. And if they get peace, the economic opportunities will increase. One of the things I did in Colombia, sort of post. I'm interested in birds and the guy that was in charge of one of the local parks got me to teach children basically English so they could become guides, bird guides. And Colombia probably, Colombia has, I should say, the most species of birds. So I was. Ello and I both went up to the rainforest there where the, although it's a national kind of park, they still had grandfathered in farm families and we taught the kids English. It was fun. They were really good kids. After school, they'd come over and we'd teach them English and the boys would all get together and play soccer and the girls would talk to each other."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I'm assuming your Spanish is good. You've maintained it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.012770483938098, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it's even worse there, and you do see a lot of young, able bodied people looking for jobs. There's a great underemployment so that university graduates are, you know, working as in restaurants and places like that. Those are the people that come to the U.S. legally or illegally looking for an opportunity. Oftentimes, they really are good people. It's just there's just nothing to do. And even in the larger cities in Colombia, which have absorbed a lot of people, there's a lot of unemployment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe with peace, if there is peace, economic development."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I'm hopeful on the peace. I think it's a good opportunity if they make the most of it. It's not going to be perfect, they're going to have problems. But if they. And if they get peace, the economic opportunities will increase. One of the things I did in Colombia, sort of post. I'm interested in birds and the guy that was in charge of one of the local parks got me to teach children basically English so they could become guides, bird guides. And Colombia probably, Colombia has, I should say, the most species of birds. So I was. Ello and I both went up to the rainforest there where the, although it's a national kind of park, they still had grandfathered in farm families and we taught the kids English. It was fun. They were really good kids. After school, they'd come over and we'd teach them English and the boys would all get together and play soccer and the girls would talk to each other."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I'm assuming your Spanish is good. You've maintained it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've maintained it. It's probably better than it was when I was a volunteer. But I'm not very good with languages I decided. But nevertheless, I have fun with it and I struggle along, refuse to give up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And people understand you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.569744982153442, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I'm hopeful on the peace. I think it's a good opportunity if they make the most of it. It's not going to be perfect, they're going to have problems. But if they. And if they get peace, the economic opportunities will increase. One of the things I did in Colombia, sort of post. I'm interested in birds and the guy that was in charge of one of the local parks got me to teach children basically English so they could become guides, bird guides. And Colombia probably, Colombia has, I should say, the most species of birds. So I was. Ello and I both went up to the rainforest there where the, although it's a national kind of park, they still had grandfathered in farm families and we taught the kids English. It was fun. They were really good kids. After school, they'd come over and we'd teach them English and the boys would all get together and play soccer and the girls would talk to each other."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I'm assuming your Spanish is good. You've maintained it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've maintained it. It's probably better than it was when I was a volunteer. But I'm not very good with languages I decided. But nevertheless, I have fun with it and I struggle along, refuse to give up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And people understand you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they're very forgiving in that regard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good. So you've talked a lot about Peace Corps' impact on you, giving you confidence, giving you, you know, directing you to the job, clearly finding a wife."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.1886055357260465, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've maintained it. It's probably better than it was when I was a volunteer. But I'm not very good with languages I decided. But nevertheless, I have fun with it and I struggle along, refuse to give up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And people understand you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they're very forgiving in that regard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good. So you've talked a lot about Peace Corps' impact on you, giving you confidence, giving you, you know, directing you to the job, clearly finding a wife."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or lifelong companion. So it's had a major impact on you as an individual."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.87622837302894, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they're very forgiving in that regard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good. So you've talked a lot about Peace Corps' impact on you, giving you confidence, giving you, you know, directing you to the job, clearly finding a wife."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or lifelong companion. So it's had a major impact on you as an individual."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There are three goals to Peace Corps. One is to provide technical assistance where requested. Do you have any thoughts about your Peace Corps experience or overall, what Peace Corps did or didn't do for Colombia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.6402537478099335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or lifelong companion. So it's had a major impact on you as an individual."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There are three goals to Peace Corps. One is to provide technical assistance where requested. Do you have any thoughts about your Peace Corps experience or overall, what Peace Corps did or didn't do for Colombia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, my own experience, as I say, was a good one. Had we had training in slightly different areas, and it's nobody's fault because nobody knew, I think we would have been better off as a volunteer. If we'd have been kind of given the notion of looking broadly at your job, not worrying too much if people don't show up on time and accepting, you know, very limited circumstances where you had to work, I think that might have been helpful. But sometimes I'm a little concerned about Peace Corps being too, the current Peace Corps, just from what I've heard, being too protective of the volunteers. I certainly don't want any volunteer to get hurt or kidnapped or have anything bad happen to them, but it seems like they are very restricted in the way they go about things. The volunteers in Colombia now are assigned homes where to live, and they can't travel unless they tell somebody where they're going. It was quite different for us. I showed up in Manizales, my colleague and I showed up, and we had to find our own place and we didn't know, you know, where we're going to go. It was all. If we wanted to take a trip, we just went. I mean, it was really free, and I just wonder if the current Peace Corps volunteers aren't mothered a little too much. I guess I'd say something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your comment about being better prepared. It seems like from my own experience and everybody else's I've interviewed, everybody kind of made the job for themselves in different ways."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.258235593703612, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think that was my case too, and I figured it out that the university wasn't going to do anything soon, if ever, which isn't quite true. I decided I'd better find something else to do. And so the fellow that was the university guy kind of realized that too, and he was the guy that ushered me into the, you know, track and field guys, with the track and field guys. And then from that, other things worked out. So yes, I had to adapt the way I did things. I don't think I ever dreamed that I'd be going around teaching basketball and physical education at elementary schools. But that's what I ended up, because we were, you know, sort of supposed to be going to universities to make powerful teams and all that stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, one thing leads to another."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the second goal is to promote a better understanding of the U.S. Do you think, based on your experience, that Colombians view Americans differently? You said they were suspicious of Americans because they saw movies."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that's at one level. Yes, that's certainly the case. We were expected to be handsome like Paul Newman and beautiful and all that stuff. But no, I think there was an expectation. But I think it was, I think it is wonderful that a lot of Colombians that would never have heard or seen Americans or met them, you know, firsthand and got to work with them directly. And I think they appreciated that opportunity, and I like to talk about how they ask you many questions about the States and what kind of people we were and what is this and what was California like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Breaks down the stereotypes."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 9.175817326337345, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the second goal is to promote a better understanding of the U.S. Do you think, based on your experience, that Colombians view Americans differently? You said they were suspicious of Americans because they saw movies."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that's at one level. Yes, that's certainly the case. We were expected to be handsome like Paul Newman and beautiful and all that stuff. But no, I think there was an expectation. But I think it was, I think it is wonderful that a lot of Colombians that would never have heard or seen Americans or met them, you know, firsthand and got to work with them directly. And I think they appreciated that opportunity, and I like to talk about how they ask you many questions about the States and what kind of people we were and what is this and what was California like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Breaks down the stereotypes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not everybody looks or acts like they are in the movies."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.3898979337498085, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not everybody looks or acts like they are in the movies."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right, exactly. My own case, also I should mention that first I started out with my roommate from the binational center and then Irv Dubinsky was a roommate for a while. Plus, the other guy that started out in Manizales but got moved to another location, Dave Banki. Finally that sort of little group dissolved because Irv went one way, Dave went one way, and Barry, he went another place. So there I was, and all that was left was one guy that was a medical student. So he and I then went and got ourselves lodged in another house, and I lived with medical students the last part in Colombia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Colombians?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "All Colombian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was great."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.099886593055342, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right, exactly. My own case, also I should mention that first I started out with my roommate from the binational center and then Irv Dubinsky was a roommate for a while. Plus, the other guy that started out in Manizales but got moved to another location, Dave Banki. Finally that sort of little group dissolved because Irv went one way, Dave went one way, and Barry, he went another place. So there I was, and all that was left was one guy that was a medical student. So he and I then went and got ourselves lodged in another house, and I lived with medical students the last part in Colombia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Colombians?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "All Colombian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was fun. They were nice guys. Good and bad memories, I guess. But they've since died. But one of the fellows really remembered because I took a serenade to Elonia in Colombia, and they still do it. You know, you take a serenade to your girlfriend and they sing these romantic songs outside, standing outside the house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you take a serenade?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.888762881172602, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All Colombian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was fun. They were nice guys. Good and bad memories, I guess. But they've since died. But one of the fellows really remembered because I took a serenade to Elonia in Colombia, and they still do it. You know, you take a serenade to your girlfriend and they sing these romantic songs outside, standing outside the house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you take a serenade?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You take a serenade."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the musicians are the serenade."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.76529209019178, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was fun. They were nice guys. Good and bad memories, I guess. But they've since died. But one of the fellows really remembered because I took a serenade to Elonia in Colombia, and they still do it. You know, you take a serenade to your girlfriend and they sing these romantic songs outside, standing outside the house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you take a serenade?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You take a serenade."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the musicians are the serenade."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's it, right. I just paid them. I just paid. But they had great fun picking out the songs and getting the musicians. It was one of those fun experiences, which they remembered to this day. And they all claim, well, I picked that song and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's why she fell for you, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.739213433546421, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You take a serenade."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the musicians are the serenade."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's it, right. I just paid them. I just paid. But they had great fun picking out the songs and getting the musicians. It was one of those fun experiences, which they remembered to this day. And they all claim, well, I picked that song and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's why she fell for you, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got married in Colombia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.821348259496023, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's it, right. I just paid them. I just paid. But they had great fun picking out the songs and getting the musicians. It was one of those fun experiences, which they remembered to this day. And they all claim, well, I picked that song and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's why she fell for you, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got married in Colombia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did some of them come?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.023720288328915, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got married in Colombia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did some of them come?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They all scattered by that time, so not many of them. People that went to our wedding were nearly all her friends. Just a few of mine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. So the third goal of Peace Corps is to promote better understanding of other peoples by Americans. So think about that just in your life."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.35968920925435, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did some of them come?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They all scattered by that time, so not many of them. People that went to our wedding were nearly all her friends. Just a few of mine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. So the third goal of Peace Corps is to promote better understanding of other peoples by Americans. So think about that just in your life."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've been involved in [inaudible] and clearly, it made you more interested in working with low income populations. Have you stayed involved in international things?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 13.732988010282611, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They all scattered by that time, so not many of them. People that went to our wedding were nearly all her friends. Just a few of mine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. So the third goal of Peace Corps is to promote better understanding of other peoples by Americans. So think about that just in your life."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've been involved in [inaudible] and clearly, it made you more interested in working with low income populations. Have you stayed involved in international things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In a way, yes. I mean, because through Friends of Colombia, you know, we brought students up here. We've had these updates on Colombia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk a little bit about Friends of Colombia."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.481097789202901, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've been involved in [inaudible] and clearly, it made you more interested in working with low income populations. Have you stayed involved in international things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In a way, yes. I mean, because through Friends of Colombia, you know, we brought students up here. We've had these updates on Colombia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk a little bit about Friends of Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Friends of Colombia is a 501c3 nonprofit that we organized with, especially Bob Colombo should take a bow. And Arlene Chaston, who I know has been wonderful as a president. But we've probably given over a quarter of a million dollars now to projects in Colombia. It's all volunteer kind of thing. We've also done some things besides giving to projects in Colombia that we selected and encouraged in many cases. We've also done things such as Bob, at one time, organized a group of people to come in and talk with the ambassador of Colombia at the time about changing the image of Colombia. And it was particularly doing the difficult drug days, changing the image of Colombia and getting better hearing in the states on Colombia and Colombian activities.\n\nAnd Arlene, during her reign, we've had several opportunities to work with the Colombian embassy. We organized a, I don't know if you'd call it a meeting, but at sort of the end of the worst part of the violence in Colombia, we got two hundred former volunteers and families to go to Cartagena, Colombia, and sort of demonstrate that it was safe. You know, it was a nice thing. So we all went to Cartagena and listened to Colombian officials and it was a good thing and a number of those folks have returned on their own. And it was a good example for other travel agencies that it can be safe. So and then we, for the. Colombia was on the Smithsonian list of countries that presented on the Mall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the Folk Festival."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.421258970100001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Folk Festival, thanks. I couldn't get it out. But anyway, we helped them. We used our 501(c)(3) status to help them move money through to their contractors because they were not allowed to accept the money directly. So we helped them out there. Plus we provided a lot of people that, you know, man the exhibits, if you will."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's great. I didn't know that. That was quite a while ago, I guess?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's been a while now. Like they even got, you know, Ello went. She was the translator for. The big business in Colombia these days are flowers. The flowers you buy at the Safeway, many about 75 percent, are from Colombia now. So as coffee begins to disappear as the only product of Colombia, they're growing lots of kinds of flowers. But anyway, she worked with a guy that was doing the flower exhibit and the ladies that were doing handicrafts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So she was their translator."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She did the translator. I did not. I did take her there and bring her back and encourage her, but I did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, there are lots of Spanish speakers, native Spanish speakers around."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.134732189000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's been a while now. Like they even got, you know, Ello went. She was the translator for. The big business in Colombia these days are flowers. The flowers you buy at the Safeway, many about 75 percent, are from Colombia now. So as coffee begins to disappear as the only product of Colombia, they're growing lots of kinds of flowers. But anyway, she worked with a guy that was doing the flower exhibit and the ladies that were doing handicrafts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So she was their translator."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She did the translator. I did not. I did take her there and bring her back and encourage her, but I did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, there are lots of Spanish speakers, native Spanish speakers around."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are indeed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this has been really interesting. Is there anything else you want to talk about? I'm out of questions."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 7.927480210000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She did the translator. I did not. I did take her there and bring her back and encourage her, but I did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, there are lots of Spanish speakers, native Spanish speakers around."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are indeed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this has been really interesting. Is there anything else you want to talk about? I'm out of questions."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, you are, OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But feel free to, if I didn't ask a question that you want to talk about."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.3638669000000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are indeed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this has been really interesting. Is there anything else you want to talk about? I'm out of questions."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, you are, OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But feel free to, if I didn't ask a question that you want to talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would say, and Evelyn you've already said it for me, Peace Corps is a big part of my life. It changed I think the person that I am today and I gained a great deal from it, much more than I ever put into it. And I think most of the people that I talked to feel about the same. It changed their life. Lots of them went into international activities, AID and State Department and those things, and it really was a key thing. I guess the one thing I didn't mention early on, that I kind of thought perhaps I should, and it was probably true of you, too. In those early years, we felt very close and very important to the U.S. government. I mean, after all, when I got selected, I got a nice little letter from John Kennedy and after I completed my first year, I got another letter saying, oh, the Peace Corps is one of the best things we've done, and it was really, really nice and gave you a good lift."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't remember that. I'm a few years after you, so maybe they stopped doing that. But maybe I got it, I don't remember."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.848741, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, you are, OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But feel free to, if I didn't ask a question that you want to talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would say, and Evelyn you've already said it for me, Peace Corps is a big part of my life. It changed I think the person that I am today and I gained a great deal from it, much more than I ever put into it. And I think most of the people that I talked to feel about the same. It changed their life. Lots of them went into international activities, AID and State Department and those things, and it really was a key thing. I guess the one thing I didn't mention early on, that I kind of thought perhaps I should, and it was probably true of you, too. In those early years, we felt very close and very important to the U.S. government. I mean, after all, when I got selected, I got a nice little letter from John Kennedy and after I completed my first year, I got another letter saying, oh, the Peace Corps is one of the best things we've done, and it was really, really nice and gave you a good lift."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't remember that. I'm a few years after you, so maybe they stopped doing that. But maybe I got it, I don't remember."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We sure did. It was heady stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it was good. OK, well, thank you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.387490000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would say, and Evelyn you've already said it for me, Peace Corps is a big part of my life. It changed I think the person that I am today and I gained a great deal from it, much more than I ever put into it. And I think most of the people that I talked to feel about the same. It changed their life. Lots of them went into international activities, AID and State Department and those things, and it really was a key thing. I guess the one thing I didn't mention early on, that I kind of thought perhaps I should, and it was probably true of you, too. In those early years, we felt very close and very important to the U.S. government. I mean, after all, when I got selected, I got a nice little letter from John Kennedy and after I completed my first year, I got another letter saying, oh, the Peace Corps is one of the best things we've done, and it was really, really nice and gave you a good lift."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't remember that. I'm a few years after you, so maybe they stopped doing that. But maybe I got it, I don't remember."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We sure did. It was heady stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it was good. OK, well, thank you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you Evelyn. It was easier than I thought."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah.\n\nThis is part two to the Gale Gibson interview."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 3.81, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After thought."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After thought."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After thought. One of the thing delightful things about my Peace Corps experience is I married Elonia. And since then we've had a steady train of nice Colombian visitors over the years, and they're always enthusiastic and very impressed with Washington. None of this blah, jeez, so what, kind of blasé stuff? They're delighted, and it's great fun having them. They're always just the best kind of guests. And it's gone on for this little visit for the lo these 50 years that we've been married. And it's really, I think both Ello and I have gotten a lot out of it, and I think the Colombians have too. Some of them have stayed for, you know, a week or two and visited Washington. They're always very impressed. And I think it's been a way for people who would never have had the opportunity to know Americans. They do it with us because although Ello is a Colombian, the rest of the family is pretty much your usual American and our neighbors and our friends. So it's been fun for them and friendships have developed even there. So I just wanted to throw that in as just another little side event."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were a lot of Colombian-American marriages. In fact, there were, I think at one time somebody told me that there'd been at least two hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of Peace Corps volunteers who married Colombians? Amazing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00027:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were a lot of Colombian-American marriages. In fact, there were, I think at one time somebody told me that there'd been at least two hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of Peace Corps volunteers who married Colombians? Amazing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but you've got to remember there were over 3,000 volunteers in Colombia. I mean, we got boys and girls and men and, you know, all kinds of combinations. But a few years back, I was talking to a university president and it turned out his sister had married an American Peace Corps volunteer, and they live in Cleveland. But he remarked, gee, well, that's one good thing the Peace Corps did. That was a lot of stable marriages. And that's kind of true because the marriages I know of, and we just did our 50th anniversary, but I know three or four others that have done it. So it's kind of a nice little side effect of the Peace Corps, these long term marriages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think you think about it a lot more, right, when you actually have to move from one country to another. That's a different level of commitment than just meeting someone for a short time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I'm glad it worked out."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00602:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.291727526075837, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It becomes very apparent. It’s one of these things that we hope to [avoid]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You don’t want another Hubble incident."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You don’t want to be—I don’t mean forgotten, [but] you’re background when everything works well, because it’s [working]. It’s like when you switch [on] your computer, if it comes up, you don’t give it any thought because you can do everything you need to do. If it doesn’t, of course it’s a big challenge. We want to be background, but we also have a lot of work that we do to make sure that’s the case."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an important part of the telescope."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Indeed, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If it doesn’t function you’re kind of in trouble."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00602:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.768586140084263, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You don’t want to be—I don’t mean forgotten, [but] you’re background when everything works well, because it’s [working]. It’s like when you switch [on] your computer, if it comes up, you don’t give it any thought because you can do everything you need to do. If it doesn’t, of course it’s a big challenge. We want to be background, but we also have a lot of work that we do to make sure that’s the case."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an important part of the telescope."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Indeed, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If it doesn’t function you’re kind of in trouble."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we would be, and that would be very apparent. I hope we continue to work to make sure it doesn’t."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I want to ask you, because I always try to be cognizant of time, it is actually straight-up noon. I don’t want to keep you too long. I wasn’t sure if you have meetings."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00602:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.29842904453807, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Indeed, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If it doesn’t function you’re kind of in trouble."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we would be, and that would be very apparent. I hope we continue to work to make sure it doesn’t."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I want to ask you, because I always try to be cognizant of time, it is actually straight-up noon. I don’t want to keep you too long. I wasn’t sure if you have meetings."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t this afternoon. I don’t want to prolong it, to take more of your time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, it’s very interesting. A lot of this stuff people have not talked about. We’ve talked to some other people about different roles and how they were involved. We haven’t talked a lot about the science. There’s a lot that we haven’t covered. I did want to ask you, since you mentioned that you were the test conductor during that 36 hours, if you would talk about that. You did mention the one challenge was the stars here at JSC. Were there other challenges that you encountered?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00602:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.306367600000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I had two of them. One was what I mentioned, starting those activities when the hurricane hit. I think bringing the SI teams [on site], saying, “Yes, we need to bring them and organize them,” and getting the five convoys, and then saying, “This is what we need to test.” I think that helped—[and showed we could continue testing]. After that day [it was decided], “Oh, well, we can do the mirror [tests] as well.” I do think that was a contribution.\\n\\n The other one, the closed loop testing, I was there for the 36 hours. I know I’m not supposed to [for normal operations]. In that moment it’s what you need to do, and everything was safe. I do think I was a driver for that [test] to happen, leading up to it, and then [during it,] making sure it did, and it was efficiently run. I do think those two I would highlight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you up that whole time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I don’t think—I don’t know if I should—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, once you are running it, you feel you want it to be done within the [allocated] time. As I said, I felt it like my test. [Though] I know it’s a team effort. I know it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was your baby, like you said."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00602:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.895964, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I don’t think—I don’t know if I should—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, once you are running it, you feel you want it to be done within the [allocated] time. As I said, I felt it like my test. [Though] I know it’s a team effort. I know it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was your baby, like you said."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It’s not a long time in [the whole] period [of the Johnson test], you know what I mean?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, for 110 days or however long the test was."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00602:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.43996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, once you are running it, you feel you want it to be done within the [allocated] time. As I said, I felt it like my test. [Though] I know it’s a team effort. I know it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was your baby, like you said."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It’s not a long time in [the whole] period [of the Johnson test], you know what I mean?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, for 110 days or however long the test was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right. To have that one time where you are running [the test you have planned]. I think we’d all be doing the same. I can imagine if you are responsible for a deployment or a launch and it’s taking whatever time, we would all do that. You can do your normal longer hours the rest of the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think it’s understandable. Is there anything that we haven’t talked about that you think we should or wanted to talk about today?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00602:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think talking as [part of] their team, it always feels a bit strange because it’s difficult [to be excluded]. The concept is understandable. We have controls. At the same time, [as] each of us, they’re just trying to do their work. They are only interested in their instrument and what they [need] to do. So sometimes it does feel a little bit that if we are a team we should be a team. [The rules are] understood, so [everybody] abides by what is needed. But it’s a challenge."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s interesting. No one has mentioned that before."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. In my case, I guess being at NASA, the NASA team has done incredible things for me. In this respect it has been a lot of work to get [paperwork] up to speed, always abiding by the rules. It started at Goddard. If I have the expertise to be a test conductor or a test director but I cannot because I’m a foreign national, just because of that label, it doesn’t make sense. You lose a lot of expertise that you need. So it’s getting all the paperwork in place.\\n\\n It continues as I say, [at] Northrop, perhaps even more so at Northrop. No foreign national is allowed unescorted anywhere yet. At least in Johnson we were able to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, you could bring them onsite at least."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At Johnson the foreign nationals, once we were cleared we could come and go with our proper badges as a normal employee, which was great. We are still working that for Northrop."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s important to know as space becomes more international in scope, because projects are so expensive, this is probably going to happen more and more."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00065:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 12.62749, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it certainly did. When he was in Washington he wanted the Program Office reporting to Washington. As soon as George became the Center Director, he wanted the Program to report to the lead Center, that being him as the Center Director.\\n\\n But I will say George played an instrumental role because of his knowledge and experience on Apollo. Those were long Saturdays, but George knew what we needed to do to be successful. It wasn’t easy. I give him all the credit for his experience and his vision. We spent a lot of Saturdays working. But we traveled all over the world. George forced accountability at the highest level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where, during a lot of this movement, was Mr. Goldin? Did you see him a great deal? Was he involved in a lot of this discussion? Or was he off running the rest of the Agency?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was off running the rest of the Agency. Dan had tremendous confidence in Mr. Abbey. Mr. Goldin was the up and out person, working on the Hill, the President, and he looked to George as the down and in make sure we’re ready to go fly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a lot of dealings with Congress? Did you have to testify or attend meetings with congressional staffers to update them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On a regular basis. We had Congressman [Frank J.] Jim Sensenbrenner, congressional staff of the Science and Technology Committee down for three days or weeks at a time. I testified on numerous occasions. Yes. Then I would have to go to Washington to help prepare Dan or anybody else who was testifying to support them to get them ready to testify, as well as having to testify myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There’s one other new factor that we haven’t talked about. You had a new Center Director. You had a new Administrator. Of course you were new. Then you also had a new White House administration that apparently was giving you guidance as well on where they wanted you to go with the Russian partnership."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00065:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.5861, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was off running the rest of the Agency. Dan had tremendous confidence in Mr. Abbey. Mr. Goldin was the up and out person, working on the Hill, the President, and he looked to George as the down and in make sure we’re ready to go fly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a lot of dealings with Congress? Did you have to testify or attend meetings with congressional staffers to update them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On a regular basis. We had Congressman [Frank J.] Jim Sensenbrenner, congressional staff of the Science and Technology Committee down for three days or weeks at a time. I testified on numerous occasions. Yes. Then I would have to go to Washington to help prepare Dan or anybody else who was testifying to support them to get them ready to testify, as well as having to testify myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There’s one other new factor that we haven’t talked about. You had a new Center Director. You had a new Administrator. Of course you were new. Then you also had a new White House administration that apparently was giving you guidance as well on where they wanted you to go with the Russian partnership."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a strategic and a political dimension with the Russians. It was important to [President William J.] Clinton and [Vice President Albert] Gore to keep the Russians involved in something that was positive. The Space Station turned out to be the centerpiece of all of that. Every six months we had the Gore-Chernomyrdin session, where they would meet and pat each other on the back about the successes of our team. It had a very very important political and national security dimension to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very visible, more ways than one, wasn’t it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00065:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 8.429, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On a regular basis. We had Congressman [Frank J.] Jim Sensenbrenner, congressional staff of the Science and Technology Committee down for three days or weeks at a time. I testified on numerous occasions. Yes. Then I would have to go to Washington to help prepare Dan or anybody else who was testifying to support them to get them ready to testify, as well as having to testify myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There’s one other new factor that we haven’t talked about. You had a new Center Director. You had a new Administrator. Of course you were new. Then you also had a new White House administration that apparently was giving you guidance as well on where they wanted you to go with the Russian partnership."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a strategic and a political dimension with the Russians. It was important to [President William J.] Clinton and [Vice President Albert] Gore to keep the Russians involved in something that was positive. The Space Station turned out to be the centerpiece of all of that. Every six months we had the Gore-Chernomyrdin session, where they would meet and pat each other on the back about the successes of our team. It had a very very important political and national security dimension to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very visible, more ways than one, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was very painful when the Russians were behind schedule for a year because they didn’t have it funded, and having to go testify as to why that was. There were some less than fun days in Washington regarding that. Of course any program of that complexity, we had schedule delays and cost overruns that we had to deal with. We were able to overcome them, but they were real challenges."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess there are no easy answers when it’s all so woven together and dependent. You’ve mentioned a number of people several times that spent many years in Russia working on the preparations. When they came back were you able to sit down and learn a great deal from them that you were able to apply? If so, can you give some examples about what they brought back from their experiences that you knew would be very valuable to making further future decisions?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 38.645240392062966, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was about to graduate from college. I, uh, my number was put in the, the draft lottery. I wasn't picked, so I figured, well, there should, I should be able to serve my country in another capacity. So I thought of different options. And the option I found the most interesting was Peace Corps. So I sent my application in, and I was accepted, uh, to go to Mali. I gave different options that I was interested in, uh, and Mali was not one of them, so I was surprised. I didn't know where Mali was, but, uh, I had a very rich experience living there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did your family think of, and, uh, your decision to join, and friends, too? What was the reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, my, my parents were somewhat uneasy. Uh, I was going to the middle of Africa. They didn't know much about Africa. And so I opened their eyes about that part of the world. And, uh, uh, it's important that all Americans learn about, uh, the underdeveloped world and how important it is for us to support development."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any exposure to other cultures as you were growing up, uh, that may have influenced that decision?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not. There were no, uh, exchange students at our high school. Uh, we live in a very rural area. Uh, so, uh, we had very little contact, uh, outside of the U.S. Uh, I never had traveled to any place other than Canada. Uh, so, uh, in general, the area we live in is very, uh, uh, uneducated about, uh, the rest of the world and the problems they face."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was that? Where did you grow up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 38.494711546736625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, my, my parents were somewhat uneasy. Uh, I was going to the middle of Africa. They didn't know much about Africa. And so I opened their eyes about that part of the world. And, uh, uh, it's important that all Americans learn about, uh, the underdeveloped world and how important it is for us to support development."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any exposure to other cultures as you were growing up, uh, that may have influenced that decision?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not. There were no, uh, exchange students at our high school. Uh, we live in a very rural area. Uh, so, uh, we had very little contact, uh, outside of the U.S. Uh, I never had traveled to any place other than Canada. Uh, so, uh, in general, the area we live in is very, uh, uh, uneducated about, uh, the rest of the world and the problems they face."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was that? Where did you grow up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I grew up in, uh, Harmony Township, right outside of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, along the Delaware River."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Warren County, northwest?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 41.66079060748514, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not. There were no, uh, exchange students at our high school. Uh, we live in a very rural area. Uh, so, uh, we had very little contact, uh, outside of the U.S. Uh, I never had traveled to any place other than Canada. Uh, so, uh, in general, the area we live in is very, uh, uh, uneducated about, uh, the rest of the world and the problems they face."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was that? Where did you grow up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I grew up in, uh, Harmony Township, right outside of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, along the Delaware River."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Warren County, northwest?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Warren County, New Jersey. Went to Belvidere High School."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, how did you even find out about the Peace Corps to apply then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 41.84532289720571, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I grew up in, uh, Harmony Township, right outside of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, along the Delaware River."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Warren County, northwest?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Warren County, New Jersey. Went to Belvidere High School."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, how did you even find out about the Peace Corps to apply then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, they had recruiters at our school, and I also met some foreign students who were attending my university, and they told me about Peace Corps. So I had signed up for ROTC, and, uh, I had a somewhat of a traumatic experience. I was, uh, wearing my Air Force uniform walking across the campus of the university, and a lady was walking by and said, you murderer! Uh, so the Vietnam War, uh, uh, evoked a lot of, uh, negative reaction. So I thought, well, if I'm drafted, I'll go. But as it happened, I was not drafted. And therefore I figured, uh, I would do something constructive with my life. And, and John Kennedy's words still were ringing in our ears."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hmm. Um, now you went into your training, which took place where?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 45.38369210800634, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Warren County, New Jersey. Went to Belvidere High School."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, how did you even find out about the Peace Corps to apply then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, they had recruiters at our school, and I also met some foreign students who were attending my university, and they told me about Peace Corps. So I had signed up for ROTC, and, uh, I had a somewhat of a traumatic experience. I was, uh, wearing my Air Force uniform walking across the campus of the university, and a lady was walking by and said, you murderer! Uh, so the Vietnam War, uh, uh, evoked a lot of, uh, negative reaction. So I thought, well, if I'm drafted, I'll go. But as it happened, I was not drafted. And therefore I figured, uh, I would do something constructive with my life. And, and John Kennedy's words still were ringing in our ears."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hmm. Um, now you went into your training, which took place where?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Bamako, Mali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you went straight overseas?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 24.32764688560627, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were too busy with other things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wanted to be invisible, I guess."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Um, the, um."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So can I. Is it on? Oh. I'm sorry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're getting back to the, uh, project itself. Tell me more about, uh, how that, uh, all progressed."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 23.361754131391972, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So. But it shows you how people in developed countries, uh, knew better than I, uh, from the West. They knew better than I how to act, to react to a fire like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How to deal with those issues."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the resources available."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now what other kind of problems did you run into, um, while you were in country with your project? Just possibly personal issues?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.846393479324412, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the resources available."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now what other kind of problems did you run into, um, while you were in country with your project? Just possibly personal issues?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, misuse of materials. Because I worked with the government, as I mentioned, the government will often borrow fuel, and it would take a long time, uh, to return if it, if they did return any of the things. Uh, they also used the, during the second year of the project, vehicle for other purposes. They would take borrow the car and then they'd go out for a week or more. And then I would be there. And at times I'd be forced, we were also allocated in, in my, in my region, with a small boat with an outboard motor. So I was able to continue work by going up and down the river with this boat. And we still were able to keep going with the, uh, the silage making."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who provided the car and the boat? That was the, um."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 30.67455985101779, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, misuse of materials. Because I worked with the government, as I mentioned, the government will often borrow fuel, and it would take a long time, uh, to return if it, if they did return any of the things. Uh, they also used the, during the second year of the project, vehicle for other purposes. They would take borrow the car and then they'd go out for a week or more. And then I would be there. And at times I'd be forced, we were also allocated in, in my, in my region, with a small boat with an outboard motor. So I was able to continue work by going up and down the river with this boat. And we still were able to keep going with the, uh, the silage making."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who provided the car and the boat? That was the, um."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was financed by USAID."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay, and they, they did provide us with strong support the first year, but then they had funding difficulties the second year. And that, that affected our ability to do work. But we still did 14 silos, uh, the second year compared with 22 the first year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the silos you build the first year get used again the second year?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00127:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 25.440566029000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it is, um, you have to be careful of scammers in Africa, in the capitals, uh, and you have to be careful of. But in general, the people are very kind and are very happy to see any foreigners."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you, um, have any regrets about going, or any special, um, appreciation for the country having gone there? I mean, pluses or minuses?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, I love Mali. It's kind of a second home to me, and it hurts me to see what it's going through now. Uh, to a certain extent, I understand the turmoil, uh, because historically, for example, Africa was carved up in the 18, 1884, I think it was, the Berlin Conference. They cut up Africa. And, uh, so I understand how that has affected the country. The Tuaregs, for example, their homeland is part in Algeria, part in Mali, part in what was Upper Volta, part in Mauritania. That was their homeland. And they're not allowed now to go from one part of their homeland to another because they're going across national borders.\n\nUm, so, um, uh, I, uh, understand, uh, what the country is going through right now. They've had, uh, an overthrow of government, and right now it's dangerous. Uh, the Tuaregs were given when I, when I went back working with UN to Mali, there was a Tuareg minister of rural development. So there they were power sharing. Um, but since then there have been opposition groups. And, uh, uh, Mali is not a safe place to travel to today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You felt safe when you were there, though."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I felt safe when I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Looking back on your full experience, um, you know the Peace Corps has its three goals. How do you feel about having introduced, uh, or helped the country with, uh, solving a problem?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 44.23073914833336, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whenever there was an accident in this area involving anything, radiation-wise, I served on the team, would get called in. Fortunately, there were only a handful of those [cases] because one thing about Atomic Energy Commission is their regulations are quite straightforward, and they were conducting inspections so there was quite a bit of preventative action.\\n\\n But with respect to the wedding band issue, it turns out that for the gold implants into teeth, someone had managed to get some contaminated gold and use that in dental implants. Well, when they discovered that, they had to take these gold implants out, and they were disposing of those. But some ingenious individual decided to take that gold, melt it down, recycle it, and had it molded into wedding bands, and that surfaced. And all of a sudden, we’ve gone from the teeth to the fingers with respect to that kind of an issue. So we were asked to take a look at that, and it was not as massive a problem as it could have been because, fortunately, there was traceability. And that was what that was all about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it was quite interesting. I guess bands that could glow in the dark, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, [but not in fact a reality. It is a nice bit of humor though]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another interesting item that I found but couldn’t find too much information about is that a newspaper article cited that you were a member of the Apollo 13 launch team."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us how you were a member of that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 41.367487942592625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, [but not in fact a reality. It is a nice bit of humor though]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another interesting item that I found but couldn’t find too much information about is that a newspaper article cited that you were a member of the Apollo 13 launch team."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us how you were a member of that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the only reason I was involved in that was, you may recall that the Apollo 13 launched radioactive materials on [board] as a power source. Therefore there was this fear that if something went awry during the launch, then you needed people with radiation physics and health physics backgrounds there as part of that launch team. So we were there, and we were stationed all around in the swamps and so forth around [NASA] Kennedy [Space Center, Florida], alligators notwithstanding, in the event that something went awry with that launch.\\n\\n And there’s been some recent concern with Cassini [Huygens spacecraft and probe, mission to Saturn], and any time you want to launch radioactive materials in space, there’s that kind of concern. So the Agency was straightforward in recognizing that there was a potential problem and asked those of us from around the Agency who had backgrounds in radiation, radiation physics, to come down and be members of the launch team in case something went awry.\\n\\n It went awry, but not during launch, and, in fact, some people say, “Well, Julian Earls, you’re to blame,” because Apollo 13 wouldn’t have had the problems if you hadn’t been a member of the launch team.” [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any thoughts you’d like to share about watching that launch, and watching the Saturn V go into space?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 44.85276438065847, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us how you were a member of that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the only reason I was involved in that was, you may recall that the Apollo 13 launched radioactive materials on [board] as a power source. Therefore there was this fear that if something went awry during the launch, then you needed people with radiation physics and health physics backgrounds there as part of that launch team. So we were there, and we were stationed all around in the swamps and so forth around [NASA] Kennedy [Space Center, Florida], alligators notwithstanding, in the event that something went awry with that launch.\\n\\n And there’s been some recent concern with Cassini [Huygens spacecraft and probe, mission to Saturn], and any time you want to launch radioactive materials in space, there’s that kind of concern. So the Agency was straightforward in recognizing that there was a potential problem and asked those of us from around the Agency who had backgrounds in radiation, radiation physics, to come down and be members of the launch team in case something went awry.\\n\\n It went awry, but not during launch, and, in fact, some people say, “Well, Julian Earls, you’re to blame,” because Apollo 13 wouldn’t have had the problems if you hadn’t been a member of the launch team.” [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any thoughts you’d like to share about watching that launch, and watching the Saturn V go into space?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was fascinating because that was really the first launch that I had witnessed, and it was just absolutely fascinating. And as a matter of fact, our younger son is a filmmaker out with [20th Century] Fox [Studios], and when they were making Apollo 13, he came home and somehow when he left, all the paraphernalia that I had from the Apollo 13 launch disappeared from my home, so I think I know today where it is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He’s storing it for you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 49.8364048673983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the only reason I was involved in that was, you may recall that the Apollo 13 launched radioactive materials on [board] as a power source. Therefore there was this fear that if something went awry during the launch, then you needed people with radiation physics and health physics backgrounds there as part of that launch team. So we were there, and we were stationed all around in the swamps and so forth around [NASA] Kennedy [Space Center, Florida], alligators notwithstanding, in the event that something went awry with that launch.\\n\\n And there’s been some recent concern with Cassini [Huygens spacecraft and probe, mission to Saturn], and any time you want to launch radioactive materials in space, there’s that kind of concern. So the Agency was straightforward in recognizing that there was a potential problem and asked those of us from around the Agency who had backgrounds in radiation, radiation physics, to come down and be members of the launch team in case something went awry.\\n\\n It went awry, but not during launch, and, in fact, some people say, “Well, Julian Earls, you’re to blame,” because Apollo 13 wouldn’t have had the problems if you hadn’t been a member of the launch team.” [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any thoughts you’d like to share about watching that launch, and watching the Saturn V go into space?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was fascinating because that was really the first launch that I had witnessed, and it was just absolutely fascinating. And as a matter of fact, our younger son is a filmmaker out with [20th Century] Fox [Studios], and when they were making Apollo 13, he came home and somehow when he left, all the paraphernalia that I had from the Apollo 13 launch disappeared from my home, so I think I know today where it is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He’s storing it for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that’s very interesting. I’m glad you had that opportunity to do that.\\n\\n You also served as a health physicist consultant to TRW [Inc.]. How did that come about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 27, "return_to_go": 75.45386343912494, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I chaired it for about four or five years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And help set the system up as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, if you don’t mind, I think we’re going to take a break for just a few minutes, and then we’ll start right back up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s fine.\\n\\n [pause]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’d like to start our next portion talking about the Cleveland Chapter of the National Technical Association, the NTA, that you helped organize, as well as the Chapter working with NASA to establish a contract for the Career Awareness Program. Talk about how those two work together, your influence on both of those, and then also share with us your role as national president of the NTA."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 21, "return_to_go": 65.62088620503724, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and what I’m trying to do is to expand that concept. The governor of Ohio has charged the president of Ohio State [University, Columbus, Ohio] Karen [A.] Holbrook and me to chair a Science and Math Education Policy Advisory Council. That is, there’s such a concern about the poor performance of students in math and science and students not choosing math and science and engineering and technical career fields. We’ve been charged to pull together a panel to come up with an implementation plan for the state of Ohio to improve the delivery of math and science education to the students, and also to have students going off to colleges choosing technical disciplines.\\n\\n And one of the things I want to do is to piggyback on the concept that we use with NTA and see if we can get broad-based support for that in the state of Ohio. [We need to] get other organizations to do those kinds of things, because they are very cost effective. [However] you have to have dedicated employees, dedicated members that would give up a Saturday morning to go work with those students."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, good luck with that. And you’re doing that now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Doing that now. In fact, I started it as the Center Director at NASA, and then when I was retiring, I contacted the governor’s office and the president of Ohio State and the chancellor of the Ohio schools and the superintendent of schools to say, “I won’t be with NASA and I can pass that baton.”\\n\\n And they said, “You don’t get out of it that easy,” so I’m continuing to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They probably think you have more time now."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that’s what they think, and as a matter of fact, I do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "While you were establishing so many of these programs, you were somewhat preparing to be educated yourself in a program. You participated in a fourteen-week course at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business Administration [Cambridge, Massachusetts] in 1979, and while you were there, you were NASA’s sole candidate that was participating. Share with us your experiences at Harvard. How different was that or how similar was that to your previous educational experiences?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 43.040604876179955, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, one thing it did, it really did improve morale because all of a sudden now they believed that we were a player and were getting recognition from the other Centers.\\n\\n We also did the same thing in terms of our procurement organization. We probably were processing more grants through our organization here than probably all the other Centers combined. So what we agreed to do [was] to take on the lead role in grants processing. [NASA] Goddard [Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland], I think, was probably the next largest Center in terms of grants. So we offered to do that, and the Agency came forward and said, “Well, yes, you can do that as well.” So our employees really felt like they were making a contribution to the Agency. It was challenging work, and I think people really do appreciate and seek challenges when they come through those gates every day. If you give them meaningful things to do and they can see the results of what they’re doing, then that’s inspiration. We can’t always give people promotions and raises as much as we would like to, so there are things that transcend that in terms of satisfaction and coming to work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to add more personnel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was utilizing the workforce you had."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had to utilize the existing workforce to make that happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another big event for the Center was in ’95 when it was renamed NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field. Were you involved in that transition period?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 42.26733875131106, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was utilizing the workforce you had."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had to utilize the existing workforce to make that happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another big event for the Center was in ’95 when it was renamed NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field. Were you involved in that transition period?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was here, not that directly involved except when the Senator [John H. Glenn] would come. I had the opportunity to interact with him, and I would always tell him that he was second, because the first thing I did was I made sure I connected with Annie Glenn. I would escort her while other people were paying attention to the Senator, and that way I could get more things done and accomplished through working with Annie.\\n\\n The Senator did not really want the Center to be named for him. He believed that it was named for the Lewis family and he would have been perfectly satisfied if we had named a building here for him. But fortunately, the Lewis family understood and keeping the name Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field worked as the right compromise. Every time the senator has been here, it has been inspirational for the employees. He’s a great supporter. We have our conference room that we named after him, and when he was here, we made sure that he was accessible, and I will absolutely say to you that our employees really had a moral boost with the name Glenn Research Center because of the image that he had already projected in terms of support for NASA.\\n\\n But then it was sort of a rebirth, if you will, or another shot in the arm, recharging of the batteries for the employees here to see that name change. It was somewhat difficult for people to get used to saying [Glenn Research Center, especially] for those people who had been around many, many years. Some of them still slip and say Lewis Research Center. But we’ve come full circle in that regard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ohio has quite a legacy in giving the Space Program astronauts. You have a number of them."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 31, "return_to_go": 44.98095163000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. In fact, that’s probably a failure on my part in trying to follow through on that. At the time there were individuals in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy [who have] moved on. One of the individuals was a professor at Ohio State University, and he’s one of my surrogate children, Dr. Oliver [G.] McGee. Now he’s moved on to be the Director of Research with the United Negro College Fund. So he is my contact in terms of how we’re doing and what happened to the report."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On a personal note, how was it to get a phone call from the White House to ask for your services?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, let me tell you this: I’ve received a lot of phone calls, but none have had that impact.\\n\\n And what was also interesting was that another member of the panel was Dr. Howard [G.] Adams. What’s so interesting about that is Howard Adams and I both went to Norfolk State. I was president of the freshman class and the junior class. Howard was president of the sophomore class and the senior class. Here we end up on a presidential panel, the only university in the nation that had two representatives, and we’re both from little small HBCU, that is now large, in Norfolk, Virginia. You can realize and understand how Norfolk State took advantage of that tidbit of information to share with the people and use it as a recruitment initiative, if you will, for students to come to the college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I think that’s a good spot for us to stop for just a few minutes, so let’s take a break."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All right.\\n\\n [pause]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, before we close out the session for today, I would like to spend a few minutes with you for you to share some stories and maybe some anecdotes about some of the people that you’ve worked with. At one point when we were on break, you were sharing that although you weren’t selected for the astronaut selection in 1978, you became very close with some of the members of that class and the classes that were after that. Tell us how you have developed working relationships with members of that space flight team."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00842:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how wonderful he picked someone who could run, since you do marathons."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, carrying that torch—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that not running?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was running, but I’ll tell you what, it must have been twenty-four degrees below zero in downtown Cleveland that night, but you didn’t feel the cold because of the honor of carrying that torch. I had so many family members and friends, colleagues from NASA, who actually came down there at 7:00 p.m. that night to watch me carry that torch. Humbling doesn’t come close to say how I felt about that. But here, again, I’ve just been blessed with so many friends and so many supporters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think that’s a great place to stop this afternoon, so we’ll start again in the morning. And thank you again for spending the afternoon with us for this project."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 68.04796720988776, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit, yes. You must have done some reading. I forgot all about that. I worked a little bit around that same time, I guess, or maybe even before the main engine assignment, with Owen [K.] Garriott, and that was more on some of the science experiments that were scheduled for Spacelab 1 to help ostensibly get the principal investigators, the PIs, for those experiments familiar with the crew operations and the procedures and all. So, yes, that was a lot of fun. For just a few months, I think, Mike [Richard M.] Mullane and Kathy [Kathryn D.] Sullivan and I did that for a while, supporting Owen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were actually a support crew member for four different missions."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first four, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk to us about your duties as a support crew member?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly it was as a CapCom [Capsule Communicator], and, again, because of my main engine work, that John Young had asked me to do—I got more involved with the ascent phase, so I was on the ascent team for the first three. Yes, just the first three launches, I guess. So Dan [Daniel C.] Brandenstein and I did the first two launches, and I was on the third launch. I forget who my backup was, but we did the launch CapCom duty, which was a lot of fun, learning how the Mission Control team did all the launch procedures.\\n\\n My fourth one may have been later actually. I think it was STS-7, actually, now that you remind me. Sally Ride was on that flight with a couple others of our classmates, and I was a CapCom for the on-orbit phase, I think, then. I’d kind of forgotten about that. But the launch I was prime on was the third launch, which was [C.] Gordon Fullerton and Jack [R.] Lousma, when they went up on Columbia STS-3, so I was the prime CapCom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your training as a support crew member differ from the training that you had received as an AsCan [Astronaut Candidate]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 75.60885245543083, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first four, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk to us about your duties as a support crew member?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly it was as a CapCom [Capsule Communicator], and, again, because of my main engine work, that John Young had asked me to do—I got more involved with the ascent phase, so I was on the ascent team for the first three. Yes, just the first three launches, I guess. So Dan [Daniel C.] Brandenstein and I did the first two launches, and I was on the third launch. I forget who my backup was, but we did the launch CapCom duty, which was a lot of fun, learning how the Mission Control team did all the launch procedures.\\n\\n My fourth one may have been later actually. I think it was STS-7, actually, now that you remind me. Sally Ride was on that flight with a couple others of our classmates, and I was a CapCom for the on-orbit phase, I think, then. I’d kind of forgotten about that. But the launch I was prime on was the third launch, which was [C.] Gordon Fullerton and Jack [R.] Lousma, when they went up on Columbia STS-3, so I was the prime CapCom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your training as a support crew member differ from the training that you had received as an AsCan [Astronaut Candidate]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was much more into the mission procedures and specifics, whereas as an astronaut candidate, the kind of assignment I had with the main engines was more typical. It was focused on one particular thing. Once you’re on a support crew, you’re really integrated with the mission preparation and all, training and everything, to make sure the crew is getting all the support they need for the mission, help them develop procedures and so forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know on STS-2 you were tracking the science pallet. Can you talk to us about some of your duties there?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 82.89872495047871, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly it was as a CapCom [Capsule Communicator], and, again, because of my main engine work, that John Young had asked me to do—I got more involved with the ascent phase, so I was on the ascent team for the first three. Yes, just the first three launches, I guess. So Dan [Daniel C.] Brandenstein and I did the first two launches, and I was on the third launch. I forget who my backup was, but we did the launch CapCom duty, which was a lot of fun, learning how the Mission Control team did all the launch procedures.\\n\\n My fourth one may have been later actually. I think it was STS-7, actually, now that you remind me. Sally Ride was on that flight with a couple others of our classmates, and I was a CapCom for the on-orbit phase, I think, then. I’d kind of forgotten about that. But the launch I was prime on was the third launch, which was [C.] Gordon Fullerton and Jack [R.] Lousma, when they went up on Columbia STS-3, so I was the prime CapCom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did your training as a support crew member differ from the training that you had received as an AsCan [Astronaut Candidate]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was much more into the mission procedures and specifics, whereas as an astronaut candidate, the kind of assignment I had with the main engines was more typical. It was focused on one particular thing. Once you’re on a support crew, you’re really integrated with the mission preparation and all, training and everything, to make sure the crew is getting all the support they need for the mission, help them develop procedures and so forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know on STS-2 you were tracking the science pallet. Can you talk to us about some of your duties there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. [Laughs] Let me think for a second. The science pallet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think it was the OSTA-1 [Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications-1]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 82.10969438942078, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was much more into the mission procedures and specifics, whereas as an astronaut candidate, the kind of assignment I had with the main engines was more typical. It was focused on one particular thing. Once you’re on a support crew, you’re really integrated with the mission preparation and all, training and everything, to make sure the crew is getting all the support they need for the mission, help them develop procedures and so forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know on STS-2 you were tracking the science pallet. Can you talk to us about some of your duties there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. [Laughs] Let me think for a second. The science pallet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think it was the OSTA-1 [Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications-1]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. I don’t remember too much about that. I don’t think I was real heavily involved in that. My duties on STS-2, were, again—were STS-1 and 2 and 3, were really ascent oriented. At that time we were doing a lot of work on developing the abort procedures. Initially the program had just the return-to-launch site abort for an early engine failure, and then it had a once-around abort, where you’d go all the way around and land at Edwards [Air Force Base, California]. We felt a need to try to do something in the middle, so I think we even got it ready for STS-1. We had aborts into [Naval Air Station] Rota [Spain] and to Dakar [Senegal], Africa, so Spain and Africa were landing sites for launch aborts. And all that was somewhat late to the program, and it wasn’t envisioned as being in abort mode early on, so we had a lot of procedure development in the simulators, and working with the crews and the trainers to figure out how to bring the Shuttle down in either Africa or Spain right after launch. That’s what I remember as being my main focus during those years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why don’t you talk to us about being a CapCom, especially on STS-1, the first mission."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 35.00473556012152, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was euphoric. I mean, we really felt that the mission was at risk, which it was, and we were really on a mission that was demonstrating the flexibility and the usefulness of the Shuttle to do things like repair. We were afraid that we were disappointing a lot of people, the scientists, of course, wanting to put the science satellite back into service, but all the people at NASA that were showing what the Shuttle could do.\\n\\n In reality, we demonstrated even more just the flexibility of human spaceflight, that you can adapt to things that are unexpected, like this pin and the problems that it caused us. So it was a good opportunity to show even better what the Shuttle could do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This crew, I have read, was actually a model crew."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A model? [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is what I’ve read. The most experienced Space Shuttle commander served."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Crippen, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the best pilots from the ’78 class."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 37.78303951124613, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A model? [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is what I’ve read. The most experienced Space Shuttle commander served."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Crippen, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the best pilots from the ’78 class."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dick Scobee. Wonderful, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Two of the best EVA people."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 41.9811550124957, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Crippen, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the best pilots from the ’78 class."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dick Scobee. Wonderful, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Two of the best EVA people."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They were great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you, one of the best RMS operators."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 42.20128334721744, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dick Scobee. Wonderful, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Two of the best EVA people."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They were great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you, one of the best RMS operators."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we all got along great. We were a good bunch. It’s funny, you could tell we were all rookies right from the very beginning, because I remember the day we posed for our crew picture. So you all put your blue suits on and you bring the helmets in or something, and we took, I don’t know, maybe twenty pictures they get, trying to get us all to have the right expressions on our face or whatever. And then the tradition is, you bring them back to the Astronaut Office and then you ask the secretaries to pick which one is best.\\n\\n So Crippen and Scobee and Pinky and Ox and I are sitting around, looking at all these pictures. In one of them, one of us would be winking or our smile would be crooked or something like that. Every one of us had maybe a 50 percent hit rate on the pictures, having the right expression on our face. And we looked at Crippen, who, you know, this is I don’t know how many years he’d been in the public eye here, from STS-1 now to this mission. Every photograph had the same expression on Bob Crippen’s face. He had it down pat. He knew exactly how to smile.\\n\\n But it was a great team. We really worked very well together, as we did with the rest of the Mission Control team."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk about what you did in your spare time during the flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 28.028856161300002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I’ll have to do that. Graham Ferguson has since sold the business, I guess, and retired. They’ve become a little more Hollywood now, I think. They’re doing all kinds of productions and building new theaters around the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This crew was also called the Ace Satellite Repair Company. Can you tell us who coined that phrase?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "[Laughs] I don’t know. It came from somewhere in the Astronaut Office. I think one of the earlier flights had deployed a satellite, maybe one of the first satellites that deployed from the Shuttle, and they coined themselves the Ace Trucking Company. So that we followed suit then, and became the Ace Satellite Repair Company. I guess at one point we put on our little jerseys with the “Ace Satellite Repair Company” on them.\\n\\n That reminds me. Can I go back to my CapCom days? Because we had a wonderful experience. Maybe Dan Brandenstein had related this one, too, because it was his idea. STS-1, when we were getting ready for the first flight, we were the two ascent CapComs. And Dan came up with the idea that we ought to have a special tie, and we called it a “cue tie,” meaning the cue to do a certain event during launch. And what Dan did was, we took these dark blue ties, and in orange we had silk-screened on them all the calls that we made, from liftoff through separation, on the tie. So you could pick the tie—it was upside down. So the person wearing the tie could lift it up and read. I still have mine, of course, our STS-1 cue ties. I have that and I still have my Ace Satellite Repair Company patch in my stuff at home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Those are nice mementos."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any other memories of the mission that you would like to share with us?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 17.077, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My biggest challenge? Gee, I don’t know. I mean, it’s all challenging, but there’s nothing that is insurmountable, because you know you have so much help. It’s not like a thing where you’re ever worried about failing or whatever, because there’s so much support behind you. So you just need to learn how to take advantage of all that support. So I guess, in a sense, that’s the challenge, is to fully integrate yourself with the team at NASA to ensure that you’re all doing what’s necessary for the mission. You’re all focused on the right thing, and when things go wrong, you can fall back on that and find ways to work around the problems."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the flip side, what do you think was your most significant accomplishment at NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess the most visible thing was the Solar Max capture, and getting the satellite on board. [Laughs] I’m sure George Abbey felt that was—I earned my keep in that ten seconds that I reached over and grabbed the satellite or whatever. But I’d like to think more that I helped a lot with that sense of building the team and all. Within my class and all, I felt good about my relationships with all the other guys in my class, and the gals. We all worked together well. So I always kind of looked upon myself as being a bit of an instigator of teamwork and someone that helped promote those kinds of things, which, you know, that’s a very natural thing at NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you mind if I asked Sandra if she had any questions for you before we close?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was just curious. You had trouble adapting or acclimating to space that first day. Once you got back on Earth, you mentioned that you did the deep knee bends. Did you have any problems acclimating to Earth?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00216:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything else you would like to discuss or talk about before we close?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think I got everything. STS-3, a couple things. I was launch CapCom. We lost an APU [Auxiliary Power Unit], which is the first time we had a major failure on launch. The engine continues to run, but it won’t throttle, we lost the APU. But we handled that fine. Between the flight director and myself and the crew, we got the right message up to the crew to shut down that APU, because it had failed. That worked out.\\n\\n And then there’s a great story from STS-3. Jack Lousma was the commander and Gordon Fullerton was the pilot. Gordon had a couple of minutes and he grabbed a Hassleblad camera, and just as he came over New Jersey, he snapped this picture out the window, totally unplanned. This was March of ’82, it must have been. It had all of New Jersey and New York and parts of Pennsylvania, where I live, in one picture. There were just a couple of clouds, and a little snow up in the mountains in Pennsylvania. But he had that picture, and he came back and showed me that picture, and I’ve had about fifteen or sixteen thousand posters made of that picture that Gordo took that day. We’ve used them for fundraising at Lehigh University [Bethlehem, Pennsylvania] and Rutgers [University, New Brunswick, New Jersey], my two alma maters, that are on the picture there. A lot of good memories like that, kind of special things that, if you’re lucky, you’re able to take some things with you after you leave NASA and other people can enjoy the experience you’ve been through."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds like it was a fantastic opportunity for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ve enjoyed hearing about your stories and we appreciate you coming by."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00710:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The other thing that was very important—I had one guy assigned that issued a book of allowable properties. Those allowables were based upon the master design, which was a three sigma failure. In other words you’d never encounter a material or conductivity measurement that the designers used that wasn’t conservative. We published a whole book of allowables on every material that was used on the Shuttle, from aluminum to foam to tile, AFRSI, you name it. Thousands—all kinds of aluminum and steel and Inconel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s amazing to me that she continues to fly today given the complications of the vehicle."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was because nobody ever wanted to have their system fail. The APUs [Auxiliary Power Unit], on one flight we landed at Edwards [Air Force Base, California], and two of them blew up on the runway. This was a very unusual failure due to a misalignment of a small tube."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, we talked to Stan [M. Barauskas] earlier this week. He talked about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a hydraulic tube that sprung a leak and found out it was a high temperature stainless steel on the outside tube and a Teflon interior, and during the manufacture they had a bump extricated and had a weak spot in it, like a balloon. Ever seen a little white spot on a balloon? That Teflon liner was like that, it had a little weak spot. They go to several thousand psi. We seemed to have only unusual failures if at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I thank you very much for your time today."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00072:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 45.191146629280176, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were testing for Skylab, did you have to change any of your testing procedures to take into account the long-duration flight that Skylab was going to have, since they were going to be up there for months instead of days?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Other than the materials testing for the parasol, that was a change in procedure. Otherwise, for anything that the command and service module were going to see, it was an exposure in space, but longer than Apollo. We did account for that, but I think that, again, the main thing was making sure that you could stabilize thermal conditions so that you didn't have any freeze-ups and that sort of thing or unusual hot spots."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why don't we take a break."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was with Eagle Engineering. I was asked to do this. We went back and reviewed from the very beginning how man-rating activities started with us. Man-rating was something that really, I believe, was a phrase that was coined by the Air Force, and I believe … NACA, when we were doing the high-speed airplane flight program, back in those days. It had the same connotation, basically, how do you design a really high-performance vehicle here, because we were using rockets and all of that, which was kind of new to the idea of manned flight, and so they had special procedures for looking at that for the safety of the pilot…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In 1975, you were promoted to the position of assistant director for program support. How did your job change when you moved to that position?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00072:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 14, "return_to_go": 43.997, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The fabric material on the topside were sprayed with Scotchguard. I'm not sure that there was Scotchguard used on the tiles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that there was some reaction to the spray. Eventually it started to erode some of the material on the [unclear]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Affect the adhesive, maybe, of the—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[Unclear]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't recall that that was a problem. The use of the right adhesive and making sure that you had the minimal pull force on the tiles was like something that we went through quite a bit of work to be able to be assured that the aerodynamic forces were not going to exceed—and coming up with the right number to test to was something that was very closely looked at. If I recall, there was something like a fifteen-pound pressure that is applied, pull vacuum pressure, on each tile, fifteen pounds per square inch. I'm not sure whether that was something on that order."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have a couple of questions. You talked about technology utilization. Is that something that could be a big selling point for getting more support for the space program and showing how it can be beneficial to different applications on Earth?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00488:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 44.68364052636654, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Definitely reuse of the facilities, as in the buildings. That was a given, because we didn’t need to go build any new buildings for training here in Houston. For example, the Shuttle Mission Simulator, they kept that up to date, but that was built in the ’70s, and over the years certain components—don’t get me wrong, but certain things changed and they followed with the technology. Some of the interfaces that were coming with Constellation, I don’t recall any actual reuse of any of the Shuttle systems.\\n\\n The simulator was going to be in Building 5, like the Shuttle simulator was, and the Station simulator still is. I do recall there was a big discussion around, did we really need motion, a motion simulator. The Shuttle had a motion base, so one that moved, and a fixed-base simulator, and when you add motion, you’re creating a system that’s making it feel, as close to as you can, the movement of space, not only the flying aspects but the launching aspects. With that comes extra maintenance, extra equipment, extra things that could break. So there was a trade [study] done on that: do we want to add motion, have a motion simulator and a fixed simulator? What do we want to do? So I don’t recall them reusing anything from Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Fascinating. How many people were working on your effort? Just sounds like a lot."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You mean in the trade study, or—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In MOD and—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In MOD? Gosh, I don’t know exactly. The ones—I’d have to say—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or even the trade study. It just sounds like a lot of work."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00488:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 14, "return_to_go": 48.53737836262949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You mean in the trade study, or—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In MOD and—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In MOD? Gosh, I don’t know exactly. The ones—I’d have to say—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or even the trade study. It just sounds like a lot of work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, on the trade study there were six of us. I led it, but we had five others than me, and we all went around and interviewed many others, as we needed to talk to them, from Engineering, like I said, and EVA, because EVA was still designing what were these suits going to look like for this program. You have to make sure you understand that and understand how they’re going to use it, and how that might connect into the simulator so that they can actually get the breathing oxygen in there when they were doing suited runs. In MOD there were probably hundreds of people working this Constellation program. And that was just what I ran across, but there may have been more."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like kind of a herculean task at the beginning of a project."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 19.4945881648287, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wasn’t that terrible?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I waltzed into this thing and said, “My God! look at this! The whole world is here. They know—”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m sorry I missed you down there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to get over to visit with you. As a matter of fact, [L.] Gordon Cooper [Jr.] and I started out to come over to visit with you. We were halfway there when they trapped him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh gosh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we just kind of lost it in the crowd. I said, “Oh to hell with it. I’m just going to roll on.”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.105097960920777, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m sorry I missed you down there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to get over to visit with you. As a matter of fact, [L.] Gordon Cooper [Jr.] and I started out to come over to visit with you. We were halfway there when they trapped him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh gosh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we just kind of lost it in the crowd. I said, “Oh to hell with it. I’m just going to roll on.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was so funny. I was with ABC. Gordo I got at CBS. Walter went to CNN. We all tried to rendezvous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[M.] Scott [Carpenter] wound up with NBC."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.894553289911972, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh gosh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we just kind of lost it in the crowd. I said, “Oh to hell with it. I’m just going to roll on.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was so funny. I was with ABC. Gordo I got at CBS. Walter went to CNN. We all tried to rendezvous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[M.] Scott [Carpenter] wound up with NBC."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Fantastic.\n\nWe’re rolling now.\n\nYou’re rolling?\n\nSorry to interrupt.\n\nOkay. No. Hey, we’re just mincing words."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 19.88283698879108, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was so funny. I was with ABC. Gordo I got at CBS. Walter went to CNN. We all tried to rendezvous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[M.] Scott [Carpenter] wound up with NBC."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Fantastic.\n\nWe’re rolling now.\n\nYou’re rolling?\n\nSorry to interrupt.\n\nOkay. No. Hey, we’re just mincing words."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’ve got to get this done, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure.\n\nWe’re rolling.\n\nI don’t have the slightest idea when this is going to be finished. Are you on any tight timeline?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.20103331949516, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’ve got to get this done, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure.\n\nWe’re rolling.\n\nI don’t have the slightest idea when this is going to be finished. Are you on any tight timeline?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh you mean tonight?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Jo just wants me home for dinner. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, well that can be—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 24.667814799439064, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh you mean tonight?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Jo just wants me home for dinner. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, well that can be—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Let’s see what happens time-wise. I hear the jets flying by."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 25.186460888265625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Jo just wants me home for dinner. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, well that can be—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Let’s see what happens time-wise. I hear the jets flying by."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have a minute between that. It’s a pass every minute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, hearing all those jets flying by reminds me, Wally—I think we’re rolling now. And if we’re not, we should be because I’m going to say: You essentially came from a flying family. Flying was in your blood from the beginning, wasn’t it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 21.318289875850695, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Let’s see what happens time-wise. I hear the jets flying by."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have a minute between that. It’s a pass every minute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, hearing all those jets flying by reminds me, Wally—I think we’re rolling now. And if we’re not, we should be because I’m going to say: You essentially came from a flying family. Flying was in your blood from the beginning, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In this museum we have an old JN-4, a Curtiss Jenny. Mother and Dad barnstormed after World War One in a Jenny. Dad convinced Mother to get out on the wing and act like a wing-walker. She just got out on the wing. And her great story was she stopped wing-walking when I was in the hangar. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so as time went on you eventually wound up in the Navy; where else?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.242544306500772, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have a minute between that. It’s a pass every minute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, hearing all those jets flying by reminds me, Wally—I think we’re rolling now. And if we’re not, we should be because I’m going to say: You essentially came from a flying family. Flying was in your blood from the beginning, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In this museum we have an old JN-4, a Curtiss Jenny. Mother and Dad barnstormed after World War One in a Jenny. Dad convinced Mother to get out on the wing and act like a wing-walker. She just got out on the wing. And her great story was she stopped wing-walking when I was in the hangar. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so as time went on you eventually wound up in the Navy; where else?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in fact I’d wanted to go to the Army at West Point. We lived near there in northern New Jersey. And I saw a naval aviator come into town with greens and a brown pair of [shoes] and a gold set of wings. This kind of gold. I said, “I think I’ll do that.” So I went to the Naval Academy instead of West Point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And from the Naval Academy it was Pensacola and then combat, and a little bit of everything, wasn’t it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 21.380604785000855, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In this museum we have an old JN-4, a Curtiss Jenny. Mother and Dad barnstormed after World War One in a Jenny. Dad convinced Mother to get out on the wing and act like a wing-walker. She just got out on the wing. And her great story was she stopped wing-walking when I was in the hangar. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so as time went on you eventually wound up in the Navy; where else?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in fact I’d wanted to go to the Army at West Point. We lived near there in northern New Jersey. And I saw a naval aviator come into town with greens and a brown pair of [shoes] and a gold set of wings. This kind of gold. I said, “I think I’ll do that.” So I went to the Naval Academy instead of West Point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And from the Naval Academy it was Pensacola and then combat, and a little bit of everything, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a taste of just about everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somehow or another, though, you wound up being an astronaut. How did that happen?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 21.534005316667617, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in fact I’d wanted to go to the Army at West Point. We lived near there in northern New Jersey. And I saw a naval aviator come into town with greens and a brown pair of [shoes] and a gold set of wings. This kind of gold. I said, “I think I’ll do that.” So I went to the Naval Academy instead of West Point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And from the Naval Academy it was Pensacola and then combat, and a little bit of everything, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a taste of just about everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somehow or another, though, you wound up being an astronaut. How did that happen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is probably a scary recollection. But I can recall going to Washington, looking at three men on a stage: two engineers and a shrink. (We’d learned to say “shrink.” I think he was really a psychologist. In fact I saw him. It was Bob [Dr. Robert B. ] Voas. I just saw him recently.) [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Here you can call him anything you like, Wally."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.81556146296402, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a taste of just about everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somehow or another, though, you wound up being an astronaut. How did that happen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is probably a scary recollection. But I can recall going to Washington, looking at three men on a stage: two engineers and a shrink. (We’d learned to say “shrink.” I think he was really a psychologist. In fact I saw him. It was Bob [Dr. Robert B. ] Voas. I just saw him recently.) [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Here you can call him anything you like, Wally."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bob knows that I’ve called him a “shrink” his whole life. These three men tried to convince me how neat it would be to get in a rocket, or a capsule on top of a rocket. I said, “No way! I’m an aviator. I’m a hotshot flyboy. I’m a test pilot.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[aircraft passing] I think we’re just going to have—\n\nI think we’ll just have to live with it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 25.3506238477378, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is probably a scary recollection. But I can recall going to Washington, looking at three men on a stage: two engineers and a shrink. (We’d learned to say “shrink.” I think he was really a psychologist. In fact I saw him. It was Bob [Dr. Robert B. ] Voas. I just saw him recently.) [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Here you can call him anything you like, Wally."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bob knows that I’ve called him a “shrink” his whole life. These three men tried to convince me how neat it would be to get in a rocket, or a capsule on top of a rocket. I said, “No way! I’m an aviator. I’m a hotshot flyboy. I’m a test pilot.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[aircraft passing] I think we’re just going to have—\n\nI think we’ll just have to live with it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll let that go and pick up as soon as I hear the engine. We’ll just pick up—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure. You can talk right through them though."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 22.611804275264223, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bob knows that I’ve called him a “shrink” his whole life. These three men tried to convince me how neat it would be to get in a rocket, or a capsule on top of a rocket. I said, “No way! I’m an aviator. I’m a hotshot flyboy. I’m a test pilot.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[aircraft passing] I think we’re just going to have—\n\nI think we’ll just have to live with it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll let that go and pick up as soon as I hear the engine. We’ll just pick up—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure. You can talk right through them though."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I’m a test pilot. And a result of that is that, I really wanted to get out of that. Then they said, “Well, don’t worry. We’re going to put monkeys and chimps in there first.” I\\n\\n really\\n\\n want to get out of there. We didn’t even volunteer. We were ordered to Washington. That was the time to say “No.” I went back to Patuxent [River Naval Air Station, Maryland], where I was testing aircraft, and talked to my peer group. And they said, “Look, Schirra. If you want to go higher, farther, and faster, this is the one way to do it.” “Okay, I’ll go along for a while.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever regret that decision?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:38", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.79089363918247, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll let that go and pick up as soon as I hear the engine. We’ll just pick up—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure. You can talk right through them though."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I’m a test pilot. And a result of that is that, I really wanted to get out of that. Then they said, “Well, don’t worry. We’re going to put monkeys and chimps in there first.” I\\n\\n really\\n\\n want to get out of there. We didn’t even volunteer. We were ordered to Washington. That was the time to say “No.” I went back to Patuxent [River Naval Air Station, Maryland], where I was testing aircraft, and talked to my peer group. And they said, “Look, Schirra. If you want to go higher, farther, and faster, this is the one way to do it.” “Okay, I’ll go along for a while.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever regret that decision?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A number of times I have regretted that, because I missed my Navy very much. I was trained to be a commanding officer, and NASA never understood what a commanding officer was. This was sort of a group of people with equal rank. And there were times that I asserted myself as a commanding officer, particularly in Apollo. And I recall one of my greatest presentations was from John [P.] Healey, the manager of the spacecraft, who got me this big enunciator for a ship, “All ahead full,” and said, “From your crew. Go ahead full, Schirra.” That’s one of my favorite possessions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ll get back to that, as a matter of fact. I’d like to very much. But right now, let’s go back in time. And here you are. Now you are an astronaut, early on in the training."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:42", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.346782270595643, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A number of times I have regretted that, because I missed my Navy very much. I was trained to be a commanding officer, and NASA never understood what a commanding officer was. This was sort of a group of people with equal rank. And there were times that I asserted myself as a commanding officer, particularly in Apollo. And I recall one of my greatest presentations was from John [P.] Healey, the manager of the spacecraft, who got me this big enunciator for a ship, “All ahead full,” and said, “From your crew. Go ahead full, Schirra.” That’s one of my favorite possessions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ll get back to that, as a matter of fact. I’d like to very much. But right now, let’s go back in time. And here you are. Now you are an astronaut, early on in the training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now I are one. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was a big surprise. Seven of us sitting on a stage in Washington, D.C., with a bunch of Press corps. You don’t know what those people are, I know. But they were there, interrogating us, and we all had these dumb answers. Except for [John] Herschel [Glenn, Jr.]. John had a good answer—John Glenn, of course—for almost anything. And the rest of us said, “Gee, this guy has some ideas we don’t know about.” And we began to realize we were becoming public features, or public individuals. It was something we were not prepared for at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You learned, in time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:44", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.718646967328493, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now I are one. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was a big surprise. Seven of us sitting on a stage in Washington, D.C., with a bunch of Press corps. You don’t know what those people are, I know. But they were there, interrogating us, and we all had these dumb answers. Except for [John] Herschel [Glenn, Jr.]. John had a good answer—John Glenn, of course—for almost anything. And the rest of us said, “Gee, this guy has some ideas we don’t know about.” And we began to realize we were becoming public features, or public individuals. It was something we were not prepared for at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You learned, in time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It took us—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You even wound up being a television star in your own right."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:46", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.354052185920548, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was a big surprise. Seven of us sitting on a stage in Washington, D.C., with a bunch of Press corps. You don’t know what those people are, I know. But they were there, interrogating us, and we all had these dumb answers. Except for [John] Herschel [Glenn, Jr.]. John had a good answer—John Glenn, of course—for almost anything. And the rest of us said, “Gee, this guy has some ideas we don’t know about.” And we began to realize we were becoming public features, or public individuals. It was something we were not prepared for at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You learned, in time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It took us—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You even wound up being a television star in your own right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, oddly enough what happened: We were drawn into it, slowly but surely. I guess my favorite memory, though, is—Well, I’ll come back to my favorite memory. [aircraft passing] It’s amazing, I’ve done these interviews here and none of this happens."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mark, do you want him to just go ahead and talk through that? Or let it—How do you want to work it?\n\nHow bad is it, John?\n\nIt’s not too bad.\n\nCan you live with it?\n\nYeah."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:48", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 29.282280206578385, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It took us—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You even wound up being a television star in your own right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, oddly enough what happened: We were drawn into it, slowly but surely. I guess my favorite memory, though, is—Well, I’ll come back to my favorite memory. [aircraft passing] It’s amazing, I’ve done these interviews here and none of this happens."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mark, do you want him to just go ahead and talk through that? Or let it—How do you want to work it?\n\nHow bad is it, John?\n\nIt’s not too bad.\n\nCan you live with it?\n\nYeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll go through, if you want."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, it’s an aviation thing."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:50", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 28.09142245175376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, oddly enough what happened: We were drawn into it, slowly but surely. I guess my favorite memory, though, is—Well, I’ll come back to my favorite memory. [aircraft passing] It’s amazing, I’ve done these interviews here and none of this happens."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mark, do you want him to just go ahead and talk through that? Or let it—How do you want to work it?\n\nHow bad is it, John?\n\nIt’s not too bad.\n\nCan you live with it?\n\nYeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll go through, if you want."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, it’s an aviation thing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve done interviews here now enough that I know—My favorite memory, though, really, was going after that Press conference,\\n\\n from\\n\\n that Press conference to the Hill, and watching Senators and Representatives make absolute\\n\\n idiots\\n\\n of themselves in front of all these news people. We all looked at each other, “Why are they doing this?” And we visited with the Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon [B.] Johnson. Then I knew what a mogul was, what a\\n\\n power\\n\\n this man was! He had an office that looked like a Hollywood set. And here we are, looking around, somewhat awestricken ourselves, and our local Representative or Senator would come in and salaam practically. I said, “My gosh! we’ve joined a whole new world! And we haven’t done a damn thing yet!”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so it was. However, once you got into Mercury you started doing some honest engineering. So let’s start with that, if we can. Let’s engineer the Mercury spacecraft as you lived it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.48721391792082, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What we found, we man-rated the Atlas we flew. And they grounded, in fact, after John’s and Scott’s flight the military Atlas, so they would have enough courage to send me up on my mission! It was flat grounded! I go off on the mission, everything works beautifully. The spacecraft reacted the way I wanted it to. The interesting part was, though, when I got back from the flight, visiting Hangar S where I prepared for my suiting up and getting into the spacecraft, on top of Hangar S was a ladder. I went up the ladder. They told me it was the launch of an Atlas. It lifted off about 100 ft and “Baroom!” It blew right there. Very consoling. [chuckles]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was before or after?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "After. Right after the flight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right after your flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that’s what I mean when I said: Did they really know that Atlas had been converted for man-rating? [aircraft passing] Did they really know?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.430237686578685, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After. Right after the flight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right after your flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that’s what I mean when I said: Did they really know that Atlas had been converted for man-rating? [aircraft passing] Did they really know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We talked about reliability in terms of 9’s. In that if you had a 9 times a 9, now you have reliability at .81 because you multiply the 2 reliabilities together to get the ultimate. We had about a .9 on the Atlas, which is pretty high. But it was very interesting. The four surviving of the original seven astronauts all flew Atlas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course you flew Atlas, Gemini, and the Saturn, too."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 21.589152985087427, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that’s what I mean when I said: Did they really know that Atlas had been converted for man-rating? [aircraft passing] Did they really know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We talked about reliability in terms of 9’s. In that if you had a 9 times a 9, now you have reliability at .81 because you multiply the 2 reliabilities together to get the ultimate. We had about a .9 on the Atlas, which is pretty high. But it was very interesting. The four surviving of the original seven astronauts all flew Atlas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course you flew Atlas, Gemini, and the Saturn, too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew them all."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 22.87683665009714, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We talked about reliability in terms of 9’s. In that if you had a 9 times a 9, now you have reliability at .81 because you multiply the 2 reliabilities together to get the ultimate. We had about a .9 on the Atlas, which is pretty high. But it was very interesting. The four surviving of the original seven astronauts all flew Atlas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course you flew Atlas, Gemini, and the Saturn, too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew them all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everybody was worried about the Atlas being dangerous, and the surviving four—the only ones, the only astronauts who ever flew on Atlas—are still alive today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an interesting point."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 22.085374055663486, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew them all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everybody was worried about the Atlas being dangerous, and the surviving four—the only ones, the only astronauts who ever flew on Atlas—are still alive today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an interesting point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Carpenter, Cooper, Schirra, and Glenn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course, too, since your job at that time was to find out what’s man going to do in space, life support became rather important. And that was one of your areas of expertise, was it not?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 22.31708228407054, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everybody was worried about the Atlas being dangerous, and the surviving four—the only ones, the only astronauts who ever flew on Atlas—are still alive today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an interesting point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Carpenter, Cooper, Schirra, and Glenn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course, too, since your job at that time was to find out what’s man going to do in space, life support became rather important. And that was one of your areas of expertise, was it not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It really was. The life support system had to be designed just right. And I can recall John Glenn had a hot suit circuit. Scott Carpenter had a hot suit circuit. I had one for one orbit, but I knew what to do. There was a little water control valve (a little teeny, tiny valve; actually it was the right hand), and you turned the valve very slowly to get the water to drip through this plumbing, through a heat exchanger which made the water boil at 40°F. It vented into the atmosphere or space itself. That was the heat exchanger. If you ran it too fast, you’d freeze. If you ran it too slow, you’d get hot. So I was sneaking up on the right setting. By the end of the first orbit I said, “I’m fine. Let’s go.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then, too, you were working on the Mercury suit. Oh, that was a beauty, wasn’t it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.57453587118949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Carpenter, Cooper, Schirra, and Glenn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course, too, since your job at that time was to find out what’s man going to do in space, life support became rather important. And that was one of your areas of expertise, was it not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It really was. The life support system had to be designed just right. And I can recall John Glenn had a hot suit circuit. Scott Carpenter had a hot suit circuit. I had one for one orbit, but I knew what to do. There was a little water control valve (a little teeny, tiny valve; actually it was the right hand), and you turned the valve very slowly to get the water to drip through this plumbing, through a heat exchanger which made the water boil at 40°F. It vented into the atmosphere or space itself. That was the heat exchanger. If you ran it too fast, you’d freeze. If you ran it too slow, you’d get hot. So I was sneaking up on the right setting. By the end of the first orbit I said, “I’m fine. Let’s go.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then, too, you were working on the Mercury suit. Oh, that was a beauty, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That suit was unreal. If you can imagine spending a million dollars for a suit with only one pair of pants. [laughs] But the real key was to get the suit to fit very tightly. If it’s loose at the elbow, for example, when you move your arm you can’t move it. It just fills up that void; so it fits you very well. A change in weight of 5 to 6 lbs was enough to make the suit a bad fit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then from Mercury you also worked in the Gemini suit."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 25.082817634654987, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It really was. The life support system had to be designed just right. And I can recall John Glenn had a hot suit circuit. Scott Carpenter had a hot suit circuit. I had one for one orbit, but I knew what to do. There was a little water control valve (a little teeny, tiny valve; actually it was the right hand), and you turned the valve very slowly to get the water to drip through this plumbing, through a heat exchanger which made the water boil at 40°F. It vented into the atmosphere or space itself. That was the heat exchanger. If you ran it too fast, you’d freeze. If you ran it too slow, you’d get hot. So I was sneaking up on the right setting. By the end of the first orbit I said, “I’m fine. Let’s go.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then, too, you were working on the Mercury suit. Oh, that was a beauty, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That suit was unreal. If you can imagine spending a million dollars for a suit with only one pair of pants. [laughs] But the real key was to get the suit to fit very tightly. If it’s loose at the elbow, for example, when you move your arm you can’t move it. It just fills up that void; so it fits you very well. A change in weight of 5 to 6 lbs was enough to make the suit a bad fit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then from Mercury you also worked in the Gemini suit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the difference between those?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 25.647575149616653, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That suit was unreal. If you can imagine spending a million dollars for a suit with only one pair of pants. [laughs] But the real key was to get the suit to fit very tightly. If it’s loose at the elbow, for example, when you move your arm you can’t move it. It just fills up that void; so it fits you very well. A change in weight of 5 to 6 lbs was enough to make the suit a bad fit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then from Mercury you also worked in the Gemini suit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the difference between those?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we had a little less junk inside the suit. We had thick protection. We weren’t sure how well the suit would work in Mercury. I had a sponge layer, a thick silver layer on the outside. We finally got the light Nomex® material that wouldn’t burn, even though that was something that came along later in Apollo. But we were worried about flammability materials always. And the suit was a much better suit. Why? It had to be. We were going to do a spacewalk, which we could not do in Mercury. So it had to be a good fit. We still had to have what we call a “tactile touch.” The suit gloves had to fit very carefully, almost like racing car driving gloves. That was kind of interesting. We put little lights on the back of the hands so you could see what you were doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, a good way to describe all this might be to just take your Mercury mission and relive it. Could we do that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 27.33969692061675, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was the whole idea, to conserve fuel. Not to criticize John and Scott, but the mission was designed to have a chimpanzee in there. They replaced the chimp. But that meant they had to have a lot of automatic maneuvers. Automatic maneuvers took a\\n\\n tremendous\\n\\n amount of attitude control fuel. I said, “I don’t want to do that. I just want to save that.” And as a result, I ended up, I think, about retrofire, about 80% of my attitude fuel was still remaining."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were able to stay up for a full-duration mission. Yours was rather an open-ended mission, if I recall."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. It could have gone on and on. Thank God I didn’t, because Gordon Cooper, he used all of my talent and had to use every bit of his own to endure that long! [laughs] But the interesting part of it was, I’ll never forget this part either. Gordo and I were trying to figure out how we could look at the world from orbit. We had no simulators that could do that for us. So we took an [Project] Echo balloon, 100 ft in diameter, and painted on it the geographic points that we would pass over on an orbit 32 N, 32 S, adding a little bit so we could see out to the horizon. We took a cherry picker, hoisted ourselves up a little, tiny vehicle with a window (like we had asked for), and looked at the globe at tangent as if we would be in orbit. The technique worked perfectly. [aircraft passing]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that airplane is a little more than we can handle."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That bird really passed right directly overhead."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 28.155218800685276, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. It could have gone on and on. Thank God I didn’t, because Gordon Cooper, he used all of my talent and had to use every bit of his own to endure that long! [laughs] But the interesting part of it was, I’ll never forget this part either. Gordo and I were trying to figure out how we could look at the world from orbit. We had no simulators that could do that for us. So we took an [Project] Echo balloon, 100 ft in diameter, and painted on it the geographic points that we would pass over on an orbit 32 N, 32 S, adding a little bit so we could see out to the horizon. We took a cherry picker, hoisted ourselves up a little, tiny vehicle with a window (like we had asked for), and looked at the globe at tangent as if we would be in orbit. The technique worked perfectly. [aircraft passing]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that airplane is a little more than we can handle."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That bird really passed right directly overhead."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we looked at this large Echo balloon, with the Earth painted on it, and practiced our retrofire maneuver so we could do a big “Chth-chth,” that kind of stuff, instead of “Chuck-chuck.” I got back from the flight and said, “Gordo, I had a real problem. Our Earth had no clouds on it. You’ve got to put clouds on that.” [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And by the way, I’m prompted to note, as a footnote, that the spacecraft behind you is your\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n ."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.283576445205863, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That bird really passed right directly overhead."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we looked at this large Echo balloon, with the Earth painted on it, and practiced our retrofire maneuver so we could do a big “Chth-chth,” that kind of stuff, instead of “Chuck-chuck.” I got back from the flight and said, “Gordo, I had a real problem. Our Earth had no clouds on it. You’ve got to put clouds on that.” [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And by the way, I’m prompted to note, as a footnote, that the spacecraft behind you is your\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n ."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s the name on there. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n . It’s in remarkably good shape."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 34.75952938356207, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we looked at this large Echo balloon, with the Earth painted on it, and practiced our retrofire maneuver so we could do a big “Chth-chth,” that kind of stuff, instead of “Chuck-chuck.” I got back from the flight and said, “Gordo, I had a real problem. Our Earth had no clouds on it. You’ve got to put clouds on that.” [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And by the way, I’m prompted to note, as a footnote, that the spacecraft behind you is your\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n ."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s the name on there. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That is\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n . It’s in remarkably good shape."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, that’s a copy of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a copy."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 35.99941899205193, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, that’s a copy of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a copy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The real\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n is at the [Astronaut] Hall of Fame in Florida."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But they have a better version of\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n painted here. Someone, by the way, on my\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n , which is in the Hall of Fame—our Astro Hall of Fame—in Florida, the panel where\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n was painted on is missing. And I’m going to chase that down with either Don Ingen at the Smithsonian or something, because somebody must have lifted that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somebody swiped your panel?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 36.66602110227992, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The real\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n is at the [Astronaut] Hall of Fame in Florida."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But they have a better version of\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n painted here. Someone, by the way, on my\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n , which is in the Hall of Fame—our Astro Hall of Fame—in Florida, the panel where\\n\\n Sigma 7\\n\\n was painted on is missing. And I’m going to chase that down with either Don Ingen at the Smithsonian or something, because somebody must have lifted that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Somebody swiped your panel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Maybe Max. L. Ary [President of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center] has it, which is in [Hutchinson] Kansas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had a specific goal in mind, I’m sure, when you were flying your mission. You’ve mentioned it, but let’s vector in on it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 32.068314437250294, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’s some state on the East Coast that has a planetarium—North Carolina. [laughs] Couldn’t resist doing that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. That’s an “I-got-you.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were taken to the planetarium at [The University of North Carolina in] Chapel Hill."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Morehead."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Morehead Planetarium. And Tony Jenzano was our instruction. Tony is long gone now. Tony taught us every trick in the trade about how to recognize stars, how to put the constellations together, how to get checkpoints so we could find out what stars we needed to know\\n\\n very well\\n\\n , and we became quite proficient at that. Bill [William K.] Douglas, who we lost just recently, also went to the planetarium with us. He had joined that. But Tony would put us up on little chairs, much like a spacecraft, with our window again; and then he’d put projections of little constellations and things up there for us to look at, at night, in the planetarium. So as a result, we learned what we called the celestial field, the celestial pattern, which took us through Apollo really. It was kind of fun.\\n\\n I’m going to jump ahead a little bit because, when we got to Apollo, I had been assigned the role with Walt [Walter] Cunningham and Donn [F.] Eisele backing up Gus Grissom, Roger [B.] Chaffee, and Ed [Edward H.] White [II]. We arrived at Griffith Planetarium [California] after they had been training out there, having been working with Tony back at Morehead again, even for Apollo now. And this is worth getting right. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Take your time. As a matter of fact, here comes another jet. [aircraft passing] Let’s wait until this one goes on by."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.059416237654716, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. The director of the Griffith Park Planetarium, the same as Tony Jenzano with Morehead, told my crew—Cunningham and Eisele and myself—that “We have three stars in the celestial system now that we didn’t know about that the Apollo 1 crew told us about that they’d learned from Tony Jenzano; they’re ‘Navi,’ ‘Dnoces,’ and ‘Regor.’” “Navi” is Ivan Grissom spelled backwards; “Regor” is Roger spelled backwards, and “Dnoces” is Ed White the Second, spelled backwards. And this poor director of the planetarium for at least 2 years thought those were real stars! [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you actually use the stars for navigation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We used them for reference for yaw. At night, if you couldn’t see the Earth clearly, because it’s dark just as it is when you’re down on the surface, you’re not going to get a good checkpoint. But the star field’s right there and you can say, “Ah, that planet is where it should be. That star is where it should be. That’s my yaw attitude.” Very, very precise. We’re talking about, oh, 1/1000th of a degree. The same use of the stars was used in Apollo to 1/10,000th of a degree. That’s how accurate that stuff is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that celestial navigation, I think I can call it that safely, ever help a crew anywhere along the line in terms of flying and navigating the spacecraft?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think Gordo had the perfect example of that. We’d both trained to use the Earth and the stars to get our retro attitude. That son-of-a-gun landed closer to the carrier than I did! And he had no automatic control system at all. No horizon, reference from the horizon scanners that would go like this outside. None of that worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back in those early days—and here comes another one of those heavy jets. [airplane passing]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 27.84379581961635, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We used them for reference for yaw. At night, if you couldn’t see the Earth clearly, because it’s dark just as it is when you’re down on the surface, you’re not going to get a good checkpoint. But the star field’s right there and you can say, “Ah, that planet is where it should be. That star is where it should be. That’s my yaw attitude.” Very, very precise. We’re talking about, oh, 1/1000th of a degree. The same use of the stars was used in Apollo to 1/10,000th of a degree. That’s how accurate that stuff is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that celestial navigation, I think I can call it that safely, ever help a crew anywhere along the line in terms of flying and navigating the spacecraft?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think Gordo had the perfect example of that. We’d both trained to use the Earth and the stars to get our retro attitude. That son-of-a-gun landed closer to the carrier than I did! And he had no automatic control system at all. No horizon, reference from the horizon scanners that would go like this outside. None of that worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back in those early days—and here comes another one of those heavy jets. [airplane passing]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we’ll sit tight until he passes."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.82643979957372, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think Gordo had the perfect example of that. We’d both trained to use the Earth and the stars to get our retro attitude. That son-of-a-gun landed closer to the carrier than I did! And he had no automatic control system at all. No horizon, reference from the horizon scanners that would go like this outside. None of that worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back in those early days—and here comes another one of those heavy jets. [airplane passing]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we’ll sit tight until he passes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s probably Southwest. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, boy, they fly right over this museum."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 33.14048866619302, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we’ll sit tight until he passes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s probably Southwest. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, boy, they fly right over this museum."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But back in those early days, the photography portions of the mission were not what they are today. There was no Hubble telescope up there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 36.82276518465891, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s probably Southwest. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, boy, they fly right over this museum."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But back in those early days, the photography portions of the mission were not what they are today. There was no Hubble telescope up there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You guys shot a lot of pictures. And you, in particular, took the time to learn how to shoot. Can you tell us about that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 27.58085020517657, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But back in those early days, the photography portions of the mission were not what they are today. There was no Hubble telescope up there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You guys shot a lot of pictures. And you, in particular, took the time to learn how to shoot. Can you tell us about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was interesting because Deke and I—Deke initially had the second orbital mission and I was his backup. And that was changed when Deke had his physical problem. Then he was grounded, and Scott took that mission, so I was Scott’s backup. So Deke and I had talked about getting a good camera. And we looked at the Hasselblad, and I finally got a Hasselblad camera. But before I got it, I talked to Ralph Morse and Carl Mydans of\\n\\n Life\\n\\n magazine, Ken Weaver and Louis Marden of\\n\\n National Geographic\\n\\n , “What’s the best camera?” “Hasselblad.” “Really? All four of you agree?” These were individual interviews really. “But for this;” “but for that.”\\n\\n We took all the “but for’s” out and made a perfect Hasselblad at the Cape. That was when Pan Am had the laboratory down there, and Pan Am people made all these modifications. Viktor Hasselblad came out with Hasselblad 500C, which was our version after we had made those changes. We got some good pictures. I think I could have taken better pictures, but I was too busy doing other things. And Gordo, up there for over a day, got some absolutely gorgeous pictures with the Hasselblad he flew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Pictures that have now gone into the books of history. In retrospect, how would you place Mercury in the overall space program in the scheme of things?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.726490177071433, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’ll go back over the seven, there was C C, G G, S S S. I’m the last of the smart S’s. [laughs] That goes on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Carry on, tally-ho!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Don’t wipe out one of my better lines. Well what happened, I didn’t know any of the fellows. I met Al [Alan B.] Shepard [Jr.] when we were up there for interviews in Washington. We stayed at a Marriott near the Pentagon, and the pool was frozen. We were ice skating. I remember doing that with Al. We got to know each other rather rapidly. We had three Navy, three Air Force, and one “jarhead,” a Marine by the name of Herschel Glenn. We were surprised about John when we first saw John at that Press conference, because we just weren’t prepared for something like that. John had done some international flight—not international but national flight—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Set a few record."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—he’d been on a TV show. We had all set records, but John made lots of fun out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Name That Tune\\n\\n ."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 25.25165575230159, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Don’t wipe out one of my better lines. Well what happened, I didn’t know any of the fellows. I met Al [Alan B.] Shepard [Jr.] when we were up there for interviews in Washington. We stayed at a Marriott near the Pentagon, and the pool was frozen. We were ice skating. I remember doing that with Al. We got to know each other rather rapidly. We had three Navy, three Air Force, and one “jarhead,” a Marine by the name of Herschel Glenn. We were surprised about John when we first saw John at that Press conference, because we just weren’t prepared for something like that. John had done some international flight—not international but national flight—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Set a few record."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—he’d been on a TV show. We had all set records, but John made lots of fun out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Name That Tune\\n\\n ."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And so John had the presence in front of a camera and in front of the Press corps we didn’t have. So we learned in a hurry, because we were going to compete. And we seven competed with each other. We\\n\\n bonded\\n\\n so closely, we were like brothers. Still are. But sibling rivalry is also part of brotherhood. We had a lot of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you describe the guys, one-by-one? Just a thumbnail, you know. Not a lot."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.72406194700177, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—he’d been on a TV show. We had all set records, but John made lots of fun out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Name That Tune\\n\\n ."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And so John had the presence in front of a camera and in front of the Press corps we didn’t have. So we learned in a hurry, because we were going to compete. And we seven competed with each other. We\\n\\n bonded\\n\\n so closely, we were like brothers. Still are. But sibling rivalry is also part of brotherhood. We had a lot of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you describe the guys, one-by-one? Just a thumbnail, you know. Not a lot."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Scott I would best describe as being the proponent for the song\\n\\n Yellow Bir\\n\\n d, [laughs] because Scott loved music. We got tired of hearing\\n\\n Yellow Bird\\n\\n . But Scott was more of the dreamer than the high technician, the hard-nosed test pilot, fighter pilot. Very competent, by the way, but he didn’t portray the role of this hotshot flyboy. Gordo portrayed the role of the hotshot flyboy. He’s a sharp guy. A couple of times he was looked down on by Deke, because he wasn’t a test pilot in flight test as Deke was. Gordo was involved with engineering tests. Then we got to John Glenn, who made it quite clear what he was. He was a Marine. [laughs] And the Marines are different.\\n\\n We got along with John because he’s really a neat guy. We became very close. John took over some errands we needed to take a look at and worked on them very hard. Worked on the flight control system as well as Deke. Deke always complained about not having rudder pedals. He wanted rudder pedals. We couldn’t have them, so we put yaw in the stick. So we got done with—Gus Grissom is probably the one that really hasn’t been portrayed very well. Gus, a little guy, sharp mind—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let’s wait till that jet goes by— [aircraft passing]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 27.471179941113075, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And so John had the presence in front of a camera and in front of the Press corps we didn’t have. So we learned in a hurry, because we were going to compete. And we seven competed with each other. We\\n\\n bonded\\n\\n so closely, we were like brothers. Still are. But sibling rivalry is also part of brotherhood. We had a lot of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you describe the guys, one-by-one? Just a thumbnail, you know. Not a lot."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Scott I would best describe as being the proponent for the song\\n\\n Yellow Bir\\n\\n d, [laughs] because Scott loved music. We got tired of hearing\\n\\n Yellow Bird\\n\\n . But Scott was more of the dreamer than the high technician, the hard-nosed test pilot, fighter pilot. Very competent, by the way, but he didn’t portray the role of this hotshot flyboy. Gordo portrayed the role of the hotshot flyboy. He’s a sharp guy. A couple of times he was looked down on by Deke, because he wasn’t a test pilot in flight test as Deke was. Gordo was involved with engineering tests. Then we got to John Glenn, who made it quite clear what he was. He was a Marine. [laughs] And the Marines are different.\\n\\n We got along with John because he’s really a neat guy. We became very close. John took over some errands we needed to take a look at and worked on them very hard. Worked on the flight control system as well as Deke. Deke always complained about not having rudder pedals. He wanted rudder pedals. We couldn’t have them, so we put yaw in the stick. So we got done with—Gus Grissom is probably the one that really hasn’t been portrayed very well. Gus, a little guy, sharp mind—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let’s wait till that jet goes by— [aircraft passing]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and save it for dear old Gus. That’s an important number in the book. Okay: Gus."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.44590116186799, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and save it for dear old Gus. That’s an important number in the book. Okay: Gus."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Gus was an intent person; very intense. And his intent was to get things done right, although Gus could be a lot of fun. We played “gotchas” on each other all the time; tricks, of course. I guess my favorite Gus one was later, when we were trying to do the Gemini vehicle, and we called it “the Gusmobile.” That’s kind of the way Gus was. He asserted himself and he was so intent that it was obvious it was going to be his vehicle. And we called Gemini “the Gusmobile.”\\n\\n He was trying to fly a vehicle that would come down on a little parachute like a hang glider, and he almost didn’t live through it. We said, “We’re not going to do that.” We all said that in that case, “We’re not going to do that.” He said, “Anybody else have an opinion?” “Nope. That’s our opinion.” That’s what Gus was like. Deke and Gus were very close. They were both Air Force. They both had gone through the same hoops together, I suppose. Gus had had combat in Korea. And I guess those who have had combat look at the others with a little bit less—not reserve but less heroic worship, I suppose. John Glenn had combat. Deke had combat. I had combat. Al and Scott had no combat time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve forgotten one person in your description."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Walter Marty Schirra."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 34.93989017985332, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Gus was an intent person; very intense. And his intent was to get things done right, although Gus could be a lot of fun. We played “gotchas” on each other all the time; tricks, of course. I guess my favorite Gus one was later, when we were trying to do the Gemini vehicle, and we called it “the Gusmobile.” That’s kind of the way Gus was. He asserted himself and he was so intent that it was obvious it was going to be his vehicle. And we called Gemini “the Gusmobile.”\\n\\n He was trying to fly a vehicle that would come down on a little parachute like a hang glider, and he almost didn’t live through it. We said, “We’re not going to do that.” We all said that in that case, “We’re not going to do that.” He said, “Anybody else have an opinion?” “Nope. That’s our opinion.” That’s what Gus was like. Deke and Gus were very close. They were both Air Force. They both had gone through the same hoops together, I suppose. Gus had had combat in Korea. And I guess those who have had combat look at the others with a little bit less—not reserve but less heroic worship, I suppose. John Glenn had combat. Deke had combat. I had combat. Al and Scott had no combat time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve forgotten one person in your description."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Walter Marty Schirra."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I told you I had combat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, you had combat. But you didn’t describe yourself. How would you describe yourself, Wally?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 35.450577166333275, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A quick break, yeah?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you want us to take a break?\n\nYeah, let’s take a quick break."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’re right at a very critical point in the interview, of course. But Wally’s—you’re putting this together beautifully."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ah, no problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But I don’t need this."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:160", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 39.38953018481475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’re right at a very critical point in the interview, of course. But Wally’s—you’re putting this together beautifully."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ah, no problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But I don’t need this."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll just put it right here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. Let’s make sure Wally gets what he needs there. When you’re comfortable, then we can start it.\n\nOh, okay.\n\nOkay. Now you were a little uncomfortable with the way—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:178", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 22.116133270208312, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It had to be perfect. That was—I was so thrilled, because I was at the Cape recently and I saw Sam Phillips Drive. Sam [Samuel C.] Phillips, then a General, called that mission 101%, which was spacecraft 101, by the way. But that thrilled me no end that Sam saw that what I was trying to do was to make it at least 101%."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The crew that you flew with, did you pick them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did not pick my crew. Donn and Walt were assigned by Deke. Donn was easy to work with. Walt was very difficult to work with. My wife said (and Walt’s heard me say this, so it’s not out of school), “He’s like a puppy dog. Scratch him behind the ears, and he’ll do anything you want.” When I stopped scratching him behind the ears, it was real hell. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After the flight of Apollo 7, did you think that your career would continue within NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no. Prior to the flight of Apollo 7—a lot of people don’t remember that—I announced I was retiring, leaving NASA, and possibly retiring from the Navy. Prior to the flight. So I had that in my little data bank. I hadn’t really committed to retiring from the Navy yet, but I was definitely leaving NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was another world out there, waiting for you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:180", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.017925855787013, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did not pick my crew. Donn and Walt were assigned by Deke. Donn was easy to work with. Walt was very difficult to work with. My wife said (and Walt’s heard me say this, so it’s not out of school), “He’s like a puppy dog. Scratch him behind the ears, and he’ll do anything you want.” When I stopped scratching him behind the ears, it was real hell. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After the flight of Apollo 7, did you think that your career would continue within NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no. Prior to the flight of Apollo 7—a lot of people don’t remember that—I announced I was retiring, leaving NASA, and possibly retiring from the Navy. Prior to the flight. So I had that in my little data bank. I hadn’t really committed to retiring from the Navy yet, but I was definitely leaving NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was another world out there, waiting for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I also knew, having almost not had an Apollo flight at all if you go back to that point in time, there was no way I was going to get another Apollo flight. And it turned out no crew commander was to get a second Apollo flight. The only one that broke that rule was Tom Stafford on Apollo-Soyuz. Now others had flown twice on Apollo, but not as a commander. So I knew that my destiny was there; I was gone. And I knew the Space Station—Skylab—would take too long for me to get involved. We had to go through all the lunar landings, all of that; and I’d seen these transitions from Mercury to Gemini, Gemini to Apollo. Those were long, hard, dry spells. I had no idea how long Shuttle would take, although it had been talked about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. I think then this is the time now to go back into Gemini, because we were just finishing up Mercury."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:182", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 21.131028728652236, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no. Prior to the flight of Apollo 7—a lot of people don’t remember that—I announced I was retiring, leaving NASA, and possibly retiring from the Navy. Prior to the flight. So I had that in my little data bank. I hadn’t really committed to retiring from the Navy yet, but I was definitely leaving NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was another world out there, waiting for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I also knew, having almost not had an Apollo flight at all if you go back to that point in time, there was no way I was going to get another Apollo flight. And it turned out no crew commander was to get a second Apollo flight. The only one that broke that rule was Tom Stafford on Apollo-Soyuz. Now others had flown twice on Apollo, but not as a commander. So I knew that my destiny was there; I was gone. And I knew the Space Station—Skylab—would take too long for me to get involved. We had to go through all the lunar landings, all of that; and I’d seen these transitions from Mercury to Gemini, Gemini to Apollo. Those were long, hard, dry spells. I had no idea how long Shuttle would take, although it had been talked about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. I think then this is the time now to go back into Gemini, because we were just finishing up Mercury."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We deviated to get across this solid story of the Apollo. Let’s go into Gemini just a bit. Let’s first of all talk about the big step up, down (or was it in between?), between Mercury and Gemini? What was the difference?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:186", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.383986084755847, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We deviated to get across this solid story of the Apollo. Let’s go into Gemini just a bit. Let’s first of all talk about the big step up, down (or was it in between?), between Mercury and Gemini? What was the difference?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I without doubt [would] say Gemini is my favorite flight. Gemini [short i], Gemini [long i], either one; quite correct. I recall Bob Gilruth on an airplane one time, flying commercially somewhere, back before we flew Gemini [short i] or Gemini [long i]. I said to Bob, “These women walking up and down the aisle. They’re stewardesses, right? What do you call them in plural? Are they ‘stewardi’ [long i] or are they ‘stewardi’ [short i]?” “They’re hostesses.” Thud! [laughs] So it turned out Gemini [short i] or Gemini [long i] is correct. It’s either Arabic or some other language. Latin I guess."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you know we in the television media once went to Walt [Walter C.] Williams and we said, “Now we don’t care which way you throw it up, but come down with an honest answer. We have to know whether it’s Gemini [short i] or Gemini [long i].”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he said—he thought for a moment and he said, “Gemini [short i].” I said, “Okay, so be it. From this point in, all the television guys will always call it Gemini [short i].” And we did."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:188", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.87109564972872, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I without doubt [would] say Gemini is my favorite flight. Gemini [short i], Gemini [long i], either one; quite correct. I recall Bob Gilruth on an airplane one time, flying commercially somewhere, back before we flew Gemini [short i] or Gemini [long i]. I said to Bob, “These women walking up and down the aisle. They’re stewardesses, right? What do you call them in plural? Are they ‘stewardi’ [long i] or are they ‘stewardi’ [short i]?” “They’re hostesses.” Thud! [laughs] So it turned out Gemini [short i] or Gemini [long i] is correct. It’s either Arabic or some other language. Latin I guess."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you know we in the television media once went to Walt [Walter C.] Williams and we said, “Now we don’t care which way you throw it up, but come down with an honest answer. We have to know whether it’s Gemini [short i] or Gemini [long i].”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he said—he thought for a moment and he said, “Gemini [short i].” I said, “Okay, so be it. From this point in, all the television guys will always call it Gemini [short i].” And we did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I called it Gemini [short i] most of the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know you did."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:190", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 27.6345507219208, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he said—he thought for a moment and he said, “Gemini [short i].” I said, “Okay, so be it. From this point in, all the television guys will always call it Gemini [short i].” And we did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I called it Gemini [short i] most of the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know you did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Gemini [short i] VI, that’s what I called one of the flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well anyway, I’m sorry I interrupted."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:192", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.593945246578667, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I called it Gemini [short i] most of the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know you did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Gemini [short i] VI, that’s what I called one of the flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well anyway, I’m sorry I interrupted."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What has happened in time: Gemini has been forgotten. There were no major stunts like the first man in space or the first man on the Moon or the first woman in space. So as a result, Gemini just fell down the crack. Yet without that mission, we could not have gone to the Moon and back. There were four things Gemini did: (1) [guiding] itself through reentry; it actually changed its pattern to come back into a landing point, which you had to do if you were coming back from the Moon; (2) enduring space for 2 weeks; (3) [taking] a spacesuit outside the spacecraft to do something; and (4) [doing] a rendezvous. I was so thrilled to do the rendezvous mission. That’s why I loved the mission, but—[aircraft passing]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ll wait till that jet goes by, because now we’re coming up to—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:194", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 32.88216138508741, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Gemini [short i] VI, that’s what I called one of the flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well anyway, I’m sorry I interrupted."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What has happened in time: Gemini has been forgotten. There were no major stunts like the first man in space or the first man on the Moon or the first woman in space. So as a result, Gemini just fell down the crack. Yet without that mission, we could not have gone to the Moon and back. There were four things Gemini did: (1) [guiding] itself through reentry; it actually changed its pattern to come back into a landing point, which you had to do if you were coming back from the Moon; (2) enduring space for 2 weeks; (3) [taking] a spacesuit outside the spacecraft to do something; and (4) [doing] a rendezvous. I was so thrilled to do the rendezvous mission. That’s why I loved the mission, but—[aircraft passing]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ll wait till that jet goes by, because now we’re coming up to—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—what we the media loosely labeled “76.” You know, your mission, first of all, as with all spaceflights, there were highlights, there were lowlights, there were moments of great adventure. And one of them you shared by virtue of being a pilot who knew when not to fly."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:196", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 36.53573487231934, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What has happened in time: Gemini has been forgotten. There were no major stunts like the first man in space or the first man on the Moon or the first woman in space. So as a result, Gemini just fell down the crack. Yet without that mission, we could not have gone to the Moon and back. There were four things Gemini did: (1) [guiding] itself through reentry; it actually changed its pattern to come back into a landing point, which you had to do if you were coming back from the Moon; (2) enduring space for 2 weeks; (3) [taking] a spacesuit outside the spacecraft to do something; and (4) [doing] a rendezvous. I was so thrilled to do the rendezvous mission. That’s why I loved the mission, but—[aircraft passing]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ll wait till that jet goes by, because now we’re coming up to—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—what we the media loosely labeled “76.” You know, your mission, first of all, as with all spaceflights, there were highlights, there were lowlights, there were moments of great adventure. And one of them you shared by virtue of being a pilot who knew when not to fly."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ah ha-ha."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you like to go back over that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:204", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 34.76106519176853, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, that’s how much time we had to do those kind of things! We didn’t have the Agena to dock with. But all that precise maneuvering with my left hand. Even though I write left-handed, most things I do with my right hand. But now from pitch, roll, and yaw, now we have forward, back, up, down, right, left. And now I have dexterity in both hands, so I was a hell of a good translation man! Again it was little tiny, tiny thrusts. There was a term we used, which you’ll probably cut out of the tape, but I wanted the smallest amount of thrust I could get. I called it “a micro-mouse fart.” [laughs] Bet it will never make it through the editor, but it’s still—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You never can tell. [laughs]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It might make it. [laughs] Well, fart’s not a dirty word anymore at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, not to the Germans at least."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right.\\n\\n Ausfahrt\\n\\n . You know German? Very good. But I wanted something that, if I made a maneuver, where I would come right a little bit, I want to come like this and then stop, and come back a little bit and stop. That’s why the Shuttle can dock with\\n\\n Mir\\n\\n today, or dock with the Space Station of the future. You’ve got to have these very slow, minimal attitude changes, where you don’t waste a lot of fuel. And that’s where we developed that technique to perfection. And from then on we did docking without any hesitation at all. All the Gemini flights were successful in docking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, it brings to mind, too: It seems to me I remember some signs being hung out of windows like “Beat Army,” “Beat Navy.” Wasn’t there something like that? Can you remember that for me?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:210", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.2223116485165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s rather interesting. Just recently, four Gemini astronauts got together in Dayton, Ohio, to induct Jim Lovell into the Hall of Fame. The other three of us had already been inducted. So Tom Stafford and I, who were Gemini VI, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell were there. We were doing these photographs, and the people who were doing the photographs—it was for\\n\\n Vanity Fair\\n\\n —wanted to do a Mount Rushmore pose, all heads. It looked like old, old men. At any rate, other pictures were taken. This photographer had asked one of his crewmen to call me before I went back. “Can you think of something that would make the guys laugh?” I said, “Yes, make a big sign that says ‘Beat Army.’” We did hold it up, and Frank Borman fell apart laughing.\\n\\n But now why did I do that? When we did the rendezvous, knowing we could do it, got within about 2 ft of the other window of the other spacecraft. (We figured you could just put the windows together; you didn’t have to put the noses together.) Frank Borman is a West Point graduate. With him is Jim Lovell, a Naval Academy graduate. With me, although he went in the Air Force, Tom Stafford Naval Academy, and I’m Naval Academy. Naturally I hold up the sign: “Beat Army.” [laughs] Frank Borman topped me, though, darn it, if you’ll remember that. He said, “Look at that sign. It says, ‘Beat Navy.’” The heck it does! [laughs] That’s in a museum at the Naval Academy, I might add, that sign."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The funny thing is we did have some tape with some film of that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh really?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. There was film of that particular episode."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I’d like to see that footage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s around somewhere. I don’t quite know where. As a matter of fact, you know, you can straighten something out for us. At that time in Gemini, the thing was being labeled either in Roman numerals or in numbers."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:212", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 34.691457387240554, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh really?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. There was film of that particular episode."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I’d like to see that footage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s around somewhere. I don’t quite know where. As a matter of fact, you know, you can straighten something out for us. At that time in Gemini, the thing was being labeled either in Roman numerals or in numbers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which was right? The Roman numerals or the—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:214", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 38.546063763600614, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I’d like to see that footage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s around somewhere. I don’t quite know where. As a matter of fact, you know, you can straighten something out for us. At that time in Gemini, the thing was being labeled either in Roman numerals or in numbers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which was right? The Roman numerals or the—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We used both. I think my patch has a “6” like that from your viewpoint. But also the “VI.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nobody ever really quite figured that out."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:216", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 42.82895973733402, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which was right? The Roman numerals or the—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We used both. I think my patch has a “6” like that from your viewpoint. But also the “VI.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nobody ever really quite figured that out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or straightened it out, let’s put it that way. Also let’s see. Houston took over Mission Control with Gemini. You were breaking in a whole new thing. Gemini IV was .actually the first flight out of Houston."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:218", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 42.03217748592668, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We used both. I think my patch has a “6” like that from your viewpoint. But also the “VI.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nobody ever really quite figured that out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or straightened it out, let’s put it that way. Also let’s see. Houston took over Mission Control with Gemini. You were breaking in a whole new thing. Gemini IV was .actually the first flight out of Houston."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually Jim [James A.] McDivitt and Ed White were the last to use that Mission Control Center at the Cape. Oddly enough, by the way, to put this on camera: I just got some correspondence from a guy (Troy Lufkin, I think his name was, or Ledkin) who’s trying to save Mission Control at the Cape, which is on Air Force land but a NASA building. And NASA has gone along with the idea of moving it over to Kennedy Space Center, which then takes an historical site, breaks it down, and moves it to someplace else. I think that’s wrong; really wrong."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You think it ought to stay where it is."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:220", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 42.25797498436298, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or straightened it out, let’s put it that way. Also let’s see. Houston took over Mission Control with Gemini. You were breaking in a whole new thing. Gemini IV was .actually the first flight out of Houston."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually Jim [James A.] McDivitt and Ed White were the last to use that Mission Control Center at the Cape. Oddly enough, by the way, to put this on camera: I just got some correspondence from a guy (Troy Lufkin, I think his name was, or Ledkin) who’s trying to save Mission Control at the Cape, which is on Air Force land but a NASA building. And NASA has gone along with the idea of moving it over to Kennedy Space Center, which then takes an historical site, breaks it down, and moves it to someplace else. I think that’s wrong; really wrong."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You think it ought to stay where it is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can vividly recall pictures—I was just in there, oh, less than—during John Glenn’s prep period, I went through that same Mission Control. Sat at the same console. I recall talking to Gordo from there. I can recall Al Shepard talking to John Glenn from there, with Chris [Christopher C.] Kraft in back of us. Chris Kraft wouldn’t dare come on the line unless the Capcom gave him permission, if you remember that? [laughs] But that was the way it was. We were all buddies. Chris is a little younger than I. I didn’t realize it. I always thought he was older than I. We’re all the same age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He just acted older."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:222", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 46.95330553818109, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually Jim [James A.] McDivitt and Ed White were the last to use that Mission Control Center at the Cape. Oddly enough, by the way, to put this on camera: I just got some correspondence from a guy (Troy Lufkin, I think his name was, or Ledkin) who’s trying to save Mission Control at the Cape, which is on Air Force land but a NASA building. And NASA has gone along with the idea of moving it over to Kennedy Space Center, which then takes an historical site, breaks it down, and moves it to someplace else. I think that’s wrong; really wrong."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You think it ought to stay where it is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can vividly recall pictures—I was just in there, oh, less than—during John Glenn’s prep period, I went through that same Mission Control. Sat at the same console. I recall talking to Gordo from there. I can recall Al Shepard talking to John Glenn from there, with Chris [Christopher C.] Kraft in back of us. Chris Kraft wouldn’t dare come on the line unless the Capcom gave him permission, if you remember that? [laughs] But that was the way it was. We were all buddies. Chris is a little younger than I. I didn’t realize it. I always thought he was older than I. We’re all the same age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He just acted older."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, he did. Very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was the boss."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:224", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 32, "return_to_go": 52.17033948686788, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can vividly recall pictures—I was just in there, oh, less than—during John Glenn’s prep period, I went through that same Mission Control. Sat at the same console. I recall talking to Gordo from there. I can recall Al Shepard talking to John Glenn from there, with Chris [Christopher C.] Kraft in back of us. Chris Kraft wouldn’t dare come on the line unless the Capcom gave him permission, if you remember that? [laughs] But that was the way it was. We were all buddies. Chris is a little younger than I. I didn’t realize it. I always thought he was older than I. We’re all the same age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He just acted older."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, he did. Very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was the boss."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. He was the boss of the flight directors, I know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s it. [laughs] Do you have any memories of other Gemini flights? Let’s say, for instance, Gemini VIII. You were—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:234", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 17.118561680753068, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I used the word earlier: commitment. I made a commitment to doing the things I could do within the timeframe I was willing to do it, which was almost 10 years to the day—April to July really. I had 10 years of doing what I thought was appropriate to get man into space, to make man perform in space, and make the prelude to going to the Moon and back. All those things were done. I thought I had a good time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, there were some things in there that I’m sure you look back on and say, “That was a key to the space program. I really did something there,” as compared to just doing the job that you had to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would say I enjoyed Gemini. Fully. I\\n\\n did\\n\\n Apollo. I was amazed, frankly, when John Glenn, who had only 5 hours in space, was anxious to go up there for—what was it?—8.3 days or 9.3 days. I was\\n\\n bored to tears\\n\\n up there for 11 days. I mean, bored! Fighter pilots like to fly for an hour, an hour-and-a-half, come back, and do something else. Maybe two flights a day, three flights, then you go to the bar. Unless you’re going to fly it the next day, then you don’t go to the bar. And to sit up there for 11 days, oh, that was so bad! Do you remember those little bands you’d wear around your wristwatch for the calendar? I have that band in a plastic block with 8 of the 11 days scratched off, like a prisoner. That plastic block and the band are in the Smithsonian, in the Air & Space Museum."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you saying you really wouldn’t like to fly on the Space Shuttle with the 9-, 10-day missions that they fly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would not at all be interested. I’d love to land the Shuttle. Everything else: Been there, done that, even have a shirt! [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well the Shuttle, of course, was the next generation."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:242", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.04353251143586, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To do work. Sure. I think it would be a crime to have a pilot go up there and sit around for months at a time. In fact, you haven’t seen many do that, if you look at it. And most of those who have been up there for a long time left NASA in a hurry, I’ve noticed that, too. But the concept of the Space Station is important if we’re going to go all the way to Mars and back. We’re talking at least 2 years and maybe 3 for the total mission. So you’ve got to select people who are willing to stay in that dumb environment for that long. You can’t eat out. [chuckles] And the entertainment is pretty limited. So I would say you’d have to be a totally different kind of person than a hotshot fighter pilot. That’s essentially what I thought I am."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you could start all over again, would you like to command a flight to Mars?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No way! No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Too long."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s too long. By the way, even to command a Shuttle flight in my mind would be too long. To\\n\\n command\\n\\n it, I would want at least 2 years to be properly prepared to fly that mission and command the mission."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now that’s a whole different ballgame, flying that spacecraft, isn’t it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:244", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.159480568262067, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No way! No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Too long."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s too long. By the way, even to command a Shuttle flight in my mind would be too long. To\\n\\n command\\n\\n it, I would want at least 2 years to be properly prepared to fly that mission and command the mission."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now that’s a whole different ballgame, flying that spacecraft, isn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It is. I flew the simulator in Houston one time and crashed on the landings, and, “Oh ho ho, I’d better practice this!” And of course, this was the first time. I had no cues or anything like this. I said, “This is bad.” The young astronaut who was checking me out laughs then, “I could have helped a little bit there, Wally.” I said, “I know, I know, I know.” You know, but when you can walk away from a landing you call it a good landing. I’m not sure I could have walked away from that one. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an interesting point of view."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:246", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.399422853624518, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s too long. By the way, even to command a Shuttle flight in my mind would be too long. To\\n\\n command\\n\\n it, I would want at least 2 years to be properly prepared to fly that mission and command the mission."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now that’s a whole different ballgame, flying that spacecraft, isn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It is. I flew the simulator in Houston one time and crashed on the landings, and, “Oh ho ho, I’d better practice this!” And of course, this was the first time. I had no cues or anything like this. I said, “This is bad.” The young astronaut who was checking me out laughs then, “I could have helped a little bit there, Wally.” I said, “I know, I know, I know.” You know, but when you can walk away from a landing you call it a good landing. I’m not sure I could have walked away from that one. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an interesting point of view."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it taught me a lesson, though. You’ve got to spend a lot of time, as I did in the simulators, to fly a vehicle safely under any possible circumstance that might come up. We trained out fear. We did not want any surprises at all. I almost had a semantic lecture I start out with. We can’t afford the luxury of fear. Because if you have fear, you’re out of control. If you’re out of control, you’re going to die. So you have to avoid surprises, because surprises conjure up fear. Or they make you afraid, we’ll say. If you go beyond all that, all I can afford is a little bit of apprehension. Not a whole bunch of apprehension either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting progression from a pilot’s point of view. I’m looking now at Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and on into Space Shuttle. From a pilot’s point of view, how would you size up, step-by-step, that progression?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:248", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.55491428180502, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It is. I flew the simulator in Houston one time and crashed on the landings, and, “Oh ho ho, I’d better practice this!” And of course, this was the first time. I had no cues or anything like this. I said, “This is bad.” The young astronaut who was checking me out laughs then, “I could have helped a little bit there, Wally.” I said, “I know, I know, I know.” You know, but when you can walk away from a landing you call it a good landing. I’m not sure I could have walked away from that one. [laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an interesting point of view."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it taught me a lesson, though. You’ve got to spend a lot of time, as I did in the simulators, to fly a vehicle safely under any possible circumstance that might come up. We trained out fear. We did not want any surprises at all. I almost had a semantic lecture I start out with. We can’t afford the luxury of fear. Because if you have fear, you’re out of control. If you’re out of control, you’re going to die. So you have to avoid surprises, because surprises conjure up fear. Or they make you afraid, we’ll say. If you go beyond all that, all I can afford is a little bit of apprehension. Not a whole bunch of apprehension either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting progression from a pilot’s point of view. I’m looking now at Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and on into Space Shuttle. From a pilot’s point of view, how would you size up, step-by-step, that progression?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything was the same, other than practicing that landing. And they practice that with, I think, it was a G-2. If they still use that Gulfstream-2 with gear flaps and speed brakes and all those thruster reverses to get that unbelievable glide slope. That sort of power-off landing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s the Shuttle, of course."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:250", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.838793646450021, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it taught me a lesson, though. You’ve got to spend a lot of time, as I did in the simulators, to fly a vehicle safely under any possible circumstance that might come up. We trained out fear. We did not want any surprises at all. I almost had a semantic lecture I start out with. We can’t afford the luxury of fear. Because if you have fear, you’re out of control. If you’re out of control, you’re going to die. So you have to avoid surprises, because surprises conjure up fear. Or they make you afraid, we’ll say. If you go beyond all that, all I can afford is a little bit of apprehension. Not a whole bunch of apprehension either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting progression from a pilot’s point of view. I’m looking now at Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and on into Space Shuttle. From a pilot’s point of view, how would you size up, step-by-step, that progression?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything was the same, other than practicing that landing. And they practice that with, I think, it was a G-2. If they still use that Gulfstream-2 with gear flaps and speed brakes and all those thruster reverses to get that unbelievable glide slope. That sort of power-off landing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s the Shuttle, of course."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I’m looking now at the progression from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo in terms of the pilot—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:252", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.265326273833356, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything was the same, other than practicing that landing. And they practice that with, I think, it was a G-2. If they still use that Gulfstream-2 with gear flaps and speed brakes and all those thruster reverses to get that unbelievable glide slope. That sort of power-off landing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s the Shuttle, of course."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I’m looking now at the progression from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo in terms of the pilot—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, oh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—what he had to do to fly the missions—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:254", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.850362526481506, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I’m looking now at the progression from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo in terms of the pilot—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, oh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—what he had to do to fly the missions—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m sorry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and then moving on to the Shuttle."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:276", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.662244177000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But the whole point is, this is a very difficult task. This is back to that same suit I was involved in. And the worst sound you could ever hear is “Sssss.” That could ruin your whole day. Now these guys and gals, I guess they’ll be working on some pretty complicated equipment, and it’s very possible they could puncture their suit. And that would probably bring a lot of media attention, I’ll say that. But they’re going to be working awfully hard to put all of these various pieces together, making all of these complexes. We’re building something locally in San Diego called Lego™ Land; this is Lego™ mile! It’s going to be a big one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As a matter of fact, as you look at the construction phases, it will be surprising indeed if there aren’t some moments of high drama in putting together that Space Station. With 45 missions at least."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s awfully hard to comprehend. Initially when we first started talking seriously about Shuttle, each Shuttle was supposed to have 100 flights. We have not had 100 flights total at this point in time. We’re approaching it; 95. But that was a higher number. I think there’s a 93 coming. But we’re getting close to 100 flights, which is the equivalent of one Shuttle. So we’ve got a lot more flights to go, allegedly, although I’m not sure the Shuttle will last that long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, the Shuttle will be a tug of sorts."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was supposed to have been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There will be replacements, will there not?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:282", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.904313000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For Shuttle?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the drawing-board there are some concepts for replacements for Shuttle. I think they call it the X-33 or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "38."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it the 38?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s the 38."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:284", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.782570000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the drawing-board there are some concepts for replacements for Shuttle. I think they call it the X-33 or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "38."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it the 38?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s the 38."}, {"role": "user", "content": "38? 33?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "38 is the crewed one.\n\nThat’s right."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:288", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.497, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "38? 33?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "38 is the crewed one.\n\nThat’s right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, 38 is the flying one. Oddly enough, now do you really want me to get me excited about flying that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You are a passenger like Glenn was on that Shuttle flight. There are no flight controls for the crew to fly the 38. It’s a back-to-chimp mode again, which really impressed the hell out of it. But why? You don’t need a pilot to do all those hotshot flyboy things. You’re going to have technicians, scientists, medical people. This is what the Space Station is all about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A transfer vehicle."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 8.33, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, 38 is the flying one. Oddly enough, now do you really want me to get me excited about flying that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You are a passenger like Glenn was on that Shuttle flight. There are no flight controls for the crew to fly the 38. It’s a back-to-chimp mode again, which really impressed the hell out of it. But why? You don’t need a pilot to do all those hotshot flyboy things. You’re going to have technicians, scientists, medical people. This is what the Space Station is all about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A transfer vehicle."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a transfer vehicle, which is what Soyuz has always been. Soyuz is not flown by the cosmonauts. So maybe they were smarter than we were. But we had to do those tasks because we didn’t have automated systems that could land on the Moon and get back again at that time. Now we have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think we should go back to the Moon?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.7, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You are a passenger like Glenn was on that Shuttle flight. There are no flight controls for the crew to fly the 38. It’s a back-to-chimp mode again, which really impressed the hell out of it. But why? You don’t need a pilot to do all those hotshot flyboy things. You’re going to have technicians, scientists, medical people. This is what the Space Station is all about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A transfer vehicle."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a transfer vehicle, which is what Soyuz has always been. Soyuz is not flown by the cosmonauts. So maybe they were smarter than we were. But we had to do those tasks because we didn’t have automated systems that could land on the Moon and get back again at that time. Now we have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think we should go back to the Moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was told that half of the lunar samples that were brought back from the Moon are in storage in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, waiting for newer equipment to look at it. I also reminisce about that great man [Wernher] von Braun, who was a dear friend of ours. He entertained the seven of us at his home shortly after we were selected. Showed us engineering drawings of how to go into space that were used in their preliminary studies back in the time frame of World War Two. That’s how far ahead he was. Now Wernher wasn’t too good on spacecraft, but he was sure good on boosters. But he did say something about the Moon I thought was really prophetic. “Whatever you bring back from the Moon, whatever piece of material you bring back, if you compare it to investment-grade diamonds, which is worth $40,000 a carat, it’s not worth it. But the knowledge is.” That’s a very good statement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, Wally, we’ve pretty well covered all the bases I had in mind. Is there anything else that you’d like to tuck into this interview? Because right now’s a grand chance to put one down for posterity."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00499:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 3.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a transfer vehicle, which is what Soyuz has always been. Soyuz is not flown by the cosmonauts. So maybe they were smarter than we were. But we had to do those tasks because we didn’t have automated systems that could land on the Moon and get back again at that time. Now we have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think we should go back to the Moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was told that half of the lunar samples that were brought back from the Moon are in storage in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, waiting for newer equipment to look at it. I also reminisce about that great man [Wernher] von Braun, who was a dear friend of ours. He entertained the seven of us at his home shortly after we were selected. Showed us engineering drawings of how to go into space that were used in their preliminary studies back in the time frame of World War Two. That’s how far ahead he was. Now Wernher wasn’t too good on spacecraft, but he was sure good on boosters. But he did say something about the Moon I thought was really prophetic. “Whatever you bring back from the Moon, whatever piece of material you bring back, if you compare it to investment-grade diamonds, which is worth $40,000 a carat, it’s not worth it. But the knowledge is.” That’s a very good statement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, Wally, we’ve pretty well covered all the bases I had in mind. Is there anything else that you’d like to tuck into this interview? Because right now’s a grand chance to put one down for posterity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Talking about Wernher von Braun, you’ve really got to have this one on film. Whenever we went to an event where maybe 10 to 100 people were and Wernher von Braun was there, Wernher would say, “Wally, tell that cosmonaut story.” “\\n\\n Ja\\n\\n , Wernher, I tell the story.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[aircraft passing] Well, you’ll tell the story after the jet goes by."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00267:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 109.52620864880086, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. One of my proud moments was swearing in my son at M.I.T. into the Navy, him having graduated from Tufts on an ROTC scholarship. But he’s since left the Navy. He’s not in the Navy anymore, but that’s okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that’s interesting how you pointed out that you didn’t actually go on with the program because you didn’t want to give two years, but you ended up—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Didn’t want to give four years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Four years. But you ended up doing a whole career with the Navy afterwards."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It is, some things happen that are ironic in retrospect."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the time that you were interested in becoming a naval aviator, had you been looking at the Apollo astronauts and thinking this might be a possibility?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00267:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 19, "return_to_go": 110.58467627644539, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Didn’t want to give four years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Four years. But you ended up doing a whole career with the Navy afterwards."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It is, some things happen that are ironic in retrospect."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the time that you were interested in becoming a naval aviator, had you been looking at the Apollo astronauts and thinking this might be a possibility?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the timing is such that the word Apollo didn’t even exist in terms of spaceflight when I was thinking about becoming a naval aviator. If you recall, Alan [B.] Shepard’s first flight was in 1961, and that was my junior year in college, but I was fascinated by the Mercury Program and, of course, later, Gemini and Apollo.\\n\\n Even before I became an aviator, while I was at Monterey, I had read that NASA was recruiting scientists to become astronauts, and I wrote a letter to NASA saying, “I’m in graduate school. You could tailor my education however you saw fit to optimize my benefit to the program, and I’d be very interested in becoming an astronaut.”\\n\\n I got a letter back saying, “Thank you very much for your interest. Don’t call us. We’ll call you.” That was in early ’65, I think, so it was twelve years later that I was accepted into the astronaut program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you find out that they were going to be selecting Space Shuttle astronauts?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00267:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 78.5707940935853, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was a concern for all of us, and you could see from the onboard TV cameras, these tiles missing on the OMS [Orbital Maneuvering System] pods, the shoulder pods on the back of the tail. You just wait for the guys to do the thermal analysis and say, well, that may or may not be a problem. But then, of course, you say, well, if those fell off, how do we know some of them haven’t come off the bottom? And there was no—well, I don’t think there was, at that time, any way to verify that. So it was tense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you moved on to be a support crew member for STS-2. What was that like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "STS-2. That was still the same. It was just doing the same sorts of things. I was entry CapCom by myself. Joe Allen was going to train for STS-5. So it was just more of the same. I really enjoyed working with Crip and John and Joe. Joe and Dick were just fun to be with. They had a great sense of humor. They were always looking for ways to have fun. They were great to work for.\\n\\n So that mission launched when? Two. STS-2."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don’t have the exact dates."}, {"role": "user", "content": "STS-1 was April of ’81, so STS-2, I presume, was late ’81, early ’82. So it was right about then that they started naming additional crews, and I was on the list for STS-7 and Crip was the commander, so it was clear that he was happy with what I’d done with him as support crew. That was a great day. It was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell us about that day?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00267:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 102.95033483345034, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, George, I think—George probably called each one of us separately and said, “Can you come over to my office in Building One?” I don’t have a distinct memory of that conversation, so all I remember is that Crip said, “Hey, let’s go over to—,” I wish I could remember the name of the bar—“and have a beer.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Outpost?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it wasn’t the Outpost then. It was on the other side of the street."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Singing Wheel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It doesn’t matter. So Crip and Sally [K. Ride] and John [M. Fabian] and I went over there and celebrated and said, “Okay, now we’ve got something we can train for.” Yes, that was great. I was fortunate that I was early on in the selection, both to be co-pilot and commander among my compatriots. I know I’ve heard a lot of grousing about the method in which selection took place; it wasn’t fair and so on. I’ve got no complaints."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were actually the first pilot from your class to be selected."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00267:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 114.38926092605594, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it wasn’t the Outpost then. It was on the other side of the street."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Singing Wheel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It doesn’t matter. So Crip and Sally [K. Ride] and John [M. Fabian] and I went over there and celebrated and said, “Okay, now we’ve got something we can train for.” Yes, that was great. I was fortunate that I was early on in the selection, both to be co-pilot and commander among my compatriots. I know I’ve heard a lot of grousing about the method in which selection took place; it wasn’t fair and so on. I’ve got no complaints."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were actually the first pilot from your class to be selected."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was actually the first flight of an American woman in space. How did that affect your crew training?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00267:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 128.277, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you like to take a break for a minute?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure.\\n\\n [Tape change]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "While you’re talking about STS 51-A, I had a couple of questions for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a point when you looked at the goals or objectives for this mission and thought perhaps it was too risky for you and the crew?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00267:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 77, "return_to_go": 132.53, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure.\\n\\n [Tape change]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "While you’re talking about STS 51-A, I had a couple of questions for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a point when you looked at the goals or objectives for this mission and thought perhaps it was too risky for you and the crew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t ever remember thinking it was too risky for us physically, threat-to-life kind of risk. I always thought it was risky in terms of being able to pull it off. And the insurance community, there were two prime players; one, a Lloyd’s [of London] underwriter named Stephen Merrett; the other one, a U.S. underwriter named James Barrett. James Barrett founded this company [AXA Space]. That’s how I happen to be here.\\n\\n But Jim came down and visited Johnson Space Center and we offered to take him through the simulators and show him what we were working on. I remember at one point he said, “Nothing that we are asking you to do is worth compromising your safety,” which doesn’t need to be said, but it was nice to hear him say that. And we never thought that we were really—or I never thought. It would be good to ask, if you haven’t already, to ask Joe Allen or Dale Gardner as EVA crew members if they felt that they were—they were certainly doing something riskier than I was doing, because they were going outside and they were going untethered on the MMU, each of them, Joe for the first one and Dale for the second one.\\n\\n I don’t remember having a fear of failure, but I remember being very upset at this press release that I’ve already talked about, because up until that point, I thought it was very clear that we were doing something that had a fair amount of mission risk to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you compare and contrast the public interest in this mission versus the interest in your first mission? Do you have a sense of the differences or the similarities?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00042:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.281441000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The records are stored at Archives II right now, and the Trump Library does have a website. I think it's Trumplibrary.gov, and the public, just like any other Presidential Library, can find out information about the administration, the holdings, and all of that on the website and contact the library staff that way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, I see. Let's see here . . . One other thing I wanted to ask about was the move of classified records from the downtown Archives to Archives II. Were you involved in that process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit. Yes, yes. So, for the move of the Trump records from downtown to Archives II . . . the military did most of the physical labor of building the pallets. But I was there as a national security clearance holder to provide oversight escort for that. So, it's weird, because you're just standing there while people are doing this work, but you have to stand there and have eyes on—not that they're going to open a box, but just in case. So, yes. And part of my responsibilities was to be the Information Security Personnel Manager, ISPM, so I was responsible for the management of all the SCIFs, the secure vaults for our office, as well as making sure that everyone who has a security clearance had checked all their boxes about notifying about foreign travel, taking training, all of that. And so, in this wonderful role [LAUGHS], I was responsible for all the combinations and just accessing all those spaces. And so that was one of the ways I contributed was just managing that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mhm. Okay. Well, that's still a big job to take on. So, let's see here . . . You left NARA. Was that in December of 2023?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I think, because my first day with the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board was December 2nd. So, I would say the end of November . . . was my last day with NARA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And so how many years had you worked at NARA when you left?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00042:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.09049, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit. Yes, yes. So, for the move of the Trump records from downtown to Archives II . . . the military did most of the physical labor of building the pallets. But I was there as a national security clearance holder to provide oversight escort for that. So, it's weird, because you're just standing there while people are doing this work, but you have to stand there and have eyes on—not that they're going to open a box, but just in case. So, yes. And part of my responsibilities was to be the Information Security Personnel Manager, ISPM, so I was responsible for the management of all the SCIFs, the secure vaults for our office, as well as making sure that everyone who has a security clearance had checked all their boxes about notifying about foreign travel, taking training, all of that. And so, in this wonderful role [LAUGHS], I was responsible for all the combinations and just accessing all those spaces. And so that was one of the ways I contributed was just managing that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mhm. Okay. Well, that's still a big job to take on. So, let's see here . . . You left NARA. Was that in December of 2023?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I think, because my first day with the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board was December 2nd. So, I would say the end of November . . . was my last day with NARA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And so how many years had you worked at NARA when you left?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh gosh, let me think. So full time, I started March 2002. So, it was 21, almost 22 years. I like to say I started when I was [CROSS-TALKING], but you know. [LAUGHS]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mhm. Wow! So, did they do anything—your team members? Did they do anything for you when you left NARA?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00042:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The people. Yeah. . . They really symbolize public service. So, I miss all of them. But the good thing is I still get to see them. In some ways, I feel like I've seen some of my colleagues [LAUGHS] more now that I've left than before, because the ones that I was not working with day to day, they've made sure to, like, \"Let's go to dinner! Let's go to brunch!\" We'll just check in and say, \"How are you doing?\" So . . . I miss the people. And I want to say I miss the records. But it's more than the records. I miss that magic moment of connecting a request or a member of the public, whoever, with the record that they wanted or the record that they didn't know they wanted, but they actually needed. Like that, I miss that moment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We've covered a lot in this time. Is there anything else that you want to mention that we haven't talked about yet?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, gosh. I could talk about it forever. More than anything, I just so appreciate my time at NARA. I'm very much the person I am today because I worked at NARA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mhm. Do you see yourself ever coming back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "[LAUGHS] Maybe. Maybe. I mean, the job that I'm in is a term-appointment, so I will be looking for a job at some point in the future. I mean, the good thing about an organization that's growing and thriving [WIPES TEARS] is that it grows and thrives. So, I know if I come back to NARA, it's not going to be the NARA I left. But it will still have great people and a great mission. So . . . I would consider it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[LAUGHS] Well, I think all of your former teammates are going to be listening to this then and holding you to it, so . . . [LAUGHS]"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00042:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, gosh. I could talk about it forever. More than anything, I just so appreciate my time at NARA. I'm very much the person I am today because I worked at NARA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mhm. Do you see yourself ever coming back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "[LAUGHS] Maybe. Maybe. I mean, the job that I'm in is a term-appointment, so I will be looking for a job at some point in the future. I mean, the good thing about an organization that's growing and thriving [WIPES TEARS] is that it grows and thrives. So, I know if I come back to NARA, it's not going to be the NARA I left. But it will still have great people and a great mission. So . . . I would consider it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[LAUGHS] Well, I think all of your former teammates are going to be listening to this then and holding you to it, so . . . [LAUGHS]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh my gosh! I'm like, \"Did I mention all the names I need to mention?\" I mean, they're just so many people I've worked with, and I will just throw in this joke. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would have gotten to meet the people I've gotten to meet and sit in so many meetings with so many lawyers. And I say that specifically for Gary M. Stern [LAUGHS] and for Hannah Bergman, because I always was like, [WHISPERING] \"Why are there so many lawyers on this call?\" It's really a blessing to know that the career I had is beyond the imaginings that I had for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mhm. Right. From when you first started out and, you know, graduating from college and then to all the experiences that you had while you were working here, just amazing. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00557:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 50.86287178611938, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t. A very, very low level; sometimes you did. Principally, when you have a vehicle accident like this, it falls on the shoulders of the Program Manager and the Administrator and the other higher-level people than Center management to talk to the press. So, no, I didn’t have much interaction with the press on\\n\\n Columbia\\n\\n , like I did on\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n , being the Lead Flight Director.\\n\\n We may have talked about this. I don’t remember whether it’s in the previous sessions or not, but I got so tired of being bushwhacked by the press, going from one building to another after the\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n accident that I completely changed my appearance overnight so they didn’t know who I was. I shaved off a beard I’d had for fifteen years and cut my hair real short, and they didn’t find me for about four weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were incognito. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, it’s not that the press is bad. It’s just that they’re always in a press for information, and oftentimes in a time of tragedy it’s information they don’t need to know, and neither does anybody else. It gets quite annoying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can imagine so. Did you travel to East Texas?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, several times. I went up early on to survey the debris area; went twice with Beak. We went multiple times. For several weeks we were up there once a week just to interact with the team and find out what they needed and let them know that we really cared and to take people from Washington [D.C.] up there so they—you know, just to help with those logistics. So I went a number of times. Flew on the helicopters multiple times just looking at the debris field early on before we even started picking it up, and then I spent a lot of time down at the Cape, where we were reassembling all the pieces on the floor of a hangar down there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your impressions of the recovery effort going on in East Texas and the different agencies all working together?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00557:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 17, "return_to_go": 43.0672013, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I still get to fly model airplanes. Part of the deal was he took Friday afternoons off always to go play golf. I come in late on Friday mornings, because I fly every Friday morning if the weather is good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s a good deal."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a good deal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A good job. Well, as I think we had mentioned before the interview, this is a week for NASA of a lot of remembrances, for Apollo 1, for\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n , and for\\n\\n Columbia\\n\\n . In 2004 the Mission Control Center team held a special plaque ceremony for all three crews, and you were asked to place the one for STS 51-L, of course, the\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n . If you would, just for a second tell us about that ceremony."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was one of those things that we felt it was time to hang the\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n plaque in the Control Center for Flight Controllers to always remember that, just like on Apollo 1 and just like on Apollo 13, things can go horribly wrong, and you become accountable right now. Because I was the Lead Flight Director and had tried to get this done for quite some time, I was asked to hang the\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n plaque. It was a very emotional thing for me, and unfortunately, it was just before we lost\\n\\n Columbia\\n\\n . So, you seem to relearn things again and again and again, and what you learn is space flight is unforgiving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you’ve also worked over the years for a number of different Flight Directors and Center Directors, and they all had different management styles, as we’ve talked about through these sessions. [Stone laughs.] But do you have any other thoughts on some of the different people and how maybe their styles influenced your management style in what you’re doing now?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00557:60", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it sure brought a lot of people here. When I first came here, there weren’t many people. There were lots of wilderness areas around here. I hunted deer legally where Bay Oaks [subdivision] and places are years ago in the late sixties before Bay Area Boulevard was opened to the public. It was built, but it didn’t go all the way to Red Bluff [Road]. It was blocked off. One of my friends was a highway patrolman, and he got one of his buddies, and they parked a car at one end and parked a car at the other end and had the road blocked off and let me drive my racecar up and down Bay Area Boulevard at about 140 miles an hour.\\n\\n So NASA has changed the area, and it’s interesting, over the years. This area has just now in the last seven over eight years has become more diversified in different economic groups living in the area. In the sixties all of these apartment complexes had professionals that worked at NASA or worked for the oil companies, and it was kind of an artificial world that NASA created out here, where the most uneducated person you knew only had a college degree. Almost, it was that sort of thing. So it made for a different environment that has slowly but surely become more like the rest of the world as all of the population has moved out this way. But NASA obviously had a huge impact on the area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything we haven’t talked about you wanted to mention before we go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t think of anything. I’ll probably think of forty or fifty things later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we can always add them, or we can do another session."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But this has been very enjoyable for me. I hope I didn’t spin too many tales."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, not at all."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00557:62", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t think of anything. I’ll probably think of forty or fifty things later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we can always add them, or we can do another session."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But this has been very enjoyable for me. I hope I didn’t spin too many tales."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, not at all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m more of a storyteller than I am an interviewer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it’s amazing how much information can come out of those stories. But we appreciate you coming."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00451:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 58.160664124344166, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never. We never had, even in real time. We had one case where somebody got really ill, and after launch in the first phase you stay on and you do the first several orbits. I’m sure it was nerves. But that was the only case where I know of anybody that the backup had to help him get through that first phase.\\n\\n But the rest of the time usually you simulated enough that the Flight Directors knew who to put on different missions, and they would have their big caucus and decide who was going to team on the next flight and who the backups would be and that sort of thing. So you always had backups in case you—you could always have an automobile accident or something and lose people.\\n\\n But we never had attrition of any significance in the trench, for sure; in fact, any of the flight control teams. I never remember much. The only time you ever had a problem is if somebody got sick, usually. Usually you do enough sims [simulations] that things like this case that I told you about wouldn’t happen. That was the only glitch that I recall that was kind of a flight control glitch. I’m sure there were lots of others, but that was the one I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got good data out of it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Oh, we did. We got really good data. Nobody was concerned. I think I have copies of all my flight control postflight reports of what happened during the mission and all that stuff. I’ve still got all those. I don’t know that those would be useful to anybody. They must be in the archives somewhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But they aren’t easy to find. I went one time and tried to do some research on one of the missions to be sure which mission some things happened, and I couldn’t find anything in the history files about that. So I don’t know that people—they were in the record. You always had files. You had to turn it in, so it went somewhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we’ll ask about that and see."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00451:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 17, "return_to_go": 64.62296013816018, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Oh, we did. We got really good data. Nobody was concerned. I think I have copies of all my flight control postflight reports of what happened during the mission and all that stuff. I’ve still got all those. I don’t know that those would be useful to anybody. They must be in the archives somewhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But they aren’t easy to find. I went one time and tried to do some research on one of the missions to be sure which mission some things happened, and I couldn’t find anything in the history files about that. So I don’t know that people—they were in the record. You always had files. You had to turn it in, so it went somewhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we’ll ask about that and see."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If they’re interested, I think I still have some of the ones for the guidance position, anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That would be great. But while the unmanned testing was going on, of course, there were tests with the first crew, and the nation lost the Apollo 1 crew. How did that affect what you were doing and impact the morale of the controllers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00063:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 28, "return_to_go": 75.87183076302946, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember seeing Fiji from the air, Nadi on the Nadi side, it was beautiful, obviously tropical beaches. And it was a gorgeous morning. And I think we flew all night and landed early morning. And so it was great. And then we were picked up at the airport, met the director, a guy named John Delezio, who’s picture is here in this book. And we were bussed to the Nadi Hotel, which I looked for when I was in Nadi a couple of months ago, the one that was the Nadi Hotel is not there. So anyway, and spent a couple, I think a couple of nights there, that was a lot of fun. It was a little more relaxed. The Peace Corps staff I liked a lot. Delezio was a very cool guy, not too different from the guy you and I just met in Fiji at the reunion. I forget his name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dennis."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dennis. Yeah. Kind of similar personalities and skills in terms of being, you know, well-spoken but cool and calm and very intelligent. Delezio was like that too. So that was very positive. Then we took a bus, or I think we took, did we take the local bus to Suva? I think we made every stop on the way to Suva, so it must have been the local bus. Or it was a Peace Corps bus, but it's still a local bus. And with, you know, no windows, the flaps are all rolled up, and driving through the country on dirt roads, a lot more dirt roads back in those days. So a long bus ride but that was kind of neat. And the coral coast all the way over to Suva. So that was the arrival."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you did your training then in-country when you got to Suva?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, we were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about your training, where you stayed, what the training consisted of."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 36.671373025858784, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Charles Murray, well, you have his book. It's in the library. I have his phone numbers. I don't talk to him very much because he's—that wasn't his bent. He's a sociologist, and that's what he does. But I don't know why he got it in his mind to do this. It took him five years to write the book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's actually pretty short, a short time frame, period, compared to some of the other books."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was so hard for him to cover it all. He accomplished something nobody else really did. He met everybody or he met people that knew the people that had already passed away. He knew everybody that was instrumental in making the program go. He knew everybody, and it was just astonishing how he made those contacts and became friendly with them all and had anecdotes about people, like George [M.] Low, mild George Low, who's the guy who said, \"Let's go to the moon on Apollo 8.\" You never would have dreamed that George Low would have the guts to do that.\\n\\n What I would do is build a list of what might be considered the prime flight controller contacts to see if you can wrest away their collections, because I have a lot of stuff I've collected, and, of course, I had, in addition, because I was doing the help on the CD-ROM. When I pass away, where's it going? It's not going anywhere. It'll probably get trashed somewhere or it'll get spread around. So that's probably a needy thing to do. And I know Doyle [McDonald] told me what happened with the Rice [University] thing, it didn't work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. We're still trying to work on that anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's too bad. You need an environment to protect the paper. Who's going to pay for that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The National Archives certainly isn't doing a very good job of it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 39.63485891762087, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was so hard for him to cover it all. He accomplished something nobody else really did. He met everybody or he met people that knew the people that had already passed away. He knew everybody that was instrumental in making the program go. He knew everybody, and it was just astonishing how he made those contacts and became friendly with them all and had anecdotes about people, like George [M.] Low, mild George Low, who's the guy who said, \"Let's go to the moon on Apollo 8.\" You never would have dreamed that George Low would have the guts to do that.\\n\\n What I would do is build a list of what might be considered the prime flight controller contacts to see if you can wrest away their collections, because I have a lot of stuff I've collected, and, of course, I had, in addition, because I was doing the help on the CD-ROM. When I pass away, where's it going? It's not going anywhere. It'll probably get trashed somewhere or it'll get spread around. So that's probably a needy thing to do. And I know Doyle [McDonald] told me what happened with the Rice [University] thing, it didn't work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. We're still trying to work on that anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's too bad. You need an environment to protect the paper. Who's going to pay for that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The National Archives certainly isn't doing a very good job of it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a lot of paper that is not going to last. I was astonished that my tapes stayed in my desk at work for twenty years without self-destructing. I was amazed. They were still good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you were to donate your materials, what would you be looking for in terms of an area, or what priorities would you look for in a place?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 39.59428768624541, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's too bad. You need an environment to protect the paper. Who's going to pay for that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The National Archives certainly isn't doing a very good job of it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a lot of paper that is not going to last. I was astonished that my tapes stayed in my desk at work for twenty years without self-destructing. I was amazed. They were still good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you were to donate your materials, what would you be looking for in terms of an area, or what priorities would you look for in a place?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know—well, perhaps you don't know, I was a EECOM flight controller throughout all of Apollo, from the beginning to the end, as well as ASTP [Apollo Soyuz Test Project] and Skylab and the beginning of shuttle, [when I finally had it] up to here with it, which nobody could understand, that I wanted to not be a flight controller anymore. Can you imagine that? [Laughter] Probably the most exciting time for me was the Apollo 13 thing, so I was kind of a focal point for a while. So if that's your question, much of my stuff centers around that, and you would probably have a big area for that mission, because it's so well documented, so much written about it, so that would be a place to put it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What would you look for in a place to put it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 43.993652984717116, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a lot of paper that is not going to last. I was astonished that my tapes stayed in my desk at work for twenty years without self-destructing. I was amazed. They were still good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you were to donate your materials, what would you be looking for in terms of an area, or what priorities would you look for in a place?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know—well, perhaps you don't know, I was a EECOM flight controller throughout all of Apollo, from the beginning to the end, as well as ASTP [Apollo Soyuz Test Project] and Skylab and the beginning of shuttle, [when I finally had it] up to here with it, which nobody could understand, that I wanted to not be a flight controller anymore. Can you imagine that? [Laughter] Probably the most exciting time for me was the Apollo 13 thing, so I was kind of a focal point for a while. So if that's your question, much of my stuff centers around that, and you would probably have a big area for that mission, because it's so well documented, so much written about it, so that would be a place to put it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What would you look for in a place to put it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you were asking me that question of anybody, they would want to make sure that the materials that they had would be in some kind of an environment that would preserve the materials and that the materials would be available to anybody that wanted to—they would have to be archived in some manner that people could access the material. I mean, what good is it sitting in a box? So that would be very important, the environment and the cataloging and the availability. Have you come across other questions?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. That's been the two criteria—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 58.655163823681015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Only from their areas of expertise. It's just like any organization. The way it disintegrates is you have a flight director who has a number of mission operations control room flight controllers, and each of them has a staff in the back room. Like during Skylab, I had five people back there because it was such a complicated spacecraft. On Apollo, I had one prime electrical system going, one prime environmental system going. Environmental control system and electrical power. Technically I only had two people back there, and they only concerned themselves necessarily with their areas that they were responsible for. Like the environmental control systems guy also had the cryogenics, which was prime on 13. It turned out that everybody got affected, electrical power and the fuel cells and stuff like that.\\n\\n What happens is, they don't necessarily know how to talk to each other. They talk to me, the MOCR flight controller, and I put all their inputs together, and then it goes up the line. Gene Kranz, or whoever is the flight director then, integrates all the inputs coming in from everybody. It's interesting. That's why I could never be a flight director. It's too much to juggle, a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were most of these people contractors or were they ever civil servants?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The front-room guys were always NASA, always. Rare exceptions were they not. The back-room guys mostly were contractor, and that's changed now. Now it's all mostly contractor everyplace. So the career people, so-called career people, were in the front room, and that's how we did it. As NASA, we had the prime responsibility for success or failure of the mission, and that's what we did, and we worried about that. So the people you'll be talking to or contacting mostly will be NASA, ex-NASA, mostly retired now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Lucky for them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it's not that. It's just that you're going to have to find them, and that's not going to be a problem, because Bob Legler has most of their addresses, because we have reunion things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What a good idea."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 64.14217756010001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it's not that. It's just that you're going to have to find them, and that's not going to be a problem, because Bob Legler has most of their addresses, because we have reunion things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What a good idea."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a twentieth anniversary way back of Apollo 17. Last year I think they had one for Apollo 16, which I couldn't get to because it was practically flooding around here, and they really had a lot of people from around the country came in for that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's terrific."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My company, one of the three owners of my company is Gene [Eugene A.] Cernan, so he's still around. But you've got to get them before they get away. I personally think this effort should have started a long time ago, and I'm just astonished that it didn't. I've always been disheartened by the lack of attention to history on the part of NASA in general. Somebody should have really been leading that. As far as the flight controllers are concerned, all we did was just go to work and fly a mission, go back to the office, throw the old books away. That's what we did, unfortunately. I threw everything away. Wish I hadn't thrown some of that stuff away, but I didn't have anyplace to put it, and we'd toss it away and go get ready for another mission three months down the road, go to the moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's one thing that people will remember a hundred, a thousand years from now."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 67.93575284455557, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a twentieth anniversary way back of Apollo 17. Last year I think they had one for Apollo 16, which I couldn't get to because it was practically flooding around here, and they really had a lot of people from around the country came in for that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's terrific."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My company, one of the three owners of my company is Gene [Eugene A.] Cernan, so he's still around. But you've got to get them before they get away. I personally think this effort should have started a long time ago, and I'm just astonished that it didn't. I've always been disheartened by the lack of attention to history on the part of NASA in general. Somebody should have really been leading that. As far as the flight controllers are concerned, all we did was just go to work and fly a mission, go back to the office, throw the old books away. That's what we did, unfortunately. I threw everything away. Wish I hadn't thrown some of that stuff away, but I didn't have anyplace to put it, and we'd toss it away and go get ready for another mission three months down the road, go to the moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's one thing that people will remember a hundred, a thousand years from now."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They'll wonder why we didn't go back. That's another thing people ask me, \"Do you think we'll ever go back?\" when I give these little speeches.\\n\\n I say, \"Well, we'll never go back to the moon in my lifetime.\"\\n\\n And Mars? Who knows. Thirty years? It all depends on what we find there. But you can kiss off the moon. And I know how [George W. S.] Abbey feels about it. We should already have a base there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who are some of the people that you worked with during your missions that you think people might have a really keen insight into besides some of the lead flight controllers and flight directors?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 50.40138682080664, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you move around with one or two in particular?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. It was whoever. What we did try to do, though, management did try, where they could, the back-room guys who were more expert in the various systems of the spacecraft than we were, just as we were more expert in how the spacecraft worked than the flight director. They tried to pair or match up with--like, say I wasn't very strong in instrumentation systems, they would make sure that the back-room guy that I had, was strong in that so he could make up where my weakness was. So they tried to always form a team that was strong all the way around, and, of course, it meant I had to be sure I asked questions, too. Egos don't get by in that business, especially if [Christopher C.] Kraft's [Jr.] still around. You never try to sandbag a flight director. You always say, \"I don't know.\" That was what Kraft taught. If you didn't say that, you were out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to work under him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. He had become management by the time—I mean, I was there during the—I went down to the Cape during one of the last Gemini simulations that they had in the old control center down there, so I got to see him work, and I couldn't appreciate it, obviously. Now I would. And then, of course, he knew who I was after a while, by first name. He is quite surprising. I'm just surprised he never wrote a book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From what I understand, he's in the process of doing just that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 51.557096467562936, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. It was whoever. What we did try to do, though, management did try, where they could, the back-room guys who were more expert in the various systems of the spacecraft than we were, just as we were more expert in how the spacecraft worked than the flight director. They tried to pair or match up with--like, say I wasn't very strong in instrumentation systems, they would make sure that the back-room guy that I had, was strong in that so he could make up where my weakness was. So they tried to always form a team that was strong all the way around, and, of course, it meant I had to be sure I asked questions, too. Egos don't get by in that business, especially if [Christopher C.] Kraft's [Jr.] still around. You never try to sandbag a flight director. You always say, \"I don't know.\" That was what Kraft taught. If you didn't say that, you were out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to work under him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. He had become management by the time—I mean, I was there during the—I went down to the Cape during one of the last Gemini simulations that they had in the old control center down there, so I got to see him work, and I couldn't appreciate it, obviously. Now I would. And then, of course, he knew who I was after a while, by first name. He is quite surprising. I'm just surprised he never wrote a book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From what I understand, he's in the process of doing just that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it's getting late. [Laughter] It's getting a little late. In fact, Charles Murray had that comment—this is back in '88—he couldn't understand why Kraft wasn't very cooperative with him in writing the book. The only thing he could guess is that Chris was writing his own book, and that would make sense, but that was '88. Figure. Ten years later—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We've heard that he's currently working on it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.6597388582000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they put a quality product out, but that was beside the point. So it happens. But it's interesting to hear people respond. You ask them how many have seen the movie and 100 percent of the hands go up, and this guy said, \"Well, I guess I don't have to tell you too much here.\" So it's kind of fun.\\n\\n But we can do that. Find out what Doyle wants to do about the CD-ROM that I helped with. I'll be glad to donate a copy, but if he doesn't feel too stricken by conscience of getting something for nothing, if he wants to, he can pay me twenty bucks, you know. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll certainly follow up on that, and we'll also follow up with the calls to Al Reiner."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That's going to be tricky. I don't know if those Taft guys are around. I guess not. I guess the contract got changed. But I'm telling you that's what he's telling, they caught him walking out with some tapes when he was making his movie\\n\\n For All Mankind\\n\\n , so they just guessed that he scarfed up those tapes, which are not of any benefit to anybody. They can't be played except on that one recorder that they reconditioned here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting. We'll see if we can get those. Then, also, if you have those recordings on DAT [Digital Audio Tape] tape—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—you can get those, because we can make CDs for you, and if you wouldn't mind."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9552653980000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That's going to be tricky. I don't know if those Taft guys are around. I guess not. I guess the contract got changed. But I'm telling you that's what he's telling, they caught him walking out with some tapes when he was making his movie\\n\\n For All Mankind\\n\\n , so they just guessed that he scarfed up those tapes, which are not of any benefit to anybody. They can't be played except on that one recorder that they reconditioned here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting. We'll see if we can get those. Then, also, if you have those recordings on DAT [Digital Audio Tape] tape—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—you can get those, because we can make CDs for you, and if you wouldn't mind."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don't mind. Of course not. I'm just delighted that the stuff exists and the original analog tapes are still there. In fact, what I'll do is I'll probably loan you the analog tapes, but the girl over at Taft that made the DAT tape said they really came out good. She cleaned them up. You know, digitally you can do that, as you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are the analog tapes on reel to reel?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.28362822, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—you can get those, because we can make CDs for you, and if you wouldn't mind."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don't mind. Of course not. I'm just delighted that the stuff exists and the original analog tapes are still there. In fact, what I'll do is I'll probably loan you the analog tapes, but the girl over at Taft that made the DAT tape said they really came out good. She cleaned them up. You know, digitally you can do that, as you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are the analog tapes on reel to reel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They're on cassettes. A lot smaller, too. One of my hobbies is sound, you know, live sound, and I'm not going to buy DAT. I've got so much invested in sound equipment now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're actually using DAT for our initial research, but we transfer it immediately onto compact discs."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6484758000000004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don't mind. Of course not. I'm just delighted that the stuff exists and the original analog tapes are still there. In fact, what I'll do is I'll probably loan you the analog tapes, but the girl over at Taft that made the DAT tape said they really came out good. She cleaned them up. You know, digitally you can do that, as you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are the analog tapes on reel to reel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They're on cassettes. A lot smaller, too. One of my hobbies is sound, you know, live sound, and I'm not going to buy DAT. I've got so much invested in sound equipment now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're actually using DAT for our initial research, but we transfer it immediately onto compact discs."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. I'll do that. And you're going to let me know about that other CD-ROM that I worked on. I can do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. And then, if you wouldn't mind, if you can do a little more background research, we'd love to do a real oral history with you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.0538620000000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They're on cassettes. A lot smaller, too. One of my hobbies is sound, you know, live sound, and I'm not going to buy DAT. I've got so much invested in sound equipment now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're actually using DAT for our initial research, but we transfer it immediately onto compact discs."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. I'll do that. And you're going to let me know about that other CD-ROM that I worked on. I can do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. And then, if you wouldn't mind, if you can do a little more background research, we'd love to do a real oral history with you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. Do you have an e-mail?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I sure do, and actually you probably don't want to use the Southwestern Bell account one. We're in the process of leaving, actually, so that address won't work anyway. E-mail will still work."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.7702, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. Do you have an e-mail?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I sure do, and actually you probably don't want to use the Southwestern Bell account one. We're in the process of leaving, actually, so that address won't work anyway. E-mail will still work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let me cross out the Southwest Bell one. Yes, I can just E-mail you the one-page bio that I use for when people want to—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, it's a quickie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then we have some of these books [unclear]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.078, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let me cross out the Southwest Bell one. Yes, I can just E-mail you the one-page bio that I use for when people want to—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, it's a quickie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then we have some of these books [unclear]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they're librarial now. I don't know where you're going to find a copy besides the one I have of Henry Cooper's book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, Cooper—I don't know if we have. I'll take a look."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.42, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, it's a quickie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then we have some of these books [unclear]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they're librarial now. I don't know where you're going to find a copy besides the one I have of Henry Cooper's book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, Cooper—I don't know if we have. I'll take a look."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I've got my copy, and I don't know what to do about that unless you—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We have some sources to get older books, and we also go through JCS Library."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I've got my copy, and I don't know what to do about that unless you—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We have some sources to get older books, and we also go through JCS Library."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Charles Murray's book only had one printing. By the way, he owns the rights to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, he does. Simon and Shuster let him have the rights to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Terrific for him."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00349:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Charles Murray's book only had one printing. By the way, he owns the rights to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, he does. Simon and Shuster let him have the rights to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Terrific for him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, unless you're trying to use it. Then his agent gets involved. Fred Schoeller, the fellow at Computer Software Corp, I gave him his number, and he called up and says, \"Hey,\" he says, \"I want to do a CD-ROM on your book, not a reading book, but an archival CD-ROM where people can reference and search through your book and use it as a research tool.\"\\n\\n The guy said, \"Talk to my agent.\" Of course, he called his agent, the agent wanted all kinds of money, so that killed that project. That would have been really kind of nifty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Well, we've actually been able to find two copies of that, so we've been lucky."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 32.336839841327475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, actually that is a confusing thing. When we first started designing the SSME, everybody—external tank, orbiter, everybody—did their thing, and decided what weight their element required in order to complete a mission. So the engine requirements were based on those estimates. At that time when we first started developing the engine, the requirement was 100 percent power level. We called that rated power level. Later on the weight went up on the orbiter and other elements and we really needed more than what we’d been planning for. We had enough margin in the engine—actually, as I recall, we certified to fly 109 percent. Then later 104 percent, then 104.5 percent were baselined for flight. Really all that means is that flight power levels were 4.5 percent higher than the early plans as to what the engine was required to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s an interesting concept when you try and think about it; you wonder how is that possible."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about testing with the integrated subsystem."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In a rocket engine, all the components have to play together. They have to all be compatible with each other. The low speed fuel pump has to deliver satisfactory inlet condition to the high pressure pump, same way with the LOX [liquid oxygen] pump. When you talk about a pump, you’re talking about a component. When you talk about an engine, you’re talking about all the components, and they all have to play together in order for it to operate satisfactorily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was some testing done with the integrated subsystem test program out at Stennis. Were you involved in that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 35.929822045919416, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about testing with the integrated subsystem."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In a rocket engine, all the components have to play together. They have to all be compatible with each other. The low speed fuel pump has to deliver satisfactory inlet condition to the high pressure pump, same way with the LOX [liquid oxygen] pump. When you talk about a pump, you’re talking about a component. When you talk about an engine, you’re talking about all the components, and they all have to play together in order for it to operate satisfactorily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was some testing done with the integrated subsystem test program out at Stennis. Were you involved in that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That was where we not only integrated the engine within itself but the testing also included an external tank. The external tank is part of the propulsion system. So what I said about the engine, all the parts having to play together, goes for the whole Shuttle really. That’s where we did that kind of testing. We’d test at external tank at flight temperatures and pressures. We had a propellant depletion cutoff system so that [if] you started running out of propellant it shut the engine down; if you started running out of hydrogen or oxygen it would shut the engine down, because it gets to be catastrophic when you lose the fluid and the pump is operating. First you have cavitation and then you have parts rubbing together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there ever any point when you were working as chief engineer that you thought this is not going to work? There were fires on the test stand?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 38.810913384354905, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In a rocket engine, all the components have to play together. They have to all be compatible with each other. The low speed fuel pump has to deliver satisfactory inlet condition to the high pressure pump, same way with the LOX [liquid oxygen] pump. When you talk about a pump, you’re talking about a component. When you talk about an engine, you’re talking about all the components, and they all have to play together in order for it to operate satisfactorily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was some testing done with the integrated subsystem test program out at Stennis. Were you involved in that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That was where we not only integrated the engine within itself but the testing also included an external tank. The external tank is part of the propulsion system. So what I said about the engine, all the parts having to play together, goes for the whole Shuttle really. That’s where we did that kind of testing. We’d test at external tank at flight temperatures and pressures. We had a propellant depletion cutoff system so that [if] you started running out of propellant it shut the engine down; if you started running out of hydrogen or oxygen it would shut the engine down, because it gets to be catastrophic when you lose the fluid and the pump is operating. First you have cavitation and then you have parts rubbing together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there ever any point when you were working as chief engineer that you thought this is not going to work? There were fires on the test stand?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had a lot of problems. Normally in a space program, you really need to start work on the engine earlier than you do the other stuff, because engine time to design and develop is longer than other components as a rule. We used to talk about seven years being about the time that it took to design and certify an engine. I think that’s probably true for the gas generator cycle. With staged combustion it could be longer than that, depending on what kind of problems you run into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you facing any pressure from [NASA] Headquarters [Washington, DC] or from JSC with the program office? Because the engine was almost a pacing item for the orbiter, along with the thermal protection system."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 43.12323709372767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That was where we not only integrated the engine within itself but the testing also included an external tank. The external tank is part of the propulsion system. So what I said about the engine, all the parts having to play together, goes for the whole Shuttle really. That’s where we did that kind of testing. We’d test at external tank at flight temperatures and pressures. We had a propellant depletion cutoff system so that [if] you started running out of propellant it shut the engine down; if you started running out of hydrogen or oxygen it would shut the engine down, because it gets to be catastrophic when you lose the fluid and the pump is operating. First you have cavitation and then you have parts rubbing together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there ever any point when you were working as chief engineer that you thought this is not going to work? There were fires on the test stand?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had a lot of problems. Normally in a space program, you really need to start work on the engine earlier than you do the other stuff, because engine time to design and develop is longer than other components as a rule. We used to talk about seven years being about the time that it took to design and certify an engine. I think that’s probably true for the gas generator cycle. With staged combustion it could be longer than that, depending on what kind of problems you run into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you facing any pressure from [NASA] Headquarters [Washington, DC] or from JSC with the program office? Because the engine was almost a pacing item for the orbiter, along with the thermal protection system."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The only real pressure we got is when they thought it was taking us too long or we were spending too much money. They didn’t get into the technical aspects of the engine, except when they limited flight of a redesigned high pressure fuel pump to one of the three engines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long were you chief engineer during the development, design, and test?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 14, "return_to_go": 46.80359677080852, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had a lot of problems. Normally in a space program, you really need to start work on the engine earlier than you do the other stuff, because engine time to design and develop is longer than other components as a rule. We used to talk about seven years being about the time that it took to design and certify an engine. I think that’s probably true for the gas generator cycle. With staged combustion it could be longer than that, depending on what kind of problems you run into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you facing any pressure from [NASA] Headquarters [Washington, DC] or from JSC with the program office? Because the engine was almost a pacing item for the orbiter, along with the thermal protection system."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The only real pressure we got is when they thought it was taking us too long or we were spending too much money. They didn’t get into the technical aspects of the engine, except when they limited flight of a redesigned high pressure fuel pump to one of the three engines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long were you chief engineer during the development, design, and test?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two, three years, something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that you were co-chief engineer. Who was your co-chief?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 36.44844085645391, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The only real pressure we got is when they thought it was taking us too long or we were spending too much money. They didn’t get into the technical aspects of the engine, except when they limited flight of a redesigned high pressure fuel pump to one of the three engines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long were you chief engineer during the development, design, and test?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two, three years, something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that you were co-chief engineer. Who was your co-chief?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A fellow named Jerry Thomson. He started out being the chief engineer for the engine and we ran into all these problems. The program manager, who was J. R. [James R.] Thompson, decided that we needed a chief engineer at Canoga Park at all times. He told me that he thought that I should go out there and stay. Fortunately, he made me co-chief engineer so I only spent half of my time at Canoga Park.\\n\\n It was bad then, the weekend was bad. During the week there’s action going on. On Saturday I’d go down and work half a day till 1:00. I’d be occupied until about 1:00 on Saturday, then there would be nothing to do for the rest of the weekend. It seemed like everything in California closes down on Sunday. You get that big thick Los Angeles newspaper— [I] really wasn’t interested in a lot of the local news—the weekends were terrible. It was almost like you’d been overseas and coming home for the next six weeks. Those six weeks at home went by real fast."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you play a role in closing out the test stands out in California?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 40.49826761828212, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two, three years, something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that you were co-chief engineer. Who was your co-chief?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A fellow named Jerry Thomson. He started out being the chief engineer for the engine and we ran into all these problems. The program manager, who was J. R. [James R.] Thompson, decided that we needed a chief engineer at Canoga Park at all times. He told me that he thought that I should go out there and stay. Fortunately, he made me co-chief engineer so I only spent half of my time at Canoga Park.\\n\\n It was bad then, the weekend was bad. During the week there’s action going on. On Saturday I’d go down and work half a day till 1:00. I’d be occupied until about 1:00 on Saturday, then there would be nothing to do for the rest of the weekend. It seemed like everything in California closes down on Sunday. You get that big thick Los Angeles newspaper— [I] really wasn’t interested in a lot of the local news—the weekends were terrible. It was almost like you’d been overseas and coming home for the next six weeks. Those six weeks at home went by real fast."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you play a role in closing out the test stands out in California?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn’t. I guess it got to the point where they felt like they could do all the testing they needed at Stennis. There used to be a lot of action on the A-3 test stand, up on the hill, as they called it, or Santa Susana."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you tell us about some of those tests? How long did they last?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 40.553630686980135, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A fellow named Jerry Thomson. He started out being the chief engineer for the engine and we ran into all these problems. The program manager, who was J. R. [James R.] Thompson, decided that we needed a chief engineer at Canoga Park at all times. He told me that he thought that I should go out there and stay. Fortunately, he made me co-chief engineer so I only spent half of my time at Canoga Park.\\n\\n It was bad then, the weekend was bad. During the week there’s action going on. On Saturday I’d go down and work half a day till 1:00. I’d be occupied until about 1:00 on Saturday, then there would be nothing to do for the rest of the weekend. It seemed like everything in California closes down on Sunday. You get that big thick Los Angeles newspaper— [I] really wasn’t interested in a lot of the local news—the weekends were terrible. It was almost like you’d been overseas and coming home for the next six weeks. Those six weeks at home went by real fast."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you play a role in closing out the test stands out in California?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn’t. I guess it got to the point where they felt like they could do all the testing they needed at Stennis. There used to be a lot of action on the A-3 test stand, up on the hill, as they called it, or Santa Susana."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you tell us about some of those tests? How long did they last?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A normal flight is 520 seconds, or eight and a half minutes. We didn’t very often run tests that were less than that. An abort type test was more than 800 seconds. It was about half again of what a normal flight would be. I remember one time down at Stennis, J. R. Thompson and I were down there, and they ran a single engine continuous back-to-back abort test. They ran that engine for almost 30 minutes. It seemed like it was never going to come to the end of the test."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet you were biting your nails."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 42.837367429977924, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn’t. I guess it got to the point where they felt like they could do all the testing they needed at Stennis. There used to be a lot of action on the A-3 test stand, up on the hill, as they called it, or Santa Susana."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you tell us about some of those tests? How long did they last?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A normal flight is 520 seconds, or eight and a half minutes. We didn’t very often run tests that were less than that. An abort type test was more than 800 seconds. It was about half again of what a normal flight would be. I remember one time down at Stennis, J. R. Thompson and I were down there, and they ran a single engine continuous back-to-back abort test. They ran that engine for almost 30 minutes. It seemed like it was never going to come to the end of the test."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet you were biting your nails."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. One thing that surprises a lot of people about the SSME is that each of those engines burns 1,000 pounds of propellants a second. When you combust hydrogen and oxygen, the exhaust is water vapor. So when they run a test, there’ll be a big cloud of exhausted water vapor. If the wind conditions were right, and the cloud of vapor floated over you, it would condense because it was cooler in the atmosphere than the exhaust, and it would pour down rain on you. We got wet once in a while."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought we would also talk about your time as manager of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Project, which you accepted in 1997. I did a little research, and I noted that the Block IIA engine was flown the next year. Can you tell us at what stage the Block IIA engine was when you accepted the position?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.09084177693588, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The highest temperature of any major part in the engine is the turbine blades on the high pressure fuel pump. You’re operating fairly close to the limit and they’re glowing red; they’re operating around 1,000 degrees or a little more. Those turbine blades are very high temperature super alloys that contain nickel, chromium, and cobalt."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The new turbopump, was that tested on the E-8 test stand?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was tested on the A-1 or A-2 stands at Stennis. I think they’d already closed A-3."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were subjected to the same type of test that you conducted earlier in the program, the 520 [seconds]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. We ran the complete certification test series, plus we imposed the fleet leader requirement. We used to test regularly at all three test stands. I remember one failure we had at Canoga Park where the engine actually burned itself out of the test stand, bounced down the flame bucket, and then bounced down the canyon for a ways. An engine accident is spectacular. One thing that we used in testing was cameras that have speeds (frames per second) that are tremendous. When you have an accident you look at the frames: frame by frame. There’ll be one frame, where the engine will look perfect and the next frame you can’t see anything because of steam and smoke and fire. When they go, they usually go pretty quick. Sometime, though, the film will show the approximate location of the failure, which is very helpful in determining the cause of the failure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the [Block] II engine operate the first time you flew it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.100935307706534, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was tested on the A-1 or A-2 stands at Stennis. I think they’d already closed A-3."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were subjected to the same type of test that you conducted earlier in the program, the 520 [seconds]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. We ran the complete certification test series, plus we imposed the fleet leader requirement. We used to test regularly at all three test stands. I remember one failure we had at Canoga Park where the engine actually burned itself out of the test stand, bounced down the flame bucket, and then bounced down the canyon for a ways. An engine accident is spectacular. One thing that we used in testing was cameras that have speeds (frames per second) that are tremendous. When you have an accident you look at the frames: frame by frame. There’ll be one frame, where the engine will look perfect and the next frame you can’t see anything because of steam and smoke and fire. When they go, they usually go pretty quick. Sometime, though, the film will show the approximate location of the failure, which is very helpful in determining the cause of the failure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the [Block] II engine operate the first time you flew it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Great. We wanted to fly the new pumps on all three engines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I noticed you only flew one. Why was that decision made?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.22326145300726, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. We ran the complete certification test series, plus we imposed the fleet leader requirement. We used to test regularly at all three test stands. I remember one failure we had at Canoga Park where the engine actually burned itself out of the test stand, bounced down the flame bucket, and then bounced down the canyon for a ways. An engine accident is spectacular. One thing that we used in testing was cameras that have speeds (frames per second) that are tremendous. When you have an accident you look at the frames: frame by frame. There’ll be one frame, where the engine will look perfect and the next frame you can’t see anything because of steam and smoke and fire. When they go, they usually go pretty quick. Sometime, though, the film will show the approximate location of the failure, which is very helpful in determining the cause of the failure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the [Block] II engine operate the first time you flew it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Great. We wanted to fly the new pumps on all three engines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I noticed you only flew one. Why was that decision made?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s was a judgment call by our management."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A safety issue?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 12.470290503341399, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Great. We wanted to fly the new pumps on all three engines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I noticed you only flew one. Why was that decision made?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s was a judgment call by our management."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A safety issue?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s what it was. The SSME team didn’t think it was a safety issue, but management did. We’d have liked to have flown all three. We had tested for all flight conditions on the ground and we thought that it would be safer to fly three of the new, more robust pumps, than flying two of the old pumps which had low damage tolerance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it worked exactly like you hoped it would? No changes?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.4162747100000015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were still working on it when I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you left, 2004?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, but they had run it on test stand. They were about ready to incorporate it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell me about that test program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They added the vibration sensors at what they thought were the appropriate places on the pumps for measuring the synchronous vibration, and also changed some printed circuit cards in the controller. Then they installed theAHMS on a ground test engine, so as to evaluate its’ performance and to assure that it didn’t create an engine problem elsewhere. When I left, the early test data showed no problems."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I read when you were project manager that the agency grounded the Shuttle fleet because they found cracks in the flow liners of the main engine. Can you talk about that issue and how that was resolved?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.906971900000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, but they had run it on test stand. They were about ready to incorporate it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell me about that test program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They added the vibration sensors at what they thought were the appropriate places on the pumps for measuring the synchronous vibration, and also changed some printed circuit cards in the controller. Then they installed theAHMS on a ground test engine, so as to evaluate its’ performance and to assure that it didn’t create an engine problem elsewhere. When I left, the early test data showed no problems."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I read when you were project manager that the agency grounded the Shuttle fleet because they found cracks in the flow liners of the main engine. Can you talk about that issue and how that was resolved?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The flow liner was transition sheet metal between the propellant supply, which is the external tank, and the engine. They found some cracks in it and they had a big program to deal with that. I always thought they overkilled that problem, because before the interest really focused on it, we knew about it and just welded the cracks. You could inspect for cracks after every flight and then weld the cracks in the sheet metal, the way the sheet metal other places in the pump were welded. It took several flight duration engine runs before the cracks started and the cracks were in a location which was relatively easy to inspect"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You said it was a pretty simple fix?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.452191000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They added the vibration sensors at what they thought were the appropriate places on the pumps for measuring the synchronous vibration, and also changed some printed circuit cards in the controller. Then they installed theAHMS on a ground test engine, so as to evaluate its’ performance and to assure that it didn’t create an engine problem elsewhere. When I left, the early test data showed no problems."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I read when you were project manager that the agency grounded the Shuttle fleet because they found cracks in the flow liners of the main engine. Can you talk about that issue and how that was resolved?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The flow liner was transition sheet metal between the propellant supply, which is the external tank, and the engine. They found some cracks in it and they had a big program to deal with that. I always thought they overkilled that problem, because before the interest really focused on it, we knew about it and just welded the cracks. You could inspect for cracks after every flight and then weld the cracks in the sheet metal, the way the sheet metal other places in the pump were welded. It took several flight duration engine runs before the cracks started and the cracks were in a location which was relatively easy to inspect"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You said it was a pretty simple fix?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. That thing went on so long that it seemed like people were making a career out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the Columbia accident [STS-107] have any impact on the SSME Project itself?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.057990000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The flow liner was transition sheet metal between the propellant supply, which is the external tank, and the engine. They found some cracks in it and they had a big program to deal with that. I always thought they overkilled that problem, because before the interest really focused on it, we knew about it and just welded the cracks. You could inspect for cracks after every flight and then weld the cracks in the sheet metal, the way the sheet metal other places in the pump were welded. It took several flight duration engine runs before the cracks started and the cracks were in a location which was relatively easy to inspect"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You said it was a pretty simple fix?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. That thing went on so long that it seemed like people were making a career out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the Columbia accident [STS-107] have any impact on the SSME Project itself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t really believe it did. It was mainly aerodynamics and the propensity of the foam to come off. No, I would say that it didn’t have any significant effect on the engine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In 2004 President [George W.] Bush announced a new Vision for Space Exploration. Did that have any impact on the improvements or upgrades that you were planning on instituting?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.731100000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. That thing went on so long that it seemed like people were making a career out of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the Columbia accident [STS-107] have any impact on the SSME Project itself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t really believe it did. It was mainly aerodynamics and the propensity of the foam to come off. No, I would say that it didn’t have any significant effect on the engine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In 2004 President [George W.] Bush announced a new Vision for Space Exploration. Did that have any impact on the improvements or upgrades that you were planning on instituting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not a bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You left in 2004. Were there other improvements or updates that were still in the works as you were leaving, to the engines?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.479000000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t really believe it did. It was mainly aerodynamics and the propensity of the foam to come off. No, I would say that it didn’t have any significant effect on the engine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In 2004 President [George W.] Bush announced a new Vision for Space Exploration. Did that have any impact on the improvements or upgrades that you were planning on instituting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not a bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You left in 2004. Were there other improvements or updates that were still in the works as you were leaving, to the engines?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m not sure whether the advanced health monitoring system had been baselined or not. That’s the only thing that I know of that could have been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I’ve exhausted my questions. Are there any other topics that we might have explored that you thought about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.31, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not a bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You left in 2004. Were there other improvements or updates that were still in the works as you were leaving, to the engines?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m not sure whether the advanced health monitoring system had been baselined or not. That’s the only thing that I know of that could have been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I’ve exhausted my questions. Are there any other topics that we might have explored that you thought about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think so"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is this your bio [biography] and a copy of your Lessons Learned? Great. Do you mind if I keep this copy?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 5.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m not sure whether the advanced health monitoring system had been baselined or not. That’s the only thing that I know of that could have been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I’ve exhausted my questions. Are there any other topics that we might have explored that you thought about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think so"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is this your bio [biography] and a copy of your Lessons Learned? Great. Do you mind if I keep this copy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. You may keep them. The retired SSME Chief Engineer and I give a propulsion course every once in a while. There are some significant differences between the Shuttle requirements and going to Mars or the Moon. So we tried to put out something for the young guys that would not only talk about the problems that we’ve had recently, but also some that we had on Apollo that we didn’t have here. That was one of the propulsion course handouts [demonstrates]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That brings to mind a question. Why did NASA continue to evolve the engine after STS-1? Why spend millions of dollars to enhance the engine?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00730:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It should. It was a better pump, there should have been less things done to it to make it ready to fly again. But I can’t really say with certainty. The accountability problem had not been recognized and dealt with. Hopefully, lessons learned, such as contained in this document will help to avoid similar problems in the future."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many times could the new turbopump fly versus the old pump?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. The fleet leader program was not going long enough to set lifetimes of parts. The certification testing was used as a basis for the first few flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else to add any parting words about the main engines?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think we’ve covered everything pretty well, so I thank you very much for your time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00360:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 129.3949178903836, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm glad I could be a part of this history. It was a long time ago we began, and we have a long way to go yet, but I think it's an important job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A very important job, and I'm glad that you can be here to share it with us. I'm looking forward to it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hope I can tell you something you don't know already."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sure you can. I'm sure you can. There's a lot still to learn about it and a lot to learn from the history to apply to the programs of today."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think when we piece everybody's history together, we'll all see something new that we didn't realize before, and we'll say, \"Gee, I didn't realize that happened because of this,\" and we'll probably put together a whole lot of other things that we have been curious about for a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. And everyone always has a different perspective on the same situation."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00360:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 79, "return_to_go": 143.7721309893151, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hope I can tell you something you don't know already."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sure you can. I'm sure you can. There's a lot still to learn about it and a lot to learn from the history to apply to the programs of today."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think when we piece everybody's history together, we'll all see something new that we didn't realize before, and we'll say, \"Gee, I didn't realize that happened because of this,\" and we'll probably put together a whole lot of other things that we have been curious about for a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. And everyone always has a different perspective on the same situation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. Finally we'll have the whole picture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it's a big picture, so many different parts that come in to make it all happen. One of those parts, to begin with, if you could tell us how you got interested in aviation and then moving into the space program."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00360:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 71.71077755600065, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't, but I heard about them later. I guess it would have been nice if I had at the time, but we were so busy focusing outward on that, that we didn't focus much on the inward things. It was really a unique time in the world's history for four days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very unique. Very unique.\\n\\n Mentioning Apollo 11 and that same bringing everyone together, do you recall where you were and what you were doing when they landed on the Moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I do. I wasn't at the Cape on that particular day. I had been at most of the launches, but I had come back and I was starting to work on Apollo 13 already. Apollo 13 was sort of standing down for the Apollo 11 launch, I guess. Anyway, I was back here. I watched it from mission control, and I also watched it from home. Of course, we lived in El Lago, just a block away from Neil [A.] Armstrong, and his family was absolutely immersed in the news media. They were all around the house. They had the trucks and the big satellite booms, and it was just a madhouse around Neil's house for at least a couple days. We watched it from here rather than elsewhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, this is a good place to watch from."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It certainly is."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00360:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 79.67864172888962, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I do. I wasn't at the Cape on that particular day. I had been at most of the launches, but I had come back and I was starting to work on Apollo 13 already. Apollo 13 was sort of standing down for the Apollo 11 launch, I guess. Anyway, I was back here. I watched it from mission control, and I also watched it from home. Of course, we lived in El Lago, just a block away from Neil [A.] Armstrong, and his family was absolutely immersed in the news media. They were all around the house. They had the trucks and the big satellite booms, and it was just a madhouse around Neil's house for at least a couple days. We watched it from here rather than elsewhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, this is a good place to watch from."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It certainly is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I came to the office every day and worked just like normally, but kept tabs on the mission like everyone else and went over to mission control periodically and checked in on what was going on. It was just a heady, absolutely marvelous time. It was a great time to be part of the space program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You certainly got to see some very unique events throughout your career with the space program."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00360:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 25, "return_to_go": 88.53182414321068, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It certainly is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I came to the office every day and worked just like normally, but kept tabs on the mission like everyone else and went over to mission control periodically and checked in on what was going on. It was just a heady, absolutely marvelous time. It was a great time to be part of the space program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You certainly got to see some very unique events throughout your career with the space program."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm a very fortunate person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we're fortunate that you're sharing those memories with us.\\n\\n You had mentioned that when you first came into the Apollo program that the idea was Apollo would continue on, would have these longer missions. You even mentioned the reconnaissance mission that you initially began doing some work on. At what point during your time on the support crews and working as Capcom, at what point did you realize that Apollo 17 was going to mean the end of the program?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00360:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's fun to do, because you only do it for a day or two and then you go do something else. At that time I had about six different jobs. This was in the late eighties. I worked with the European Space Agency quite a bit, too, helped train their German astronauts, helped with the Hermes Space Shuttle that they were designing. They didn't have any astronauts who had an operational or a piloting role. They were all scientist-type people or pilots who had gone along in a non-flying role. So we've had an opportunity to contribute in a little way, anyway, and had fun doing it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's one of the important things. You should always be fortunate enough to enjoy what you're doing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you need to go home and get well. The rest of us need to go home and get dinner."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Go home and visit with your family.\\n\\n Well, thank you for doing this."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not at all. We can either continue on some other time or not. Don't be afraid to decide not too. You won't hurt my feelings. I'm glad to contribute how I can."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Providing all goes well with the project, we'd certainly love to follow up because there definitely are areas that we weren't able to get to."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00360:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not at all. We can either continue on some other time or not. Don't be afraid to decide not too. You won't hurt my feelings. I'm glad to contribute how I can."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Providing all goes well with the project, we'd certainly love to follow up because there definitely are areas that we weren't able to get to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We got through Skylab pretty much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Pretty much."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's ASTP, and then there's the Skylab rescue and the Shuttle, Space Station."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we would like to talk to you on some of your consulting work because that certainly is applicable for today's work, definitely. We can visit it on that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00360:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We got through Skylab pretty much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Pretty much."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's ASTP, and then there's the Skylab rescue and the Shuttle, Space Station."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we would like to talk to you on some of your consulting work because that certainly is applicable for today's work, definitely. We can visit it on that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Make another session. Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It'll take a few weeks to get all of this put together for you. It'll probably take about six weeks."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 17.70634516855334, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really? Yeah. So I went to Teachers College and, you know, I'll never know who that woman was, but her competence in finding my file and whoever made that decision changed my life, you know. And it was one of those stories that had it not been, I don't know where I'd be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got deferred from the military."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got deferred and I went and went to Columbia University. And I guess it was about September, beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were trained at Teachers College."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were trained at Teachers College, and they had, you know, the series of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was, the whole was secondary, what was it? Secondary school teachers or what were you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.39054959080659, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were trained at Teachers College, and they had, you know, the series of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was, the whole was secondary, what was it? Secondary school teachers or what were you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they were all secondary school and they mixed Uganda and Kenya groups together and we stayed at the Hotel Paris. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Same place."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Same place?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On 97th Street and."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.54505510089621, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they were all secondary school and they mixed Uganda and Kenya groups together and we stayed at the Hotel Paris. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Same place."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Same place?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On 97th Street and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's still there I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "West End Avenue."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.270308780378883, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And, um, it was during the blackout too, when I was there, which was a wild time. But it was quite an experience because they had both countries and I'm guessing, I'm trying to remember the exact number, but maybe it was three. Let's say it was in the ballpark of 300 people were in the combined class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a very big class. But halfway through it they had the de-, the first deselection process, which was cruelty beyond belief. They would hand people two, one of two envelopes, a yellow or a blue, and people with the one color stayed in that room. The other color went down the hall. And simultaneously everybody opened it up. And you either heard screaming of joy that it said, congratulations, you will continue. Or it said, we regret to inform you that we cannot continue your training as a Peace Corps volunteer. And my coming from this little town of Bethlehem and being in the presence, and going to Moravian and being the presence of people from Harvard and Stanford and Michigan and everything. And I saw them blowing away. I didn't know what was going on. It was like, wow, why? Why me? Except I loved it.\n\nAnd, you know, they also had at that time psychologists doing reviews that was like out of a movie. They'd even take you into a dark room and lie you on a bed and ask you what your family structure was, all that crap. And I did a volunteer job at Bellevue Hospital, which was at the time when LSD patients were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Young kid, and I was in the children's ward. Oh my God. I was involved with art therapy to try to extract from these students what, what was in their brain. And some of them had reenacted Psycho. One kid had killed his mother walking up the stairs with a knife. I mean, a young girl tried jumping off a roof and, you know, just weird stuff. Again, coming from Bethlehem, I didn't know where I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was part of Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 24.744787533754312, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a very big class. But halfway through it they had the de-, the first deselection process, which was cruelty beyond belief. They would hand people two, one of two envelopes, a yellow or a blue, and people with the one color stayed in that room. The other color went down the hall. And simultaneously everybody opened it up. And you either heard screaming of joy that it said, congratulations, you will continue. Or it said, we regret to inform you that we cannot continue your training as a Peace Corps volunteer. And my coming from this little town of Bethlehem and being in the presence, and going to Moravian and being the presence of people from Harvard and Stanford and Michigan and everything. And I saw them blowing away. I didn't know what was going on. It was like, wow, why? Why me? Except I loved it.\n\nAnd, you know, they also had at that time psychologists doing reviews that was like out of a movie. They'd even take you into a dark room and lie you on a bed and ask you what your family structure was, all that crap. And I did a volunteer job at Bellevue Hospital, which was at the time when LSD patients were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Young kid, and I was in the children's ward. Oh my God. I was involved with art therapy to try to extract from these students what, what was in their brain. And some of them had reenacted Psycho. One kid had killed his mother walking up the stairs with a knife. I mean, a young girl tried jumping off a roof and, you know, just weird stuff. Again, coming from Bethlehem, I didn't know where I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was part of Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was part of my training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you were, oh."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.383097259727013, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Young kid, and I was in the children's ward. Oh my God. I was involved with art therapy to try to extract from these students what, what was in their brain. And some of them had reenacted Psycho. One kid had killed his mother walking up the stairs with a knife. I mean, a young girl tried jumping off a roof and, you know, just weird stuff. Again, coming from Bethlehem, I didn't know where I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was part of Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was part of my training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you were, oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We had to do projects. And then I taught at one of the public high schools around 97th Street, where they told me, Russell, you teach science and stay on this first floor. Don't go down into the basement where the lockers are. Just stay away from that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were both at Bell, you said, at Bellevue?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.31455251080779, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was part of my training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you were, oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We had to do projects. And then I taught at one of the public high schools around 97th Street, where they told me, Russell, you teach science and stay on this first floor. Don't go down into the basement where the lockers are. Just stay away from that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were both at Bell, you said, at Bellevue?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, Bellevue and taught in the local school."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 32.571725012008656, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We had to do projects. And then I taught at one of the public high schools around 97th Street, where they told me, Russell, you teach science and stay on this first floor. Don't go down into the basement where the lockers are. Just stay away from that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were both at Bell, you said, at Bellevue?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, Bellevue and taught in the local school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Bellevue was sort of like a public service kind of a component, to try to get you exposed to, I guess, their idea of real world identity. Well, it was real world. I didn't realize it was going to be people whacked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was probably more of a culture shock than Kenya."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 33.96858334667628, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, Bellevue and taught in the local school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Bellevue was sort of like a public service kind of a component, to try to get you exposed to, I guess, their idea of real world identity. Well, it was real world. I didn't realize it was going to be people whacked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was probably more of a culture shock than Kenya."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was something else. I mean, I never saw any, well, it taught, it certainly convinced me that I wasn't going to take drugs. I mean, my father was always anti-drug, obviously, being a surgeon and, you know, seeing that. But seeing these kids, I mean, it was just unbelievable. And it wasn't like one or two. I mean, it was a whole ward of these young people and they were like anywhere from nine, ten years old up to like sixteen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they had all taken drugs?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 35.52064816297364, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Bellevue was sort of like a public service kind of a component, to try to get you exposed to, I guess, their idea of real world identity. Well, it was real world. I didn't realize it was going to be people whacked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was probably more of a culture shock than Kenya."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was something else. I mean, I never saw any, well, it taught, it certainly convinced me that I wasn't going to take drugs. I mean, my father was always anti-drug, obviously, being a surgeon and, you know, seeing that. But seeing these kids, I mean, it was just unbelievable. And it wasn't like one or two. I mean, it was a whole ward of these young people and they were like anywhere from nine, ten years old up to like sixteen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they had all taken drugs?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They all taken drugs. And LSD was the most prominent at that particular moment. So given all that, you know, we went through and then they had a second deselection process. So I think the final whittling down of this 300 was to a level of maybe 120, and of those maybe 40 went to Uganda and 80 went to Kenya. But we were all teachers, that was the common denominator of the training program and that's why we had gone to Columbia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think the training helped prepare you for Kenya, language training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 37.24516462552627, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was something else. I mean, I never saw any, well, it taught, it certainly convinced me that I wasn't going to take drugs. I mean, my father was always anti-drug, obviously, being a surgeon and, you know, seeing that. But seeing these kids, I mean, it was just unbelievable. And it wasn't like one or two. I mean, it was a whole ward of these young people and they were like anywhere from nine, ten years old up to like sixteen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they had all taken drugs?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They all taken drugs. And LSD was the most prominent at that particular moment. So given all that, you know, we went through and then they had a second deselection process. So I think the final whittling down of this 300 was to a level of maybe 120, and of those maybe 40 went to Uganda and 80 went to Kenya. But we were all teachers, that was the common denominator of the training program and that's why we had gone to Columbia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think the training helped prepare you for Kenya, language training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do. Yeah, I do. I mean, I think, you know, I'm not good in languages. I hadn't done well in French in college or, I took Latin and that was even worse. But, um. You know, I diligently had a little notebook, wrote down phrases. I tried to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You learned Swahili?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 22.00788385943181, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I said, I don't care where it is. I'm here for two years. Use me. He says, so you want to go to some place I can't get anybody? Well, do I have the place for you. And it was almost like a joke. We started laughing and he said, I'm going to send you up to our furthest school in Kenya in Marsabit because I can't get anyone to go there and particularly to teach biology, chemistry, and physics. And it was like, oh my God, what a blessing. So he authorized it. He contacted the Peace Corps. They contacted me. And he also let the teacher know. The teacher, the headmaster at my school, seemed very happy about that, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He wanted to get rid of you anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he wanted to get rid of me anyway. So, um, that was it. And by that time, because I was a little bit lonely, I had bought a small baboon. I had my own monkey. And in Swahili, the word for. Well, its name was Kanini. So I took Kanini and myself and my, my, two, my one suitcase and whatever else I had and got on the bus and went to Isiolo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far is that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, from Marsabit to, from, no, from Kitui to Isiolo was about a two hour ride in itself. But the thing was at that point it was when the shifta were shooting convoy, shooting people all over in that northern frontier district, because it was a conflict between Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya for the property, or for the territory."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And just to say, the shifta were what?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 12.96112672422089, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, the whole experience just getting there was something else. And then when you got there, you're on this desert and you look ahead and here's this spectacular green mountain, which was the northern frontier district area, and Marsabit at the top. And back in the thirties and forties I guess, someone named Osa Johnson had done a movie up there about Lake Paradise, which was a beautiful lake in, crater lake, in the top of the mountain where elephants and other animals were. And the town was down a little below that. And it was made up of all these tribal people. And the students who I taught were all from that area or from down country. Many of them were nomadic.\n\nSo we actually adjusted the schedule of the school to relate to the rains because when it rained, then they had to bring the cattle and the, the goats and the camels and anything else they had up the mountain because it was too wet down below. So that's when we had the school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were the first Peace Corps volunteer there I guess?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, there was one there before for a short time, and it was never clear to me. I kept asking about it and they kept saying, yes, Mr. Johnson or somebody like that was here. And he was there for about a year. And then I don't know what happened. And I asked once or twice back in Nairobi, and no one seemed to know. So I don't know. But there was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe he got lonely."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.899446310350388, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they sent it over to Kenya and then I could get it sent up to my place with a police airplane. They would bring it up. Other people couldn't get any of this stuff at all. But, man, I could get the police airplane. And I could even get rides back and forth on it. I mean, it became, it was still part of that old British, you know, because the police, most of them were still Brits and certainly all the pilots were Brits."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hmm. Even the police were Brits?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, most of them were still because it was only, what was independence, '61. And this is. There were, there were definitely African police people on the ground, but the ones who flew up were more higher level in the system, you know, the local."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they gave you a ride back to Nairobi?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I could go back and forth if I needed to go back and forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To Nairobi or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.11049590038932, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, most of them were still because it was only, what was independence, '61. And this is. There were, there were definitely African police people on the ground, but the ones who flew up were more higher level in the system, you know, the local."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they gave you a ride back to Nairobi?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I could go back and forth if I needed to go back and forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To Nairobi or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To Nairobi. Yeah. And so that made a little bit of a difference. I did that on vacations. But anyway, I started up, I started teaching. Um. We got some money, and then it turned out that was when they built a science lab, and we had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was Kenyan money?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 13.456106555988134, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I could go back and forth if I needed to go back and forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To Nairobi or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To Nairobi. Yeah. And so that made a little bit of a difference. I did that on vacations. But anyway, I started up, I started teaching. Um. We got some money, and then it turned out that was when they built a science lab, and we had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was Kenyan money?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. They put, they built a whole building with a science lab and propane gas jets. I mean, just, it was, it was really nice. And the bizarre thing is just imagine this. Here these are nomadic kids who have never, you know, rarely seen electricity. I'm having to teach them magnetism to pass this exam. I mean, what a conflict in my mind. Why am I teaching magnetism? But it was their one chance to get out of this cycle. And I used to, I mean, it got sort of a little bit foolish at times, but I'd, I'd take a magnet and sort of put it underneath a table and put some metal chips on top as a way to sort of. I'd move it around and they'd see it. And I'd joke and say, voodoo. Voodoo, you like that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you taught in English?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.4717368632649475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Form. Thank you. Fourth form first and then the fifth form in my second year. And then they asked me, the headmaster said, would you stay one more year? Because to get to the Cambridge you have to do the sixth form and bringing in a new teacher and everything, the students felt that that might not be to their advantage. And obviously I was very interested because the war was still going on. And so that meant another year of deferment because I had heard some people had gone back from the Peace Corps and then got drafted. Oh my God. It was like, uhh. So I couldn't have been more thrilled that they did that. And so I stayed the extra year and I took that, that group through."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did they pass the Cambridge?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm telling you, it was more than thrilling. More than thrilling. They, they easily. It was over 50 percent had passed the actual Cambridge in these courses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'll tell you about some of the graduates. I mean, it's freaky, but, you know, I just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So were they, just backing, where they prepared? You got them for science."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.190818736961052, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm telling you, it was more than thrilling. More than thrilling. They, they easily. It was over 50 percent had passed the actual Cambridge in these courses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'll tell you about some of the graduates. I mean, it's freaky, but, you know, I just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So were they, just backing, where they prepared? You got them for science."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they know basic math and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.989798596623391, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'll tell you about some of the graduates. I mean, it's freaky, but, you know, I just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So were they, just backing, where they prepared? You got them for science."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they know basic math and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they had gone through primary school and they knew, they all spoke good English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had gone there? Oh."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.877553996248212, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they know basic math and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they had gone through primary school and they knew, they all spoke good English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had gone there? Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. They all spoke decent English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was this a selective school or could anybody go to it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.863948884720235, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they had gone through primary school and they knew, they all spoke good English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had gone there? Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. They all spoke decent English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was this a selective school or could anybody go to it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think anybody could go to it as long as they could get accepted in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, accepted means it's."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.177714672494117, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think anybody could go to it as long as they could get accepted in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, accepted means it's."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don't know what the criteria, and some it may have been political. I'm sure it was, you know, someone whose parents were known."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Connected, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I don't think they. This was all paid by the government. So they didn't pay something themselves that I was aware of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, they had to get there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.530794080549018, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don't know what the criteria, and some it may have been political. I'm sure it was, you know, someone whose parents were known."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Connected, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I don't think they. This was all paid by the government. So they didn't pay something themselves that I was aware of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, they had to get there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then did they live in dorms?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.593572938949405, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then did they live in dorms?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they lived in dorms. Yeah, it was a boarding school in the formal. We only had two girls and they stayed in a dorm with one of the female teachers, but all the rest were in our regular one. And it went, yeah, I can't. I can't remember how many total students there were. But in this picture of the class there may have been 40 or so in that grade, in the sixth form. Yeah. Coming up to that level. Now, some left along the way but not that many. And so I would, I took them through this exam. We did the practical parts, we did the written everything. I even had outside the, uh, the lab built a botanical garden because there was a whole section on botany and we could get the plants and grow them and then have the specimens ready for them to do. I mean, it was, it was like really fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I enjoyed, you know, and I was the only American up there. My nearest American colleague was down in Meru almost 200 miles away so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that bother you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.326192154388227, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they lived in dorms. Yeah, it was a boarding school in the formal. We only had two girls and they stayed in a dorm with one of the female teachers, but all the rest were in our regular one. And it went, yeah, I can't. I can't remember how many total students there were. But in this picture of the class there may have been 40 or so in that grade, in the sixth form. Yeah. Coming up to that level. Now, some left along the way but not that many. And so I would, I took them through this exam. We did the practical parts, we did the written everything. I even had outside the, uh, the lab built a botanical garden because there was a whole section on botany and we could get the plants and grow them and then have the specimens ready for them to do. I mean, it was, it was like really fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I enjoyed, you know, and I was the only American up there. My nearest American colleague was down in Meru almost 200 miles away so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that bother you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I loved it. Maybe it's my, it obviously is my character. But, um, I was in a point in life where I enjoyed just seeing what I could do on my own. And I never liked the idea of going back, a lot of volunteers would go back on weekends to Nairobi, and I don't know if they'd bitch and moan or drank. I don't know. I just had a great time. I mean, students would take me out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you make any friends among the teachers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.044681672084227, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I loved it. Maybe it's my, it obviously is my character. But, um, I was in a point in life where I enjoyed just seeing what I could do on my own. And I never liked the idea of going back, a lot of volunteers would go back on weekends to Nairobi, and I don't know if they'd bitch and moan or drank. I don't know. I just had a great time. I mean, students would take me out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you make any friends among the teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. In fact, I just got an email this morning from one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He's still there. Yeah. A Pakistani."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Still teaching in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.160757413426918, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. In fact, I just got an email this morning from one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He's still there. Yeah. A Pakistani."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Still teaching in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, he's retired, but he's still living. The school gave him his house as a retirement present until he dies. And but he's my age and he's still doing very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. A Pakistani?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.511952681585463, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He's still there. Yeah. A Pakistani."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Still teaching in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, he's retired, but he's still living. The school gave him his house as a retirement present until he dies. And but he's my age and he's still doing very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. A Pakistani?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A Pakistani."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there were foreign teachers besides you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 25.6937687426981, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A Pakistani."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there were foreign teachers besides you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, he was Pakistani from Kenya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They, they had brought a lot of Indians and Pakistanis over to the railroad and blah, blah, blah, in the forties."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so he was Kenyan."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.161055849257888, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's better, it was better than the school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, and I got to see a whole lot of things in a different way that I had never, I mean, I was totally dependent on myself. If I wasn't motivated, there was no one there who was going to push me. And I, if I took chances, I had to think them through. I mean, I suddenly was, I mean, the great thing about this Peace Corps experience was it gave me a chance to see who I was. I didn't realize it at the time. I mean, it wasn't a conscious, who are you? But as I look back on it, I, for whatever reason, I thought this was a great opportunity to experiment and to do as much as.\n\nI guess I also had a bit of a guilt feeling not going to Vietnam and feeling that, you know I should do as much as I can to help other people. I had a terrible experience just before I went into the Peace Corps that I'd broken up with a girlfriend and she, back in Bethlehem, married a guy. And sure enough, they got married and he got drafted in the Peace Corps [sic]. And two months later she came to my door crying. He had been killed. And I just said, oh my God, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I've been thankful ever since. And even if it is out of guilt, I'm happy I did it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, did you get any support from Peace Corps while you were up there? Did anybody come and help you with teaching or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 23.60609037871224, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't going to sit in a bus and go around and see a game park in a public bus. So I had to, and yet we couldn't drive, or have a car rather. But sure enough, I don't know how it was, but we met some, this other Peace Corps volunteer and I, the closest one who was 250 miles away. He and I had gone down to Nairobi and we had, I guess, just taken a little trip somewhere. Well, no, we took the trip to, uh, Kilimanjaro. And when we were on there, we had a group of maybe ten of us, and two of those were Brits who had a car."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got to know them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we got to know them. And that was the beginning of a long relationship. And they were teachers as well, which was good. We were all in the same cycle of, you know, time periods. And I, the climbing Kilimanjaro was, I never thought I'd do it, and I did and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really hard?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, just a killer. I'm not, I wasn't a, you know, I was not even a climber. I was hardly a walker. And this was like a, you know, four days up and three days down. And even with people carrying all your supplies, you know, the lack of oxygen and it got cold. And that last day, you get up at 3:00 in the morning and you'd go up this slag zigzagging up to the top. People were peeling off. They couldn't make it. You know, this good friend of mine, he just had to give up and I just couldn't. And I had a guide who kept saying, keep going, it's not that far. And when we finally got up, they take you up early in the morning so that you can see the sun rise, and oh my God, over the Amboseli. It was crystal clear. We're up there with the, uh, the snow and the ice and everything. And it just, yeah, very, very dramatic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's worth it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.89565597634693, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we got to know them. And that was the beginning of a long relationship. And they were teachers as well, which was good. We were all in the same cycle of, you know, time periods. And I, the climbing Kilimanjaro was, I never thought I'd do it, and I did and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really hard?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, just a killer. I'm not, I wasn't a, you know, I was not even a climber. I was hardly a walker. And this was like a, you know, four days up and three days down. And even with people carrying all your supplies, you know, the lack of oxygen and it got cold. And that last day, you get up at 3:00 in the morning and you'd go up this slag zigzagging up to the top. People were peeling off. They couldn't make it. You know, this good friend of mine, he just had to give up and I just couldn't. And I had a guide who kept saying, keep going, it's not that far. And when we finally got up, they take you up early in the morning so that you can see the sun rise, and oh my God, over the Amboseli. It was crystal clear. We're up there with the, uh, the snow and the ice and everything. And it just, yeah, very, very dramatic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's worth it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. So we came down, we did that, and then we took another trip with the people through Amboseli to see the animals and all that. But then we also stopped where Leakey in Olduvai Gorge, and that's when Leakey was alive. So he's there and we're."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You met Leakey?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 24.932908612773986, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. So we came down, we did that, and then we took another trip with the people through Amboseli to see the animals and all that. But then we also stopped where Leakey in Olduvai Gorge, and that's when Leakey was alive. So he's there and we're."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You met Leakey?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So we were able to go and see, you know, stuff like that. It was wild. I mean, you know. And the funny thing was, the more I learned about how you can push and get to see things, the more I did. I mean, it was like I was hungry to learn how to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then the biggest one we did was we all decided, okay, now we're really going to branch out. And we had a vacation and we decided we'd go down to South Africa. And there were four of us in a VW, little Volkswagen mini thing. You know, the bug. Oh my God. With a roof rack and our tent on top. And the thing was almost hitting the ground. So we drive down to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a long drive."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.703231791971092, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. So we were able to go and see, you know, stuff like that. It was wild. I mean, you know. And the funny thing was, the more I learned about how you can push and get to see things, the more I did. I mean, it was like I was hungry to learn how to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then the biggest one we did was we all decided, okay, now we're really going to branch out. And we had a vacation and we decided we'd go down to South Africa. And there were four of us in a VW, little Volkswagen mini thing. You know, the bug. Oh my God. With a roof rack and our tent on top. And the thing was almost hitting the ground. So we drive down to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a long drive."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh my God. You have no idea. We drove first into Tanzania, then we went into Malawi. Then we went down and into Mozambique. And then we came back and over into Rhodesia. And from Rhodesia we went down to Durban, South Africa, and then drove back. And when we were in Mozambique, it was just before Christmas, it was the Christmas holiday, and there was this guy at the border of, then it was Rhodesia and Ian Smith was head of it. This guy was there, a young fellow hitchhiking. We thought, well, what the heck, you know, we'll take one more. And it turned out to be the son of the Supreme Court justice in Rhodesia. And he says, where are you going? We're going to Rhodesia, you know. What's the capital of Rhodesia?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Harare? No. It's Zimbabwe.\n\nWell."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.670257546634545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then the biggest one we did was we all decided, okay, now we're really going to branch out. And we had a vacation and we decided we'd go down to South Africa. And there were four of us in a VW, little Volkswagen mini thing. You know, the bug. Oh my God. With a roof rack and our tent on top. And the thing was almost hitting the ground. So we drive down to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a long drive."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh my God. You have no idea. We drove first into Tanzania, then we went into Malawi. Then we went down and into Mozambique. And then we came back and over into Rhodesia. And from Rhodesia we went down to Durban, South Africa, and then drove back. And when we were in Mozambique, it was just before Christmas, it was the Christmas holiday, and there was this guy at the border of, then it was Rhodesia and Ian Smith was head of it. This guy was there, a young fellow hitchhiking. We thought, well, what the heck, you know, we'll take one more. And it turned out to be the son of the Supreme Court justice in Rhodesia. And he says, where are you going? We're going to Rhodesia, you know. What's the capital of Rhodesia?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Harare? No. It's Zimbabwe.\n\nWell."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Zimbabwe is the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's not Harare? No?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 21.85584171848283, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh my God. You have no idea. We drove first into Tanzania, then we went into Malawi. Then we went down and into Mozambique. And then we came back and over into Rhodesia. And from Rhodesia we went down to Durban, South Africa, and then drove back. And when we were in Mozambique, it was just before Christmas, it was the Christmas holiday, and there was this guy at the border of, then it was Rhodesia and Ian Smith was head of it. This guy was there, a young fellow hitchhiking. We thought, well, what the heck, you know, we'll take one more. And it turned out to be the son of the Supreme Court justice in Rhodesia. And he says, where are you going? We're going to Rhodesia, you know. What's the capital of Rhodesia?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Harare? No. It's Zimbabwe.\n\nWell."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Zimbabwe is the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's not Harare? No?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe I'm wrong."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 17.145349394865235, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But he's become involved with the, a world organization that takes human rights victims who have been abused and helps to re, reconstruct their face, arms, whatever they've had. And he's become the chairman of the board of the Kenya Red Cross."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he has done so many things. And he's the one who then was given the, the second Wofford Award."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Isn't it? Just wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were his science teacher."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.717054883183597, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he has done so many things. And he's the one who then was given the, the second Wofford Award."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Isn't it? Just wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were his science teacher."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah. And his brother taught. This is so weird. His brother had come over here, not in the same class. His brother never came to Marsabit. He went to some other school, but he ended up at, um, Howard University in their communications division, doing some of their work. And he now, he's retired and lives right out here in, um, Potomac. And then another, but a second student became a doctor and did it by going to, from Nairobi undergraduate to directly to the UK. And he's become an orthopedic surgeon and lives in Frederick. I mean, it's, it's just too weird.\n\nAnd when I go back to Kenya, a group of us that will all get together and talk. I'll meet them in Nairobi. I've been back several times and it's just, uh, you know, a spectacular experience. While I was over there, as I say, my parents came and I think it deeply, I think it really impacted my parents and my two sisters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did it impact them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.46339431464844, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Isn't it? Just wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were his science teacher."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah. And his brother taught. This is so weird. His brother had come over here, not in the same class. His brother never came to Marsabit. He went to some other school, but he ended up at, um, Howard University in their communications division, doing some of their work. And he now, he's retired and lives right out here in, um, Potomac. And then another, but a second student became a doctor and did it by going to, from Nairobi undergraduate to directly to the UK. And he's become an orthopedic surgeon and lives in Frederick. I mean, it's, it's just too weird.\n\nAnd when I go back to Kenya, a group of us that will all get together and talk. I'll meet them in Nairobi. I've been back several times and it's just, uh, you know, a spectacular experience. While I was over there, as I say, my parents came and I think it deeply, I think it really impacted my parents and my two sisters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did it impact them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they, one, they saw how hard the, how difficult the life was for these people. I think they had no clue. I mean, they had, my father had come from a coal region and it was a very poor family. But nothing, nothing like this. I mean, this is poor. They had never eaten camel meat. I mean, I used to eat camel burgers and they'd have to beat it up with cut glass and to get the damn stuff and fatty and all that. But and then I thought they were super impressed with the motivation of these students and their ability to speak English and to communicate. I think, you know, there was an idea, well, these are natives, these are people in the bush. You know, they had no idea. They're African and God knows. Thank God they survived. But no potential."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't know them, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.486137605827764, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No potential or, you know, that wasn't in their consciousness. Having met them, it was like, holy mackerel. Because some of them said, well, he's a doctor, you know, what? Why did you become a doctor? And they asked my father and he was like, oh my God."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, this is real. And my sisters were there. They were only like 14 and 11. But, you know, the boys flirted with him and then they wanted to dance. Well, they had never danced with any black people. I mean, this was just like, holy mackerel. It was a new world. And they went back totally changed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Changed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Totally changed. There's no question in my mind. So I think that was, you know, a wonderful experience for me to see my family change. I enjoyed that, that I saw. I didn't realize my own change. It certainly happened. But I saw my family changed and I saw these students change."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you talked about your change of understanding who you, who you were. Did it change your attitudes towards developing countries or how else did it change?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 25.414984698552797, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Totally changed. There's no question in my mind. So I think that was, you know, a wonderful experience for me to see my family change. I enjoyed that, that I saw. I didn't realize my own change. It certainly happened. But I saw my family changed and I saw these students change."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you talked about your change of understanding who you, who you were. Did it change your attitudes towards developing countries or how else did it change?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think, um. Well, it changed me in a number of ways. One was certainly understanding developing countries. I had not even been conscious about that. I mean, I know I had read about Africa, like you said, natural, geographical. But I'd never been there. And I hadn't even traveled far out of Bethlehem. And when I was in Bethlehem, it was with my own select group of people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know. So I was, I was pretty insular. This was like, boom. And the fact that everyone accepted me, I thought was unique. And now I can look back on it. No, I never felt any bias in this, uh, my being white, my being American, at least at that point in time. Everybody looked to America as a, a wonderful place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they talk to you about the Vietnam War?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.57220522061422, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think, um. Well, it changed me in a number of ways. One was certainly understanding developing countries. I had not even been conscious about that. I mean, I know I had read about Africa, like you said, natural, geographical. But I'd never been there. And I hadn't even traveled far out of Bethlehem. And when I was in Bethlehem, it was with my own select group of people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know. So I was, I was pretty insular. This was like, boom. And the fact that everyone accepted me, I thought was unique. And now I can look back on it. No, I never felt any bias in this, uh, my being white, my being American, at least at that point in time. Everybody looked to America as a, a wonderful place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they talk to you about the Vietnam War?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. The teachers and I would talk about, well, every morning. Oh, my God. They had this Zenith radio, a massive Zenith radio. And we had a, a generator so that we had electricity certain hours of the day. But the first thing they would do is have a listen to the BBC morning news and, you know, hear the beep, beep, beep. This is the BBC from London and this morning's news, in Vietnam, ba ba ba. And you know, I'd be listening to this and I thought, oh my God. And the students would say, well, why aren't you in Vietnam? Uhh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you say to them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:203", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.743379621861504, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They, they, they both equally were committed to this. Um. I think, you know, as I think about myself and the ability of where, where all this is going. I think the Peace Corps, the value of Peace Corps for me has been this tremendous exposure to the world. And the ability to not be, well, I guess the fact I was alone was very good. It's impacted my character, I think, of not believing what other people say and wanting to find out for myself. And I do this even now. If someone reads a review of a new film and they say, well, you know, it's so-so. If I think it might be worth, I'll want to go see it myself. And that that's just who I've become. And I know the Peace Corps experience has pushed me to in that direction, to think about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Making the decisions myself and not being. And I mean, I'm sure when I was going over from Bethlehem to the Peace Corps, there were people going, oh my God, you're going to Africa, you know, the end of the world. I didn't know. But I was willing to take a chance and go. And I found when I went up to see that person at the, the Education Department, I had no idea. I didn't know. But I was willing to gamble. So that the, the ability to, to, to take ideas that you think are important and risk and explore them is something that the Peace Corps has, has absolutely reinforced in my life. Aside from all these wonderful cultural things. I mean, deep down in as me as a person that I think has been a real."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really important."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A real value. Yeah. And I enjoy that. I mean, I enjoy, you know, well, you say, I mean, in fact, a good part of my life has been tell me it can't be done and I'll find a way to do it. I mean, to put it in a nutshell, that it would be a, you know. And my wife and I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you've done it before."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.60375513540167, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Making the decisions myself and not being. And I mean, I'm sure when I was going over from Bethlehem to the Peace Corps, there were people going, oh my God, you're going to Africa, you know, the end of the world. I didn't know. But I was willing to take a chance and go. And I found when I went up to see that person at the, the Education Department, I had no idea. I didn't know. But I was willing to gamble. So that the, the ability to, to, to take ideas that you think are important and risk and explore them is something that the Peace Corps has, has absolutely reinforced in my life. Aside from all these wonderful cultural things. I mean, deep down in as me as a person that I think has been a real."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really important."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A real value. Yeah. And I enjoy that. I mean, I enjoy, you know, well, you say, I mean, in fact, a good part of my life has been tell me it can't be done and I'll find a way to do it. I mean, to put it in a nutshell, that it would be a, you know. And my wife and I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you've done it before."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hmm?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you've done it before."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.770698270692986, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I felt that way with these students. I was going to, no matter what, I was going to help them do well in these exams. Yes, there were a lot of barriers. Yes, we didn't have all the equipment. Yes, we didn't have, they didn't have all the background. Yes, yes, yes. A lot of no's, a lot of negatives. But look at what they've accomplished. And I, I suppose that's, well, it is not I suppose, it is one of the things I feel most proud of in my life that. And I think Peace Corps investing in education is a wonderful thing because it has such a long-term benefit. It just, you know, it just keeps going. And, you know, I can pick up my phone now and I, I'm. Some of them have said, hey, why don't you come up there? We're having this big festival in Lake Turkana in July and, you know, you can come up and we'll go up. Leakey's son now has a place up further and we can go up there. Well, next year I might do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'd do it in a heartbeat, in a split second. My wife, I don't know. We're getting older. And that's the only other thing, as you get older, you get a little more cautious, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, now's the time to do it, while you can."}, {"role": "user", "content": "While I can, that's the way I look at it. But, you know, I think it's, you know, certainly helped me break down barriers that I might have been thinking about. Um. I'd like to believe in the sort of in the bigger world that this is all going to end up with people knowing each other better, understanding each other, and not getting into conflict. Whether that'll happen, I don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One has to keep."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 24.18966474521443, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'd do it in a heartbeat, in a split second. My wife, I don't know. We're getting older. And that's the only other thing, as you get older, you get a little more cautious, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, now's the time to do it, while you can."}, {"role": "user", "content": "While I can, that's the way I look at it. But, you know, I think it's, you know, certainly helped me break down barriers that I might have been thinking about. Um. I'd like to believe in the sort of in the bigger world that this is all going to end up with people knowing each other better, understanding each other, and not getting into conflict. Whether that'll happen, I don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One has to keep."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, step by step."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One has to keep working on it. I know you're involved with National Peace Corps Association. What have you done with the Peace Corps Association?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.680823297667462, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's it. You know, I'm off and I'm doing, you know, you have to respect that. You know, you can't say, well, Jesus, give back. It doesn't work that way. And on the other hand, the one fellow who lives in Texas. And I said, you know, maybe you'd like to go to this event down in Texas. It's close to you. And he says, well, I'll give it a real good look. So that's as much as I can expect. It's such a heterogeneous group of people. NPCA is trying to herd cats in it's truest sense. I've seen, oh, directors from the beginning. From the beginning, because, I mean, I've been around that long and I've seen it go up and down.\n\nI even formed with some other people a group called Encore, which was to take former Peace Corps volunteers and place them in settings to do, because of their experience now, these would be retired Peace Corps people, and they could go into short term activities and provide a much bigger impact."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If it was very targeted. Um. We got into competition with Peace Corps, which saw I think some of the same ideas, and they had been Crisis Corps before and we had called it Encore and now they call theirs Peace Corps Response."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Response."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we ended up merging Encore into that because they had the money. I mean, you know, I was out there with other board members raising money for our group. And, you know, we raised a couple of hundred thousand dollars but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a good idea. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.189335920846611, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Through training and all kinds and very focused. And plus it would cost much less. The security would be less. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Well. I personally think that the, that they're influenced by the political side of the budget. And they think, you know, if we do that and it is less, someone will say, well, why don't we cut back on the funding?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even more."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And reduce Peace Corps funding. Because they could do more on this virtual side and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I don't quite buy that. I understand that there are people in Congress who would say that, but I think they could get a bigger bang for the buck. So I've pushed a couple of times. The other day at that event, Jody sat next to me and I said, you know, what about this virtual stuff, don't you think? She says, yeah, Russ, but, you know, ba ba ba ba. And lo and behold, about three weeks ago, I suddenly saw a flier come out from Peace Corps talking about, they didn't use the word. Well, actually, I guess they did. Virtual support through Response Corps. They're going to have selective assignments where people could do things electronically in this, you know, whether it's a teacher here trying to upgrade teachers in a country by giving them. But that would be a Response Corps capacity. And I jokingly said to someone on the staff over there, well, so we're breaking through a little bit. And they said, well, yeah, that seemed like one way we could."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, some of it starts and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As a supplement, that's not the same thing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:251", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.440231551358955, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or whatever. And this woman had done well with 14 young women, but there are 2,000 of them in the same category. And so I ask her, you know, what are you going to do? And she says, well, I don't know. Well, I'd like to expand it, but I don't have anyone to help me think through how do you take an idea, someone jokingly said, and sort of expand it sort of like a franchise. And in a sense, it would be somewhat like that. Well, I'm sure there are people who are in the social services who have that sort of cut on their ability to. They could do that. And that would be the kind of thing I would like to see happen, you know, pursue some of those things. And not, I just happen to think of it in the health field, but it could be small business. It could be women's development. I mean, you just. Agriculture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My, my nephew, my son, my, my son. My brother-in-law was going to go in to do something. He's, he's an expert in herbicides for fruit trees. And he could help people anywhere in the world with guidance. He's sometimes a little short on the emotional side, but he could. If it was a video thing, he could easily say, let's look at this and why don't you try this and let's get back next week or in a month. Anyway. I think that that's, I think that's a potential using technology. And I'm going to be. [phone rings] Let me. Sorry, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's okay. We're, we're just about done there. Well, it sounds like you've really stayed on, on task, on mission."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I've, I've tried. I, you know, at one point, I actually several times had talked about, do I want to consider being a country director? And when I saw friends of mine who were, I said no. It has changed so much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We've talked about that as well."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:253", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.044701723732172, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My, my nephew, my son, my, my son. My brother-in-law was going to go in to do something. He's, he's an expert in herbicides for fruit trees. And he could help people anywhere in the world with guidance. He's sometimes a little short on the emotional side, but he could. If it was a video thing, he could easily say, let's look at this and why don't you try this and let's get back next week or in a month. Anyway. I think that that's, I think that's a potential using technology. And I'm going to be. [phone rings] Let me. Sorry, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's okay. We're, we're just about done there. Well, it sounds like you've really stayed on, on task, on mission."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I've, I've tried. I, you know, at one point, I actually several times had talked about, do I want to consider being a country director? And when I saw friends of mine who were, I said no. It has changed so much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We've talked about that as well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't want to, you know, it's different today with, your husband was just mentioning, you know, the cell phones. I mean, I've heard, you know, someone gets over there and the next day their parents are called Peace Corps. My son or daughter is in a place with the cockroaches, ahhh!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. It's a whole different."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:255", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.716335248591302, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I've, I've tried. I, you know, at one point, I actually several times had talked about, do I want to consider being a country director? And when I saw friends of mine who were, I said no. It has changed so much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We've talked about that as well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't want to, you know, it's different today with, your husband was just mentioning, you know, the cell phones. I mean, I've heard, you know, someone gets over there and the next day their parents are called Peace Corps. My son or daughter is in a place with the cockroaches, ahhh!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. It's a whole different."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Or, and I know the security thing is a big issue."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, there were security issues then. They weren't as, maybe not as well known."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.462594720657002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't want to, you know, it's different today with, your husband was just mentioning, you know, the cell phones. I mean, I've heard, you know, someone gets over there and the next day their parents are called Peace Corps. My son or daughter is in a place with the cockroaches, ahhh!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. It's a whole different."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Or, and I know the security thing is a big issue."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, there were security issues then. They weren't as, maybe not as well known."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And maybe Peace Corps was willing to live with some of the, the risk, but not, not anymore."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.180660800730002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Or, and I know the security thing is a big issue."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, there were security issues then. They weren't as, maybe not as well known."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And maybe Peace Corps was willing to live with some of the, the risk, but not, not anymore."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like going up in the shifta area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Right. That would never happen."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.630445433000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like going up in the shifta area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Right. That would never happen."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That would never happen. And in fact, I went over there once and took, well, I was going back up to Marsabit and we were flying and the Peace Corps director in the country of Kenya said, can I go with you? And I said, absolutely, come on. And we'll go up there and I'll show you. Because I was, well, he went up, he saw the whole thing. They saw places to put some volunteers. They ended up putting two women up there in rural women's schools, but only for a year and a year and a half. And then there was some shifta thing again going on, and they pulled them right away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they haven't gone back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a whole different world."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.144939370000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That would never happen. And in fact, I went over there once and took, well, I was going back up to Marsabit and we were flying and the Peace Corps director in the country of Kenya said, can I go with you? And I said, absolutely, come on. And we'll go up there and I'll show you. Because I was, well, he went up, he saw the whole thing. They saw places to put some volunteers. They ended up putting two women up there in rural women's schools, but only for a year and a year and a half. And then there was some shifta thing again going on, and they pulled them right away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they haven't gone back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a whole different world."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So and then I had this other student who, when I was at, Pitt had a program of helping. You spend a year at Pitt Public Health. Then you spend two years in the Peace Corps. Then you come back and spend a year in graduate school finishing up, with the idea you've had that field experience and you're a better public health. And I was the mentor for that student, and he was pulled out of the coast of Kenya, sent up to Nairobi when they had problems. And he, you know, I keep in touch with him. He just got married. And it, his commitment to the Peace Corps is very thin. Very thin. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, people enter for different reasons too now."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.716599300000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they haven't gone back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a whole different world."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So and then I had this other student who, when I was at, Pitt had a program of helping. You spend a year at Pitt Public Health. Then you spend two years in the Peace Corps. Then you come back and spend a year in graduate school finishing up, with the idea you've had that field experience and you're a better public health. And I was the mentor for that student, and he was pulled out of the coast of Kenya, sent up to Nairobi when they had problems. And he, you know, I keep in touch with him. He just got married. And it, his commitment to the Peace Corps is very thin. Very thin. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, people enter for different reasons too now."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know, and I haven't even thought about that much. I just, it hasn't been a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I do a lot of interviews and I hear the shift of why people enter. Some of it is the same, but some of it is different. Not that one is better than the other."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.351777000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So and then I had this other student who, when I was at, Pitt had a program of helping. You spend a year at Pitt Public Health. Then you spend two years in the Peace Corps. Then you come back and spend a year in graduate school finishing up, with the idea you've had that field experience and you're a better public health. And I was the mentor for that student, and he was pulled out of the coast of Kenya, sent up to Nairobi when they had problems. And he, you know, I keep in touch with him. He just got married. And it, his commitment to the Peace Corps is very thin. Very thin. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, people enter for different reasons too now."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know, and I haven't even thought about that much. I just, it hasn't been a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I do a lot of interviews and I hear the shift of why people enter. Some of it is the same, but some of it is different. Not that one is better than the other."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we're probably winding down on time now. Are there other things you want to talk about?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.057530000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know, and I haven't even thought about that much. I just, it hasn't been a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I do a lot of interviews and I hear the shift of why people enter. Some of it is the same, but some of it is different. Not that one is better than the other."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we're probably winding down on time now. Are there other things you want to talk about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think, you know, I think that's pretty much where my head has been at."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let me ask you one other thing. We've talked about impact of Peace Corps on your life, friendships you've made. Can you reflect a little bit about Peace Corps' impact on Kenya or the community where you served, as well as Peace Corps' impact in the United States?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:279", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.3, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I definitely think Peace Corps has had an impact on Kenya with these individuals who, again in the education field, that was what I know. I think that they have, um, gone on and become, become key leaders in their own country. And they remember the value of Peace Corps. I mean, the young woman who was, one of the two women became head of education for the, for the district. And she constantly would send me a note saying, you know, this was really an important thing. Can we get some more Peace Corps volunteers? Um. This doctor who's become head of the, you know, the surgeon and everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He, it turns out his, his cousin is the equivalent to the head of the State Department, the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Foreign Ministry?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the Foreign Ministry in Kenya. And he's constantly telling her about the value of Peace Corps. We were going to have a 50th anniversary of Peace Corps in Kenya. I had organized all that. I had everything set up. And then all of a sudden there was the incident in the hotel or, no, in the embassy I guess, or wherever it was they had it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, in the shopping mall."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 7.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He, it turns out his, his cousin is the equivalent to the head of the State Department, the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Foreign Ministry?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the Foreign Ministry in Kenya. And he's constantly telling her about the value of Peace Corps. We were going to have a 50th anniversary of Peace Corps in Kenya. I had organized all that. I had everything set up. And then all of a sudden there was the incident in the hotel or, no, in the embassy I guess, or wherever it was they had it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, in the shopping mall."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the shopping mall. The first one, yeah, not the most recent. And that, that just quashed that. Um. I found that everybody, even if I didn't know them, when I talked to people from foreign countries and mentioned I was in the Peace Corps, it absolutely has a positive resonating effect. There's a great respect for people who've done that, a great empathy for the commitment that people have made. A lot of people don't realize, you know, I mean, I took three years, which when I look back on, three years is a lot of time. It went so fast. I was doing so much. But I don't know, it's, it's tough. I've tried to get my daughter to consider going in in two years. Uh, I don't know, Dad, you know, I'd like to, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have to move ahead."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To come out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a good place to come out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I mean, I feel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On that hopeful note."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I feel very happy about my life and what, what I've been able to do so far. I mean, I've done things I never thought I could possibly accomplish. I didn't even know that I could think about accomplishing them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, that's great."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00089:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'm convinced that the Peace Corps, you know, helped me in getting a better understanding of who I am and what I can achieve."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, I feel good about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So and they can't take it away. No one can take it away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So thank you. It was a really good interview."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00035:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 29.454391933035915, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hmm, boy, well, I started my federal career at the Census Bureau, writing technical documentation, and that’s how I got involved with the archival community. Mostly, though, it was data archiving, not paper archiving, and at that time there was very little attention to data archiving, or electronic archiving of any form, within the archival community, and at the National Archives. There was a small group who understood the issues, but they were very small, and not a major force at the Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you mind explaining what you mean by data recording."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, what I was working on were data sets that were the individual responses to national surveys, so the Census Bureau does literally hundreds of surveys every year, and they produce data tapes from those that are the individual responses, at least in a way that you can’t identify an individual, but it gives researchers the ability to look at the complex relationship among variables. So, for example, if you want to study poverty, you also want to know something about an individual’s work history and their education background, and a whole series of characteristics. From aggregate data, you can’t do that kind of analysis. I mean, individual records, on an individual, to be able to analyze those things, so we produced data tapes, and then once you produce the data tape, you have to explain to people what’s on it. Now, in character 34 and 35 is race, you know, or whatever, so I would write the documentation that explained to people how the data were collected, what is on the tape, and a little bit about how to use it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, and so after the Census Bureau, where did you go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was at the Census Bureau until 1991, and then I went to work for the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. I was there for four years, and then moved to the House Committee on Government Reform, and was there until 2006, when I came to the National Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what have you done here at the National Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00035:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 31.425175225970264, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was at the Census Bureau until 1991, and then I went to work for the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. I was there for four years, and then moved to the House Committee on Government Reform, and was there until 2006, when I came to the National Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what have you done here at the National Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I came here as the External Affairs Liaison position that hadn’t existed prior to my being here, and the then the Archivist wanted somebody who would be within the organization, an advocate for the user community, so somebody who would think about what we were doing from the user perspective. So, for example, the research room had a policy that they would not renew your research card until it had expired, so if you came in two days before your card expired, they wouldn't issue you a new one, you had to come back two days later, when it expired. Well, you know, some of our users come from all over the country, and that was an inconvenience at the least, and a major inconvenience for some, so I lobbied to get that policy changed, and they said they would change it. They told the Archivist that it had been changed, but it was my job to make sure that it had been changed, and sure enough, six months later, they had told the Archivist that they were no longer doing that, but they were still doing it, so it was my job to find that out and go back to the Archivist and say, “we need to do some more on this.” It put me in a very awkward position vis-à-vis the staff, because to some extent, I was—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tattling? —"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was checking up on them to make sure they were doing what they said they were doing, and sometimes, advocating for policies that were not what they would like to be doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you have to go outside the Archives as well to work as part of that?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00035:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 26.445930842814, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not much, no. Well, after I had been here about a year and a half, the guy who recruited me left and took another job, and so I was acting Director of Congressional Affairs for about a year, and then they hired someone to fill that position fulltime, and I went back to External Affairs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, according to your resume, you were part of the Presidential Transition Team?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm-hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you mind explaining what that is?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When a new President is elected, generally, they create a team to build for them a game plan of what they need to do, and it's really sort of a 90-day what is out there that we don't know about that might cause us problems, what do we need to be doing right away, what are issues that are important, what can be pushed down the road, and they put together a team—for Obama, I think it was around 100 to 150 people. My focus was the Census Bureau. I was not working on the Archives. They wanted someone who understood the policy issues at the Census, and who could guide them with what they needed to be doing, and it was very close to the 2010 Census, which was not well-planned, and was about to be a crisis, and so they needed to know what they needed to do. Their first political instinct was to ignore it and say, well, this is Bush's problem, not ours, but we convinced them that that was short- sighted, and by the time the data were released, no matter who planned the Census, it was going to be Obama's census, and he would get the fallout if it fell apart."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you do now at the Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00035:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.717700936459998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm-hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you mind explaining what that is?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When a new President is elected, generally, they create a team to build for them a game plan of what they need to do, and it's really sort of a 90-day what is out there that we don't know about that might cause us problems, what do we need to be doing right away, what are issues that are important, what can be pushed down the road, and they put together a team—for Obama, I think it was around 100 to 150 people. My focus was the Census Bureau. I was not working on the Archives. They wanted someone who understood the policy issues at the Census, and who could guide them with what they needed to be doing, and it was very close to the 2010 Census, which was not well-planned, and was about to be a crisis, and so they needed to know what they needed to do. Their first political instinct was to ignore it and say, well, this is Bush's problem, not ours, but we convinced them that that was short- sighted, and by the time the data were released, no matter who planned the Census, it was going to be Obama's census, and he would get the fallout if it fell apart."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What do you do now at the Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now I'm a writer, and I write feature articles for Prologue. I'm the COOP bureaucrat, Continuity of Operations, so I go to the meetings where they talk about these issues, and make sure we get the forms filled out that need to be filled out, and bring back to the unit an understanding of what is going on and what we needed to be doing. It gets to be a sensitive issue, as the bi-annual exercises come up, because we design the scenarios that are presented to the senior staff. There's a bomb exploding in downtown Washington—and we can't tell the senior staff that ahead of time, the scenarios are secret until it actually goes live, and so that gets to be a little complicated."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any stories from working here that you would like to tell?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00035:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 28.046544366, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now I'm a writer, and I write feature articles for Prologue. I'm the COOP bureaucrat, Continuity of Operations, so I go to the meetings where they talk about these issues, and make sure we get the forms filled out that need to be filled out, and bring back to the unit an understanding of what is going on and what we needed to be doing. It gets to be a sensitive issue, as the bi-annual exercises come up, because we design the scenarios that are presented to the senior staff. There's a bomb exploding in downtown Washington—and we can't tell the senior staff that ahead of time, the scenarios are secret until it actually goes live, and so that gets to be a little complicated."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any stories from working here that you would like to tell?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I also do plain language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Stories, hmm. Oh, gee. I'm sure I do, nothing pops right into my head."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything from the Archives history that you've worked on that's important?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00035:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 27.82949374, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I also do plain language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Stories, hmm. Oh, gee. I'm sure I do, nothing pops right into my head."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything from the Archives history that you've worked on that's important?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, my first exposure to the Archives on the Hill was when I got to the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, they were in the midst of writing an investigative report on the Archives. There was some fairly serious malfeasance on the part of senior Archives officials in the selection of the First Inspector General, and the Senate had gotten wind of that, and had investigated the issue, and wrote a report, and as a result, the Deputy Archivist was moved out. She was considered to be the person primarily responsible for the problem. I think she ultimately was brought back on. I think it was not that anyone proved that she hadn't done the thing she was alleged to do, but the process by which she was removed, and I think if you look at a lot of press reports, when something happens in an agency, somebody will be blamed for it, and they'll be moved out, and then it turns out two years later, they will end up being reinstated, because their rights were violated. It wasn't done in the proper way, and I don't think she ever came back to the Archives, but she, I think, could have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You have any other stories like that?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00035:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 29.8105486, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Stories, hmm. Oh, gee. I'm sure I do, nothing pops right into my head."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything from the Archives history that you've worked on that's important?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, my first exposure to the Archives on the Hill was when I got to the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, they were in the midst of writing an investigative report on the Archives. There was some fairly serious malfeasance on the part of senior Archives officials in the selection of the First Inspector General, and the Senate had gotten wind of that, and had investigated the issue, and wrote a report, and as a result, the Deputy Archivist was moved out. She was considered to be the person primarily responsible for the problem. I think she ultimately was brought back on. I think it was not that anyone proved that she hadn't done the thing she was alleged to do, but the process by which she was removed, and I think if you look at a lot of press reports, when something happens in an agency, somebody will be blamed for it, and they'll be moved out, and then it turns out two years later, they will end up being reinstated, because their rights were violated. It wasn't done in the proper way, and I don't think she ever came back to the Archives, but she, I think, could have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You have any other stories like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. Well, what followed that immediately was, it goes back to the issue of electronic records, the Archivist who—and I'm not sure he was onboard during that investigation, but he came onboard shortly afterwards or during, and he was a Bush appointee, and as Bush was leaving office, I think the document was signed on the 19th of January, the Archivist gave the President exclusive control over all of the electronic records from his administration."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that allowed?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.714885703464555, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hate that first name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The date is January the 27th in the year of 1999, and we are ready to roll. Are you ready to go, Scott?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let’s go, Roy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Let’s do. You know, you were born here in Colorado. Anything in that background that leant to your becoming an astronaut?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I can think of, except they’re both high country orbit and Colorado mountains."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, from there you went down to low country, meaning the Navy. Right down at sea level. Why Navy?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 17.460984114960617, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let’s go, Roy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Let’s do. You know, you were born here in Colorado. Anything in that background that leant to your becoming an astronaut?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I can think of, except they’re both high country orbit and Colorado mountains."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, from there you went down to low country, meaning the Navy. Right down at sea level. Why Navy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was a naval aviator. But how in the world I got an affection for the deep blue ocean, having grown up in the high country of Colorado, I don’t know. I’ve pondered that question a lot and can’t answer it for you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There is an evolution there, none the less, though. Because I see in your background: test pilot school, intelligence schools, all of these that led up to your being selected as an astronaut. Can you describe that training and how you think it might have played off into that eventual choice?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 14.956649016622904, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that I can think of, except they’re both high country orbit and Colorado mountains."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, from there you went down to low country, meaning the Navy. Right down at sea level. Why Navy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was a naval aviator. But how in the world I got an affection for the deep blue ocean, having grown up in the high country of Colorado, I don’t know. I’ve pondered that question a lot and can’t answer it for you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There is an evolution there, none the less, though. Because I see in your background: test pilot school, intelligence schools, all of these that led up to your being selected as an astronaut. Can you describe that training and how you think it might have played off into that eventual choice?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Curiosity is a thread that goes through all of my activity. I’ve been curious. I’ve also been frightened by the deep ocean. I wanted, number one, to learn about it; but, number two, I wanted to get rid of what I felt was an unreasoned fear of the deep water. I was also inspired by what [Jacques] Cousteau had done. I saw a use for NASA technology in ocean technology, and first proposed to Cousteau that I come and share technology with his program. He said, “Well, we could use your experience, but you don’t speak the right language and we can’t pay you very much. But,” he said, “if you want to share technology with the ocean, do it with your own United States Navy.” And that’s how it happened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well that’s, of course, what happened after you had been an astronaut. So let’s come back to that, if we may, Scott. And right now, let’s go back to the origins and relate, if we can, that naval background and the deep sea—the ocean, if you will—into the oceans of space."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.044275288253164, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. The greatest thrill of my life. Getting to be a part of the crew that would do this unheard of thing, and a thing that would banish so many unknowns. It’s food for curiosity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you were with a rather distinguished group. Could we take them one-by-one and kind of look at them through your eyes? Let’s say, just for the sake of discussion, John [H.] Glenn [Jr.]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He and I bonded immediately. Who can describe the reasons for bonding? I just have a great deal of respect for him. We had a lot of interests in common. There were three Air Force fellows in the group. We used to kid each other about not caring much for one another, but we all recognized that we were on the same side. This isn’t Cold War time. They were, all of them, highly qualified professionals, and I have the highest respect for every one of them. I was just more bonded with John than any of the others because of common interests."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Gus [Virgil I.] Grissom?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A true professional. Didn’t have a lot to say, but when he said something it was always worth listening to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wally [Walter M.] Schirra [Jr.]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.826972542503515, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He and I bonded immediately. Who can describe the reasons for bonding? I just have a great deal of respect for him. We had a lot of interests in common. There were three Air Force fellows in the group. We used to kid each other about not caring much for one another, but we all recognized that we were on the same side. This isn’t Cold War time. They were, all of them, highly qualified professionals, and I have the highest respect for every one of them. I was just more bonded with John than any of the others because of common interests."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Gus [Virgil I.] Grissom?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A true professional. Didn’t have a lot to say, but when he said something it was always worth listening to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wally [Walter M.] Schirra [Jr.]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The joker. He doesn’t like to be called “the joker,” but he is a great high-jinks fellow, you know? And he added a lot of levity to everything we did, and that was very valuable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Deke [Donald K.] Slayton?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.80774726944835, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A true professional. Didn’t have a lot to say, but when he said something it was always worth listening to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wally [Walter M.] Schirra [Jr.]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The joker. He doesn’t like to be called “the joker,” but he is a great high-jinks fellow, you know? And he added a lot of levity to everything we did, and that was very valuable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Deke [Donald K.] Slayton?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Deke [was] probably the most dedicated, single-minded professional test pilot of the group. He was more dedicated to airplanes in general and how they work, I think, than any other fellow in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Alan [B.] Shepard [Jr.]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.00860807716483, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The joker. He doesn’t like to be called “the joker,” but he is a great high-jinks fellow, you know? And he added a lot of levity to everything we did, and that was very valuable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Deke [Donald K.] Slayton?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Deke [was] probably the most dedicated, single-minded professional test pilot of the group. He was more dedicated to airplanes in general and how they work, I think, than any other fellow in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Alan [B.] Shepard [Jr.]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Born leader. Came to the program with a lot of experience and a lot of talent. And it showed up in his choice as the first spaceman in this country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Scott Carpenter? How would you see him fitting into that group?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 24.454008974627587, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Deke [was] probably the most dedicated, single-minded professional test pilot of the group. He was more dedicated to airplanes in general and how they work, I think, than any other fellow in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Alan [B.] Shepard [Jr.]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Born leader. Came to the program with a lot of experience and a lot of talent. And it showed up in his choice as the first spaceman in this country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Scott Carpenter? How would you see him fitting into that group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I leave that to others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very good. You had early assignments in Mercury. Do you remember what they were?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.726676638475098, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Born leader. Came to the program with a lot of experience and a lot of talent. And it showed up in his choice as the first spaceman in this country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about Scott Carpenter? How would you see him fitting into that group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I leave that to others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very good. You had early assignments in Mercury. Do you remember what they were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Communications and navigation, and that’s as a result of my experience at Patuxent [River, Maryland, Naval Air Station], the Naval Air Test Center, with equipment and techniques that had to do with Earth observation and photography and communications."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did those specialties pay off for you a little later in the program? Communication? Navigation?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.251862931638996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I leave that to others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very good. You had early assignments in Mercury. Do you remember what they were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Communications and navigation, and that’s as a result of my experience at Patuxent [River, Maryland, Naval Air Station], the Naval Air Test Center, with equipment and techniques that had to do with Earth observation and photography and communications."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did those specialties pay off for you a little later in the program? Communication? Navigation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, those sciences, if you will, were the ones that I was directed to follow. So I had a background that was helpful in the tasks that were assigned to me by NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what were some of your early assignments in Mercury?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 15, "return_to_go": 28.057625479598883, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Communications and navigation, and that’s as a result of my experience at Patuxent [River, Maryland, Naval Air Station], the Naval Air Test Center, with equipment and techniques that had to do with Earth observation and photography and communications."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did those specialties pay off for you a little later in the program? Communication? Navigation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, those sciences, if you will, were the ones that I was directed to follow. So I had a background that was helpful in the tasks that were assigned to me by NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what were some of your early assignments in Mercury?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Making sure that the communications equipment worked well and the navigation techniques were adequate to the task. These were just the small tasks that I was given to monitor solo, and each of us had certain tasks for which they were responsible. We all had a lot of tasks to do together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not the least of which was the assignment of being Capcoms round the world during those early Mercury flights, when it was astronauts could only talk to astronauts. Where were you, for example, during John’s [pause]. Well, let’s start at the beginning with Alan Shepard and then with John Glenn and Gus Grissom, where were you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.50847275510987, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, those sciences, if you will, were the ones that I was directed to follow. So I had a background that was helpful in the tasks that were assigned to me by NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what were some of your early assignments in Mercury?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Making sure that the communications equipment worked well and the navigation techniques were adequate to the task. These were just the small tasks that I was given to monitor solo, and each of us had certain tasks for which they were responsible. We all had a lot of tasks to do together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not the least of which was the assignment of being Capcoms round the world during those early Mercury flights, when it was astronauts could only talk to astronauts. Where were you, for example, during John’s [pause]. Well, let’s start at the beginning with Alan Shepard and then with John Glenn and Gus Grissom, where were you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For Alan’s flight, Wally Schirra and I, in keeping with an old Air Force—Edwards, as a matter of fact—practice of chasing every experimental flight with airplanes. Walt [Walter C.] Williams from Edwards [Air Force Base, California], highly placed in the Administration in those days, thought we should chase Al Shepard’s flight just because it was always done. So Wally Schirra and I were given some Air Force airplanes (F-102s) to chase Al’s flight. We orbited and we couldn’t stay close to the pad, because there were a lot of unknowns and dangers in those days that we didn’t quite know how to cope with. But Wally and I were circling the pad, listening to the count, but at some distance, maybe 3 miles away. And Al took off, going straight up, and Wally and I never saw a thing! You can’t chase a Redstone going straight up in a 102, so all we did is fly circles. And we came down and sort of said to each other, “What happened?”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s pretty well known, by now, but let’s go back over the background of where you were for John Glenn’s flight and what you did. It kind of made a little history."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.21730339141879, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Well, yeah, but I will also tell you that both of these pleas, “Godspeed, John Glenn,” he didn’t hear—and I just recently learned this—until after the launch. I thought he heard them both when I said them, but that wasn’t the way it happened. I couldn’t say the same thing on the Shuttle flight because it’s not a solo flight. So I thought it appropriate to add, “Good luck to the commander and crew of the Shuttle and, once again, Godspeed, John Glenn.” That statement has had endurance that surprises me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Perhaps with good reason. Well, let’s go back now to your flight. How did you get to fly MA [Mercury Atlas]-7, Aurora [7], instead of Wally Schirra?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get into that flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was Deke, first of all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Deke first. That’s right."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.35255932379865, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get into that flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was Deke, first of all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Deke first. That’s right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Deke was assigned to that flight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let’s go through that sequence, shall we?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 23.725065915331836, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was Deke, first of all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Deke first. That’s right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Deke was assigned to that flight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let’s go through that sequence, shall we?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get to fly MA-7? Let’s rephrase the question."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 19.69451768370204, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Deke was assigned to that flight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let’s go through that sequence, shall we?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get to fly MA-7? Let’s rephrase the question."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, okay. The flight after John’s, which was MA-6, was MA-7; and Deke Slayton was assigned that flight. On the centrifuge during the training period for that flight Deke had an anomaly in his heart which in conventional medical wisdom of that time was considered disqualifying. We recognize now that it was no more serious than a hiccup, but Deke was scratched and he wouldn’t fly again for a long time, until Apollo-Soyuz [Test Project]. It was a destructive thing for Deke. Wally was his backup and by rights should have gotten the flight. But Walt Williams again, I think (I don’t know who made the decision), but it was a NASA decision that since I had had such an intimate relationship with the MA-6, getting John ready to go, that I was better prepared to take the next flight than Wally was, the standby. That was very destructive to Wally, too, and we’ve survived that; but he was angry, and with reason. Anyway, I got the flight. And Wally became not only backup as he had been for Deke, but my backup; and he got the flight following."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you called the flight, or called the spacecraft, Aurora. What’s in a name? Where’d you get a name like that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.1034525287507675, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. [telephone rings]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s probably [interrupted]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ll hold"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The machine upstairs will get it in one more ring, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. This should— The other machine just picked it up. Okay. Are we still rolling?\n\nWe’re still rolling.\\n\\n [Break]\n\nAll right. We’re at a good spot.\n\nGet it all down, okay? And go ahead and go again."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.892725031945297, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s probably [interrupted]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ll hold"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The machine upstairs will get it in one more ring, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. This should— The other machine just picked it up. Okay. Are we still rolling?\n\nWe’re still rolling.\\n\\n [Break]\n\nAll right. We’re at a good spot.\n\nGet it all down, okay? And go ahead and go again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Am I still slouching?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh no, you’re sitting up just fine. We’re ready to pick it up again, and we had just reached that point where you said “Chris Kraft and some of his controllers were not happy” and I had said “Scott, you’ll never have a better time than right now to tell your side of that story.”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:66", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.658017119258187, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. It’s hard to realize that we didn’t know for sure at that time whether or not there were living critters out there at 150 miles’ altitude because John said, “There are fireflies.” He called them that, and we really didn’t know whether something like that existed. That’s a good indicator of the state of our ignorance in many things at that time in the space program. It turned out—as I was stowing equipment, banging the hatch on the side of the capsule just before retrofire—the “fireflies” started flying past the window; and I could make more fly by, by banging the hatch. And it was little pieces of frost in the—illuminated by the Sun, behind me at this time at sunrise; and they were just little ice crystals; and I figured, “Hooray! We know the answer to that question.” It was a moving time for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In retrospect, what do you think now as you think back on zero g and spaceflight in general as you experienced it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You have to realize that my experience with zero g, although transcending and more fun than I can tell you about, was in the light of current spaceflight accomplishments very brief. But it’s the nicest thing that ever happened to me, and I can’t believe that I wouldn’t enjoy it just as much for a more prolonged period. The zero-g sensation and the visual sensation of spaceflight are transcending experiences, and I wish everybody could have them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You could certainly understand why John wanted to go back up there for the longer flight, can’t you? Would you have taken the same opportunity?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh sure. But it was not offered me. That is the fact of the matter. I, as a matter of fact, am questioned frequently about this: Would you do it? And one of the answers is tongue in cheek but it is also partly true: I’m not old enough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had plenty of time after landing, when you were down in the ocean. You had plenty of time to think about the mission. And I wonder, what were your thoughts during that period of time when you were waiting to be picked up after your flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:74", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.12637878259135, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All I can tell you is that I hope so, but that’s another question that must be asked others. I tried to do that; but it is difficult, I think, to describe all of the sensations of spaceflight. It was a new concept then. Never before done. People understand it better now because they’ve lived with it all these years. But not then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were also the first to propose a neutral buoyancy tank. I can certainly understand that in view of your Navy background; using water to simulate, if you will, zero g. When first you came up with that suggestion, how did NASA receive that idea at first?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don’t think there was any objection. The idea bore fruit in many, many different ways. It required the expenditure of a lot of money to build a neutral buoyancy simulator, but it has paid off handsomely in training people for EVA [extravehicular activity] and it’s, you know, irreplaceable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And thoroughly one of the tools of NASA today. Have you had a chance to operate within that neutral buoyancy tank at all in recent years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I was at the tank in Houston, but I didn’t get in the water. But I’ve had experience doing that in the open ocean with Sealab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that kind of brings us right back to where we started some time back. You had described, if you will, your acquaintance and the working relationship with Cousteau. So right now you moved out of the realm of astronaut. Let’s move the transition, first of all, what you did after your flight. It became fairly common knowledge, and I think you were privy to the fact, that you probably would not fly again. Is that right?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:76", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.029309758434835, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don’t think there was any objection. The idea bore fruit in many, many different ways. It required the expenditure of a lot of money to build a neutral buoyancy simulator, but it has paid off handsomely in training people for EVA [extravehicular activity] and it’s, you know, irreplaceable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And thoroughly one of the tools of NASA today. Have you had a chance to operate within that neutral buoyancy tank at all in recent years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I was at the tank in Houston, but I didn’t get in the water. But I’ve had experience doing that in the open ocean with Sealab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that kind of brings us right back to where we started some time back. You had described, if you will, your acquaintance and the working relationship with Cousteau. So right now you moved out of the realm of astronaut. Let’s move the transition, first of all, what you did after your flight. It became fairly common knowledge, and I think you were privy to the fact, that you probably would not fly again. Is that right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, not at the time of my choice. I got really fascinated with this idea that I discussed with Cousteau and then with George Bond of transferring technology to the ocean. And I did that, or I tried to do that, with Sealab 1; and then I broke my arm and couldn’t make that dive, but went back to polish that idea off in Sealab 2. And that was another transcending experience for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you had several considerations before you left NASA, didn’t you? You had other jobs in the interim there before you left NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:78", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.032566398260927, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I was at the tank in Houston, but I didn’t get in the water. But I’ve had experience doing that in the open ocean with Sealab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that kind of brings us right back to where we started some time back. You had described, if you will, your acquaintance and the working relationship with Cousteau. So right now you moved out of the realm of astronaut. Let’s move the transition, first of all, what you did after your flight. It became fairly common knowledge, and I think you were privy to the fact, that you probably would not fly again. Is that right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, not at the time of my choice. I got really fascinated with this idea that I discussed with Cousteau and then with George Bond of transferring technology to the ocean. And I did that, or I tried to do that, with Sealab 1; and then I broke my arm and couldn’t make that dive, but went back to polish that idea off in Sealab 2. And that was another transcending experience for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you had several considerations before you left NASA, didn’t you? You had other jobs in the interim there before you left NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, sure, and part of it was in the development of that neutral buoyancy simulator. But I really, by that time, became enamored of the people and the idea involved in living underwater. And that was my new love."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you see a relationship between the things that you discovered underwater and the things that you discovered in the ocean of space?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:80", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.147295998067698, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, not at the time of my choice. I got really fascinated with this idea that I discussed with Cousteau and then with George Bond of transferring technology to the ocean. And I did that, or I tried to do that, with Sealab 1; and then I broke my arm and couldn’t make that dive, but went back to polish that idea off in Sealab 2. And that was another transcending experience for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you had several considerations before you left NASA, didn’t you? You had other jobs in the interim there before you left NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, sure, and part of it was in the development of that neutral buoyancy simulator. But I really, by that time, became enamored of the people and the idea involved in living underwater. And that was my new love."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you see a relationship between the things that you discovered underwater and the things that you discovered in the ocean of space?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are many, many similarities in the training and in the environment [of], quote, “isolation and confinement.” And the people—the people are similar, although Navy and civilian deep-sea divers are not as highly educated by and large as the heroic spacemen are, they are the greatest bunch of unsung heroes I’ve ever known. And the other thing that gives me an affection for the whole idea, and the people and the science, is the fact that these Navy and civilian divers put their lives on the line for the benefit of new science and for, at that time, national security just as surely as the heroic spacemen do; but nobody cares a whit about these divers. Nobody even notices what they do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, perhaps the Navy should do oral histories as NASA’s doing with spaceflight. Since we are dealing with spaceflight, though, let’s deal with other astronauts after the Mercury Seven group. Did you have a working relationship with the crews that came after that? And, if so, [telephone rings] once the telephone stops ringing, we’ll pick up again."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:82", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.385884442297442, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, sure, and part of it was in the development of that neutral buoyancy simulator. But I really, by that time, became enamored of the people and the idea involved in living underwater. And that was my new love."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you see a relationship between the things that you discovered underwater and the things that you discovered in the ocean of space?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are many, many similarities in the training and in the environment [of], quote, “isolation and confinement.” And the people—the people are similar, although Navy and civilian deep-sea divers are not as highly educated by and large as the heroic spacemen are, they are the greatest bunch of unsung heroes I’ve ever known. And the other thing that gives me an affection for the whole idea, and the people and the science, is the fact that these Navy and civilian divers put their lives on the line for the benefit of new science and for, at that time, national security just as surely as the heroic spacemen do; but nobody cares a whit about these divers. Nobody even notices what they do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, perhaps the Navy should do oral histories as NASA’s doing with spaceflight. Since we are dealing with spaceflight, though, let’s deal with other astronauts after the Mercury Seven group. Did you have a working relationship with the crews that came after that? And, if so, [telephone rings] once the telephone stops ringing, we’ll pick up again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it ringing again?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It just rang. I think you have to wait until your answering machine kicks in.\n\nNo, it wasn’t [interrupted].\n\nWas that somebody’s cell phone?\n\nThat’s what it sounds like.\n\nIt sounded like it. It’s off. All right. Are we clear to go ahead? Are we rolling? We’re at speed? All right, I was asking let’s get back on a space track, because this is primarily obviously for NASA at Johnson Space Center, oral histories there. And I was asking if you had met—working acquaintance with any of the other astronauts after the Mercury Seven."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:86", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.710968447280791, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it ringing again?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It just rang. I think you have to wait until your answering machine kicks in.\n\nNo, it wasn’t [interrupted].\n\nWas that somebody’s cell phone?\n\nThat’s what it sounds like.\n\nIt sounded like it. It’s off. All right. Are we clear to go ahead? Are we rolling? We’re at speed? All right, I was asking let’s get back on a space track, because this is primarily obviously for NASA at Johnson Space Center, oral histories there. And I was asking if you had met—working acquaintance with any of the other astronauts after the Mercury Seven."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure; and they’re a highly respectable group, all of them. I was—you know, I really feel privileged to know these fellows as well as I did. I had a particular affection for Ed [Edward H.] White [II], and I hated to see what happened. He was the prince of the new guys. Dave [David R.] Scott was a favorite of mine. But they’re all highly accomplished, dedicated fellows that I was honored to know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let’s take a look at some of the other people of that era and ask for your recollections. Pad leader Guenter Wendt. What do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, Guenter Wendt. He’s a great, great fellow. He was probably more closely associated with every flight than any other fellow on the ground—except for Joe [Joseph W.] Schmitt, who was the suit man. Two dedicated, fine fellows that I remember with great fondness."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you got buttoned in, those were the fellows that used to see you as they buttoned you in, weren’t they? The last human beings. How about others like, oh, [Manned Spacecraft] Center Director Bob [Robert R.] Gilruth?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:92", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 13.012187163645324, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure; and they’re a highly respectable group, all of them. I was—you know, I really feel privileged to know these fellows as well as I did. I had a particular affection for Ed [Edward H.] White [II], and I hated to see what happened. He was the prince of the new guys. Dave [David R.] Scott was a favorite of mine. But they’re all highly accomplished, dedicated fellows that I was honored to know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let’s take a look at some of the other people of that era and ask for your recollections. Pad leader Guenter Wendt. What do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, Guenter Wendt. He’s a great, great fellow. He was probably more closely associated with every flight than any other fellow on the ground—except for Joe [Joseph W.] Schmitt, who was the suit man. Two dedicated, fine fellows that I remember with great fondness."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you got buttoned in, those were the fellows that used to see you as they buttoned you in, weren’t they? The last human beings. How about others like, oh, [Manned Spacecraft] Center Director Bob [Robert R.] Gilruth?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, he was, in his own words, he was “the maestro.” I don’t know that he used “maestro,” but he did say that his job at NASA was like conducting an orchestra; and that’s what he did. He was a bright, dedicated man for whom I also have great respect."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Speaking of conducting an orchestra, there was [NASA Administrator] Jim [James E.] Webb."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:94", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.235763515161471, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, Guenter Wendt. He’s a great, great fellow. He was probably more closely associated with every flight than any other fellow on the ground—except for Joe [Joseph W.] Schmitt, who was the suit man. Two dedicated, fine fellows that I remember with great fondness."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you got buttoned in, those were the fellows that used to see you as they buttoned you in, weren’t they? The last human beings. How about others like, oh, [Manned Spacecraft] Center Director Bob [Robert R.] Gilruth?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, he was, in his own words, he was “the maestro.” I don’t know that he used “maestro,” but he did say that his job at NASA was like conducting an orchestra; and that’s what he did. He was a bright, dedicated man for whom I also have great respect."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Speaking of conducting an orchestra, there was [NASA Administrator] Jim [James E.] Webb."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Instrumental in the early days, he was very effective at his position in Washington."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As the Administrator. [doorbell rings] There’s somebody at the door."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:96", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.484181683512745, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, he was, in his own words, he was “the maestro.” I don’t know that he used “maestro,” but he did say that his job at NASA was like conducting an orchestra; and that’s what he did. He was a bright, dedicated man for whom I also have great respect."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Speaking of conducting an orchestra, there was [NASA Administrator] Jim [James E.] Webb."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Instrumental in the early days, he was very effective at his position in Washington."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As the Administrator. [doorbell rings] There’s somebody at the door."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is probably David [interrupted].\\n\\n [Break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Recording.\n\nWe’re asking for your recollections of people, and we had just gotten to Jim Webb, the Administrator of NASA during that key period in time. What do you remember?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:98", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 12.760201870569716, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Instrumental in the early days, he was very effective at his position in Washington."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As the Administrator. [doorbell rings] There’s somebody at the door."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is probably David [interrupted].\\n\\n [Break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Recording.\n\nWe’re asking for your recollections of people, and we had just gotten to Jim Webb, the Administrator of NASA during that key period in time. What do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember a very effective representative for NASA in Washington. He did everything required, and then some."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how about Chris Kraft?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:100", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.73355763396635, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is probably David [interrupted].\\n\\n [Break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Recording.\n\nWe’re asking for your recollections of people, and we had just gotten to Jim Webb, the Administrator of NASA during that key period in time. What do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember a very effective representative for NASA in Washington. He did everything required, and then some."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how about Chris Kraft?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Chris was effective as Mission Director, and he was Control Center boss for a long time. And he was dedicated and served NASA for a long time in the Control Center; and he even became Director of Manned Spacecraft Center for a while, I think, later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another of the guiding lights at that time was Chuck [Charles W.] Mathews. Do you remember Chuck?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.81506403774039, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember a very effective representative for NASA in Washington. He did everything required, and then some."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how about Chris Kraft?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Chris was effective as Mission Director, and he was Control Center boss for a long time. And he was dedicated and served NASA for a long time in the Control Center; and he even became Director of Manned Spacecraft Center for a while, I think, later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another of the guiding lights at that time was Chuck [Charles W.] Mathews. Do you remember Chuck?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not as well as Chris [interrupted]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He moved into the Gemini Program."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.016737819711544, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Chris was effective as Mission Director, and he was Control Center boss for a long time. And he was dedicated and served NASA for a long time in the Control Center; and he even became Director of Manned Spacecraft Center for a while, I think, later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another of the guiding lights at that time was Chuck [Charles W.] Mathews. Do you remember Chuck?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not as well as Chris [interrupted]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He moved into the Gemini Program."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And some of these other fellows you’ve mentioned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was aboard at the time of Mercury, but basically he became Mr. Gemini. All right. Let’s move on. What are some of your favorite anecdotes? Things that you might remember during the years that you spent in the space program? Strangest, funniest, that kind of thing."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 13.351930910790603, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not as well as Chris [interrupted]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He moved into the Gemini Program."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And some of these other fellows you’ve mentioned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was aboard at the time of Mercury, but basically he became Mr. Gemini. All right. Let’s move on. What are some of your favorite anecdotes? Things that you might remember during the years that you spent in the space program? Strangest, funniest, that kind of thing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re all unmentionable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Every one? There must be one that you can dredge out of your memory that can be retold."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 12.613256567545115, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And some of these other fellows you’ve mentioned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was aboard at the time of Mercury, but basically he became Mr. Gemini. All right. Let’s move on. What are some of your favorite anecdotes? Things that you might remember during the years that you spent in the space program? Strangest, funniest, that kind of thing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re all unmentionable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Every one? There must be one that you can dredge out of your memory that can be retold."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not seriously. Well, there was one episode when John and I were racing in his convertible for Friendship Airport. We were late for the airplane going, I think, to St. Louis; and we were going just barely to have time to race through the airport and catch an airplane. And I was getting the tickets out, ready to turn them in, and it occurred to me that I could surprise John a little bit by making him think that the tickets flew out of the car in the slipstream. So I let the envelopes go by. He was driving furiously down the road, trying to make the airplane; and I told him, “The tickets had just blown away.” On that freeway, there’s no way to turn around, so we had lost the airplane. And he took it very well. He laughed about it, and [said] we’d take another airplane. But then I told him, “It was just the envelopes that I lost” and that we could proceed to the airport, and he continued to laugh. But I remember that his laugh had a different note when he knew we were still able to make the airplane. We were always playing jokes on each other. They would go—I could go on forever with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we don’t have forever, but if you’d like to try one more we’d be delighted to hear it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.071290906781001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I really didn’t feel strongly about that decision. It was an exciting move. Houston seemed like a good place to be, better than Newport News [Virginia]. And, you know, since the decision was made without any input from me, I went along with it, happily, just like I think everybody else did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was it like, once you’d made the move? What was it like living in the Clear Lake community? Now, that’s both from the personal and a professional point of view."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah well, it turned out to be a very good decision. The Houston community was—they welcomed us with open arms. We developed a great affection for the country and for the people. I didn’t care for the flat land too much. I didn’t care for the temperature and the humidity. I remember making fun of that territory when I would take my family—bring them here to Vale, as a matter of fact—to ski in those days. It was a 2-day car trip. One and three-quarters of those days was all in Texas. It’s all flat land. It gets boring, but that’s okay. Houston is a long, long way away from everyplace else; but it’s got—it’s a fascinating place that I still like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, of course, the story of the Manned Spacecraft Center goes without saying. It’s had a tremendous history, and probably has a tremendous future, wouldn’t you think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is up to the people of this country. We need, I think, a goal other than the International Space Station. We need to get cracking on a manned flight to Mars, because that is going to capture the interest and the support and the imagination of the people of this country who pay for spaceflight. Without that, Houston can dissolve. We need to go to Mars."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You don’t think the International Space Station is a good interim step?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.52365656309, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah well, it turned out to be a very good decision. The Houston community was—they welcomed us with open arms. We developed a great affection for the country and for the people. I didn’t care for the flat land too much. I didn’t care for the temperature and the humidity. I remember making fun of that territory when I would take my family—bring them here to Vale, as a matter of fact—to ski in those days. It was a 2-day car trip. One and three-quarters of those days was all in Texas. It’s all flat land. It gets boring, but that’s okay. Houston is a long, long way away from everyplace else; but it’s got—it’s a fascinating place that I still like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, of course, the story of the Manned Spacecraft Center goes without saying. It’s had a tremendous history, and probably has a tremendous future, wouldn’t you think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is up to the people of this country. We need, I think, a goal other than the International Space Station. We need to get cracking on a manned flight to Mars, because that is going to capture the interest and the support and the imagination of the people of this country who pay for spaceflight. Without that, Houston can dissolve. We need to go to Mars."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You don’t think the International Space Station is a good interim step?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it is, but I think it is only interim. We need something bigger and better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let’s qualify that. How do you really see the International Space Station right now?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.0262850701, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is up to the people of this country. We need, I think, a goal other than the International Space Station. We need to get cracking on a manned flight to Mars, because that is going to capture the interest and the support and the imagination of the people of this country who pay for spaceflight. Without that, Houston can dissolve. We need to go to Mars."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You don’t think the International Space Station is a good interim step?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it is, but I think it is only interim. We need something bigger and better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let’s qualify that. How do you really see the International Space Station right now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As a valuable, current pursuit; but it needs to be followed by things that demonstrate more vision."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is the technology ready to tackle Mars as a goal?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.584761189, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it is, but I think it is only interim. We need something bigger and better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let’s qualify that. How do you really see the International Space Station right now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As a valuable, current pursuit; but it needs to be followed by things that demonstrate more vision."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is the technology ready to tackle Mars as a goal?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, sir."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why do you say that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.20529021, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As a valuable, current pursuit; but it needs to be followed by things that demonstrate more vision."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is the technology ready to tackle Mars as a goal?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, sir."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why do you say that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because it’s a fact. We know how to do that. We just don’t know how to get the money. We don’t know how to get the support that will provide the money. The technical problems, if we haven’t solved them already, they’re easily solved in the near future."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think that answers my last question, which is where you’d like to see the nation go in space. Unless there’s something else beyond that, that I’m not seeing."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.8947669000000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, sir."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why do you say that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because it’s a fact. We know how to do that. We just don’t know how to get the money. We don’t know how to get the support that will provide the money. The technical problems, if we haven’t solved them already, they’re easily solved in the near future."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think that answers my last question, which is where you’d like to see the nation go in space. Unless there’s something else beyond that, that I’m not seeing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh sure. Mars is interim. But for now, that’s a goal that NASA and the country and the planet can live with enthusiastically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well you know, Scott, we covered just about all the basic questions that I had. But it occurs to me that I ought to give you the chance to say anything that you really want to say. Is there anything that you’d like to bring into this discussion, realizing that you’re writing oral history for the historians and for Public Affairs both. Realizing that, is there anything that you’d like to bring in this discussion that I haven’t given you the chance to talk about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.549741, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because it’s a fact. We know how to do that. We just don’t know how to get the money. We don’t know how to get the support that will provide the money. The technical problems, if we haven’t solved them already, they’re easily solved in the near future."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think that answers my last question, which is where you’d like to see the nation go in space. Unless there’s something else beyond that, that I’m not seeing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh sure. Mars is interim. But for now, that’s a goal that NASA and the country and the planet can live with enthusiastically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well you know, Scott, we covered just about all the basic questions that I had. But it occurs to me that I ought to give you the chance to say anything that you really want to say. Is there anything that you’d like to bring into this discussion, realizing that you’re writing oral history for the historians and for Public Affairs both. Realizing that, is there anything that you’d like to bring in this discussion that I haven’t given you the chance to talk about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Only that I feel I have been a very, very, fortunate man to have lived at the time when so many unknowns can be made knowns; and that’s happened in this century. And that pleases me probably more than anything else, because I think it is fair to say that I have been (and remain) a very curious person. And I’ve had a lot of satisfied curiosity in my time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve had the chance, really, to live out your curiosity, haven’t you? To find out at least a few of the answers you were looking for."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.27749, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh sure. Mars is interim. But for now, that’s a goal that NASA and the country and the planet can live with enthusiastically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well you know, Scott, we covered just about all the basic questions that I had. But it occurs to me that I ought to give you the chance to say anything that you really want to say. Is there anything that you’d like to bring into this discussion, realizing that you’re writing oral history for the historians and for Public Affairs both. Realizing that, is there anything that you’d like to bring in this discussion that I haven’t given you the chance to talk about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Only that I feel I have been a very, very, fortunate man to have lived at the time when so many unknowns can be made knowns; and that’s happened in this century. And that pleases me probably more than anything else, because I think it is fair to say that I have been (and remain) a very curious person. And I’ve had a lot of satisfied curiosity in my time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve had the chance, really, to live out your curiosity, haven’t you? To find out at least a few of the answers you were looking for."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep. And satisfying curiosity ranks number two in my book behind conquering of fear."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you recommend the profession of astronauts to young people?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00075:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 8.0861, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Only that I feel I have been a very, very, fortunate man to have lived at the time when so many unknowns can be made knowns; and that’s happened in this century. And that pleases me probably more than anything else, because I think it is fair to say that I have been (and remain) a very curious person. And I’ve had a lot of satisfied curiosity in my time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve had the chance, really, to live out your curiosity, haven’t you? To find out at least a few of the answers you were looking for."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep. And satisfying curiosity ranks number two in my book behind conquering of fear."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you recommend the profession of astronauts to young people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, of course. But so would I recommend learning to be a concert pianist. There are thousands of challenges, and it’s got to be to each his own. Every—every child has got to seek his own destiny. All I can say is that I have had a great time seeking my own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Debbie, I’ve finished with my list of questions. Do you have anything you think we should add to this? Have we covered the bases from your point of view?\n\nVery, very thorough. I don’t know if you’ve really mentioned anything, though, about the future of NASA, you know, and all the underwater—\n\nThe underwater things? Well, let’s give that a shot, shall we? You’re talking now NASA’s future under water or the Navy’s? Which? Are we talking Navy—? Well, let’s just cover the broad field of where the country may be going undersea. That’s a much broader question; it allows you the leeway to maneuver any direction that you see fit."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 21.37412984232843, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I spent, of course, 4 years at the Academy. In my term paper—my first class term paper—I wrote on the development of the liquid fuel rocket, which by the way I just donated to—just last year to the Academy. And I was one of the first 50—because I was so much interested in going back into aviation, that they selected 50 people to teach at the Academy after I graduated, teach the plebes coming in. And then that September, I was transferred down to Pensacola [Florida]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what kind of planes did you fly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in those days we flew SNJs [SNJ-6\\n\\n Texan\\n\\n ], which was the basic trainer, all the way up through landing on a carrier with SNJs. And we did formation and some night flying and, you know, basic training. And then I was transferred from there to Kingsville [Texas], actually Corpus Christi [Texas], then Kingsville, and did my instrument training and my advanced training was in a modern airplane called the\\n\\n Hellcat\\n\\n , the F6Fs. And then I got my wings and then I was selected to go back into jet training. Now in those days, jet training was, you know, the epitome of everything—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—I mean, and not too many people were in it. So, I was very, very lucky."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you enjoy flying jets?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.637922047031587, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in those days we flew SNJs [SNJ-6\\n\\n Texan\\n\\n ], which was the basic trainer, all the way up through landing on a carrier with SNJs. And we did formation and some night flying and, you know, basic training. And then I was transferred from there to Kingsville [Texas], actually Corpus Christi [Texas], then Kingsville, and did my instrument training and my advanced training was in a modern airplane called the\\n\\n Hellcat\\n\\n , the F6Fs. And then I got my wings and then I was selected to go back into jet training. Now in those days, jet training was, you know, the epitome of everything—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—I mean, and not too many people were in it. So, I was very, very lucky."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you enjoy flying jets?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, yeah. Jets were—I still enjoy flying jets if I can get my hand on one. But I—after I got through training, my first assignment was to a squadron called VC-3. And when I got out there, I found out it was a night fighting—night fighter squadron. They sent teams out because, in those days, we didn’t fly whole squadrons off of aircraft carriers. And I told the skipper, I said, “You know, I’m having a little trouble flying in the daytime yet. Yet you want me to go out at night!” But it was great training, a great experience, and I learned an awful lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything quite compare to that first landing—night landing on a carrier?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 25.153246718923985, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—I mean, and not too many people were in it. So, I was very, very lucky."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you enjoy flying jets?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, yeah. Jets were—I still enjoy flying jets if I can get my hand on one. But I—after I got through training, my first assignment was to a squadron called VC-3. And when I got out there, I found out it was a night fighting—night fighter squadron. They sent teams out because, in those days, we didn’t fly whole squadrons off of aircraft carriers. And I told the skipper, I said, “You know, I’m having a little trouble flying in the daytime yet. Yet you want me to go out at night!” But it was great training, a great experience, and I learned an awful lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything quite compare to that first landing—night landing on a carrier?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There is nothing! You know, night flying off carriers separates the men from the boys, as they—the takeoff, of course, into a black void with no horizon and then coming in at night. And in those days, we didn’t have modern techniques like a mirror system and, you know, almost like a GCA [ground controlled approach]. You had to come in low, and you had a guy with paddles and a lighted suit. That was how we did it in those days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, at what point did you hear about NASA trying to select people to become astronauts and decide, “Hey, I want to do that!”?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.395954995801944, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As a matter of fact, on Gemini XII [Edwin E.] Buzz Aldrin [Jr.] had the same thing that I had. And we were forced—but you know, there’s a unique aspect of that physical. I got back to the squadron—and this is not too well known—I got back to the squadron and I got a set of orders to go back out to Wright-Patterson! Now my skipper said, “These orders are probably not correct. Maybe they don’t know what the choice—” I said, “Listen, I’m taking them!” I went out to Wright-Patterson and they were sort of expecting me.\\n\\n I got out there the night before. The people that were all getting together at the BOQ [bachelor officer’s quarters] said, “Oh yes, we got 7 people. And you’re number 7.” I said, “Oh, I’m great!” The next morning we all went down to breakfast to get ready to start our physical, and a fellow walked in and said, “Say, I’m sorry I’m late. I just came in from Edwards [Air Force Base]. My name is [Virgil I.] Gus Grissom.” And he was number 7 and, of course, I wasn’t supposed to be there. And so—and pretty soon NASA hierarchy found out about it. I was packing my bags, going back to the squadron!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How disappointed were you when you didn’t make that first cut?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very, very much disappointed. Because you see, I was interested in rockets and things like that way back as a high school kid. And I, you know—I didn’t make it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was no indication, past that original 7, that they were ever going to find any more guys, was there, at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you know there was a second chance?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 27.97799039204656, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They—no one actually knew how far NASA would go or whether man in space—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—was a possibility—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—or not. And so, you’re absolutely right. But that was something I always wanted to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did it take you from that disappointment to get back into the loop and get rid of the liver problem and—?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 25.53110043560729, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—was a possibility—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—or not. And so, you’re absolutely right. But that was something I always wanted to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did it take you from that disappointment to get back into the loop and get rid of the liver problem and—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I got back to the squadron. Got transferred down to Oceana [Virginia]. And I was going through, you know, training people at this time. I was an instructor. And in\\n\\n Aviation Week\\n\\n , there was a little article: “NASA Wants To Select Some More Astronauts.” And so, before I knew it, the Navy called me down again and said, “Do you want to be in another selection?” They didn’t know that I was kicked out because of a physical. And I said, “Sure.” And so, I put my name in again, and I was selected to—again to go for the physical. This time at Brooks Air Force Base [Texas]. Air Force physical. Much more practical. Much more, you know, looking at what’s wrong and what’s right. And I had no problems passing it. And that’s how I got selected to the second group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first went for a selection to the original astronaut corps, nobody knew what an astronaut was. The second time you went, they were the biggest heroes in the world."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 25.347037574823812, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I got back to the squadron. Got transferred down to Oceana [Virginia]. And I was going through, you know, training people at this time. I was an instructor. And in\\n\\n Aviation Week\\n\\n , there was a little article: “NASA Wants To Select Some More Astronauts.” And so, before I knew it, the Navy called me down again and said, “Do you want to be in another selection?” They didn’t know that I was kicked out because of a physical. And I said, “Sure.” And so, I put my name in again, and I was selected to—again to go for the physical. This time at Brooks Air Force Base [Texas]. Air Force physical. Much more practical. Much more, you know, looking at what’s wrong and what’s right. And I had no problems passing it. And that’s how I got selected to the second group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first went for a selection to the original astronaut corps, nobody knew what an astronaut was. The second time you went, they were the biggest heroes in the world."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that’s true. Yes. I can recall very vividly the very first time we went, after we had our interviews in Washington [D.C.] at the old Dolly Madison House. We all gathered back at a hotel room, and we were talking about it. Wally [Walter M.] Schirra [Jr.] was there because, you know, Wally and I were in the same class. Al Shepard was there. And Wally was saying, “You know, I don’t know if I want to get in this program or not. You know, I’m—to go into some wacky program when I should be going up the ladder in naval aviation—”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "“—in, you know, Navy hierarchy.” And, of course, now I look back on it again. It was really something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the Original 7 accept the next group?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 27.052263972026456, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that’s true. Yes. I can recall very vividly the very first time we went, after we had our interviews in Washington [D.C.] at the old Dolly Madison House. We all gathered back at a hotel room, and we were talking about it. Wally [Walter M.] Schirra [Jr.] was there because, you know, Wally and I were in the same class. Al Shepard was there. And Wally was saying, “You know, I don’t know if I want to get in this program or not. You know, I’m—to go into some wacky program when I should be going up the ladder in naval aviation—”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "“—in, you know, Navy hierarchy.” And, of course, now I look back on it again. It was really something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the Original 7 accept the next group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very cool at first. I mean, you know these were the days when, I guess, there was this—the\\n\\n Life\\n\\n /World Book contract, you know, and all that sort of stuff. And they were, you know, they were pretty high on the totem pole; they were muckety-mucks. They were well known and everything like that. And the nine of us walk in there. But they warmed up after a while. And pretty soon, after a lot of negotiations, we all got on the same bandwagon with regards to these personal stories type things. But—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get one of those Corvettes to run around town in and all that sort of thing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 22.280293302251618, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "“—in, you know, Navy hierarchy.” And, of course, now I look back on it again. It was really something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the Original 7 accept the next group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very cool at first. I mean, you know these were the days when, I guess, there was this—the\\n\\n Life\\n\\n /World Book contract, you know, and all that sort of stuff. And they were, you know, they were pretty high on the totem pole; they were muckety-mucks. They were well known and everything like that. And the nine of us walk in there. But they warmed up after a while. And pretty soon, after a lot of negotiations, we all got on the same bandwagon with regards to these personal stories type things. But—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get one of those Corvettes to run around town in and all that sort of thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "After a while, yeah! It was not bad. We’d buy the one wholesale, I think, and then we’d drive it for 6 months then we could trade it in and get another one and trade it in. I guess I went through about three Corvettes during my whole period, about the time was there. I remember Pete [Charles C. Conrad, Jr.] and I lived at Ellington Air Force Base. Our wives were still—Jane was in California, and my wife Marilyn was in—in Virginia Beach. And he and I shared a BOQ room; and I remember when he got that Corvette. He had the top in the room, and he was driving this Corvette. I just—what I—the car I got was just an old station wagon. You see, I had a family and I needed a station wagon and that’s what I got."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What—how did your life change when you became an astronaut?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 16.484941831786507, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Ron, we got in the Gemini Program and started learning all about the spacecraft itself. But my first really assignment was as backup to Gemini IV, that was [James A.] McDivitt and Ed [Edward H.] White [II]. And Frank Borman and I were the backup to that flight. And so, we were training for that one. It’s kind of interesting. I met Ed White, and I didn’t know it until that Gemini. One time we were down at the Cape talking, and he was a plebe at West Point and I was a plebe at the Naval Academy and we traded cufflinks. And then we disappeared. And, of course, it was years and years later that we’re sitting down at the Cape, having breakfast, when he brings up the story. And I said, “That was me!” You know, it’s strange how we—our lives crossed and then disappeared for a while."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ed White’s job on that flight was to do an EVA [extravehicular activity]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was a very big deal at that time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was. And one of our jobs, we had what we called an air-bearing trainer. And we had that little like a squirt gun that we would use to fire our way around and try to do something on that. It was the initial attempt at EVA work. And Ed was out for a while, but it was not until later on that we really found out that we had a lot of problems with EVA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you train for a spacewalk? How did you and White train for that first thing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.205490924207233, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was a very big deal at that time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was. And one of our jobs, we had what we called an air-bearing trainer. And we had that little like a squirt gun that we would use to fire our way around and try to do something on that. It was the initial attempt at EVA work. And Ed was out for a while, but it was not until later on that we really found out that we had a lot of problems with EVA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you train for a spacewalk? How did you and White train for that first thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we, of course—we got in the suits. We had this air-bearing trainer, which is only two-dimensional. You’re on sort of a—an air—you’re on a platform that is, you know, held up by air; and then you can shoot this little gun. It’s like two little jets and try to maneuver yourself. But I have to tell you, quite honestly, it really wasn’t any good. I mean, it was the best thing they could do at the time; and it was not until later on, in Gemini XII, that we learned what to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, the mission takes off. What did you do once it left the ground and he’s up there doing that? What was your job?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 18.006101026896925, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was. And one of our jobs, we had what we called an air-bearing trainer. And we had that little like a squirt gun that we would use to fire our way around and try to do something on that. It was the initial attempt at EVA work. And Ed was out for a while, but it was not until later on that we really found out that we had a lot of problems with EVA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you train for a spacewalk? How did you and White train for that first thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we, of course—we got in the suits. We had this air-bearing trainer, which is only two-dimensional. You’re on sort of a—an air—you’re on a platform that is, you know, held up by air; and then you can shoot this little gun. It’s like two little jets and try to maneuver yourself. But I have to tell you, quite honestly, it really wasn’t any good. I mean, it was the best thing they could do at the time; and it was not until later on, in Gemini XII, that we learned what to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, the mission takes off. What did you do once it left the ground and he’s up there doing that? What was your job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was down at the Cape watching the launch. And then I flew back and was in the Control Center, you know, when he was doing all his work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s been a long time—reasonably long time—since you got here. You ready to fly? You ready to go yourself now?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.526050650490028, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was down at the Cape watching the launch. And then I flew back and was in the Control Center, you know, when he was doing all his work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s been a long time—reasonably long time—since you got here. You ready to fly? You ready to go yourself now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. I got here in October of ’62 and that went up in, oh, ’64 or something like that—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—and—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "2, 3 years."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 21.760556358629664, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—and—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "2, 3 years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then my first flight wasn’t until December of ’65."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you and Frank Borman get that first flight. Tell me about how you felt when they told you, you were going to go."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 19.733951509588515, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then my first flight wasn’t until December of ’65."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you and Frank Borman get that first flight. Tell me about how you felt when they told you, you were going to go."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it’s kind of interesting. Of course, Frank and I were about the same rank and everything like that. But he got, you know, Air Force; and he got to be commander of it. And that’s fine. But it was a 2-week mission. It was a medical flight, as a matter of fact. And you know, 2 weeks with Frank Borman anyplace is a challenge! But this flight, we trained very hard. We had different types of suits. And these were sort of get-me-down suits that we could—you didn’t EVAs in them. You couldn’t get outside. You should not open up the hatch. But, the very first takeoff was almost like it flying us for a while. We got used to it—to pretty good, you know, pretty fast we were able to get the idea of it. And I—the spacecraft is very tight. So, I didn’t feel too nauseous at all; it was pretty good. But the suits were very hot, sweaty, and bulky. And they didn’t want us to take off our suits. These were the old days when they were very worried about leaks in spacecraft or something like that. Well, we knew the spacecraft wasn’t leaking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of you had to keep a suit on at all times, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.331657718520994, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s not easy. But you have to remember that you work so long—I was there 3 years—for a spaceflight, so I’d go up with just about anybody. And Frank and I were, you know, just this close together. And you get to know each other quite well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean it was something. As a matter of fact, Frank went, I think, 9 days without having to go to the bathroom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "9 days?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he said, “Jim, this is it.” I said, “Frank, you only have 5 more days left to go here.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What—how was space food in those days? Because I want to get back to space food a little bit later on. But how was it then?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 15.924064131689994, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean it was something. As a matter of fact, Frank went, I think, 9 days without having to go to the bathroom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "9 days?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he said, “Jim, this is it.” I said, “Frank, you only have 5 more days left to go here.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What—how was space food in those days? Because I want to get back to space food a little bit later on. But how was it then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Strictly freeze-dried. And these little bite-size sandwiches had wax over them, because everybody thought that they needed wax to keep the produce—and the wax would coat the roof of your mouth, and it’d taste awful. I think one of the best things they had onboard in those days were bacon bits. They would have a little square of bacon, and they would squeeze—after they, you know, cooked and everything, they would squeeze it down. And that was very tasty. Then they had—you put water into various freeze-dried food. Much like campers have these days, but you couldn’t heat it. It was luke-cool water. But it kept us alive for 2 weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Looking back on it now, all of that seemed very primitive. But at that time, it was state of the art."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.360071257433326, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he said, “Jim, this is it.” I said, “Frank, you only have 5 more days left to go here.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What—how was space food in those days? Because I want to get back to space food a little bit later on. But how was it then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Strictly freeze-dried. And these little bite-size sandwiches had wax over them, because everybody thought that they needed wax to keep the produce—and the wax would coat the roof of your mouth, and it’d taste awful. I think one of the best things they had onboard in those days were bacon bits. They would have a little square of bacon, and they would squeeze—after they, you know, cooked and everything, they would squeeze it down. And that was very tasty. Then they had—you put water into various freeze-dried food. Much like campers have these days, but you couldn’t heat it. It was luke-cool water. But it kept us alive for 2 weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Looking back on it now, all of that seemed very primitive. But at that time, it was state of the art."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. And when I look back on how ultra, ultra conservative they were. For instance, John [W.] Young got in such a flap by taking a sandwich up on a 3½ hour or 4 hour flight. Even if it was—it had, you know, poison in it, he probably would’ve lasted for the whole flight! And now, of course, things are entirely different. And then, you know, now—I know we—they were afraid of anything floating around. But now we found out that if the food is thick enough, you can eat it with a spoon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you came back from Gemini VII, what had NASA learned from these two experimental guinea pigs?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.114588933547328, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—he was cool. The second time up there, though, they did. And they came up. I guess we were up there 11 or 12 days by that time. And you could see them coming up. They—we—they came up at night. And we had a blinking light on and I—we could see the jets firing as they came up. We were like this, and they were coming up just like this. And finally, you know, we all rendezvoused. We stayed together. We each took turns flying around each other to see how nicely the spacecraft would control on something like that. So, that was the very first big step towards the rendezvous and docking, which, of course, were very necessary for the lunar flights, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You then were Capcom [capsule communicator] on—on VIII."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Gemini VIII."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And there was a problem. Talk about that problem."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.34954325949703, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Gemini VIII."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And there was a problem. Talk about that problem."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Gemini VIII had a problem, probably one of the first big problems. And unbeknownst to us, when they were out of radio contact a stuck thruster had occurred. And originally Neil [A. Armstrong]—Neil and Dave [David R.] Scott were on that flight—thought that it might be the Agena. And they were trying to somehow, you know, slow the thing down. It was starting to make them roll. And so, they thought, “Well, we’d better get rid of the Agena.” They had already completed a rendezvous and docking; and so, they jettisoned the Agena and the—the spin-up increased. And it turned out finally that it was one of their thrusters that was firing. And so, they managed—and they were very cool about this whole thing. They managed to pull the circuit breaker and get the thruster off the line. And then using their—the reentry thrusters, which were normally only used for reentry, they were able to slow the vehicle down; and, of course, they had to come back early."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What happened in Mission Control? What going on around you while all of this is going on up there and nobody is sure what’s going on?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.568646446497983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, everybody’s trying to think up solutions on what the problems are. We did—the problem hit us all of a sudden, because when they came back into radio contact, well, they said, “Hey,” I guess they used to use the old phrase long before 13, they—“we got a problem.” And—but I think they managed to jettison the Agena and then determine their problem; and so, it was sort of an aftermath back at the Control Center. Because I don’t think there was much that we could’ve done in the Control Center for a problem like that. If they kept spinning up faster and faster, they would’ve blacked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But this was—you realized after the fact, because you didn’t know it was happening then, once they got around, you realized they had a very serious problem."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. If they didn’t correct the problem themselves, they would’ve been in deep trouble."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that make you rethink anything about how safe or how unsafe this sort of thing is?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, Ron. It’s surprising. In this business, that problem was over there. You know, nothing’s going to happen to me! Everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Spaceflight is so interesting, the rewards far overshadow the risks. And so, that was my feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That kind of a test pilot mentality permeated everybody at NASA, did it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.298496051664426, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. If they didn’t correct the problem themselves, they would’ve been in deep trouble."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that make you rethink anything about how safe or how unsafe this sort of thing is?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, Ron. It’s surprising. In this business, that problem was over there. You know, nothing’s going to happen to me! Everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Spaceflight is so interesting, the rewards far overshadow the risks. And so, that was my feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That kind of a test pilot mentality permeated everybody at NASA, did it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I think the people who want to become astronauts, at least in those days—most of us were test pilots in those days—had that sort of a curiosity and an adventure spirit to them that we were able to take that in stride."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were next assigned to back up the Gemini X crew, but [Charles A.] Bassett [II] and [Elliott M.] See [Jr.] were killed—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 19.220551168516028, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, Ron. It’s surprising. In this business, that problem was over there. You know, nothing’s going to happen to me! Everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Spaceflight is so interesting, the rewards far overshadow the risks. And so, that was my feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That kind of a test pilot mentality permeated everybody at NASA, did it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I think the people who want to become astronauts, at least in those days—most of us were test pilots in those days—had that sort of a curiosity and an adventure spirit to them that we were able to take that in stride."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were next assigned to back up the Gemini X crew, but [Charles A.] Bassett [II] and [Elliott M.] See [Jr.] were killed—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and things changed. What happened after their deaths?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.022834631684475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I think the people who want to become astronauts, at least in those days—most of us were test pilots in those days—had that sort of a curiosity and an adventure spirit to them that we were able to take that in stride."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were next assigned to back up the Gemini X crew, but [Charles A.] Bassett [II] and [Elliott M.] See [Jr.] were killed—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and things changed. What happened after their deaths?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it’s sort of fate. We were backing up X, but the IX backups became the prime backups—that was Stafford and Gene [Eugene A.] Cernan, I believe. So, we became the backups to IX. And then what we did was to become the prime crew for the last Gemini flight, that was Gemini XII."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you realize that was the last one? Was it the last one scheduled, or—?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.025371812982748, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and things changed. What happened after their deaths?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it’s sort of fate. We were backing up X, but the IX backups became the prime backups—that was Stafford and Gene [Eugene A.] Cernan, I believe. So, we became the backups to IX. And then what we did was to become the prime crew for the last Gemini flight, that was Gemini XII."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you realize that was the last one? Was it the last one scheduled, or—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was the last one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was the last one scheduled."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.722681250595983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was the last one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was the last one scheduled."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was—I wasn’t going to go on Gemini if I was X—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, it gave you an opportunity to fly Gemini again."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 27.469645833995536, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was—I wasn’t going to go on Gemini if I was X—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, it gave you an opportunity to fly Gemini again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And it gave me a little bit of a command opportunity, which I wanted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were involved with a spacewalking mission on that. Talk about that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 21.965563911320313, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. As a matter of fact, at NASA there’s a lot of people who use their imagination and, of course, it came to really the forefront on 13. But I mean, new ideas. That was the whole idea of NASA. New ideas. What can we do differently? How can we do this? And there were a lot of mistakes. There were a lot of blind alleys we went up to. Perseverance, though, was predominant in the program at the time. “Let’s keep on trying.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then comes the Apollo Program and, of course, the Apollo fire. Do you recall where you were when you heard about the fire?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Yes. Very much so. I was in Washington, D.C., at the White House. I was up there for the signing of the Space Treaty, which essentially, you know, meant that space is available to everybody. There are no boundaries. And also that astronauts, if they have to land someplace else, will be welcomed rather than be treated as prisoners or something—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—like that. And we had just finished that thing at the White House and the four of us were going back to the hotel when we walked in and there was messages for us to call NASA back again. And then they told us what had occurred; and we spent the night there. They said, “Don’t go outside. Don’t make a round,” you know. “Just lose yourselves.” So, we did. And the next day, we went home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were assigned to a panel to study what went wrong. What was your study job?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 22.183959901467013, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Yes. Very much so. I was in Washington, D.C., at the White House. I was up there for the signing of the Space Treaty, which essentially, you know, meant that space is available to everybody. There are no boundaries. And also that astronauts, if they have to land someplace else, will be welcomed rather than be treated as prisoners or something—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—like that. And we had just finished that thing at the White House and the four of us were going back to the hotel when we walked in and there was messages for us to call NASA back again. And then they told us what had occurred; and we spent the night there. They said, “Don’t go outside. Don’t make a round,” you know. “Just lose yourselves.” So, we did. And the next day, we went home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were assigned to a panel to study what went wrong. What was your study job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there were some 20 panels, plus the major panel. And then there was 20 subpanels. And I was with [John L.] Jack Swigert and I think it was [Ronald E.] Ron Evans that—we looked out at how we can cope with in-flight emergencies—fires—to see what we’d have to have onboard or how we can do for it. A very interesting investigation. I was, in my past career—I was a safety officer in a squadron and went through Aviation Safety School, so, some of the stuff I had learned back then I applied at that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I suppose the question that I need to ask in light of the fact that this is a very conservative, safety-minded bunch of people up to this point: How in the world did Apollo 1 happen?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.918406580072503, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you worried that maybe somebody’s going to say, “Let’s just forget the whole thing”?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah. If you recall, the fire took place in 1967. We had a commitment made by President Kennedy that we would land a man on the Moon and bring him back home safely before the end of the decade. And when the fire occurred in January of ’67 and we didn’t know really what it was going to do, everybody was really down in the dumps, saying, “Holy cow!” So, I have to admire the engineers, the technicians, and the scientists and everybody here who found out the problem, and the contractor people who finally realized that, “Hey, let’s get a new type of spacecraft. Let’s build something that people really could use and it doesn’t happen.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By the time Apollo 8 came along, you were backup to Mike Collins. Were you convinced then that the capsule was okay? Flyable? Safe?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I was. I mean, you have to—you have to go by faith. You have to believe in what the people are going to hand you, you know. Al Shepard’s old, old joke was, you know: “How does it feel to sit on top of something built by the lowest bidder?” But the lowest bidder was, you know, pretty expensive. But you have to believe that whole thing. And I did. I was, you know, Mike’s backup and spent a lot of my time up at Boston working on the guidance system."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you when you found out that he had a bad back and couldn’t go, and you were going to go?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.68711842230278, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah. If you recall, the fire took place in 1967. We had a commitment made by President Kennedy that we would land a man on the Moon and bring him back home safely before the end of the decade. And when the fire occurred in January of ’67 and we didn’t know really what it was going to do, everybody was really down in the dumps, saying, “Holy cow!” So, I have to admire the engineers, the technicians, and the scientists and everybody here who found out the problem, and the contractor people who finally realized that, “Hey, let’s get a new type of spacecraft. Let’s build something that people really could use and it doesn’t happen.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By the time Apollo 8 came along, you were backup to Mike Collins. Were you convinced then that the capsule was okay? Flyable? Safe?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I was. I mean, you have to—you have to go by faith. You have to believe in what the people are going to hand you, you know. Al Shepard’s old, old joke was, you know: “How does it feel to sit on top of something built by the lowest bidder?” But the lowest bidder was, you know, pretty expensive. But you have to believe that whole thing. And I did. I was, you know, Mike’s backup and spent a lot of my time up at Boston working on the guidance system."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you when you found out that he had a bad back and couldn’t go, and you were going to go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t really recall where I was. I think I’d come back here, and finally they said—you know, I was his backup. So, that was the thing. And Mike had this bone spur and I think he held off as long as he could. But I think his leg was getting numb. And so, finally they replaced me and I went. You know, faith has sort of strange things because I never expected to be on Apollo 8. But I have to tell you, that was the high point of my space career."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But if you hadn’t been that backup, you might’ve been on 11."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.835948669509605, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t really recall where I was. I think I’d come back here, and finally they said—you know, I was his backup. So, that was the thing. And Mike had this bone spur and I think he held off as long as he could. But I think his leg was getting numb. And so, finally they replaced me and I went. You know, faith has sort of strange things because I never expected to be on Apollo 8. But I have to tell you, that was the high point of my space career."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But if you hadn’t been that backup, you might’ve been on 11."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was assigned to 11. I was assigned to 11. But, still, I prefer 8 to my position on 11."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "8 turns out to be a significant flight once it takes off. But when you’re assigned to it, it’s still not what it turned out to be, was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.731068133758033, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It was still Earth orbital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were going high up. We were going to do 4,000 miles so that we could test the lunar module, the command module, and then come back at a high rate of speed so that, you know, we could test the heatshield and things like that. It wasn’t—and I recall this very vividly. The three of us were out at Downey at North American testing our spacecraft; and Frank got a call to go back to Houston. We—so, Bill [William A. Anders] and I still stayed out there. We were working out there. And Frank came back again, back to Downey, and said, “Things have changed.” And we said, “Viz. a what?” He said, “We’re—if everything goes all right with Apollo 7, we’ll—Apollo 8 will go to the Moon.” I was elated! I thought, “Man, this is great!” I mean, I had already spent 2 weeks in space in Gemini VII with Frank Borman. I didn’t want to spend another 11 days, or something like that, you know, going around the Earth again. I said, “This is fantastic!” And on the way back of the T-38, when it was my turn to sit in the back seat and either Bill or Frank were flying, I drew the Apollo 8 insignia. You know, the—the V-shaped thing—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—with the Earth and Moon. So—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That happened because of Cold War considerations, did it not?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.59007570417559, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were going high up. We were going to do 4,000 miles so that we could test the lunar module, the command module, and then come back at a high rate of speed so that, you know, we could test the heatshield and things like that. It wasn’t—and I recall this very vividly. The three of us were out at Downey at North American testing our spacecraft; and Frank got a call to go back to Houston. We—so, Bill [William A. Anders] and I still stayed out there. We were working out there. And Frank came back again, back to Downey, and said, “Things have changed.” And we said, “Viz. a what?” He said, “We’re—if everything goes all right with Apollo 7, we’ll—Apollo 8 will go to the Moon.” I was elated! I thought, “Man, this is great!” I mean, I had already spent 2 weeks in space in Gemini VII with Frank Borman. I didn’t want to spend another 11 days, or something like that, you know, going around the Earth again. I said, “This is fantastic!” And on the way back of the T-38, when it was my turn to sit in the back seat and either Bill or Frank were flying, I drew the Apollo 8 insignia. You know, the—the V-shaped thing—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—with the Earth and Moon. So—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That happened because of Cold War considerations, did it not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. Well, two things occurred. The lunar module wasn’t ready. And the lunar module was supposed to go up there, you know, and be tested out. And also, as you probably know and it’s well known now, we had intelligence information that the Russians were going to put people around the Moon. They were really attempting to land people on the Moon! But—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let—let’s stop there—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.65563967130621, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—with the Earth and Moon. So—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That happened because of Cold War considerations, did it not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. Well, two things occurred. The lunar module wasn’t ready. And the lunar module was supposed to go up there, you know, and be tested out. And also, as you probably know and it’s well known now, we had intelligence information that the Russians were going to put people around the Moon. They were really attempting to land people on the Moon! But—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let—let’s stop there—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and we’ll pick up, okay? We’ll come back to the politics of 8."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 22.95071074589579, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. Well, two things occurred. The lunar module wasn’t ready. And the lunar module was supposed to go up there, you know, and be tested out. And also, as you probably know and it’s well known now, we had intelligence information that the Russians were going to put people around the Moon. They were really attempting to land people on the Moon! But—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let—let’s stop there—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and we’ll pick up, okay? We’ll come back to the politics of 8."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is Tape 2. James A. Lovell, Jr. We were discussing Apollo 8 and the politics behind Apollo 8. The Russians are going to try to land on the Moon and trump everything America has done."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 17.72301193988421, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and we’ll pick up, okay? We’ll come back to the politics of 8."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is Tape 2. James A. Lovell, Jr. We were discussing Apollo 8 and the politics behind Apollo 8. The Russians are going to try to land on the Moon and trump everything America has done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, the Russians, believe it or not, were interested in lunar landings about the same time we were and had tried all sorts of things to get there and were building a huge rocket called the N-1. Built 10 of them. Flew 4. None was really successful. Some of them they flew even after we had landed. But they were very persistent people. And they thought that using a different type of a booster, called the Proton, and a vehicle called Zond they could fly people—just circumnavigate the Moon. Just go around it. Not to land or not even to orbit it.\\n\\n And they were very, you know, close to actually doing that. They had sent a couple of spacecraft up. Went around the Moon. One was not successful. One was partially successful. The next one, the two cosmonauts, and I know them, wanted to go. And then they hesitated back and forth. The hierarchy argued, “Should we send another unmanned or should we not?” And when they did that, on this side of the Atlantic bold leadership at this time, they said, “If the lunar module’s not ready, the command service module, if it proves out on Apollo 7, will be okay. [Marshall Space Flight Center] Huntsville [Alabama] thinks the booster could be okay.” And so, they said, “Let’s send Apollo 8 to the Moon.” And so, that’s how it came to pass. We—and then after we got to the Moon, of course, the Russians said, “We never planned it in the first place.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As a rocket man, and you remind me that you were from the very beginning, as a rocket man did you think, “We can do that.”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.053655890087906, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me what you—tell me what you thought when your—two things. One is, you’re no longer connected to the Earth. That you can’t yell “Help!” They can’t tell you what to do. You’re on your own. First time you’ve ever been up there when that’s happened, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes. Except the Gemini, when we didn’t have communication."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—here you are—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.837395433431006, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes. Except the Gemini, when we didn’t have communication."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—here you are—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’re 200,000—240,000 miles away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re 240,000 miles away from this place that’s telling you what to do. Nobody’s talking to you. Nobody can hear you. You’re just looking at it. What do you think?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.708217148256672, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—here you are—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’re 200,000—240,000 miles away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re 240,000 miles away from this place that’s telling you what to do. Nobody’s talking to you. Nobody can hear you. You’re just looking at it. What do you think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were so curious, so excited about being at the Moon that we were like three schoolkids looking into a candy store window, watching those ancient old craters go by from—and we were only 60 miles above the surface. That—we didn’t have any kind of feeling, at least myself, of, you know, fear or—or if, you know, are we going to get back or not? It was just to be there was such an exciting moment that, you know, we’d have done it all the time. I felt very, very honored and lucky to be there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That particular Christmas, 1968, was the end of a tumultuous year. Really a tumultuous time in American history. And there was a very salutary effect on this country and the world because of your flight. Did you anticipate that or—?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.786907942507412, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’re 200,000—240,000 miles away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re 240,000 miles away from this place that’s telling you what to do. Nobody’s talking to you. Nobody can hear you. You’re just looking at it. What do you think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were so curious, so excited about being at the Moon that we were like three schoolkids looking into a candy store window, watching those ancient old craters go by from—and we were only 60 miles above the surface. That—we didn’t have any kind of feeling, at least myself, of, you know, fear or—or if, you know, are we going to get back or not? It was just to be there was such an exciting moment that, you know, we’d have done it all the time. I felt very, very honored and lucky to be there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That particular Christmas, 1968, was the end of a tumultuous year. Really a tumultuous time in American history. And there was a very salutary effect on this country and the world because of your flight. Did you anticipate that or—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At the time, we didn’t know what the effect of the flight would be. We didn’t know whether the flight was going to be successful or not. But you’re absolutely right. You know, with riots and assassinations and the war going on, I was part of a thing that finally gave an uplift to the American people about doing something positive, which was really—that’s why I say Apollo 8 was really the high point of my space career."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There are people in NASA who will say it’s the high point of NASA’s career. That the landing, of course, is what we were shooting for."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 23.09656438056379, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were so curious, so excited about being at the Moon that we were like three schoolkids looking into a candy store window, watching those ancient old craters go by from—and we were only 60 miles above the surface. That—we didn’t have any kind of feeling, at least myself, of, you know, fear or—or if, you know, are we going to get back or not? It was just to be there was such an exciting moment that, you know, we’d have done it all the time. I felt very, very honored and lucky to be there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That particular Christmas, 1968, was the end of a tumultuous year. Really a tumultuous time in American history. And there was a very salutary effect on this country and the world because of your flight. Did you anticipate that or—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At the time, we didn’t know what the effect of the flight would be. We didn’t know whether the flight was going to be successful or not. But you’re absolutely right. You know, with riots and assassinations and the war going on, I was part of a thing that finally gave an uplift to the American people about doing something positive, which was really—that’s why I say Apollo 8 was really the high point of my space career."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There are people in NASA who will say it’s the high point of NASA’s career. That the landing, of course, is what we were shooting for."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that proved that you could do all the things that everybody said you could do."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 22.329515978404213, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At the time, we didn’t know what the effect of the flight would be. We didn’t know whether the flight was going to be successful or not. But you’re absolutely right. You know, with riots and assassinations and the war going on, I was part of a thing that finally gave an uplift to the American people about doing something positive, which was really—that’s why I say Apollo 8 was really the high point of my space career."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There are people in NASA who will say it’s the high point of NASA’s career. That the landing, of course, is what we were shooting for."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that proved that you could do all the things that everybody said you could do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I sort of lean that way. On Apollo 11 I was honored to be with [Charles A.] Lindbergh watching the launch from the Cape, you know, as—and I said to General Lindbergh, “Isn’t this really apropos? I mean, this is the most auspicious moment. These people are going to go up there and they’re going to land on the Moon!” And Lindbergh looked at me and said, “Well, yes, to a certain degree.” He said, “But Apollo 8 was the real charger of this whole program.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you choose that Christmas message that you all delivered?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 18.792129215674763, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. And at the same time, we had this sort of now rudimentary TV camera, black-and white camera, that was pointing out the window watching the craters go by and slowly slipping into daylight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh I remember it. It was a marvelous time for America and the world. But a particularly marvelous Christmastime after what had been a terrible year. Let me go to Apollo 11. You’re the backup on 11."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the backup commander on 11. My philosophy is, “Never miss a chance.” I mean, if I had a chance to be the first person to land on the Moon, I was going to take it. It was the natural competition among all of us. But being backup is something I thought, “Well, there’s an opportunity.” I was the backup on Apollo 8 and I got to fly Apollo 8. So, I went to 11. I think Frank thought I was crazy; but I thought that, “Hey, that’s what I’m going to be doing.” And so, I went through the whole thing with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the feeling among the astronaut corps when everybody realized Neil Armstrong got the—?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.769032461860846, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh I remember it. It was a marvelous time for America and the world. But a particularly marvelous Christmastime after what had been a terrible year. Let me go to Apollo 11. You’re the backup on 11."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the backup commander on 11. My philosophy is, “Never miss a chance.” I mean, if I had a chance to be the first person to land on the Moon, I was going to take it. It was the natural competition among all of us. But being backup is something I thought, “Well, there’s an opportunity.” I was the backup on Apollo 8 and I got to fly Apollo 8. So, I went to 11. I think Frank thought I was crazy; but I thought that, “Hey, that’s what I’m going to be doing.” And so, I went through the whole thing with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the feeling among the astronaut corps when everybody realized Neil Armstrong got the—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think everybody, you know, resigned to the fact that Neil was going to go. And, of course, being a civilian, maybe that was a good choice. We were either Air Force or Navy and there was no military implication to this landing. So, Neil actually went. And so, someone had to go!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that figure into it, do you think?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.96559162428983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the backup commander on 11. My philosophy is, “Never miss a chance.” I mean, if I had a chance to be the first person to land on the Moon, I was going to take it. It was the natural competition among all of us. But being backup is something I thought, “Well, there’s an opportunity.” I was the backup on Apollo 8 and I got to fly Apollo 8. So, I went to 11. I think Frank thought I was crazy; but I thought that, “Hey, that’s what I’m going to be doing.” And so, I went through the whole thing with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the feeling among the astronaut corps when everybody realized Neil Armstrong got the—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think everybody, you know, resigned to the fact that Neil was going to go. And, of course, being a civilian, maybe that was a good choice. We were either Air Force or Navy and there was no military implication to this landing. So, Neil actually went. And so, someone had to go!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that figure into it, do you think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think so because all the flights before 11 were chancy. If 8 proved out to be—needed more training or was a disaster and then 9 came, or 9 had something wrong with the lunar module, you know, or if everything went fine, you know, if 10 had a full lunar module, they could’ve landed, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let’s go to 13."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.406212915877585, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think everybody, you know, resigned to the fact that Neil was going to go. And, of course, being a civilian, maybe that was a good choice. We were either Air Force or Navy and there was no military implication to this landing. So, Neil actually went. And so, someone had to go!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that figure into it, do you think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think so because all the flights before 11 were chancy. If 8 proved out to be—needed more training or was a disaster and then 9 came, or 9 had something wrong with the lunar module, you know, or if everything went fine, you know, if 10 had a full lunar module, they could’ve landed, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let’s go to 13."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The—that has reached almost mythic proportions because of the book, the movie, and all about that. I want to try to separate a little myth from reality here, or maybe add to the myth. I don’t know which we’ll do. We’ll do whichever you want to do, okay?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 27.118014350975095, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think so because all the flights before 11 were chancy. If 8 proved out to be—needed more training or was a disaster and then 9 came, or 9 had something wrong with the lunar module, you know, or if everything went fine, you know, if 10 had a full lunar module, they could’ve landed, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let’s go to 13."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The—that has reached almost mythic proportions because of the book, the movie, and all about that. I want to try to separate a little myth from reality here, or maybe add to the myth. I don’t know which we’ll do. We’ll do whichever you want to do, okay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’ll make it reality."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Okay. That was not supposed to be your flight, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.946861564386253, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It had to scare you to death, I think."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, because, you know, when Mattingly was scrubbed and Jack hadn’t really been part of the team, we thought, you know, because we had worked such—close together as a team. But we had already slipped the flight once from March to April, and the 2 days we worked with Jack, he appeared perfectly comfortable with the vehicle. And so, I said, “Go.” Because they came to me privately and said, “Are you happy? Are you satisfied? Do you want to go?” I said, “Sure.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you just want to go? Or were you happy and satisfied?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I was happy and satisfied that we were going to go. Normally on the first two flights to the Moon, they tell the crew privately, “Now look it, if anything goes wrong, don’t worry about it. Come back. We’ll give you the very next flight.” That was on Apollo 11. On Apollo 12, they got Conrad’s group, “Don’t worry about it. Don’t take a chance, you know. We’ll give you the very next flight.” They didn’t say anything on Apollo 13!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it—are you—obviously you’re not superstitious?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.718735071540281, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, because, you know, when Mattingly was scrubbed and Jack hadn’t really been part of the team, we thought, you know, because we had worked such—close together as a team. But we had already slipped the flight once from March to April, and the 2 days we worked with Jack, he appeared perfectly comfortable with the vehicle. And so, I said, “Go.” Because they came to me privately and said, “Are you happy? Are you satisfied? Do you want to go?” I said, “Sure.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you just want to go? Or were you happy and satisfied?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I was happy and satisfied that we were going to go. Normally on the first two flights to the Moon, they tell the crew privately, “Now look it, if anything goes wrong, don’t worry about it. Come back. We’ll give you the very next flight.” That was on Apollo 11. On Apollo 12, they got Conrad’s group, “Don’t worry about it. Don’t take a chance, you know. We’ll give you the very next flight.” They didn’t say anything on Apollo 13!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it—are you—obviously you’re not superstitious?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I’m not superstitious now and I wasn’t then. Although the coincidence is—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The 13th hour of the 13th minute, Apollo 13—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.747236037778164, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Takes off and it explodes on the 13th."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "An interesting sideline: Apollo 13 was the last spacecraft, to my knowledge, that was—ever had the number 13. If you look at the history of all the follow-on spacecraft, all the Shuttles and all the Orbiters and all that, they’re all sort of like 41-G, 53-L or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There is no 13. NASA will claim that they are absolutely not superstitious. But I’ll bet you my last dollar, they’ll never name another spacecraft, as long as this place stays alive, 13."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The launch is perfect. Everything went well."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.496928930864626, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "An interesting sideline: Apollo 13 was the last spacecraft, to my knowledge, that was—ever had the number 13. If you look at the history of all the follow-on spacecraft, all the Shuttles and all the Orbiters and all that, they’re all sort of like 41-G, 53-L or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There is no 13. NASA will claim that they are absolutely not superstitious. But I’ll bet you my last dollar, they’ll never name another spacecraft, as long as this place stays alive, 13."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The launch is perfect. Everything went well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Saturn V worked fine up till the second stage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so, what’s happening here?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.107698812071806, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There is no 13. NASA will claim that they are absolutely not superstitious. But I’ll bet you my last dollar, they’ll never name another spacecraft, as long as this place stays alive, 13."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The launch is perfect. Everything went well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Saturn V worked fine up till the second stage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so, what’s happening here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, then the center engine of our second stage of our vehicle shut down 2 minutes early, probably due to a high vibration which we have a safety feature to shut it off. And for a while there we thought, “Boy, is there a crisis? Is there a problem with this thing? Do we have enough fuel? Do we have enough power to get into Earth orbit then kick ourselves around to go all the way to the Moon?” Well, very fortunately the folks at Huntsville over-built the vehicle. And we did. We had enough fuel. It took us about a—an extra minute and a half to get into Earth orbit, but we still had enough fuel on the third stage to go all the way to the Moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the crisis is over. No problem."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:227", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 10.343441568988137, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—you know, something happens."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "An experiment doesn’t work. An instrument fails. Something, you know. Something goes wrong. And we thought, “Hey, that’s a—” I told the guys, “Hey, that’s our crisis.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "“We got rid of it. We’re on our way!”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you’re out how long before the accident happens?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:229", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 5.937157298875708, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "An experiment doesn’t work. An instrument fails. Something, you know. Something goes wrong. And we thought, “Hey, that’s a—” I told the guys, “Hey, that’s our crisis.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "“We got rid of it. We’re on our way!”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you’re out how long before the accident happens?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’re out 2 days before the accident happens. But 30 hours after we took off, we got onto a different course because the course we were on originally was called a free-return course to allow us to get back to the Earth. But—about 30 hours, we changed course to land at this place—we were going to land at a place called Fra Mauro and the sunlight would be in the proper position to see the shadows. And then 2 days out, on this hybrid course, the explosion occurs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re just getting ready to go to sleep, am I right?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1523969987507865, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "“We got rid of it. We’re on our way!”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you’re out how long before the accident happens?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’re out 2 days before the accident happens. But 30 hours after we took off, we got onto a different course because the course we were on originally was called a free-return course to allow us to get back to the Earth. But—about 30 hours, we changed course to land at this place—we were going to land at a place called Fra Mauro and the sunlight would be in the proper position to see the shadows. And then 2 days out, on this hybrid course, the explosion occurs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re just getting ready to go to sleep, am I right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep. Yeah, the—we were just finished a TV program. That was the last thing that evening. I think it was either 9 or 10 o’clock back here at Houston. And I’m coming back down through the tunnel, and suddenly there’s a hiss-bang! And the spacecraft rocks back and forth. The lights come on and jets fire, and I looked at Haise to see if he knew what caused it. He had no idea. Looked at Jack Swigert. He had no idea. And then of course, things started to happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What started to happen?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3915522208342073, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’re out 2 days before the accident happens. But 30 hours after we took off, we got onto a different course because the course we were on originally was called a free-return course to allow us to get back to the Earth. But—about 30 hours, we changed course to land at this place—we were going to land at a place called Fra Mauro and the sunlight would be in the proper position to see the shadows. And then 2 days out, on this hybrid course, the explosion occurs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re just getting ready to go to sleep, am I right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep. Yeah, the—we were just finished a TV program. That was the last thing that evening. I think it was either 9 or 10 o’clock back here at Houston. And I’m coming back down through the tunnel, and suddenly there’s a hiss-bang! And the spacecraft rocks back and forth. The lights come on and jets fire, and I looked at Haise to see if he knew what caused it. He had no idea. Looked at Jack Swigert. He had no idea. And then of course, things started to happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What started to happen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it went in various sequence. The light came on. Something was wrong with the electrical system. We started—we eventually lost two fuel cells. We couldn’t get them back. Then we saw our oxygen being depleted. One tank was completely gone. The other tank had started to go down. Then I looked out the window, and we saw gas escaping from the rear end of my spacecraft."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you didn’t see that, now, for about—according to the record, for 14 minutes before you saw the gas coming out, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.657280245371341, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep. Yeah, the—we were just finished a TV program. That was the last thing that evening. I think it was either 9 or 10 o’clock back here at Houston. And I’m coming back down through the tunnel, and suddenly there’s a hiss-bang! And the spacecraft rocks back and forth. The lights come on and jets fire, and I looked at Haise to see if he knew what caused it. He had no idea. Looked at Jack Swigert. He had no idea. And then of course, things started to happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What started to happen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it went in various sequence. The light came on. Something was wrong with the electrical system. We started—we eventually lost two fuel cells. We couldn’t get them back. Then we saw our oxygen being depleted. One tank was completely gone. The other tank had started to go down. Then I looked out the window, and we saw gas escaping from the rear end of my spacecraft."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you didn’t see that, now, for about—according to the record, for 14 minutes before you saw the gas coming out, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let me go back—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.952533605968157, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it went in various sequence. The light came on. Something was wrong with the electrical system. We started—we eventually lost two fuel cells. We couldn’t get them back. Then we saw our oxygen being depleted. One tank was completely gone. The other tank had started to go down. Then I looked out the window, and we saw gas escaping from the rear end of my spacecraft."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you didn’t see that, now, for about—according to the record, for 14 minutes before you saw the gas coming out, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let me go back—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—I just blew you up. I don’t have time to see the gas yet. You just blew up. You don’t know what’s going on."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:239", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.280592895520174, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Let me go back—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—I just blew you up. I don’t have time to see the gas yet. You just blew up. You don’t know what’s going on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Have no idea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now you say, “Houston, we’ve got a problem.”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6451032172446376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—I just blew you up. I don’t have time to see the gas yet. You just blew up. You don’t know what’s going on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Have no idea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now you say, “Houston, we’ve got a problem.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay? And what did Houston say?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.000141587441203, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, first of all, it was Jack that said, “Houston—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—we’ve got a problem.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Houston said, “Say again, please?” And I say, “Houston, we have a problem. We have a main B bus undervolt.” Now that was a case of electrical system. And about that, Haise yelled down and he said, “You know, during training we had a problem with one of those fuel cells. This might be our big problem. It’s an electrical problem.” And so, we looked at the fuel cells for a—we were looking to see—and pretty soon, you know, they got back online, and they—all of a sudden they died again. And then at one time the oxygen tank gauge went “Full High” then it went “Full Down.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All the way down."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:249", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.55571287493467, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—we’ve got a problem.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Houston said, “Say again, please?” And I say, “Houston, we have a problem. We have a main B bus undervolt.” Now that was a case of electrical system. And about that, Haise yelled down and he said, “You know, during training we had a problem with one of those fuel cells. This might be our big problem. It’s an electrical problem.” And so, we looked at the fuel cells for a—we were looking to see—and pretty soon, you know, they got back online, and they—all of a sudden they died again. And then at one time the oxygen tank gauge went “Full High” then it went “Full Down.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All the way down."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we didn’t know, “Is that a, you know—instrument problem? Because obviously we couldn’t lose all the oxygen. And, you know, this went back and forth. Well, we—and another thing we tried to do: we didn’t know if something hit us. The first thing we really did was try to put the hatch back between the lunar module and the command module, because we noticed that the command module was okay but the lunar module got a hit, we’d slowly lose all the oxygen inside the spacecraft. And so, I said, “Jack, close the hatch.” Jack went up there and tried to close the hatch; he couldn’t do it. I said, “I—” So, I went up there to try to close it. I couldn’t do it! So, I said, “Hey, let’s forget it. You know, secure to our couch. If the lunar module was hit, we’d be dead by now anyway.” And that started the whole sequence of events. Then we started going “Look at the instruments.” And things slowly deteriorated. We looked at the gauges, and then, of course, we looked out the window."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You look out the window and you see something, and then you know. Did you know what that was you were seeing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:255", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1765608709666266, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It didn’t take much intelligence on my part to realize that the gas escaping from the rear end and the needle on my second and last tank were one and the same, and very shortly we would be out of oxygen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At this point, what did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were trying to figure out how much time we had. Do we have enough time, you know? It—is this a gauge problem? I mean, are—we’re talking to the ground. And by that time, I think we’re losing the third fuel cell. And, you know, the oxygen fed the third fuel cell anyway. If we were going to lose the oxygen, we were going to lose the fuel cell. And about that time, we were thinking about, “Hey, the lunar module. Maybe we ought to try to use it somehow, you know. Get back in there, at least to protect ourselves, because it has oxygen inside.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever thought of it as a lifeboat?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never did. There had been work done in some of the previous simulations of using it; but basically using it as an emergency vehicle around the Moon, in case something happened in the command module. Say the engine, you know, fired too much, it didn’t fire enough, and we were in some strange orbit about the Moon; they’d use the lunar module’s descent engine to straighten things out. But we never thought about trying to use the lunar module for a 4-day mission to get back to the Earth! Because the lunar module was only built to last 45 hours! Only built to support two people! And, you know, here we are: 200,000 miles from Earth and 90 hours from Earth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "240,000 miles from Earth—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.5295120788518073, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were trying to figure out how much time we had. Do we have enough time, you know? It—is this a gauge problem? I mean, are—we’re talking to the ground. And by that time, I think we’re losing the third fuel cell. And, you know, the oxygen fed the third fuel cell anyway. If we were going to lose the oxygen, we were going to lose the fuel cell. And about that time, we were thinking about, “Hey, the lunar module. Maybe we ought to try to use it somehow, you know. Get back in there, at least to protect ourselves, because it has oxygen inside.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever thought of it as a lifeboat?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never did. There had been work done in some of the previous simulations of using it; but basically using it as an emergency vehicle around the Moon, in case something happened in the command module. Say the engine, you know, fired too much, it didn’t fire enough, and we were in some strange orbit about the Moon; they’d use the lunar module’s descent engine to straighten things out. But we never thought about trying to use the lunar module for a 4-day mission to get back to the Earth! Because the lunar module was only built to last 45 hours! Only built to support two people! And, you know, here we are: 200,000 miles from Earth and 90 hours from Earth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "240,000 miles from Earth—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and did you—I know what your answer is but I have to ask you anyway: Did you think at any time that you were going to be a perpetual monument to the space program, the three of you floating around out there forever?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.810568976502008, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never did. There had been work done in some of the previous simulations of using it; but basically using it as an emergency vehicle around the Moon, in case something happened in the command module. Say the engine, you know, fired too much, it didn’t fire enough, and we were in some strange orbit about the Moon; they’d use the lunar module’s descent engine to straighten things out. But we never thought about trying to use the lunar module for a 4-day mission to get back to the Earth! Because the lunar module was only built to last 45 hours! Only built to support two people! And, you know, here we are: 200,000 miles from Earth and 90 hours from Earth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "240,000 miles from Earth—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—and did you—I know what your answer is but I have to ask you anyway: Did you think at any time that you were going to be a perpetual monument to the space program, the three of you floating around out there forever?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The thought crossed our mind that we were in deep trouble. But we never dwelled on it. We never, you know, sort of gave up and said, “What are—what’s going to happen if we don’t get back? Where are we going to be?” My thoughts were this: if everything failed and we still had life support in the lunar module but we couldn’t get back to the Earth, you know, the heatshield was damaged or we just went past the Earth. Because the orbit we were on would take us past the Earth. It was—closest to the point of approach was about 40,000 miles. I said that, “We will send back information. We’ll keep on operating as long as we can. And then, that’s the end of the deal.” So, that was what I had planned to do in my mind should—you know, should something happen. People often ask, you know, this poison pill deal’s ridiculous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about that. You didn’t have anything to kill yourself with?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.469838242595072, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The thought crossed our mind that we were in deep trouble. But we never dwelled on it. We never, you know, sort of gave up and said, “What are—what’s going to happen if we don’t get back? Where are we going to be?” My thoughts were this: if everything failed and we still had life support in the lunar module but we couldn’t get back to the Earth, you know, the heatshield was damaged or we just went past the Earth. Because the orbit we were on would take us past the Earth. It was—closest to the point of approach was about 40,000 miles. I said that, “We will send back information. We’ll keep on operating as long as we can. And then, that’s the end of the deal.” So, that was what I had planned to do in my mind should—you know, should something happen. People often ask, you know, this poison pill deal’s ridiculous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about that. You didn’t have anything to kill yourself with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, all we had to do was open the—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—cabin vent. Yeah. And, you know, we could’ve gone just like that. So, why bother—even bother carrying poison pills, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the three of you at any time have any conversation about the fact that, “We bought the farm.”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.633153602883413, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, all we had to do was open the—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—cabin vent. Yeah. And, you know, we could’ve gone just like that. So, why bother—even bother carrying poison pills, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the three of you at any time have any conversation about the fact that, “We bought the farm.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We never did. We never admitted to ourselves that, “Hey, we’re not going to make it.” Well, only one time when—when Fred looked at the—after the lunar module and found out we had about 45 hours’ worth of power and we were 90 hours from home. He says—I think he said something like, “I don’t think we’re going to make it the way we are right now.” And I said, “Fred, I’ll agree with you on [that]. The—what we’re doing now isn’t going to hack it.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the ground sound to you at that time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8146151143149034, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—cabin vent. Yeah. And, you know, we could’ve gone just like that. So, why bother—even bother carrying poison pills, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the three of you at any time have any conversation about the fact that, “We bought the farm.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We never did. We never admitted to ourselves that, “Hey, we’re not going to make it.” Well, only one time when—when Fred looked at the—after the lunar module and found out we had about 45 hours’ worth of power and we were 90 hours from home. He says—I think he said something like, “I don’t think we’re going to make it the way we are right now.” And I said, “Fred, I’ll agree with you on [that]. The—what we’re doing now isn’t going to hack it.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the ground sound to you at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they—first of all they started up, you know, I—we sent down everything we could when we had the explosion. They said that we—this was after we saw the oxygen. They said, “Yeah, we got a lot of guys working on it down here. We’ll help you out.” I said, “Thanks a lot!” But they—I have to tell you, that’s when they started getting that teamwork together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me check off some things here that I would think about. Oxygen first of all. You weren’t worried; you had enough oxygen, did you not?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.016239015905448, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We never did. We never admitted to ourselves that, “Hey, we’re not going to make it.” Well, only one time when—when Fred looked at the—after the lunar module and found out we had about 45 hours’ worth of power and we were 90 hours from home. He says—I think he said something like, “I don’t think we’re going to make it the way we are right now.” And I said, “Fred, I’ll agree with you on [that]. The—what we’re doing now isn’t going to hack it.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the ground sound to you at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they—first of all they started up, you know, I—we sent down everything we could when we had the explosion. They said that we—this was after we saw the oxygen. They said, “Yeah, we got a lot of guys working on it down here. We’ll help you out.” I said, “Thanks a lot!” But they—I have to tell you, that’s when they started getting that teamwork together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me check off some things here that I would think about. Oxygen first of all. You weren’t worried; you had enough oxygen, did you not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We didn’t have hardly any in the main tanks of the lunar—of the command module. We did have in the lunar module oxygen, plus the fact we had oxygen in the backpacks, which, you know, we’re not going to use on the lunar surface so we could tap into that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. So, you—we—we can breathe."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7657599669484885, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We can breathe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Electricity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The power: used batteries on the lunar module. Good for 45 hours. That’s—that was the normal use of the oxygen—or—of the electricity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Water."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Water was important, too. Not just to drink, but we had to cool all of our electronics systems. And so, water was very critical. More so than the oxygen. Of course later on, we turned off all the electric equipment anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you almost dehydrated through this whole thing when you got back, did you not?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:277", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.073066629942765, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The power: used batteries on the lunar module. Good for 45 hours. That’s—that was the normal use of the oxygen—or—of the electricity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Water."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Water was important, too. Not just to drink, but we had to cool all of our electronics systems. And so, water was very critical. More so than the oxygen. Of course later on, we turned off all the electric equipment anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you almost dehydrated through this whole thing when you got back, did you not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you didn’t drink enough?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7939094196824255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you didn’t drink enough?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "—because of an edict that I had put out by—reduce of the water intake to make sure we had plenty of water for our systems. I probably went overboard in that, and we probably could’ve used a little bit more water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Food."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Didn’t think about it. Absolutely did not think about food."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had 4 days! You’ve got to think about it somewhere along the line."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.21545491075825, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—because of an edict that I had put out by—reduce of the water intake to make sure we had plenty of water for our systems. I probably went overboard in that, and we probably could’ve used a little bit more water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Food."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Didn’t think about it. Absolutely did not think about food."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had 4 days! You’ve got to think about it somewhere along the line."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. We went up there and, you know, we grabbed something and—whatever it was, whose ever it was, we ate it. The hot dogs, you know, the movie was correct. The hot dogs were frozen. I did get Jack up there to get all the water out of the command module, either I put it in orange juice bags or something like that so that—before it froze, and to—you have enough water down there for that. And so, that’s what he did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How uncomfortable was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:285", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.683838789731389, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Didn’t think about it. Absolutely did not think about food."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had 4 days! You’ve got to think about it somewhere along the line."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know. We went up there and, you know, we grabbed something and—whatever it was, whose ever it was, we ate it. The hot dogs, you know, the movie was correct. The hot dogs were frozen. I did get Jack up there to get all the water out of the command module, either I put it in orange juice bags or something like that so that—before it froze, and to—you have enough water down there for that. And so, that’s what he did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How uncomfortable was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cold and clammy. The—it was very sort of clammy. Very cold. The temperature kept dropping all the way down, because we normally would keep the temperature normal or by balancing the heat load from the electrical systems. And people often ask, and I’ve thought about it, too, “Should we put on our spacesuits?” And then I thought against that, because they’d be very bulky with three of us. You know, the lunar module’s only built for two people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not room enough."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.7825170243597395, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cold and clammy. The—it was very sort of clammy. Very cold. The temperature kept dropping all the way down, because we normally would keep the temperature normal or by balancing the heat load from the electrical systems. And people often ask, and I’ve thought about it, too, “Should we put on our spacesuits?” And then I thought against that, because they’d be very bulky with three of us. You know, the lunar module’s only built for two people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not room enough."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not room enough and also that it’s—it’d be clammy; it’s rubberized; and if we started to perspire inside and it’s cold outside, that wouldn’t be too good anyway. Haise and I did put on our lunar boots. We put those on. Poor Jack didn’t have any, and so—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—then we had a leak in the water system a little bit, and we got a little bit of water in there. So—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The inside of the place is—there’s moisture all over everything. The last place you want to see moisture collect."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.425018915955266, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not room enough and also that it’s—it’d be clammy; it’s rubberized; and if we started to perspire inside and it’s cold outside, that wouldn’t be too good anyway. Haise and I did put on our lunar boots. We put those on. Poor Jack didn’t have any, and so—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—then we had a leak in the water system a little bit, and we got a little bit of water in there. So—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The inside of the place is—there’s moisture all over everything. The last place you want to see moisture collect."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. Especially in the command module, which was really dark and clammy. Nothing in there. Not even body heat, because most of us spent our time in the lunar module. It was bad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The jerry-rigged box for the lithium hydroxide—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.138909906616962, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—then we had a leak in the water system a little bit, and we got a little bit of water in there. So—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The inside of the place is—there’s moisture all over everything. The last place you want to see moisture collect."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. Especially in the command module, which was really dark and clammy. Nothing in there. Not even body heat, because most of us spent our time in the lunar module. It was bad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The jerry-rigged box for the lithium hydroxide—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—is that what it’s called?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.93212211846329, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. Especially in the command module, which was really dark and clammy. Nothing in there. Not even body heat, because most of us spent our time in the lunar module. It was bad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The jerry-rigged box for the lithium hydroxide—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—is that what it’s called?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they’re—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That has—everybody talks about that. Tell me the truth about that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:297", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.591246798292545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—is that what it’s called?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they’re—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That has—everybody talks about that. Tell me the truth about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the truth is that what you saw in the movie is pretty much the truth. What happened was, in the lunar module, which we didn’t think about at the time but some of the people in [Manned Spacecraft Center] Crew Systems [Division] did, that the round canisters were devised and developed to support 2 people for 2 days and that they were round and that they were lithium-hydroxide that would remove the carbon dioxide. Now they were becoming saturated. And the partial pressure of carbon dioxide was rising—something that we didn’t really notice at first. But the ground started to notice it and they started to try to figure out what they could do. Now in the dead command module, they use in their environmental system\\n\\n square\\n\\n canisters. Had plenty of them, but you can’t put a square canister in the round hole of the lunar module system. Big engineering goof. Why we had square there, we had round over there, we’ll never know. So, what the Crew Systems came up with was how to jerry-rig a square canister to work in the lunar module. We did it with tape, plastic, cardboard, and a little sock. And, by gosh, it worked!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They call up to you and say, “Take a piece of tape about as long as your arm.” Or—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:303", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.669748694502804, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, first of all they said, “Take a piece of duct piece about 3 ft—well, maybe as long as your arm.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so, that’s what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you’re saying, “Well, for what?”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:305", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.521942993892004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so, that’s what we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you’re saying, “Well, for what?”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And essentially Jack and I started to build this thing. And we—just according to the instructions—the instructions were explicit and it was a great job. And, if you look at the one that the Crew Systems had made to show the people in the Control Center and you look at the one that’s hanging on the lunar module wall, they’re identical."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All this time you have—all of you must have serious sleep deprivation problems. I mean, you guys have got to be just dog-tired!"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:307", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.24660332654667, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you’re saying, “Well, for what?”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And essentially Jack and I started to build this thing. And we—just according to the instructions—the instructions were explicit and it was a great job. And, if you look at the one that the Crew Systems had made to show the people in the Control Center and you look at the one that’s hanging on the lunar module wall, they’re identical."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All this time you have—all of you must have serious sleep deprivation problems. I mean, you guys have got to be just dog-tired!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Actual sleep was very, very limited. Maybe I had 1 hour, if you want to count it, in 40. You—we tried to sleep up in the command module. A funny phenomena, though. If you go in the command module and no one else is around and you stay very quiet, your body heat heats up the air next to you because in zero gravity there’s no convection, so hot air doesn’t rise and so it doesn’t bring in cold air. Your body is like a little blanket. But, you know, it worked to a little degree. We found out, though, that sleep is something that you could get a few winks of and then—and be relaxed again. For instance, even on duty, I put my fingers like this and I closed my eyes, and maybe I’d fall asleep for a minute or two and wake up, and I’d be okay again. So, it’s a—it’s, you know, catching a little naps at a time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you—did you allow everybody to sleep at once? Or did you try to sleep—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:311", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.94642385993416, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Actual sleep was very, very limited. Maybe I had 1 hour, if you want to count it, in 40. You—we tried to sleep up in the command module. A funny phenomena, though. If you go in the command module and no one else is around and you stay very quiet, your body heat heats up the air next to you because in zero gravity there’s no convection, so hot air doesn’t rise and so it doesn’t bring in cold air. Your body is like a little blanket. But, you know, it worked to a little degree. We found out, though, that sleep is something that you could get a few winks of and then—and be relaxed again. For instance, even on duty, I put my fingers like this and I closed my eyes, and maybe I’d fall asleep for a minute or two and wake up, and I’d be okay again. So, it’s a—it’s, you know, catching a little naps at a time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you—did you allow everybody to sleep at once? Or did you try to sleep—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we all had to—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—in shifts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "—someone stayed on duty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had to—somebody had to stay awake all the time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.9404709554824, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we all had to—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—in shifts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "—someone stayed on duty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had to—somebody had to stay awake all the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we kept somebody awake. And usually it was Fred by himself and Jack and I trying to get some sleep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We get to the point where things are as under control as they’re going to get for a while. But you’ve got to figure out something to see so you know when to fire your thrusters. And there’s a telescope, an [AOT] [alignment optical telescope], in here. And you’re supposed to find two stars with it, is that right?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:319", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.290083615202192, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there’s two things about the telescope."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When we were going to come around and we’re going to make a second burn, a speed-up burn to come home, we were worried that I made a mistake—including myself was worried—of transferring the angle data from the command module’s guidance system properly into the lunar module system. Now we had to have that guidance system in the lunar module to get the proper attitude to make the proper speed-up burn. So, the ground then determined a method of trying to see if that data was any good by—I mean, we could not see any stars. There was no—all the debris was around the spacecraft and was following us, so there was no way of seeing stars to do the normal navigation. But the Sun is a star.\\n\\n So, we put into the computer and the guidance system to point the telescope at the Sun, which is a star. If it did, then we knew that the information was correct in the computer. So, that’s what we did. We put it in there. We let the spacecraft jog around and then point the telescope. And if you’ll hear our conversations, it’s a little bit like\\n\\n My Fair Lady\\n\\n , you know. “Oh, she’s got it! I think she’s got it! Oh, oh, yeah, I think she’s—yeah, yeah, she’s got—yep, you’ve got it! Yeah! There it is, the Sun!” So, that was the first thing. We passed that, so we knew the guidance system was okay for that long burn. So, we made that long burn and everything was fine. And right after that, we shut everything down because we had to save electrical power. We’re flying by the seat of our pants now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is this a fast burn you’re talking about here—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, 4½ minutes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—or did this come later? Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:323", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.938374833582953, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, 4½ minutes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—or did this come later? Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It stayed on for 4½ minutes, this rocket engine pushing us faster and faster on the way home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then the ground had been tracking us by this time. And they thought, and we got back on that free-return course on an earlier burn, but they looked at it and tracked us and interpolated our course all the way back to the Earth and found out we were going to miss the Earth!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Going to miss."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.487083148425503, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It stayed on for 4½ minutes, this rocket engine pushing us faster and faster on the way home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then the ground had been tracking us by this time. And they thought, and we got back on that free-return course on an earlier burn, but they looked at it and tracked us and interpolated our course all the way back to the Earth and found out we were going to miss the Earth!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Going to miss."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We are no longer on the free-return course. Well, what could we do? We had—everything was shut down. We don’t have that guidance system anymore. We don’t have anything. And that’s when they said—you know, they gave us the procedures about using the Earth. And I said, “I know those procedures, because we had them developed in Apollo 8. And when I was doing the navigation stuff, we developed those procedures. But we took them out of our flight manuals after Apollo 8 because we never thought they’d ever be used.” And I remember the ground said, “Yeah, we thought you would remember those procedures.” And so, maybe it was very appropriate that I was on Apollo 8. And we used the Earth and the Earth’s terminator as a guiding post, and we burned to get back in the proper angle to get back home again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re coming down. You know you’ve made it. But you’re not quite sure whether anything’s going to work. Do you know the parachute’s going to come out? Do you know the heatshield’s going to work? Do you know anything’s going to work?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:331", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.244284154218793, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Those two things you mentioned are very important: the heatshield and the parachutes, because when we jettisoned the service module and it floated on by, we saw this big, gaping hole, this panel blown out. That worried us that our heatshield was damaged, because it was right next to our heatshield."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was nothing we could do about that. I mean, we were coming—we were aimed for the Earth. We’re going to come into the Earth. That was the end of the deal. If we’re going to burn up, we’re going to burn up. And then, of course, we knew all the way through. The ground didn’t know for the longest time what happened. The last crisis, of course, were those parachutes. Because the pyrotechnics that put out those chutes, which we normally keep warm with electrical power, were cold-soaked for 4 days. So, we didn’t know they were going to fire. And if they didn’t fire, even though we got through the atmosphere, we’d still hit the water [at] a pretty fast rate of speed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they fired."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They fired. We came down."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, you know you’re home free?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:333", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.604760171354215, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was nothing we could do about that. I mean, we were coming—we were aimed for the Earth. We’re going to come into the Earth. That was the end of the deal. If we’re going to burn up, we’re going to burn up. And then, of course, we knew all the way through. The ground didn’t know for the longest time what happened. The last crisis, of course, were those parachutes. Because the pyrotechnics that put out those chutes, which we normally keep warm with electrical power, were cold-soaked for 4 days. So, we didn’t know they were going to fire. And if they didn’t fire, even though we got through the atmosphere, we’d still hit the water [at] a pretty fast rate of speed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they fired."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They fired. We came down."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, you know you’re home free?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew I was home free. Eventually home free completely, when the spacecraft bobbed up and I saw water on the windows and the thing didn’t sink."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But up to that point, you—I’m looking for the most frightening point in this whole thing. When it exploded? When you realized that you had a problem? Or when you were coming down, wondering whether that chute’s going to deploy?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:337", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 29.141679223894094, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew I was home free. Eventually home free completely, when the spacecraft bobbed up and I saw water on the windows and the thing didn’t sink."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But up to that point, you—I’m looking for the most frightening point in this whole thing. When it exploded? When you realized that you had a problem? Or when you were coming down, wondering whether that chute’s going to deploy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The most frightening moment in this whole thing is when the explosion occurred, and then after a little period of time—and saw the oxygen escaping and we didn’t have solutions to get home. Because we knew we were in deep, deep trouble. And you know, I always compare this like a solitaire, a game of solitaire. You turn up a card and that’s a crisis. If you can put it someplace, the mission keeps going. The game keeps going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You pull another card and there’s no place to put it, the game’s over. That never occurred to us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of impact did that adventure, and I use that word advisedly, have on you personally?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:339", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 31.26853247099344, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The most frightening moment in this whole thing is when the explosion occurred, and then after a little period of time—and saw the oxygen escaping and we didn’t have solutions to get home. Because we knew we were in deep, deep trouble. And you know, I always compare this like a solitaire, a game of solitaire. You turn up a card and that’s a crisis. If you can put it someplace, the mission keeps going. The game keeps going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You pull another card and there’s no place to put it, the game’s over. That never occurred to us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of impact did that adventure, and I use that word advisedly, have on you personally?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t worry about crises any longer. I mean, seriously. I mean, I look at them. I say to myself, whenever I have a problem with something like that or I’m in trouble with someone or somebody’s sick or something like that, I say, “I could’ve been gone back in 1970. I’m still here. I’m still breathing. ” So, I don’t worry about crises."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What caused you to write\\n\\n The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13\\n\\n ?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.937423117301055, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was to a degree. Because I had heard these stories of famous authors who don’t like the way their books are portrayed on the screen. And, of course, when you buy—and after I read the contract, when you sell the book to the movies—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve sold it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—you’ve sold it. They can put it on Mars, you know—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—and do anything they want. But I have to be quite honest. We—I could not have picked a better production team with Ron Howard. A better group of actors and also Kathleen Quinlan, who played my wife, than the group that they had gathered together to do that movie. It was perfect. And it was a win-win situation for everybody. NASA certainly, I think, liked it. We used the zero-g airplane to get the zero-g sequences; that was the first time it had ever been done. The public enjoyed it, I think. I’m happy. Jeff Kluger’s happy with the way the book was portrayed. So, it was quite a deal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There have been all kinds of books about the astronauts and about the various spaceflights. Have—has NASA and have you gentlemen been treated fairly by the popular press?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:357", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 24.861016194198832, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—and do anything they want. But I have to be quite honest. We—I could not have picked a better production team with Ron Howard. A better group of actors and also Kathleen Quinlan, who played my wife, than the group that they had gathered together to do that movie. It was perfect. And it was a win-win situation for everybody. NASA certainly, I think, liked it. We used the zero-g airplane to get the zero-g sequences; that was the first time it had ever been done. The public enjoyed it, I think. I’m happy. Jeff Kluger’s happy with the way the book was portrayed. So, it was quite a deal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There have been all kinds of books about the astronauts and about the various spaceflights. Have—has NASA and have you gentlemen been treated fairly by the popular press?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. There’s always critics. And I—and especially the movie. The—when the movie came out, some—the space enthusiasts here, you know, all the space guys here said, “There’s 125 mistakes in that movie.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, we’ve been nicely handled by the press with the book. I wrote it—we wrote it, I should say, in the “we” frame. Not—never said “I did this” or “I did that.” It was not a biography or an autobiography. It is—we talk about Lovell; we talk about Haise; we talk about [Eugene F.] Gene Kranz; we talk about, you know, all the people because we wanted to write it in that way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why did you decide to leave NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:365", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 16.1789608203, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right here in Houston, Texas in Bay-Houston Towing. I tried my hand at that for 4 years. A very lucrative business. Enjoyed it, but there was no future for me there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Telephone business."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got in the telephone business at the right time, at the right place. By the husband of Ed White’s widow, who she married 5 years later, and it was just when AT&T, the Bell system, was getting ready to deregulate—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—divestiture was coming up. We were selling telephone systems. Our little company went from $8M to $40M and then CenTel Corporation bought us and—and then I went up to CenTel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now you work with Mission HOME. What is Mission HOME?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:367", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 11.309956467, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got in the telephone business at the right time, at the right place. By the husband of Ed White’s widow, who she married 5 years later, and it was just when AT&T, the Bell system, was getting ready to deregulate—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—divestiture was coming up. We were selling telephone systems. Our little company went from $8M to $40M and then CenTel Corporation bought us and—and then I went up to CenTel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now you work with Mission HOME. What is Mission HOME?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About 7 years ago, the National Space Society and the U.S. Space Foundation got together with the Alliance of Aerospace Companies, trying to educate the public on the real benefits of the space program. To show them what—what has been accomplished that is helping them out today and what can be done in the future and Harvesting Opportunities for Mother Earth is HOME. And that was the whole idea. To do—at that time, to do seminars around the country. I wrote a piece, which is still going on in various newspapers. And to try to get people interested. And they got other astronauts, retired guys basically, to do it. It’s changed its name a little bit now. I think it’s called Space Alliance, and they’re still trying to accomplish that goal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you disappointed that here we’ve gone, what, 30 years since we walked on the Moon and we haven’t gone any further than we’ve gone in the space program?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:373", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.049323, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, to some degree I am. The disappointment comes from the fact that, I guess this being a democracy, we got all sorts of controversy and we weigh things. Compromises are always the name of the game. But we waffled in the late ’80s and the early ’90s on the—on a space station. I don’t know how many designs of the space station we had. Either it was too big, too complicated, too expensive. And we didn’t realize at the time that maybe a consortium of countries work it together. In that respect, I think the present Administration eventually did—the Administrator, Dan [Daniel S.] Goldin, finally realized that. Although some of our partners are lacking quite a bit, like Russia. But I think we’re finally on the right track. But we did waffle. We wasted an awful lot of money. We wasted an awful lot of time and a lot of effort of not really knowing what we wanted to do. How we wanted to proceed with NASA. You know, it’s like that old saying: after you’ve been to Paris, what else is there? After we’ve been to the Moon, what else is there?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was a great triumph. Everybody still relates back to that. But that’s 30 years ago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’ve got to work now today. We’ve got to do something today. And we are doing a lot of things today. But, you know, you get repetition. You get 90-some Shuttles now and one accident. Everybody says, “Ho hum.” They don’t—we’re trying to tell people what we really do up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you know, Captain, we went to the Moon the first time because of the Cold War. Apollo 8 speeded up because the Russians were coming. We—there really was a space race. I mean, you know—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:375", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.72147, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was a great triumph. Everybody still relates back to that. But that’s 30 years ago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We’ve got to work now today. We’ve got to do something today. And we are doing a lot of things today. But, you know, you get repetition. You get 90-some Shuttles now and one accident. Everybody says, “Ho hum.” They don’t—we’re trying to tell people what we really do up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you know, Captain, we went to the Moon the first time because of the Cold War. Apollo 8 speeded up because the Russians were coming. We—there really was a space race. I mean, you know—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—that may be an old saying. But there is no race anymore. There’s nothing to propel us to go if we don’t really think about it, you know?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:379", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 7.187, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—that may be an old saying. But there is no race anymore. There’s nothing to propel us to go if we don’t really think about it, you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you’re absolutely right as far as competition goes. There is not that incentive to try to beat somebody else. And that was the whole deal. And, you know, the Russians themselves were interested in beating us not so much in military missiles, but going to the Moon. That was their goal just as much as it was our goal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But now we have cooperation. Now it’s a little bit more subtle. Now if we can all work together and work as a team to accomplish things, and get our mind off of other things, I think there is a hope for us. But whether that will ever come to pass in real life, the Russians still are very much interested in their\\n\\n Mir\\n\\n . I mean, its theirs. It’s long past its time. It should’ve been brought down a long time ago. They can do a lot more on the International Space Station than they could ever do on the\\n\\n Mir\\n\\n . And we have to wait till it gets done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Will our grandchildren see people go to Mars?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:383", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But now we have cooperation. Now it’s a little bit more subtle. Now if we can all work together and work as a team to accomplish things, and get our mind off of other things, I think there is a hope for us. But whether that will ever come to pass in real life, the Russians still are very much interested in their\\n\\n Mir\\n\\n . I mean, its theirs. It’s long past its time. It should’ve been brought down a long time ago. They can do a lot more on the International Space Station than they could ever do on the\\n\\n Mir\\n\\n . And we have to wait till it gets done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Will our grandchildren see people go to Mars?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Perhaps your grandchildren. I think a lot of the—there’ll be the attempts. There’ll be the work on doing it. I think the Mars mission is within the next 20 to 25 years. Now that seems strange for me to say, when you look back on going to the Moon in ’69 and you say, you know, 20 years. That was in ’49. You know, no one ever think—if someone asked me in ’49, 1949, are we going to land on the Moon in 1969? I’d say, “You’re absolutely crazy.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, it might be that it’s speeded up. I hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it’s interesting that you say—think about it and say “probably.” The old way of saying it would’ve been, “You bet! You bet.” But now there’s not a certain “you bet” about it anymore, is there?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00365:387", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, it might be that it’s speeded up. I hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it’s interesting that you say—think about it and say “probably.” The old way of saying it would’ve been, “You bet! You bet.” But now there’s not a certain “you bet” about it anymore, is there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I have to be pragmatic about the whole thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have to know—there are other commitments we have to do. Mars will be a, again—a consortium of countries. It will not be just the United States. And these countries have to get together to work together. It’ll be a major project! And there is some doubt whether we could ever do it. I know I talked to Bill Anders, who got his Masters in Nuclear Engineering. And he said, “You don’t understand the radiation once we get out there for long periods of time. You know, it’ll do you in before you get there.” So, if he’s right, then maybe a Martian trip is not feasible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What’s your—what was your finest moment at NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.051122464613995, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was, you know, a teen in the '60s and the call of President Kennedy was very inviting. It was that time in people's lives. And when I was in school, I was planning, I studied anthropology. And one of the things that concerned me was it seemed like a lot of the professors were alcoholics. And I thought, I don't want to become an alcoholic. And maybe it's because of the clash of cultures that they had to live in and deal with, the contrast. And I thought, well, if I go in the Peace Corps, I can live in another culture and see how I can adapt and see if it causes me problems or not.\n\nAnd also, in those days, the world was very far away. And it was only, you know, when I was first going into the Peace Corps that they started to put photos of Vietnam War on the TV. People didn't know about other cultures."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And if you wanted to travel and you didn't have the money, I mean. I was in Chicago. So we're landlocked. You know, we're not on a coast. We're not next to another country. So you really don't have that experience like in Europe with all the small countries close together. They can learn other languages easier and use them and learn about different cultures. So part of it was a way to travel. Part of it was to see if I should go ahead with anthropology or not. And, uh, part of it was altruistic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So those were the reasons I wanted to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cool. When did you decide that you wanted to go in the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.536355339826239, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Semesters or quarters, whatever they called it then, I ended up with enough credits to, to stop a quarter earlier."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I did get accepted and my parents were not against it. My, they held a party for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, it was funny. They had a cartoon in the newspaper, which at the time I thought was kind of funny, but I could really understand it when, after being in the Peace Corps of course. It was this person who child had come back from being in the Peace Corps and was sitting up in a tree and the mother is saying, oh, don't mind my child. They just came back from the Peace Corps.\n\nBecause when I got to Malawi, I was at my post. I had no furniture. So all I had was my sleeping bag. And, and I had a crate, that was the sum total of furniture that I had. So, you know, you get used to sleeping on a hard floor so you can think that coming back and getting on a soft mattress would be uncomfortable. So here was someone who was used to doing something in the trees. So I just thought it was very, could be very accurate depending on the culture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did your friends think?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.595950377584709, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I did get accepted and my parents were not against it. My, they held a party for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, it was funny. They had a cartoon in the newspaper, which at the time I thought was kind of funny, but I could really understand it when, after being in the Peace Corps of course. It was this person who child had come back from being in the Peace Corps and was sitting up in a tree and the mother is saying, oh, don't mind my child. They just came back from the Peace Corps.\n\nBecause when I got to Malawi, I was at my post. I had no furniture. So all I had was my sleeping bag. And, and I had a crate, that was the sum total of furniture that I had. So, you know, you get used to sleeping on a hard floor so you can think that coming back and getting on a soft mattress would be uncomfortable. So here was someone who was used to doing something in the trees. So I just thought it was very, could be very accurate depending on the culture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did your friends think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, by the time I got accepted, um, some of my friends probably were away in other colleges and their lives had changed because we'd already graduated college. And I wasn't with, when I got accepted, I wasn't with the people that I knew in college. So I don't really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there wasn't much of a reaction that you were aware of? Yeah. Yeah. What was the application like back then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.838516045701429, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, I really. I don't know that, how much we had interviews or anything beforehand. We had to go through a medical exam. We went to some Army place and followed the lines and went from one person to another for them to do tests. And then, um. We had a psychiatrist. Those were the years they had psychiatrists during training, and we had to meet with them so that they could determine if we were capable of going overseas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um. That was also the time that we trained in the United States. And whereas now they train in country. So, you know, things have changed over the years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, um, what happened was I first went into training in Tucson, Arizona, and it was, I guess, a resort that wasn't being used at that time, maybe more in the winter, and this was more the summer. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Get you used to the heat."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.598351161890475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um. That was also the time that we trained in the United States. And whereas now they train in country. So, you know, things have changed over the years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, um, what happened was I first went into training in Tucson, Arizona, and it was, I guess, a resort that wasn't being used at that time, maybe more in the winter, and this was more the summer. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Get you used to the heat."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't, um, perhaps, but I don't think that's always the case. You know, it's where they can get facility and where it was, uh, allowed them to do what they needed to do. And, you know, we built, um, an outhouse, you know, got practice. Like I never had to build one when I got to Malawi.\n\nThere was no guarantee at that time that we could go to, we could pick a country. We could request a, I think, an area. I requested Africa because I thought it would be the most different from anything I knew. And, um. We had language training where the first, they never spoke English for the first quite number of weeks. They pantomimed, pointed to things, took us in the cafe, you know, the cafeteria and would teach us words for the different foods and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now did you train with all Malawi volunteers so it was all the same?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.269569335667253, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't, um, perhaps, but I don't think that's always the case. You know, it's where they can get facility and where it was, uh, allowed them to do what they needed to do. And, you know, we built, um, an outhouse, you know, got practice. Like I never had to build one when I got to Malawi.\n\nThere was no guarantee at that time that we could go to, we could pick a country. We could request a, I think, an area. I requested Africa because I thought it would be the most different from anything I knew. And, um. We had language training where the first, they never spoke English for the first quite number of weeks. They pantomimed, pointed to things, took us in the cafe, you know, the cafeteria and would teach us words for the different foods and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now did you train with all Malawi volunteers so it was all the same?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The whole group of trainees were people who were going to Malawi for the same project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had some Malawians who came over to teach us the language and culture stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.966188150741391, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The whole group of trainees were people who were going to Malawi for the same project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had some Malawians who came over to teach us the language and culture stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there were other people who were Americans who were, you know, also part of the training. Um, we had a cross-cultural experience that we were supposed to do as well. And for ours we went to a Indian reservation and we were doing a health survey."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Interesting."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.086677847381879, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. But that was in, um. That was at the time that they were having riots in Chicago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they had some in Newark at the time, too, but I wouldn't been as aware not being from New York. Uh. And so I had called home because I wanted to get a report and found out that my mother was in the hospital. So when I told them, they put me with the only family on the reservation that had a phone. And in the middle of that project, they got a call that I should come home. My mother was not going to survive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, dear."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they packed me. They got, made reservations. I went right from the reservation, flew back to Chicago. And then after my mother passed away, they packed up whatever I had in the place where we had been staying before and sent it home to me. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you had no idea your mother was ill when you left?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.8740864970909765, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they had some in Newark at the time, too, but I wouldn't been as aware not being from New York. Uh. And so I had called home because I wanted to get a report and found out that my mother was in the hospital. So when I told them, they put me with the only family on the reservation that had a phone. And in the middle of that project, they got a call that I should come home. My mother was not going to survive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, dear."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So they packed me. They got, made reservations. I went right from the reservation, flew back to Chicago. And then after my mother passed away, they packed up whatever I had in the place where we had been staying before and sent it home to me. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you had no idea your mother was ill when you left?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, she wasn't ill when I left. What had happened is she had had a blockage that burst, and she got peritonitis. And in those days, they didn't have the way to treat peritonitis the way they could today. If she had it today, she would have survived."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What a shock that must have been."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.165538885297501, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, she wasn't ill when I left. What had happened is she had had a blockage that burst, and she got peritonitis. And in those days, they didn't have the way to treat peritonitis the way they could today. If she had it today, she would have survived."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What a shock that must have been."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, um. She was waiting for me to come home because I got home and went to the hospital. And I talked to her and said things that later I was, if I realized what, you know, I probably would have talked differently. But she just, I guess, wanted to see me. She hung on. And then after, I only saw her that one time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We got five minutes, you know, every hour at that time when they're in intensive care. And, um. So, you know, they sent my stuff home because I said, you know, I felt I needed to be home. And they said, okay, just, you know, let us know, you know, what happened.\n\nSo a couple of months later, I felt like things had been stabilized at home and I called them up and they said they had some more training programs. And I said, well, I think it'd be good if I went on one that was going to Malawi since I'd already trained so much for Malawi. And they had one that was a teacher program. So they sent me to Bunkie, Louisiana, to train to be a teacher. And we actually did some like almost like student teaching in one of the schools in Bunkie, Louisiana. And, uh, they told us to be careful and not to travel to the towns alone in Bunkie because we were, you know, outsiders from big cities. And this is very rural, redneck area of the United States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems ironic that it would almost feel more dangerous in Bunkie, Louisiana, than it may be when you went overseas."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.031529488021606, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We got five minutes, you know, every hour at that time when they're in intensive care. And, um. So, you know, they sent my stuff home because I said, you know, I felt I needed to be home. And they said, okay, just, you know, let us know, you know, what happened.\n\nSo a couple of months later, I felt like things had been stabilized at home and I called them up and they said they had some more training programs. And I said, well, I think it'd be good if I went on one that was going to Malawi since I'd already trained so much for Malawi. And they had one that was a teacher program. So they sent me to Bunkie, Louisiana, to train to be a teacher. And we actually did some like almost like student teaching in one of the schools in Bunkie, Louisiana. And, uh, they told us to be careful and not to travel to the towns alone in Bunkie because we were, you know, outsiders from big cities. And this is very rural, redneck area of the United States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems ironic that it would almost feel more dangerous in Bunkie, Louisiana, than it may be when you went overseas."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, uh, they're different kinds of dangers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, you know, I realized when we were doing the teaching, I thought, you know, this isn't really my thing, but I can't tell them I don't want to go. If I tell them I don't want to go, they're never going to give me a third chance. And I really, really want to do this. So, um, we. I don't even. We, we didn't. I don't think we went home after the training. Um. And we went, we went overseas. And, uh, as soon as we got to Malawi, they, the Peace Corps there approached me and said that there was a health volunteer who didn't like the unstructuredness of health. And she would love to switch with me and be a teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you went, woo, woo!"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9224653071507483, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, um. I, uh, I had a counterpart. Malawi was a country that gave us, uh, that had set up programs and gave us counterparts. So we weren't working alone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so there was a health assistant and he was responsible for and I was working with him. So we set up a clinics to weigh the children and teach them nutrition."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it wasn't full time. So I also went to the secondary school that was maybe a mile or so down the road where there were some other volunteers and taught nutrition to the kids. And also there was a farmers market board in Mponela where I was posted and I taught the farmers as well about nutrition because in Malawi, children are the last on the totem pole to be fed. You know, um, they had a very high infant mortality rate. Um, one of the saddest parts about that was they would get powdered milk from, you know, it would be distributed by like USAID and other countries, and they didn't really know how to use it properly. So they would mix it with water and as long as it looked milky, they would feed it to the kids, but they wouldn't necessarily know to boil the water first so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or the right proportions."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.786846154419301, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, mangoes were only a penny, it was just wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The things I missed were crunch. You know, everything was cooked so that it was safe to eat. And so you didn't have salad and you didn't have. They had something that was supposed to be like a cucumber, but it was soft. It wasn't crunchy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And one time when I was in Blantyre they had some apples that had come up from South Africa. Crunch. It was so, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's like manna from heaven."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.1945763435106995, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The only other thing that was crunchy, which is something I seriously thought about having them send to me but never really was able to follow through. There was a certain time when the flying termites would swarm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they would catch them and then fry them in a pan with some salt. And it was like, this is like potato chips."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, you're eating insects, but let me tell you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it's crunchy and salty."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.178489312976172, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, you're eating insects, but let me tell you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it's crunchy and salty."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was crunchy and salty. It was really good. And one time when I was in Mozambique, I actually had peri peri caterpillars. So, you know, I wasn't. I see now, you know, when they do the survivor thing, they have people eat all kinds of weird things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, and that's, a lot of it is mind over matter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.753877014417969, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was crunchy and salty. It was really good. And one time when I was in Mozambique, I actually had peri peri caterpillars. So, you know, I wasn't. I see now, you know, when they do the survivor thing, they have people eat all kinds of weird things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, and that's, a lot of it is mind over matter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And how did you, did you just watch them cook and learn how to cook this stuff or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.757872857306135, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And how did you, did you just watch them cook and learn how to cook this stuff or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I. I had been, I'd been cooking my whole life, so I didn't, nsima wasn't. There was a Malawian woman, girl, who was working in one of the stores in the trading center, and I became friendly with her and asked if she wanted to come and live with me because I had room and I wasn't sure if she traveled to her village and back every time. So she said we had to go to her village and get permission. So we went to her village and got permission for her to stay with me, and she taught me how to make nsima."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was nice. So, um. When I, actually, when I came back to the States, I made some for my, when my daughter was in school, I went to her class and made some for them. But they would, they would cook a lot of vegetables. They would only, they rarely would have meat. Sometimes they would if they had the money because you could buy a little bit of meat in the market. They would just, you know, it's hanging there and flies are all over and they just whack off, put it on the scale, a piece of meat. But we had no refrigeration. So, you know, it wasn't anything that you could keep for very long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you got it, you cooked it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.286525397006817, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I. I had been, I'd been cooking my whole life, so I didn't, nsima wasn't. There was a Malawian woman, girl, who was working in one of the stores in the trading center, and I became friendly with her and asked if she wanted to come and live with me because I had room and I wasn't sure if she traveled to her village and back every time. So she said we had to go to her village and get permission. So we went to her village and got permission for her to stay with me, and she taught me how to make nsima."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was nice. So, um. When I, actually, when I came back to the States, I made some for my, when my daughter was in school, I went to her class and made some for them. But they would, they would cook a lot of vegetables. They would only, they rarely would have meat. Sometimes they would if they had the money because you could buy a little bit of meat in the market. They would just, you know, it's hanging there and flies are all over and they just whack off, put it on the scale, a piece of meat. But we had no refrigeration. So, you know, it wasn't anything that you could keep for very long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you got it, you cooked it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you got it, you wanted a small amount because you're going to use it and then that was it. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, you said that, you talked a little bit before about where you lived. Do you want to describe that more and what you did for living situation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.873917107785352, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was nice. So, um. When I, actually, when I came back to the States, I made some for my, when my daughter was in school, I went to her class and made some for them. But they would, they would cook a lot of vegetables. They would only, they rarely would have meat. Sometimes they would if they had the money because you could buy a little bit of meat in the market. They would just, you know, it's hanging there and flies are all over and they just whack off, put it on the scale, a piece of meat. But we had no refrigeration. So, you know, it wasn't anything that you could keep for very long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you got it, you cooked it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you got it, you wanted a small amount because you're going to use it and then that was it. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, you said that, you talked a little bit before about where you lived. Do you want to describe that more and what you did for living situation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, oh yeah, I didn't. So when I got there and I only had my sleeping bag and, uh, and like the milk crate. I wrote a letter to the district commissioner and I told him what I was doing and that, if possible, I would like some furniture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, this was a Malawian that you wrote to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.8416660688696105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just moved the furniture as best as I could. It was crowded, but I couldn't ask them to take it back after I had gotten it. But I learned a lesson about understanding the, the people you want to change and to make it relevant to them, in order to be more successful in getting that change done. So it was an important lesson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was given a bicycle so we would go by bike at times from one village to another because there was another clinic not too far away. Sometimes we were able to go with the health center ambulance, which was really a jeep. No place that someone could really lie down. But the health center had beds."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, how did you learn all the health stuff since you had training interrupted? Did you learn some before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that's what, when I, when, after we did the little bit of training, when we're all together when we first came in, they sent me to stay for a couple of weeks with a volunteer who was already doing the health in the field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's how you learned."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.712962298744012, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was given a bicycle so we would go by bike at times from one village to another because there was another clinic not too far away. Sometimes we were able to go with the health center ambulance, which was really a jeep. No place that someone could really lie down. But the health center had beds."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, how did you learn all the health stuff since you had training interrupted? Did you learn some before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that's what, when I, when, after we did the little bit of training, when we're all together when we first came in, they sent me to stay for a couple of weeks with a volunteer who was already doing the health in the field."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's how you learned."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that's how I learned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What you needed to do."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.951937309662567, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What I needed to know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because what we had was very limited knowledge. You know, in training we practiced giving shots on an orange. We never practiced on a person. I was really glad I had the health assistant and I didn't really ever have to do that. I was afraid of hurting somebody or putting it where it shouldn't go just, babies squirm a lot, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, um. That was something that would have been a little more nerve wracking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was most challenging about your work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.946597010736184, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because what we had was very limited knowledge. You know, in training we practiced giving shots on an orange. We never practiced on a person. I was really glad I had the health assistant and I didn't really ever have to do that. I was afraid of hurting somebody or putting it where it shouldn't go just, babies squirm a lot, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, um. That was something that would have been a little more nerve wracking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was most challenging about your work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I didn't find the lack of electricity, I didn't find not having running water as difficult sometimes as learning to deal about the limitations by the culture. But also the conflict because I was white and because I was from the United States, I was treated more like a man than a woman. So I couldn't just always stay with the women and learn what they're doing all the time. And yet I was a woman and some, um. There's a couple incidences that were very indicative of Malawi and culture.\n\nUm, they had the, the president of Malawi, he was president for life. He always spoke in English. He, he had been raised in Malawi, but he had left at one point and gone to England. And because there was two major languages in Malawi, Chitumbuka and Chichewa, he didn't want to be speaking it incorrectly or."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Favoring one over the other?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.051774456373538, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, um. That was something that would have been a little more nerve wracking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was most challenging about your work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I didn't find the lack of electricity, I didn't find not having running water as difficult sometimes as learning to deal about the limitations by the culture. But also the conflict because I was white and because I was from the United States, I was treated more like a man than a woman. So I couldn't just always stay with the women and learn what they're doing all the time. And yet I was a woman and some, um. There's a couple incidences that were very indicative of Malawi and culture.\n\nUm, they had the, the president of Malawi, he was president for life. He always spoke in English. He, he had been raised in Malawi, but he had left at one point and gone to England. And because there was two major languages in Malawi, Chitumbuka and Chichewa, he didn't want to be speaking it incorrectly or."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Favoring one over the other?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So he spoke in English and had an interpreter no matter where he went in the country. And, um. I forgot my train of thought."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about you being treated as a man, but there were a couple of instances that showed you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 11.168638284859487, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I didn't find the lack of electricity, I didn't find not having running water as difficult sometimes as learning to deal about the limitations by the culture. But also the conflict because I was white and because I was from the United States, I was treated more like a man than a woman. So I couldn't just always stay with the women and learn what they're doing all the time. And yet I was a woman and some, um. There's a couple incidences that were very indicative of Malawi and culture.\n\nUm, they had the, the president of Malawi, he was president for life. He always spoke in English. He, he had been raised in Malawi, but he had left at one point and gone to England. And because there was two major languages in Malawi, Chitumbuka and Chichewa, he didn't want to be speaking it incorrectly or."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Favoring one over the other?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So he spoke in English and had an interpreter no matter where he went in the country. And, um. I forgot my train of thought."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about you being treated as a man, but there were a couple of instances that showed you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. So they had an English the, they had an English paper that, you know, that I could read. And, uh, and it was very interesting. There was a story in it one time where this young girl had gone to stay with her sister, who was married, to help out with the children. And just because in all of Malawian culture, if one family or one family member got a civil service job or some kind of better situation, they were basically kind of required to take in some other family members and help. They, it was kind of a communal pulling up by the bootstraps kind of thing as opposed to everybody, oh, you're out on your own and forget it. And the husband ended up having sex with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The young girl."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.965153649843873, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So he spoke in English and had an interpreter no matter where he went in the country. And, um. I forgot my train of thought."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about you being treated as a man, but there were a couple of instances that showed you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. So they had an English the, they had an English paper that, you know, that I could read. And, uh, and it was very interesting. There was a story in it one time where this young girl had gone to stay with her sister, who was married, to help out with the children. And just because in all of Malawian culture, if one family or one family member got a civil service job or some kind of better situation, they were basically kind of required to take in some other family members and help. They, it was kind of a communal pulling up by the bootstraps kind of thing as opposed to everybody, oh, you're out on your own and forget it. And the husband ended up having sex with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The young girl."}, {"role": "user", "content": "With the young girl, and they blamed the girl. It was her fault. So at one time there were two. Mponela was kind of at a crossroads of two different directions coming from Dowa in the east and coming from Kasungu in the north. And there were these two male volunteers who met at my place. They came on busses separately and they met at my place and they, they, they stayed overnight and then they were going to go together on the next day. So when I walked out of the house the next day with two men, it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Scandal in the village."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.7902074733486355, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I did have the school that was just down the road about a mile or so. I would, um, visit with them sometimes. They were obviously in the second group because they were teachers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would see the health volunteers when we had conferences. But travel, you know, was not an easy thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The roads were not paved and in the rainy season they, they could be washed out, flooded thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they have busses for their?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.3224527481651505, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would see the health volunteers when we had conferences. But travel, you know, was not an easy thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The roads were not paved and in the rainy season they, they could be washed out, flooded thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they have busses for their?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had busses. But like most of the transportation, that was like Land Rovers and they all had winches on the front so they could pull themselves through the mud and out of places. So sometimes people would wait for the bus. But, you know, it's not like you knew when it was coming. You didn't have cell phones. Nobody could call ahead and say, we're stuck and we're going to be late. They would come and sit and wait for that bus until it came. And sometimes that would be a lot longer than they would have expected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the headquarters for Peace Corps in the country in Doha?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.913836386850167, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The roads were not paved and in the rainy season they, they could be washed out, flooded thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they have busses for their?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had busses. But like most of the transportation, that was like Land Rovers and they all had winches on the front so they could pull themselves through the mud and out of places. So sometimes people would wait for the bus. But, you know, it's not like you knew when it was coming. You didn't have cell phones. Nobody could call ahead and say, we're stuck and we're going to be late. They would come and sit and wait for that bus until it came. And sometimes that would be a lot longer than they would have expected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the headquarters for Peace Corps in the country in Doha?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dover? Doha? No, that, Doha is not the right country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's not the right word?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.189921465247119, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dover? Doha? No, that, Doha is not the right country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's not the right word?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think that's, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'll have to. Dowa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dowa.\n\nNo, that was the regional, that was the regional headquarters for the, for the medical center. But the capital at that time was Zomba. But by the time I left, they had moved it up to Lilongwe because they wanted to bring more paved roads and more modernization further north. So they figured by moving the capital that way, it would, it would do that. Malawi is kind of long and narrow in a way, sort of like New Jersey.\n\nMm hmm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.766579405830132, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think that's, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'll have to. Dowa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dowa.\n\nNo, that was the regional, that was the regional headquarters for the, for the medical center. But the capital at that time was Zomba. But by the time I left, they had moved it up to Lilongwe because they wanted to bring more paved roads and more modernization further north. So they figured by moving the capital that way, it would, it would do that. Malawi is kind of long and narrow in a way, sort of like New Jersey.\n\nMm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And if you look at a map of Africa and the southeastern part, you see this long lake, that's Lake Malawi, and Malawi goes to the side of it and a little bit under."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was the Peace Corps headquarters in the capital at the time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.407310450922369, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'll have to. Dowa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dowa.\n\nNo, that was the regional, that was the regional headquarters for the, for the medical center. But the capital at that time was Zomba. But by the time I left, they had moved it up to Lilongwe because they wanted to bring more paved roads and more modernization further north. So they figured by moving the capital that way, it would, it would do that. Malawi is kind of long and narrow in a way, sort of like New Jersey.\n\nMm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And if you look at a map of Africa and the southeastern part, you see this long lake, that's Lake Malawi, and Malawi goes to the side of it and a little bit under."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was the Peace Corps headquarters in the capital at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the capital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you get there when you had those conferences and stuff?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.119233834358187, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And if you look at a map of Africa and the southeastern part, you see this long lake, that's Lake Malawi, and Malawi goes to the side of it and a little bit under."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was the Peace Corps headquarters in the capital at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the capital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you get there when you had those conferences and stuff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went by bus or hitched."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were allowed to hitchhike then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.910259815953541, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the capital."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you get there when you had those conferences and stuff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went by bus or hitched."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were allowed to hitchhike then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we were allowed to hitchhike. It was strange to be able to hitchhike in Africa. And then you come home and you can't hitchhike because it's unsafe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Did you ever have something that was really frightening happen to you there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.311032783096735, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that was scary. And then there was some talk that was when the, they were sending rockets to the moon from the United States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the weather was kind of not normal. So people were saying that the United States was disturbing the moon god. And after what happened to that volunteer, we were concerned about what might happen with the moon shots. So, um, we had had a rainy season that started and then in the middle of the rainy season, it just stopped growing. And in fact, at the farmers market board, they were trying to get them to use fertilizer. And so they had a big sign fertilizer used. But this bunch, no fertilizer here. But because of the drought, the ones with the fertilizer were smaller than the ones without because fertilizer burned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Burned it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they needed to have the rain and they didn't have rain and they didn't have irrigation. So it wasn't a successful lesson that they, they were ended up teaching. So anyway, um, the growing season ended. Whatever the crop was going to be, it was going to be. But now if it started to rain, they would rot. And one of the rockets went up. And it started to rain. And that one was aborted or I'm not, I don't remember exactly why, but it never made it to the moon. And then the rain stopped. I know it was coincidental. It's not causal at all. But."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But to them it was."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 14.087694793946586, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they needed to have the rain and they didn't have rain and they didn't have irrigation. So it wasn't a successful lesson that they, they were ended up teaching. So anyway, um, the growing season ended. Whatever the crop was going to be, it was going to be. But now if it started to rain, they would rot. And one of the rockets went up. And it started to rain. And that one was aborted or I'm not, I don't remember exactly why, but it never made it to the moon. And then the rain stopped. I know it was coincidental. It's not causal at all. But."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But to them it was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But to them it was. And we were concerned what would happen if it landed on the moon and all these crops started to rot. Would we again be considered, because we were Americans, part of the, part of the problem? And what, what would we do if, how would we do it if we had to leave suddenly? If we had to evacuate, if our areas became unsafe?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But that never happened because that particular flight never made it for whatever the reason it was. And we never had an incident that close that, that came with the same kind of situation again. So Malawi was never a place where there was normally fear because Malawi never had anything the colonialists wanted. It didn't have wealth, it didn't have diamonds, it didn't have gold. It was very hard to farm because it was, they had to do it on terraces. So it's not like they had this really rich land that was easy where they could have enormous tea plantations or whatever. So it just was not, so they were kind of left alone.\n\nBefore they had their independence, Malawi was part of a federation with Northern and Southern Rhodesia. It wasn't called Malawi then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.208549771051763, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But to them it was. And we were concerned what would happen if it landed on the moon and all these crops started to rot. Would we again be considered, because we were Americans, part of the, part of the problem? And what, what would we do if, how would we do it if we had to leave suddenly? If we had to evacuate, if our areas became unsafe?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But that never happened because that particular flight never made it for whatever the reason it was. And we never had an incident that close that, that came with the same kind of situation again. So Malawi was never a place where there was normally fear because Malawi never had anything the colonialists wanted. It didn't have wealth, it didn't have diamonds, it didn't have gold. It was very hard to farm because it was, they had to do it on terraces. So it's not like they had this really rich land that was easy where they could have enormous tea plantations or whatever. So it just was not, so they were kind of left alone.\n\nBefore they had their independence, Malawi was part of a federation with Northern and Southern Rhodesia. It wasn't called Malawi then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Northern Rhodesia became, um, Zambia and Southern Rhodesia became Zimbabwe after independence. And, um. So. And the other countries had more things. They had better wildlife or what, richer soil or minerals. And so Malawi was never really cheated in that kind of a way, the way other people were cheated out of their country's wealth and not getting the fair share. So Malawi was considered the warm heart of Africa. It also had the lake where they had resorts that people came. And after I left, they, they discovered that there were a lot of tropical fish in the lake and it became a center for studying those fish and also I guess probably for breeding them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. What did you feel was your, some of your accomplishments? What do you feel proudest about?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.502749398849127, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did travel when I was there, but not very much. Travel was very difficult. And it wasn't like teachers who had like the summer off and they had a specific time. I did travel once with, there were some missionaries also not too far away. They were from Canada, and I traveled with them to Rhodesia to, um, the falls. I can't remember, Victoria Falls? I don't think that was it. No. There's another falls in, in Rhodesia. And we went there.\n\nAnd I did travel to a Malawi game park with some volunteers. But it was really after I left my service that I did most of my traveling because health was ongoing. I just didn't feel like we really had vacation and we did go for conferences and things. So and, uh, so it was a little more, uh. It was hard to travel and we didn't really, we weren't encouraged to do a lot of traveling at that time. We couldn't go to South Africa because we were considered too hippie and too subversive to go to, to be allowed to get a visa to go to South Africa and, um. So, so it just wasn't really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "An option for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I didn't feel like I needed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, they told us we couldn't go home or to Europe and that would have been like weeks, you know, it would be like at least two days each way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8919437764990295, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I didn't feel like I needed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, they told us we couldn't go home or to Europe and that would have been like weeks, you know, it would be like at least two days each way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or more, a day to get to the capital and then probably two days to get to Europe or something depending on the planes. And our allowance was small. I mean it was, it was really a lot of money if you lived like a Malawian. I managed to save quite a sum because I wasn't in a town and I didn't go drinking and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There wasn't much of a place to spend it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.32438197388781, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, they told us we couldn't go home or to Europe and that would have been like weeks, you know, it would be like at least two days each way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or more, a day to get to the capital and then probably two days to get to Europe or something depending on the planes. And our allowance was small. I mean it was, it was really a lot of money if you lived like a Malawian. I managed to save quite a sum because I wasn't in a town and I didn't go drinking and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There wasn't much of a place to spend it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the market, you know, a mango a penny, you know. So my money went really far. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How were your language skills?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.804868859875344, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or more, a day to get to the capital and then probably two days to get to Europe or something depending on the planes. And our allowance was small. I mean it was, it was really a lot of money if you lived like a Malawian. I managed to save quite a sum because I wasn't in a town and I didn't go drinking and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There wasn't much of a place to spend it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the market, you know, a mango a penny, you know. So my money went really far. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How were your language skills?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in Malawi they learned English because it had been an English colony, so more of the educated people had some English. So my skills were not as good as somebody who was using them all the time. I was able to communicate all the things that I needed to for the teaching of the, of the health, of the food, and ask people the usual things you do to ask people as you're greeting them. But I, I never really felt like I learned tenses. So if you really wanted to have a conversation with someone who wasn't pretty fluent in English about philosophy, you know, or deep thoughts or. Sometimes I was confused about whether it was past or future that they were trying to tell me. So I would say my skills were passable but not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got by."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.338743177639271, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the market, you know, a mango a penny, you know. So my money went really far. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How were your language skills?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in Malawi they learned English because it had been an English colony, so more of the educated people had some English. So my skills were not as good as somebody who was using them all the time. I was able to communicate all the things that I needed to for the teaching of the, of the health, of the food, and ask people the usual things you do to ask people as you're greeting them. But I, I never really felt like I learned tenses. So if you really wanted to have a conversation with someone who wasn't pretty fluent in English about philosophy, you know, or deep thoughts or. Sometimes I was confused about whether it was past or future that they were trying to tell me. So I would say my skills were passable but not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got by."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got by, you know, and. I think that people now, when they first go and train and they live with a host family and they really have to learn the language much more, and they're put into learning the language a lot sooner. I mean, we had it in class, but we didn't really have to use it that much until you really get in country. And now you're in country while you're in training and you have much more opportunity to become much more fluid in the language. And of course, it depended, you know, on, on the kind of job you had too I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a, do you have a favorite memory that, that has stayed with you all these years?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.591040960048482, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got by, you know, and. I think that people now, when they first go and train and they live with a host family and they really have to learn the language much more, and they're put into learning the language a lot sooner. I mean, we had it in class, but we didn't really have to use it that much until you really get in country. And now you're in country while you're in training and you have much more opportunity to become much more fluid in the language. And of course, it depended, you know, on, on the kind of job you had too I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a, do you have a favorite memory that, that has stayed with you all these years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I really like the way that they taught you to slow down, to spend time with people. And in Malawi, you wouldn't. If you saw people talking here, you might think, oh, I don't want to interrupt. There you would always not walk behind people because if you walk behind people, you could be trying to hurt them. You need to walk in between people. When you greet people, you greet them with both hands so they can see that you have no weapon, that you're a friend."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And people would ask about all your, you would ask about their relatives and you would talk about the weather. And if they were farming, you would ask about their crops. And it's all the kinds of things that bring community, that, that mean, tell you that people matter, that you're not just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A blip on the, blip on the radar."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.041208449997917, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, here we rush around so much. People don't always think that you're, you care or understand or know because you're busy rushing from one thing to another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was much more about just getting to know one another and helping one another. The, the little girls thought it was funny when I would carry water because I needed a hand to hold the bucket on my head. And they could balance it and do all kinds of things. But you know, they started when they were younger. And you learn something when you're young, you're, it's much easier than when you're older."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so. I think it's just, I don't know that there's really one thing. It's just it was a wonderful experience because I felt that we lived in such a sheltered world view when we at that time. We knew so little about any place else, so little about any other way than the way we did it. And the way we do things is not always the right way. And, you know, it's not always the way that works for everybody. And just because it worked for us doesn't mean it's going to work for someone else. And I think it was a very informative. I felt I learned more than I imparted to them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you feel when it started getting closer to time to leave? How did, was that hard? Were you looking forward to it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 10.045787166664352, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was much more about just getting to know one another and helping one another. The, the little girls thought it was funny when I would carry water because I needed a hand to hold the bucket on my head. And they could balance it and do all kinds of things. But you know, they started when they were younger. And you learn something when you're young, you're, it's much easier than when you're older."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so. I think it's just, I don't know that there's really one thing. It's just it was a wonderful experience because I felt that we lived in such a sheltered world view when we at that time. We knew so little about any place else, so little about any other way than the way we did it. And the way we do things is not always the right way. And, you know, it's not always the way that works for everybody. And just because it worked for us doesn't mean it's going to work for someone else. And I think it was a very informative. I felt I learned more than I imparted to them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you feel when it started getting closer to time to leave? How did, was that hard? Were you looking forward to it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was hard. And of course, like I said, I was thinking I was going to get a job. So I was kind of excited and hoping that we could get that resolved. It actually, finally I ended up having to leave the country, and by the time I got a letter that they had it worked out, I had met my husband. And it just, my whole life had changed at that point and it was too late. I had actually bought a backpack to travel home with and it came after I left and followed me from one place to another and finally caught up with me when I got to New York. I was never able to use it the whole time I traveled. And I really always regret that I never saved all the stamps on the package, you know, because I think that would, that would be a good thing to show."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Interesting."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.463934773659694, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was hard. And of course, like I said, I was thinking I was going to get a job. So I was kind of excited and hoping that we could get that resolved. It actually, finally I ended up having to leave the country, and by the time I got a letter that they had it worked out, I had met my husband. And it just, my whole life had changed at that point and it was too late. I had actually bought a backpack to travel home with and it came after I left and followed me from one place to another and finally caught up with me when I got to New York. I was never able to use it the whole time I traveled. And I really always regret that I never saved all the stamps on the package, you know, because I think that would, that would be a good thing to show."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In that time, it managed to follow me all across the country. I went, I went from Malawi. I went to Tanzania and Kenya. And from there I went to India because there was someone I had gone to school with who was in the Peace Corps in India, and we traveled around India together and it followed me around India. And then it followed me to Israel because I went to Israel and spent some time on a kibbutz and it eventually followed me to New York. And I just, it was, it was amazing that it made it, that they kept forwarding it. It was just really very interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, it sounds like everything at home had pretty much changed by the time you got back. Your mom had passed. Your dad was remarried by that time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So he might have been in a different home. You know, what was it like coming back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.293260859621881, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In that time, it managed to follow me all across the country. I went, I went from Malawi. I went to Tanzania and Kenya. And from there I went to India because there was someone I had gone to school with who was in the Peace Corps in India, and we traveled around India together and it followed me around India. And then it followed me to Israel because I went to Israel and spent some time on a kibbutz and it eventually followed me to New York. And I just, it was, it was amazing that it made it, that they kept forwarding it. It was just really very interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, it sounds like everything at home had pretty much changed by the time you got back. Your mom had passed. Your dad was remarried by that time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So he might have been in a different home. You know, what was it like coming back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. When, when I came back, I, I was coming back with my to-be husband."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you met him traveling?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.769457851385039, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. When, when I came back, I, I was coming back with my to-be husband."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you met him traveling?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I met him traveling. I met him at Ein Gedi in Israel. Ein Gedi is where water comes out of the desert and makes some pools."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that's where I met him. And I had been on the kibbutz for a while and picked oranges and worked in the kitchen and did all the things that we were supposed to do. It was another interesting experience of a different kind of way of life, a more communal kind of way of life. Um. So. But I do remember when I came back to New York, the first two things I said were, everybody here speaks English and the buildings are so tall. You would think, you'd think I'd never been in the United States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or a city."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.357355372080294, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that's where I met him. And I had been on the kibbutz for a while and picked oranges and worked in the kitchen and did all the things that we were supposed to do. It was another interesting experience of a different kind of way of life, a more communal kind of way of life. Um. So. But I do remember when I came back to New York, the first two things I said were, everybody here speaks English and the buildings are so tall. You would think, you'd think I'd never been in the United States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or a city."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was really, it was really funny. But, um, when you get used to traveling and not knowing the major language and you feel. One of the places I went to was Zanzibar on my traveling. And now, after being able to get around in Malawi by being able to speak, now I'm traveling and you don't know the language. And I, I ran into someone who was from Malawi. It was like, oh, how wonderful, I can talk again. And we, they invited me to their house to have tea. And it was, it was really, it was, it's so much fun because you feel like I can communicate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there's so much you can communicate by the fact that you want to, by miming, by using the few words you have if, if you want to try. Yes, it's not going to get down to the deep issues and they're not going to be clear. But there's so much that you can, can learn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.28595041342255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was really, it was really funny. But, um, when you get used to traveling and not knowing the major language and you feel. One of the places I went to was Zanzibar on my traveling. And now, after being able to get around in Malawi by being able to speak, now I'm traveling and you don't know the language. And I, I ran into someone who was from Malawi. It was like, oh, how wonderful, I can talk again. And we, they invited me to their house to have tea. And it was, it was really, it was, it's so much fun because you feel like I can communicate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there's so much you can communicate by the fact that you want to, by miming, by using the few words you have if, if you want to try. Yes, it's not going to get down to the deep issues and they're not going to be clear. But there's so much that you can, can learn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're back in New York, you're with your husband-to- be."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 10.31772268158061, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there's so much you can communicate by the fact that you want to, by miming, by using the few words you have if, if you want to try. Yes, it's not going to get down to the deep issues and they're not going to be clear. But there's so much that you can, can learn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're back in New York, you're with your husband-to- be."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what happened next for you guys?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.019691868422901, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're back in New York, you're with your husband-to- be."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what happened next for you guys?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Well, um. We actually got married pretty quickly. Well, actually we tried to get married on our way home. But in Greece there was some, you had, I think they only had religious ceremonies. Or they needed something from a rabbi back home, or whatever it was we couldn't do it. And then we were in Germany and you had to post something for two weeks and we weren't going to be there for two weeks. So the easiest place to get married was in the United States. You only have to get a license and in three days you can get married. So we got married by the justice of the peace. But then we wanted my father to be able to have a ceremony and have the family. So they did plan that in Chicago and we had gone there, but we, when I came back we lived in New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm. And did you work in New York or? You know, what was your next step as far as?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.799657631581001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what happened next for you guys?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Well, um. We actually got married pretty quickly. Well, actually we tried to get married on our way home. But in Greece there was some, you had, I think they only had religious ceremonies. Or they needed something from a rabbi back home, or whatever it was we couldn't do it. And then we were in Germany and you had to post something for two weeks and we weren't going to be there for two weeks. So the easiest place to get married was in the United States. You only have to get a license and in three days you can get married. So we got married by the justice of the peace. But then we wanted my father to be able to have a ceremony and have the family. So they did plan that in Chicago and we had gone there, but we, when I came back we lived in New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm. And did you work in New York or? You know, what was your next step as far as?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I did, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go to school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:219", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.44406403509, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Well, um. We actually got married pretty quickly. Well, actually we tried to get married on our way home. But in Greece there was some, you had, I think they only had religious ceremonies. Or they needed something from a rabbi back home, or whatever it was we couldn't do it. And then we were in Germany and you had to post something for two weeks and we weren't going to be there for two weeks. So the easiest place to get married was in the United States. You only have to get a license and in three days you can get married. So we got married by the justice of the peace. But then we wanted my father to be able to have a ceremony and have the family. So they did plan that in Chicago and we had gone there, but we, when I came back we lived in New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Mm hmm. And did you work in New York or? You know, what was your next step as far as?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I did, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go to school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't go to school. I did go to work. I did some volunteer work at the Museum of Natural History. And I. Then I also started to work for Women's American Art, which is an organization that does work to help women learn skills and get education so that they can better themselves."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel like your Peace Corps experience helped with that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:221", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.1600711501, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I did, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go to school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't go to school. I did go to work. I did some volunteer work at the Museum of Natural History. And I. Then I also started to work for Women's American Art, which is an organization that does work to help women learn skills and get education so that they can better themselves."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel like your Peace Corps experience helped with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, what I did there was not any of that kind of planning. I was just, you know, a clerk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:223", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.733412389000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't go to school. I did go to work. I did some volunteer work at the Museum of Natural History. And I. Then I also started to work for Women's American Art, which is an organization that does work to help women learn skills and get education so that they can better themselves."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel like your Peace Corps experience helped with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, what I did there was not any of that kind of planning. I was just, you know, a clerk."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then, um. After Laurie was born, I, uh, I stayed home for a while. And then I started to work for H&R Block and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't stay with anthropology?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.9661, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it was interesting. So yesterday, actually I think it was this morning, they were talking about how many positions in the Foreign Service, the diplomats, are not career people, but are donors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They said more than usual, but they said in the past it had been like a third, and now it's almost a half."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I'm thinking, gee, I didn't know that. You know, if I had known that, but um. I think I would have liked to have been in the Foreign Service. But, you know, I never, by the, by the time I got back to the United States to really kind of follow through on it, my life had changed. So it just wasn't, wasn't where we were headed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything you want to add that I haven't asked you about?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00091:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.81, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I'm thinking, gee, I didn't know that. You know, if I had known that, but um. I think I would have liked to have been in the Foreign Service. But, you know, I never, by the, by the time I got back to the United States to really kind of follow through on it, my life had changed. So it just wasn't, wasn't where we were headed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything you want to add that I haven't asked you about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. The, uh. It was. I, I did do some traveling also. You know, it was interesting. We had tried, I had read some other people at one of the hostels and we were going to try to climb Mount Kilimanjaro because we were told, it's just a path. Just follow it up. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're young."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We tried. We, we. But they said, you know, at about, you know, a day's walk there was some kind of place you could stay overnight. Well, we never found any place to stay overnight. And we ended up spending the night outside, you know. And in the morning we decided too many things looked like paths to us. And we obviously didn't take the right one and we should go back down the hill. And when we, we were very glad we did because that night when we got back down the hill, they said last night there had been lions roaming and but we could have been somebody's dinner."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, that's what I would worry about."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.310512122649605, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit. Some will be surprises so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. OK, ok. Anyway, so whether we do all the questions, there are 13 questions on the guidelines. So we’ll start with the first one. So the first one to talks about describe your present family, work, residence, interests. That's the first part of the question. So what is your current if you can start about your family or work, what are you doing right now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I actually work for the Peace Corps right now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which is really great. I'm a recruiter, uh, field based regional recruiter for Colorado, and I've been doing that for about three and a half years here. I was a recruiter in New Orleans for one year when I started. So that was pretty exciting. And even before that, I was a campus recruiter, a part time campus recruiter at the University of Colorado Boulder for a couple of years and I was going to school there. And then even before that, I was a student assistant in the campus recruiting office for an additional year. So I been recruiting for a long time, since about 2011."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, a long time. OK, your family."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.789457914055117, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I actually work for the Peace Corps right now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which is really great. I'm a recruiter, uh, field based regional recruiter for Colorado, and I've been doing that for about three and a half years here. I was a recruiter in New Orleans for one year when I started. So that was pretty exciting. And even before that, I was a campus recruiter, a part time campus recruiter at the University of Colorado Boulder for a couple of years and I was going to school there. And then even before that, I was a student assistant in the campus recruiting office for an additional year. So I been recruiting for a long time, since about 2011."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, a long time. OK, your family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So I have a big family. I have two older sisters, two older half brothers who are both half brothers themselves. So that's a long story. And then while my mom is divorced from my former stepfather, I still consider my step siblings as my siblings. So there's two step brothers there and one step sister. So total eight of us growing up. And I’m the second youngest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. OK, ok. OK. Where do you live?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.099397682283463, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which is really great. I'm a recruiter, uh, field based regional recruiter for Colorado, and I've been doing that for about three and a half years here. I was a recruiter in New Orleans for one year when I started. So that was pretty exciting. And even before that, I was a campus recruiter, a part time campus recruiter at the University of Colorado Boulder for a couple of years and I was going to school there. And then even before that, I was a student assistant in the campus recruiting office for an additional year. So I been recruiting for a long time, since about 2011."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah, a long time. OK, your family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So I have a big family. I have two older sisters, two older half brothers who are both half brothers themselves. So that's a long story. And then while my mom is divorced from my former stepfather, I still consider my step siblings as my siblings. So there's two step brothers there and one step sister. So total eight of us growing up. And I’m the second youngest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. OK, ok. OK. Where do you live?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Currently I live in Wheat Ridge in Colorado, that's a west suburb of Denver, and I've been here for about a year now and in Denver for about two years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, what are your interests, Cedar?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.017006422885407, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I love multimedia. I love digital media, photography, video, audio. I was an audio video specialist in the Philippines and I've been, I got started in 2004 with video recording skateboarding."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Recording skateboarding?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Video recording skateboarding. So I started skateboarding when I was 16 and one thing that I instantly found love with, it was just the artistic side of it, the photography, the video. And it always just seemed so amazing. And so finally, when I was in college, when I was 24, I finally bought a video camera because I wanted to sort out the tricks that I was doing. But then I quickly fell in love with the video camera, kind of more than the skateboard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then when I went into the Peace Corps, well Peace Corps is a great subject material for video photography. And so that side of me really took off and I got involved in a lot of multimedia projects within the Peace Corps and then again in Peace Corps Response. And now I do it kind of do it on the side as a side gig when I'm not recruiting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. OK, I see. You know, you, as you know, joined the Peace Corps 2006. OK, so another part of this first question is the year before you joined the Peace Corps, what was your life like then? For instance, that could be a long winded answer, or if you to just think of it in terms of other experiences that were relevant to becoming a Peace Corps volunteer."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.463340469872675, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Video recording skateboarding. So I started skateboarding when I was 16 and one thing that I instantly found love with, it was just the artistic side of it, the photography, the video. And it always just seemed so amazing. And so finally, when I was in college, when I was 24, I finally bought a video camera because I wanted to sort out the tricks that I was doing. But then I quickly fell in love with the video camera, kind of more than the skateboard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then when I went into the Peace Corps, well Peace Corps is a great subject material for video photography. And so that side of me really took off and I got involved in a lot of multimedia projects within the Peace Corps and then again in Peace Corps Response. And now I do it kind of do it on the side as a side gig when I'm not recruiting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. OK, I see. You know, you, as you know, joined the Peace Corps 2006. OK, so another part of this first question is the year before you joined the Peace Corps, what was your life like then? For instance, that could be a long winded answer, or if you to just think of it in terms of other experiences that were relevant to becoming a Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a great question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or your childhood, your education."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.959267188747416, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then when I went into the Peace Corps, well Peace Corps is a great subject material for video photography. And so that side of me really took off and I got involved in a lot of multimedia projects within the Peace Corps and then again in Peace Corps Response. And now I do it kind of do it on the side as a side gig when I'm not recruiting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. OK, I see. You know, you, as you know, joined the Peace Corps 2006. OK, so another part of this first question is the year before you joined the Peace Corps, what was your life like then? For instance, that could be a long winded answer, or if you to just think of it in terms of other experiences that were relevant to becoming a Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a great question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or your childhood, your education."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, so I've always thought of myself as kind of living the Peace Corps life within the United States, even from when I was a child. If we want to go all the way, way back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you want to, we can. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 16.62140798749713, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a great question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or your childhood, your education."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, so I've always thought of myself as kind of living the Peace Corps life within the United States, even from when I was a child. If we want to go all the way, way back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you want to, we can. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just to kind of lay some groundwork, but I was born in a house with no electricity, no running water, out in the woods."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In what state?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 12.419364270503042, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, like I was talking earlier about, you know, the reason I feel like I focus so much on math and science. So it's because it's safe for me, I don’t have to deal with my emotions. And so this is a way for me to kind of forcibly confront my inner self and my inner emotions and all that stuff inside of me that I've been kind of just hiding away from everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a, if I may say, very interesting answer. I'm focusing a lot on that rawness of humanity. OK, yeah, I know you'll be telling us more in the interview about that. You sort of, you already touched on this a little bit. But I'll ask again, question three, how did you hear about the Peace Corps and what made you decide to apply if you want to add anything else to it? It says here, describe the process, timing. And then did you have a specific country or project in mind?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I applied in winter of 2005, December of 2005, and I just applied on the, I found the website and I just applied to the website and I believe at that time you had to mail in an application or submit, you know, some things online. And so I so I that that was my first exposure to the Peace Corps. I have a vague recollection of maybe hearing somebody talk about the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had mentioned a teacher earlier."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there's an art teacher in high school. And I remember that she would you know, in class she would use some African words to kind of keep us quiet or get our attention or something like that. So I have memories of that now. But at the time when I was applying to Peace Corps, I wasn't thinking that, it's only now kind of after being so involved with it that I'm like, oh, yeah, there's a subliminal kind of message."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Something saturated in your brain."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 10.465960300558935, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I applied in winter of 2005, December of 2005, and I just applied on the, I found the website and I just applied to the website and I believe at that time you had to mail in an application or submit, you know, some things online. And so I so I that that was my first exposure to the Peace Corps. I have a vague recollection of maybe hearing somebody talk about the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had mentioned a teacher earlier."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there's an art teacher in high school. And I remember that she would you know, in class she would use some African words to kind of keep us quiet or get our attention or something like that. So I have memories of that now. But at the time when I was applying to Peace Corps, I wasn't thinking that, it's only now kind of after being so involved with it that I'm like, oh, yeah, there's a subliminal kind of message."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Something saturated in your brain."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Maybe I maybe I went to a presentation and when I was in college, but I don't remember it really kind of standing out clearly it was more just stumbled across the website having that feeling of, you know, searching and then finding this and then applying for it. I applied for AmeriCorps, I applied for Teach for America and I was kind of casting a wide net. So but then Peace Corps got back to me and, you know, just it seemed really exciting and seemed really attractive. And I remember I interviewed at the University of, at Western Washington University, this recruiter in- person interview. And then the application process back then was much different. I just kind of applied and said, I remember I told them, I'll go anywhere, I'll do anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really? You had no specific part of the world in mind?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.073289222843261, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there's an art teacher in high school. And I remember that she would you know, in class she would use some African words to kind of keep us quiet or get our attention or something like that. So I have memories of that now. But at the time when I was applying to Peace Corps, I wasn't thinking that, it's only now kind of after being so involved with it that I'm like, oh, yeah, there's a subliminal kind of message."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Something saturated in your brain."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Maybe I maybe I went to a presentation and when I was in college, but I don't remember it really kind of standing out clearly it was more just stumbled across the website having that feeling of, you know, searching and then finding this and then applying for it. I applied for AmeriCorps, I applied for Teach for America and I was kind of casting a wide net. So but then Peace Corps got back to me and, you know, just it seemed really exciting and seemed really attractive. And I remember I interviewed at the University of, at Western Washington University, this recruiter in- person interview. And then the application process back then was much different. I just kind of applied and said, I remember I told them, I'll go anywhere, I'll do anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really? You had no specific part of the world in mind?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing, nothing at all. It was all the same to me. I’d never traveled outside the country on my own at that point. I had gone to Mexico when I was a kid with my parents a couple of times. But when I was like 10 or 11. But I never, I had gone to Canada a couple times, so that doesn't count because Bellingham is like 30 miles from the border. So like every I felt that no matter where I go, I just had this kind of understanding that it's all on some level going to be the same to me no matter where I go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What will be the same?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.748099136492512, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Maybe I maybe I went to a presentation and when I was in college, but I don't remember it really kind of standing out clearly it was more just stumbled across the website having that feeling of, you know, searching and then finding this and then applying for it. I applied for AmeriCorps, I applied for Teach for America and I was kind of casting a wide net. So but then Peace Corps got back to me and, you know, just it seemed really exciting and seemed really attractive. And I remember I interviewed at the University of, at Western Washington University, this recruiter in- person interview. And then the application process back then was much different. I just kind of applied and said, I remember I told them, I'll go anywhere, I'll do anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really? You had no specific part of the world in mind?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing, nothing at all. It was all the same to me. I’d never traveled outside the country on my own at that point. I had gone to Mexico when I was a kid with my parents a couple of times. But when I was like 10 or 11. But I never, I had gone to Canada a couple times, so that doesn't count because Bellingham is like 30 miles from the border. So like every I felt that no matter where I go, I just had this kind of understanding that it's all on some level going to be the same to me no matter where I go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What will be the same?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's all going to be new. It's all going to be challenging. It's going to be a new culture. So no matter where I go, it's going to be challenging and different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I assume you welcome the challenge."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.497887929436125, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing, nothing at all. It was all the same to me. I’d never traveled outside the country on my own at that point. I had gone to Mexico when I was a kid with my parents a couple of times. But when I was like 10 or 11. But I never, I had gone to Canada a couple times, so that doesn't count because Bellingham is like 30 miles from the border. So like every I felt that no matter where I go, I just had this kind of understanding that it's all on some level going to be the same to me no matter where I go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What will be the same?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's all going to be new. It's all going to be challenging. It's going to be a new culture. So no matter where I go, it's going to be challenging and different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I assume you welcome the challenge."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You seek the challenge?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.145540653624845, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You seek the challenge?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was hungry for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, I was chomping at the bit and as far as the work, again, I was just open to doing any kind of work that they want me to do. Of course it's obvious looking back, that I did math and science, I did science education. Rewind a little bit. I actually applied for or actually got accepted as a math education volunteer. Within that, I switched to science. Um, but of course I did that. I mean, I was a tutor for three years and then I was a math and science major. So now that I am a recruiter, there's nothing else I was probably qualified to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you had said I'd do anything."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.939489615138718, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was hungry for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, I was chomping at the bit and as far as the work, again, I was just open to doing any kind of work that they want me to do. Of course it's obvious looking back, that I did math and science, I did science education. Rewind a little bit. I actually applied for or actually got accepted as a math education volunteer. Within that, I switched to science. Um, but of course I did that. I mean, I was a tutor for three years and then I was a math and science major. So now that I am a recruiter, there's nothing else I was probably qualified to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you had said I'd do anything."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would have done anything if they wanted me to be a volunteer or environmental volunteer or anything. I was just, I believed in the mission of the Peace Corps and I knew I wanted to get involved with something that I believed in. And the Peace Corps seemed like something that I could believe in. And I knew that from that belief, that faith, I guess in the mission of the organization, I would apply myself to such a degree that no matter what I did, I would just pick it up, learn the skills they need to do, and then get involved with the community. And I knew it wasn't going to be super technical work necessarily. And even if it was, I mean, I just, you know, spent four years studying physics and applied math. I was about as technical as I could imagine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The physics is beyond me."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.821655127931908, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, I was chomping at the bit and as far as the work, again, I was just open to doing any kind of work that they want me to do. Of course it's obvious looking back, that I did math and science, I did science education. Rewind a little bit. I actually applied for or actually got accepted as a math education volunteer. Within that, I switched to science. Um, but of course I did that. I mean, I was a tutor for three years and then I was a math and science major. So now that I am a recruiter, there's nothing else I was probably qualified to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you had said I'd do anything."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would have done anything if they wanted me to be a volunteer or environmental volunteer or anything. I was just, I believed in the mission of the Peace Corps and I knew I wanted to get involved with something that I believed in. And the Peace Corps seemed like something that I could believe in. And I knew that from that belief, that faith, I guess in the mission of the organization, I would apply myself to such a degree that no matter what I did, I would just pick it up, learn the skills they need to do, and then get involved with the community. And I knew it wasn't going to be super technical work necessarily. And even if it was, I mean, I just, you know, spent four years studying physics and applied math. I was about as technical as I could imagine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The physics is beyond me."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I just thought you no matter what it is, I could teach myself what I need to know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, all right. First question. What were your friends and family's reactions when you were accepted? For instance, was there any hesitation or reservations on your part? On their part? So how do they react when you were accepted?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.801839031035453, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would have done anything if they wanted me to be a volunteer or environmental volunteer or anything. I was just, I believed in the mission of the Peace Corps and I knew I wanted to get involved with something that I believed in. And the Peace Corps seemed like something that I could believe in. And I knew that from that belief, that faith, I guess in the mission of the organization, I would apply myself to such a degree that no matter what I did, I would just pick it up, learn the skills they need to do, and then get involved with the community. And I knew it wasn't going to be super technical work necessarily. And even if it was, I mean, I just, you know, spent four years studying physics and applied math. I was about as technical as I could imagine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The physics is beyond me."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I just thought you no matter what it is, I could teach myself what I need to know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, all right. First question. What were your friends and family's reactions when you were accepted? For instance, was there any hesitation or reservations on your part? On their part? So how do they react when you were accepted?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everyone was super excited for me. Oh, really very supportive, everyone. And this is my family. I grew up in a very, very liberal, very hippy. My parents were. You know, like I said, I grew up out of the woods, no running water and electricity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For how long? Without that. Without electricity, you know."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.557598923372725, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I just thought you no matter what it is, I could teach myself what I need to know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, all right. First question. What were your friends and family's reactions when you were accepted? For instance, was there any hesitation or reservations on your part? On their part? So how do they react when you were accepted?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everyone was super excited for me. Oh, really very supportive, everyone. And this is my family. I grew up in a very, very liberal, very hippy. My parents were. You know, like I said, I grew up out of the woods, no running water and electricity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For how long? Without that. Without electricity, you know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Well, I was a kid, you know, six when I was six years old when we moved into town. But they've been living out there for, you know, maybe ten years or so on this property."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In a cabin or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.330369041200894, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Well, I was a kid, you know, six when I was six years old when we moved into town. But they've been living out there for, you know, maybe ten years or so on this property."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In a cabin or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, in a cabin that my dad built."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they were living off the land. That was their dream. And my mom was a social activist. So something like the Peace Corps just kind of made sense in a way. I don't know. I think I surprised a lot of people because, like I said, I never traveled outside the country on my own before. I was very kind of quiet, reserved person. So something like this was like, I liken it to finding the tallest cliff I can find and then jumping off into a lake. And that was what I was going for. I was like, give me something that I can really just kind of commit myself to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, did you have any reservations? I think I know the answer, but I'll ask it anyway."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.367076712445439, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, in a cabin that my dad built."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they were living off the land. That was their dream. And my mom was a social activist. So something like the Peace Corps just kind of made sense in a way. I don't know. I think I surprised a lot of people because, like I said, I never traveled outside the country on my own before. I was very kind of quiet, reserved person. So something like this was like, I liken it to finding the tallest cliff I can find and then jumping off into a lake. And that was what I was going for. I was like, give me something that I can really just kind of commit myself to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, did you have any reservations? I think I know the answer, but I'll ask it anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did not have any reservations. I'm sure there was some fear back then, just not really knowing what I was going into. But I was not, I was not planning to do anything else. I put all my eggs in one basket. The Peace Corps application process was very long before you knew if you were actually accepted and going somewhere so. Well, my friends. Well, you know, I graduated college. My other friends were, you know, getting accepted in graduate school, getting accepted into jobs. And I was still waiting to hear back about the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What year did you graduate from college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.518974124939376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they were living off the land. That was their dream. And my mom was a social activist. So something like the Peace Corps just kind of made sense in a way. I don't know. I think I surprised a lot of people because, like I said, I never traveled outside the country on my own before. I was very kind of quiet, reserved person. So something like this was like, I liken it to finding the tallest cliff I can find and then jumping off into a lake. And that was what I was going for. I was like, give me something that I can really just kind of commit myself to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, did you have any reservations? I think I know the answer, but I'll ask it anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did not have any reservations. I'm sure there was some fear back then, just not really knowing what I was going into. But I was not, I was not planning to do anything else. I put all my eggs in one basket. The Peace Corps application process was very long before you knew if you were actually accepted and going somewhere so. Well, my friends. Well, you know, I graduated college. My other friends were, you know, getting accepted in graduate school, getting accepted into jobs. And I was still waiting to hear back about the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What year did you graduate from college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "2006 but I so I was just waiting it out. I got accepted into AmeriCorps. I turned it down because I told them I went to hear back about this Peace Corps thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, but you did get accepted there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.687749027710417, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did not have any reservations. I'm sure there was some fear back then, just not really knowing what I was going into. But I was not, I was not planning to do anything else. I put all my eggs in one basket. The Peace Corps application process was very long before you knew if you were actually accepted and going somewhere so. Well, my friends. Well, you know, I graduated college. My other friends were, you know, getting accepted in graduate school, getting accepted into jobs. And I was still waiting to hear back about the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What year did you graduate from college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "2006 but I so I was just waiting it out. I got accepted into AmeriCorps. I turned it down because I told them I went to hear back about this Peace Corps thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, but you did get accepted there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did get accepted. I remember I got the envelope in the mail and it was a big manila envelope and it said Cedar Wolf and Peace Corps. And I was so excited. I before I even opened it, I drove over to my friend's house and I got around a couple of my best friends at the time. And we just sat down and we opened it together and pulled out the paper. And it's like, and then this is when I finally found out, oh, I'm going to, what? Namibia, where is that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn’t know where it was?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.98638780856713, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "2006 but I so I was just waiting it out. I got accepted into AmeriCorps. I turned it down because I told them I went to hear back about this Peace Corps thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, but you did get accepted there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did get accepted. I remember I got the envelope in the mail and it was a big manila envelope and it said Cedar Wolf and Peace Corps. And I was so excited. I before I even opened it, I drove over to my friend's house and I got around a couple of my best friends at the time. And we just sat down and we opened it together and pulled out the paper. And it's like, and then this is when I finally found out, oh, I'm going to, what? Namibia, where is that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn’t know where it was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had no idea where it was. And so that was super exciting, just figuring out that. But yeah, that was in, let’s see, I graduated in 2006 from Western Washington University."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where is that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.810355319218678, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had no idea where it was. And so that was super exciting, just figuring out that. But yeah, that was in, let’s see, I graduated in 2006 from Western Washington University."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where is that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Washington State, in Bellingham."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bellingham, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so I applied December of 2005. I didn't find out I was going to Namibia until probably August or September of 2006. So it was a long process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, I'll be asking more about that when you got to Namibia, I can’t even say it!"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.233728132465197, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Washington State, in Bellingham."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bellingham, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so I applied December of 2005. I didn't find out I was going to Namibia until probably August or September of 2006. So it was a long process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, I'll be asking more about that when you got to Namibia, I can’t even say it!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just don’t say Nambia!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Namibia, OK. The fifth question, what project were you invited to join? And then there's another part of that question is how did you prepare yourself and others for dislocation? To me, it seems a strange word to use, of entry into two years of Peace Corps service. So we can start with what project were you invited to join in Namibia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.481920147183551, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so I applied December of 2005. I didn't find out I was going to Namibia until probably August or September of 2006. So it was a long process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, I'll be asking more about that when you got to Namibia, I can’t even say it!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just don’t say Nambia!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Namibia, OK. The fifth question, what project were you invited to join? And then there's another part of that question is how did you prepare yourself and others for dislocation? To me, it seems a strange word to use, of entry into two years of Peace Corps service. So we can start with what project were you invited to join in Namibia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was invited to serve as a math education volunteer in sub-Saharan Africa. That was what they told me. I remember I told the interviewer lady, I said, I'm not really sure that I can live in the Sahara Desert. And then she corrected me. Well, you know, sub-Saharan Africa means all of Africa, not the Sahara Desert."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, it would be."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 14.175210058251297, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was invited to serve as a math education volunteer in sub-Saharan Africa. That was what they told me. I remember I told the interviewer lady, I said, I'm not really sure that I can live in the Sahara Desert. And then she corrected me. Well, you know, sub-Saharan Africa means all of Africa, not the Sahara Desert."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, it would be."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. It's like sub Saharan. So like below. So basically I, you know, shows up on my geography. I just thought, oh, I'm going to live in a desert. I don't know if I can live in the desert. She said, you know, Peace Corps is not a vacation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then ironically, I did end up living in a desert country. Namibia has two deserts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Does it? OK, OK."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.972455620279219, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. It's like sub Saharan. So like below. So basically I, you know, shows up on my geography. I just thought, oh, I'm going to live in a desert. I don't know if I can live in the desert. She said, you know, Peace Corps is not a vacation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then ironically, I did end up living in a desert country. Namibia has two deserts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Does it? OK, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But yeah, I got invited to serve as a math education volunteer in sub-Saharan Africa. That was the invitation. And then I later found out I was going to Namibia. And then three months into my service, my school actually asked me to switch over to science education. So that's why I tell everyone I was a science education volunteer. That's ultimately what I did, even though I was invited as a math education volunteer. And then how did I get prepared for dislocation? After I graduated in June, my departure was later that year in November. And so I graduated in June and I took the summer off. I went and did a fun kind of Europe backpacking trip with some friends from college, just kind of like little postgraduation fun thing at a friend who was living over in Norway and we teamed up with him. So that was really nice, kind of mini taste, I guess, of what it’d be like to travel abroad. Of course, Europe is very different than Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would imagine. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.590474101891934, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. But that was that was nice. And then when I got back, I knew that I was going to once I knew that once I left for the Peace Corps, that, uh, when I came back, you know, I was basically I was leaving my life that I had kind of grown used to, and that when I came back from the Peace Corps, things would be different. And so I made a point to spend as much time as I could with my friends and family, uh, in Washington. I want to spend as much time with them as I could before I left. And so I just I just kind of hung out. I didn't get a job or anything like that, just kind of, you know, had a good time with my friends over the summer and just living with my brother and up in Bellingham and did some research on Namibia. You know what to bring, what to pack. Um, I didn't focus so much on researching, like, the cultural issues and the social issues or anything like that. I guess it just didn't really seem like it would be an issue for me. I knew that going there, I was going to keep a very open mind and just kind of, you know, uh, be prepared to learn about the, uh, the people and the culture. And I got there and not kind of have any preconceived notions or assumptions about the way people were going to be. I didn't I didn't really think about it. I just kind of knew that I would think I would work things out when they happened and take it as it comes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. OK, the second question, these are questions about your training. Um, I’ll start off. Where was your training, about the faculty? It says a syllabus, technical studies, anything you want to answer, reaction to other trainees on this first part of the sixth question."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The training happened in Okahandja."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you spell that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Namibia. Okahandja is spelled O-K-A-H-A-N-D-J-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "D-J-A, in Namibia. Is that a big city, small town?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.322749002102149, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The training happened in Okahandja."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you spell that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Namibia. Okahandja is spelled O-K-A-H-A-N-D-J-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "D-J-A, in Namibia. Is that a big city, small town?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's uh, it's not a real big city. It's about 40 kilometers outside of Windhoek, the capital city."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Say the capital again."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.136387780113498, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Namibia. Okahandja is spelled O-K-A-H-A-N-D-J-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "D-J-A, in Namibia. Is that a big city, small town?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's uh, it's not a real big city. It's about 40 kilometers outside of Windhoek, the capital city."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Say the capital again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Windhoek."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you spell it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.040430866792775, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's uh, it's not a real big city. It's about 40 kilometers outside of Windhoek, the capital city."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Say the capital again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Windhoek."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you spell it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "W-I-N-D-H-O-E-K."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Never heard of it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.822700963103084, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Windhoek."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you spell it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "W-I-N-D-H-O-E-K."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Never heard of it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it’s about 40 kilometers north of Windhoek and it's a small town, has a nice kind of outdoor arts market, but, you know, it's kind of a place that you just can drive through it on your way to the north of the country, which is many hours. And training was very interesting. We lived in the compound, as we called it, dorms or dorms and a big training facility where we are all there together, staying in dorm rooms, sleeping there together. In subsequent years, volunteers would go live with host families during training. But for us, there's about 67 of us total."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In that training group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.691889959003426, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "W-I-N-D-H-O-E-K."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Never heard of it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it’s about 40 kilometers north of Windhoek and it's a small town, has a nice kind of outdoor arts market, but, you know, it's kind of a place that you just can drive through it on your way to the north of the country, which is many hours. And training was very interesting. We lived in the compound, as we called it, dorms or dorms and a big training facility where we are all there together, staying in dorm rooms, sleeping there together. In subsequent years, volunteers would go live with host families during training. But for us, there's about 67 of us total."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In that training group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In that training group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To me that sounds large."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.175172788893118, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In that training group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To me that sounds large."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very. Yeah, they broke it up and yeah. Because we were, I guess we were a little bit of a troublesome crowd."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And yeah, there's about 67 of us. We live in this training facility in Okahandja. And then I remember the trainings where, you know, they were intense in the sense that, you know, it was just full days, Monday through Friday, you know, nine to five kind of thing, going through all kinds of workshops and in these conference rooms with coffee and tea breaks multiple times throughout the day. So we felt like we were, you know, giving tend to. But it was fun. It was so exciting and energetic to be around so many amazing people, the Peace Corps volunteers, as well as the training team, who are mostly comprised of Namibians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going ask. So it mainly were Namibians?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.7501919876590195, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very. Yeah, they broke it up and yeah. Because we were, I guess we were a little bit of a troublesome crowd."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And yeah, there's about 67 of us. We live in this training facility in Okahandja. And then I remember the trainings where, you know, they were intense in the sense that, you know, it was just full days, Monday through Friday, you know, nine to five kind of thing, going through all kinds of workshops and in these conference rooms with coffee and tea breaks multiple times throughout the day. So we felt like we were, you know, giving tend to. But it was fun. It was so exciting and energetic to be around so many amazing people, the Peace Corps volunteers, as well as the training team, who are mostly comprised of Namibians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going ask. So it mainly were Namibians?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, yeah. The training team were all Namibians. And there was some Peace Corps staff, you know, like the medical officer, country director. But the majority of the training team were Namibians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who spoke English?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.389102208510022, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And yeah, there's about 67 of us. We live in this training facility in Okahandja. And then I remember the trainings where, you know, they were intense in the sense that, you know, it was just full days, Monday through Friday, you know, nine to five kind of thing, going through all kinds of workshops and in these conference rooms with coffee and tea breaks multiple times throughout the day. So we felt like we were, you know, giving tend to. But it was fun. It was so exciting and energetic to be around so many amazing people, the Peace Corps volunteers, as well as the training team, who are mostly comprised of Namibians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going ask. So it mainly were Namibians?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, yeah. The training team were all Namibians. And there was some Peace Corps staff, you know, like the medical officer, country director. But the majority of the training team were Namibians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who spoke English?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, Namibia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What’s the language they speak?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.887780504333359, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, Namibia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What’s the language they speak?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Namibia has about at that time they had, you know, 13 officially recognized languages in the country,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Caramba!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "But English was the official kind of language that the country had adopted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh they did?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.541978338148177, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Namibia has about at that time they had, you know, 13 officially recognized languages in the country,"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Caramba!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "But English was the official kind of language that the country had adopted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh they did?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they teach it in schools. There's the largest tribe in Namibia is the Oshiwambo tribe. And so their language is spoken a lot. I'd say the predominant languages are English and Afrikaans, actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Afrikaans like Afrikaans in South Africa?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.268864820164641, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But English was the official kind of language that the country had adopted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh they did?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they teach it in schools. There's the largest tribe in Namibia is the Oshiwambo tribe. And so their language is spoken a lot. I'd say the predominant languages are English and Afrikaans, actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Afrikaans like Afrikaans in South Africa?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, exactly.\n\nOk, because Namibia used to be colonized by South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I didn’t tell you this Cedar, but in my mind I'm thinking now what part of Africa is Namibia? Yeah, you could tell me now?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.96540535573849, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they teach it in schools. There's the largest tribe in Namibia is the Oshiwambo tribe. And so their language is spoken a lot. I'd say the predominant languages are English and Afrikaans, actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Afrikaans like Afrikaans in South Africa?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, exactly.\n\nOk, because Namibia used to be colonized by South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I didn’t tell you this Cedar, but in my mind I'm thinking now what part of Africa is Namibia? Yeah, you could tell me now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Take South Africa at the very bottom and you go up the west coast, on the Atlantic Ocean, it is the first country you get to just above South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it have a different name years ago?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.628228173042767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, exactly.\n\nOk, because Namibia used to be colonized by South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I didn’t tell you this Cedar, but in my mind I'm thinking now what part of Africa is Namibia? Yeah, you could tell me now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Take South Africa at the very bottom and you go up the west coast, on the Atlantic Ocean, it is the first country you get to just above South Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it have a different name years ago?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It used to be called South West Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. That was what it was. It was South West Africa. Geez. When did it become Namibia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.837318732151564, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It used to be called South West Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. That was what it was. It was South West Africa. Geez. When did it become Namibia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "1990. So it’s a pretty young country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "March 21st, 1990."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, anything else you want? Before we moved the language training, anything you want to add about maybe your reaction to the other trainees? You already said you had a big group, 67."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.374798591279515, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "1990. So it’s a pretty young country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "March 21st, 1990."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, anything else you want? Before we moved the language training, anything you want to add about maybe your reaction to the other trainees? You already said you had a big group, 67."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. I mean, as far as the other Peace Corps volunteers, you know. So the Peace Corps training group, the Namibians, I thought they were great. I love hanging out with them. I actually had a little bit of a crush on one of them. Her name was Annamarie. And I just remember hanging out with her a lot, really nice woman. And we had a good friendship. But then the other Peace Corps volunteers, really amazing group of people. But it was really interesting. I remember having a very difficult time connecting with a lot of them, just like any social."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you say why?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.971998434755017, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "March 21st, 1990."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, anything else you want? Before we moved the language training, anything you want to add about maybe your reaction to the other trainees? You already said you had a big group, 67."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. I mean, as far as the other Peace Corps volunteers, you know. So the Peace Corps training group, the Namibians, I thought they were great. I love hanging out with them. I actually had a little bit of a crush on one of them. Her name was Annamarie. And I just remember hanging out with her a lot, really nice woman. And we had a good friendship. But then the other Peace Corps volunteers, really amazing group of people. But it was really interesting. I remember having a very difficult time connecting with a lot of them, just like any social."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you say why?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In any social group there's going to be small clicks. So in a group of 67, you can imagine there are lots of little cliques that were starting to form. And I just remember it didn't really seem like I fit with any of the groups and the cliques that were forming and so I would hang up on myself a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How what do you mean hang up on yourself?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.372837573771625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In any social group there's going to be small clicks. So in a group of 67, you can imagine there are lots of little cliques that were starting to form. And I just remember it didn't really seem like I fit with any of the groups and the cliques that were forming and so I would hang up on myself a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How what do you mean hang up on yourself?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hang out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just hang out by myself a lot. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, hang out."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.080930637524028, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hang out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just hang out by myself a lot. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, hang out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hang out by myself a lot and just kind of draw in my notebook or journal or practice my language or hang out with some of the staff like Annamarie. But then after a while there I remember there were two other volunteers, Paul Johnson and, um, this other guy. They were both computer guys, kind of like me. So they were little kind of odd."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Geeky? I'm sorry, I used the word geeky. Cedar didn't use it, but I just started with geeky."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.86770070836003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just hang out by myself a lot. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, hang out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hang out by myself a lot and just kind of draw in my notebook or journal or practice my language or hang out with some of the staff like Annamarie. But then after a while there I remember there were two other volunteers, Paul Johnson and, um, this other guy. They were both computer guys, kind of like me. So they were little kind of odd."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Geeky? I'm sorry, I used the word geeky. Cedar didn't use it, but I just started with geeky."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Geeky or oddballs. Well, there was something about them where I don't know. We just had a little bit of kind of an unspoken knowing. And part of that was I think we just kind of thought outside of the box. And so they also were not really falling into any of the other groups. So for me and I, one thing that I really liked about these two guys was, they came to me one day and they're like, hey Cedar, do you want to leave the compound? And no one had left the compound at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you not supposed to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.5196674537333665, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hang out by myself a lot and just kind of draw in my notebook or journal or practice my language or hang out with some of the staff like Annamarie. But then after a while there I remember there were two other volunteers, Paul Johnson and, um, this other guy. They were both computer guys, kind of like me. So they were little kind of odd."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Geeky? I'm sorry, I used the word geeky. Cedar didn't use it, but I just started with geeky."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Geeky or oddballs. Well, there was something about them where I don't know. We just had a little bit of kind of an unspoken knowing. And part of that was I think we just kind of thought outside of the box. And so they also were not really falling into any of the other groups. So for me and I, one thing that I really liked about these two guys was, they came to me one day and they're like, hey Cedar, do you want to leave the compound? And no one had left the compound at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you not supposed to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We could, but no one did. It was kind of scary. It's like, we lived in this new town, like relatively soon after getting there and. And like this was in the afternoon after training had finished, around, you know, five or six. So you know, it's like getting dark. You don't really want to go into the town and they're like, yeah, let's go out and just kind of check out the area. And so we did. And we walked downtown and we went into this shebeen, it's what they call a bar."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, spelled that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.24407494859263, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Geeky or oddballs. Well, there was something about them where I don't know. We just had a little bit of kind of an unspoken knowing. And part of that was I think we just kind of thought outside of the box. And so they also were not really falling into any of the other groups. So for me and I, one thing that I really liked about these two guys was, they came to me one day and they're like, hey Cedar, do you want to leave the compound? And no one had left the compound at that point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you not supposed to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We could, but no one did. It was kind of scary. It's like, we lived in this new town, like relatively soon after getting there and. And like this was in the afternoon after training had finished, around, you know, five or six. So you know, it's like getting dark. You don't really want to go into the town and they're like, yeah, let's go out and just kind of check out the area. And so we did. And we walked downtown and we went into this shebeen, it's what they call a bar."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, spelled that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "S-H-E-B-E-E-N."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Shebeen. It's like a bar, OK."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.826749942880699, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We could, but no one did. It was kind of scary. It's like, we lived in this new town, like relatively soon after getting there and. And like this was in the afternoon after training had finished, around, you know, five or six. So you know, it's like getting dark. You don't really want to go into the town and they're like, yeah, let's go out and just kind of check out the area. And so we did. And we walked downtown and we went into this shebeen, it's what they call a bar."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, spelled that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "S-H-E-B-E-E-N."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Shebeen. It's like a bar, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we just walked downtown, went to the first shebeen that we could find and ordered a beer. They have these tallboys you know, it's like 750 milliliter beer. That's kind of the normal average size drink."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they call them tallboys?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.6210561630736615, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Tallboys. And then we just started hanging out and talking with the locals, the people who were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In English?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We just wanted to go out and kind of see what life was like and see the people and start interacting with them. And that's what I liked about those two guys, like, they were adventurous. That's kind of how I thought, too. I wanted to get out and getting back to that experiencing life. I wanted to experience the culture and the community and what it was like to live in Namibia and part of that is you just have to get out there and see things and meet people. And even though I'm this shy, reserved person, I had this inner drive to kind of put myself in situations where, um, you know, maybe I have to get out of my comfort zone. I had, you know, something inside me always kind of pushes me and things like that. And this is one of those situations. And then from there, it expanded into well, we saw a mountain that was kind of far in the distance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You going to go fly to it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.356729070081846, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We just wanted to go out and kind of see what life was like and see the people and start interacting with them. And that's what I liked about those two guys, like, they were adventurous. That's kind of how I thought, too. I wanted to get out and getting back to that experiencing life. I wanted to experience the culture and the community and what it was like to live in Namibia and part of that is you just have to get out there and see things and meet people. And even though I'm this shy, reserved person, I had this inner drive to kind of put myself in situations where, um, you know, maybe I have to get out of my comfort zone. I had, you know, something inside me always kind of pushes me and things like that. And this is one of those situations. And then from there, it expanded into well, we saw a mountain that was kind of far in the distance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You going to go fly to it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ok, let's go climb the mountain. I was like one of the first people to leave the compound and go and climb the mountain and, you know, just different things like that. I really enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Anything you want, want to talk about your language training? You already told me that there is 13 official languages in Namibia. English is the official language. So did you have to learn any other language?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.063032300090939, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We just wanted to go out and kind of see what life was like and see the people and start interacting with them. And that's what I liked about those two guys, like, they were adventurous. That's kind of how I thought, too. I wanted to get out and getting back to that experiencing life. I wanted to experience the culture and the community and what it was like to live in Namibia and part of that is you just have to get out there and see things and meet people. And even though I'm this shy, reserved person, I had this inner drive to kind of put myself in situations where, um, you know, maybe I have to get out of my comfort zone. I had, you know, something inside me always kind of pushes me and things like that. And this is one of those situations. And then from there, it expanded into well, we saw a mountain that was kind of far in the distance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You going to go fly to it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ok, let's go climb the mountain. I was like one of the first people to leave the compound and go and climb the mountain and, you know, just different things like that. I really enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Anything you want, want to talk about your language training? You already told me that there is 13 official languages in Namibia. English is the official language. So did you have to learn any other language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I learned Rukwangali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, you’re gonna have to say, OK, hold on. Cedar’s going to spell some of these words for me. Please spell that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.736702555656599, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ok, let's go climb the mountain. I was like one of the first people to leave the compound and go and climb the mountain and, you know, just different things like that. I really enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Anything you want, want to talk about your language training? You already told me that there is 13 official languages in Namibia. English is the official language. So did you have to learn any other language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I learned Rukwangali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, you’re gonna have to say, OK, hold on. Cedar’s going to spell some of these words for me. Please spell that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Rukwangali. It’s R-U-K-W-A-N-G-L-I. Ru-kwan-gali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Rukwangali, am I saying it? Is it a dialect, would you say, a language?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.374113950729554, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I learned Rukwangali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, you’re gonna have to say, OK, hold on. Cedar’s going to spell some of these words for me. Please spell that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Rukwangali. It’s R-U-K-W-A-N-G-L-I. Ru-kwan-gali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Rukwangali, am I saying it? Is it a dialect, would you say, a language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's the language of the Kwangali tribe. So, you take that R-U off the beginning and that’s the name of the tribe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm writing a little bit while Cedar’s talking."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.082348834143949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Rukwangali. It’s R-U-K-W-A-N-G-L-I. Ru-kwan-gali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Rukwangali, am I saying it? Is it a dialect, would you say, a language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's the language of the Kwangali tribe. So, you take that R-U off the beginning and that’s the name of the tribe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm writing a little bit while Cedar’s talking."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So I think I spelled it wrong. R-U-K-W-A-N-G-A-L- I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A-L-I, is the language of the."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.758165371271055, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's the language of the Kwangali tribe. So, you take that R-U off the beginning and that’s the name of the tribe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm writing a little bit while Cedar’s talking."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So I think I spelled it wrong. R-U-K-W-A-N-G-A-L- I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A-L-I, is the language of the."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kwangali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Kwangali people. OK, got it. Kwangali people. I’m not sure what to even ask about Rukwangali. Well what type of language is that? If I didn't ask the question in a sensible way, expand on it please."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.509072634745616, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So I think I spelled it wrong. R-U-K-W-A-N-G-A-L- I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A-L-I, is the language of the."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kwangali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Kwangali people. OK, got it. Kwangali people. I’m not sure what to even ask about Rukwangali. Well what type of language is that? If I didn't ask the question in a sensible way, expand on it please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's um. I guess you can say it's an offshoot of the Bontu, if you want to get into language roots. I know that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of the Bontu language. Yeah. I've heard of Bontu."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.34341403860624, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kwangali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Kwangali people. OK, got it. Kwangali people. I’m not sure what to even ask about Rukwangali. Well what type of language is that? If I didn't ask the question in a sensible way, expand on it please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's um. I guess you can say it's an offshoot of the Bontu, if you want to get into language roots. I know that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of the Bontu language. Yeah. I've heard of Bontu."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or kind of the language system I guess, OK, to kind of branch out to a lot of different languages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there anything special, was there anything different about the language? I mean I think in Botswana like, there's the language that they use the clicks. And then there's in some Asian countries, there's tonal language. Was there anything unique?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.937126709562488, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's um. I guess you can say it's an offshoot of the Bontu, if you want to get into language roots. I know that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of the Bontu language. Yeah. I've heard of Bontu."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or kind of the language system I guess, OK, to kind of branch out to a lot of different languages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there anything special, was there anything different about the language? I mean I think in Botswana like, there's the language that they use the clicks. And then there's in some Asian countries, there's tonal language. Was there anything unique?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not for Rukwangali, some of the other languages in Namibia, definitely. There's the Nama people and the Damara people, they have, uh, the clicks. I think it's, in the language, I think it's called Xhosa. Or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I know. I know where that came from, X-H-O-S-A."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.596807455069431, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or kind of the language system I guess, OK, to kind of branch out to a lot of different languages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there anything special, was there anything different about the language? I mean I think in Botswana like, there's the language that they use the clicks. And then there's in some Asian countries, there's tonal language. Was there anything unique?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not for Rukwangali, some of the other languages in Namibia, definitely. There's the Nama people and the Damara people, they have, uh, the clicks. I think it's, in the language, I think it's called Xhosa. Or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I know. I know where that came from, X-H-O-S-A."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Am I kind of in the same?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.329786061188257, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not for Rukwangali, some of the other languages in Namibia, definitely. There's the Nama people and the Damara people, they have, uh, the clicks. I think it's, in the language, I think it's called Xhosa. Or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I know. I know where that came from, X-H-O-S-A."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Am I kind of in the same?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, definitely there's some tribes within Namibia where like there's many, many clicks and just different, you know. That language is very present there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cedar, excuse me. The Nama people, N-A-M-A."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.938007482948464, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, definitely there's some tribes within Namibia where like there's many, many clicks and just different, you know. That language is very present there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cedar, excuse me. The Nama people, N-A-M-A."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Damara."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spell that please."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.820008314387183, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Damara."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spell that please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "D-A-M-A-R-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so those peoples would have a language that might use the clicks but was it Xhosa?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.80000923820798, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Damara."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spell that please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "D-A-M-A-R-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so those peoples would have a language that might use the clicks but was it Xhosa?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the listener I'm not sure if I'm saying it right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.6666769313422, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "D-A-M-A-R-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so those peoples would have a language that might use the clicks but was it Xhosa?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the listener I'm not sure if I'm saying it right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No I can't. I mean it's so. Yeah. So if you've ever seen the 1980s comedy, The Gods Must be Crazy"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I have. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.629641034824667, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the listener I'm not sure if I'm saying it right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No I can't. I mean it's so. Yeah. So if you've ever seen the 1980s comedy, The Gods Must be Crazy"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I have. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Those people live in Namibia. Yeah. So they cross over into Botswana also."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I have a friend from Botswana. I think she tried to explain it to me. When you did work in the schools did you speak Rukwangali or did you speak English in the school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 9.588490038694074, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No I can't. I mean it's so. Yeah. So if you've ever seen the 1980s comedy, The Gods Must be Crazy"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I have. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Those people live in Namibia. Yeah. So they cross over into Botswana also."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I have a friend from Botswana. I think she tried to explain it to me. When you did work in the schools did you speak Rukwangali or did you speak English in the school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I taught in English. And just to back up a little bit. Interesting, interesting story about my language training. I was very enthusiastic about language training at the beginning. I studied Rukwangali a lot. This is partly because I was, you know, just kind of hanging out. So I studied the language, I got really into the language at the beginning, partly because I wasn't really clicking with any other group. So I was might as well study the language. And then about a month or so to our language training, once we figure out our placements, we were going to actually have a permanent sites. I realized that my community would be in this in this neighborhood, this village where they didn't actually speak Rukwangali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, you study Rukwangali, but your village would not be speaking it. What would they speak?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.209433376326749, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Those people live in Namibia. Yeah. So they cross over into Botswana also."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I have a friend from Botswana. I think she tried to explain it to me. When you did work in the schools did you speak Rukwangali or did you speak English in the school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I taught in English. And just to back up a little bit. Interesting, interesting story about my language training. I was very enthusiastic about language training at the beginning. I studied Rukwangali a lot. This is partly because I was, you know, just kind of hanging out. So I studied the language, I got really into the language at the beginning, partly because I wasn't really clicking with any other group. So I was might as well study the language. And then about a month or so to our language training, once we figure out our placements, we were going to actually have a permanent sites. I realized that my community would be in this in this neighborhood, this village where they didn't actually speak Rukwangali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, you study Rukwangali, but your village would not be speaking it. What would they speak?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They would speak Rumanyo. And what happens is that in the Kavango region, this is in the northern part of Namibia where I lived, there's two neighboring tribes, the Rukwangali and the Rumanyo, and they're very close to each other."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm going to stop. Spell Rumanyo for me."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.899370418140832, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I taught in English. And just to back up a little bit. Interesting, interesting story about my language training. I was very enthusiastic about language training at the beginning. I studied Rukwangali a lot. This is partly because I was, you know, just kind of hanging out. So I studied the language, I got really into the language at the beginning, partly because I wasn't really clicking with any other group. So I was might as well study the language. And then about a month or so to our language training, once we figure out our placements, we were going to actually have a permanent sites. I realized that my community would be in this in this neighborhood, this village where they didn't actually speak Rukwangali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, you study Rukwangali, but your village would not be speaking it. What would they speak?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They would speak Rumanyo. And what happens is that in the Kavango region, this is in the northern part of Namibia where I lived, there's two neighboring tribes, the Rukwangali and the Rumanyo, and they're very close to each other."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm going to stop. Spell Rumanyo for me."}, {"role": "user", "content": "R-U-M-A-N-Y-O."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a people, like a tribe?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.295519034741768, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "R-U-M-A-N-Y-O."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a people, like a tribe?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A tribe, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now you might think that it's the Rumanyo or Manyo tribe, but it's not. It’s the Gciriku, but they actually have a click in their sound."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know how to write the listener. We're stumped with how to spell things in Xhosa."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.995021149713075, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A tribe, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now you might think that it's the Rumanyo or Manyo tribe, but it's not. It’s the Gciriku, but they actually have a click in their sound."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know how to write the listener. We're stumped with how to spell things in Xhosa."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah it's G. It has a silent G for whatever reason. I don't know. G-C-I-R-I-K-U."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, I’m gonna read that back. G-C-I-R-I-K-U. That's a language?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.772245721903417, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now you might think that it's the Rumanyo or Manyo tribe, but it's not. It’s the Gciriku, but they actually have a click in their sound."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know how to write the listener. We're stumped with how to spell things in Xhosa."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah it's G. It has a silent G for whatever reason. I don't know. G-C-I-R-I-K-U."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, I’m gonna read that back. G-C-I-R-I-K-U. That's a language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh that's another tribe."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.635828579892685, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah it's G. It has a silent G for whatever reason. I don't know. G-C-I-R-I-K-U."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, I’m gonna read that back. G-C-I-R-I-K-U. That's a language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh that's another tribe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s the tribe that speaks Rumanyo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me see if these arrows make sense to me. This tribe speaks and this is the language. And just so you know, Cedar, in your future interviews, I know we're recording this when there's words that we think as the interviewer that people aren't going to know what we're talking about. We want them to be spelled out, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.59536508876965, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh that's another tribe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s the tribe that speaks Rumanyo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me see if these arrows make sense to me. This tribe speaks and this is the language. And just so you know, Cedar, in your future interviews, I know we're recording this when there's words that we think as the interviewer that people aren't going to know what we're talking about. We want them to be spelled out, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, that makes sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Goodness. OK. The selection process, we're still in question six. Were there any surprises, disappointments, enjoyments, or was there anything significant about the selection?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.661516765299611, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s the tribe that speaks Rumanyo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me see if these arrows make sense to me. This tribe speaks and this is the language. And just so you know, Cedar, in your future interviews, I know we're recording this when there's words that we think as the interviewer that people aren't going to know what we're talking about. We want them to be spelled out, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, that makes sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Goodness. OK. The selection process, we're still in question six. Were there any surprises, disappointments, enjoyments, or was there anything significant about the selection?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About my placement?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, back when, I don't want to talk about myself, but we all got selected. But in the past, I know maybe still, sometimes some people don't make it. They are told they can’t continue whatever. Did most people in your group of 67 get selected or was there anything, were you surprised you were selected?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 10.735018628110678, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. No, that makes sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Goodness. OK. The selection process, we're still in question six. Were there any surprises, disappointments, enjoyments, or was there anything significant about the selection?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About my placement?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, back when, I don't want to talk about myself, but we all got selected. But in the past, I know maybe still, sometimes some people don't make it. They are told they can’t continue whatever. Did most people in your group of 67 get selected or was there anything, were you surprised you were selected?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I was selected, I don't think I was surprised, I was really excited. I thought I had a decent chance. You know, I don't remember thinking, like, that Peace Corps was so competitive that I was kind of worried about me getting in. I mean, nowadays, when I look at, since I’m recruiting, I look at people's skill sets, I actually think I was probably overqualified. Because most people I recruit nowadays, like they. Like I had three years of tutoring and education experience. I'm telling people, you know, have at least 30 hours of tutoring experience. So I thought I was pretty well qualified. In terms of like going in, you know, the selection process and going in with 67 people, I remember I remember hearing right at the beginning there's one person who just kind of turned away, like even at staging. And I just remember thinking that was kind of strange. And then we got into training and then there are a couple more people who, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like you, didn't see any more or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.004140779301341, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One guy had to leave early because there's something that came up with his parents, maybe a medical issue. Another woman who actually was becoming a good friend. She just, it was really strange, it was like, one evening Peace Corps came and she just left, just like that, no goodbyes. We think it may have been like a policy issue or something came up or it was like, OK, automatic disqualification and or something. We have no idea, no one never found out. Um, and she just left and then. So like people were kind of slowly kind of going home there is that people are still going home. And it was really kind of heartbreaking because you get so close to some of these people in such a short amount of time. And then over the years, you know, after about a few months, you start to think, OK, we've kind of weeded out all the people who are going to go home. But even then, you know, I remember some people got into car accidents and went home for that. Um, another person got some legal issues for various reasons. They got sent home. Someone else just wasn't happy. After about six months, he went home. So all in all, there is about fifteen people total."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That did not get selected or early terminated. OK, do you think your training prepared you for your Peace Corps service? Was it useful?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We had a model school training where we spent a month just practice teaching in a classroom. We were in a host family. That was very helpful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so you did live with the host family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For a little bit, not for the entire training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, yeah. How long was your training, two and a half months? Because that’s what mine was. So how long were you with a whole family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.671267532557046, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We had a model school training where we spent a month just practice teaching in a classroom. We were in a host family. That was very helpful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so you did live with the host family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For a little bit, not for the entire training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, yeah. How long was your training, two and a half months? Because that’s what mine was. So how long were you with a whole family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was with them about three or four weeks. In Okahandja. Actually, no, the host training, the host family with a lot of skill training was in Grootfontein."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sorry I'm laughing listener. Wait, hold on."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.41251948061894, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For a little bit, not for the entire training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, yeah. How long was your training, two and a half months? Because that’s what mine was. So how long were you with a whole family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was with them about three or four weeks. In Okahandja. Actually, no, the host training, the host family with a lot of skill training was in Grootfontein."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sorry I'm laughing listener. Wait, hold on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "These are Afrikaans names and words."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you please spelled that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.236132756243267, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was with them about three or four weeks. In Okahandja. Actually, no, the host training, the host family with a lot of skill training was in Grootfontein."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sorry I'm laughing listener. Wait, hold on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "These are Afrikaans names and words."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you please spelled that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's G-R-O-O-T-F-O-N-T-E-I-N."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And this was the town where you lived and did your?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.151258618048074, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "These are Afrikaans names and words."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you please spelled that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's G-R-O-O-T-F-O-N-T-E-I-N."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And this was the town where you lived and did your?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The model school training, and lived with a host family"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Model school training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.168065131164527, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's G-R-O-O-T-F-O-N-T-E-I-N."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And this was the town where you lived and did your?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The model school training, and lived with a host family"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Model school training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Practice teaching."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that's a good idea. OK, moving on to question seven. Thinking back when you entered into the your country, Namibia, what was your initial reaction to the country? If you want to describe more specifically the project, the Peace Corps staff, your impression of the local people, physical environment?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:221", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.318598927363613, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Practice teaching."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that's a good idea. OK, moving on to question seven. Thinking back when you entered into the your country, Namibia, what was your initial reaction to the country? If you want to describe more specifically the project, the Peace Corps staff, your impression of the local people, physical environment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember when we landed my first impression of, I'll just say broadly, Africa, when we landed in Johannesburg and we immediately were put onto a bus and driven to this hotel that was guarded by security guards out front who had these big assault rifles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were not allowed to leave the compounds of the hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, and they made that clear?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:223", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.465109919292903, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember when we landed my first impression of, I'll just say broadly, Africa, when we landed in Johannesburg and we immediately were put onto a bus and driven to this hotel that was guarded by security guards out front who had these big assault rifles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were not allowed to leave the compounds of the hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, and they made that clear?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just remember thinking, oh, wow, what is this place? It was kind of surreal in the hotel we were living was like a mini world in itself. There was an amusement park and their dining. It was kind of set up to be like one-stop shop. That was my first impression of arriving in Africa, southern Africa. And but then we spent couple days there and then we flew up to Windhoek."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And yeah, OK, I had that capital city."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:225", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.627899910325448, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we were not allowed to leave the compounds of the hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, and they made that clear?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just remember thinking, oh, wow, what is this place? It was kind of surreal in the hotel we were living was like a mini world in itself. There was an amusement park and their dining. It was kind of set up to be like one-stop shop. That was my first impression of arriving in Africa, southern Africa. And but then we spent couple days there and then we flew up to Windhoek."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And yeah, OK, I had that capital city."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember flying in Namibia is a very flat, very arid country. And so flying in, you just see miles and miles and miles of kind of desert. Desert, yeah. And so we landed, we got on a bus and we were just driving in the early afternoon and I just remember looking out the window and thinking like how beautiful the country was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there vegetation in the desert? Like what kind."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:227", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.697666567028275, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just remember thinking, oh, wow, what is this place? It was kind of surreal in the hotel we were living was like a mini world in itself. There was an amusement park and their dining. It was kind of set up to be like one-stop shop. That was my first impression of arriving in Africa, southern Africa. And but then we spent couple days there and then we flew up to Windhoek."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And yeah, OK, I had that capital city."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember flying in Namibia is a very flat, very arid country. And so flying in, you just see miles and miles and miles of kind of desert. Desert, yeah. And so we landed, we got on a bus and we were just driving in the early afternoon and I just remember looking out the window and thinking like how beautiful the country was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there vegetation in the desert? Like what kind."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some. It’s kind of like stark desert beauty that you see in like Arizona and New Mexico."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "See, I picture cactus or yuca, I mean in New Mexico."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.515637737071943, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some. It’s kind of like stark desert beauty that you see in like Arizona and New Mexico."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "See, I picture cactus or yuca, I mean in New Mexico."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, there's just a lot of scrub brush, that's kind of the main thing. A lot of big anthills or termite hills I guess. And yeah, I'd actually lived in New Mexico for my first year, for grade one in school. So kind of I kind of have this fondness for that kind of like landscape. So arriving in Namibia kind of reminded me of that. And when we finally arrived, Okahandja, I had fallen asleep and we were all super tired. We were traveling all day long and we get there and the training staff is gathered around outside the bus in front of the entrance to the training compound. And they're all just standing out there dancing and singing and clapping their hands and just welcoming us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was like eight p.m., nine p.m. or so. So but, you know, we've been traveling all day long. We're super tired and kind of freaked out, you know, because we're in this country and we land and I don't know what to expect. I just remember that moment was really special. Just give me a good feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your impression of the local people?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.461819707857714, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, there's just a lot of scrub brush, that's kind of the main thing. A lot of big anthills or termite hills I guess. And yeah, I'd actually lived in New Mexico for my first year, for grade one in school. So kind of I kind of have this fondness for that kind of like landscape. So arriving in Namibia kind of reminded me of that. And when we finally arrived, Okahandja, I had fallen asleep and we were all super tired. We were traveling all day long and we get there and the training staff is gathered around outside the bus in front of the entrance to the training compound. And they're all just standing out there dancing and singing and clapping their hands and just welcoming us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was like eight p.m., nine p.m. or so. So but, you know, we've been traveling all day long. We're super tired and kind of freaked out, you know, because we're in this country and we land and I don't know what to expect. I just remember that moment was really special. Just give me a good feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your impression of the local people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Namibia, I guess, it being a desert country, I don't know, but like, people are a little bit more kind of blunt and kind of just have a little bit more of a brusque attitude. You know, just a little bit kind of an edge to people in a way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, defensive. I mean, I know what the words mean, but tell me more about an edge to them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.402021897619681, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was like eight p.m., nine p.m. or so. So but, you know, we've been traveling all day long. We're super tired and kind of freaked out, you know, because we're in this country and we land and I don't know what to expect. I just remember that moment was really special. Just give me a good feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your impression of the local people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Namibia, I guess, it being a desert country, I don't know, but like, people are a little bit more kind of blunt and kind of just have a little bit more of a brusque attitude. You know, just a little bit kind of an edge to people in a way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, defensive. I mean, I know what the words mean, but tell me more about an edge to them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, because it's kind of it's a harsh environment. It's a desert country. And so, it's kind of hard to live there. Lack of water. Just there's not a lot of water. It's really hot. There's not a lot of vegetation or vegetables. Then maybe it's partly kind of the Afrikaans influence as well. Like Afrikaner people are also kind of very blunt and have kind of a rough attitude in a way. All the Afrikaner people I met, they easily cuss and just kind of speak their mind and be very kind of blunt in that sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was Namibia like a Dutch colony?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.33557988624409, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Namibia, I guess, it being a desert country, I don't know, but like, people are a little bit more kind of blunt and kind of just have a little bit more of a brusque attitude. You know, just a little bit kind of an edge to people in a way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, defensive. I mean, I know what the words mean, but tell me more about an edge to them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, because it's kind of it's a harsh environment. It's a desert country. And so, it's kind of hard to live there. Lack of water. Just there's not a lot of water. It's really hot. There's not a lot of vegetation or vegetables. Then maybe it's partly kind of the Afrikaans influence as well. Like Afrikaner people are also kind of very blunt and have kind of a rough attitude in a way. All the Afrikaner people I met, they easily cuss and just kind of speak their mind and be very kind of blunt in that sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was Namibia like a Dutch colony?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was colonized by Germany."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. I went because you said Afrikaans and I'm thinking of Holland."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:239", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.2617554291601, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, because it's kind of it's a harsh environment. It's a desert country. And so, it's kind of hard to live there. Lack of water. Just there's not a lot of water. It's really hot. There's not a lot of vegetation or vegetables. Then maybe it's partly kind of the Afrikaans influence as well. Like Afrikaner people are also kind of very blunt and have kind of a rough attitude in a way. All the Afrikaner people I met, they easily cuss and just kind of speak their mind and be very kind of blunt in that sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was Namibia like a Dutch colony?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was colonized by Germany."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. I went because you said Afrikaans and I'm thinking of Holland."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Afrikaans has some history. The language itself is has its history and Dutch roots."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Yeah. So Namibia was a German colony."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.179728254622333, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was colonized by Germany."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. I went because you said Afrikaans and I'm thinking of Holland."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Afrikaans has some history. The language itself is has its history and Dutch roots."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Yeah. So Namibia was a German colony."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And you know, the Germans are have that stereotype of them kind of hard edged as well. I'm mostly German in my ancestry so in a way maybe I connected there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, anything you want to add about the Peace Corps staff?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.19969806069148, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Afrikaans has some history. The language itself is has its history and Dutch roots."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Yeah. So Namibia was a German colony."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And you know, the Germans are have that stereotype of them kind of hard edged as well. I'm mostly German in my ancestry so in a way maybe I connected there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, anything you want to add about the Peace Corps staff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just very friendly and very nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And mostly Namibians as you told me earlier. And I assume your training was English. Moving on to question eight. This is a question about your assignment. So they have different things you can answer, like the specifics of your job, living conditions, typical day. We'll start, tell me more about your job assignment, because you ended up being science education."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:245", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.999664511879422, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And you know, the Germans are have that stereotype of them kind of hard edged as well. I'm mostly German in my ancestry so in a way maybe I connected there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, anything you want to add about the Peace Corps staff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just very friendly and very nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And mostly Namibians as you told me earlier. And I assume your training was English. Moving on to question eight. This is a question about your assignment. So they have different things you can answer, like the specifics of your job, living conditions, typical day. We'll start, tell me more about your job assignment, because you ended up being science education."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My job assignment was to be a teacher at a secondary school and Kayengona Combined school in the Kayengona village up in the Kavango region."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so now I have to stop you. You've got to tell me how to spell."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.888516124310469, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just very friendly and very nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And mostly Namibians as you told me earlier. And I assume your training was English. Moving on to question eight. This is a question about your assignment. So they have different things you can answer, like the specifics of your job, living conditions, typical day. We'll start, tell me more about your job assignment, because you ended up being science education."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My job assignment was to be a teacher at a secondary school and Kayengona Combined school in the Kayengona village up in the Kavango region."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so now I have to stop you. You've got to tell me how to spell."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kayengona."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spell that please."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:249", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.87612902701163, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My job assignment was to be a teacher at a secondary school and Kayengona Combined school in the Kayengona village up in the Kavango region."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so now I have to stop you. You've got to tell me how to spell."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kayengona."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spell that please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "K-A-Y-E-N-G-O-N-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that is a town?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:251", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.97347669667959, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kayengona."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spell that please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "K-A-Y-E-N-G-O-N-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that is a town?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a village."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And so you lived in this village?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:253", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.859418551866211, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "K-A-Y-E-N-G-O-N-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that is a town?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a village."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And so you lived in this village?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you look on a map, it's about 10 or 15 kilometers east of Rundu, and that's the regional capital for the Kavango region. Rundu is spelled R-U-N-D-U."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "R-U-N-D-U. And that's a town?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.937553767736063, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you look on a map, it's about 10 or 15 kilometers east of Rundu, and that's the regional capital for the Kavango region. Rundu is spelled R-U-N-D-U."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "R-U-N-D-U. And that's a town?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a large town."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, this interview is very interesting. But also there's more words that I've had to spell for other interviews. So you're a teacher in a secondary school, but what was the name of the school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.152837519706736, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a large town."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, this interview is very interesting. But also there's more words that I've had to spell for other interviews. So you're a teacher in a secondary school, but what was the name of the school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kayengona Combined."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. You already said that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:261", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.28093057745193, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a large town."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, this interview is very interesting. But also there's more words that I've had to spell for other interviews. So you're a teacher in a secondary school, but what was the name of the school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kayengona Combined."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. You already said that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. That's how the village Kayengona. The school is Kayengona Combined. Combined means they combine the primary with the secondary students. So primary is grades one through seven, six or whatever. And then secondary is grades eight to ten. And then right next to Kayengona Combined, there's a larger school that had grades 11 and 12."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, it's separate. What would they call that if you just had the last two years of high school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 12.534367308279922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kayengona Combined."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. You already said that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. That's how the village Kayengona. The school is Kayengona Combined. Combined means they combine the primary with the secondary students. So primary is grades one through seven, six or whatever. And then secondary is grades eight to ten. And then right next to Kayengona Combined, there's a larger school that had grades 11 and 12."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, it's separate. What would they call that if you just had the last two years of high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, senior secondary school, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh OK. Tell me about a typical day teaching."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.593741453644357, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. That's how the village Kayengona. The school is Kayengona Combined. Combined means they combine the primary with the secondary students. So primary is grades one through seven, six or whatever. And then secondary is grades eight to ten. And then right next to Kayengona Combined, there's a larger school that had grades 11 and 12."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, it's separate. What would they call that if you just had the last two years of high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, senior secondary school, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh OK. Tell me about a typical day teaching."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The day started about six o'clock, is when the sun will start to rise. We had a staff meeting at six thirty AM. And then classes will start at seven."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really? I'm going to guess because of the heat, but you'll tell me."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.659712726271508, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, senior secondary school, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh OK. Tell me about a typical day teaching."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The day started about six o'clock, is when the sun will start to rise. We had a staff meeting at six thirty AM. And then classes will start at seven."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really? I'm going to guess because of the heat, but you'll tell me."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, I think so. Because of the heat. We would start the day with the morning prayer and assembly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this a public school or like private?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.844125251412786, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The day started about six o'clock, is when the sun will start to rise. We had a staff meeting at six thirty AM. And then classes will start at seven."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really? I'm going to guess because of the heat, but you'll tell me."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, I think so. Because of the heat. We would start the day with the morning prayer and assembly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this a public school or like private?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh yeah. It's a public school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you prayed."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 12.049028057125318, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, I think so. Because of the heat. We would start the day with the morning prayer and assembly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this a public school or like private?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh yeah. It's a public school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you prayed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Namibia's primarily Christian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so I mean that's interesting because you don't pray in public schools here, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:273", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.05447561902813, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh yeah. It's a public school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you prayed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Namibia's primarily Christian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so I mean that's interesting because you don't pray in public schools here, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Exactly. Here we wouldn’t do that. In Namibia, we’d have a staff meeting at 6:30 and then the kind of the pledge of allegiance to the Namibian flag and the Namibian national anthem and then a prayer around say like 6:50, announcements and then break for classes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hmm. When did the school day end, what time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.9494173544757, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Namibia's primarily Christian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so I mean that's interesting because you don't pray in public schools here, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Exactly. Here we wouldn’t do that. In Namibia, we’d have a staff meeting at 6:30 and then the kind of the pledge of allegiance to the Namibian flag and the Namibian national anthem and then a prayer around say like 6:50, announcements and then break for classes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hmm. When did the school day end, what time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "School would end about 1:00 PM. And the reason is that so that students could go home for lunch and possibly also to just break for earlier in the day because it'll get hot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How hot would it be?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:277", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.6104637271952225, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Exactly. Here we wouldn’t do that. In Namibia, we’d have a staff meeting at 6:30 and then the kind of the pledge of allegiance to the Namibian flag and the Namibian national anthem and then a prayer around say like 6:50, announcements and then break for classes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hmm. When did the school day end, what time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "School would end about 1:00 PM. And the reason is that so that students could go home for lunch and possibly also to just break for earlier in the day because it'll get hot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How hot would it be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "How hot? I mean, it's like Arizona, New Mexico, you know, it's pretty hot, like probably get up into the 100 degrees some days, Fahrenheit. And don’t remember being too big of an issue, I never got like seriously sunburned or anything like that, but I mean, you wouldn't want to be out in early afternoon for too long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do they have, like in Latin America, siestas? Do they have siesta time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:279", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.011626363550247, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "School would end about 1:00 PM. And the reason is that so that students could go home for lunch and possibly also to just break for earlier in the day because it'll get hot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How hot would it be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "How hot? I mean, it's like Arizona, New Mexico, you know, it's pretty hot, like probably get up into the 100 degrees some days, Fahrenheit. And don’t remember being too big of an issue, I never got like seriously sunburned or anything like that, but I mean, you wouldn't want to be out in early afternoon for too long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do they have, like in Latin America, siestas? Do they have siesta time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. It wasn't like a common thing. But after 1:00 PM when classes would break, I would definitely will go home and rest for a bit because classes from 7:00 to 1:00, there's no breaks. Well, there's one break, but in between transitions. You finished class, classes would be 40 minutes, and finished a class and immediately the next class started."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the same room or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.457362626166941, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "How hot? I mean, it's like Arizona, New Mexico, you know, it's pretty hot, like probably get up into the 100 degrees some days, Fahrenheit. And don’t remember being too big of an issue, I never got like seriously sunburned or anything like that, but I mean, you wouldn't want to be out in early afternoon for too long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do they have, like in Latin America, siestas? Do they have siesta time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. It wasn't like a common thing. But after 1:00 PM when classes would break, I would definitely will go home and rest for a bit because classes from 7:00 to 1:00, there's no breaks. Well, there's one break, but in between transitions. You finished class, classes would be 40 minutes, and finished a class and immediately the next class started."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the same room or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometimes different rooms. And so, you know, you're going to lose some time with kids move around. But I just always thought it was so funny because there was no like built in transition time between classes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. No passing period. What were your living conditions like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.95262514018549, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. It wasn't like a common thing. But after 1:00 PM when classes would break, I would definitely will go home and rest for a bit because classes from 7:00 to 1:00, there's no breaks. Well, there's one break, but in between transitions. You finished class, classes would be 40 minutes, and finished a class and immediately the next class started."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the same room or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometimes different rooms. And so, you know, you're going to lose some time with kids move around. But I just always thought it was so funny because there was no like built in transition time between classes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. No passing period. What were your living conditions like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I lived in a cinder block house that was provided by the government for teachers. So a lot of the schools in Namibia, there's housing structures next to the school for the teachers. OK. And so that's what I lived in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have your own little house or more of a room?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:287", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.003240913809246, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I lived in a cinder block house that was provided by the government for teachers. So a lot of the schools in Namibia, there's housing structures next to the school for the teachers. OK. And so that's what I lived in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have your own little house or more of a room?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, uh, I lived in a two bedroom house and I shared it with a Namibian teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Veikko Kamu Kwanyama."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have no idea what you said to me, say that again."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.559156570899162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, uh, I lived in a two bedroom house and I shared it with a Namibian teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Veikko Kamu Kwanyama."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have no idea what you said to me, say that again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s the name of my housemate, Veikko Kamu Kwanyama."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, if I should ask you to spell that. Was he a teacher?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 6.176840634332402, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Veikko Kamu Kwanyama."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have no idea what you said to me, say that again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s the name of my housemate, Veikko Kamu Kwanyama."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, if I should ask you to spell that. Was he a teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was a math teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Math teacher. Well, I guess what the heck, I’ll have you spell his name, OK?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4187118159248917, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s the name of my housemate, Veikko Kamu Kwanyama."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, if I should ask you to spell that. Was he a teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was a math teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Math teacher. Well, I guess what the heck, I’ll have you spell his name, OK?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He's a he's a great guy. Veikko, V-E-I-K-K-O. And then Kamu Kwanyama. K-A-M-U. Kwan, K-W-A-N. Yama, Y-A-M-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so that was your housemate? Interesting. OK, very good. What’d you do for food?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6874575732498798, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was a math teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Math teacher. Well, I guess what the heck, I’ll have you spell his name, OK?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He's a he's a great guy. Veikko, V-E-I-K-K-O. And then Kamu Kwanyama. K-A-M-U. Kwan, K-W-A-N. Yama, Y-A-M-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so that was your housemate? Interesting. OK, very good. What’d you do for food?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I eat mostly pasta, and I would fry up some onions and tomatoes to add to the pasta, and we had just some dry seasoning that would add to it as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have like a kerosene stove? Did you have?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:297", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.986063970277644, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He's a he's a great guy. Veikko, V-E-I-K-K-O. And then Kamu Kwanyama. K-A-M-U. Kwan, K-W-A-N. Yama, Y-A-M-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so that was your housemate? Interesting. OK, very good. What’d you do for food?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I eat mostly pasta, and I would fry up some onions and tomatoes to add to the pasta, and we had just some dry seasoning that would add to it as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have like a kerosene stove? Did you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had electricity at my house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "24 hours a day?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:299", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.317848855864049, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I eat mostly pasta, and I would fry up some onions and tomatoes to add to the pasta, and we had just some dry seasoning that would add to it as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have like a kerosene stove? Did you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had electricity at my house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "24 hours a day?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, all the teachers would get stoves, refrigerators, and beds. It was pretty nice actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was all provided?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:303", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.861541797363023, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, all the teachers would get stoves, refrigerators, and beds. It was pretty nice actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was all provided?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "By the Ministry of Education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. Bathroom."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a flushing toilet and a shower, but no hot water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK. Water, drinkable potable water?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:305", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1794908859589146, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "By the Ministry of Education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. Bathroom."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a flushing toilet and a shower, but no hot water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK. Water, drinkable potable water?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, Namibia is amazing. It has a large resource of water in aquifers. So we’d have these boreholes drill down, tap into the aquifers. Clean drinking water straight from the tap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Amazing for being a Peace Corps volunteer. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:307", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5327676510654604, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a flushing toilet and a shower, but no hot water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK. Water, drinkable potable water?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, Namibia is amazing. It has a large resource of water in aquifers. So we’d have these boreholes drill down, tap into the aquifers. Clean drinking water straight from the tap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Amazing for being a Peace Corps volunteer. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But we lived right next to the river and so people would still drink from the river and they get schistosomiasis and giardia, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But did they have access to the water from the aquifer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:309", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9252973900727337, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, Namibia is amazing. It has a large resource of water in aquifers. So we’d have these boreholes drill down, tap into the aquifers. Clean drinking water straight from the tap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Amazing for being a Peace Corps volunteer. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But we lived right next to the river and so people would still drink from the river and they get schistosomiasis and giardia, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But did they have access to the water from the aquifer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They could get water from the school. Sometimes there are public boreholes that people can get water from. But part of it was just an awareness thing, an education thing. You know, you just you don't see water borne illnesses. And so you think that water from the river is fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, yeah. Some of this you've answered already. Anything you want to add about your relations with people of the country?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:311", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.36144154452526, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But we lived right next to the river and so people would still drink from the river and they get schistosomiasis and giardia, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But did they have access to the water from the aquifer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They could get water from the school. Sometimes there are public boreholes that people can get water from. But part of it was just an awareness thing, an education thing. You know, you just you don't see water borne illnesses. And so you think that water from the river is fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, yeah. Some of this you've answered already. Anything you want to add about your relations with people of the country?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My relations, so I could go into a lot about relationships with some of my students. Namibia, I guess I'll just say Namibia, I’ve grown very fond of Namibia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In fact, aren't you going there tomorrow?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.846046160583621, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They could get water from the school. Sometimes there are public boreholes that people can get water from. But part of it was just an awareness thing, an education thing. You know, you just you don't see water borne illnesses. And so you think that water from the river is fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, yeah. Some of this you've answered already. Anything you want to add about your relations with people of the country?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My relations, so I could go into a lot about relationships with some of my students. Namibia, I guess I'll just say Namibia, I’ve grown very fond of Namibia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In fact, aren't you going there tomorrow?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm going there tomorrow. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. I mean, I already knew that listener."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:315", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.384495733981802, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My relations, so I could go into a lot about relationships with some of my students. Namibia, I guess I'll just say Namibia, I’ve grown very fond of Namibia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In fact, aren't you going there tomorrow?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm going there tomorrow. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. I mean, I already knew that listener."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got to know some of my students very well, even some kids in the village who weren’t my students. There's one small boy, and they called them “small boys.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that insulting? Oh, that was OK."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:317", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.982773037757557, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm going there tomorrow. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. I mean, I already knew that listener."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got to know some of my students very well, even some kids in the village who weren’t my students. There's one small boy, and they called them “small boys.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that insulting? Oh, that was OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no. It's OK. It's a term."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Stature wise or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:319", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.536414486397286, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got to know some of my students very well, even some kids in the village who weren’t my students. There's one small boy, and they called them “small boys.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that insulting? Oh, that was OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no. It's OK. It's a term."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Stature wise or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's like a status. Right. So you could be the 20 years old. You used to be a small boy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, yeah. Just digesting that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:321", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.040460540441428, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no. It's OK. It's a term."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Stature wise or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's like a status. Right. So you could be the 20 years old. You used to be a small boy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, yeah. Just digesting that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's a seniority thing. So there's an age and older, you know, elder age level and it's very important, you know, in the culture. And so the youngest person in the group, even if they're in their 20s or, you know, physically an adult man, he could still be a small boy. And small boys are expected to do what the older person says. And so basically they can be ordered around. They can be told to go there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even if they're adults?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:323", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.600511711601587, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's like a status. Right. So you could be the 20 years old. You used to be a small boy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, yeah. Just digesting that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's a seniority thing. So there's an age and older, you know, elder age level and it's very important, you know, in the culture. And so the youngest person in the group, even if they're in their 20s or, you know, physically an adult man, he could still be a small boy. And small boys are expected to do what the older person says. And so basically they can be ordered around. They can be told to go there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even if they're adults?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's an expectation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, that's new to me. And it's OK to be a small boy?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.222790790668429, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's a seniority thing. So there's an age and older, you know, elder age level and it's very important, you know, in the culture. And so the youngest person in the group, even if they're in their 20s or, you know, physically an adult man, he could still be a small boy. And small boys are expected to do what the older person says. And so basically they can be ordered around. They can be told to go there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even if they're adults?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's an expectation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, that's new to me. And it's OK to be a small boy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's just part of the culture, I think, you know, small boys, it's a translation. So I'm not entirely I don't know what the name is for it in Rukwangali or Rumanyo, but it's a cultural thing. You know, the youngest person is expected to defer to the older people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, you already told me you taught in English in your leisure time. And you had friends with folks in your town. What language did you speak with them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:327", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.914211989631588, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's an expectation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, that's new to me. And it's OK to be a small boy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's just part of the culture, I think, you know, small boys, it's a translation. So I'm not entirely I don't know what the name is for it in Rukwangali or Rumanyo, but it's a cultural thing. You know, the youngest person is expected to defer to the older people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, you already told me you taught in English in your leisure time. And you had friends with folks in your town. What language did you speak with them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "With folks in the town in my leisure time, I was speaking English. A lot of the people wanted to practice their English with me. So that, I mentioned earlier that I was very enthusiastic about language at the beginning, but it kind of, I'm a person of practicality. And so once I realized it wasn't essential to learn the language, my motivation kind of waned. I still practiced because I wanted to just, you know, it's fun to learn the language to it shows respect to people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you're interested."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:329", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.68245776625732, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's just part of the culture, I think, you know, small boys, it's a translation. So I'm not entirely I don't know what the name is for it in Rukwangali or Rumanyo, but it's a cultural thing. You know, the youngest person is expected to defer to the older people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, you already told me you taught in English in your leisure time. And you had friends with folks in your town. What language did you speak with them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "With folks in the town in my leisure time, I was speaking English. A lot of the people wanted to practice their English with me. So that, I mentioned earlier that I was very enthusiastic about language at the beginning, but it kind of, I'm a person of practicality. And so once I realized it wasn't essential to learn the language, my motivation kind of waned. I still practiced because I wanted to just, you know, it's fun to learn the language to it shows respect to people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you're interested."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That I'm trying to learn who they are and their culture. And so I tried to learn as much as I could. But I remember Peace Corps gave us these language tests and I just did abysmal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You stop studying?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:331", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.536064184730355, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "With folks in the town in my leisure time, I was speaking English. A lot of the people wanted to practice their English with me. So that, I mentioned earlier that I was very enthusiastic about language at the beginning, but it kind of, I'm a person of practicality. And so once I realized it wasn't essential to learn the language, my motivation kind of waned. I still practiced because I wanted to just, you know, it's fun to learn the language to it shows respect to people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you're interested."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That I'm trying to learn who they are and their culture. And so I tried to learn as much as I could. But I remember Peace Corps gave us these language tests and I just did abysmal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You stop studying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I stopped studying, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your leisure time like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:333", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.484515760811504, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That I'm trying to learn who they are and their culture. And so I tried to learn as much as I could. But I remember Peace Corps gave us these language tests and I just did abysmal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You stop studying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I stopped studying, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your leisure time like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In my leisure time when I was not teaching, at the very beginning, I spent a lot of time editing video actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and you said you had electricity all the time."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:335", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.538350845346116, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I stopped studying, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your leisure time like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In my leisure time when I was not teaching, at the very beginning, I spent a lot of time editing video actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and you said you had electricity all the time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I brought my video camera and my laptop."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a different experience than mine back in the late ‘70s."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:337", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.598167605940128, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In my leisure time when I was not teaching, at the very beginning, I spent a lot of time editing video actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and you said you had electricity all the time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I brought my video camera and my laptop."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a different experience than mine back in the late ‘70s."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t know if I know I was going to have electricity so it was a little bit of a gamble. But I thought, you know what, even if I only have access to electricity, one day a week is still going to be worth it to be able to document what I'm experiencing and then edit that video with those photos and to be able to show people. And so yeah, I brought my laptop, I brought my camera, and then I made the first three first months in country during training, I documented everything with my video camera."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the people OK with you filming them, did you ask permission?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:339", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.553519562155698, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I brought my video camera and my laptop."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a different experience than mine back in the late ‘70s."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t know if I know I was going to have electricity so it was a little bit of a gamble. But I thought, you know what, even if I only have access to electricity, one day a week is still going to be worth it to be able to document what I'm experiencing and then edit that video with those photos and to be able to show people. And so yeah, I brought my laptop, I brought my camera, and then I made the first three first months in country during training, I documented everything with my video camera."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the people OK with you filming them, did you ask permission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was mostly the other Peace Corps volunteers, so it was mostly the training that I was documenting. And so then sometimes the training would involve people from the community or students and you know, everyone else had cameras too. So it wasn't really an issue like people didn't seem to mind. Um, but then the first few months aside, when I started teaching, I remember I just felt had a really hard time kind of integrating into the community. So after school, I'll go straight home and close my door and just stay inside for a long time, for hours on end."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about your roommate?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:341", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.615021735728552, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t know if I know I was going to have electricity so it was a little bit of a gamble. But I thought, you know what, even if I only have access to electricity, one day a week is still going to be worth it to be able to document what I'm experiencing and then edit that video with those photos and to be able to show people. And so yeah, I brought my laptop, I brought my camera, and then I made the first three first months in country during training, I documented everything with my video camera."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the people OK with you filming them, did you ask permission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was mostly the other Peace Corps volunteers, so it was mostly the training that I was documenting. And so then sometimes the training would involve people from the community or students and you know, everyone else had cameras too. So it wasn't really an issue like people didn't seem to mind. Um, but then the first few months aside, when I started teaching, I remember I just felt had a really hard time kind of integrating into the community. So after school, I'll go straight home and close my door and just stay inside for a long time, for hours on end."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about your roommate?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He’d do something. He'd be at the school sometimes for after school, kind of extra."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you hang out with him?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:343", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.461135261920614, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was mostly the other Peace Corps volunteers, so it was mostly the training that I was documenting. And so then sometimes the training would involve people from the community or students and you know, everyone else had cameras too. So it wasn't really an issue like people didn't seem to mind. Um, but then the first few months aside, when I started teaching, I remember I just felt had a really hard time kind of integrating into the community. So after school, I'll go straight home and close my door and just stay inside for a long time, for hours on end."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about your roommate?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He’d do something. He'd be at the school sometimes for after school, kind of extra."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you hang out with him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. He's younger than me. In his early twenties, I was like 26, 27 at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went to the Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:345", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.290150291022904, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He’d do something. He'd be at the school sometimes for after school, kind of extra."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you hang out with him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. He's younger than me. In his early twenties, I was like 26, 27 at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went to the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and so I kind of had this feeling like he's a little bit of a playboy. And so it was hard for me to really connect with him at first. So I kind of kept to myself a lot at the beginning and spend a lot of time, uh, just when I wasn't filming things with my camera and editing that material on my computer. I spent a lot of time doing this my first three months on site because I was actually putting together a video of our training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they did Peace Corps ask you to do that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:347", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.989055878914337, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. He's younger than me. In his early twenties, I was like 26, 27 at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went to the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and so I kind of had this feeling like he's a little bit of a playboy. And so it was hard for me to really connect with him at first. So I kind of kept to myself a lot at the beginning and spend a lot of time, uh, just when I wasn't filming things with my camera and editing that material on my computer. I spent a lot of time doing this my first three months on site because I was actually putting together a video of our training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they did Peace Corps ask you to do that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is just something for fun. It was just like a friends thing or something. And so I put together this 60 minute video of our training and just all the first experiences that we had. And to this day, it's one of my most favorite things to watch when I get together with my Peace Corps friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you share it with the Peace Corps staff? I mean, do they have access to it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:349", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.54339542101593, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and so I kind of had this feeling like he's a little bit of a playboy. And so it was hard for me to really connect with him at first. So I kind of kept to myself a lot at the beginning and spend a lot of time, uh, just when I wasn't filming things with my camera and editing that material on my computer. I spent a lot of time doing this my first three months on site because I was actually putting together a video of our training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they did Peace Corps ask you to do that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is just something for fun. It was just like a friends thing or something. And so I put together this 60 minute video of our training and just all the first experiences that we had. And to this day, it's one of my most favorite things to watch when I get together with my Peace Corps friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you share it with the Peace Corps staff? I mean, do they have access to it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's online. It's on YouTube. And I called it Omweyapo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, let's stop right there listener. So Cedar has made a YouTube of his Peace Corps training and it is called once again?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:351", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.048217134462145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is just something for fun. It was just like a friends thing or something. And so I put together this 60 minute video of our training and just all the first experiences that we had. And to this day, it's one of my most favorite things to watch when I get together with my Peace Corps friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you share it with the Peace Corps staff? I mean, do they have access to it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's online. It's on YouTube. And I called it Omweyapo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, let's stop right there listener. So Cedar has made a YouTube of his Peace Corps training and it is called once again?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Omweyapo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you'll spell it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.609130149402382, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's online. It's on YouTube. And I called it Omweyapo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, let's stop right there listener. So Cedar has made a YouTube of his Peace Corps training and it is called once again?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Omweyapo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you'll spell it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "O-M-W-E-Y-A-P-O."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what does that mean?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.232366832669314, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Omweyapo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you'll spell it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "O-M-W-E-Y-A-P-O."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what does that mean?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Means it's a phrase that is used to mean when new people come to live with you and work with you. And you're welcoming them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, welcoming new people."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:359", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.11403312675224, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Means it's a phrase that is used to mean when new people come to live with you and work with you. And you're welcoming them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, welcoming new people."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that's what it was. You know, we were Peace Corps volunteers arriving in country. And so during training, I showed a quick 20 minute version of the video just for like a talent show at the end of training. And then after going to site, I spent the first three months taking all of my footage and putting it together to make this 60 minute, much longer, more detailed version. And the entire time I just knew, like, this is going to be so great. It's going to be so much fun. And everyone, all the other Peace Corps volunteers are going to love seeing this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, everyone loved it. I mean, 10 years later, we still like, you know, go back and watch it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you enjoy you love that stuff, the editing, shooting, creating, editing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:361", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.5711479186136, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that's what it was. You know, we were Peace Corps volunteers arriving in country. And so during training, I showed a quick 20 minute version of the video just for like a talent show at the end of training. And then after going to site, I spent the first three months taking all of my footage and putting it together to make this 60 minute, much longer, more detailed version. And the entire time I just knew, like, this is going to be so great. It's going to be so much fun. And everyone, all the other Peace Corps volunteers are going to love seeing this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, everyone loved it. I mean, 10 years later, we still like, you know, go back and watch it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you enjoy you love that stuff, the editing, shooting, creating, editing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well I what I love is knowing that the effect it's going to create in other people, the actual editing process is very tedious. But what drove me through and got me so excited was I could imagine the final outcome. And I just knew that one of my friends would be able to watch this. They would all just love it so much. So because and so in a way it was like a gift to all the others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Other that's special, it really is."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:363", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.079053242904, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, everyone loved it. I mean, 10 years later, we still like, you know, go back and watch it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you enjoy you love that stuff, the editing, shooting, creating, editing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well I what I love is knowing that the effect it's going to create in other people, the actual editing process is very tedious. But what drove me through and got me so excited was I could imagine the final outcome. And I just knew that one of my friends would be able to watch this. They would all just love it so much. So because and so in a way it was like a gift to all the others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Other that's special, it really is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, after a while, you know, I finally came out of my room and started hanging out with students and people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK. And that's the end of, that's another suggestion for the eight question, how life and work changed over the months. So you got out of the room. And what did you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:365", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.643392492115556, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well I what I love is knowing that the effect it's going to create in other people, the actual editing process is very tedious. But what drove me through and got me so excited was I could imagine the final outcome. And I just knew that one of my friends would be able to watch this. They would all just love it so much. So because and so in a way it was like a gift to all the others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Other that's special, it really is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, after a while, you know, I finally came out of my room and started hanging out with students and people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK. And that's the end of, that's another suggestion for the eight question, how life and work changed over the months. So you got out of the room. And what did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "After about six months, let's see, it took me a while, but I guess the turning point was, I remember I had this office on the school grounds where because for the science we kept all the science equipment. Yeah, and it's just like a storage room. But I use it as an office just hanging out there because I could lock the door and keep to myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I just kind of I won't say anything."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:367", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.270436102350618, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, you know, after a while, you know, I finally came out of my room and started hanging out with students and people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK. And that's the end of, that's another suggestion for the eight question, how life and work changed over the months. So you got out of the room. And what did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "After about six months, let's see, it took me a while, but I guess the turning point was, I remember I had this office on the school grounds where because for the science we kept all the science equipment. Yeah, and it's just like a storage room. But I use it as an office just hanging out there because I could lock the door and keep to myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I just kind of I won't say anything."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you say you're quiet and shy and then you locked yourself in your room, but yet you welcomed and you were frothing at the bit. I'm saying that you were so eager to go and experience this totally unknown culture. It seems like it doesn't, a contradiction."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:369", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.967151224834019, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After about six months, let's see, it took me a while, but I guess the turning point was, I remember I had this office on the school grounds where because for the science we kept all the science equipment. Yeah, and it's just like a storage room. But I use it as an office just hanging out there because I could lock the door and keep to myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I just kind of I won't say anything."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you say you're quiet and shy and then you locked yourself in your room, but yet you welcomed and you were frothing at the bit. I'm saying that you were so eager to go and experience this totally unknown culture. It seems like it doesn't, a contradiction."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah, it's hard for me to understand it as well, but it's this ongoing contradiction I've always seen in my life where there's a part of me that just likes to have a very quiet life, keep to myself and very little stress, no social involvement. And this other side of me that is just like gung ho, go get out and go out into the world and try the most."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're a Peace Corps recruiter."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:371", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.741279138704466, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because you say you're quiet and shy and then you locked yourself in your room, but yet you welcomed and you were frothing at the bit. I'm saying that you were so eager to go and experience this totally unknown culture. It seems like it doesn't, a contradiction."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah, it's hard for me to understand it as well, but it's this ongoing contradiction I've always seen in my life where there's a part of me that just likes to have a very quiet life, keep to myself and very little stress, no social involvement. And this other side of me that is just like gung ho, go get out and go out into the world and try the most."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're a Peace Corps recruiter."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, if you if you look at my parents, you can understand my mom. She's got that fire inside. She'll go out and try the craziest thing she does. Yes, she does it. My dad, he is extremely passive and just keeps to himself, lives up in the mountains and doesn't really hang out with people that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, they're divorced?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:373", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.601421265227184, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah, it's hard for me to understand it as well, but it's this ongoing contradiction I've always seen in my life where there's a part of me that just likes to have a very quiet life, keep to myself and very little stress, no social involvement. And this other side of me that is just like gung ho, go get out and go out into the world and try the most."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're a Peace Corps recruiter."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, if you if you look at my parents, you can understand my mom. She's got that fire inside. She'll go out and try the craziest thing she does. Yes, she does it. My dad, he is extremely passive and just keeps to himself, lives up in the mountains and doesn't really hang out with people that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, they're divorced?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re divorced, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a stereotype. But, you know, I would have kind of guessed maybe your dad was the gung ho person, but it’s your mom."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:375", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.446023628030206, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I mean, if you if you look at my parents, you can understand my mom. She's got that fire inside. She'll go out and try the craziest thing she does. Yes, she does it. My dad, he is extremely passive and just keeps to himself, lives up in the mountains and doesn't really hang out with people that much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, they're divorced?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re divorced, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a stereotype. But, you know, I would have kind of guessed maybe your dad was the gung ho person, but it’s your mom."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's my mom. All the way, 100 percent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is your dad still living in the mountains, I mean, in Washington?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:377", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.38447069781134, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re divorced, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a stereotype. But, you know, I would have kind of guessed maybe your dad was the gung ho person, but it’s your mom."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's my mom. All the way, 100 percent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is your dad still living in the mountains, I mean, in Washington?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Here in Colorado, that’s why I moved back here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because your dad's here. And where is your mom?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:379", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.31607855312371, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's my mom. All the way, 100 percent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is your dad still living in the mountains, I mean, in Washington?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Here in Colorado, that’s why I moved back here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because your dad's here. And where is your mom?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She lives in Mexico. She's half Mexican."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Question nine. End of the first year. OK, you can go back so it would be 2007 sometime. Anything you want to answer about notable events, reflections after one year, joys and woes, etc."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:381", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.240087281248567, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Here in Colorado, that’s why I moved back here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because your dad's here. And where is your mom?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She lives in Mexico. She's half Mexican."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Question nine. End of the first year. OK, you can go back so it would be 2007 sometime. Anything you want to answer about notable events, reflections after one year, joys and woes, etc."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So actually this completes what I was saying before is that after about a year, and it really did take me this long, there was a turning point where in my service where I really started to kind of open up and connect with people in my community. And I was hanging out in my office, the shed for all the science equipment, slash my office. And this small boy, you know, he was really small actually, he was a third grade student, came and knocked on my door and I opened up and he had a bowl of food. And he asked me, he said, sir. They’d always say sir. [speaks local language] And it means, are you hungry? And he wanted to share his food with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's nice, that’s special."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:383", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.155652534720629, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She lives in Mexico. She's half Mexican."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Question nine. End of the first year. OK, you can go back so it would be 2007 sometime. Anything you want to answer about notable events, reflections after one year, joys and woes, etc."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So actually this completes what I was saying before is that after about a year, and it really did take me this long, there was a turning point where in my service where I really started to kind of open up and connect with people in my community. And I was hanging out in my office, the shed for all the science equipment, slash my office. And this small boy, you know, he was really small actually, he was a third grade student, came and knocked on my door and I opened up and he had a bowl of food. And he asked me, he said, sir. They’d always say sir. [speaks local language] And it means, are you hungry? And he wanted to share his food with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's nice, that’s special."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And I let him in and he sat down next to me and we shared a meal and then he came back the next day with some more food and the next day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He wasn't your student?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:385", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.172947260800697, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So actually this completes what I was saying before is that after about a year, and it really did take me this long, there was a turning point where in my service where I really started to kind of open up and connect with people in my community. And I was hanging out in my office, the shed for all the science equipment, slash my office. And this small boy, you know, he was really small actually, he was a third grade student, came and knocked on my door and I opened up and he had a bowl of food. And he asked me, he said, sir. They’d always say sir. [speaks local language] And it means, are you hungry? And he wanted to share his food with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's nice, that’s special."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And I let him in and he sat down next to me and we shared a meal and then he came back the next day with some more food and the next day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He wasn't your student?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He wasn’t my student. He was in grade three. I was teaching grades 8, 9, and 10."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I didn't ask you that. OK, continue."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:387", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.192163623111886, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And I let him in and he sat down next to me and we shared a meal and then he came back the next day with some more food and the next day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He wasn't your student?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He wasn’t my student. He was in grade three. I was teaching grades 8, 9, and 10."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I didn't ask you that. OK, continue."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And over time I got to know him. He didn't actually speak English very well, so he couldn't really communicate very well because I didn't speak his language either. But we just started to share this mutual bond of connection and his name is Matjayi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And spelled that please."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:389", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.213515136790985, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He wasn’t my student. He was in grade three. I was teaching grades 8, 9, and 10."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I didn't ask you that. OK, continue."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And over time I got to know him. He didn't actually speak English very well, so he couldn't really communicate very well because I didn't speak his language either. But we just started to share this mutual bond of connection and his name is Matjayi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And spelled that please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "M-A-T-J-A-Y-I. I got to know him pretty well over the second year and it turns out that he's an orphan. I found out that both his parents had been killed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who did he live with?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:391", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.348350151989983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And over time I got to know him. He didn't actually speak English very well, so he couldn't really communicate very well because I didn't speak his language either. But we just started to share this mutual bond of connection and his name is Matjayi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And spelled that please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "M-A-T-J-A-Y-I. I got to know him pretty well over the second year and it turns out that he's an orphan. I found out that both his parents had been killed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who did he live with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he lived with his extended family, their homesteaded was nearby me. And I actually knew his older, um, cousins. They were in some of my classes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Because I was wondering, how did he know you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:393", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.609277946655537, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "M-A-T-J-A-Y-I. I got to know him pretty well over the second year and it turns out that he's an orphan. I found out that both his parents had been killed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who did he live with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he lived with his extended family, their homesteaded was nearby me. And I actually knew his older, um, cousins. They were in some of my classes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Because I was wondering, how did he know you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. His older cousins were in my classes and I got I became friends with them. I was friends with them initially. But eventually I became kind of closer friends with Matjayi. And it was just it's hard to describe because we can't really communicate. But there was a connection. And so he kept coming around. We kept hanging out and it was just a friendship. And I think that in some way we were kind of fulfilling different needs for each other. I missed my friends and family back home, which included about ten nieces and nephews, which I had always been, you know, the uncle to them. So I really missed them. And so he kind of filled that role for me of having a younger person to kind of be a role model to. And then to me, you know, I guess I imagine in some way I filled that space of his missing parents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, that's a special story."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:395", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.010308829617262, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he lived with his extended family, their homesteaded was nearby me. And I actually knew his older, um, cousins. They were in some of my classes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Because I was wondering, how did he know you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. His older cousins were in my classes and I got I became friends with them. I was friends with them initially. But eventually I became kind of closer friends with Matjayi. And it was just it's hard to describe because we can't really communicate. But there was a connection. And so he kept coming around. We kept hanging out and it was just a friendship. And I think that in some way we were kind of fulfilling different needs for each other. I missed my friends and family back home, which included about ten nieces and nephews, which I had always been, you know, the uncle to them. So I really missed them. And so he kind of filled that role for me of having a younger person to kind of be a role model to. And then to me, you know, I guess I imagine in some way I filled that space of his missing parents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, that's a special story."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and that that so my connection with him really helped to get me out to the community because he would invite me over to his home safe food and to meet his family. And then we'd go walk down by the river, so we just through our relationship, I could then get out into the community and walk around and meet people. And then people started to make comments like, oh, Matjayi, he’s Cedar’s small boy, he’s Cedar’s son, you know, things like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cedar’s small boy, which was OK. You've already told me that. He’s Cedar’s small boy, aww. OK, listener, I'm jumping way ahead. This is not on the interview questions. Will you be seeing him on this trip? You still keep in touch with him?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:399", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.481862752613905, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and that that so my connection with him really helped to get me out to the community because he would invite me over to his home safe food and to meet his family. And then we'd go walk down by the river, so we just through our relationship, I could then get out into the community and walk around and meet people. And then people started to make comments like, oh, Matjayi, he’s Cedar’s small boy, he’s Cedar’s son, you know, things like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cedar’s small boy, which was OK. You've already told me that. He’s Cedar’s small boy, aww. OK, listener, I'm jumping way ahead. This is not on the interview questions. Will you be seeing him on this trip? You still keep in touch with him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually I went back last year, it was my first time going back to Namibia in about eight years, nine years. And I had no idea if I was going to meet him. When I left Namibia, one of the final moments that I had was saying goodbye to Matjayi. And I remember we hugged each other and he told me that he doesn't know if anyone would ever love him the way that I loved him."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you're like a big brother or something to him, or maybe his daddy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. He was he was really attached. It's a long story but I actually stayed in Namibia for a third year and I moved into Rundu town and he would come and just kind of show up at the door, looking for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is he like a senior in high school maybe?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:401", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 13.868736391793227, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually I went back last year, it was my first time going back to Namibia in about eight years, nine years. And I had no idea if I was going to meet him. When I left Namibia, one of the final moments that I had was saying goodbye to Matjayi. And I remember we hugged each other and he told me that he doesn't know if anyone would ever love him the way that I loved him."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you're like a big brother or something to him, or maybe his daddy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. He was he was really attached. It's a long story but I actually stayed in Namibia for a third year and I moved into Rundu town and he would come and just kind of show up at the door, looking for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is he like a senior in high school maybe?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now he's a young man."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he a high school student?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:403", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.631929324214698, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. He was he was really attached. It's a long story but I actually stayed in Namibia for a third year and I moved into Rundu town and he would come and just kind of show up at the door, looking for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is he like a senior in high school maybe?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now he's a young man."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he a high school student?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh yeah, he’d be like late teens and early 20s, I think he's still in school now. Oh, but I went back in December last year. I had no communication with Matjayi ever since that final day when I left back in 2009. Oh, I didn't know if he’s still in Rundu, Kanbango, or, you know, still alive. I had no clue. Nothing, no connection. And just dates that be. I went back last year and somebody saw me. They said, sir, do you want to see Matjayi? Just some random person, you know, and they had his number. They connected me. I connected with Matjayi and we went out and we had a reunion. And there's like two days where I finally connected with him and we only hang out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Does he still live with that extended family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:405", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.479921471349664, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now he's a young man."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he a high school student?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh yeah, he’d be like late teens and early 20s, I think he's still in school now. Oh, but I went back in December last year. I had no communication with Matjayi ever since that final day when I left back in 2009. Oh, I didn't know if he’s still in Rundu, Kanbango, or, you know, still alive. I had no clue. Nothing, no connection. And just dates that be. I went back last year and somebody saw me. They said, sir, do you want to see Matjayi? Just some random person, you know, and they had his number. They connected me. I connected with Matjayi and we went out and we had a reunion. And there's like two days where I finally connected with him and we only hang out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Does he still live with that extended family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We went and visited the homestead, saw all the family and that was really great. They all remembered me, we had a nice little moment but everyone just getting excited and dancing around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's special. This is off-track, but have you ever thought about being a Big Brother?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:407", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.422134968166294, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh yeah, he’d be like late teens and early 20s, I think he's still in school now. Oh, but I went back in December last year. I had no communication with Matjayi ever since that final day when I left back in 2009. Oh, I didn't know if he’s still in Rundu, Kanbango, or, you know, still alive. I had no clue. Nothing, no connection. And just dates that be. I went back last year and somebody saw me. They said, sir, do you want to see Matjayi? Just some random person, you know, and they had his number. They connected me. I connected with Matjayi and we went out and we had a reunion. And there's like two days where I finally connected with him and we only hang out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Does he still live with that extended family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We went and visited the homestead, saw all the family and that was really great. They all remembered me, we had a nice little moment but everyone just getting excited and dancing around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's special. This is off-track, but have you ever thought about being a Big Brother?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. In some ways I, you know, I kind of am already. Like I said, I've got so many nieces and nephews that I feel like I have my hands full being a mentor to all of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It just because that reminds me of that. My husband and I were friends with Denver kids for years. It's like a mentoring program. Anyway, lovely story. Thank you for sharing that. Anything else you might want to add? Health problems? Where did you go on vacation? Did you go any travel?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:409", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.1357055201847714, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. We went and visited the homestead, saw all the family and that was really great. They all remembered me, we had a nice little moment but everyone just getting excited and dancing around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's special. This is off-track, but have you ever thought about being a Big Brother?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. In some ways I, you know, I kind of am already. Like I said, I've got so many nieces and nephews that I feel like I have my hands full being a mentor to all of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It just because that reminds me of that. My husband and I were friends with Denver kids for years. It's like a mentoring program. Anyway, lovely story. Thank you for sharing that. Anything else you might want to add? Health problems? Where did you go on vacation? Did you go any travel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never had any major health problems. I kept pretty thin, pretty healthy for most of my Peace Corps service. I did go on some really interesting holidays. My girlfriend at the time, I traveled up to Malawi one time over Christmas break and we passed through Zambia and I ran into a friend of mine from college who had joined the Peace Corps after me and then gone to Zambia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really? You didn't know that he or she was in Zambia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:411", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.817450577983079, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. In some ways I, you know, I kind of am already. Like I said, I've got so many nieces and nephews that I feel like I have my hands full being a mentor to all of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It just because that reminds me of that. My husband and I were friends with Denver kids for years. It's like a mentoring program. Anyway, lovely story. Thank you for sharing that. Anything else you might want to add? Health problems? Where did you go on vacation? Did you go any travel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never had any major health problems. I kept pretty thin, pretty healthy for most of my Peace Corps service. I did go on some really interesting holidays. My girlfriend at the time, I traveled up to Malawi one time over Christmas break and we passed through Zambia and I ran into a friend of mine from college who had joined the Peace Corps after me and then gone to Zambia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really? You didn't know that he or she was in Zambia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, she came afterward. And then I just I forget how I found out, but we connected and then we met up with her and then we all together we traveled up from Zambia and then up into Malawi and had a really good time. It had a little bit of a crazy turn and that one of the people in our group got really sick. And there's a swimming accident actually that happened too. And anyway, we ended up spending Christmas at this Peace Corps house after a friend just got out of hospital. She came down, we think, malaria or some form of it. That was a crazy, intense trip, just traveling across country, you know, Namibia to Zambia, to Malawi through all forms of transportation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would it be by bus?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:413", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.574945086647865, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never had any major health problems. I kept pretty thin, pretty healthy for most of my Peace Corps service. I did go on some really interesting holidays. My girlfriend at the time, I traveled up to Malawi one time over Christmas break and we passed through Zambia and I ran into a friend of mine from college who had joined the Peace Corps after me and then gone to Zambia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really? You didn't know that he or she was in Zambia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, she came afterward. And then I just I forget how I found out, but we connected and then we met up with her and then we all together we traveled up from Zambia and then up into Malawi and had a really good time. It had a little bit of a crazy turn and that one of the people in our group got really sick. And there's a swimming accident actually that happened too. And anyway, we ended up spending Christmas at this Peace Corps house after a friend just got out of hospital. She came down, we think, malaria or some form of it. That was a crazy, intense trip, just traveling across country, you know, Namibia to Zambia, to Malawi through all forms of transportation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would it be by bus?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we took bus, taxis, cars breaking down, you know, hitchhiking, you know, all just kinds of ridiculousness."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, to really ask about health problems in general. But because I'm a retired nurse, what were some of the health problems that people might succumb to in Namibia or in your area?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:415", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.194383429608739, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, she came afterward. And then I just I forget how I found out, but we connected and then we met up with her and then we all together we traveled up from Zambia and then up into Malawi and had a really good time. It had a little bit of a crazy turn and that one of the people in our group got really sick. And there's a swimming accident actually that happened too. And anyway, we ended up spending Christmas at this Peace Corps house after a friend just got out of hospital. She came down, we think, malaria or some form of it. That was a crazy, intense trip, just traveling across country, you know, Namibia to Zambia, to Malawi through all forms of transportation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would it be by bus?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we took bus, taxis, cars breaking down, you know, hitchhiking, you know, all just kinds of ridiculousness."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, to really ask about health problems in general. But because I'm a retired nurse, what were some of the health problems that people might succumb to in Namibia or in your area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was up in the northern part of Namibia in the Kavango region, there's the Okavango River, which passes across the border, maybe Angola. And people would swim in the river. There's a lot of, you know, defecation on the banks. And so when the rains come and the river banks would flood over, then, of course, all that defecation gets in the water. And so if you walk down there barefoot, you'll get schistosomiasis, you know, critters, they'll crawl into your feet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I could guess, but do you know how to spell it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:417", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.882648255120821, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we took bus, taxis, cars breaking down, you know, hitchhiking, you know, all just kinds of ridiculousness."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, to really ask about health problems in general. But because I'm a retired nurse, what were some of the health problems that people might succumb to in Namibia or in your area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was up in the northern part of Namibia in the Kavango region, there's the Okavango River, which passes across the border, maybe Angola. And people would swim in the river. There's a lot of, you know, defecation on the banks. And so when the rains come and the river banks would flood over, then, of course, all that defecation gets in the water. And so if you walk down there barefoot, you'll get schistosomiasis, you know, critters, they'll crawl into your feet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I could guess, but do you know how to spell it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Schistosomiasis, S-C-H-I-S-T-O-S-O-M-I-A-S-I-S. We called it schisto for short. S-H-I-S-T-O, Shisto. Somiasis, S-O-M-I- A-S-I-S. I won the spelling bee in third grade you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. OK, I didn't know that but thanks for telling me. And what was the name of the river?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:419", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.536275839023134, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was up in the northern part of Namibia in the Kavango region, there's the Okavango River, which passes across the border, maybe Angola. And people would swim in the river. There's a lot of, you know, defecation on the banks. And so when the rains come and the river banks would flood over, then, of course, all that defecation gets in the water. And so if you walk down there barefoot, you'll get schistosomiasis, you know, critters, they'll crawl into your feet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I could guess, but do you know how to spell it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Schistosomiasis, S-C-H-I-S-T-O-S-O-M-I-A-S-I-S. We called it schisto for short. S-H-I-S-T-O, Shisto. Somiasis, S-O-M-I- A-S-I-S. I won the spelling bee in third grade you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. OK, I didn't know that but thanks for telling me. And what was the name of the river?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okavango River."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spell that again."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:421", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.2625287100257045, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Schistosomiasis, S-C-H-I-S-T-O-S-O-M-I-A-S-I-S. We called it schisto for short. S-H-I-S-T-O, Shisto. Somiasis, S-O-M-I- A-S-I-S. I won the spelling bee in third grade you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. OK, I didn't know that but thanks for telling me. And what was the name of the river?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okavango River."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spell that again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "O-K-A-V-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wait. I had a senior moment. Sorry."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:423", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.847254122250782, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okavango River."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spell that again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "O-K-A-V-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wait. I had a senior moment. Sorry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "O-K-A-V-A-N-G-O. Oh that's really interesting because the region is called the Kavango region, but then the dominant tribe in Namibia is the Oshiwambo and they put Os in front of everything. So, the river is actually called Okavango. I don't know why, but it's interesting. You know, the Kavango region has the Okavango River."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Besides schistosomiasis, I would guess giardia or just things like that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:425", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.496949024723091, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "O-K-A-V-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wait. I had a senior moment. Sorry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "O-K-A-V-A-N-G-O. Oh that's really interesting because the region is called the Kavango region, but then the dominant tribe in Namibia is the Oshiwambo and they put Os in front of everything. So, the river is actually called Okavango. I don't know why, but it's interesting. You know, the Kavango region has the Okavango River."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Besides schistosomiasis, I would guess giardia or just things like that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Malaria. A good friend of mine got malaria, Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any other health conditions?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:427", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.218832249692323, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "O-K-A-V-A-N-G-O. Oh that's really interesting because the region is called the Kavango region, but then the dominant tribe in Namibia is the Oshiwambo and they put Os in front of everything. So, the river is actually called Okavango. I don't know why, but it's interesting. You know, the Kavango region has the Okavango River."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Besides schistosomiasis, I would guess giardia or just things like that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Malaria. A good friend of mine got malaria, Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any other health conditions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, for the people, HIV AIDS was a big problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I'm not glad that it's there. I'm glad you said that. You know what that rate would be?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:429", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.909813610769247, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Malaria. A good friend of mine got malaria, Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any other health conditions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, for the people, HIV AIDS was a big problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I'm not glad that it's there. I'm glad you said that. You know what that rate would be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty percent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of the population were HIV positive?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:431", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.677570678632497, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, for the people, HIV AIDS was a big problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I'm not glad that it's there. I'm glad you said that. You know what that rate would be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty percent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of the population were HIV positive?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a pretty high rate for the region, for southern Africa in general."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Maybe we’ll move on to question ten. We’re on page two of the interview. End of tour. Oh, before we get to that, anything you might want to add before we get to end of tour? Anything I might not have asked?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:433", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.53063408736944, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty percent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of the population were HIV positive?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a pretty high rate for the region, for southern Africa in general."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Maybe we’ll move on to question ten. We’re on page two of the interview. End of tour. Oh, before we get to that, anything you might want to add before we get to end of tour? Anything I might not have asked?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I don't think so. Yeah, I see some of these other questions will cover what I want to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So then, end of tour question. What was your sense of achievement or failure, pluses and minuses, in your relations or with the work. Anything like that, regrets, satisfactions?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:435", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.367371208188267, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a pretty high rate for the region, for southern Africa in general."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Maybe we’ll move on to question ten. We’re on page two of the interview. End of tour. Oh, before we get to that, anything you might want to add before we get to end of tour? Anything I might not have asked?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I don't think so. Yeah, I see some of these other questions will cover what I want to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So then, end of tour question. What was your sense of achievement or failure, pluses and minuses, in your relations or with the work. Anything like that, regrets, satisfactions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, see, the first year I remember I spent a lot of time outside Nahudj working on other Peace Corps projects like leadership camps, traveling a lot. And this actually came up with my principal. She says she's a little bit concerned about spending so much time away from the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, did Peace Corps ask you to do these projects or you discovered them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:437", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.185968009098074, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I don't think so. Yeah, I see some of these other questions will cover what I want to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So then, end of tour question. What was your sense of achievement or failure, pluses and minuses, in your relations or with the work. Anything like that, regrets, satisfactions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, see, the first year I remember I spent a lot of time outside Nahudj working on other Peace Corps projects like leadership camps, traveling a lot. And this actually came up with my principal. She says she's a little bit concerned about spending so much time away from the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, did Peace Corps ask you to do these projects or you discovered them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's just like that, you know, Peace Corps committees will form, you know, there's like Camp GLOW, there's the diversity tour. There's different things where, you know, you can volunteer to get involved in them. And that's what I did. And but it was taking me out of the village a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you are teaching I'm guessing. You did show up for class."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:439", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.095520010108972, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, see, the first year I remember I spent a lot of time outside Nahudj working on other Peace Corps projects like leadership camps, traveling a lot. And this actually came up with my principal. She says she's a little bit concerned about spending so much time away from the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, did Peace Corps ask you to do these projects or you discovered them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's just like that, you know, Peace Corps committees will form, you know, there's like Camp GLOW, there's the diversity tour. There's different things where, you know, you can volunteer to get involved in them. And that's what I did. And but it was taking me out of the village a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you are teaching I'm guessing. You did show up for class."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I would, you know, leave lesson plans for people to do. Hopefully they would do them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you weren't even going to class sometimes. That's my question."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:441", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.995022233454414, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's just like that, you know, Peace Corps committees will form, you know, there's like Camp GLOW, there's the diversity tour. There's different things where, you know, you can volunteer to get involved in them. And that's what I did. And but it was taking me out of the village a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you are teaching I'm guessing. You did show up for class."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I would, you know, leave lesson plans for people to do. Hopefully they would do them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you weren't even going to class sometimes. That's my question."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well this is part of the, you know, sense of achievement slash failures. The first year I felt like I was away from my community and neglecting them. So then my second year, I decided I wanted to change things. And so I focused a lot more on my teaching, on my class, on staying in the village. And people noticed and the other Peace Corps volunteers noticed too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, were you the only volunteer in town? I’ve been meaning to ask you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:443", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.772246926060459, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I would, you know, leave lesson plans for people to do. Hopefully they would do them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you weren't even going to class sometimes. That's my question."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well this is part of the, you know, sense of achievement slash failures. The first year I felt like I was away from my community and neglecting them. So then my second year, I decided I wanted to change things. And so I focused a lot more on my teaching, on my class, on staying in the village. And people noticed and the other Peace Corps volunteers noticed too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, were you the only volunteer in town? I’ve been meaning to ask you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. There had been a volunteer there before me. And then one came after me. So I wasn't the first or the last. And so then that second year, I wouldn’t say that I made any astounding accomplishments in terms of my student passing rate or anything like that, at least nothing that I really noticed or tracked. But in terms of just a general sense of feeling like I was connected with my community, it really changed their second year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mainly because of your principal maybe saying something to you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:445", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.524718806733843, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well this is part of the, you know, sense of achievement slash failures. The first year I felt like I was away from my community and neglecting them. So then my second year, I decided I wanted to change things. And so I focused a lot more on my teaching, on my class, on staying in the village. And people noticed and the other Peace Corps volunteers noticed too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, were you the only volunteer in town? I’ve been meaning to ask you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. There had been a volunteer there before me. And then one came after me. So I wasn't the first or the last. And so then that second year, I wouldn’t say that I made any astounding accomplishments in terms of my student passing rate or anything like that, at least nothing that I really noticed or tracked. But in terms of just a general sense of feeling like I was connected with my community, it really changed their second year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mainly because of your principal maybe saying something to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, she voiced the concern and also I just felt not really connected to my community. And so then that second year, just really, you know, spending a lot more time in the village, I got to know, I just felt a better relationship with everyone, and one of which was my roommate, Veikko. I mentioned before I felt like he was kind of a playboy at the beginning. I didn't really have a strong relationship with him, you know, I wouldn't to really try to connect with him that first year. The second year, by the time I left, we were calling each other brother. We because we just kind of grown to know each other much more. And so, I’d say my biggest accomplishments as a Peace Corps volunteer weren't really the results that I had attained in my teaching outcomes, but they were in the connections and the relationships I made with the students and the other teachers. And when I say probably more so, but my students, because, you know, teaching is such an interesting thing, you don't see the results of your work right away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I have been married to a teacher."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:447", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.138576451926492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. There had been a volunteer there before me. And then one came after me. So I wasn't the first or the last. And so then that second year, I wouldn’t say that I made any astounding accomplishments in terms of my student passing rate or anything like that, at least nothing that I really noticed or tracked. But in terms of just a general sense of feeling like I was connected with my community, it really changed their second year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mainly because of your principal maybe saying something to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, she voiced the concern and also I just felt not really connected to my community. And so then that second year, just really, you know, spending a lot more time in the village, I got to know, I just felt a better relationship with everyone, and one of which was my roommate, Veikko. I mentioned before I felt like he was kind of a playboy at the beginning. I didn't really have a strong relationship with him, you know, I wouldn't to really try to connect with him that first year. The second year, by the time I left, we were calling each other brother. We because we just kind of grown to know each other much more. And so, I’d say my biggest accomplishments as a Peace Corps volunteer weren't really the results that I had attained in my teaching outcomes, but they were in the connections and the relationships I made with the students and the other teachers. And when I say probably more so, but my students, because, you know, teaching is such an interesting thing, you don't see the results of your work right away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I have been married to a teacher."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. It's only years later when a student comes back and says, hey, you know what, you really made a difference in my life. And I've done that to teachers in my past. And I've gone back and told them that they really mattered to me. And that's happened to me also. I had students, you know, ten years after Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, anything else with that before we go to 11?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:449", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.820640502140547, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, she voiced the concern and also I just felt not really connected to my community. And so then that second year, just really, you know, spending a lot more time in the village, I got to know, I just felt a better relationship with everyone, and one of which was my roommate, Veikko. I mentioned before I felt like he was kind of a playboy at the beginning. I didn't really have a strong relationship with him, you know, I wouldn't to really try to connect with him that first year. The second year, by the time I left, we were calling each other brother. We because we just kind of grown to know each other much more. And so, I’d say my biggest accomplishments as a Peace Corps volunteer weren't really the results that I had attained in my teaching outcomes, but they were in the connections and the relationships I made with the students and the other teachers. And when I say probably more so, but my students, because, you know, teaching is such an interesting thing, you don't see the results of your work right away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I have been married to a teacher."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. It's only years later when a student comes back and says, hey, you know what, you really made a difference in my life. And I've done that to teachers in my past. And I've gone back and told them that they really mattered to me. And that's happened to me also. I had students, you know, ten years after Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, anything else with that before we go to 11?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, that was the main thing. I did a lot of multimedia work, which is really fun. I mean, I did some kind of Peace Corps documentaries where I traveled around the country and I interviewed volunteers and turn that into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's what we're kind of doing now. I see you in a different way. But for the listener, this interview is going to be forwarded to the JFK Library."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:451", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.467378335711719, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. It's only years later when a student comes back and says, hey, you know what, you really made a difference in my life. And I've done that to teachers in my past. And I've gone back and told them that they really mattered to me. And that's happened to me also. I had students, you know, ten years after Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, anything else with that before we go to 11?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, that was the main thing. I did a lot of multimedia work, which is really fun. I mean, I did some kind of Peace Corps documentaries where I traveled around the country and I interviewed volunteers and turn that into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's what we're kind of doing now. I see you in a different way. But for the listener, this interview is going to be forwarded to the JFK Library."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But yeah, I was interviewing volunteers way back in 2006, 2007 for a video project and I used that. I put that together as a kind of a training video for Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me interrupt you of sorts. Did you choose to do it or the Peace Corps asked you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:453", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.185975928568577, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, that was the main thing. I did a lot of multimedia work, which is really fun. I mean, I did some kind of Peace Corps documentaries where I traveled around the country and I interviewed volunteers and turn that into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's what we're kind of doing now. I see you in a different way. But for the listener, this interview is going to be forwarded to the JFK Library."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But yeah, I was interviewing volunteers way back in 2006, 2007 for a video project and I used that. I put that together as a kind of a training video for Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me interrupt you of sorts. Did you choose to do it or the Peace Corps asked you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I chose to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did they asked you to do any of these projects?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:457", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.4147850969982425, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I chose to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did they asked you to do any of these projects?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. So when I arrived in country and I made that video of my training, it was just kind of a fun thing to do. I showed it to everyone. Another volunteer named Jason Sears, he saw that video and he saw that this guy's got skills. And he recruited me to work on a video project that he was doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was, which was this volunteer training video. And so I teamed up with him. And then we worked together to kind of travel around the country interviewing volunteers and Peace Corps staff and then put all that together into this hour, hour and a half long video about Peace Corps life in the Namibia and then the Peace Corps in Namibia would use that to show to training groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's been utilized. Good for you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:459", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.016427885553603, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. So when I arrived in country and I made that video of my training, it was just kind of a fun thing to do. I showed it to everyone. Another volunteer named Jason Sears, he saw that video and he saw that this guy's got skills. And he recruited me to work on a video project that he was doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was, which was this volunteer training video. And so I teamed up with him. And then we worked together to kind of travel around the country interviewing volunteers and Peace Corps staff and then put all that together into this hour, hour and a half long video about Peace Corps life in the Namibia and then the Peace Corps in Namibia would use that to show to training groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's been utilized. Good for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I did following videos and I did after that. I applied for a grant to travel around the country and interview volunteers living with families and interviewing the volunteers and then some family members about what life was like in that situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. And if I may say then, 11 years later, you're deciding to be part of the Peace Corps Oral History Project. OK, good. I'm going on to question eleven. We're coming to a close. How would you evaluate your service in light of the three goals of the Peace Corps? And you have the questions too. We've touched on this, to provide technical assistance were requested. You've given me some examples."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:461", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.6849198728373365, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was, which was this volunteer training video. And so I teamed up with him. And then we worked together to kind of travel around the country interviewing volunteers and Peace Corps staff and then put all that together into this hour, hour and a half long video about Peace Corps life in the Namibia and then the Peace Corps in Namibia would use that to show to training groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's been utilized. Good for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I did following videos and I did after that. I applied for a grant to travel around the country and interview volunteers living with families and interviewing the volunteers and then some family members about what life was like in that situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. And if I may say then, 11 years later, you're deciding to be part of the Peace Corps Oral History Project. OK, good. I'm going on to question eleven. We're coming to a close. How would you evaluate your service in light of the three goals of the Peace Corps? And you have the questions too. We've touched on this, to provide technical assistance were requested. You've given me some examples."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was a teacher, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you teach your students technology or no?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:463", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.42768874759704, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I did following videos and I did after that. I applied for a grant to travel around the country and interview volunteers living with families and interviewing the volunteers and then some family members about what life was like in that situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. And if I may say then, 11 years later, you're deciding to be part of the Peace Corps Oral History Project. OK, good. I'm going on to question eleven. We're coming to a close. How would you evaluate your service in light of the three goals of the Peace Corps? And you have the questions too. We've touched on this, to provide technical assistance were requested. You've given me some examples."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was a teacher, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you teach your students technology or no?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well I taught them physical science and I tried to make it fun and interesting and engaging. And, you know, these are kids who their day to day life is working out in the field, you know, plowing fields for, you know, for millet. And so, you know, you can imagine how learning about the structure of an atom is not really relevant. So I tried to make class really interesting and engaging just the way that I taught, I mean, a fun teacher. And so in that sense I guess I try to get them excited about learning. And so in terms of, you know, meeting the first goal of the Peace Corps, which is training people, educating people, I guess, in my situation, um, no, I accomplished that to the average degree, I must say. I wouldn’t feel like tremendous outcomes there. But the second and third goals, I feel like I've really gone above beyond the second goal, just sharing who I am, my culture. Definitely did that during my Peace Corps service, but even in years afterwards. Just recently, I had a friend of mine, a former student of mine, come and visit the United States from Namibia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he stay here or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:465", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.141876386218933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I was a teacher, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you teach your students technology or no?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well I taught them physical science and I tried to make it fun and interesting and engaging. And, you know, these are kids who their day to day life is working out in the field, you know, plowing fields for, you know, for millet. And so, you know, you can imagine how learning about the structure of an atom is not really relevant. So I tried to make class really interesting and engaging just the way that I taught, I mean, a fun teacher. And so in that sense I guess I try to get them excited about learning. And so in terms of, you know, meeting the first goal of the Peace Corps, which is training people, educating people, I guess, in my situation, um, no, I accomplished that to the average degree, I must say. I wouldn’t feel like tremendous outcomes there. But the second and third goals, I feel like I've really gone above beyond the second goal, just sharing who I am, my culture. Definitely did that during my Peace Corps service, but even in years afterwards. Just recently, I had a friend of mine, a former student of mine, come and visit the United States from Namibia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he stay here or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He stayed with me for three weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, good. How was that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:467", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.824307095798814, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well I taught them physical science and I tried to make it fun and interesting and engaging. And, you know, these are kids who their day to day life is working out in the field, you know, plowing fields for, you know, for millet. And so, you know, you can imagine how learning about the structure of an atom is not really relevant. So I tried to make class really interesting and engaging just the way that I taught, I mean, a fun teacher. And so in that sense I guess I try to get them excited about learning. And so in terms of, you know, meeting the first goal of the Peace Corps, which is training people, educating people, I guess, in my situation, um, no, I accomplished that to the average degree, I must say. I wouldn’t feel like tremendous outcomes there. But the second and third goals, I feel like I've really gone above beyond the second goal, just sharing who I am, my culture. Definitely did that during my Peace Corps service, but even in years afterwards. Just recently, I had a friend of mine, a former student of mine, come and visit the United States from Namibia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he stay here or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He stayed with me for three weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, good. How was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was amazing. Wonderful. Yeah, it's a dream of mine to bring him here and also dream of his, you know. And he was one of my students from my science class, grade nine. His name is Pontianus Mukishi. And so I was able to share with him my culture. And then third goal, I've been talking about my Peace Corps service for ten years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you're a recruiter."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:469", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.58256343977646, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He stayed with me for three weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, good. How was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was amazing. Wonderful. Yeah, it's a dream of mine to bring him here and also dream of his, you know. And he was one of my students from my science class, grade nine. His name is Pontianus Mukishi. And so I was able to share with him my culture. And then third goal, I've been talking about my Peace Corps service for ten years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you're a recruiter."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And it's part of my life. And I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of people traveling the world and learning about other cultures and other people opening themselves up to these experiences. I feel that it changes people for the better, um, just by putting yourself in these situations where you have this visceral experience and just by being in the presence of somebody else who is of a different culture and different country, I feel like that changes people for the better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You know, question 12, you've answered this, all about your contact with people from the country. You know, you're going back tomorrow. You're a Peace Corps recruiter. You've got one and a half more years, you told me at some point. You're involved with the third goal activities. Anything you might want to add that's not specified in that question?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:471", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.3139593775294, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was amazing. Wonderful. Yeah, it's a dream of mine to bring him here and also dream of his, you know. And he was one of my students from my science class, grade nine. His name is Pontianus Mukishi. And so I was able to share with him my culture. And then third goal, I've been talking about my Peace Corps service for ten years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you're a recruiter."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And it's part of my life. And I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of people traveling the world and learning about other cultures and other people opening themselves up to these experiences. I feel that it changes people for the better, um, just by putting yourself in these situations where you have this visceral experience and just by being in the presence of somebody else who is of a different culture and different country, I feel like that changes people for the better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You know, question 12, you've answered this, all about your contact with people from the country. You know, you're going back tomorrow. You're a Peace Corps recruiter. You've got one and a half more years, you told me at some point. You're involved with the third goal activities. Anything you might want to add that's not specified in that question?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. This is question 12. Yeah, I would say I haven't really talked about Ponty a whole lot, so let me just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and I might have missed something here."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:473", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.126621530588222, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And it's part of my life. And I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of people traveling the world and learning about other cultures and other people opening themselves up to these experiences. I feel that it changes people for the better, um, just by putting yourself in these situations where you have this visceral experience and just by being in the presence of somebody else who is of a different culture and different country, I feel like that changes people for the better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You know, question 12, you've answered this, all about your contact with people from the country. You know, you're going back tomorrow. You're a Peace Corps recruiter. You've got one and a half more years, you told me at some point. You're involved with the third goal activities. Anything you might want to add that's not specified in that question?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. This is question 12. Yeah, I would say I haven't really talked about Ponty a whole lot, so let me just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and I might have missed something here."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was talking about Matjayi earlier."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And Ponty, is he the young man that came to you recently? OK, hold on just a minute. As you talk about how you spell his name, please."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:475", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.918468367320247, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. This is question 12. Yeah, I would say I haven't really talked about Ponty a whole lot, so let me just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and I might have missed something here."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was talking about Matjayi earlier."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And Ponty, is he the young man that came to you recently? OK, hold on just a minute. As you talk about how you spell his name, please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pontianus, P-O-N-T-I-A-N-U-S."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's his first name."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:477", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.798298185911385, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was talking about Matjayi earlier."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And Ponty, is he the young man that came to you recently? OK, hold on just a minute. As you talk about how you spell his name, please."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pontianus, P-O-N-T-I-A-N-U-S."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's his first name."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's his first name. He goes by Ponty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And his last name?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:479", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.775886873234871, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pontianus, P-O-N-T-I-A-N-U-S."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's his first name."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's his first name. He goes by Ponty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And his last name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mukishi. M-U-K-I-S-H-I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was a former student."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:481", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.862096525816524, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's his first name. He goes by Ponty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And his last name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mukishi. M-U-K-I-S-H-I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was a former student."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He's in my grade class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. What would you like to share with us about Ponty?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:483", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.957885028685027, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mukishi. M-U-K-I-S-H-I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he was a former student."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He's in my grade class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. What would you like to share with us about Ponty?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I could talk about him forever. Ponty, he's a special person. I knew this right away when I first met him. It's hard to put my finger on it in words, but sometimes you just know something about somebody you can, you know you can trust them. You know they have integrity. And I did tell that about him. I can tell that he's a good person inside. In Namibia we had Camp GLOW."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know a little bit. We had a Peace Corps meeting, one of our bi-monthly meetings. We had talked about it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:485", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.953205587427808, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He's in my grade class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. What would you like to share with us about Ponty?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I could talk about him forever. Ponty, he's a special person. I knew this right away when I first met him. It's hard to put my finger on it in words, but sometimes you just know something about somebody you can, you know you can trust them. You know they have integrity. And I did tell that about him. I can tell that he's a good person inside. In Namibia we had Camp GLOW."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know a little bit. We had a Peace Corps meeting, one of our bi-monthly meetings. We had talked about it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So GLOW is Girls Leading Our World and we changed it to Girls and Guys Leading Our World. And so Ponty applied. He got accepted to go, actually taking out one of my, Matjayi, one of my other students, Matjayi’s older cousin and he applied. He got accepted, but then he got thrown in jail and kind of had a falling out. And so Ponty filled in his place. So we went and did this leadership camp and that's how I really got to know Ponty much better through that experience. And so then, you know, Ponty and I just started to develop a friendship, relationship. I wasn't, like, super close with him for a while. But I guess towards the end of my service, I just started to see a lot of potential in him. And I wanted to help him out if I could. I felt like I felt like if I invested in this guy, he's going to make the most of it. And so when I left Namibia, there's another volunteer who, I told her, can you help? I'm going to give you some money. Can you help pay for his school fees so he can get into senior secondary school?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could I interrupt you, was school free?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:487", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.059117319364232, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I could talk about him forever. Ponty, he's a special person. I knew this right away when I first met him. It's hard to put my finger on it in words, but sometimes you just know something about somebody you can, you know you can trust them. You know they have integrity. And I did tell that about him. I can tell that he's a good person inside. In Namibia we had Camp GLOW."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know a little bit. We had a Peace Corps meeting, one of our bi-monthly meetings. We had talked about it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So GLOW is Girls Leading Our World and we changed it to Girls and Guys Leading Our World. And so Ponty applied. He got accepted to go, actually taking out one of my, Matjayi, one of my other students, Matjayi’s older cousin and he applied. He got accepted, but then he got thrown in jail and kind of had a falling out. And so Ponty filled in his place. So we went and did this leadership camp and that's how I really got to know Ponty much better through that experience. And so then, you know, Ponty and I just started to develop a friendship, relationship. I wasn't, like, super close with him for a while. But I guess towards the end of my service, I just started to see a lot of potential in him. And I wanted to help him out if I could. I felt like I felt like if I invested in this guy, he's going to make the most of it. And so when I left Namibia, there's another volunteer who, I told her, can you help? I'm going to give you some money. Can you help pay for his school fees so he can get into senior secondary school?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could I interrupt you, was school free?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "All the students had to pay for school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even grade one?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:489", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.287908132626924, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So GLOW is Girls Leading Our World and we changed it to Girls and Guys Leading Our World. And so Ponty applied. He got accepted to go, actually taking out one of my, Matjayi, one of my other students, Matjayi’s older cousin and he applied. He got accepted, but then he got thrown in jail and kind of had a falling out. And so Ponty filled in his place. So we went and did this leadership camp and that's how I really got to know Ponty much better through that experience. And so then, you know, Ponty and I just started to develop a friendship, relationship. I wasn't, like, super close with him for a while. But I guess towards the end of my service, I just started to see a lot of potential in him. And I wanted to help him out if I could. I felt like I felt like if I invested in this guy, he's going to make the most of it. And so when I left Namibia, there's another volunteer who, I told her, can you help? I'm going to give you some money. Can you help pay for his school fees so he can get into senior secondary school?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could I interrupt you, was school free?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "All the students had to pay for school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even grade one?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I don't know about the primary schools."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But later on, it's a public school but they had to pay fees."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:491", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 13.65323125847436, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All the students had to pay for school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even grade one?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I don't know about the primary schools."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But later on, it's a public school but they had to pay fees."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had to pay school fees and they had to pay for exams. So it's very challenging."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it expensive or was it a reasonable price for them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:495", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.386705257375752, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had to pay school fees and they had to pay for exams. So it's very challenging."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it expensive or was it a reasonable price for them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was expensive for them. In U.S. dollars, you know, ten, fifteen dollars, you know, it's not a whole lot. But when you don't have a steady income and you live in a subsistence farming."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK, so I told my friend to help if she would help pay for Ponty’s school fees, I'll transfer money to her and then she could transfer money to Ponty. And so that's how I kind of stay connected with him. I helped him get into the grade 11, grade 12, and then he was finally able to graduate from secondary school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, that you had a word for it because your school went to the tenth grade. What was the name for grade 11 and 12?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:497", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 15.985228063750835, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was expensive for them. In U.S. dollars, you know, ten, fifteen dollars, you know, it's not a whole lot. But when you don't have a steady income and you live in a subsistence farming."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK, so I told my friend to help if she would help pay for Ponty’s school fees, I'll transfer money to her and then she could transfer money to Ponty. And so that's how I kind of stay connected with him. I helped him get into the grade 11, grade 12, and then he was finally able to graduate from secondary school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, that you had a word for it because your school went to the tenth grade. What was the name for grade 11 and 12?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Senior secondary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Senior secondary. OK, continue."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:501", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 14.796577856482513, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Senior secondary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Senior secondary. OK, continue."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But that was kind of the end of it. You know, this was like 2009, ‘10. I just, you know, didn't really hear a whole lot from Ponty afterwards. Every now and then maybe I'd see something on Facebook. You know, I started getting on Facebook at that time, but it wasn't until 2012. I was in graduate school in Colorado at Boulder, and I was just working on my computer and I get this little notification pop up and I look and I'm like, who is this? And it turns out it's a Google video chat request from Ponty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And when I left Namibia, I didn't even know that he knew how to use a computer, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh and so they had no computers in school at that time."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:513", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9138641100000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, initially, I just helped pay his school fees so he can get to grade 11 and 12."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But when he got here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, when he got here. This was in October. And so when he when Ponty came, well the whole reason why I wanted to get Ponty to come to the United States was just for the simple act of him being here and seeing what it is. And so then it would help to maybe just dispel any myths that he might have or, you know, just to add some more reality to this kind of mythical idea of what the United States is to so many people in the media. Well, they just see what's on TV and so I want to I want to show him, uh, you know, what my life is like. And so that was the main reason I you know, of course, once he got here and once he started preparing plans, he found many opportunities to promote the work that he's doing. And all the people we presented to really loved this idea and they want to support him and help now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So could it be a Peace Corps partnership?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, could be, but we need to have a Peace Corps volunteer currently serving. And we've explored that a little bit, but haven't had too much luck yet. But ultimately, what I want to do is set up an official non-profit entity in the States that can support the work he's doing in Namibia. He's registered as an official business in Namibia. So he's got that already taken care of, and then I want to support as much as I can from here in the States. And ultimately we can turn this into, I mean, if I'm being really ambitious, this could be my future job, future career."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Helping with development."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:517", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.831931000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, could be, but we need to have a Peace Corps volunteer currently serving. And we've explored that a little bit, but haven't had too much luck yet. But ultimately, what I want to do is set up an official non-profit entity in the States that can support the work he's doing in Namibia. He's registered as an official business in Namibia. So he's got that already taken care of, and then I want to support as much as I can from here in the States. And ultimately we can turn this into, I mean, if I'm being really ambitious, this could be my future job, future career."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Helping with development."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Turning into a more well-established kind of non- profit organization. Right now we're at the very initial beginning stages. But you know, I feel like we have the foundation of the seeds for something like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow, that's a great story, sincerely. I think so. Wow, what can I say? I know you've got to get ready for your trip tomorrow to Africa. Well, I'll just word it this way. Number question thirteen. You've shared a lot of information, personal, your Peace Corps experience, et cetera. Thank you. Thank you for sharing. Anything else, anything else you might want to add about how the Peace Corps has affected you? In your view as a person, career plans, you just sort of mentioned that are you still in that program at Regis? You are still a graduate student at Regis now with this development practice. Sounds interesting. OK, anything else you might want to add or something that I didn't touch on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I never imagined that I would do the Peace Corps when I was younger, like, you know, high school, early 20s, I never thought of this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were like mid 20s when you went?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:519", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.14659, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Turning into a more well-established kind of non- profit organization. Right now we're at the very initial beginning stages. But you know, I feel like we have the foundation of the seeds for something like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow, that's a great story, sincerely. I think so. Wow, what can I say? I know you've got to get ready for your trip tomorrow to Africa. Well, I'll just word it this way. Number question thirteen. You've shared a lot of information, personal, your Peace Corps experience, et cetera. Thank you. Thank you for sharing. Anything else, anything else you might want to add about how the Peace Corps has affected you? In your view as a person, career plans, you just sort of mentioned that are you still in that program at Regis? You are still a graduate student at Regis now with this development practice. Sounds interesting. OK, anything else you might want to add or something that I didn't touch on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I never imagined that I would do the Peace Corps when I was younger, like, you know, high school, early 20s, I never thought of this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were like mid 20s when you went?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was 26. And I just I would say that for the majority of my early life and into my early 20s, I felt kind of lost. I was searching for something, I was searching for meaning, searching for just some direction. And I couldn’t really put my thumb on, you know, what would be the right path for me. And I guess like what the Peace Corps has given me, it's been kind of like a compass in my life, a moral compass, if you will."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A moral compass."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:525", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.71, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's served me on many different levels. It's given me something to invest myself and to commit myself to a cause, to commit myself to, which I think is such a powerful idea. If you can find it, if you can find an idea that you believe in, that can be such a motivating force in your life. And so this has given me an idea to commend myself and, uh, commit myself to and to believe it. And it's not to say that I'm gung ho about the Peace Corps itself. It's more about what the Peace Corps is trying to move towards and trying to represent. It's very idealistic. You know, we're trying to create a more unified and harmonious world, to learning about each other and understanding each other’s cultures. And that's something that I wholeheartedly embrace. And I always tell people, um, you know, yes, you can do the Peace Corps, but what I care about most is that you open yourself up to traveling, to other people and other cultures, and you can do that through traveling. And the Peace Corps gives you a gateway to do that. And so, you know, for me, it's just really helped me to kind of find direction in my life. It's become that in a very real way by working for the organization. But I have to think beyond a Peace Corps. I'm not going to be a recruiter forever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You can’t, you're limited to five years I believe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so I only have a year and a half left and I got to figure out, OK, what am I going to do? Well, I know I want to work in development work. I want to be involved in development work to some degree for the rest of my life. I just know that. I know that I love multimedia work. And Peace Corps gave me an opportunity to explore that. And to a great degree, which I don't know if I would have had otherwise or had the courage to pursue that as much as I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you interested in teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, the reason I asked is because you were a teacher."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:527", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so I only have a year and a half left and I got to figure out, OK, what am I going to do? Well, I know I want to work in development work. I want to be involved in development work to some degree for the rest of my life. I just know that. I know that I love multimedia work. And Peace Corps gave me an opportunity to explore that. And to a great degree, which I don't know if I would have had otherwise or had the courage to pursue that as much as I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you interested in teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, the reason I asked is because you were a teacher."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, but it was extremely difficult for me. Yeah, I do really great in one-on-one situations, yeah. I can focus directly on one person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the whole class is different."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:529", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, the reason I asked is because you were a teacher."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, but it was extremely difficult for me. Yeah, I do really great in one-on-one situations, yeah. I can focus directly on one person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the whole class is different."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A group is really hard on me. It drains me. And that's why after I get done with a day of teaching, I'll go home and close the door, recoup, get my energy back. And then plus being a teacher you have to be the disciplinarian. I'm not a disciplinarian. I like to be the friend. So when I’m one-on-one, I can do really well, so if anything, I would be like a counselor maybe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK, but not the classroom teacher, that’s fine."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:531", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, but it was extremely difficult for me. Yeah, I do really great in one-on-one situations, yeah. I can focus directly on one person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the whole class is different."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A group is really hard on me. It drains me. And that's why after I get done with a day of teaching, I'll go home and close the door, recoup, get my energy back. And then plus being a teacher you have to be the disciplinarian. I'm not a disciplinarian. I like to be the friend. So when I’m one-on-one, I can do really well, so if anything, I would be like a counselor maybe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK, but not the classroom teacher, that’s fine."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's why I'm not the classroom teacher. I love the power of a story. And so what Peace Corps has given me is, power story. It's given me many stories to tell. It’s shown me how powerful connecting with other people can be and opening up yourself to other people can be. And just in recruiting so many people over so many years, it's been really encouraging on the one hand, because I see how many people want to make a difference in the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really, still? I wonder about that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:533", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A group is really hard on me. It drains me. And that's why after I get done with a day of teaching, I'll go home and close the door, recoup, get my energy back. And then plus being a teacher you have to be the disciplinarian. I'm not a disciplinarian. I like to be the friend. So when I’m one-on-one, I can do really well, so if anything, I would be like a counselor maybe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK, but not the classroom teacher, that’s fine."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's why I'm not the classroom teacher. I love the power of a story. And so what Peace Corps has given me is, power story. It's given me many stories to tell. It’s shown me how powerful connecting with other people can be and opening up yourself to other people can be. And just in recruiting so many people over so many years, it's been really encouraging on the one hand, because I see how many people want to make a difference in the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really, still? I wonder about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, I interact with people reaching out to me about this every single day, so I have a little bit of a skewed perspective. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And just for the record, the interviewer is a baby boomer, so I wonder if young millennials are still interested. That was not part of the interview question, but I just thought I'd throw it in. And I really do wonder, do people really care about development or what's going well? Not that I don't think people do."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:535", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's why I'm not the classroom teacher. I love the power of a story. And so what Peace Corps has given me is, power story. It's given me many stories to tell. It’s shown me how powerful connecting with other people can be and opening up yourself to other people can be. And just in recruiting so many people over so many years, it's been really encouraging on the one hand, because I see how many people want to make a difference in the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really, still? I wonder about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, I interact with people reaching out to me about this every single day, so I have a little bit of a skewed perspective. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And just for the record, the interviewer is a baby boomer, so I wonder if young millennials are still interested. That was not part of the interview question, but I just thought I'd throw it in. And I really do wonder, do people really care about development or what's going well? Not that I don't think people do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's not so much that they want to, like, care about development. It's that what I’ve seen as like an underlying current theme is that people want to have meaning and purpose. They want to do something that they want to do work that means something. And a lot of times people, you know, that may be in a job that just isn't very fulfilling, doesn't feel like they're doing anything that matters. And that's kind of what keeps coming up over and over again. Meaning, yes, they want to do something that makes a difference. And that's why I first sought out the Peace Corps. When I started searching around my senior year in college, I was looking for something that would give me more meaning in my life. And I wasn't getting that from my studies and science. And then, you know, I stumbled across the Peace Corps. But that initial impulse was to try and find something, some kind of work that I could do that mattered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you found it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:537", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, I interact with people reaching out to me about this every single day, so I have a little bit of a skewed perspective. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And just for the record, the interviewer is a baby boomer, so I wonder if young millennials are still interested. That was not part of the interview question, but I just thought I'd throw it in. And I really do wonder, do people really care about development or what's going well? Not that I don't think people do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's not so much that they want to, like, care about development. It's that what I’ve seen as like an underlying current theme is that people want to have meaning and purpose. They want to do something that they want to do work that means something. And a lot of times people, you know, that may be in a job that just isn't very fulfilling, doesn't feel like they're doing anything that matters. And that's kind of what keeps coming up over and over again. Meaning, yes, they want to do something that makes a difference. And that's why I first sought out the Peace Corps. When I started searching around my senior year in college, I was looking for something that would give me more meaning in my life. And I wasn't getting that from my studies and science. And then, you know, I stumbled across the Peace Corps. But that initial impulse was to try and find something, some kind of work that I could do that mattered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you found it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I found it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a process, isn't it? Yeah. Thank you so much, Cedar. I can't think of anything else to ask you. You've shared oodles. I mean, it's been very interesting. And by the way, listener, Cedar is contemplating or will be maybe the resource person or what's the official title for this, coordinator for the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. So I was happy to interview Cedar."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:539", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's not so much that they want to, like, care about development. It's that what I’ve seen as like an underlying current theme is that people want to have meaning and purpose. They want to do something that they want to do work that means something. And a lot of times people, you know, that may be in a job that just isn't very fulfilling, doesn't feel like they're doing anything that matters. And that's kind of what keeps coming up over and over again. Meaning, yes, they want to do something that makes a difference. And that's why I first sought out the Peace Corps. When I started searching around my senior year in college, I was looking for something that would give me more meaning in my life. And I wasn't getting that from my studies and science. And then, you know, I stumbled across the Peace Corps. But that initial impulse was to try and find something, some kind of work that I could do that mattered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you found it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I found it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a process, isn't it? Yeah. Thank you so much, Cedar. I can't think of anything else to ask you. You've shared oodles. I mean, it's been very interesting. And by the way, listener, Cedar is contemplating or will be maybe the resource person or what's the official title for this, coordinator for the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. So I was happy to interview Cedar."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And if anything and I guess I can close out with this. I want to give back to the Peace Corps community in some way. I wanted to leave my mark, however I can on this organization, this community, this idea that has influenced and changed my life in so many great lives. And so hopefully through my involvement with something like this through this oral history project, maybe that can be a way for me to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, good. Thank you so much. And so are we closing the interview now, Cedar?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:541", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I found it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a process, isn't it? Yeah. Thank you so much, Cedar. I can't think of anything else to ask you. You've shared oodles. I mean, it's been very interesting. And by the way, listener, Cedar is contemplating or will be maybe the resource person or what's the official title for this, coordinator for the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. So I was happy to interview Cedar."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And if anything and I guess I can close out with this. I want to give back to the Peace Corps community in some way. I wanted to leave my mark, however I can on this organization, this community, this idea that has influenced and changed my life in so many great lives. And so hopefully through my involvement with something like this through this oral history project, maybe that can be a way for me to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, good. Thank you so much. And so are we closing the interview now, Cedar?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, I guess we can turn off the recorder."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00038:543", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And if anything and I guess I can close out with this. I want to give back to the Peace Corps community in some way. I wanted to leave my mark, however I can on this organization, this community, this idea that has influenced and changed my life in so many great lives. And so hopefully through my involvement with something like this through this oral history project, maybe that can be a way for me to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, good. Thank you so much. And so are we closing the interview now, Cedar?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, I guess we can turn off the recorder."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or wait for round two!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't have any more questions right now. OK, that was Cedar Wolf. C-E-D-A-R W-O-L-F. OK, thank you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.083412553734366, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The way I remember it, there were a lot of different versions of what the RIO was going to be, everything from assistant flight director to just somebody that's mimicking what everybody else tells them. In reality, the job wound up being something in between, trying to be a cognizant as you could of what was going on on the flight control team and figuring out which of that we should tell the Russians. Not to withhold information, but that it wasn't relevant to their decision-making processes. And then to do the reverse.\\n\\n They had a person in their control center that was doing the same thing, which was aide to the flight director. The Russian acronym was PRP. So you'd have to take what he told you and figure out the relevance to the decisions that we were making in the control center and then pass those along to either the flight director or the appropriate person on the flight control team."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're like a right-hand person to people in the Mission Control Center?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was a way to simplify the interface between the two control teams. We plan to use them for the station, just because if you have two flight control teams, you do want everybody talking to everybody else. You want our environmental specialists to be able to talk to their environmental specialists. But as far as marching down the road of executing the mission, you need somebody that's going to keep each control center in sync, because you can go off forty directions with everybody doing their same thing. You have that problem anyway with one flight control team. So with two, you needed, I guess you'd call it a sync pulse. Keep the control teams in line. That's kind of what the RIO and the PRP did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Kind of developed your job as you went through it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was more than on-the-job training."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.42601394859374, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was a way to simplify the interface between the two control teams. We plan to use them for the station, just because if you have two flight control teams, you do want everybody talking to everybody else. You want our environmental specialists to be able to talk to their environmental specialists. But as far as marching down the road of executing the mission, you need somebody that's going to keep each control center in sync, because you can go off forty directions with everybody doing their same thing. You have that problem anyway with one flight control team. So with two, you needed, I guess you'd call it a sync pulse. Keep the control teams in line. That's kind of what the RIO and the PRP did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Kind of developed your job as you went through it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was more than on-the-job training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was on-the-job job."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.917793276215265, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was more than on-the-job training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was on-the-job job."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Since it was a new concept position, we had to start from scratch on everything: console, procedures, everything from making sure there was a hole-puncher to training interpreters. We weren't sure what we were going to have to do when we started the job, what it was going to take. We soon found out that we were going to be teaching interpreters basic Shuttle training classes. We had to figure out how to certify the interpreters and get them all trained, and how we were going to simulate the Russians when they weren't really in a simulation with us.\\n\\n We wound up training ourselves. We'd have one RIO that was part of the flight control team and his interpreter. Then over in the training area where the rest of the training team sit, we'd have another RIO and another interpreter, being Moscow. We would help write the scripts and be a part of the training team. Then when it was your turn to train on the flight, you'd switch with someone.\\n\\n There was one particular PRP that they had, sometimes it was difficult to get agreement out of him on things, and you didn't understand why not. It wasn't like, \"Yes, we understand why you don't agree.\" It was like, \"Why are you disagreeing with us?\" We always tried to emulate him when we were on the simulation side. When we were training one class of interpreters, they were like, \"Why are you doing that? That's so negative training. You're being difficult when you know these people are not going to be difficult to work with.\"\\n\\n The first time that person sat down and the person we were simulating was really on the other end of the line they said, \"Gosh, this is just like in the simulations.\" We all laughed about it, because we knew. I mean, we didn't make it up. We were just trying to be as difficult as he was trying to be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The training was realistic."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 21.92114134252958, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I tried not to focus too much on what was going on on the rendezvous, and focus on what my role was as the RIO. But I remember when I looked up, we had the TV on, we had the camera pointed at the top of the docking system, and when I saw those two pieces of hardware coming together, I thought, \"Gosh, this is just the coolest thing I've ever done.\" But when you're in that moment, you can't stand up and say, \"Yea, we did it!\" You have to keep focus on what you're doing, because there's a lot that happens after the interfaces hook up, too. There were a lot of calls that we were making back and forth then, too.\\n\\n But when the shift was over, I stood back and thought--I thought back to--I can't remember, was it three years? I think it flew in 1995, 71 flew in 1995. All that had happened from the first time I had been there, when we were sitting across the table from them trying to figure out if we could even do this, could the Shuttle dock to the Mir without some kind of technical difficulties that couldn't be overcome, and we'd done it. It was just the coolest feeling. I can't tell you. I was just like, \"Oh, I'm so happy to be a part of this.\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then you got, of course, to watch it move on into the other areas, as well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned, too, that learning to deal with the Russians was a lesson that all the RIOs had to encounter."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you share some of the lessons or some of the experiences that you went through learning the successful way to deal with your international partners?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 16.48855562037735, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You found a good working relationship?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In general. There were a couple of personality differences, but, yes, and we knew we had a job to do and the flight directors expected us to do it. So we moved down that path. We hit a couple of roadblocks every once in a while, but that's normal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever encounter any hesitation from your counterpart when they spoke with you because you were a female?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It's hard for me to articulate without sounding negative about the Russians, but their culture is not the nineties' culture like it is here. They're making progress. I think they'll probably have a feminist movement. They're probably in the beginnings of a feminist movement now. I got a lot of comments, but they were never intended in a negative. It was more of an enlightening, I felt like, to them.\\n\\n The second trip I went over there, there were eight or nine of us. We had a couple of engineering people, mostly MOD people, Bob Castle and Gary Coen and myself and another woman who was the rendezvous specialist on 71, and one of the engineering specialists in attitude control went. So there were three women, six or seven men. I can't remember exactly. Small group. We met for a week.\\n\\n At the end of the week, they invited Gary Coen over to a party at Vladimir Solovyev's house, and they were trading stories and so forth. One of the Russians asked him, \"Where did you get all those smart women?\" [Laughter] Gary told us that story a couple of days later. He didn't tell us right away. But we all laughed about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that was a compliment, coming from him."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.57611103140612, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Well, no. While I was over there doing simulations or missions, every day was different. I mean, we never knew what the mood was going to be when you came in. You just had to go with it. If things are not going well, you can't let that set the tone for how it's going to go on your shift. You have to come in with a positive attitude and go to work and get things done like that.\\n\\n Sometimes getting ready for a flight was kind of cumbersome, getting documentation updated and making sure we had everything we needed. The logistics were all arranged for the consultants. The interpreters were trained and certified and ready to go, and understood their getting on shift, and so forth, like that. Sometimes it was a little cumbersome. But I found that to be true in other console positions, too. Right before flight, you're all focused on the flight and you forget to pick your kids up from dance. [Laughter] Things like that. But overall, I would say it was a great experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess your families have to be a little flexible, as well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. My daughter, her birthday this year, there were some Russians in town for a meeting and they asked if we could go to the beach. My daughter wanted to go to the beach on her birthday. So my husband loaded her and all her friends up in his car and then I had a carload of Russians, basically had to spend most of the day entertaining them. Sarah said, \"Are you going to pay any attention to me? It's my birthday.\" She's fourteen years old. You know how they are."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's like, \"Yes, Sarah, I'll do the best I can, but I have to take care of my Russian friends here, too.\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess she didn't go for being the only fourteen-year-old that had international friends there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.306790034895688, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. My daughter, her birthday this year, there were some Russians in town for a meeting and they asked if we could go to the beach. My daughter wanted to go to the beach on her birthday. So my husband loaded her and all her friends up in his car and then I had a carload of Russians, basically had to spend most of the day entertaining them. Sarah said, \"Are you going to pay any attention to me? It's my birthday.\" She's fourteen years old. You know how they are."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's like, \"Yes, Sarah, I'll do the best I can, but I have to take care of my Russian friends here, too.\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess she didn't go for being the only fourteen-year-old that had international friends there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't work. [Laughter]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.22976670543965, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's like, \"Yes, Sarah, I'll do the best I can, but I have to take care of my Russian friends here, too.\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess she didn't go for being the only fourteen-year-old that had international friends there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't work. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The funny thing is, since we've been working together for most of their cognizant youth, they take it for granted that you work with Russians. It's just people from another place. It's not the guys that we used to point our nuclear weapons at, because that was before they understood all of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hopefully they'll grow up with a different perception."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.366407450488502, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't work. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The funny thing is, since we've been working together for most of their cognizant youth, they take it for granted that you work with Russians. It's just people from another place. It's not the guys that we used to point our nuclear weapons at, because that was before they understood all of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hopefully they'll grow up with a different perception."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hope so. I hope so. I think that's good. I would like for them to appreciate it in a sense that they understand the value and the importance of--I sound like a bleeding-heart liberal, but world peace and working out your differences, rather than what we had before that. I hope it stays this way, anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hopefully at some point you can share information with her what it was like when you were fourteen, or maybe you've already had a chance to do that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 23.740452722765003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The funny thing is, since we've been working together for most of their cognizant youth, they take it for granted that you work with Russians. It's just people from another place. It's not the guys that we used to point our nuclear weapons at, because that was before they understood all of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hopefully they'll grow up with a different perception."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hope so. I hope so. I think that's good. I would like for them to appreciate it in a sense that they understand the value and the importance of--I sound like a bleeding-heart liberal, but world peace and working out your differences, rather than what we had before that. I hope it stays this way, anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hopefully at some point you can share information with her what it was like when you were fourteen, or maybe you've already had a chance to do that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have. I think it's intellectualizing about it, though, and she doesn't really understand what I'm trying to tell her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She's fourteen. [Laughter]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 24.15605858085, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hope so. I hope so. I think that's good. I would like for them to appreciate it in a sense that they understand the value and the importance of--I sound like a bleeding-heart liberal, but world peace and working out your differences, rather than what we had before that. I hope it stays this way, anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hopefully at some point you can share information with her what it was like when you were fourteen, or maybe you've already had a chance to do that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have. I think it's intellectualizing about it, though, and she doesn't really understand what I'm trying to tell her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She's fourteen. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I would love for her to go to Moscow to see the Bolshoi Ballet and realize how beautiful it is. My husband had an opportunity to go earlier in the year, and it turned out he couldn't go to Moscow. But I'd love for the whole family to just go see what life is like over there, see all the old buildings and beautiful churches and all the culture and history they have there. I think they would think that was a hoot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a chance to spend much time when you were there doing some of those things?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.571648500000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was just absolutely thrilled to death with the whole day. I wish there were something I could do to repay Victor and Sergei that way. Some of us took a busload of them to San Antonio one day, showed them the Riverwalk. They did a little bit of shopping. We actually went there and back all in one day, so it was kind of a long day, a lot of driving. But I think they enjoyed it.\\n\\n One of them, getting back to the women thing, was really impressed that I could drive all the way to San Antonio and all the way back. [Laughter] He thought that was amazing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What a woman. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I had most of the Russians in the van with me and we were driving. We were caravaning over there. There was an interpreter with us. Driving along, and I was speeding, probably going about somewhere between seventy-five and eighty, driving along. After a couple of hours, the interpreter said, \"Sally, they are telling you that they have decided that you are exceeding the speed limit.\"\\n\\n I said, \"Yes, I am. Thank you very much.\" [Laughter]\\n\\n But I think they were--I don't know this for sure, I think they were surprised that you could go that fast for that long. I don't know. Maybe they weren't. But it seemed like they were surprised by it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Certainly noticed what you were doing, though."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They talked for a long time before they finally came to that conclusion. They went back and forth. \"What are they talking about?\" \"We have determined you are exceeding the speed limit.\" [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you've had new friends and new responsibilities and a whole new concept. Your days were so busy and so full. Was there ever a time during all that time period you maybe thought that this hadn't been the right decision?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.635165000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I had most of the Russians in the van with me and we were driving. We were caravaning over there. There was an interpreter with us. Driving along, and I was speeding, probably going about somewhere between seventy-five and eighty, driving along. After a couple of hours, the interpreter said, \"Sally, they are telling you that they have decided that you are exceeding the speed limit.\"\\n\\n I said, \"Yes, I am. Thank you very much.\" [Laughter]\\n\\n But I think they were--I don't know this for sure, I think they were surprised that you could go that fast for that long. I don't know. Maybe they weren't. But it seemed like they were surprised by it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Certainly noticed what you were doing, though."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They talked for a long time before they finally came to that conclusion. They went back and forth. \"What are they talking about?\" \"We have determined you are exceeding the speed limit.\" [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you've had new friends and new responsibilities and a whole new concept. Your days were so busy and so full. Was there ever a time during all that time period you maybe thought that this hadn't been the right decision?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not just being a RIO. I mean, my career, in general, my kids fuss at me for spending too much time at work and I try to balance. You know how that is. Everybody here knows how that goes. But I can't imagine not working, not taking the opportunities to do things like this. I don't think I'd be a very good mom if I did that, because I wouldn't feel very fulfilled. I ask myself that question almost every day, \"Am I doing the right thing by working and working at a job that demands that much of me?\" But I feel happy and most of the time the kids understand. My husband's real understanding. He's just super supportive of me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the missions that you worked, did you remember one being more memorable than the other one? Of course, 71, because you got to see the--"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.816850000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They talked for a long time before they finally came to that conclusion. They went back and forth. \"What are they talking about?\" \"We have determined you are exceeding the speed limit.\" [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you've had new friends and new responsibilities and a whole new concept. Your days were so busy and so full. Was there ever a time during all that time period you maybe thought that this hadn't been the right decision?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not just being a RIO. I mean, my career, in general, my kids fuss at me for spending too much time at work and I try to balance. You know how that is. Everybody here knows how that goes. But I can't imagine not working, not taking the opportunities to do things like this. I don't think I'd be a very good mom if I did that, because I wouldn't feel very fulfilled. I ask myself that question almost every day, \"Am I doing the right thing by working and working at a job that demands that much of me?\" But I feel happy and most of the time the kids understand. My husband's real understanding. He's just super supportive of me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the missions that you worked, did you remember one being more memorable than the other one? Of course, 71, because you got to see the--"}, {"role": "user", "content": "71 was definitely more memorable. By the time we got to 74, I was focusing more on my rendezvous job, because I was working on a flight that was really going to require a lot of intense effort. I didn't have as much a role on 74. I don't know. 71 will always be special, because it was the first one and we spent so much time preparing for it and practicing. Everything was new."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds like it was a wonderful experience, a challenging experience, but a wonderful experience from one day to the next."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00772:88", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No matter how or at what point that comes about, it's a great idea to try to do that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we certainly thank you for your time. Do you have anything else that's come to your mind that you'd like to add?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I feel like I rambled a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, no. I think you've offered a lot of information and I'm sure that the information that you gave us will serve well for others that want to understand what you did. So we wish you the best of luck."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00188:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 22, "return_to_go": 84.60945126942286, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, one always sort of hesitates to leave your homeland. You're going away from things that are comfortable. But both my wife's family and mine had had a lot of trans-border activity. My dad was born in New Hampshire. My wife's mother was born in Idaho. So the families had moved back and forth. I've never been a particularly political person, and I'm not sure but what parochial nationalism hasn't been one of the major problems in the world. So I was not desperately worried from the national point of view.\\n\\n What was really driving was the job here, was an opportunity to do something absolutely unique and be involved right from the beginning. So it wasn't something I thought very long about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quite an opportunity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quite an opportunity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you did come down—no, actually, I'm sorry. Going back a step, the Arrow—there was a rollout of the Arrow on the same day that Sputnik was launched."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A memorable time. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Certainly memorable from your standpoint as an AVRO employee. Was Sputnik a factor, a discussion factor at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00188:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 40.311360984038494, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Indeed. So I sort of feel I've been making a giant circle of the continent, from Ontario, to Langley, to Houston."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Stopped for forty years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like you—well, you may still make it out to the West Coast. You still have plenty of time.\\n\\n As you were working with Mercury, then you worked into the Advanced Vehicles Group, and then Apollo, did you have any connection at all with Gemini?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. Gemini was inserted into the program for reasons, I'll say, other than engineering, and I think, looking at it in retrospect, it was a brilliant move. In fact, I think one of our Canadian colleagues, Jim [James A.] Chamberlin, was quite instrumental in promoting the Gemini Project, and I think he and, I'm sure, others realized that there needed to be a bridge between a single person in a very limited spacecraft for a period of a day, and three people in a very complicated spacecraft for a lunar mission for two weeks.\\n\\n Somehow you needed to develop a lot of operational understanding. You had to learn to do rendezvous and docking. You had to operate multiple spacecraft, as we did with the command module and the lunar module, and that you needed a vehicle to develop this. I think this was the genesis of the Gemini Program. From an engineering point of view, it was just sort of a slightly scaled-up overgrown Mercury, no particular engineering challenges. I think I made one trip to St. Louis [Missouri] to look at the Gemini shield, which was pretty standard state of the art. So I really had virtually nothing to do with it, but it was a good, solid program and an important part of the preparation for Apollo, giving the flight experience and the operational development opportunities."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A good learning opportunity."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00188:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 44.790401093376104, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Stopped for forty years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like you—well, you may still make it out to the West Coast. You still have plenty of time.\\n\\n As you were working with Mercury, then you worked into the Advanced Vehicles Group, and then Apollo, did you have any connection at all with Gemini?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. Gemini was inserted into the program for reasons, I'll say, other than engineering, and I think, looking at it in retrospect, it was a brilliant move. In fact, I think one of our Canadian colleagues, Jim [James A.] Chamberlin, was quite instrumental in promoting the Gemini Project, and I think he and, I'm sure, others realized that there needed to be a bridge between a single person in a very limited spacecraft for a period of a day, and three people in a very complicated spacecraft for a lunar mission for two weeks.\\n\\n Somehow you needed to develop a lot of operational understanding. You had to learn to do rendezvous and docking. You had to operate multiple spacecraft, as we did with the command module and the lunar module, and that you needed a vehicle to develop this. I think this was the genesis of the Gemini Program. From an engineering point of view, it was just sort of a slightly scaled-up overgrown Mercury, no particular engineering challenges. I think I made one trip to St. Louis [Missouri] to look at the Gemini shield, which was pretty standard state of the art. So I really had virtually nothing to do with it, but it was a good, solid program and an important part of the preparation for Apollo, giving the flight experience and the operational development opportunities."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A good learning opportunity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very important part of the learning process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "While you were working with Apollo, you had a couple of different positions in the thermal analysis section in the thermo-structures branch. Is there any specific responsibility beyond what you've told us about, work on the Apollo heat shield, anything that was unique to any of those positions?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00188:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 36.38495481232703, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, you fantasize about some of these scenarios, too. I thought supposing we do find something really deadly. What is the action? And it went through our minds that, well, you might, in fact, have to sacrifice everybody in the laboratory and bulldoze it under 100 feet of dirt. This sort of thing goes through your mind, if you really did have something that was seriously pathogenic. But fortunately, at least for the areas we visited, there was never anything of any serious hazard whatsoever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At least so far. We've hit the thirty-year mark."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It'll be interesting to go through this again as we tackle Mars samples return, because in three or four years we'll be coming back with samples from Mars, and we'll have to think through all the same decisions, but now with, I think, a much greater likelihood of life forms from Mars. So the quarantine issue has already been discussed again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Should be interesting to see what comes of that. We'll go ahead and pause here briefly to change out the tape."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. [Recorder turned off.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about your work at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory and the challenges that you had to work with, some that you had found yourself in the job to make it all work and to deal with the back contamination issue. Did you also have many considerations for the scientific issues, like what would be done with the rocks after they were brought back? Or was that a later consideration?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00188:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 40.588626067479666, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All the way around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's good to see they were still interested."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was delighted. And just a historic accident that I had maintained my Canadian citizenship during that period of time, because they wanted me to represent Canada here at Johnson. They wanted a Canadian citizen. Through a series of historical quirks, I had not become a naturalized U.S. citizen, so I was still qualified for their short list of candidates."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting how fate happens or twists and it all ends up working out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It certainly seems to. I've been richly blessed in terms of this kind of opportunity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very good.\\n\\n About your opportunity at the Canadian Space Agency. When you first came in, or at the time it was the NRC, what were your initial tasks and responsibilities and the state of the space station at the time, and how did that evolve?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00188:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.307163730000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'd like to think it has yet to come, so I'm not sure. I think the analytical melding of all the data that gave us the confidence in the Apollo heat shield performance, that is sort of one thing I look back on and say that was, in engineering terms, not in scientific terms, but in engineering terms, that was about as close to pioneering as I've ever gotten. It was probing into some really new areas. There wasn't a lot of precedent to go by. We had to do something, so you did what you could. Then very thankful when it works. So that, I think, is one that stands out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It certainly was a big challenge and certainly was met successfully. As you said, you probably do have more coming. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We'll see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in comparison, or maybe the same thing, what would you think of as your greatest accomplishment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in a purely professional sense, certainly the Apollo era and the successful return from the moon, that was a landmark.\\n\\n I also feel good about the large-area crop inventory experiment that we did in the earth resources area. That was a well-conceived experiment, it was well executed, even though the technology was not adopted by our users to the extent we would have liked. It was still a good professional piece of work. I felt good about that.\\n\\n Under my current circumstances, I have finally got a small space power program going in Canada, and I have persevered and I feel good about that. Now, whether it comes to fruition in any significant way remains to be seen, but I think I will be proud of that as another one of those things that you look back on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You certainly have many things that you can say that you accomplished and did well. I'm sure that your work on the solar power will come through eventually."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00188:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.0079597, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We'll see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in comparison, or maybe the same thing, what would you think of as your greatest accomplishment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in a purely professional sense, certainly the Apollo era and the successful return from the moon, that was a landmark.\\n\\n I also feel good about the large-area crop inventory experiment that we did in the earth resources area. That was a well-conceived experiment, it was well executed, even though the technology was not adopted by our users to the extent we would have liked. It was still a good professional piece of work. I felt good about that.\\n\\n Under my current circumstances, I have finally got a small space power program going in Canada, and I have persevered and I feel good about that. Now, whether it comes to fruition in any significant way remains to be seen, but I think I will be proud of that as another one of those things that you look back on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You certainly have many things that you can say that you accomplished and did well. I'm sure that your work on the solar power will come through eventually."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A lot of good reasons for it.\\n\\n You mentioned earlier that it was in fifth grade when the explorer came and talked about going to the moon, you thought that would be really interesting. Would you ever have thought, or even possibly conceived, where all the different stages your career would take you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.40183104093885, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—to talk about Expedition 50 today and 51. I wanted to ask you when you learned that you would be assigned to a new increment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember the exact date. I think it was last August; it was in August of 2014. The training team assessed my level of knowledge, how much I remembered from before in October. I didn’t start training until April of 2015. The mission is planned to launch in mid-November of 2016."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Seems so long ago, right? I thought it was interesting, because when I was out on your Tumblr page there was a timeline. Someone put that it was announced February 9th. What a great birthday present."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, the official announcement was on February 9th. There’s always a delay between your assignment and the official announcement; it has to be coordinated internationally. It takes time, so that’s what the delay was. It coincidentally happened to be announced on my birthday, so I did get officially announced then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering about that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 21.557590045487608, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember the exact date. I think it was last August; it was in August of 2014. The training team assessed my level of knowledge, how much I remembered from before in October. I didn’t start training until April of 2015. The mission is planned to launch in mid-November of 2016."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Seems so long ago, right? I thought it was interesting, because when I was out on your Tumblr page there was a timeline. Someone put that it was announced February 9th. What a great birthday present."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, the official announcement was on February 9th. There’s always a delay between your assignment and the official announcement; it has to be coordinated internationally. It takes time, so that’s what the delay was. It coincidentally happened to be announced on my birthday, so I did get officially announced then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so it was a nice birthday present."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s very nice."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.84176671720845, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, the official announcement was on February 9th. There’s always a delay between your assignment and the official announcement; it has to be coordinated internationally. It takes time, so that’s what the delay was. It coincidentally happened to be announced on my birthday, so I did get officially announced then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so it was a nice birthday present."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s very nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not as good as the Columbus module I received on one of my birthday presents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Still, very memorable. You’ll never forget that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 25.37974079689828, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so it was a nice birthday present."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s very nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not as good as the Columbus module I received on one of my birthday presents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Still, very memorable. You’ll never forget that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s been about eight years since you’ve launched and gone to the ISS [International Space Station]. Are you preparing or approaching this mission any differently than you were the last time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.86637866322031, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not as good as the Columbus module I received on one of my birthday presents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Still, very memorable. You’ll never forget that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s been about eight years since you’ve launched and gone to the ISS [International Space Station]. Are you preparing or approaching this mission any differently than you were the last time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we talked a little bit about training as an evolution [last time we spoke]. We have changed our training plans and our training flows since the beginning of the International Space Station in the 16 years we’ve been flying. So, as part of the training flow, my responsibilities [and] the details of my training have changed over that time. In addition, I also have probably a little bit more say, because I have some experience about what I do or don’t need more or less of. From my perspective of having lived up there a year, I can say, “You know, I don’t really need any more of that training. That’s sufficient. I feel comfortable. I feel refreshed on that. I don’t need any more.”\\n\\n Usually it’s a discussion with the instructors about, “These connectors are complex; I’d like to have a little bit more training on this,” and they’ll find the time in the schedule to do that, just as a refresher. They have a definitive plan that they want to follow, but they do individualize it to some degree based on previous experience and your own comfort level. I think that the biggest advantage of having flown before is that I know what to worry about and what not to worry about. As a rookie, I was always worrying, “I have to know everything,” and now it’s “Yes, I’ll be okay without any more training on that, because I’ll be able to do it from the procedure. It’ll be fine.” That perspective is very different. It’s a little more relaxed. You don’t have to get quite so stressed about what you don’t know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what are you focusing on, or what are your concerns as you get ready?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.531964344528003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Even with the HTV [H-II Transfer Vehicle] and the Cygnus, you can’t chuck it in, because you could throw off the center of gravity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the ground team will even tell us how to pack the trash, based on its assumed mass, so that you will not mess with the center of gravity too much, and when the vehicle fires its thrusters it will go the direction that the ground team wants it to go, which we also want it to do as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s important, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it’s still complex, but not nearly the level of detail that was required on the Orbiter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I have to ask: do you have to weigh the trash?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 35.03551593836445, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the ground team will even tell us how to pack the trash, based on its assumed mass, so that you will not mess with the center of gravity too much, and when the vehicle fires its thrusters it will go the direction that the ground team wants it to go, which we also want it to do as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s important, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it’s still complex, but not nearly the level of detail that was required on the Orbiter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I have to ask: do you have to weigh the trash?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We can’t really weigh it, but it’s all known."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, that makes sense."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 37.81723993151605, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it’s still complex, but not nearly the level of detail that was required on the Orbiter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I have to ask: do you have to weigh the trash?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We can’t really weigh it, but it’s all known."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, that makes sense."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s all known because the ground team sent it up. We even get told onboard the Station, when you’re discarding a piece of hardware, “Okay, store this barcode in this particular trash bag, and then this piece of hardware that’s broken or whatever, put it into a different trash bag.” That keeps us from having to re-sort the bags prior to packing them in the vehicle, because they’ll know how much mass each bag has, and how to balance it. They figure that whole plan out here on the ground. It’s just amazingly complex; all the thought that has to go into even just burning up our trash."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I had no idea."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 42.01915547946228, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We can’t really weigh it, but it’s all known."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, that makes sense."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s all known because the ground team sent it up. We even get told onboard the Station, when you’re discarding a piece of hardware, “Okay, store this barcode in this particular trash bag, and then this piece of hardware that’s broken or whatever, put it into a different trash bag.” That keeps us from having to re-sort the bags prior to packing them in the vehicle, because they’ll know how much mass each bag has, and how to balance it. They figure that whole plan out here on the ground. It’s just amazingly complex; all the thought that has to go into even just burning up our trash."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I had no idea."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what else is new that you’ll be doing on that mission?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 24.891015987970587, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You can, if you weekends while you are on travel. But there’s not a lot of other time, and the problem is I get tired of traveling. We do get vacations. My flow’s about 18 months, and I think I have five weeks in that timeframe to have vacation. Some of it’s pretty dictated. For instance, the two weeks of Christmas you get vacation, since there are no instructors available. Often, if we have a holiday here in the US, they’ll send us to another country so that we can train there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Take advantage of that full week."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, instead of a partial week. So the training flow gets a little long, but we do have the week before the last trip to Russia when you would go for launch, there’s a week off. Typically, however, that week we spend getting ready to leave for, in essence, a six months mission plus the seven weeks before the flight. So you’re leaving for seven and a half months, and just taking care of “leaving the planet” stuff takes up that last week. I do get one other week in the earlier summer, before I launch, so we’ll try and do something fun for that one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you do get a little breather here and there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I do. You just need to make sure you take advantage of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, good memories. I was looking at your Facebook or Tumblr page, I can’t remember which, but there was a statement that you have to travel to Russia nine times in preparation for this expedition, and I found that particularly interesting. How many times have you been there since you started training?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 25.434462208856207, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, instead of a partial week. So the training flow gets a little long, but we do have the week before the last trip to Russia when you would go for launch, there’s a week off. Typically, however, that week we spend getting ready to leave for, in essence, a six months mission plus the seven weeks before the flight. So you’re leaving for seven and a half months, and just taking care of “leaving the planet” stuff takes up that last week. I do get one other week in the earlier summer, before I launch, so we’ll try and do something fun for that one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you do get a little breather here and there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I do. You just need to make sure you take advantage of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, good memories. I was looking at your Facebook or Tumblr page, I can’t remember which, but there was a statement that you have to travel to Russia nine times in preparation for this expedition, and I found that particularly interesting. How many times have you been there since you started training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve been there twice so far, and I have one more trip this year, and next year I have four trips, so that’s eight times."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long do you go when you go over to Russia?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 19.301805196118774, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve been there twice so far, and I have one more trip this year, and next year I have four trips, so that’s eight times."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long do you go when you go over to Russia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of the trips are three to four weeks. However, two of the trips next year are tied to—and actually one this year was tied to ESA [European Space Agency]. I went to Russia for three weeks and then went to ESA for one week, so it ended up being a four-week trip. There’s two trips next year that are three weeks in Russia, and one to two weeks in Japan. So we’d go from Japan to Russia, and then back home. So an around-the-world trip, go west to get to Japan, go west to get to Moscow, and then go west to get back to the US."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, goodness."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s much easier from the Space Station going around the world. It only takes 90 minutes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I wonder if you can talk a little bit about training in these countries. I imagine the culture is so vastly different from the US, and in Germany things have got to be different from Russia and Japan, and Canada."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.520058926404428, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly, it’s pretty 8:00 to 5:00. When we were doing all our work over in Building 9 for the emergency procedures, the days were a little bit longer. Sometimes a facility [or] capability that’s rare or harder to schedule, then your days might be a little longer. But in general, I think this training flow is the easiest one I’ve been in, and some of it is because our training has become more efficient. It doesn’t feel quite as compressed and busy as it did before, which is why I’m talking to you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m able to do this, even though it’s on my lunch break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m eating up your lunch break. We can go to the cafeteria, if you’d like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that’s all right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We did that once with somebody. It didn’t work out very well."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.577843251560475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m able to do this, even though it’s on my lunch break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m eating up your lunch break. We can go to the cafeteria, if you’d like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that’s all right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We did that once with somebody. It didn’t work out very well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I’m thinking, lugging all this hardware might not be the right thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it’s not too bad, it’s just all the noise. And when you eat, it’s hard to talk, because you don’t want to have food in your mouth and talk. The last time you were at the ISS, you were building the outpost. This time you won’t be, so do you think it will be more like working in an actual lab, like when you were an NRC [National Research Council] fellow, because you won’t have to be putting together these components in space?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.753159168400527, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that’s all right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We did that once with somebody. It didn’t work out very well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I’m thinking, lugging all this hardware might not be the right thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it’s not too bad, it’s just all the noise. And when you eat, it’s hard to talk, because you don’t want to have food in your mouth and talk. The last time you were at the ISS, you were building the outpost. This time you won’t be, so do you think it will be more like working in an actual lab, like when you were an NRC [National Research Council] fellow, because you won’t have to be putting together these components in space?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do think it’s going to be much more laboratory science oriented this time around, which I don’t mind at all. I enjoy doing all the science. I’m interested in the different types of science that we do onboard, and I think that diversity of ideas that come up from all the investigators all over the world for us to try out on board is pretty exciting and fun. I like the experiments that require more hands on stuff, just because I’m used to working in a lab doing things on my own. A lot of the experiments are mechanized, automated, so that it doesn’t require a lot of crew time, but for me the most fun things are the ones that do require the crew to be involved a little more integrally. It’s just a little more interesting, exciting to do. It’s great that we have that many things going on onboard the Station, so I’m looking forward to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What are some of those experiments that require you to have more hands-on involvement?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.48660138454584, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not necessarily, we all do whatever experiments they timeline us to do. I think the crew will get attached to certain experiments, and you become more efficient at certain experiments. I remember during Expedition 16 Dan [Daniel Tani] and I traded tasks so that I could continue doing the one experiment that I was just talking about. I told him, “I’ll do this task for you if you do this one for me,” so we traded tasks, just because you get a little bit attached. You get good at it, you get efficient at it after you’ve done it a few times, and it saves time in the long run to be the same person doing it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That makes sense. So do you work much with the PIs [Principal Investigators] on the ground before you go up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We will have briefings with them, usually. It depends on how complex the science is. We also can have on-orbit briefings, as well, or just written text briefings that we read before we do the investigation. All that’s good because that way when you do your public affairs events you can talk about the experiments, and have a little more background and reminders for what the potential benefits, or why we’re interested in looking at X or Y in zero gravity. So it helps us explain it better to the public."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When I opened JSC today there was a story about ISS and brain research. Are you involved in any of that research that’s going on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m doing the cognitive studies. Most people are, I think, but the one European study I’m not doing, because they prioritized a different US study for me, so Thomas may be doing that one. I don’t know for sure yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you get a chance when you come back from this increment to work with the PIs and maybe publish a paper, or is that their research? You were the operator in space."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.540668205050935, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We will have briefings with them, usually. It depends on how complex the science is. We also can have on-orbit briefings, as well, or just written text briefings that we read before we do the investigation. All that’s good because that way when you do your public affairs events you can talk about the experiments, and have a little more background and reminders for what the potential benefits, or why we’re interested in looking at X or Y in zero gravity. So it helps us explain it better to the public."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When I opened JSC today there was a story about ISS and brain research. Are you involved in any of that research that’s going on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m doing the cognitive studies. Most people are, I think, but the one European study I’m not doing, because they prioritized a different US study for me, so Thomas may be doing that one. I don’t know for sure yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you get a chance when you come back from this increment to work with the PIs and maybe publish a paper, or is that their research? You were the operator in space."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The reality is it’s their research, and most scientific disciplines require the intellectual input, as opposed to just being the hands, and I think many times we’re just the hands. I have been on a number of publications, some of which I felt like I did contribute to, and others which I felt, “That’s on the edge of whether or not I think I really was providing a lot of intellectual input in this,” other than just being your hands on orbit. So there are some opportunities, but I don’t think it should be done, except when we are providing that intellectual input."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was just curious about that. It would be a nice opportunity for you to get a few more publications."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.711853561167704, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m doing the cognitive studies. Most people are, I think, but the one European study I’m not doing, because they prioritized a different US study for me, so Thomas may be doing that one. I don’t know for sure yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you get a chance when you come back from this increment to work with the PIs and maybe publish a paper, or is that their research? You were the operator in space."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The reality is it’s their research, and most scientific disciplines require the intellectual input, as opposed to just being the hands, and I think many times we’re just the hands. I have been on a number of publications, some of which I felt like I did contribute to, and others which I felt, “That’s on the edge of whether or not I think I really was providing a lot of intellectual input in this,” other than just being your hands on orbit. So there are some opportunities, but I don’t think it should be done, except when we are providing that intellectual input."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was just curious about that. It would be a nice opportunity for you to get a few more publications."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You talked a little bit about working out at the NBL. Have things changed at all? I know, for instance, the oil and gas industry is out there. Does that complicate things for training?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.90205951240856, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The reality is it’s their research, and most scientific disciplines require the intellectual input, as opposed to just being the hands, and I think many times we’re just the hands. I have been on a number of publications, some of which I felt like I did contribute to, and others which I felt, “That’s on the edge of whether or not I think I really was providing a lot of intellectual input in this,” other than just being your hands on orbit. So there are some opportunities, but I don’t think it should be done, except when we are providing that intellectual input."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was just curious about that. It would be a nice opportunity for you to get a few more publications."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You talked a little bit about working out at the NBL. Have things changed at all? I know, for instance, the oil and gas industry is out there. Does that complicate things for training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For our training, probably the biggest complication is the Station structure didn’t fit in the pool in one piece as it was before, and now they’ve closed off probably only 25 percent of the pool and given it to the oil and gas industry. That meant we had to take apart more of the other pieces of the truss structure; it’s doable. It’s not ideal. It didn’t fit in one piece before, so we were breaking it apart anyway. So it’s just now in more pieces, so you have to say, “Okay, now float me over to that next piece and then I’ll crawl across it. Now float me over to that next piece, and I’ll crawl across it.” So it takes a while to get out to piece six."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds like it. So what sort of things are you simulating, since you don’t know for sure how many maintenance EVAs or things that you’ll be working on?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.725921713167978, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did on my first flight. When I was crew three, I had to train as a potential crew member to do EVAs during that timeframe. I also trained on Expedition 16, as well, so to do Orlan EVAs but not anymore. Now the USOS trains their crew for the EMU [Extravehicular Mobility Unit], and the Russian side trains their crew for the Orlan. So I have done one EVA in the Orlan on my first expedition, and then my second expedition I did five in the EMU."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s interesting. I was curious about that. When the Shuttle was flying, I’ve heard that it’s good to be prime crew. Is that still the case now? You get the best time on simulators, and, from what I understand, best parking spots, things like that? Is that the case for Station?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s not the case. Being assigned crew now gives you higher priority, like to get T-83 flight time, because your schedule is much more limited, so you have higher priority for that. You don’t get a closer parking spot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, the only good part about being prime crew is you know you’re next. It’s good. That’s a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, you’re assigned. Do you think there’s any significant or major challenges that you’re encountering as you prepare for this next expedition to go up, or things are just going really smoothly?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.58435745907553, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s not the case. Being assigned crew now gives you higher priority, like to get T-83 flight time, because your schedule is much more limited, so you have higher priority for that. You don’t get a closer parking spot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, the only good part about being prime crew is you know you’re next. It’s good. That’s a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, you’re assigned. Do you think there’s any significant or major challenges that you’re encountering as you prepare for this next expedition to go up, or things are just going really smoothly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, knock on wood, it’s going very, very smoothly. I don’t anticipate any problems or issues. Obviously I hope we’re all very prepared for anything that can happen. We practice a lot on these emergencies and hope none of them ever happen. We need to be prepared, and I’m comfortable that we will be there. We’ve done a couple weeks of that training. We’ve got a few more weeks of that left, and I’m confident we’ll get there, because we just have really strong crews, so I’m happy about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had read recently that there was a French documentary crew that came and did some filming. Can you talk about that and what they were interested in?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.315952732306146, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, the only good part about being prime crew is you know you’re next. It’s good. That’s a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, you’re assigned. Do you think there’s any significant or major challenges that you’re encountering as you prepare for this next expedition to go up, or things are just going really smoothly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, knock on wood, it’s going very, very smoothly. I don’t anticipate any problems or issues. Obviously I hope we’re all very prepared for anything that can happen. We practice a lot on these emergencies and hope none of them ever happen. We need to be prepared, and I’m comfortable that we will be there. We’ve done a couple weeks of that training. We’ve got a few more weeks of that left, and I’m confident we’ll get there, because we just have really strong crews, so I’m happy about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had read recently that there was a French documentary crew that came and did some filming. Can you talk about that and what they were interested in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re doing a documentary on Thomas, and I guess I am going to be involved in it, too. They did one previously with [G.] Reid [Wiseman] and Alex [Alexander] Gerst, and focusing on the fact that they were both rookie crewmembers, US and European, going up on their first flight. On mine, they want to focus on me being old and experienced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s their thing."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.12883636922905, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, knock on wood, it’s going very, very smoothly. I don’t anticipate any problems or issues. Obviously I hope we’re all very prepared for anything that can happen. We practice a lot on these emergencies and hope none of them ever happen. We need to be prepared, and I’m comfortable that we will be there. We’ve done a couple weeks of that training. We’ve got a few more weeks of that left, and I’m confident we’ll get there, because we just have really strong crews, so I’m happy about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had read recently that there was a French documentary crew that came and did some filming. Can you talk about that and what they were interested in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re doing a documentary on Thomas, and I guess I am going to be involved in it, too. They did one previously with [G.] Reid [Wiseman] and Alex [Alexander] Gerst, and focusing on the fact that they were both rookie crewmembers, US and European, going up on their first flight. On mine, they want to focus on me being old and experienced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s their thing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Thomas being the new guy, so I’m not sure how it’s going to work out. All right, yes, I’m old."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "“Seasoned,” I think is the term."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.0320404102545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re doing a documentary on Thomas, and I guess I am going to be involved in it, too. They did one previously with [G.] Reid [Wiseman] and Alex [Alexander] Gerst, and focusing on the fact that they were both rookie crewmembers, US and European, going up on their first flight. On mine, they want to focus on me being old and experienced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s their thing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Thomas being the new guy, so I’m not sure how it’s going to work out. All right, yes, I’m old."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "“Seasoned,” I think is the term."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Experienced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, there you go. Just depends on how you say it, right? Looking back since you’ve been selected for this mission, are there any fond memories that you have of things that might have happened, or just an experience here or there, maybe meeting someone?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.702267122505001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Thomas being the new guy, so I’m not sure how it’s going to work out. All right, yes, I’m old."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "“Seasoned,” I think is the term."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Experienced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, there you go. Just depends on how you say it, right? Looking back since you’ve been selected for this mission, are there any fond memories that you have of things that might have happened, or just an experience here or there, maybe meeting someone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know, fond experience—a memorable one is that Oleg and I did water survival training in Russia, in the Soyuz capsule. Normally it’s done with all three crew, and they had asked me if I wanted to do it, because they weren’t going to require me to do it again. I said, “Only if I’m doing it with my crew.” So Oleg was there, and that was my first time to actually work together with him. It was great because we got to know each other. Again, like I was telling you about the National Outdoor Leadership thing with Thomas, you find out a little bit more about people when you’re not in optimal situations, and you’re inside of a small capsule. We’re changing clothes; you have to get out of your Sokol suit and into the flight suit, and into the thermal suit, and then into the Forel the water suit, the hydro suit that you get into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the Soyuz?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.49377705, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not just trainers. There are other folks that work in the program. One that’s already been posted is a young lady that works at Marshall [Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama], so we have many stories. Actually, I have a whole bunch of them; we’ve just got to post them as they go, to spread them out a little bit so that I could work on them when I had time and not have to worry about them when I don’t have time. It’s been fun writing all those down. We have flight directors. We have flight controllers. We have instructors, and folks that are working payloads, different people working throughout, engineers that work on exercise hardware. So there’s a pretty wide variety of people, and I’m interested in getting everybody’s story. One of the cool parts about being an astronaut is you get to meet this huge diversity of people as you go through a training flow, these engineers that built this hardware, that design some particular widget that does a particular thing. Everybody is very justifiably proud of everything they’ve done, and it’s cool to put all those pieces together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that is. Who came up with the icon? It’s not quite, but it reminds me of—this is dating me, but like Charlie’s Angels, every time I see it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t think about that. It was Melanie Whiting, the intern that was working with us on social media."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It really stands out. It’s very colorful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. She did a phenomenal job. She took some fantastic pictures with the trainers, less posed, less traditional things, which I think makes some of the pictures a little more interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I was going to ask about that, about putting that together. You said you’re writing their stories."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8819744999999997, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t think about that. It was Melanie Whiting, the intern that was working with us on social media."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It really stands out. It’s very colorful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. She did a phenomenal job. She took some fantastic pictures with the trainers, less posed, less traditional things, which I think makes some of the pictures a little more interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I was going to ask about that, about putting that together. You said you’re writing their stories."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have a webpage where I ask them to fill in different questions, like what was the biggest challenge you had to overcome, what’s a fun story about your job, what’s most interesting thing? I gave them several questions; they could fill in any of them, and then from that try to put a story together based on what they’ve said. How that relates, in some cases, to me, and how I’ve interacted with them, or how it played out in my life, which may be similar, or in contrast, just a way to give people a sense of how different people overcome different things to get where you are, and how cool the jobs are and all of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I’ve enjoyed reading them, myself."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.313305, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. She did a phenomenal job. She took some fantastic pictures with the trainers, less posed, less traditional things, which I think makes some of the pictures a little more interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I was going to ask about that, about putting that together. You said you’re writing their stories."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have a webpage where I ask them to fill in different questions, like what was the biggest challenge you had to overcome, what’s a fun story about your job, what’s most interesting thing? I gave them several questions; they could fill in any of them, and then from that try to put a story together based on what they’ve said. How that relates, in some cases, to me, and how I’ve interacted with them, or how it played out in my life, which may be similar, or in contrast, just a way to give people a sense of how different people overcome different things to get where you are, and how cool the jobs are and all of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I’ve enjoyed reading them, myself."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What’s been the response to your campaign?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6814500000000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have a webpage where I ask them to fill in different questions, like what was the biggest challenge you had to overcome, what’s a fun story about your job, what’s most interesting thing? I gave them several questions; they could fill in any of them, and then from that try to put a story together based on what they’ve said. How that relates, in some cases, to me, and how I’ve interacted with them, or how it played out in my life, which may be similar, or in contrast, just a way to give people a sense of how different people overcome different things to get where you are, and how cool the jobs are and all of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I’ve enjoyed reading them, myself."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What’s been the response to your campaign?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Less than I wanted. I had higher hopes. I think a lot of our folks are engineers, and not really used to sharing information, so it’s taken some encouragement to get folks to talk, and that was what was so great about having Melanie around. She’s unfortunately finishing up her school now, but when she was working here as an intern she could go back and get them to fill in some holes and tell a little more of their story. That really helped put the pieces together. Now it’s me working on it, and it’s going a lot slower."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you gotten any response from kids saying that they really appreciate these inspirational stories"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.0905000000000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What’s been the response to your campaign?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Less than I wanted. I had higher hopes. I think a lot of our folks are engineers, and not really used to sharing information, so it’s taken some encouragement to get folks to talk, and that was what was so great about having Melanie around. She’s unfortunately finishing up her school now, but when she was working here as an intern she could go back and get them to fill in some holes and tell a little more of their story. That really helped put the pieces together. Now it’s me working on it, and it’s going a lot slower."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you gotten any response from kids saying that they really appreciate these inspirational stories"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there are a few posted on there. I haven’t seen a lot. As I said, disappointed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. We’ll have to go out there. I did like the photo of you, I wanted to tell you. I thought that was nice."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Less than I wanted. I had higher hopes. I think a lot of our folks are engineers, and not really used to sharing information, so it’s taken some encouragement to get folks to talk, and that was what was so great about having Melanie around. She’s unfortunately finishing up her school now, but when she was working here as an intern she could go back and get them to fill in some holes and tell a little more of their story. That really helped put the pieces together. Now it’s me working on it, and it’s going a lot slower."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you gotten any response from kids saying that they really appreciate these inspirational stories"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there are a few posted on there. I haven’t seen a lot. As I said, disappointed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. We’ll have to go out there. I did like the photo of you, I wanted to tell you. I thought that was nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which one?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, I guess I should be specific—I’m not sure about how old you are, maybe 8 or 10, on your family farm?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.05, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there are a few posted on there. I haven’t seen a lot. As I said, disappointed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. We’ll have to go out there. I did like the photo of you, I wanted to tell you. I thought that was nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which one?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, I guess I should be specific—I’m not sure about how old you are, maybe 8 or 10, on your family farm?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I thought that was nice to include, and inspiration, again, for the younger crowd about making it where you are, and your work ethic, too. I thought that was nice to read. So, since you’re flying on Expedition 50, I was curious: is NASA planning anything big for the 50th increment at this point? NASA likes to celebrate those anniversaries."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.5, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which one?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, I guess I should be specific—I’m not sure about how old you are, maybe 8 or 10, on your family farm?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I thought that was nice to include, and inspiration, again, for the younger crowd about making it where you are, and your work ethic, too. I thought that was nice to read. So, since you’re flying on Expedition 50, I was curious: is NASA planning anything big for the 50th increment at this point? NASA likes to celebrate those anniversaries."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. Not that I’ve been told. Shane’s planning—I think the Superbowl is going to be during that time, so I know he’s thinking about some of those kind of things, but nothing that I know about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you planning anything special for your command?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 5.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I thought that was nice to include, and inspiration, again, for the younger crowd about making it where you are, and your work ethic, too. I thought that was nice to read. So, since you’re flying on Expedition 50, I was curious: is NASA planning anything big for the 50th increment at this point? NASA likes to celebrate those anniversaries."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. Not that I’ve been told. Shane’s planning—I think the Superbowl is going to be during that time, so I know he’s thinking about some of those kind of things, but nothing that I know about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you planning anything special for your command?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Planning on taking up anything special for an organization or history?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. Not that I’ve been told. Shane’s planning—I think the Superbowl is going to be during that time, so I know he’s thinking about some of those kind of things, but nothing that I know about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you planning anything special for your command?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Planning on taking up anything special for an organization or history?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve flown a lot of things on my first two flights from my alma maters and from high school, so I’d flown the standard things for folks. There was one organization that I’d worked with since then. It’s the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union. (I played basketball growing up and ran track.) They had worked with me on another project, and I had asked them if there was something that I could fly for their organization. The Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame had inducted me, and I asked them if there was something I could fly for their organization. And Character Counts, I think they’re nationwide, but there’s a chapter in Iowa that a former teacher of mine is involved with. So those are the three that I think right now that I have, and we’ll see if I can get anymore. We have to have all that stuff signed off and delivered by January or February of next year, so I don’t know that I’ll get anymore before then. I’ve flown numerous items for individuals before. I can’t be very big, so lots of regulations on what you can and can’t fly for people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Well, I think I’ve touched on all of the questions that I came up with, but I’m just curious if there’s anything else that we might talk about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00590:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Planning on taking up anything special for an organization or history?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve flown a lot of things on my first two flights from my alma maters and from high school, so I’d flown the standard things for folks. There was one organization that I’d worked with since then. It’s the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union. (I played basketball growing up and ran track.) They had worked with me on another project, and I had asked them if there was something that I could fly for their organization. The Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame had inducted me, and I asked them if there was something I could fly for their organization. And Character Counts, I think they’re nationwide, but there’s a chapter in Iowa that a former teacher of mine is involved with. So those are the three that I think right now that I have, and we’ll see if I can get anymore. We have to have all that stuff signed off and delivered by January or February of next year, so I don’t know that I’ll get anymore before then. I’ve flown numerous items for individuals before. I can’t be very big, so lots of regulations on what you can and can’t fly for people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Well, I think I’ve touched on all of the questions that I came up with, but I’m just curious if there’s anything else that we might talk about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t think of anything specifically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. All right, well, I’ll get this transcribed and send it to you. Thank you very much for giving up your lunch hour."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 52.363445767829624, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Suburban Boston. And I grew up in a public school in Brookline, Massachusetts, just west of Boston. And then high school. I went to a place called Milton Academy, a private school in the south, so that South Boston, which has, however, a strong service tradition in its nature and background and does to this day. And then I was fortunate enough to go to Harvard after that. And I might also mention that I was fortunate to go to Harvard on a full Navy scholarship, so I started out in life as a naval officer, which I consider several years on a destroyer at sea as being my internship in management and also some mismanagement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure, you learned a lot from those mistakes and adventures. So did you, you were you already recruited in part of the Navy when you were an undergraduate or did you join? How did you get into the Navy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Navy, as you many people know, the services have so- called ROTC programs, which are also training for the Navy. I think, to my knowledge, may or may not be right at that time, was the only one which tried to recruit officers who would go through ROTC programs. However, they would be required after graduating not to serve just a couple of years, but more a longer period of time in return for full scholarships. And the hope was that people in that program was called the Hollaway program after the admiral who designed it. I believe their hope was that they would continue on to make a career in the Navy to broaden the officer base of the Navy. I chose not to stay in for a career. Some people did. I don't know. I don't know over time how successful that was over as a whole. But I had the good fortune to be a regular naval officer, USN and not USNR for whatever that's worth. And so serve my full requirements."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so how many years then were you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I had three years and three years at sea as a destroyer officer right out of Newport, Rhode Island."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Got to see the world. Everything."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 45.95938418647736, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Navy, as you many people know, the services have so- called ROTC programs, which are also training for the Navy. I think, to my knowledge, may or may not be right at that time, was the only one which tried to recruit officers who would go through ROTC programs. However, they would be required after graduating not to serve just a couple of years, but more a longer period of time in return for full scholarships. And the hope was that people in that program was called the Hollaway program after the admiral who designed it. I believe their hope was that they would continue on to make a career in the Navy to broaden the officer base of the Navy. I chose not to stay in for a career. Some people did. I don't know. I don't know over time how successful that was over as a whole. But I had the good fortune to be a regular naval officer, USN and not USNR for whatever that's worth. And so serve my full requirements."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so how many years then were you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I had three years and three years at sea as a destroyer officer right out of Newport, Rhode Island."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Got to see the world. Everything."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, parts of it, because this is in ’54 to ‘57. And we had the usual things up and down the East Coast. The Caribbean. Went down to Ecuador one time, but also we were out at sea in the North Atlantic in November, December 1956 during the Hungarian Egyptian crisis. And our job was to be part of a barrier patrol to check ships coming across the ocean. But then I had a couple of tours with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. So that was the see the world part, but also a little bit up in the North Sea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were post Korean conflict."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 51.065982429419286, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I had three years and three years at sea as a destroyer officer right out of Newport, Rhode Island."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Got to see the world. Everything."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, parts of it, because this is in ’54 to ‘57. And we had the usual things up and down the East Coast. The Caribbean. Went down to Ecuador one time, but also we were out at sea in the North Atlantic in November, December 1956 during the Hungarian Egyptian crisis. And our job was to be part of a barrier patrol to check ships coming across the ocean. But then I had a couple of tours with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. So that was the see the world part, but also a little bit up in the North Sea."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were post Korean conflict."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Post Korean active conflict."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yeah, right. Right. Well, that's a really interesting prelude to your Peace Corps work in your development work, isn't it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 50.69874374002381, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Post Korean active conflict."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Yeah, right. Right. Well, that's a really interesting prelude to your Peace Corps work in your development work, isn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think it's valuable. People sometimes their eyebrows go up when I told them I was a naval officer. But Sargent Shriver, Warren Wiggins, a lot of other Peace Corps people were also military officers by virtue of being veterans from World War II. One of my close buddies in the Peace Corps was essentially a classmate from the Academy, Naval Academy. There were a number of people. So my teammates, volunteers, were veterans from World War II, including a 62 year old who had been a WAC officer at the time. So I think it's relevant because it gave me, you know, experience working in a large government organization, bureaucratic organization, for better or for worse. And so I had some experience dealing with government organizations. And then my professional training background at graduate school was, in fact, public administration. So I had the advantages in going to India and Pakistan of, A, knowing where they are, B, having talked to many, many government officers in those countries in relation to rural development projects, C, dealing with the Foreign Service. My first year of graduate school was at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, which was a training ground for the Foreign Service, which was my initial interest. The trouble is I became spoiled by the Peace Corps and so I never went into the Foreign Service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's a great segue. Although before we leave your family of origin, how many siblings do you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two younger sisters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were the oldest?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 35, "return_to_go": 56.331937488915344, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think it's valuable. People sometimes their eyebrows go up when I told them I was a naval officer. But Sargent Shriver, Warren Wiggins, a lot of other Peace Corps people were also military officers by virtue of being veterans from World War II. One of my close buddies in the Peace Corps was essentially a classmate from the Academy, Naval Academy. There were a number of people. So my teammates, volunteers, were veterans from World War II, including a 62 year old who had been a WAC officer at the time. So I think it's relevant because it gave me, you know, experience working in a large government organization, bureaucratic organization, for better or for worse. And so I had some experience dealing with government organizations. And then my professional training background at graduate school was, in fact, public administration. So I had the advantages in going to India and Pakistan of, A, knowing where they are, B, having talked to many, many government officers in those countries in relation to rural development projects, C, dealing with the Foreign Service. My first year of graduate school was at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, which was a training ground for the Foreign Service, which was my initial interest. The trouble is I became spoiled by the Peace Corps and so I never went into the Foreign Service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's a great segue. Although before we leave your family of origin, how many siblings do you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two younger sisters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were the oldest?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So let's forge ahead here to the training that you were involved with at the Experiment for International Living and under contract with the Peace Corps. Tell us about that training and also being totally new Peace Corps. How did you recruit and select the people you brought in for that training? Did you have a hand in that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.71488719542042, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the answer is probably the most of them was probably post-World War II. However, the work of the American Friends Service Committee and the work of the Brethren Service Committee, the so-called peace churches, the Mennonites, those started in the previous, in the 1930s or in the 1920s even, in small ways."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right after the first war. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then the Experiment in International Living, that program started. That was not as much of a work program as a cross- cultural educational program, that started back in 1932."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh it did, in ‘32. OK, yeah. This is really valuable."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So the point I'm getting to finally is that so I get jazzed up, if you will, by meeting and talk with Henry Reuss in the car in the snow and on the ski slopes and hear him talk about the Peace Corps. So during that spring between February, March, April, May. As I said, I and other colleagues and friends of mine in the Cambridge area tracked what was going on with the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Reuss already referring to it as Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 21.905430217133798, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And then the Experiment in International Living, that program started. That was not as much of a work program as a cross- cultural educational program, that started back in 1932."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh it did, in ‘32. OK, yeah. This is really valuable."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So the point I'm getting to finally is that so I get jazzed up, if you will, by meeting and talk with Henry Reuss in the car in the snow and on the ski slopes and hear him talk about the Peace Corps. So during that spring between February, March, April, May. As I said, I and other colleagues and friends of mine in the Cambridge area tracked what was going on with the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Reuss already referring to it as Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, by that time, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it have a brand yet?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.40525407014238, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, because, go back. Kennedy floated the idea, as you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Michigan."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As in Michigan, not in that term. But he said how many of you would be willing to give. But he did use the term Peace Corps in the formal proposal, which he made at the Cow Palace in San Francisco about 10 days before the election in 1960."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "November. Then the trouble. So by that time, the term Peace Corps. And the other point is that Hubert Humphrey had also developed the idea and there's a story behind that, too, with one of my colleagues somewhat independently of Reuss, but they were sort of working in parallel. And a colleague, a young staffer for Hubert Humphrey came up with a suggestion of the term Peace Corps, which and then Humphrey and Reuss turned over their work to the Kennedy team, Shriver and his team, when they'd started to work on it. So the answer to your question is yes, by that time the term Peace Corps was a standard term."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the students who worked on it, the students from Michigan sponsored a conference at American University in March."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.67250452238042, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As in Michigan, not in that term. But he said how many of you would be willing to give. But he did use the term Peace Corps in the formal proposal, which he made at the Cow Palace in San Francisco about 10 days before the election in 1960."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "November. Then the trouble. So by that time, the term Peace Corps. And the other point is that Hubert Humphrey had also developed the idea and there's a story behind that, too, with one of my colleagues somewhat independently of Reuss, but they were sort of working in parallel. And a colleague, a young staffer for Hubert Humphrey came up with a suggestion of the term Peace Corps, which and then Humphrey and Reuss turned over their work to the Kennedy team, Shriver and his team, when they'd started to work on it. So the answer to your question is yes, by that time the term Peace Corps was a standard term."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the students who worked on it, the students from Michigan sponsored a conference at American University in March."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which I attended."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you attended that conference in March of 1961?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.191671691533802, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "November. Then the trouble. So by that time, the term Peace Corps. And the other point is that Hubert Humphrey had also developed the idea and there's a story behind that, too, with one of my colleagues somewhat independently of Reuss, but they were sort of working in parallel. And a colleague, a young staffer for Hubert Humphrey came up with a suggestion of the term Peace Corps, which and then Humphrey and Reuss turned over their work to the Kennedy team, Shriver and his team, when they'd started to work on it. So the answer to your question is yes, by that time the term Peace Corps was a standard term."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the students who worked on it, the students from Michigan sponsored a conference at American University in March."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which I attended."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you attended that conference in March of 1961?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "American University, right?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Well, that would be."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 27.990746323926448, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which I attended."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you attended that conference in March of 1961?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "American University, right?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Well, that would be."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I still have the document of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. That is very valuable."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 31.100829248807162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "American University, right?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Well, that would be."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I still have the document of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. That is very valuable."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think I chaired one of the working sessions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. Yeah. That's a very important document in terms also of student activism around peace."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 31.223143609785737, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I still have the document of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh. That is very valuable."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think I chaired one of the working sessions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. Yeah. That's a very important document in terms also of student activism around peace."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, this is my view, but by no means original. And Sarge says the same thing. And you know very well as who’s who. At 2:00 in the morning, no press. Kennedy popped off the idea. Harris Wofford described it as an idea in the air. It just came out with it. And it could have died right then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. Except for the students."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 33.581270677539706, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think I chaired one of the working sessions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. Yeah. That's a very important document in terms also of student activism around peace."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, this is my view, but by no means original. And Sarge says the same thing. And you know very well as who’s who. At 2:00 in the morning, no press. Kennedy popped off the idea. Harris Wofford described it as an idea in the air. It just came out with it. And it could have died right then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. Except for the students."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly. So, and this is, in fact, in my view, looking at a number of these programs over the years. Typically, it's the servers, the people want to get into the program, who are ahead of the sort of leaders, so- called, who are putting it together. And you get, it's a common pattern that you get all of these volunteer programs have, I think it's fair to say, far more applicants than there are places available. That's true then, that’s true now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. You know, this is extremely interesting. And I know you're working on a book on this in this regard that will include some of this. Let's get back to the training. You know, so you were standing in the right place at the right time. You'd had a great experience with the Experiment in International Living. They knew you. You knew them, and you were ready to help."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 32.013060669094244, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it varied from place to place. It would take more time than you want to listen to. And I wouldn't remember all the details anyway at this point. But I mean, so that nurses went to some hospitals in Boston, Washington and in New York, for example, and others went to other places. And at some of it worked out probably better than others, but they had at least some audition. Of course, one of the problems was not surprising. The kinds of job descriptions that we had to work with were quite general, because in all fairness, neither David McEachran on the Peace Corps staff people nor the Pakistanis really had much of a clear concept as to how this is going to work in great detail. So nowadays, of course, is far more sophisticated. But we had to work with fairly general descriptions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Actually, you know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was also a librarian, a couple of librarians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, right. You know, Peace Corps still doesn't always get it targeted. It's just the ambiguities of life changes. So, so and I know many of the programs were very ambiguous in those particularly in those early years. But so you had a challenge in training. So what kinds of courses then were you able to offer to all? Did you have, did you say you had 29 recruits?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, no, we had I think their training the original number was 33 or so. And I recall one trainee dropped out voluntarily, a woman who was, and I do not know the details, but I know she was considerably overweight. So we put it that way. Another one was a bricklayer and he was touted as the best damn bricklayer in the city he came from. And he was a vet, Navy, middle aged 36. I was at that time 29. Had lived overseas, as well as a quick and very attractive guy, well-spoken. And one morning we woke up in the dorm and he wasn't there. And he packed up his trowel and drove his car and never and never showed back again. He just so, yeah, self selection."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Self selection. Right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 29.95319255041448, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The answer is yes, but probably not to the extent that you remember. Did you go to Camp Bradley?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I did not go to Camp Bradley, but I was at the University of New Mexico where they had a replicated program."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, the camp in Puerto Rico, which is on the record, also was set up, particularly with the advice of the Outward Bound program in the U.K. But the answer was we had a good deal of that too also, you know, life saving exercise, of course, physical checkups with our medical doctor. And indeed, there were very subtle, amusing accents. The men, Tom McMahon I mentioned, who almost didn't get in and then did get in. And he survived and became a great story. He broke a nose because he didn't, he wasn't used to playing soccer. He was tall and he had a vulnerable nose. And then the 62 year old somehow got in a van. They were going somewhere on those doggone hills and she somehow fell out of the van."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No seatbelts back in those days."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No seatbelts, no. Picked herself up, got back in the van, went on. So sort of things that makes you mutter and cut your teeth now. But anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So training had its challenges. Tell us now what happens when you welcome this group. You said you went a few weeks ahead of time to East Pakistan, you know, to set that helped set things up. And now what happens when they arrive? How do they get there? And what do they do in those first few weeks?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 27.226163642487013, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No seatbelts, no. Picked herself up, got back in the van, went on. So sort of things that makes you mutter and cut your teeth now. But anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So training had its challenges. Tell us now what happens when you welcome this group. You said you went a few weeks ahead of time to East Pakistan, you know, to set that helped set things up. And now what happens when they arrive? How do they get there? And what do they do in those first few weeks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, first, just a slight before that, after the formal training period was about a week or ten days home leave. And they all went home and then came back to New York. At that point, they became volunteers, not trainees. And indeed, they were all loaded on a Pan American flight at Idle, then called Idlewild Airport. I am not in that picture because I was already overseas, but they were all loaded on the plane and absolutely crazy. The Peace Corps said you're going to fly straight through against the sun from New York to Calcutta and Dhaka, and we hope you're alive when you get there. That was, of course, before many people had had much experience flying around the world and people didn't realize that flying east is a hell of a lot more difficult on the body than flying west. But I had done a little of that. So to answer your question, I went ahead by a week or two. And that's for you?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, this is for me. Sure. OK, I want to. We're talking about a photograph that Bob has just handed me. It's a photograph of the 28, 29 or so trainees who have just become volunteers in New York and they're high handed, all holding a large banner that says Pan American, which makes me think perhaps they were flying Pan American."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pan Am One I think it was called."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And it says, well, it says Pan American Welcomes Peace Corps, The Experiment in International Living Pakistan Training Project. And they all are dressed in the costumes of the sixties."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.25129293609668, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, first, just a slight before that, after the formal training period was about a week or ten days home leave. And they all went home and then came back to New York. At that point, they became volunteers, not trainees. And indeed, they were all loaded on a Pan American flight at Idle, then called Idlewild Airport. I am not in that picture because I was already overseas, but they were all loaded on the plane and absolutely crazy. The Peace Corps said you're going to fly straight through against the sun from New York to Calcutta and Dhaka, and we hope you're alive when you get there. That was, of course, before many people had had much experience flying around the world and people didn't realize that flying east is a hell of a lot more difficult on the body than flying west. But I had done a little of that. So to answer your question, I went ahead by a week or two. And that's for you?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, this is for me. Sure. OK, I want to. We're talking about a photograph that Bob has just handed me. It's a photograph of the 28, 29 or so trainees who have just become volunteers in New York and they're high handed, all holding a large banner that says Pan American, which makes me think perhaps they were flying Pan American."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pan Am One I think it was called."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And it says, well, it says Pan American Welcomes Peace Corps, The Experiment in International Living Pakistan Training Project. And they all are dressed in the costumes of the sixties."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, look how they’re dressed. Everybody is dressed to the nines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dressed to the nines."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 33.61254770677409, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pan Am One I think it was called."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And it says, well, it says Pan American Welcomes Peace Corps, The Experiment in International Living Pakistan Training Project. And they all are dressed in the costumes of the sixties."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, look how they’re dressed. Everybody is dressed to the nines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dressed to the nines."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nowadays, they wouldn't be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The ladies have hose and high heels and the men all have coats and ties and overcoats because this was probably chilly by October when they were on their way."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 37.34727522974899, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, look how they’re dressed. Everybody is dressed to the nines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dressed to the nines."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nowadays, they wouldn't be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The ladies have hose and high heels and the men all have coats and ties and overcoats because this was probably chilly by October when they were on their way."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some hats."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And hats, yes. I don't see any hats on the women, but there are hats on a number of the men. So anyway, it's a great photograph. And I know you’ll put this in the archives."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 41.49697247749887, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nowadays, they wouldn't be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The ladies have hose and high heels and the men all have coats and ties and overcoats because this was probably chilly by October when they were on their way."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some hats."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And hats, yes. I don't see any hats on the women, but there are hats on a number of the men. So anyway, it's a great photograph. And I know you’ll put this in the archives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can do that. Moreover, I do have a bit of the identification of each of the faces and I have some other photographs later on to that too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is great."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 31.91301099745573, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very important fact for the listener to remember."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So as a result, I often refer to it as East Bengal, which is politically and culturally and historically accurate. But you're absolutely right. Thank you. It was called East Pakistan, but essentially in brief, Pakistan was created in 1947 at partition when the British left British India to make a separate new country where there was a Muslim majority population. The larger part in the West, consisting of about five provinces and many different local languages and genetic backgrounds and things like that, it's called West Pakistan, which is today called Pakistan, and the other is called East Pakistan. On the east side, again, a Muslim majority area, which historically had been during British period, there was friction between Hindu West Bengal and Muslim East Bengal. So East Pakistan was carved out from that. And by contrast to West Pakistan, East Pakistan was homogenous. Everybody spoke Bengali. They had a common historical and racial background as well, unlike the West. So there's a long history there. And as for the record, of course, East Pakistan rose up in rebellion and the war of 1971 made it independent as Bangladesh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In ‘97."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sorry, in 1971."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "‘71. Excuse me. Yes."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 34.34778999717303, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So as a result, I often refer to it as East Bengal, which is politically and culturally and historically accurate. But you're absolutely right. Thank you. It was called East Pakistan, but essentially in brief, Pakistan was created in 1947 at partition when the British left British India to make a separate new country where there was a Muslim majority population. The larger part in the West, consisting of about five provinces and many different local languages and genetic backgrounds and things like that, it's called West Pakistan, which is today called Pakistan, and the other is called East Pakistan. On the east side, again, a Muslim majority area, which historically had been during British period, there was friction between Hindu West Bengal and Muslim East Bengal. So East Pakistan was carved out from that. And by contrast to West Pakistan, East Pakistan was homogenous. Everybody spoke Bengali. They had a common historical and racial background as well, unlike the West. So there's a long history there. And as for the record, of course, East Pakistan rose up in rebellion and the war of 1971 made it independent as Bangladesh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In ‘97."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sorry, in 1971."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "‘71. Excuse me. Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that at that time when we were there, there were intimations already of tensions. But those kind of tensions were not a significant factor in our project, unfortunately. But then I spent many years in Bangladesh since then. And I'm sorry, capacity's that's not the story later on. But still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we've got our volunteers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 39.935543206386455, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that at that time when we were there, there were intimations already of tensions. But those kind of tensions were not a significant factor in our project, unfortunately. But then I spent many years in Bangladesh since then. And I'm sorry, capacity's that's not the story later on. But still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we've got our volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "However, there is a point where we had a bit of a problem, because at that time in 1961, I lived with the family at his request of the chief secretary, the chief secretary. There's no corresponding person in the United States under that title. But in the British administrative system, he was the chief civil officer in a province or a state. And he, there was over him was a governor who was appointed politically by the powers that be. But he was the chief civil servant. And the family I lived with, the chief secretary, was the first Bengali chief secretary. The previous chief secretaries and senior officials and governors of East Pakistan came from guess where?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "India?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "West Pakistan."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, West Pakistan. Interesting."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 38.81727022931828, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "However, there is a point where we had a bit of a problem, because at that time in 1961, I lived with the family at his request of the chief secretary, the chief secretary. There's no corresponding person in the United States under that title. But in the British administrative system, he was the chief civil officer in a province or a state. And he, there was over him was a governor who was appointed politically by the powers that be. But he was the chief civil servant. And the family I lived with, the chief secretary, was the first Bengali chief secretary. The previous chief secretaries and senior officials and governors of East Pakistan came from guess where?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "India?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "West Pakistan."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, West Pakistan. Interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So we were already, and when it came to a matter of homestays, it created a problem also because a number of families who, it was not an easy matter for Dr. Watt to do this. He and I worked on it together, but he was the leader to, the concept of living with a Pakistani family, that was new to them. And there was new also to American officials at the time, and a number of them were very skeptical of it. But to make a long story short, what happened was eventually that the service clubs, Rotary Club and Kiwanis and the Lions particularly said, we'll take these people in. But the problem arose in the sense that a number of the elite of East Pakistan were not Bengalis. They were business people or civil servants or people from West Pakistan. So they didn't speak Bengali. They had to speak in English. So we had some problems in a way because some of the volunteers were placed in yes, they were Pakistanis, but B, they were not Bengalis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they weren’t going to learn the Bengali language, for example, among other things."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 38.685855810353644, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "West Pakistan."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, West Pakistan. Interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So we were already, and when it came to a matter of homestays, it created a problem also because a number of families who, it was not an easy matter for Dr. Watt to do this. He and I worked on it together, but he was the leader to, the concept of living with a Pakistani family, that was new to them. And there was new also to American officials at the time, and a number of them were very skeptical of it. But to make a long story short, what happened was eventually that the service clubs, Rotary Club and Kiwanis and the Lions particularly said, we'll take these people in. But the problem arose in the sense that a number of the elite of East Pakistan were not Bengalis. They were business people or civil servants or people from West Pakistan. So they didn't speak Bengali. They had to speak in English. So we had some problems in a way because some of the volunteers were placed in yes, they were Pakistanis, but B, they were not Bengalis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they weren’t going to learn the Bengali language, for example, among other things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We started learning a little bit about the east-west difficulties and problems on the spot right there, then and there, but so that the training in-country ranged from in terms of time from about November 1st of 1961 to about December 15th, and consisted of two parts, a training and language, continued language training at Dhaka University in Dhaka. And then the other part was two or three weeks living at the Academy for Rural Development in Comilla with an absolutely brilliant leader and faculty to get oriented to. It was basically a very rural country. And so not everybody working in villages, but almost everybody was working people with those backgrounds. So having that kind of rural background was. And what happened was that when Shriver went and visited the Academy, he was highly impressed by the Academy's director. Everybody else was, too. And he was a man of genius."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he a Pakistani?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 42.98428423372627, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So we were already, and when it came to a matter of homestays, it created a problem also because a number of families who, it was not an easy matter for Dr. Watt to do this. He and I worked on it together, but he was the leader to, the concept of living with a Pakistani family, that was new to them. And there was new also to American officials at the time, and a number of them were very skeptical of it. But to make a long story short, what happened was eventually that the service clubs, Rotary Club and Kiwanis and the Lions particularly said, we'll take these people in. But the problem arose in the sense that a number of the elite of East Pakistan were not Bengalis. They were business people or civil servants or people from West Pakistan. So they didn't speak Bengali. They had to speak in English. So we had some problems in a way because some of the volunteers were placed in yes, they were Pakistanis, but B, they were not Bengalis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they weren’t going to learn the Bengali language, for example, among other things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We started learning a little bit about the east-west difficulties and problems on the spot right there, then and there, but so that the training in-country ranged from in terms of time from about November 1st of 1961 to about December 15th, and consisted of two parts, a training and language, continued language training at Dhaka University in Dhaka. And then the other part was two or three weeks living at the Academy for Rural Development in Comilla with an absolutely brilliant leader and faculty to get oriented to. It was basically a very rural country. And so not everybody working in villages, but almost everybody was working people with those backgrounds. So having that kind of rural background was. And what happened was that when Shriver went and visited the Academy, he was highly impressed by the Academy's director. Everybody else was, too. And he was a man of genius."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was he a Pakistani?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was a Pakistani founded or organization? A research organization and education for rural development?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 35.41269658484725, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was a Pakistani founded or organization? A research organization and education for rural development?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. He was a very interesting person, a Muslim, obviously. He was originally an ICS officer. ICS has referred to the India Civil Service, which is the elite civil organization in the government of British India, and later both Pakistan and India. And he was so disappointed by the behavior, what happened in the Bengal famine of 1943 when there was horrible, three million Bengalis die because of famine, partly brought on by World War II and Japanese bombardment and partly through some government mismanagement. He did the unheard of thing of resigning from the ICS, went to work for two or three years as a common tradesman. He was very much interested in Tolstoy and his ideas. Eventually became a teacher and became the principal of a college in Victoria. It, in Columbia, in Comilla, became a government. So the reason going that background was that he was a man who had high status as an educator, high status as a former government officer, as well as his own learning. And he was put in charge of the Academy, which was founded in large measure by the Ford Foundation, by the way, both academies. And he was a man of enormous influence and respect. The volunteers loved him. I loved him, everybody. And he had anyway. So we had this period of time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was his name? I didn't get his name."}, {"role": "user", "content": "His name is difficult. Akhtar Hameed Khan. I'll spell it. A-K-H-T-A-R, Akhtar. Second name Hameed, H-A-M-E-E-D. And Khan, K-H-A-N. Khan is a common name for, of stemming from Central Asia, the Mongols of a chief or chief or headmen. So Khan is a much respected title, but now it's become a common family name as well. But so Akhtar Hameed Khan was the name of the director of the Academy for Rural Development."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you very much."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.4734432299877405, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Health centers, right. So a large program of rural public works was built. And there's a literature about this for whatever purposes. And if you want later on, I can provide a lot of citations to support these things. So when the University of Minnesota produced, they ran a whole project, maybe a couple of them focused on rural public works, which came out of the essentially pioneering work, which is done by a combination of our two or three of the engineer people in my group, together with the director and the Academy of Rural Development, had come along. So in answer to your question, a group came for nurses. Another group came for rural public works, another group came for the high schools, and then some came after I had left. But far from based on our work and I think something in the area of the exact number, I think about 150 or 200 or so volunteers followed us in the years afterwards."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So about you said about 200."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The exact number I'm not dead sure of, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. So well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Coincidentally, just to pitch one thing. One of the things I did was to, being a writer and a journalist of background, and because our people were scattered, my project was to put together a national sort of newspaper, if you will. I got a bunch of people in the local community who would volunteer to, for example, the wife of the CARE director and somebody else from the Asia Foundation, who are still friends today, and gave them assignments to go around and talk with the volunteers, do stories of the work they were doing, the nurses, the schoolteachers, the engineers, and so on. Other projects in other countries have also various kinds of journals. I'm well familiar with that, but this is one we put out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so there were newsletters that were compiled between July 1962 and July 1963 by people living in and working in East Pakistan."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.30382581109749, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The exact number I'm not dead sure of, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. So well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Coincidentally, just to pitch one thing. One of the things I did was to, being a writer and a journalist of background, and because our people were scattered, my project was to put together a national sort of newspaper, if you will. I got a bunch of people in the local community who would volunteer to, for example, the wife of the CARE director and somebody else from the Asia Foundation, who are still friends today, and gave them assignments to go around and talk with the volunteers, do stories of the work they were doing, the nurses, the schoolteachers, the engineers, and so on. Other projects in other countries have also various kinds of journals. I'm well familiar with that, but this is one we put out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so there were newsletters that were compiled between July 1962 and July 1963 by people living in and working in East Pakistan."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was my in my calling, I was the editor. And then had staff people I had running around and some of the volunteers wrote articles in some of the staff people wrote articles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I'm looking at something that is titled East Pakistan Peace Corps Journal. It's a bound volume of about two and a half inches thick. It's made of, the pages are some of them a carbon copy writing style. Some of the mimeographs, some of them newspaper reprints or photographs that have been pasted in. It's a wonderful wealth of information about that one year period."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.115362012330543, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Coincidentally, just to pitch one thing. One of the things I did was to, being a writer and a journalist of background, and because our people were scattered, my project was to put together a national sort of newspaper, if you will. I got a bunch of people in the local community who would volunteer to, for example, the wife of the CARE director and somebody else from the Asia Foundation, who are still friends today, and gave them assignments to go around and talk with the volunteers, do stories of the work they were doing, the nurses, the schoolteachers, the engineers, and so on. Other projects in other countries have also various kinds of journals. I'm well familiar with that, but this is one we put out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so there were newsletters that were compiled between July 1962 and July 1963 by people living in and working in East Pakistan."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was my in my calling, I was the editor. And then had staff people I had running around and some of the volunteers wrote articles in some of the staff people wrote articles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I'm looking at something that is titled East Pakistan Peace Corps Journal. It's a bound volume of about two and a half inches thick. It's made of, the pages are some of them a carbon copy writing style. Some of the mimeographs, some of them newspaper reprints or photographs that have been pasted in. It's a wonderful wealth of information about that one year period."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'll pass this on eventually to Karen up at the, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Kennedy Library. It will go into your, with your papers. That is going to be a wonderful addition."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.017068902589491, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was my in my calling, I was the editor. And then had staff people I had running around and some of the volunteers wrote articles in some of the staff people wrote articles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I'm looking at something that is titled East Pakistan Peace Corps Journal. It's a bound volume of about two and a half inches thick. It's made of, the pages are some of them a carbon copy writing style. Some of the mimeographs, some of them newspaper reprints or photographs that have been pasted in. It's a wonderful wealth of information about that one year period."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'll pass this on eventually to Karen up at the, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Kennedy Library. It will go into your, with your papers. That is going to be a wonderful addition."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there are other projects in other countries that have done similar kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes. But we don't always have them available to us. That's really, really a great thing. So, you know, we are, we've done a really pretty in-depth look at those two years and your role in helping to get Peace Corps started in East Pakistan. And so it's really time for you to leave. But I have a personal question for you. Were you in East Pakistan alone as a bachelor, if you will?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.018965447321657, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'll pass this on eventually to Karen up at the, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Kennedy Library. It will go into your, with your papers. That is going to be a wonderful addition."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there are other projects in other countries that have done similar kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes. But we don't always have them available to us. That's really, really a great thing. So, you know, we are, we've done a really pretty in-depth look at those two years and your role in helping to get Peace Corps started in East Pakistan. And so it's really time for you to leave. But I have a personal question for you. Were you in East Pakistan alone as a bachelor, if you will?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have a family at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.132183830357397, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there are other projects in other countries that have done similar kinds of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes. But we don't always have them available to us. That's really, really a great thing. So, you know, we are, we've done a really pretty in-depth look at those two years and your role in helping to get Peace Corps started in East Pakistan. And so it's really time for you to leave. But I have a personal question for you. Were you in East Pakistan alone as a bachelor, if you will?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have a family at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. As of course, all I'm assuming all the volunteers also were solo without family."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.369093144841552, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have a family at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. As of course, all I'm assuming all the volunteers also were solo without family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Yes, they do. Good point. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In those early days, married couples didn't go in together."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.743436827601723, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. As of course, all I'm assuming all the volunteers also were solo without family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Yes, they do. Good point. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In those early days, married couples didn't go in together."}, {"role": "user", "content": "However, they came out together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They did, so many!"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.270485364001914, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Yes, they do. Good point. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In those early days, married couples didn't go in together."}, {"role": "user", "content": "However, they came out together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They did, so many!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had four marriages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Within the two years?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.967205960002126, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "However, they came out together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They did, so many!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had four marriages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Within the two years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well three. Actually, three and a half in a sense. Two were between volunteers in my group. One was between one of my volunteers and of one who succeeded, a nurse. And then another was my colleague and buddy, Paul Slawson, who married a volunteer from West Pakistan. They’re married still today. And these marriages have all lasted, by the way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wonderful. That's great."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.85245106666903, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had four marriages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Within the two years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well three. Actually, three and a half in a sense. Two were between volunteers in my group. One was between one of my volunteers and of one who succeeded, a nurse. And then another was my colleague and buddy, Paul Slawson, who married a volunteer from West Pakistan. They’re married still today. And these marriages have all lasted, by the way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wonderful. That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So my line is that I married my wife as a result of Peace Corps experiences there. So I make the pitch to the Peace Corps with the best experience that's been going. Matching service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Matching service, absolutely. Well, so, you know, we're really we're getting close. And I want to have you talk a little bit about how you brought closure to your two years and what your feelings were as you left Pakistan. And then what did you go into after that? And then I have a closing question for you that’s reflective."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 23.274630946504974, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So my line is that I married my wife as a result of Peace Corps experiences there. So I make the pitch to the Peace Corps with the best experience that's been going. Matching service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Matching service, absolutely. Well, so, you know, we're really we're getting close. And I want to have you talk a little bit about how you brought closure to your two years and what your feelings were as you left Pakistan. And then what did you go into after that? And then I have a closing question for you that’s reflective."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there's a whole other series of things we can talk about, depending on what your tolerance is, because of what people have done since. But to answer your question, let me just show you two or three things. This is a little bit. This is a picture of Shriver."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes indeed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In India, when he came through in May."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "May of ‘61."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.416256607227748, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there's a whole other series of things we can talk about, depending on what your tolerance is, because of what people have done since. But to answer your question, let me just show you two or three things. This is a little bit. This is a picture of Shriver."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes indeed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In India, when he came through in May."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "May of ‘61."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The fellow on the left is David McEachran. The fellow on the right is Harris Wofford. This is Joe Whitter, who was in the Peace Corps staff but later became the head of AID. This is, I think, Roger Ernst, who was the American Foreign Service officer at the time. This is when he was leaving India, having talked with Nehru and on his way to Karachi to talk with the Pakistanis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a wonderful picture, photograph."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 23.795840674697498, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In India, when he came through in May."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "May of ‘61."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The fellow on the left is David McEachran. The fellow on the right is Harris Wofford. This is Joe Whitter, who was in the Peace Corps staff but later became the head of AID. This is, I think, Roger Ernst, who was the American Foreign Service officer at the time. This is when he was leaving India, having talked with Nehru and on his way to Karachi to talk with the Pakistanis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a wonderful picture, photograph."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And again, I've got the citations with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The identification of everybody. It's wonderful to see a young Harris Wofford. Wow, very vibrant as he still is in his 90s."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.328711860774998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The fellow on the left is David McEachran. The fellow on the right is Harris Wofford. This is Joe Whitter, who was in the Peace Corps staff but later became the head of AID. This is, I think, Roger Ernst, who was the American Foreign Service officer at the time. This is when he was leaving India, having talked with Nehru and on his way to Karachi to talk with the Pakistanis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a wonderful picture, photograph."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And again, I've got the citations with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The identification of everybody. It's wonderful to see a young Harris Wofford. Wow, very vibrant as he still is in his 90s."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And here's an example of, there's the accused. That was our COS conference. COS being close of service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So here we have, I'm looking at the."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 28.143013178638885, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And again, I've got the citations with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The identification of everybody. It's wonderful to see a young Harris Wofford. Wow, very vibrant as he still is in his 90s."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And here's an example of, there's the accused. That was our COS conference. COS being close of service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So here we have, I'm looking at the."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The beginning picture with their holding a Pan American Airways welcoming banner. And now I'm looking at them looking much more relaxed and really acculturated. I see them wearing the costumes of their counterparts in East Pakistan."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.270014642932093, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And here's an example of, there's the accused. That was our COS conference. COS being close of service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So here we have, I'm looking at the."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The beginning picture with their holding a Pan American Airways welcoming banner. And now I'm looking at them looking much more relaxed and really acculturated. I see them wearing the costumes of their counterparts in East Pakistan."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was also our Bengali staff colleagues that was like our accountant and or a couple of secretaries in the office, staff and such. This was the 62 year old who I told you, the WAC officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh and is this she, right there? Right there. Yes."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 34.74446071436899, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The beginning picture with their holding a Pan American Airways welcoming banner. And now I'm looking at them looking much more relaxed and really acculturated. I see them wearing the costumes of their counterparts in East Pakistan."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was also our Bengali staff colleagues that was like our accountant and or a couple of secretaries in the office, staff and such. This was the 62 year old who I told you, the WAC officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh and is this she, right there? Right there. Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I'm up there and then Paul Slawson is here, my colleague."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're up here with the number one in front of you. So I know it just so happens that it's wonderful."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 37.49384523818777, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was also our Bengali staff colleagues that was like our accountant and or a couple of secretaries in the office, staff and such. This was the 62 year old who I told you, the WAC officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh and is this she, right there? Right there. Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I'm up there and then Paul Slawson is here, my colleague."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're up here with the number one in front of you. So I know it just so happens that it's wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just for just for history's sake, there's some later ones. That was our gathering. I think that was a thirty-fifth anniversary gathering we had up in Putney, Vermont. At least that's these are some of our Bengali colleagues. This is the fellow I'm saying I mentioned. He was one of our faculty members at the academy. And he has since become a quite a star in his own life. That's his wife. And then he was another one of our faculty members who became an ambassador. There's me. A doctor who worked with us and such."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think you were looking a little younger then too."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 36.104272486875296, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I'm up there and then Paul Slawson is here, my colleague."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're up here with the number one in front of you. So I know it just so happens that it's wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just for just for history's sake, there's some later ones. That was our gathering. I think that was a thirty-fifth anniversary gathering we had up in Putney, Vermont. At least that's these are some of our Bengali colleagues. This is the fellow I'm saying I mentioned. He was one of our faculty members at the academy. And he has since become a quite a star in his own life. That's his wife. And then he was another one of our faculty members who became an ambassador. There's me. A doctor who worked with us and such."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think you were looking a little younger then too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. This is, I think the forty-fifth that's in Washington, D.C. That's our group of ragtag characters, and that is Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank, who joined us at the time. This is our gathering, our fourth-fifth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This might be thirty-fifth."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 39.00474720763921, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just for just for history's sake, there's some later ones. That was our gathering. I think that was a thirty-fifth anniversary gathering we had up in Putney, Vermont. At least that's these are some of our Bengali colleagues. This is the fellow I'm saying I mentioned. He was one of our faculty members at the academy. And he has since become a quite a star in his own life. That's his wife. And then he was another one of our faculty members who became an ambassador. There's me. A doctor who worked with us and such."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think you were looking a little younger then too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. This is, I think the forty-fifth that's in Washington, D.C. That's our group of ragtag characters, and that is Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank, who joined us at the time. This is our gathering, our fourth-fifth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This might be thirty-fifth."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the thirty-fifth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I recognize these T-shirts. Yeah I have one like it. I think it was from the thirty-fifth. Now which is you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 43.33860800848801, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. This is, I think the forty-fifth that's in Washington, D.C. That's our group of ragtag characters, and that is Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank, who joined us at the time. This is our gathering, our fourth-fifth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This might be thirty-fifth."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the thirty-fifth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I recognize these T-shirts. Yeah I have one like it. I think it was from the thirty-fifth. Now which is you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, I'm there looking very unattractive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But still among the taller of them all."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 20, "return_to_go": 46.837787664800004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, I'm there looking very unattractive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But still among the taller of them all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was a gathering. We had at."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In 2006."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Helena, St. Helena, California. And that was our director, King Berlew, I mentioned, lovely guy who’s still around. Jim Moody was our, he came out of that. That was one of our colleagues in the embassy who are a great help. Ruth Downing was a volunteer who helped us. And she became later a Peace Corps deputy director in Thailand. And this is where, I had this shirt here, it’s our Bengali shirts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Isn't that great."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00055:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 13.2, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Good, well I’ll be delighted also."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is Pat Wand and Bob Terry has remembered one more thing he wants to add to this recording."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, actually, there’s two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You go for it!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had a role in helping to start the Massachusetts Service Corps in Boston in 1965. And then I, the experiment to serve and help returning Peace Corps volunteers created an academic institution called the School for International Training, which became a certified academic institution, a master's degree level. And that was designed specifically. I was part of that team. I was not the leader. My colleagues were much more senior to me, but that was to try and help returning volunteers come back to this country. Number one, reflect and think about what they've been doing and how they're doing. And number two, to be qualified sort of in terms of credentials for with your language training or people management kinds of skills."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know graduates of that program, the master's degree program."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00302:22", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 28, "return_to_go": 83.48168979906393, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "“Just one more switch throw tonight before you go to sleep.” That’s how they couched it. The air-to-ground is going everywhere in the world, so it was great. That was 16, and that’s not the only thing I remember, but the hardware’s working good, the Saturns were working good, confidence is great. Along in there, somewhere between this time, we ordered 10 more Saturn Vs. This is also the time, in ’71, where Congress said, “That’s it,” OMB [Office of Management and Budget] somehow, Vietnam [War] is getting bigger and bigger and everything. So, when [President Richard M.] Nixon came in ’68, I always hated him the rest of the time because he didn’t let [President Lyndon B.] Johnson at least go out on the aircraft carrier to see them come back, because Johnson is who was instrumental in the space program. But Johnson had this great meeting with them later, so that worked out. OMB said, “No more after 17.” So, that left three Saturn Vs left over, and then they canceled the order for building any more. That contract actually never occurred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned you were working on Skylab, but this was also about the time the announcement was made that the Shuttle Program had been approved by the President."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. He put it together at that time, I think it was ’73 or something like that when he said, “We’ll do this Shuttle.” That’s why the design kind of froze way back in the ’70s, that’s why we have such—not terrible computers, but they were very early, design-wise. The whole Shuttle computer is 128k."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, so there was a lot going on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just right there, everywhere, it’s going on everywhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that whole time-span."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00302:52", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 20.720000000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, early on. This one, I had a lot to do with it, yes. The guys who put it together, though, one thing you said, and I’ll fix it there, it says “Singer” because it was not—it was Link, all that time. About this time is when Singer bought the company, and there was something called General Precision was in even before that. That name, you might not have ever heard, but that, who owned Link—I met Ed Link [company founder] down one time in Florida, and he was diverted from that whole thing. He had a submarine; he was doing deep sea diving, it was like a hobby, but he had his own Alvin-style machine at Fort Pierce in Florida. Then, the Link name started disappearing into these other companies, until it became Raytheon, like it is today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a CAE [Electronics, CAE-Link] in there somewhere, too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a CAE, yes. Even now Link has actually got two entities: one is Raytheon, and another one is [L-3 Communications]. There’s another name like that that’s up in Binghamton, New York, still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s a history all by itself."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It is, it really is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk, if you can, maybe just the last few minutes, about the environment here at JSC. You’ve got a major program closing down, you’ve got a program that’s up and running, you’ve got now the probability that we’re going to be working with Russians, when all these years you had not thought about working for Russians or with Russians. Then, of course, in the background somewhere, people are starting to design the Shuttle. Is it an interesting time among the people that are working here, or is it an unsettled time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00302:62", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and it’s nicer when it’s new because you couldn’t have somebody saying, “Oh, nobody would do that,” because they didn’t know how to do it, so they just stood out of the way and let us do it. Now, since we’ve tried doing things, it’s like, here’s this whole group of people where we’ve got capsules, three or four companies doing capsules, another three or four to do the wing vehicles. I’d go with the wing one all the time—I like SpaceX and I like the way the company works, but capsules, to me, I don’t like parachutes. I wouldn’t jump out of an airplane unless it was burning, you know what I mean? Coming down after three years being to Mars, I’d hate to see the parachutes come out. If anything else, I’d go into orbit and have another vehicle take me home. Slow down and stay in orbit, and I’d get a ride home like an old gentleman."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. “Driver, please.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly. Have some young buck that’s going up and down all the time and is good at it. It’s like if you go to the doctor, you want not somebody that’s new at this business; I want somebody who does three or four of these operations a week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s it, yes. Proficient."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This might be a good place to stop and we can pick up and talk about working with the Russians, and then how you moved into Shuttle, and we’ll squeeze the Skylab in between there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.308658355082677, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was not in the Navy as a photographer; I was a flyboy—navigator and gunner on a torpedo bomber in the Pacific, flying off a jeep aircraft carrier."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you came back to Newport News, Virginia and opened your own studio?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "After my time in the Navy I was accepted at the Southwest Photographic Arts Institute in Dallas, Texas. That is a subsidiary of Southern Methodist University. I studied there for two and one-half years then entered into a partnership and opened a portrait and commercial photographic studio. The gentleman I opened the studio with had been a photographer in the Signal Corp in the Army and had a wealth of experience. The partnership lasted for a number of years until I bought him out.\\n\\n In 1950 I had an offer to go to the Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown, Virginia as a photographer, which I accepted. I kept the studio going with good help and soon had a call from the Army Transportation Center in Fort Eustis, Virginia as a photographer. I worked there for a number of years then received another call from the Naval Weapons Center asking if I would come back as a Photographic Supervisor. This I accepted.\\n\\n About five years later I received a call from my friend, Gene Edmonds who wanted to know if I would be interested in coming to work at NASA and joining the space task group and relocating to Houston, Texas. If interested, he would set me up for an interview with John Brinkmann, Division Chief of the new Photographic Division of the Space Task Group in Houston."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He contacted you to be Chief of the Laboratory Branch?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was contacted a month later to have an interview with John Brinkmann. The interview went well and I was offered a position to help set up a photographic laboratory that would be second to none in the country with my main task to support the landing of a man on the Moon project. After a few weeks and sleepless nights, we [Judy, my spouse, and I] decided to accept the position and have never regretted the move to Houston."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was working in a laboratory something you were more interested in than taking photographs, etc.?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 20.34295372786964, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After my time in the Navy I was accepted at the Southwest Photographic Arts Institute in Dallas, Texas. That is a subsidiary of Southern Methodist University. I studied there for two and one-half years then entered into a partnership and opened a portrait and commercial photographic studio. The gentleman I opened the studio with had been a photographer in the Signal Corp in the Army and had a wealth of experience. The partnership lasted for a number of years until I bought him out.\\n\\n In 1950 I had an offer to go to the Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown, Virginia as a photographer, which I accepted. I kept the studio going with good help and soon had a call from the Army Transportation Center in Fort Eustis, Virginia as a photographer. I worked there for a number of years then received another call from the Naval Weapons Center asking if I would come back as a Photographic Supervisor. This I accepted.\\n\\n About five years later I received a call from my friend, Gene Edmonds who wanted to know if I would be interested in coming to work at NASA and joining the space task group and relocating to Houston, Texas. If interested, he would set me up for an interview with John Brinkmann, Division Chief of the new Photographic Division of the Space Task Group in Houston."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He contacted you to be Chief of the Laboratory Branch?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was contacted a month later to have an interview with John Brinkmann. The interview went well and I was offered a position to help set up a photographic laboratory that would be second to none in the country with my main task to support the landing of a man on the Moon project. After a few weeks and sleepless nights, we [Judy, my spouse, and I] decided to accept the position and have never regretted the move to Houston."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was working in a laboratory something you were more interested in than taking photographs, etc.?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both. I feel that you need a good background in laboratory procedures as well as taking pictures. To have a well rounded knowledge of both departments is to ones advantage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first started with NASA, were they taking cameras into space when John Glenn flew?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 21.492170808744046, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was contacted a month later to have an interview with John Brinkmann. The interview went well and I was offered a position to help set up a photographic laboratory that would be second to none in the country with my main task to support the landing of a man on the Moon project. After a few weeks and sleepless nights, we [Judy, my spouse, and I] decided to accept the position and have never regretted the move to Houston."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was working in a laboratory something you were more interested in than taking photographs, etc.?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both. I feel that you need a good background in laboratory procedures as well as taking pictures. To have a well rounded knowledge of both departments is to ones advantage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first started with NASA, were they taking cameras into space when John Glenn flew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "John Glenn had a small hand held camera with him and took a few pictures of the Earth using color film. The short duration of flight restricted his time to concentrate on photography."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they starting out with just black and white or did they use color film that early?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 19.43574534304894, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Both. I feel that you need a good background in laboratory procedures as well as taking pictures. To have a well rounded knowledge of both departments is to ones advantage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first started with NASA, were they taking cameras into space when John Glenn flew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "John Glenn had a small hand held camera with him and took a few pictures of the Earth using color film. The short duration of flight restricted his time to concentrate on photography."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they starting out with just black and white or did they use color film that early?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Color transparency film was used on an unmanned flight, MA-1, in July 1960 for engineering study; cameras mounted inside spacecraft used black and white film for instrument panel documentation. Color transparency film was used throughout the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs and black and white film was used mostly for special tasks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were talking about equipment and the Hasselblad camera. Was the camera specially designed for astronauts to use on missions?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 18.261939270054377, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "John Glenn had a small hand held camera with him and took a few pictures of the Earth using color film. The short duration of flight restricted his time to concentrate on photography."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they starting out with just black and white or did they use color film that early?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Color transparency film was used on an unmanned flight, MA-1, in July 1960 for engineering study; cameras mounted inside spacecraft used black and white film for instrument panel documentation. Color transparency film was used throughout the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs and black and white film was used mostly for special tasks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were talking about equipment and the Hasselblad camera. Was the camera specially designed for astronauts to use on missions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Hasselblad camera was well designed and met NASA's requirements for flight. The Hasselblad camera was modified many times from the time it started flying during the early Gemini Program in 1965. Each camera was definitely improved along the line with a variety of lens, larger film magazines and ease of handling. The astronauts relied on the operation and reliability of the Hasselblad through the Apollo and Space Shuttle Program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the film also? Was it special?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.624376966727086, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Color transparency film was used on an unmanned flight, MA-1, in July 1960 for engineering study; cameras mounted inside spacecraft used black and white film for instrument panel documentation. Color transparency film was used throughout the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs and black and white film was used mostly for special tasks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were talking about equipment and the Hasselblad camera. Was the camera specially designed for astronauts to use on missions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Hasselblad camera was well designed and met NASA's requirements for flight. The Hasselblad camera was modified many times from the time it started flying during the early Gemini Program in 1965. Each camera was definitely improved along the line with a variety of lens, larger film magazines and ease of handling. The astronauts relied on the operation and reliability of the Hasselblad through the Apollo and Space Shuttle Program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the film also? Was it special?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the film was a special order from Eastman Kodak. The film that you purchase from a local camera shop is about 5 to 7 millimeters thickness. The film Kodak specially made for NASA was 2.5 millimeter thickness or about like cellophane. The reason for the requirement is the limited storage space in the spacecraft, the film weight and the film capacity on a roll which is increased about 40% by using thinner film. This type of film was used on the 16, 35 and 70 mm cameras on all missions from Gemini through Space Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When astronauts first started taking cameras in flight, did they go through special training?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.138196629696761, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Hasselblad camera was well designed and met NASA's requirements for flight. The Hasselblad camera was modified many times from the time it started flying during the early Gemini Program in 1965. Each camera was definitely improved along the line with a variety of lens, larger film magazines and ease of handling. The astronauts relied on the operation and reliability of the Hasselblad through the Apollo and Space Shuttle Program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the film also? Was it special?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the film was a special order from Eastman Kodak. The film that you purchase from a local camera shop is about 5 to 7 millimeters thickness. The film Kodak specially made for NASA was 2.5 millimeter thickness or about like cellophane. The reason for the requirement is the limited storage space in the spacecraft, the film weight and the film capacity on a roll which is increased about 40% by using thinner film. This type of film was used on the 16, 35 and 70 mm cameras on all missions from Gemini through Space Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When astronauts first started taking cameras in flight, did they go through special training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there is a section at the Center that handles astronaut training. Our laboratory has a good working relationship with the training section."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since the thin film is a different type, did it require a different processor or special handling?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.709107366329734, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the film was a special order from Eastman Kodak. The film that you purchase from a local camera shop is about 5 to 7 millimeters thickness. The film Kodak specially made for NASA was 2.5 millimeter thickness or about like cellophane. The reason for the requirement is the limited storage space in the spacecraft, the film weight and the film capacity on a roll which is increased about 40% by using thinner film. This type of film was used on the 16, 35 and 70 mm cameras on all missions from Gemini through Space Shuttle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When astronauts first started taking cameras in flight, did they go through special training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there is a section at the Center that handles astronaut training. Our laboratory has a good working relationship with the training section."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since the thin film is a different type, did it require a different processor or special handling?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The thin base film developed by Kodak is on Mylar base. It is very strong; it's tough and can cause problems during processing. Our technicians are specially trained in handling this material. All thin-base film that we use is processed in-house and not sent off site. Our processors did not require modifications to handle the thin base film. Our technicians and special film handling was the key to our success."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this something that was developed for NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.45456374036637, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there is a section at the Center that handles astronaut training. Our laboratory has a good working relationship with the training section."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since the thin film is a different type, did it require a different processor or special handling?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The thin base film developed by Kodak is on Mylar base. It is very strong; it's tough and can cause problems during processing. Our technicians are specially trained in handling this material. All thin-base film that we use is processed in-house and not sent off site. Our processors did not require modifications to handle the thin base film. Our technicians and special film handling was the key to our success."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this something that was developed for NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was developed for NASA in the color coded Mylar base film emulsion that was requested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was not that thin base film before you needed it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.28284860040708, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The thin base film developed by Kodak is on Mylar base. It is very strong; it's tough and can cause problems during processing. Our technicians are specially trained in handling this material. All thin-base film that we use is processed in-house and not sent off site. Our processors did not require modifications to handle the thin base film. Our technicians and special film handling was the key to our success."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this something that was developed for NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was developed for NASA in the color coded Mylar base film emulsion that was requested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was not that thin base film before you needed it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a thin base film used by the Department of Defense on special tasks. [Not released on the open market.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had special techniques as far as processing thin-base film?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 20.31427622267453, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was developed for NASA in the color coded Mylar base film emulsion that was requested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was not that thin base film before you needed it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a thin base film used by the Department of Defense on special tasks. [Not released on the open market.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had special techniques as far as processing thin-base film?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was not any difference as far as chemicals were concerned - it was the same chemistry. One main concern in processing this type film would be in the tracking of the material through the processor and keeping the film aligned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any resistance when you first started with NASA as far as putting cameras on board with the astronauts?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.23808469186059, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a thin base film used by the Department of Defense on special tasks. [Not released on the open market.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had special techniques as far as processing thin-base film?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was not any difference as far as chemicals were concerned - it was the same chemistry. One main concern in processing this type film would be in the tracking of the material through the processor and keeping the film aligned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any resistance when you first started with NASA as far as putting cameras on board with the astronauts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the early days of space flight I have heard that there was some resistance in taking cameras on board during flight. This was soon dropped and I never heard any more about it. Wally Schirra, during the Mercury program in 1962, took his own Hasselblad camera on board. It was modified for flight. He took photographs that were good and it helped pave the way for the Hasselblad camera."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A couple of other photographers mentioned that the astronauts enjoyed taking pictures and wanted to bring back the best photos possible?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.375649657622876, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was not any difference as far as chemicals were concerned - it was the same chemistry. One main concern in processing this type film would be in the tracking of the material through the processor and keeping the film aligned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any resistance when you first started with NASA as far as putting cameras on board with the astronauts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the early days of space flight I have heard that there was some resistance in taking cameras on board during flight. This was soon dropped and I never heard any more about it. Wally Schirra, during the Mercury program in 1962, took his own Hasselblad camera on board. It was modified for flight. He took photographs that were good and it helped pave the way for the Hasselblad camera."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A couple of other photographers mentioned that the astronauts enjoyed taking pictures and wanted to bring back the best photos possible?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I feel that the astronauts enjoyed taking pictures in flight. When they would view the pictures after flight some had more photo coverage than others. This restricted them during press conferences, by not having as much material to show from the flight. I feel that it started a friendly competition between crews—on trying to take the best pictures they could [such as those covering Earth, crew pictures during flight and Moon walks on the lunar surface]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the Russian photography compare to the ones we were taking?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 23.750721841803195, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the early days of space flight I have heard that there was some resistance in taking cameras on board during flight. This was soon dropped and I never heard any more about it. Wally Schirra, during the Mercury program in 1962, took his own Hasselblad camera on board. It was modified for flight. He took photographs that were good and it helped pave the way for the Hasselblad camera."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A couple of other photographers mentioned that the astronauts enjoyed taking pictures and wanted to bring back the best photos possible?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I feel that the astronauts enjoyed taking pictures in flight. When they would view the pictures after flight some had more photo coverage than others. This restricted them during press conferences, by not having as much material to show from the flight. I feel that it started a friendly competition between crews—on trying to take the best pictures they could [such as those covering Earth, crew pictures during flight and Moon walks on the lunar surface]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the Russian photography compare to the ones we were taking?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did a fair job in the early stages of the program. As the program progressed, and with newer cameras and training, the quality of their finished product was much improved."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In a lab there are so many variables when you’re developing film as far as the amount of light and the chemicals, and the astronauts were coming back with photographs from space, which no one had ever taken photographs of before, and then later on, the Moon. How did you determine in the lab the correct exposures to make sure that the colors were as true as possible to what they really were taking the photos of, since you had nothing to compare it with?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.096664901391858, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A procedure was established at a high level that all material and astronauts returning from the Moon would go in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory under careful medical observation until 21 days had passed from the time the crew lifted off the lunar surface. Any item drawn from the LRL sooner would have to go through a decontamination process. Crew Systems Division established a process that items leaving the LRL early would go through an autoclave exposed to a dry gas vapor designed to decontaminate the film and other products as required. This procedure worked with no problems."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You showed us a picture of the film vault that housed the original film. When film was developed, were prints made from those negatives or did you create some masters to print from?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the original film, duplicate masters were produced and the original film secured. We tried not to use the original film unless special requirements were needed.. From the masters, screening prints were made for the Public Affairs Office to view and select views for news releases. Duplicate negatives were made and used for printing; for example 8x10 color pictures or larger, color transparencies, slides, etc. Much of the same procedure is used when processing and duplicating motion picture film."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who developed the first prints from the Moon? Was it just your group that worked together and did it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "All of the original film that went to the Moon was brought back to Building 8 at JSC and processed, duplicated and printed. Requirements from Public Affairs were met and the final products sent to the world. The technicians working for me were highly trained and skilled professionals. During the entire Apollo program with missions going to the Moon, my technicians never lost a single foot of imagery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After prints were made the public wanted to see the results. Was it your group that decided what prints go to Public Affairs to be distributed?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.662961001546506, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the original film, duplicate masters were produced and the original film secured. We tried not to use the original film unless special requirements were needed.. From the masters, screening prints were made for the Public Affairs Office to view and select views for news releases. Duplicate negatives were made and used for printing; for example 8x10 color pictures or larger, color transparencies, slides, etc. Much of the same procedure is used when processing and duplicating motion picture film."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who developed the first prints from the Moon? Was it just your group that worked together and did it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "All of the original film that went to the Moon was brought back to Building 8 at JSC and processed, duplicated and printed. Requirements from Public Affairs were met and the final products sent to the world. The technicians working for me were highly trained and skilled professionals. During the entire Apollo program with missions going to the Moon, my technicians never lost a single foot of imagery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After prints were made the public wanted to see the results. Was it your group that decided what prints go to Public Affairs to be distributed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "After screening prints were produced, Public Affairs viewed the film and made the final selections for release to the world. During mission time, Public Affairs is on a standby mode to view flight material. Large quantities of prints, transparencies and motion picture footage is printed on a rush basis for distribution."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What type of process was used to identify the photos once they came back?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 28.51440111282945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All of the original film that went to the Moon was brought back to Building 8 at JSC and processed, duplicated and printed. Requirements from Public Affairs were met and the final products sent to the world. The technicians working for me were highly trained and skilled professionals. During the entire Apollo program with missions going to the Moon, my technicians never lost a single foot of imagery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After prints were made the public wanted to see the results. Was it your group that decided what prints go to Public Affairs to be distributed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "After screening prints were produced, Public Affairs viewed the film and made the final selections for release to the world. During mission time, Public Affairs is on a standby mode to view flight material. Large quantities of prints, transparencies and motion picture footage is printed on a rush basis for distribution."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What type of process was used to identify the photos once they came back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have two people assigned to our facility that are experts in geography and location of landmass. These people identify each frame of film exposed in the still camera. This caption materiel goes with the final product to Public Affairs for identification with the caption printed on the back of each photograph."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your area of responsibility for motion picture processing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 29.460445680921612, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After screening prints were produced, Public Affairs viewed the film and made the final selections for release to the world. During mission time, Public Affairs is on a standby mode to view flight material. Large quantities of prints, transparencies and motion picture footage is printed on a rush basis for distribution."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What type of process was used to identify the photos once they came back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have two people assigned to our facility that are experts in geography and location of landmass. These people identify each frame of film exposed in the still camera. This caption materiel goes with the final product to Public Affairs for identification with the caption printed on the back of each photograph."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your area of responsibility for motion picture processing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My area was responsible for motion picture processing including all on board photography, engineering tests throughout the Center using high speed cameras, processing and duplication of documentary photography and other requirements of the Center for Motion picture requests. Motion picture coverage of launches is the responsibility of Cape Kennedy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What type of cameras did the astronauts take with them in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.289384089912904, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have two people assigned to our facility that are experts in geography and location of landmass. These people identify each frame of film exposed in the still camera. This caption materiel goes with the final product to Public Affairs for identification with the caption printed on the back of each photograph."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your area of responsibility for motion picture processing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My area was responsible for motion picture processing including all on board photography, engineering tests throughout the Center using high speed cameras, processing and duplication of documentary photography and other requirements of the Center for Motion picture requests. Motion picture coverage of launches is the responsibility of Cape Kennedy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What type of cameras did the astronauts take with them in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cameras used during missions include the Maurer [data acquisition]; Milliken; modified Hasselblad; 35mm Nikon 500; Zeiss Contanex 35mm; and McDonnell 16mm cameras. These cameras used thin base film developed the same way as other on-board cameras. The thin base 16mm film used on the motion picture cameras increased the film load from 100 feet to approximately 140 feet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During Skylab you mentioned there were thousands of feet of film exposed. Was there any concern about radiation or that sort of thing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 20.321537877681003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My area was responsible for motion picture processing including all on board photography, engineering tests throughout the Center using high speed cameras, processing and duplication of documentary photography and other requirements of the Center for Motion picture requests. Motion picture coverage of launches is the responsibility of Cape Kennedy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What type of cameras did the astronauts take with them in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cameras used during missions include the Maurer [data acquisition]; Milliken; modified Hasselblad; 35mm Nikon 500; Zeiss Contanex 35mm; and McDonnell 16mm cameras. These cameras used thin base film developed the same way as other on-board cameras. The thin base 16mm film used on the motion picture cameras increased the film load from 100 feet to approximately 140 feet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During Skylab you mentioned there were thousands of feet of film exposed. Was there any concern about radiation or that sort of thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A special film vault was designed to handle all on-board flight film to reduce possible radiation. Radiation was noticed on some of the film, which reduced the brilliant image; however, all the frames of the film were useable and no major problems were encountered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Between ASTP and the Shuttle Program there was a period of time. What did your office do during that time period?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.91281986409, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cameras used during missions include the Maurer [data acquisition]; Milliken; modified Hasselblad; 35mm Nikon 500; Zeiss Contanex 35mm; and McDonnell 16mm cameras. These cameras used thin base film developed the same way as other on-board cameras. The thin base 16mm film used on the motion picture cameras increased the film load from 100 feet to approximately 140 feet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During Skylab you mentioned there were thousands of feet of film exposed. Was there any concern about radiation or that sort of thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A special film vault was designed to handle all on-board flight film to reduce possible radiation. Radiation was noticed on some of the film, which reduced the brilliant image; however, all the frames of the film were useable and no major problems were encountered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Between ASTP and the Shuttle Program there was a period of time. What did your office do during that time period?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The laboratory was responsible for printing thousands of color and black and white prints, slides, and viewgraphs required to be printed from past missions. Processing and duplication of all Earth Resources Aircraft photography. Providing rectification of images for mosaics in production of maps. Responsible for color infrared Ektachrome processing of Earth looking photography using film 8 inches in width and 200 feet or longer in length, copy work of all sizes and precision slides used in Mission Control by Flight Controllers. Anything photographic ended up in our laboratory. In the meantime, my duties included staff meetings on equipment needs, status of laboratory personnel, budget requests, weekly and monthly reporting, contractor in-house reports and training of personnel to name just a few things. I also delegated authority to my supervisors, however on the bottom line, \"the buck stops here!\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the beginning the Shuttle Program how did this affect your lab?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 17.6809109601, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A special film vault was designed to handle all on-board flight film to reduce possible radiation. Radiation was noticed on some of the film, which reduced the brilliant image; however, all the frames of the film were useable and no major problems were encountered."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Between ASTP and the Shuttle Program there was a period of time. What did your office do during that time period?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The laboratory was responsible for printing thousands of color and black and white prints, slides, and viewgraphs required to be printed from past missions. Processing and duplication of all Earth Resources Aircraft photography. Providing rectification of images for mosaics in production of maps. Responsible for color infrared Ektachrome processing of Earth looking photography using film 8 inches in width and 200 feet or longer in length, copy work of all sizes and precision slides used in Mission Control by Flight Controllers. Anything photographic ended up in our laboratory. In the meantime, my duties included staff meetings on equipment needs, status of laboratory personnel, budget requests, weekly and monthly reporting, contractor in-house reports and training of personnel to name just a few things. I also delegated authority to my supervisors, however on the bottom line, \"the buck stops here!\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the beginning the Shuttle Program how did this affect your lab?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To go from one program to another, especially the Apollo Program, we planed to update some of our processors and printers to keep current in the photographic field. By keeping our facility up to date, I feel we were in good position to go from the Gemini to Apollo program without too much change in our equipment, etc. However with a new program I looked for new requirements that would be coming in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved in approach and landing tests of the Shuttle or any photography with that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 16.312123289, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The laboratory was responsible for printing thousands of color and black and white prints, slides, and viewgraphs required to be printed from past missions. Processing and duplication of all Earth Resources Aircraft photography. Providing rectification of images for mosaics in production of maps. Responsible for color infrared Ektachrome processing of Earth looking photography using film 8 inches in width and 200 feet or longer in length, copy work of all sizes and precision slides used in Mission Control by Flight Controllers. Anything photographic ended up in our laboratory. In the meantime, my duties included staff meetings on equipment needs, status of laboratory personnel, budget requests, weekly and monthly reporting, contractor in-house reports and training of personnel to name just a few things. I also delegated authority to my supervisors, however on the bottom line, \"the buck stops here!\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the beginning the Shuttle Program how did this affect your lab?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To go from one program to another, especially the Apollo Program, we planed to update some of our processors and printers to keep current in the photographic field. By keeping our facility up to date, I feel we were in good position to go from the Gemini to Apollo program without too much change in our equipment, etc. However with a new program I looked for new requirements that would be coming in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved in approach and landing tests of the Shuttle or any photography with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That sounds like an Edwards Air Force Base [California] requirement. Although during mission time when the Shuttle lands at Edwards, we do send photographers to cover the event and process and print this material as required."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You started with the John Glenn recovery. What other missions did you support or travel to?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.90235921, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To go from one program to another, especially the Apollo Program, we planed to update some of our processors and printers to keep current in the photographic field. By keeping our facility up to date, I feel we were in good position to go from the Gemini to Apollo program without too much change in our equipment, etc. However with a new program I looked for new requirements that would be coming in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved in approach and landing tests of the Shuttle or any photography with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That sounds like an Edwards Air Force Base [California] requirement. Although during mission time when the Shuttle lands at Edwards, we do send photographers to cover the event and process and print this material as required."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You started with the John Glenn recovery. What other missions did you support or travel to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Other than John Glenn's recovery, I did help cover the [L.] Gordon Cooper [Jr.] recovery on MA9. My travel on missions came to a stop with the new buildings under construction, laboratory in the works, the hiring of new technicians, new product briefings by vendors and monitoring equipment under construction at various manufacturing sites."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people did you have working during this time period?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 16.5581769, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That sounds like an Edwards Air Force Base [California] requirement. Although during mission time when the Shuttle lands at Edwards, we do send photographers to cover the event and process and print this material as required."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You started with the John Glenn recovery. What other missions did you support or travel to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Other than John Glenn's recovery, I did help cover the [L.] Gordon Cooper [Jr.] recovery on MA9. My travel on missions came to a stop with the new buildings under construction, laboratory in the works, the hiring of new technicians, new product briefings by vendors and monitoring equipment under construction at various manufacturing sites."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people did you have working during this time period?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During Apollo, I had 140 people in the laboratory—this was a two shift operation. When I inherited the television branch, the number of personnel for both areas was about 200 to 225."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what time did television come in?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.064641, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Other than John Glenn's recovery, I did help cover the [L.] Gordon Cooper [Jr.] recovery on MA9. My travel on missions came to a stop with the new buildings under construction, laboratory in the works, the hiring of new technicians, new product briefings by vendors and monitoring equipment under construction at various manufacturing sites."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people did you have working during this time period?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During Apollo, I had 140 people in the laboratory—this was a two shift operation. When I inherited the television branch, the number of personnel for both areas was about 200 to 225."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what time did television come in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Television started on a limited basis during the latter part of the Mercury or early Gemini Programs, about 1964. Taft Broadcasting Company from Houston aided us in the startup and later were our prime contractor for television."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In 1977 your position changed. You became Chief of the Photographic Processing and AV Services Branch. Did your job change?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 16.73849, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "During Apollo, I had 140 people in the laboratory—this was a two shift operation. When I inherited the television branch, the number of personnel for both areas was about 200 to 225."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what time did television come in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Television started on a limited basis during the latter part of the Mercury or early Gemini Programs, about 1964. Taft Broadcasting Company from Houston aided us in the startup and later were our prime contractor for television."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In 1977 your position changed. You became Chief of the Photographic Processing and AV Services Branch. Did your job change?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Other than assuming more responsibility the overall job did not change noticeably. I still kept a hand on mission requirements."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Once the Shuttle Program started were they taking the camera and bringing the film back to your laboratory or was it during your career that digital technology came in?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 16.3761, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Television started on a limited basis during the latter part of the Mercury or early Gemini Programs, about 1964. Taft Broadcasting Company from Houston aided us in the startup and later were our prime contractor for television."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In 1977 your position changed. You became Chief of the Photographic Processing and AV Services Branch. Did your job change?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Other than assuming more responsibility the overall job did not change noticeably. I still kept a hand on mission requirements."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Once the Shuttle Program started were they taking the camera and bringing the film back to your laboratory or was it during your career that digital technology came in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During the beginning of the Space Shuttle Program all film returned for processing was handled in the same way as during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Programs. Digital technology was not introduced until I retired from NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What memories stand out during your time at NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 11.529, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Other than assuming more responsibility the overall job did not change noticeably. I still kept a hand on mission requirements."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Once the Shuttle Program started were they taking the camera and bringing the film back to your laboratory or was it during your career that digital technology came in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During the beginning of the Space Shuttle Program all film returned for processing was handled in the same way as during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Programs. Digital technology was not introduced until I retired from NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What memories stand out during your time at NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There are many memories that I will always look back on from my years at NASA; many happy memories, some sad. Some include Ed White's walk in space [\\n\\n refer to photo 2\\n\\n ]; the first rendezvous of the spacecraft in the Gemini Program [\\n\\n refer to photo 3\\n\\n ]; the loss of Apollo 1 astronauts, White, Grissom and Chaffee; fire on the pad at the Cape; the Earth-rise taken on Apollo 8; and the Scripture reading on Christmas Eve; astronaut by the flag on the Moon, Apollo 11; footprints on the Moon [\\n\\n refer to photo 6\\n\\n ], Apollo 11; views of the LM [Lunar Module] lander on the Moon with astronaut, experiment packages, footprints and flag (a classic!) [\\n\\n refer to photo 7\\n\\n ]; picture of the Earth taken about 25,000 miles from re-entry, Apollo 17;\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n Accident and loss of crew;-returning the boxes of lunar rocks from the Moon to the Lunar Receiving Laboratory; and in general memories of processing all film that was taken on the Moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have just sort of a fun question for you. You mentioned that Wally Schirra was your neighbor and you also mentioned Pete Conrad lived in the neighborhood. What was it like living in this neighborhood with all these astronauts around?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I asked Terry [N.] Slezak, an excellent technician, if he would like to go in the LRL to accomplish the decontamination of all the film that returned from the Moon and help out in other areas as needed. Terry jumped at the chance, a gung-ho guy for the program. \"Let's get it done!\". Terry did another excellent job for NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your biggest challenge during your career with NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One major challenge in my career was to be a part of the development of the photographic laboratory and see that all equipment was procured, installed and operational to support the Apollo program for the first manned landing on the Moon. We did have a laboratory that was second to none in the country; however, I felt personal responsibility for this phase in the Apollo Program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there one moment or instant that you are most proud of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During my time at NASA and after processing all the Apollo 11 film taken on the Moon and to see the color images displayed on a light table gave me \"goose bumps\"—an astronaut on the Moon beside the American flag and footprints on the lunar surface that will be there for eternity! I was proud that I had a special part in history!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you just share with us your thoughts the first time that you saw pictures of the Moon? You said Apollo 8 was the first, those first shots that they took. Can you just give us your thoughts of what it was like to see—to know that you had still photos—that they had taken pictures of the Moon?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00265:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One major challenge in my career was to be a part of the development of the photographic laboratory and see that all equipment was procured, installed and operational to support the Apollo program for the first manned landing on the Moon. We did have a laboratory that was second to none in the country; however, I felt personal responsibility for this phase in the Apollo Program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there one moment or instant that you are most proud of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During my time at NASA and after processing all the Apollo 11 film taken on the Moon and to see the color images displayed on a light table gave me \"goose bumps\"—an astronaut on the Moon beside the American flag and footprints on the lunar surface that will be there for eternity! I was proud that I had a special part in history!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you just share with us your thoughts the first time that you saw pictures of the Moon? You said Apollo 8 was the first, those first shots that they took. Can you just give us your thoughts of what it was like to see—to know that you had still photos—that they had taken pictures of the Moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To see pictures of the Earth rise coming into view as the Apollo 8 crew circled the Moon, it gives me a feeling of peace, a different perspective; a picture of the Earth rise and lunar surface that not even the most accomplished artist could reproduce."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have a favorite photograph from during your time that you were there? Do you have any one that you could name as your favorite?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00632:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 65.41045271454934, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, I had about 80 hours in the KC-135 before I got selected as an astronaut, and I lost a lot of good lunches—or breakfasts, as it was, because we typically flew in the morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure that wasn’t unusual, either. Talk about your interest in becoming an astronaut and applying to be an astronaut, then eventually being selected."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As I mentioned before, I’ve always been interested in space and exploration and going there. After I was finishing up my Ph.D. at University of Arizona [Tucson] in chemical engineering, it occurred to me that I was qualified to be an astronaut, particularly what NASA had in their literature, and they were going through a selection. I graduated in 1983, and I put in an application for the 1984 selection. I was fortunate right out of the chocks to actually go in for an interview. Out of maybe 5,000 applicants, about 120 come in for an actual interview. Then I got the “Thank you very much for applying to the space program” letter that started off with, “Due to the large number of highly qualified applicants, dah dah dah.”\\n\\n I got that reject letter in 1984, and then over the course of the next 13 years I kept my application current and I interviewed three more times, and I got rejected a total of three times, and the last time, the fourth time, I somehow managed to get in the program. I tell my friends it was probably due to a clerical error, but anyway, I got into the program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was in 1996."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was in 1996."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then, of course, you went through your training, and your first mission was on Expedition 6 in 2002, and part of what you were doing was helping with the continuing construction of the ISS."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00027:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 21, "return_to_go": 92.13066912742684, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly. And I want to divide that between the public affairs nature of the website and the research nature of the website. I had nothing to do with the research online, the records online. All of that was separate. But when I say the website, it was essentially the public-facing website that had to do with all of our public affairs operations. Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. Yeah, I was going to ask about that, too. So you've already preempted me there. So thank you for thinking ahead. [LAUGHS]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There you go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Also, I think during that time—and correct me if I'm wrong—I think NARA's Archives II facility was opened in College Park?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any part in getting appropriations for that, or how did that work? What were your responsibilities there?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00027:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 67.0715588494, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "While it was a real, real statement of the nature of some of the things that are sent to the White House, and it was very illustrative of protest gifts, the President's daughter and the President's son-in-law were special guests that night of the National Archives. They left very angry that we had that on display. So it's a very good example of where our historical integrity at the National Archives sometimes has a head-on collision with ongoing political families, the Johnson family being one that really had an ongoing legacy. Chuck Robb was a United States Senator at the time, and the son-in-law of LBJ. And so you were on a tightrope sometimes, and sometimes you fell off the tightrope. That night was one that I'll never forget. We were definitely off the tightrope that night, though there was no better exhibit of an artifact than that shovel. The curator of the exhibit absolutely did the right thing by putting it in there. But we had some fallout."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, that's the thing with history though. You should show all different sides, right? Not just one. So it was important that that was there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, and LBJ was one of the people themselves that we kind of quoted back to the family very gingerly. LBJ was the one that said, \"I want my library to show the history with the bark off,\" was his Texas phrase. \"I want to see it with the bark off. I want to see the real thing.\" And boy, that was history with the bark off for damn sure, and we lost a little of our own bark that night as a result of it. But it's the way it goes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You brought up the caves. I was just at Lenexa last week, and that was the very first time that I'd ever been in the caves. I'd heard about them, but going along with what you were saying, you don't really understand it until you're actually in there and see how large they are. We got lost in the cave, so . . ."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So your point of [CROSS-TALKING]."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00027:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 73.412843166, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, and LBJ was one of the people themselves that we kind of quoted back to the family very gingerly. LBJ was the one that said, \"I want my library to show the history with the bark off,\" was his Texas phrase. \"I want to see it with the bark off. I want to see the real thing.\" And boy, that was history with the bark off for damn sure, and we lost a little of our own bark that night as a result of it. But it's the way it goes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You brought up the caves. I was just at Lenexa last week, and that was the very first time that I'd ever been in the caves. I'd heard about them, but going along with what you were saying, you don't really understand it until you're actually in there and see how large they are. We got lost in the cave, so . . ."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So your point of [CROSS-TALKING]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just the scope of a space like that where you literally have tractor-trailer trucks that drive down in there and drive around, and the extra benefit of the dry environment, the cool environment. . . . And one of the other things that we were able to display to the world was the number of environmental awards that we got that we were able to, you know, preserve all those records down there with a very minimal use of HVAC [heating, ventilation, and air conditioning] equipment, because it was all naturally air conditioned, because it was underground. It was cool—summer and winter were the same."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, it was cool. [LAUGHS]"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00027:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 28, "return_to_go": 81.56982574, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So your point of [CROSS-TALKING]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just the scope of a space like that where you literally have tractor-trailer trucks that drive down in there and drive around, and the extra benefit of the dry environment, the cool environment. . . . And one of the other things that we were able to display to the world was the number of environmental awards that we got that we were able to, you know, preserve all those records down there with a very minimal use of HVAC [heating, ventilation, and air conditioning] equipment, because it was all naturally air conditioned, because it was underground. It was cool—summer and winter were the same."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah, it was cool. [LAUGHS]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "[LAUGHS]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you mentioned President Johnson's family. Do you have any other stories from other Presidential families that you had to work with?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00027:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, let's hold that for the next time, if you will, and I'll think about it. I can also kind of make a list of happy stories and scandals that I can lay out. Scandals is too pejorative a term. I mean, more often than not, it was something that would happen that we had a story to tell. And I was there to get the story out. Happy to chat about that and to go into that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And every one of those controversies was also an opportunity to, through the press, explain to people what we did. And so a lot of that was kind of taking a . . . you know, and turning something around from a negative to a positive. That was certainly a goal and maybe an interesting one to put down on tape. So . . ."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah, kind of that educating the Congress and the public on really what our mission is and what we actually do, it sounds like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was a part of it. And that then moved over into the whole web. The world of the World Wide Web in terms of trying to figure out how to do that most effectively through the electronic means, which we can talk about as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay. Wonderful. Well, let me go ahead and stop the recording. Just hang on just a second here."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00008:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 15, "return_to_go": 71.47224507708859, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very much on-the-job training. My first—I think it was the entire first year—was just on my assigned job in the Modern Military Projects Branch. Then the second year I was with a class of beginning archivists for a two-week cram course in archival administration. It was by lecture, and pretty much office heads would come and tell us what they did. After, the rest of that year was rotational assignment. You had to have at least one in a non-textual unit, and so on. So my rotational assignments were first in the Military Reference Branch, and then in Cartographic, which I liked very much, because I got to arrange and describe blueprint maps of the Philippines that had been done by General MacArthur’s father, Arthur MacArthur, in, I think, 1912, around there. That was very interesting. My next assignment was Still Pictures; that was a very monotonous assignment of arranging and describing photographic prints of Veterans Administration hospitals that apparently were built on the same pattern, much as Pizza Huts are, so it was dreadfully boring! And I also had an assignment in the Washington National Records Center. And there, of course, they gave me records that were packed in twenty-five pound boxes on the top shelf; my most difficult assignment was getting the boxes down."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right! And then after those rotations you went back to your home office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long were you there at your first assignment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Modern Military Projects? I have to look at my little chronology here [refers to papers on her lap]. I think that was July 1974 to May 1977."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go after that?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00008:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 5.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right, we might not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the command might even be dissolved by then!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have found that with one agency. It was the “Risk”…I can’t remember now, but it has “Risk” in it. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Before we accessioned any records, they had already been abolished. They did create records, but they are easily absorbed by another record group, so we did cancel that record group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Here’s one other question. How do you think technology has changed the work of record group administration?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00008:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have found that with one agency. It was the “Risk”…I can’t remember now, but it has “Risk” in it. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Before we accessioned any records, they had already been abolished. They did create records, but they are easily absorbed by another record group, so we did cancel that record group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Here’s one other question. How do you think technology has changed the work of record group administration?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought and thought about that, Bill. First of all, just the technology we use, the way we administer by computer, I think, certainly allows us to create larger record groups, in fact, because we have much better intellectual control over them through the computer than we did before. On the other hand, it may not come to pass. Reference archivists may still say, “Hey, wait a minute, it’s getting too big, I can’t find it.” So I am not sure. But looking at it the other way, we are accessioning electronic records, and that may be what you are interested in, about how I think that kind of technology has affected record groups. So, I made some inquiries among our electronic records staff; the two staffs, NWME [Electronic and Special Media Services Division] and the ERA [Electronic Records Archives] staff. And I hadn’t really thought about it, but they said they didn’t foresee any particular change in the future, because no matter what the medium is of the record, we still have to have some overarching organizing principle. And for us, the record group—as we have defined it—has worked. I will be interested though, to see if eventually that we won’t need record groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There could be some large government-wide electronic system that would not easily be allocated to one record group."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00008:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Before we accessioned any records, they had already been abolished. They did create records, but they are easily absorbed by another record group, so we did cancel that record group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Here’s one other question. How do you think technology has changed the work of record group administration?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought and thought about that, Bill. First of all, just the technology we use, the way we administer by computer, I think, certainly allows us to create larger record groups, in fact, because we have much better intellectual control over them through the computer than we did before. On the other hand, it may not come to pass. Reference archivists may still say, “Hey, wait a minute, it’s getting too big, I can’t find it.” So I am not sure. But looking at it the other way, we are accessioning electronic records, and that may be what you are interested in, about how I think that kind of technology has affected record groups. So, I made some inquiries among our electronic records staff; the two staffs, NWME [Electronic and Special Media Services Division] and the ERA [Electronic Records Archives] staff. And I hadn’t really thought about it, but they said they didn’t foresee any particular change in the future, because no matter what the medium is of the record, we still have to have some overarching organizing principle. And for us, the record group—as we have defined it—has worked. I will be interested though, to see if eventually that we won’t need record groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There could be some large government-wide electronic system that would not easily be allocated to one record group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, that’s right. We can’t foresee it. Well, I can’t, anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else you want to talk about?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00008:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought and thought about that, Bill. First of all, just the technology we use, the way we administer by computer, I think, certainly allows us to create larger record groups, in fact, because we have much better intellectual control over them through the computer than we did before. On the other hand, it may not come to pass. Reference archivists may still say, “Hey, wait a minute, it’s getting too big, I can’t find it.” So I am not sure. But looking at it the other way, we are accessioning electronic records, and that may be what you are interested in, about how I think that kind of technology has affected record groups. So, I made some inquiries among our electronic records staff; the two staffs, NWME [Electronic and Special Media Services Division] and the ERA [Electronic Records Archives] staff. And I hadn’t really thought about it, but they said they didn’t foresee any particular change in the future, because no matter what the medium is of the record, we still have to have some overarching organizing principle. And for us, the record group—as we have defined it—has worked. I will be interested though, to see if eventually that we won’t need record groups."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There could be some large government-wide electronic system that would not easily be allocated to one record group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, that’s right. We can’t foresee it. Well, I can’t, anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anything else you want to talk about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think I’ve done a lot of talking!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, great! That’s about it. The time is now approximately a quarter to 11."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 30, "return_to_go": 92.8785021714279, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, as I was in high school, I took all the science courses that I could get. It was a small high school. We didn't have a lot. I did build a radio. Back there in those days, some of them worked and some of them didn't, but some of them did a pretty good job. I was listening in on Europe a great deal, and that was sort of interesting. However, I guess I was more interested in the building and in the use of different antennas to see how to improve the signal and that sort of thing. So I started leaning towards engineering in those days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You went to Tufts [University, Medford, Massachusetts] for physics."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about your experience there as an undergraduate."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, one of the things that I was involved with for interest and for making money, I worked in a Signal Corps lab that was at the school, and it was in piezoelectricity. Back in the early days of the war, there was a great deal of effort in regard to that subject.\\n\\n Piezoelectricity, it's a crystal, and if you squeeze it, it turns out an electric charge. If you put an electric charge on it, it will oscillate. So people were interested in the cut of the crystal that would oscillate, but not drift with temperature. It was also a great temperature sensor. Well, finally they came up with the cut, the BT cut, and we didn't do that; it was in another laboratory. However, we were looking into other uses of the piezoelectric crystals. I was cutting my own. Quartz crystal is about that long and about yea big around, and we had some of the best. They came from Brazil. So if you're interested in that sort of thing, it was a good location to be employed, making money in your off time, and also learning about some things. And I did use some piezoelectricity later on in my work at—well, it was at NACA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then you went into the Navy. Could you tell us about your experience there?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 21.436469093178825, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I kind of figured that we were in a race, and I never doubted but what we would win the race. There were things that came up, I guess, that you might think, gee whiz, maybe they are going to be there first. However, it all worked out in the correct way. The same, of course, was true in regard to the Polaris that I worked on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another question about Mercury. I know on Gordon Cooper's flight, they had a form of television there, like a slow scan television camera on board. Did you have anything to do with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember that now. No, I don't remember. I know that that was the case, but if I had anything to do with that, I don't remember that. It was at a later date that I had a television section. Much later date. It could be that some astronaut wanted television on board and he got together with a contractor. I don't know. You just couldn't put one on. It had to go through some qualification. If I had anything to do with that, I sure have forgotten it, and I don't believe I would have forgotten that if I had. But I know what you say. I remember it now that you tell me about it. [Olin Graham remembers an extremely slow-scan TV for recording on-board. He does not remember any usable images. I may have had a TV Section at that time with Max Engert as the Head.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Obviously television became important as we moved into Apollo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's kind of a story, but television didn't really become important [at the time of early Apollo]. Television became very unimportant. [Television was removed from the program, but was added later, as I describe later in the interview, and became very important.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When was it that you first heard about a lunar mission that became Apollo?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 21.596076770198692, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember that now. No, I don't remember. I know that that was the case, but if I had anything to do with that, I don't remember that. It was at a later date that I had a television section. Much later date. It could be that some astronaut wanted television on board and he got together with a contractor. I don't know. You just couldn't put one on. It had to go through some qualification. If I had anything to do with that, I sure have forgotten it, and I don't believe I would have forgotten that if I had. But I know what you say. I remember it now that you tell me about it. [Olin Graham remembers an extremely slow-scan TV for recording on-board. He does not remember any usable images. I may have had a TV Section at that time with Max Engert as the Head.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Obviously television became important as we moved into Apollo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's kind of a story, but television didn't really become important [at the time of early Apollo]. Television became very unimportant. [Television was removed from the program, but was added later, as I describe later in the interview, and became very important.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When was it that you first heard about a lunar mission that became Apollo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't know when that was announced. [President John F.] Kennedy [Jr.] came here, gave a speech out at Rice Stadium. I don't know whether he announced it then or at some other time. But when that announcement came out, I decided that it would be a long and expensive program. I asked Dr. Gilruth one time that same question: How did you feel, Dr. Gilruth, when you learned that you were going to be the head of the team that was going to put astronauts on the moon and bring them back? And he said, \"I was appalled.\" So I was probably more than appalled, but anyhow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your first involvement with the Apollo Program?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 22.246725758571394, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, there had not been [to that extent]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So why the need for Apollo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Apollo was a lot more complicated, and doing this—and the contractor, when told about doing this, was really not in position to do it. There was quite a bit of competition in regard to who was going to do it. I remember writing a memo, and the memo said that here's what we would do in regard to this, this, and this, and here are the people who I would assign. I suppose there were some other memos from other places, and whoever makes that choice made the choice, and we got put in the job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were some of the other areas of responsibility that you had at this point during the Apollo Program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During which point?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Pretty early on before they started the actual flight phase."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.496361953968215, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Apollo was a lot more complicated, and doing this—and the contractor, when told about doing this, was really not in position to do it. There was quite a bit of competition in regard to who was going to do it. I remember writing a memo, and the memo said that here's what we would do in regard to this, this, and this, and here are the people who I would assign. I suppose there were some other memos from other places, and whoever makes that choice made the choice, and we got put in the job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were some of the other areas of responsibility that you had at this point during the Apollo Program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "During which point?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Pretty early on before they started the actual flight phase."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were responsible for that which the contractor was building, and we had the same types of interface with the prime contractor, Rockwell. I guess it was North American [Aviation, Inc.] then, became Rockwell. They came up with one of the lead subcontractors was the company in Cedar Rapids, which they eventually bought. We had quite a lot of problems with that company in this program, but eventually the prime contractor came up with an incentive contract, and that really took care of the real problems. It speeded it up. They had trouble getting delivery. With incentive contract, those problems went away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember some of the specific problems?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 24.99595772663135, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "During which point?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Pretty early on before they started the actual flight phase."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were responsible for that which the contractor was building, and we had the same types of interface with the prime contractor, Rockwell. I guess it was North American [Aviation, Inc.] then, became Rockwell. They came up with one of the lead subcontractors was the company in Cedar Rapids, which they eventually bought. We had quite a lot of problems with that company in this program, but eventually the prime contractor came up with an incentive contract, and that really took care of the real problems. It speeded it up. They had trouble getting delivery. With incentive contract, those problems went away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember some of the specific problems?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they weren't necessarily technical problems. They were just \"not turning it out\" problems. I presume that the contractor had other contracts for other people who had a tight schedule, and they were being pressed. And money talks if you have incentive contracts. They learn how to make money. It probably was easy for them to do. Maybe somebody's program just didn't get delivered, I don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were some of the particular new challenges presented by Apollo compared to the previous programs?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.597470213362634, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the equipment come about that they used for this? Were they standard television cameras? What sort of development was put on these to be able to use them in space?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they were made to be very, very light, and they were made as special units, I'm sure. They were made by RCA. It was a contract for the contractor to do that.\\n\\n You're not going to ask me the next question?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Go ahead."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. \"What was your reaction to the TV camera burnout on Apollo 12?\" Well, my reaction was, the camera did like it was supposed to do. [Alan L.] Bean and [Charles C. “Pete”] Conrad pointed it at the sun, and it did what it was supposed to; it quit. Then they hit it with something, and somebody said, \"That's better,\" so they hit it again. Well, it didn't work after that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I believe for Apollo 15 and later missions they had a different type of tube so they wouldn't burn out if that happened."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.55274468151404, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they were made to be very, very light, and they were made as special units, I'm sure. They were made by RCA. It was a contract for the contractor to do that.\\n\\n You're not going to ask me the next question?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Go ahead."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. \"What was your reaction to the TV camera burnout on Apollo 12?\" Well, my reaction was, the camera did like it was supposed to do. [Alan L.] Bean and [Charles C. “Pete”] Conrad pointed it at the sun, and it did what it was supposed to; it quit. Then they hit it with something, and somebody said, \"That's better,\" so they hit it again. Well, it didn't work after that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I believe for Apollo 15 and later missions they had a different type of tube so they wouldn't burn out if that happened."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We used what we called silicon-intensified tube."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And for some of the television, I believe there was an Emmy Award involved. Could you tell us about that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 21.72527186834893, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. \"What was your reaction to the TV camera burnout on Apollo 12?\" Well, my reaction was, the camera did like it was supposed to do. [Alan L.] Bean and [Charles C. “Pete”] Conrad pointed it at the sun, and it did what it was supposed to; it quit. Then they hit it with something, and somebody said, \"That's better,\" so they hit it again. Well, it didn't work after that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I believe for Apollo 15 and later missions they had a different type of tube so they wouldn't burn out if that happened."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We used what we called silicon-intensified tube."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And for some of the television, I believe there was an Emmy Award involved. Could you tell us about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a what?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "An Emmy Award."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 19.6947465203877, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We used what we called silicon-intensified tube."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And for some of the television, I believe there was an Emmy Award involved. Could you tell us about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a what?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "An Emmy Award."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, there was—yes, I haven't seen it in—I don't know. I've been retired ten years. I guess some years ago I noticed up in the outer area of the director's office—well, I suppose now there's a bunch of places there where they have various awards, and this is one of them. I believe the wording on it—I don't know. I copied it down once. But anyhow, it did say the IESD—I don't know whether they spelled it out—Instrumentation Electronic Systems Division, and that was the division that we were in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sure that was a proud moment to be recognized for that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 20.771940578208554, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a what?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "An Emmy Award."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, there was—yes, I haven't seen it in—I don't know. I've been retired ten years. I guess some years ago I noticed up in the outer area of the director's office—well, I suppose now there's a bunch of places there where they have various awards, and this is one of them. I believe the wording on it—I don't know. I copied it down once. But anyhow, it did say the IESD—I don't know whether they spelled it out—Instrumentation Electronic Systems Division, and that was the division that we were in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sure that was a proud moment to be recognized for that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes, that was a good thing. [We provided all the color television as GFE.] [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you tell us about any other developments that may have been made to various communications or instrument divisions as the later flights progressed, particularly the longer surface-stay missions?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 24.75680624631695, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, speaking now of the LEM, we had—I think it was on the LEM. Yes. We had equipment out in the atmosphere. It was atmosphere, as a matter of fact, the atmosphere created by the vehicle itself. We had corona problems, and we sealed the boxes. That was one of the things that we learned. When people were talking about power from space, you know, you use the tubes, the huge vacuum tubes, to send down.\\n\\n Some of the eminent scientists were saying, \"Well, there you are in a vacuum. You don't have to even put any envelope on.\" Well, anyway, we learned that if you've got any structure that came from the earth, you do have, and you will have, corona. So as we went on in our programs, if anything was going to be out in the vacuum of space, we would seal those boxes to eliminate any problems of that type.\\n\\n There were other GFE things that became required. For the Space Lab we came up with what I would call a teletype, you know, that would just run and send up information to the astronauts. They didn't have to man it or anything, just go pick it up. We evaluated three different manufacturers and came up with what we thought was the one that could be modified to be suitable. And there were several. Actually, the program offices used us quite a lot in regard to GFE'ing equipment, because it was a lot cheaper for them. As a matter of fact, the Air Force had us doing some programs for them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of programs, do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was associated with our work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned earlier that Roger Chaffee was one of the astronauts that worked with your division. Who were some of the other astronauts that did, and what contributions do you feel they made?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Apollo 10—I've forgotten his name. He became a lieutenant general."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tom [Thomas P.] Stafford?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 25.2853402736855, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was associated with our work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned earlier that Roger Chaffee was one of the astronauts that worked with your division. Who were some of the other astronauts that did, and what contributions do you feel they made?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Apollo 10—I've forgotten his name. He became a lieutenant general."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tom [Thomas P.] Stafford?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Tom Stafford. He wanted—normally I can remember names, but sometimes I don't. He wanted color television on his flight. As a matter of fact, he used to call me many times. He was at the Cape getting ready to fly, and he was worried that we weren't on the ball. He would call to ask me how we were doing, and I would tell him we were doing just fine. I would imagine that, knowing him, he probably called the contractor to find out whether or not we were, but I don't know that. I never asked the contractor. Anyhow, we did fine, and we provided it and it worked fine. He was happy with his television, I presume."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Going back to Mercury or Gemini, did astronauts work with you then?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.714225117600705, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I never did go to Russia. I remember one group that was over there and they telephoned back and said, \"We're in London,\" or some place. We had just put mines in one of the harbors over there, among the enemy. They said, \"Should we go on?\" And the answer was—I guess they called the State Department, I don't know, but anyway, the answer was, \"Yeah, sure, go ahead. If they kill you, we'll kill a bunch of them.\" [Laughter] So, anyhow, but the people kind of enjoyed their trips over there because it was different. And they had get-togethers here. One of the things you could always be sure of in a get-together here, they'd have boiled potatoes and butter. [Laughter] And vodka."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember any particular technical or even personal issues that came into play during ASTP, from your perspective?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't remember that we had any tremendous issues, technical issues or nontechnical issues that were a problem, as I recall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Perhaps any advice for those people working now on the International Space Station with the Russians, from your experience there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we're in a different circumstance. Actually, another branch of the government and the head of our government has arranged for us to do what we're doing, and it's kind of a bailout. We're interested [there] in not making money by selling things that they have, and the technology that they have to certain other places, and I guess we're paying the price. From a space-only standpoint, it's a losing cause. However, from an overall standpoint, that's out of my pay grade. I don't know if it's a losing cause or not. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the Space Shuttle, obviously we're going to have a new vehicle here that's completely reusable. That was the thought in the first place. What challenges did this reusability have for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 22.834566993515185, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, as you decrease size in some electronics, you can have interference between—in one box you can have interference, so you make it as small as you can and you have the shielding that's required. As you're making things smaller, you're raising the temperature points. In the old days we had problems with transistors burning out because of temperature problems. So the temperature and self-interference, I guess, in making things smaller is one of the things you have to take into consideration. There's tradeoffs both ways."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how would you overcome that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you have good heat removal wherever you put it. We had a development program at one time, using a power tube. I've reached another mental block. I can't say. But there is a device that—well, anyhow, it's the change of phase of a liquid that—well, anyway, we were using—it's a very well-known—[heat pipe]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sublimator?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. You probably could buy one in a novelty store to cool your coffee. You stick it in there and it would cool it right away. Well, anyhow, we were working on different ways of lowering the temperature. As a matter of fact, I worked with my son one time using one of these [heat pipes] that he did in a science program, a very simple thing, and the one that I procured was for a temperature different than you would use there, but we used hot water. It would bring boiling water down to a very low degree in a short period of time. That was a long time ago, so they've been around a long time. But I can't say the name. Well, I've said the name of everything else today, so—[heat pipe]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You remained here until 1989."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.26062999279465, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you have good heat removal wherever you put it. We had a development program at one time, using a power tube. I've reached another mental block. I can't say. But there is a device that—well, anyhow, it's the change of phase of a liquid that—well, anyway, we were using—it's a very well-known—[heat pipe]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sublimator?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. You probably could buy one in a novelty store to cool your coffee. You stick it in there and it would cool it right away. Well, anyhow, we were working on different ways of lowering the temperature. As a matter of fact, I worked with my son one time using one of these [heat pipes] that he did in a science program, a very simple thing, and the one that I procured was for a temperature different than you would use there, but we used hot water. It would bring boiling water down to a very low degree in a short period of time. That was a long time ago, so they've been around a long time. But I can't say the name. Well, I've said the name of everything else today, so—[heat pipe]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You remained here until 1989."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I retired in '89."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during that period of the Shuttle operations, do you remember any of the flights that stick out in your mind, either good or bad, related to your job?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.956255547549613, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. You probably could buy one in a novelty store to cool your coffee. You stick it in there and it would cool it right away. Well, anyhow, we were working on different ways of lowering the temperature. As a matter of fact, I worked with my son one time using one of these [heat pipes] that he did in a science program, a very simple thing, and the one that I procured was for a temperature different than you would use there, but we used hot water. It would bring boiling water down to a very low degree in a short period of time. That was a long time ago, so they've been around a long time. But I can't say the name. Well, I've said the name of everything else today, so—[heat pipe]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You remained here until 1989."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I retired in '89."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during that period of the Shuttle operations, do you remember any of the flights that stick out in your mind, either good or bad, related to your job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The flights, all the flights?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Shuttle in particular."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.951395052832904, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I retired in '89."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during that period of the Shuttle operations, do you remember any of the flights that stick out in your mind, either good or bad, related to your job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The flights, all the flights?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Shuttle in particular."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, of course, everybody remembers the\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n . That was not a good memory. I guess that's the one that stands out. We were again shut down, you know, for a period of time as we were after the fire, and there was a great deal of soul-searching. It was the people who had the things that can explode and so forth, that had the greatest problem, but we had to go through all of our paperwork and make sure that everything had been done that could possibly be done to alleviate there being any other possibility of anything of that nature. It was a long, long process, and it was a process of everybody knew it was important and had to be done, but it was not an exhilarating process, let's put it that way. It wasn't exhilarating for the reason we were doing it, you know, the past reason we were doing it. But I guess that we looked at it as necessary for the future reason we were doing it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the impact on your division?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 33.279327836481, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The flights, all the flights?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Shuttle in particular."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, of course, everybody remembers the\\n\\n Challenger\\n\\n . That was not a good memory. I guess that's the one that stands out. We were again shut down, you know, for a period of time as we were after the fire, and there was a great deal of soul-searching. It was the people who had the things that can explode and so forth, that had the greatest problem, but we had to go through all of our paperwork and make sure that everything had been done that could possibly be done to alleviate there being any other possibility of anything of that nature. It was a long, long process, and it was a process of everybody knew it was important and had to be done, but it was not an exhilarating process, let's put it that way. It wasn't exhilarating for the reason we were doing it, you know, the past reason we were doing it. But I guess that we looked at it as necessary for the future reason we were doing it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the impact on your division?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we had to spend the same amount of time that the other people were doing, going through all of the work that had been done before."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why did you choose to retire when you did?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 18, "return_to_go": 24.1482969, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think the work I was doing in Polaris was the greatest accomplishment, because that was a race we couldn't lose. [I enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to work on Apollo, which was one of the greatest feats of the century.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your greatest challenge?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess that was, because I had to work with this contract [Polaris work previously described], I had to work with the Air Force, I was using their money with their contractor, and I was delivering to another contractor, and that became a challenge. That was teaching you how to get along with people. If you're using their money, you know, you have to be—well, you have to be diplomatic, I guess may be the term. Everything has turned out reasonably well during my working life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We appreciate you sharing that with us today, and we thank you for coming."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I thank you very much. You're very patient people for somebody just spewing out information."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Before we wrap it up, I would like to ask both my colleagues if they have any questions for you, if that would be all right.\n\nI have just a couple. You had mentioned earlier that you liked being on the East Coast and that your girlfriend, and then wife, had a lot of family there. What did you think of the move to Houston?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:156", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.81, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I figured I'd be in the Boston area forever. [Laughter] You know, early, until I went to Virginia. I kind of like living in the climate that we have here. People up North say, \"We like the changes and we wouldn't want to go someplace where you—\" We got changes. I mean, you know. We got changes. You know the difference between summer and winter here, and we have a spring and we have a fall. As a matter of fact, April and October, those are the two months. April and October. [Laughter] But you can do a lot worse than this area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm glad it's worked out for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, good. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "How do you like it here?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Especially this time of year, it's pretty nice."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:158", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, good. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "How do you like it here?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Especially this time of year, it's pretty nice."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Where are you from?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm from Colorado."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00521:162", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Where are you from?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm from Colorado."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you're from cold country. Everybody's close by."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And you've been back occasionally. Well, we went back to Virginia this year. We had a big family reunion and we had over forty people there. It worked out perfectly. Had just enough planning done to work out well, and we all stayed in the same motel, and it was a great place, great place to eat. Then we really had our reunion at a place nearby, which one of my wife's nephews has, and he had a big swimming pool, took care of all the little kids. They could do their thing. We had barbecue, had so much that we went back the next day and had some more."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's wonderful. Thank you very much."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.095914095757387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Before I read about Jerrie Cobb?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't even know about it. It was not something we knew about. It was just as new as new. We didn't know what \"astronaut\" meant."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just jumped into it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not knowing anything."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 33.43990455084154, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't even know about it. It was not something we knew about. It was just as new as new. We didn't know what \"astronaut\" meant."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just jumped into it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not knowing anything."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew that was for me. I wanted to go into exploration. I've always sort of been an explorer in my youth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. And you've continued to be an explorer. You're exploring still."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 31.59989394537949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not knowing anything."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew that was for me. I wanted to go into exploration. I've always sort of been an explorer in my youth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. And you've continued to be an explorer. You're exploring still."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I hope to go on to Russia with the Zegrahm Voyages and be a part of a cross-training of American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts so that we can use their facility at Star City and go through some of the same tests that Eileen's gone through in Houston. I've been down to Houston many times. I've observed what she has done and what the astronauts are doing down there, but I could never have the chance of partaking in such a wonderful schooling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It will be interesting to see how the training that you're able to go through in Star City measures up with the testing and training that you did do earlier when you first started out as a twenty-one-year-old, not knowing anything about the space opportunities."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 32.88877105042165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew that was for me. I wanted to go into exploration. I've always sort of been an explorer in my youth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. And you've continued to be an explorer. You're exploring still."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I hope to go on to Russia with the Zegrahm Voyages and be a part of a cross-training of American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts so that we can use their facility at Star City and go through some of the same tests that Eileen's gone through in Houston. I've been down to Houston many times. I've observed what she has done and what the astronauts are doing down there, but I could never have the chance of partaking in such a wonderful schooling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It will be interesting to see how the training that you're able to go through in Star City measures up with the testing and training that you did do earlier when you first started out as a twenty-one-year-old, not knowing anything about the space opportunities."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, what's interesting about your statement is, we've come such a long way in technology, that the things that I was tested on people aren't tested on anymore. They were testing us to our extremes, to how much can we take of ten-degree water being injected into our ears, and how fast is our eye going to stare at a particular object, and I'd have no control over my body. And was I going to fall off or not? Yes, I would have if I wouldn't have been strapped into a dentist chair. Or what would I do in a tank of water, and the humidity of the room that was so perfect controlled to my temperature that I couldn't feel the water on my hands or my face because there was no hearing, smelling? All your senses were taken away from you, and you were to stay in there as long as possible. And I broke the record of ten hours and thirty-five minutes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been a very interesting experience."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 40.4950023630874, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To answer your last question first, no. I had not a shadow of a doubt. I was their subject. They could do anything with me that they wanted to do. I didn't know that you could get X-rayed from head to toe and it would take a whole day, and every single tooth and every single bone, but they wanted perfect specimens at that time.\\n\\n Now, let's go back to the men, the Mercury. There were 159 men selected from the armed services to go through these tests at Lovelace. How many were selected?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Seven."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty-five women were selected, and how many passed? Thirteen. So do we have a little bit of information here on how well do women do things? How well did they come across on the Mayflower? Terrific. How well did they go across the prairies and settle the West in their covered wagons? Great. Big families. Didn't think anything about it. Why can't we fly and go into space? The men today that think that we can't, as women, do things, sorry, folks, we can do it. A woman—and I'm sure Eileen has tried extra hard to do her best, because nobody wants to fail, and failure is not a part of my makeup. I do the best I can do and I kick as many doors in as I possibly can, no matter where I go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you have fun doing it, I'm sure. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. I love life. You bet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's wonderful. That's the way to do it. You've got to enjoy life. As you were doing the testing, you said you didn't know any of the other women that were going through it, but you had, of course, read about Jerrie Cobb. After you were done with the first phase, what contact did you have with people running the program or with Dr. Lovelace? How did it continue that you could go on with the next phases of the testing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 41.66111373676378, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty-five women were selected, and how many passed? Thirteen. So do we have a little bit of information here on how well do women do things? How well did they come across on the Mayflower? Terrific. How well did they go across the prairies and settle the West in their covered wagons? Great. Big families. Didn't think anything about it. Why can't we fly and go into space? The men today that think that we can't, as women, do things, sorry, folks, we can do it. A woman—and I'm sure Eileen has tried extra hard to do her best, because nobody wants to fail, and failure is not a part of my makeup. I do the best I can do and I kick as many doors in as I possibly can, no matter where I go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you have fun doing it, I'm sure. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. I love life. You bet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's wonderful. That's the way to do it. You've got to enjoy life. As you were doing the testing, you said you didn't know any of the other women that were going through it, but you had, of course, read about Jerrie Cobb. After you were done with the first phase, what contact did you have with people running the program or with Dr. Lovelace? How did it continue that you could go on with the next phases of the testing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I found out what Jerrie Cobb had done down in Pensacola [Florida], because she had done this about six months to a year prior to my going through. [Interruption. Tape recorder turned off.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were talking about how you became involved in the second round of the testing and how you found out even about the opportunity."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 31.03204751437582, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then on top of it, in the eighties I went to Space Camp [Huntsville, Alabama] for a week. So I've done everything I could possibly do to learn and grasp more about the wonderful world of space travel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. It's good to see you being so interested in maintaining that enthusiasm. That helps to pass it on to others."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Kids today have a wealth of knowledge, if they just have parents or a teacher to say, \"You can do anything you want to do and go after it.\" The encouragement of going after it, taking all the math and science and engineering courses throughout. And kids are on computers today. The youngsters that I'm teaching to fly today, I've got a sixteen- and a seventeen-year-old this summer that I'm teaching. They're grasping flying, and I'm soloing them at seven and eight hours because of the computer industry, that they're learning to fly on the computers. So this is pretty neat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A whole new way to learn."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, there's no way to teach me. When I learned, I learned by the seat of my pants. You show me, then I respond. And that's exactly how I learned to fly. It wasn't really out of reading a book; it was show and tell. In my acrobatic instruction, I would look at the picture, have somebody show me, and off I'd go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A good way to learn, just by doing it as you go. While you were doing the testing, shortly after that they had congressional hearings actually dealing with bringing women in as astronauts when NASA was hiring the second group of male astronauts. Were you aware of those at the time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 34.60746606713064, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, there's no way to teach me. When I learned, I learned by the seat of my pants. You show me, then I respond. And that's exactly how I learned to fly. It wasn't really out of reading a book; it was show and tell. In my acrobatic instruction, I would look at the picture, have somebody show me, and off I'd go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A good way to learn, just by doing it as you go. While you were doing the testing, shortly after that they had congressional hearings actually dealing with bringing women in as astronauts when NASA was hiring the second group of male astronauts. Were you aware of those at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't really remember. I don't remember exactly where I was at that period of time, and I've been asked that over and over again. I don't think that any of us knew what Jerrie and Janie Hart had to prepare themselves to do, to go and defend us as a group. Now, mind you, we didn't know each other yet. And so I knew Jackie Cochran. She'd been very generous to support phase one financially, and I've had wonderful letters from her and from Jerrie Cobb, but I didn't realize. Here I was out of the country, where I was so buried in my work that I didn't realize under after it was over with, that these hearings had gone on. And then that's when we found out the parameters are jet test pilot experience to be an astronaut, which let us out of the league."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the time being, at least."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Thank you for asking that, because Eileen did it. Yes. We have three girl test pilots, and I think we've got two female, Eileen and another gal, that are testing, because Eileen has to have a backup, a girl backup."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And hopefully we'll be seeing more and more as time is going on."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 14, "return_to_go": 38.4527400745896, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't really remember. I don't remember exactly where I was at that period of time, and I've been asked that over and over again. I don't think that any of us knew what Jerrie and Janie Hart had to prepare themselves to do, to go and defend us as a group. Now, mind you, we didn't know each other yet. And so I knew Jackie Cochran. She'd been very generous to support phase one financially, and I've had wonderful letters from her and from Jerrie Cobb, but I didn't realize. Here I was out of the country, where I was so buried in my work that I didn't realize under after it was over with, that these hearings had gone on. And then that's when we found out the parameters are jet test pilot experience to be an astronaut, which let us out of the league."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the time being, at least."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Thank you for asking that, because Eileen did it. Yes. We have three girl test pilots, and I think we've got two female, Eileen and another gal, that are testing, because Eileen has to have a backup, a girl backup."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And hopefully we'll be seeing more and more as time is going on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you said, you were traveling overseas for lengths of time. You had your career in aviation. Tell us some about that, if you would, an overview of what you continued to do."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 27.03812100897491, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I sure did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I got forty-five minutes with Valentina. My first questions were, \"How did your parents feel?\" Well, she had been taken from her parents as a child. The father went to one labor camp, the mother went to another labor camp, and she was raised in a child labor camp. She was brought up as a textile factory worker. Everybody in Russia can have an extracurricular activity. Hers was parachuting. So then you put it together. Obviously they took her for her parachuting qualities. I think she had about 350 jumps. They say that she really hadn't been schooled that much on the capsule, and she was told what to do.\\n\\n This is what kind of is interesting, the fact that we could have done it if they would just let us. A dog did it. A monkey did it. Man did it. Woman can do it. We had to wait thirty-some years for Eileen to do it, to show us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Unfortunately, but good finally."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, finally for progress."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it fascinating to be able to meet Valentina Tereshkova and talk with her?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 30.04235667663879, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I got forty-five minutes with Valentina. My first questions were, \"How did your parents feel?\" Well, she had been taken from her parents as a child. The father went to one labor camp, the mother went to another labor camp, and she was raised in a child labor camp. She was brought up as a textile factory worker. Everybody in Russia can have an extracurricular activity. Hers was parachuting. So then you put it together. Obviously they took her for her parachuting qualities. I think she had about 350 jumps. They say that she really hadn't been schooled that much on the capsule, and she was told what to do.\\n\\n This is what kind of is interesting, the fact that we could have done it if they would just let us. A dog did it. A monkey did it. Man did it. Woman can do it. We had to wait thirty-some years for Eileen to do it, to show us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Unfortunately, but good finally."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, finally for progress."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it fascinating to be able to meet Valentina Tereshkova and talk with her?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very, but she was very guarded. Of course she would be. She held a position in Moscow as the first lady. Rather interesting. If you lived in a block of buildings and you were to report to her if there was any misconduct in your building, it was your Russian duty to report to her if you overheard anything, if anything was against the government, and this is the way they worked their system."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very different society."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 30.047062974043097, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, finally for progress."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it fascinating to be able to meet Valentina Tereshkova and talk with her?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very, but she was very guarded. Of course she would be. She held a position in Moscow as the first lady. Rather interesting. If you lived in a block of buildings and you were to report to her if there was any misconduct in your building, it was your Russian duty to report to her if you overheard anything, if anything was against the government, and this is the way they worked their system."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very different society."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In fact, when our astronauts go over—and I've heard this from Shannon [Lucid]—it was a terrible time. The food, the quality, the housing, the clothing, the fact that Shannon didn't get all her gear for a month up into the Soyuz and into the module that they were circling the earth with, was really too bad, but she told me about her experiences. I'm looking forward to going to Russia, and I hope it will be a little bit different than what Shannon experienced, but yet when we have the Russians come over to America, what do we do? We put them up in a nice place to stay, a car or a chauffeur-driven car, clothing, great experiences. But this is just the difference in cultures. You're right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very interesting differences. Quite. You continued to be a pioneer in aviation for women, went on to work with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. How did those opportunities arise for you? How did you find out about the openings and move into them? What did you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 22.857892050058062, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was a great challenge, yes, but very interesting, and every accident investigation was different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. I'm sure it was a learning experience, too, to see all the different considerations, safety considerations and things to watch out for."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's correct. You hit on a very good word, of \"safety,\" because most of the accidents, there has been a safety problem with that accident, either by pilot not taking heed or maybe the mechanic or maybe the aircraft itself.\\n\\n That's one of the reasons why I retired early, because I wanted to take my Wally Funk Safety slide presentation around the world, in the United States, to universities and colleges, and show them why people crash into mountains on a clear day. It's incredible. I mean, in the middle of Arizona is Taylor Mountain. Or, no, excuse me. Flagstaff. Can't recall the name of the mountain right now. Looking around it, and yet I've done several accidents where people are coming and going right into that particular peak, and that was the only peak for maybe hundreds of miles. I climbed that one many a time. I've gotten to many accidents by horse, by mule, by helicopter, by repelling, by being dropped down, by boat, walking. You name it, I've gotten there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quite an active life you've had."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I've loved every bit of it. Wouldn't change it for the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. I hope that I'm able to say that and still be enjoying life as much as you in my own few years."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 26.98505191365193, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I've loved every bit of it. Wouldn't change it for the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. I hope that I'm able to say that and still be enjoying life as much as you in my own few years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I've got a lot to do. I've got fifty more years of stuff to do, so—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—I've got to keep on going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I'm sure you will. I'm sure you will. You mentioned earlier that you hadn't known any of the women that went through the Mercury testing with you at the time. You knew Jerrie Cobb and Jackie Cochran, but not the others that had passed, and that you only got to meet them a few years ago. What was that like?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 25.538946570724367, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I've got a lot to do. I've got fifty more years of stuff to do, so—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—I've got to keep on going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I'm sure you will. I'm sure you will. You mentioned earlier that you hadn't known any of the women that went through the Mercury testing with you at the time. You knew Jerrie Cobb and Jackie Cochran, but not the others that had passed, and that you only got to meet them a few years ago. What was that like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was pretty neat. Being the youngest, I was outvoted on who was going to talk first, so I sat there and listened a lot. And I did have my camera, so I got to film a lot of what was going on in the various impromptu little clutches that we would get into. And every time we'd get together, there's more stories that come out, because they've all thought of things, especially some of the girls that went together. See, I was by myself, so I didn't have anybody to talk to. But they, being older, could have each other to talk to or they'd talk more to the doctors and the nurses more than I would be. I just considered myself a subject, and I was there to take tests and I didn't ask questions. I just was there.\\n\\n So I still listen. I listen to their stories, because I didn't have the fascinating stories. I've told you some of my experiences, but some of them, like Sarah [Gorelick] Ratley, she said she had her hair all done up the day before she went to Lovelace. And, of course, the minute you go in, you're handed a weekly sheet of expectations, and the first thing was \"Wash your hair thoroughly and don't do anything with it. And you're going to take an enema.\" Da-da, da-da, da-da. So we did everything we were supposed to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Amazing. Interesting. Interesting. And now how have you kept in contact then since you've all met and kept up regular correspondence or meetings?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 17.598006269855098, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we have Jerri [Sloan] Truhill is our gal that everybody calls and gives information to, and when we come down here to the Cape to see Eileen off, we all get together, those of us that can still travel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good. That's great to see you all still keeping together and keeping up. When did you find out that Eileen was going to have the opportunity to pilot the shuttle?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Gosh. I think we met back in mid eighties. She had just been hired by NASA. At the Women in Aviation conference in Las Vegas.\\n\\n The Women in Aviation is a large organization now that encompasses all girls that want to fly around the world, whether you want to fly for the airlines or for commuters or, as I am, a chief pilot, or just as a beginning flight student or a NASA individual like Eileen. We've all been speakers. This has opened the floodgates to let people know there's an organization for young people to come to, to find out about military, to find out what's out there for them. Peggy Baty from Dayton, Ohio, is the one that started this organization. We've just had our tenth anniversary. We meet the second week of every March somewhere in the United States.\\n\\n Women in Aviation International has probably given out hundreds of thousands of scholarships for the airline industry, for anything that any girl wants to apply for. Those things are out there. We teach people how to get hold of scholarships, to use Pell grants. None of this was even remotely thought of fifteen years ago when I was struggling and getting my licenses and what Jerrie and all the rest of the girls had to do to get their licenses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's wonderful to be able to work with a young generation and to help them have the exciting experiences you have."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And when you interview the WASPs [Women Airforce Service Pilots], you'll find you're going back in time even more. They helped open the gates for us in Women in Aviation and for us getting into some of the space program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I'm guessing many of them are involved in the Women in Aviation group."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 13.0839583578458, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And when you interview the WASPs [Women Airforce Service Pilots], you'll find you're going back in time even more. They helped open the gates for us in Women in Aviation and for us getting into some of the space program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I'm guessing many of them are involved in the Women in Aviation group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. And also the Forest of Friendship inducted quite a few ladies in Atchison, Kansas, in middle of June this year, and I suspect there were about twenty there. You see, there's about four or five organizations where we all see each other through the year, whether you're a helicopter pilot, fixed-wing pilot, Women in Aviation, or Forest of Friendship up at Amelia Earhart's home town of Atchison, Kansas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A good network."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, a great network today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned all the different types of pilots there can be, and you've flown a variety of different aircraft, if I'm correct. Was there a favorite that you had?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.982175953162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. And also the Forest of Friendship inducted quite a few ladies in Atchison, Kansas, in middle of June this year, and I suspect there were about twenty there. You see, there's about four or five organizations where we all see each other through the year, whether you're a helicopter pilot, fixed-wing pilot, Women in Aviation, or Forest of Friendship up at Amelia Earhart's home town of Atchison, Kansas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A good network."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, a great network today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned all the different types of pilots there can be, and you've flown a variety of different aircraft, if I'm correct. Was there a favorite that you had?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, a Stearman. It's an old bi-wing, open-cockpit airplane, and I owned one as a youngster. Well, \"as a youngster,\" as a twenty-two-year-old in Hawthorne, California. Silly me, I sold it when I wanted to go overseas, because I couldn't get anybody to work on the radial engine. And jets were just coming in, and of course to find a mechanic to work on a radial or a cylinder type of an engine when they could be out there working on a jet engine, nuh-uh, unheard of. I sold it for—audience will love this—$3,000. Today that airplane is worth, in good shape, $130,000.\\n\\n And I'll go up to somebody that's got a nice Stearman and I'll say, \"Can I have a ride? Can I pay you for a ride? I used to own one of these. I've got about 3,000 hours in one, and T-6s and WACOs, all the old war birds.\"\\n\\n \"Well, I don't know. You have to take our course.\"\\n\\n \"Okay, let's go for a ride.\" [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[Laughter] Oh, that's—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.971434778, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I did make an advertisement in the early eighties for Merrill Lynch, and I flew a Stearman, and I did all kinds of acrobatics and did a big enough loop where I could have a helicopter run through. It was wonderful, because Mother could be in the chase plane, and she'd never seen me perform. For Merrill Lynch, as I went into the sun, the bull was coming out of the sun, and then I had some words to say. But as we were going back home and the sun was setting, Mother was in the chase plane and I was right next to her, and we were both tears coming down our eyes because we could be up in the air together. She had her wish and passed on to her daughter with the gene of flying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's wonderful. That must have meant so much to her."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I didn't know about the gene until about four years ago. She just had told me. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your mother sounds like a really wonderful woman."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was. She was great. She was everything to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. Nice to have so much support at home. That must have helped in your career in being able to have so much fun at what you did, to have her as such a support and a friend."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.52381642, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I didn't know about the gene until about four years ago. She just had told me. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your mother sounds like a really wonderful woman."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was. She was great. She was everything to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. Nice to have so much support at home. That must have helped in your career in being able to have so much fun at what you did, to have her as such a support and a friend."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They both were. Mind you, I grew up in an area where you had free spirit. There was no reins. I was brought up by the Indians of a Taos pueblo, and they taught me how to fish and hunt and camp at a very early age, and survive the wilderness. So I had all that going for myself, where a youngster today is in a city, in an apartment, and that's all they know. They don't know ocean and skiing and snow and air as I was able to know it, and that's why I thank the good Lord for putting me where he put me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were in a wonderful environment, it sounds like."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 6.1375738, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was. She was great. She was everything to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. Nice to have so much support at home. That must have helped in your career in being able to have so much fun at what you did, to have her as such a support and a friend."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They both were. Mind you, I grew up in an area where you had free spirit. There was no reins. I was brought up by the Indians of a Taos pueblo, and they taught me how to fish and hunt and camp at a very early age, and survive the wilderness. So I had all that going for myself, where a youngster today is in a city, in an apartment, and that's all they know. They don't know ocean and skiing and snow and air as I was able to know it, and that's why I thank the good Lord for putting me where he put me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were in a wonderful environment, it sounds like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The future. We were talking earlier, and you had quite an exciting future in front of you. You mentioned going over to Russia to do the training, but you're also gearing up for—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3750820000000004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They both were. Mind you, I grew up in an area where you had free spirit. There was no reins. I was brought up by the Indians of a Taos pueblo, and they taught me how to fish and hunt and camp at a very early age, and survive the wilderness. So I had all that going for myself, where a youngster today is in a city, in an apartment, and that's all they know. They don't know ocean and skiing and snow and air as I was able to know it, and that's why I thank the good Lord for putting me where he put me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were in a wonderful environment, it sounds like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The future. We were talking earlier, and you had quite an exciting future in front of you. You mentioned going over to Russia to do the training, but you're also gearing up for—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I'm gearing up to go into space, and it's really going to happen. I always knew, even though the Mercury tests were stopped, I knew that I would one day go up. It's in my bones. I knew it. And, sure enough, a company called Zegrahm Voyages out of Seattle, Washington, has the plans to put a vehicle into space with a space cruiser attached underneath. And what will happen is that the mothership will take the space cruiser up to the troposphere and peel off, and then the space cruiser will then go into orbit. And they'll only have nine of us on board. It's going to take a lot of training before we get to go up, but by space Star City training will help for that, of course. And I'm going to have my nose pressed against that window as hard as it can go and watch what the astronauts see when they could around. And I'm not going to have any duties."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's the best way to go. [Laughter]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.63898, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The future. We were talking earlier, and you had quite an exciting future in front of you. You mentioned going over to Russia to do the training, but you're also gearing up for—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I'm gearing up to go into space, and it's really going to happen. I always knew, even though the Mercury tests were stopped, I knew that I would one day go up. It's in my bones. I knew it. And, sure enough, a company called Zegrahm Voyages out of Seattle, Washington, has the plans to put a vehicle into space with a space cruiser attached underneath. And what will happen is that the mothership will take the space cruiser up to the troposphere and peel off, and then the space cruiser will then go into orbit. And they'll only have nine of us on board. It's going to take a lot of training before we get to go up, but by space Star City training will help for that, of course. And I'm going to have my nose pressed against that window as hard as it can go and watch what the astronauts see when they could around. And I'm not going to have any duties."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's the best way to go. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm going to go as a paying passenger."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And be able to look all you want."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9322, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I'm gearing up to go into space, and it's really going to happen. I always knew, even though the Mercury tests were stopped, I knew that I would one day go up. It's in my bones. I knew it. And, sure enough, a company called Zegrahm Voyages out of Seattle, Washington, has the plans to put a vehicle into space with a space cruiser attached underneath. And what will happen is that the mothership will take the space cruiser up to the troposphere and peel off, and then the space cruiser will then go into orbit. And they'll only have nine of us on board. It's going to take a lot of training before we get to go up, but by space Star City training will help for that, of course. And I'm going to have my nose pressed against that window as hard as it can go and watch what the astronauts see when they could around. And I'm not going to have any duties."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's the best way to go. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm going to go as a paying passenger."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And be able to look all you want."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That will be fabulous. Hopefully we'll be able to have a chance to sit down and talk afterwards."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.62, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That will be fabulous. Hopefully we'll be able to have a chance to sit down and talk afterwards."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You will. Maybe you can come to the launch, because the launch will be somewhere in California. Because, you see, the vehicle will be able to take off and land at an airport."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's how it's being designed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'll put it in on my calendar. I'll definitely be there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You will. Maybe you can come to the launch, because the launch will be somewhere in California. Because, you see, the vehicle will be able to take off and land at an airport."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's how it's being designed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'll put it in on my calendar. I'll definitely be there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "2002 or 2003."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. Looking back, what was the most challenging aspect for you in your career?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's how it's being designed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'll put it in on my calendar. I'll definitely be there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "2002 or 2003."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. Looking back, what was the most challenging aspect for you in your career?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ooh. Career. Not tests?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, tests, too."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "2002 or 2003."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. Looking back, what was the most challenging aspect for you in your career?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ooh. Career. Not tests?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, tests, too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I can't say that my tests have been a challenge, because I went in not knowing what was going to happen to me. So nothing was preconceived.\\n\\n Challenging. I suspect when I was an investigator and going to all the schools that the NTSB allowed me. I went to five schools a year. I went to every aircraft manufacturer, engine manufacturer, propeller manufacturer, and any of the parts that go with any of the engines. That was challenging. Going to an accident investigation of a large magnitude was challenging. But we always came up with a solution.\\n\\n Today it takes much longer because we've having more accidents, unfortunately, and we don't have the manpower—excuse me—the peoplepower. But in my tenure in the office in Los Angeles [California], we had three states, the entire South Pacific to have as our territory, and there were only six of us. So we were really scattered, and I was on the road about every third or fourth day. So I had a life that was on to the beeper. We didn't have faxes in those days. We didn't even have ways of transmitting information. It was the good old phone and pagers were just coming in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You certainly have seen a lot of change in technology since you started out, both in aviation technology and just—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ooh. Career. Not tests?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, tests, too."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I can't say that my tests have been a challenge, because I went in not knowing what was going to happen to me. So nothing was preconceived.\\n\\n Challenging. I suspect when I was an investigator and going to all the schools that the NTSB allowed me. I went to five schools a year. I went to every aircraft manufacturer, engine manufacturer, propeller manufacturer, and any of the parts that go with any of the engines. That was challenging. Going to an accident investigation of a large magnitude was challenging. But we always came up with a solution.\\n\\n Today it takes much longer because we've having more accidents, unfortunately, and we don't have the manpower—excuse me—the peoplepower. But in my tenure in the office in Los Angeles [California], we had three states, the entire South Pacific to have as our territory, and there were only six of us. So we were really scattered, and I was on the road about every third or fourth day. So I had a life that was on to the beeper. We didn't have faxes in those days. We didn't even have ways of transmitting information. It was the good old phone and pagers were just coming in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You certainly have seen a lot of change in technology since you started out, both in aviation technology and just—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "General"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—general technology.\n\nAnytime I teach somebody to fly, it's a challenge. Of course, going back to our earlier conversation, the kids of today are great. But if I take a person who has not had any athletic abilities, they're a challenge, because I've got to teach them eye-hand coordination, and that takes a long time. One thing I can't teach, and that is good old common sense.\n\nAnd that's very important. What would you consider your most significant accomplishment?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "General"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—general technology.\n\nAnytime I teach somebody to fly, it's a challenge. Of course, going back to our earlier conversation, the kids of today are great. But if I take a person who has not had any athletic abilities, they're a challenge, because I've got to teach them eye-hand coordination, and that takes a long time. One thing I can't teach, and that is good old common sense.\n\nAnd that's very important. What would you consider your most significant accomplishment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, golly, gee whiz. I haven't gotten there yet. [Laughter] If I can make it through Star City and I can make it into space, that would be it. But everything has been like building up to it, and I've had wonderful experiences and wonderful accomplishments, and I couldn't do it without all the people that were helping to push behind me and seizing opportunities. It's recognition of the opportunity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a very important factor that I'm sure you pass on to your students, to take advantage of those opportunities when they come up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I want to thank you for sharing so much with us today. It's been fascinating."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00998:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, golly, gee whiz. I haven't gotten there yet. [Laughter] If I can make it through Star City and I can make it into space, that would be it. But everything has been like building up to it, and I've had wonderful experiences and wonderful accomplishments, and I couldn't do it without all the people that were helping to push behind me and seizing opportunities. It's recognition of the opportunity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a very important factor that I'm sure you pass on to your students, to take advantage of those opportunities when they come up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I want to thank you for sharing so much with us today. It's been fascinating."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's been my pleasure to be here with you, and I hope that all your viewers will enjoy it as much as I have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm sure they will. They'll enjoy as much as I have. Thank you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00414:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.8, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. It really, really was. But all of that—I can neither explain why nor explain the sensation, but the exhilaration of flying that thing solo was as—I desperately wanted to go down and land, but, boy, you really need both. It’s just really too much, and there’s just so much there.\\n\\n One of these days I thought, well, maybe I’ll go get somebody to hypnotize me and see if they can extract better descriptions of things that I have seen that I can’t remember. I don’t know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there are so few of you who have seen those images in that—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, and unfortunately, we get some beautiful pictures, but they are nothing, nothing. I don’t know why. It may all be psychological. But no picture comes—I mean, I’ve seen some beautiful pictures, but they just are not the same. You really see this in the Shuttle when you get up there and you have a bay window now instead of a peephole, and you’ve got all of the Earth’s colors. We kept taking color pictures of the Moon, but I don’t know why, because it’s only got one color. It’s shades of black."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Especially when you were on the back side of the Moon, did you feel totally alone? Or did you enjoy that time when you were really alone because—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Both. I enjoyed it, and there was so much chatter and stuff going on, you know, you like to have time to just get away for a minute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been very peaceful."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00414:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, and unfortunately, we get some beautiful pictures, but they are nothing, nothing. I don’t know why. It may all be psychological. But no picture comes—I mean, I’ve seen some beautiful pictures, but they just are not the same. You really see this in the Shuttle when you get up there and you have a bay window now instead of a peephole, and you’ve got all of the Earth’s colors. We kept taking color pictures of the Moon, but I don’t know why, because it’s only got one color. It’s shades of black."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Especially when you were on the back side of the Moon, did you feel totally alone? Or did you enjoy that time when you were really alone because—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Both. I enjoyed it, and there was so much chatter and stuff going on, you know, you like to have time to just get away for a minute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been very peaceful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The combination of putting music with it is the—I mean, that’s why I think some day in the future that this tourism stuff is going to be blockbuster. It’s not here today or tomorrow, but it is going to come, because the first cat who comes back and says, “You know where I was last week?” And, boy, the lines will form."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you hear the music, does it bring back those images?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00414:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Both. I enjoyed it, and there was so much chatter and stuff going on, you know, you like to have time to just get away for a minute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been very peaceful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The combination of putting music with it is the—I mean, that’s why I think some day in the future that this tourism stuff is going to be blockbuster. It’s not here today or tomorrow, but it is going to come, because the first cat who comes back and says, “You know where I was last week?” And, boy, the lines will form."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you hear the music, does it bring back those images?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I haven’t heard the music in a long time. I mean, Berlioz, you hear that played a lot. I haven’t played the Grand Prix in a long time. It would be an interesting thing to try. I’ve got most of that stuff packed away, but I might have to try that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’d be interested to hear your results of that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 24.81872280192938, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My name is Carol Peiffer. My address is [address], Evans City, Pennsylvania."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Carol, could you describe your current residence?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I live in a single-family home on a double lot in a small town, just a block away from the main street. So I have access to groceries, post office, bank, that kind of thing. My husband and I lived there together with four cats, and we have many more rooms than what we need. But we are two of the world's biggest pack rats, and so we have filled it up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Carol, what do you do for a living now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'm working as a customer service representative for Verizon Wireless. After retiring from teaching for 32 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you have any other family beside your husband?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 26.46524755769931, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I live in a single-family home on a double lot in a small town, just a block away from the main street. So I have access to groceries, post office, bank, that kind of thing. My husband and I lived there together with four cats, and we have many more rooms than what we need. But we are two of the world's biggest pack rats, and so we have filled it up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Carol, what do you do for a living now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'm working as a customer service representative for Verizon Wireless. After retiring from teaching for 32 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you have any other family beside your husband?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. My mother is still living. She's 89, and my father and my older sister are both deceased. And I have two nieces that were my sister's children and their families."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any interests outside of work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 28.29471950855479, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'm working as a customer service representative for Verizon Wireless. After retiring from teaching for 32 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you have any other family beside your husband?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. My mother is still living. She's 89, and my father and my older sister are both deceased. And I have two nieces that were my sister's children and their families."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any interests outside of work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, I do a lot of writing. I've been. I do. I write short stories. I've been working forever on my Peace Corps novel. And I do a lot of artwork and I've done everything from weaving, ceramics, painting, drawing. But currently, and for about the last five years, I've been doing all digital artwork."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Think back to your life before you joined the Peace Corps. Where did you live at that time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 29.21635500950532, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. My mother is still living. She's 89, and my father and my older sister are both deceased. And I have two nieces that were my sister's children and their families."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any interests outside of work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, I do a lot of writing. I've been. I do. I write short stories. I've been working forever on my Peace Corps novel. And I do a lot of artwork and I've done everything from weaving, ceramics, painting, drawing. But currently, and for about the last five years, I've been doing all digital artwork."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Think back to your life before you joined the Peace Corps. Where did you live at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I lived in a suburb of Pittsburgh. And it was my father and my mother and my sister, who was three years older than me. My father was a postal worker and had other side jobs. My mother was mainly a homemaker. However, she did occasionally work as an extra at a department store. My sister and I both went to college. I studied art and got my degree in art education right before I went to the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you feel that any of your earlier life was relevant to your later Peace Corps experience?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 30.240394455005912, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, I do a lot of writing. I've been. I do. I write short stories. I've been working forever on my Peace Corps novel. And I do a lot of artwork and I've done everything from weaving, ceramics, painting, drawing. But currently, and for about the last five years, I've been doing all digital artwork."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Think back to your life before you joined the Peace Corps. Where did you live at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I lived in a suburb of Pittsburgh. And it was my father and my mother and my sister, who was three years older than me. My father was a postal worker and had other side jobs. My mother was mainly a homemaker. However, she did occasionally work as an extra at a department store. My sister and I both went to college. I studied art and got my degree in art education right before I went to the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you feel that any of your earlier life was relevant to your later Peace Corps experience?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, my parents were people who were involved in volunteering. For example, my mother worked with Girl Scouts, worked with church activities and so on. Like my father did the same. He always said he was a Girl Scout leader, too, because he always helped out. And we did things like camping, which was really good experience for being in the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you first hear about the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.15599383889546, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I lived in a suburb of Pittsburgh. And it was my father and my mother and my sister, who was three years older than me. My father was a postal worker and had other side jobs. My mother was mainly a homemaker. However, she did occasionally work as an extra at a department store. My sister and I both went to college. I studied art and got my degree in art education right before I went to the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you feel that any of your earlier life was relevant to your later Peace Corps experience?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, my parents were people who were involved in volunteering. For example, my mother worked with Girl Scouts, worked with church activities and so on. Like my father did the same. He always said he was a Girl Scout leader, too, because he always helped out. And we did things like camping, which was really good experience for being in the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you first hear about the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess when President Kennedy proposed the idea was when I first heard about it. And I thought it was a really neat idea. I lived in a community that was highly Republican, and during the elections I was the only person who volunteered to take the Democratic side during our debates. And I believe that during the elections is when Kennedy proposed the idea of a Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What made you decide to join?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 32.39554870988384, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, my parents were people who were involved in volunteering. For example, my mother worked with Girl Scouts, worked with church activities and so on. Like my father did the same. He always said he was a Girl Scout leader, too, because he always helped out. And we did things like camping, which was really good experience for being in the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you first hear about the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess when President Kennedy proposed the idea was when I first heard about it. And I thought it was a really neat idea. I lived in a community that was highly Republican, and during the elections I was the only person who volunteered to take the Democratic side during our debates. And I believe that during the elections is when Kennedy proposed the idea of a Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What made you decide to join?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm asked that question so often, and I always say, I don't have one really good answer, but I guess I have several answers. I'm sure there was some kind of altruistic motive involved, but also, of course, they're always selfish motives. I wanted to do something good. I wanted to improve the world. I want to do something different. I wanted to travel, but I think maybe a lot of it was just, you know, that rebellious stage in your life where you want to get away from home. And my parents were fairly strict and kind of oppressive at times, and it was a way for me to kind of get out and on my own very quickly after I graduated from college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a specific project or a country in mind when you joined?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 30.4394985665376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess when President Kennedy proposed the idea was when I first heard about it. And I thought it was a really neat idea. I lived in a community that was highly Republican, and during the elections I was the only person who volunteered to take the Democratic side during our debates. And I believe that during the elections is when Kennedy proposed the idea of a Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What made you decide to join?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm asked that question so often, and I always say, I don't have one really good answer, but I guess I have several answers. I'm sure there was some kind of altruistic motive involved, but also, of course, they're always selfish motives. I wanted to do something good. I wanted to improve the world. I want to do something different. I wanted to travel, but I think maybe a lot of it was just, you know, that rebellious stage in your life where you want to get away from home. And my parents were fairly strict and kind of oppressive at times, and it was a way for me to kind of get out and on my own very quickly after I graduated from college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a specific project or a country in mind when you joined?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, because I remember when they asked me if I had any choice, I chose nothing. I either put down no choice or said I would go anywhere. And at first, actually, I received an acceptance to go to Chile. And so I had never taken Spanish. I had studied Latin and French, so I immediately got a Spanish major to start tutoring me. And we didn't get very far into that before I got the change to go to Brazil. And then, of course, there was no one on campus that knew Portuguese."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how and when did you apply? Did you actually apply?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 31.599442851708446, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm asked that question so often, and I always say, I don't have one really good answer, but I guess I have several answers. I'm sure there was some kind of altruistic motive involved, but also, of course, they're always selfish motives. I wanted to do something good. I wanted to improve the world. I want to do something different. I wanted to travel, but I think maybe a lot of it was just, you know, that rebellious stage in your life where you want to get away from home. And my parents were fairly strict and kind of oppressive at times, and it was a way for me to kind of get out and on my own very quickly after I graduated from college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a specific project or a country in mind when you joined?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, because I remember when they asked me if I had any choice, I chose nothing. I either put down no choice or said I would go anywhere. And at first, actually, I received an acceptance to go to Chile. And so I had never taken Spanish. I had studied Latin and French, so I immediately got a Spanish major to start tutoring me. And we didn't get very far into that before I got the change to go to Brazil. And then, of course, there was no one on campus that knew Portuguese."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how and when did you apply? Did you actually apply?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were recruiters on campus. I think that was during my maybe the early part of my junior year of college because I know I got accepted during my, I think, probably the second semester of my junior year of college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you were going to wait a year."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.554936501898272, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, because I remember when they asked me if I had any choice, I chose nothing. I either put down no choice or said I would go anywhere. And at first, actually, I received an acceptance to go to Chile. And so I had never taken Spanish. I had studied Latin and French, so I immediately got a Spanish major to start tutoring me. And we didn't get very far into that before I got the change to go to Brazil. And then, of course, there was no one on campus that knew Portuguese."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how and when did you apply? Did you actually apply?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were recruiters on campus. I think that was during my maybe the early part of my junior year of college because I know I got accepted during my, I think, probably the second semester of my junior year of college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you were going to wait a year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was. They had a, they sent us to an advanced training program. I believe it was the last advanced training program that they had. And we trained for 12 weeks between my junior and senior year. There was a conference in Chicago over Christmas break, which I didn't attend because I had just had my appendix removed. And then we met the next summer and went for additional training in Brazil."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were accepted and you were invited to join the Brazil project when you were accepted? Was there any hesitation on your part?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 32.838818335442525, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were recruiters on campus. I think that was during my maybe the early part of my junior year of college because I know I got accepted during my, I think, probably the second semester of my junior year of college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you were going to wait a year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was. They had a, they sent us to an advanced training program. I believe it was the last advanced training program that they had. And we trained for 12 weeks between my junior and senior year. There was a conference in Chicago over Christmas break, which I didn't attend because I had just had my appendix removed. And then we met the next summer and went for additional training in Brazil."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were accepted and you were invited to join the Brazil project when you were accepted? Was there any hesitation on your part?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. I mean, I think there's always a little bit of, you know, am I going to be able to do this? What's it going to be like? Oh, my goodness, how am I ever going to learn Portuguese, that kind of thing. But I don't think there was much hesitation. There's just that little kind of back of the mind, can I do this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your family's reaction?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 33.154242594936136, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was. They had a, they sent us to an advanced training program. I believe it was the last advanced training program that they had. And we trained for 12 weeks between my junior and senior year. There was a conference in Chicago over Christmas break, which I didn't attend because I had just had my appendix removed. And then we met the next summer and went for additional training in Brazil."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were accepted and you were invited to join the Brazil project when you were accepted? Was there any hesitation on your part?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. I mean, I think there's always a little bit of, you know, am I going to be able to do this? What's it going to be like? Oh, my goodness, how am I ever going to learn Portuguese, that kind of thing. But I don't think there was much hesitation. There's just that little kind of back of the mind, can I do this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your family's reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think my mother was not real happy. I think she, you know, I think she pictured me in the middle of the Amazon with headhunter Indians or something. My father thought of it as being like a missionary, which is exactly what I didn't want to be. But they seemed to rather, you know, accept it. After I went to the, I think they thought I would go to the training between my junior and senior year and then maybe I would decide not to go, but I did. And they, you know, they had a year and a half to get used to the idea, so they seemed OK with it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you prepare yourself and others for leaving for two full years?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 14, "return_to_go": 36.83804732770682, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. I mean, I think there's always a little bit of, you know, am I going to be able to do this? What's it going to be like? Oh, my goodness, how am I ever going to learn Portuguese, that kind of thing. But I don't think there was much hesitation. There's just that little kind of back of the mind, can I do this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your family's reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think my mother was not real happy. I think she, you know, I think she pictured me in the middle of the Amazon with headhunter Indians or something. My father thought of it as being like a missionary, which is exactly what I didn't want to be. But they seemed to rather, you know, accept it. After I went to the, I think they thought I would go to the training between my junior and senior year and then maybe I would decide not to go, but I did. And they, you know, they had a year and a half to get used to the idea, so they seemed OK with it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you prepare yourself and others for leaving for two full years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, one of the things is that when you go right after you graduate from college, you don't have to do a lot of preparation as far as you don't have to get rid of possessions and have someone take care of a house or take care of pets or whatever. So I basically had my, you know, stored my stuff from college at home, and I know we had lists of clothing and other things that we needed to take that maybe weren't readily available in Brazil. I know I put a little bit of money in an in an account and told my mother that if I ever needed any money, I would send her a check and she could send me some kind of a money order or something. It was more, I feel like I didn't do a lot of preparation more than just going on a long trip."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you trained?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 25.15507178011909, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My training between my junior and senior year of college was at Sacramento State College in California, which was a very nice campus. It was hot. So we trained there. I believe it was 12 weeks and about three weeks of it we spent in in field training. I was stationed with a VISTA worker in Tracy, California. She worked a lot with migrant workers and she put me in a home with a minister. It's a Black family and it was a minister and his wife and their children, and I helped her with various projects. So for those three weeks and then we had an additional training time in Brazil and we were just divided. We went to Rio and then we were divided into three groups. One group went to Goiás, one went to Espírito Santo. My group went to Salvador, Bahia, and we trained for six weeks in Dias d'Ávila, which was a small town. And we were each put with a family. In some places, two people were put with a family and I was put with grandparents, parents and a small boy. And that helped with our Portuguese training while we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of faculty trained you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Sacramento, the Portuguese teachers were almost all college students who were Brazilian students studying in the United States, and that was their summer job. And then there were other people who I believe were either faculty at Sacramento or their faculty that were brought in. And they were people who taught us everything from we had a phys ed class and we learned about soccer. We had Brazilian studies, health studies, geography, history of Brazil. A lot of information about customs and expectations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any technical training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. We were, our group was supposed to be urban community development, and we talked a lot about the felt needs of the people that we were supposed to discover and, you know, do something to meet their needs. It was all very ambiguous. It wasn't very specific. We had some training and group dynamics and how whole groups work. I don't really remember any technical training at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How was the selection handled? To choose the volunteers who would go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.838968644576767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Sacramento, the Portuguese teachers were almost all college students who were Brazilian students studying in the United States, and that was their summer job. And then there were other people who I believe were either faculty at Sacramento or their faculty that were brought in. And they were people who taught us everything from we had a phys ed class and we learned about soccer. We had Brazilian studies, health studies, geography, history of Brazil. A lot of information about customs and expectations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any technical training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. We were, our group was supposed to be urban community development, and we talked a lot about the felt needs of the people that we were supposed to discover and, you know, do something to meet their needs. It was all very ambiguous. It wasn't very specific. We had some training and group dynamics and how whole groups work. I don't really remember any technical training at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How was the selection handled? To choose the volunteers who would go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "First of all, our group started out with somewhere around 108, 110 or 112. I don't remember people. When we finally went to Brazil, I believe the numbers were down to the 50s and a lot of people selected themselves out over that senior year of college. And I think that's why they didn't do advanced training programs after that much and people got offers for graduate school or jobs that they felt they couldn't pass up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the training. I'm not exactly sure what all the criteria was, but there were psychologists, there were trainers who would deselect people in the middle of the training. I believe there were two people that went very early on, and they were two young men from Texas who seem to be have not realized that the civil rights movement had occurred and they were very prejudiced and that just wasn't going to go in Brazil, so those were the first two that were selected out. After that, it seemed like they selected people out because they were not kind of meeting the program's standards. I often wonder why I wasn't because I was not very good at learning the language."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 36.816143545372796, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But there was an unfortunate incident that happened when we were in training, when we were out in our field training. There were a few of the volunteers that were at some youth center. They took some students for to swim somewhere, and one of the children died. They drowned. And it seemed like everybody that was involved in that incident got selected out. And I don't remember how many people there were maybe three or four of them. And that was a really bad situation. I mean, we all felt really bad about the incident and of course, the aftermath of it.\n\nI think a couple of people were selected out because they suspected that they were gay. And I don't know whether that was because just at that time, that was something that they could do or if it was that they felt that that would be a hindrance to them and working with the Brazilian people at the time. But everyone feared the selection process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How often did it happen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It seemed to me that the first one happened, I think, about halfway through and then maybe there were two more times when maybe three quarters of the way through the training and one at the end, but I'm not really sure it might have just been two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think the training prepared you for useful Peace Corps service?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes and no. I don't think it prepared me in a real practical sense, but I think at least I went in with some understanding of the history of pursuing people information about customs a lot. We were told a lot of things that were just absolutely unacceptable in Brazil, which turned out not to be true. Like we were told that women only wore slacks at like resorts and beaches and so on. And that wasn't true, you know? But of course, things change in every culture. The Portuguese training, I think they did their best to help me out, but I was just one of those people that had a really hard time with it until I actually got there and had to do it and had to use the language. And I'm sure that happened with a lot of people, but I never had a facility for learning languages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And describe the day that you arrived in Brazil."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 54.120155379164665, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I tried as much as possible not to because I just had such a hard time with it. Any time I could get away with not speaking Portuguese, at least on the first days, I would. If I could find someone that would speak English to me, that would be fine. And of course, we tried but you know, it's frustrating when you try and you're not understood and someone answers you and you're clueless as to what they said back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There were Peace Corps staff in the country?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were they like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know what, I don't really remember much about people in in Rio because we were there for such a short period of time. I'm sure that the country director was there and I know we met him. I have photographs, actually, that a friend sent me of some of us at a party, and it was before our groups were all split up. So I know it was in Rio. And I, I kind of think it might have been in the American ambassador's home. He had a party for us, but it may have been the Peace Corps director. I really don't remember, I remember very little about the staff in Rio. I mean, they were helpful and, you know, told us, you know where to let our parents know to send mail and you know, that kind of thing and that if they got anything, they would forward it to our new addresses. But other than that, I don't remember much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you undergo any further training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 57.911283754627405, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were they like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know what, I don't really remember much about people in in Rio because we were there for such a short period of time. I'm sure that the country director was there and I know we met him. I have photographs, actually, that a friend sent me of some of us at a party, and it was before our groups were all split up. So I know it was in Rio. And I, I kind of think it might have been in the American ambassador's home. He had a party for us, but it may have been the Peace Corps director. I really don't remember, I remember very little about the staff in Rio. I mean, they were helpful and, you know, told us, you know where to let our parents know to send mail and you know, that kind of thing and that if they got anything, they would forward it to our new addresses. But other than that, I don't remember much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you undergo any further training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we each went, we went to our respective states. Now I went with a group that was in the state of Bahia, but I ended up actually being the only person from my group to be sent to a state north of there in Sergipe. But we were trained in a small town outside of Salvador for an additional six weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what did you learn during those six weeks?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 64.3458708384749, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know what, I don't really remember much about people in in Rio because we were there for such a short period of time. I'm sure that the country director was there and I know we met him. I have photographs, actually, that a friend sent me of some of us at a party, and it was before our groups were all split up. So I know it was in Rio. And I, I kind of think it might have been in the American ambassador's home. He had a party for us, but it may have been the Peace Corps director. I really don't remember, I remember very little about the staff in Rio. I mean, they were helpful and, you know, told us, you know where to let our parents know to send mail and you know, that kind of thing and that if they got anything, they would forward it to our new addresses. But other than that, I don't remember much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you undergo any further training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we each went, we went to our respective states. Now I went with a group that was in the state of Bahia, but I ended up actually being the only person from my group to be sent to a state north of there in Sergipe. But we were trained in a small town outside of Salvador for an additional six weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what did you learn during those six weeks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we stayed with family so that we were trying to improve our Portuguese. And as far as I remember, most of the time it was Portuguese studies and we had, well, we they talked a lot about the customs and I think there we maybe had a little more practical information about maybe just buying food. And, you know, just the day to day living how to get along, depending on where we were going to be. Now, as I said, my most of my group was urban community development, and a lot of the people were going to be stationed in Salvador, Bahia, which was a fairly large city, but a lot of them ended up being sent to rural areas as well as myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you ended up being a teacher. Can you describe that project?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.527467210000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was on my own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you felt comfortable traveling in all of these countries on your own?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And now I hear about so much violence in Brazil. But we were pretty much told that it, I mean, we weren't supposed to be stupid and go out alone at midnight or whatever, but that women alone were pretty safe. That rape was almost unheard of in Brazil. And just to be a little careful with cameras and flaunting your money and try to dress like the natives and, you know, whatever, and the fact that we could speak Portuguese was good because then we weren't totally naive or we didn't sound totally naive as somebody that could speak very well, like with taxi drivers or whatever. But I never felt in danger anywhere in Brazil, except for the snakes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your future plans when you came home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know what? Even though I mean, I taught for a couple of years in Brazil, I didn't think that I was that good of a teacher. I thought, I mean, I was, I don't know, of course, that you're trying to teach in a foreign language and whatever and all these other things going on. So I came home and decided I was going to get some other kind of job, but I ended up going to teaching anyway, and I taught for a total of 32 years. And I did like it. I did enjoy it. And I think a lot of it was just that I was kind of immature and didn't know what I was doing. But it was kind of a it was a good proving ground."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you teach English or art?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.8082969, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And now I hear about so much violence in Brazil. But we were pretty much told that it, I mean, we weren't supposed to be stupid and go out alone at midnight or whatever, but that women alone were pretty safe. That rape was almost unheard of in Brazil. And just to be a little careful with cameras and flaunting your money and try to dress like the natives and, you know, whatever, and the fact that we could speak Portuguese was good because then we weren't totally naive or we didn't sound totally naive as somebody that could speak very well, like with taxi drivers or whatever. But I never felt in danger anywhere in Brazil, except for the snakes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your future plans when you came home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know what? Even though I mean, I taught for a couple of years in Brazil, I didn't think that I was that good of a teacher. I thought, I mean, I was, I don't know, of course, that you're trying to teach in a foreign language and whatever and all these other things going on. So I came home and decided I was going to get some other kind of job, but I ended up going to teaching anyway, and I taught for a total of 32 years. And I did like it. I did enjoy it. And I think a lot of it was just that I was kind of immature and didn't know what I was doing. But it was kind of a it was a good proving ground."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you teach English or art?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I taught art. Once I got home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you evaluate your service? According to the three Peace Corps goals. I'll remind you that the first goal was to provide technical assistance where requested."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 14.231441, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know what? Even though I mean, I taught for a couple of years in Brazil, I didn't think that I was that good of a teacher. I thought, I mean, I was, I don't know, of course, that you're trying to teach in a foreign language and whatever and all these other things going on. So I came home and decided I was going to get some other kind of job, but I ended up going to teaching anyway, and I taught for a total of 32 years. And I did like it. I did enjoy it. And I think a lot of it was just that I was kind of immature and didn't know what I was doing. But it was kind of a it was a good proving ground."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you teach English or art?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I taught art. Once I got home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you evaluate your service? According to the three Peace Corps goals. I'll remind you that the first goal was to provide technical assistance where requested."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, where I don't know if it works the same way in every country, but we had to have been invited by the local government, and I know Bruni requested an English teacher or a teacher of any kind and that had to be approved by the mayor of the town. And I mean, as far as technical assistance I did, you know, I taught English, I taught a lot of other things as well. I helped it out with the health classes and with the doctors school and so on. So I think I did a good job in that. I think that that was productive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you evaluate the second goal to help promote better understanding of Americans by other peoples?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do miss Brazil, I miss a lot of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you like to go back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would love to go back, but I don't want to go back for a week, you know, like, I want to go back, maybe like for two months or something and spend some time and go back and visit the town where I worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Think there'll be a lot of differences?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I'm sure there will be. I hope there will be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What would you say is the main effect of Peace Corps service on your life, both immediately after your service and later on?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00191:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would love to go back, but I don't want to go back for a week, you know, like, I want to go back, maybe like for two months or something and spend some time and go back and visit the town where I worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Think there'll be a lot of differences?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I'm sure there will be. I hope there will be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What would you say is the main effect of Peace Corps service on your life, both immediately after your service and later on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Definitely my appreciation of my own life from my own country and my opportunities, especially the opportunities that I have. I often say that I don't complain about having to pay taxes because even though you know it takes a lot of money away from me, I think I get a lot of a lot for it, whether they, whether it be a highway or health services or whatever we get for that support of the arts, whatever. In Brazil, the tax system was just crazy and the federal highway that went through my town was a mud road. And, you know, so I think if I think for one thing, it made me see my own country from a more global point of view. It made me see my country from the perspective of someone else and from, I compare it to a lover that you don't see their flaws when you're in the relationship and six months on the road, you think, what was I doing? Why did I ever like that guy? And I feel like I felt the same way about my own country in a way. That while you're there, it's all rah rah America. Everything is wonderful. And then you go someplace else and you see that we do have flaws, but at exactly the same time you see that how lucky you are to have been born where you were and that you grew up there and that you have all the opportunities and privileges that you have as an American citizen that other people don't have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Carol, I thank you very much for participating in the Peace Corps archival project."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00017:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 52.22360258480532, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Eugene Leonard Bialek."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is your affiliation with the Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m a volunteer staff aide in the Navy Maritime Unit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What exactly is a staff aide?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a little bit of everything. It’s mainly writing finding aids for files that the archivist I work with feels are used quite a bit. It helps locate something in a box very rapidly, without having to look through a box. It has a list of the contents. It’s labor-intensive, and it’s not the type of thing an archivist would do. It’s the type of thing a volunteer would do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So, before you started working with the Archives as a staff aide, what kind of work did you do? Was it a similar line of work?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00017:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 23, "return_to_go": 50.24844731645035, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m a volunteer staff aide in the Navy Maritime Unit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What exactly is a staff aide?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a little bit of everything. It’s mainly writing finding aids for files that the archivist I work with feels are used quite a bit. It helps locate something in a box very rapidly, without having to look through a box. It has a list of the contents. It’s labor-intensive, and it’s not the type of thing an archivist would do. It’s the type of thing a volunteer would do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So, before you started working with the Archives as a staff aide, what kind of work did you do? Was it a similar line of work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was an oceanographer for the Navel Oceanographic Office at the Washington Navy Yard for about 25 years. I retired when the office moved to Mississippi. I went to work in private industry for a Navy contractor. I was a systems analyst for the Mark 46 Torpedo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That doesn’t sound similar to what you’re doing now. So, why did you start volunteering at the Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00017:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 32.01418892, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that he picks what I would call the most popular files, the files that are most in demand. For some reason there was a lot of demand for information from the JAG files. I would call the most popular files the most used, the most demanded, files he does. I don’t think anyone orders him to do it. He’s the type of person who has his finger on the operation of Navy Maritime. He serves in the reference room down here almost half a day, so he knows what people ask for. And that’s what he selects for me to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you say most in demand, it’s from the public coming in to do research, not the Navy or Coast Guard or some other branch of the U.S. Government?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s mainly true in so far as getting weather data from the Aleutians demanded by a Weather Bureau. In so far as the female lighthouse keepers, that was a request from the Coast Guard. So it all depends. You can’t say it’s the most in-demand group of files. There’re also special projects, Coast Guard, the Weather Bureau, NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So do you work on Mark’s special projects or just Mark’s standard finding aids?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d say finding aids. These special projects are infrequent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, how do these finding aids help the researchers who come in?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00017:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 33.3490988, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s mainly true in so far as getting weather data from the Aleutians demanded by a Weather Bureau. In so far as the female lighthouse keepers, that was a request from the Coast Guard. So it all depends. You can’t say it’s the most in-demand group of files. There’re also special projects, Coast Guard, the Weather Bureau, NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So do you work on Mark’s special projects or just Mark’s standard finding aids?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d say finding aids. These special projects are infrequent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, how do these finding aids help the researchers who come in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re on a spreadsheet, or they’re written out by the box number. Mark makes copies of those things. He hands them out to the archivist in the Navy Maritime Unit, and they use it. My Normandy study, Operation Neptune, that I did when I first came here, is still being used at our Archives II. I was amazed, after all these years, they’re still using that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is the file you brought?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00017:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.832332, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d say finding aids. These special projects are infrequent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, how do these finding aids help the researchers who come in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re on a spreadsheet, or they’re written out by the box number. Mark makes copies of those things. He hands them out to the archivist in the Navy Maritime Unit, and they use it. My Normandy study, Operation Neptune, that I did when I first came here, is still being used at our Archives II. I was amazed, after all these years, they’re still using that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is the file you brought?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just had an article published on one of the Coast Guard cutters named after one of the women, Kathleen Moore. I just submitted another article, about the grounding of an oil tanker off Cherbourg, France. Really interesting circumstances. I just submitted this one. It’s on the Battleship Maine, not the Maine, but Maine Two. Ran aground at the entrance to the Mississippi in South Pass. The mouth of the Mississippi has the three passes, one going straight down, one on the left, and one on the right. The ship ran aground, and the captain blamed the United States Coast Pilot, which is a publication telling navigators of dangers, of where to go or not go, like there’s a shallow ledge here, you know to avoid it, stay on the other side of the channel. Things like that. So, there was a little set-to between the captain and what he said was an error in the Coast Pilot. It sounds as if the captain was wrong, and the United States Coast Pilot was correct. So, I’m going to try to write that up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re writing on your own, or are you doing it for the Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00017:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 27.59148, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They’re on a spreadsheet, or they’re written out by the box number. Mark makes copies of those things. He hands them out to the archivist in the Navy Maritime Unit, and they use it. My Normandy study, Operation Neptune, that I did when I first came here, is still being used at our Archives II. I was amazed, after all these years, they’re still using that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is the file you brought?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just had an article published on one of the Coast Guard cutters named after one of the women, Kathleen Moore. I just submitted another article, about the grounding of an oil tanker off Cherbourg, France. Really interesting circumstances. I just submitted this one. It’s on the Battleship Maine, not the Maine, but Maine Two. Ran aground at the entrance to the Mississippi in South Pass. The mouth of the Mississippi has the three passes, one going straight down, one on the left, and one on the right. The ship ran aground, and the captain blamed the United States Coast Pilot, which is a publication telling navigators of dangers, of where to go or not go, like there’s a shallow ledge here, you know to avoid it, stay on the other side of the channel. Things like that. So, there was a little set-to between the captain and what he said was an error in the Coast Pilot. It sounds as if the captain was wrong, and the United States Coast Pilot was correct. So, I’m going to try to write that up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re writing on your own, or are you doing it for the Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it’s all myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You just got the information from the Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00017:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 23, "return_to_go": 30.6572, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just had an article published on one of the Coast Guard cutters named after one of the women, Kathleen Moore. I just submitted another article, about the grounding of an oil tanker off Cherbourg, France. Really interesting circumstances. I just submitted this one. It’s on the Battleship Maine, not the Maine, but Maine Two. Ran aground at the entrance to the Mississippi in South Pass. The mouth of the Mississippi has the three passes, one going straight down, one on the left, and one on the right. The ship ran aground, and the captain blamed the United States Coast Pilot, which is a publication telling navigators of dangers, of where to go or not go, like there’s a shallow ledge here, you know to avoid it, stay on the other side of the channel. Things like that. So, there was a little set-to between the captain and what he said was an error in the Coast Pilot. It sounds as if the captain was wrong, and the United States Coast Pilot was correct. So, I’m going to try to write that up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re writing on your own, or are you doing it for the Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it’s all myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You just got the information from the Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, right. You know, there’s an awful lot of information here. I mean, anybody who’s searching for a subject, to write about, this the place. In every box, there are at least two or three articles that can be written. It’s a goldmine if you’re interesting in writing. So, I’m going to take it home, and see if I can work something up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you ever deal with the public, helping them look for information, or is it just doing the finding aids and that’s it."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00017:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My training, zero. I don’t see how you could train anybody as a staff aide. You have to come in, yes, hopefully, with a little background, which I had. Like the Normandy study, I spent a couple years writing finding aids. I had a pretty good handle on that issue. Among the papers in the Normandy study, was the master plan for Operation Overlord. A big folder. It had “Top Secret”—big. I mean, I knew a little bit about Normandy, but I had no training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you’re saying your background as oceanographer helped you to be able to do a good job with the finding aids?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I had a feel for the Navy portion. I was not a novice looking through the Normandy files. I was not a novice in the Aleutians. I knew a little bit about them. So background does help. I can do a much better job than a history major could. They would pick it up eventually, but I can come in running."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, is there anything we have not discussed that you’d like to talk about from your time here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I’ve covered everything. But I can say that when I did the Normandy study, I did that by myself. I would go for months without seeing the archivist that I worked for. With Mark Mollan, it’s a little different. Every Tuesday when I come in, I talk with him, and I ask any questions I have, and he asks any questions he has. Like today, on the JAG study, he wanted information about two Army nurses, who were on a transport vessel going to Europe and somehow died. He wanted to know if I had seen that in the JAG files. Questions like that. So it’s on a spreadsheet, and we can do a search for army nurses, etcetera. That’s the contact that I have with him almost daily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But during your previous time, did they just give you a box of files and say, “Here you go?”"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 37.63614669613, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In other words, I didn't choose to work in the [Office of the] National Archives"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "... they chose you"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Charles Dollar was your first supervisor, and what role do you think he played in your becoming the archivist you are today and having such a long and stellar career in the area ofelectronic records?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Grand Valley State Colleges had an experimental university that I was involved in. We did a lot of independent studies and self-pacing type of programs. To a large extent what I was working at Oklahoma State with the experimental course was also like that. He [Charles Dollar] wanted me to get involved with developing training courses in machine-readable records because there were very few people who knew anything about electronic records at that time -- sort of like today. Also Mabel Dietrich, who was the head ofthe Office of the National Archives [Assistant Archivist for the Office ofthe National Archives, 19:X.X - 19XX], wanted the other archivists exposed to machinereadable records and she wanted him [Charles Dollar] to get involved in SAA [Society of American Archivists] and to expand the training. Charles knew I had been involved in some of these experimental educational programs at Oklahoma State and at Grand Valley, so he assigned me as one ofthe \"other duties as assigned\" to develop training courses and modules for agencies and for archivists. He then got me involved with conducting a workshop at SAA on appraisal of electronic records -- machine-readable records. That was done several times, and then we did a two-day workshop. Since he knew that I had been involved with some experimental education and self-paced study; he wanted to use that background to develop training programs in-house and externally. That gave me some visibility."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so he envisioned your niche, your area ofexpertise, to be in outreach and educational programs."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 41.81794077347777, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Or I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Charles Dollar was your first supervisor, and what role do you think he played in your becoming the archivist you are today and having such a long and stellar career in the area ofelectronic records?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Grand Valley State Colleges had an experimental university that I was involved in. We did a lot of independent studies and self-pacing type of programs. To a large extent what I was working at Oklahoma State with the experimental course was also like that. He [Charles Dollar] wanted me to get involved with developing training courses in machine-readable records because there were very few people who knew anything about electronic records at that time -- sort of like today. Also Mabel Dietrich, who was the head ofthe Office of the National Archives [Assistant Archivist for the Office ofthe National Archives, 19:X.X - 19XX], wanted the other archivists exposed to machinereadable records and she wanted him [Charles Dollar] to get involved in SAA [Society of American Archivists] and to expand the training. Charles knew I had been involved in some of these experimental educational programs at Oklahoma State and at Grand Valley, so he assigned me as one ofthe \"other duties as assigned\" to develop training courses and modules for agencies and for archivists. He then got me involved with conducting a workshop at SAA on appraisal of electronic records -- machine-readable records. That was done several times, and then we did a two-day workshop. Since he knew that I had been involved with some experimental education and self-paced study; he wanted to use that background to develop training programs in-house and externally. That gave me some visibility."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so he envisioned your niche, your area ofexpertise, to be in outreach and educational programs."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To spread the word about electronic records and their value."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 46.46437863719753, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Grand Valley State Colleges had an experimental university that I was involved in. We did a lot of independent studies and self-pacing type of programs. To a large extent what I was working at Oklahoma State with the experimental course was also like that. He [Charles Dollar] wanted me to get involved with developing training courses in machine-readable records because there were very few people who knew anything about electronic records at that time -- sort of like today. Also Mabel Dietrich, who was the head ofthe Office of the National Archives [Assistant Archivist for the Office ofthe National Archives, 19:X.X - 19XX], wanted the other archivists exposed to machinereadable records and she wanted him [Charles Dollar] to get involved in SAA [Society of American Archivists] and to expand the training. Charles knew I had been involved in some of these experimental educational programs at Oklahoma State and at Grand Valley, so he assigned me as one ofthe \"other duties as assigned\" to develop training courses and modules for agencies and for archivists. He then got me involved with conducting a workshop at SAA on appraisal of electronic records -- machine-readable records. That was done several times, and then we did a two-day workshop. Since he knew that I had been involved with some experimental education and self-paced study; he wanted to use that background to develop training programs in-house and externally. That gave me some visibility."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so he envisioned your niche, your area ofexpertise, to be in outreach and educational programs."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To spread the word about electronic records and their value."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How effective do you think that was, I think its very well know in the profession, that outside NARA , SAA and archivists generally learned a lot from those programs and workshops. What is your feeling about how they, those training programs were received internally, by more traditional archivists?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 46.07153181910836, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To spread the word about electronic records and their value."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How effective do you think that was, I think its very well know in the profession, that outside NARA , SAA and archivists generally learned a lot from those programs and workshops. What is your feeling about how they, those training programs were received internally, by more traditional archivists?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. One of the first courses that we did was to train incoming archivists to deal with electronic records. One of the persons who was in that course was Mike Kurtz. [A.ssistant Archivist for the Office ofR ecords Services - Washington, D.C., 19:XX -]. Part ofthe drill in that course was to write a COBOL program, and so Mike Kurtz was able to write a COBOL program in 1976. Now whether or not < laughter> did Mik e have an appreciation ofelectronic records since then? I think you'd have to ask him. But I really don 't see where we were all that effective, either internally or externally, in terms ofbuilding allies outside ofthe program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, in terms of, and I'll get to more details about this later probably, but in terms ofbuilding bonds with other archivists who came in at the same time, like later the CIDS [Career Internship De velopment System] program and now we have the ADP [Archival Development Program] program , were you part ofa group, a class that all received standard training in NARA archival processes and procedures?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 15, "return_to_go": 47.85725757678706, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How effective do you think that was, I think its very well know in the profession, that outside NARA , SAA and archivists generally learned a lot from those programs and workshops. What is your feeling about how they, those training programs were received internally, by more traditional archivists?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. One of the first courses that we did was to train incoming archivists to deal with electronic records. One of the persons who was in that course was Mike Kurtz. [A.ssistant Archivist for the Office ofR ecords Services - Washington, D.C., 19:XX -]. Part ofthe drill in that course was to write a COBOL program, and so Mike Kurtz was able to write a COBOL program in 1976. Now whether or not < laughter> did Mik e have an appreciation ofelectronic records since then? I think you'd have to ask him. But I really don 't see where we were all that effective, either internally or externally, in terms ofbuilding allies outside ofthe program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, in terms of, and I'll get to more details about this later probably, but in terms ofbuilding bonds with other archivists who came in at the same time, like later the CIDS [Career Internship De velopment System] program and now we have the ADP [Archival Development Program] program , were you part ofa group, a class that all received standard training in NARA archival processes and procedures?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was probably hired the last year before the CIDS program was established. The only sort ofa \"class\" met twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There were lectures that everyone had to attend. At the conclusion of those presentations and some required readings, we had to pass an examination ..."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow, was this a GSA [General Services Administration]?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 29.31593079342215, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's probably correct"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So from '82 then, so after '82, the division was reorganized into a branch and Trudy Peterson became the branch chief until August 1983."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I left the branch at that time. Trudy left the branch too at that time or right after that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK so after that in term s ofyour career, you had been an archivist in the Machine-Readable Archives Division and in the Machine-Readable Branch through, I'm looking at your vita just to put the time frame together, until June I983. And then became an archivist in the Documentation Standards Division in the Office ofRecords Administration. Can you talk a little bit about the work ofthat division and how what you did contributed to that? I'm not familiar, excuse my ignorance, but I'm not familiar with docwnentation standards."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the first member ofthe staffor the division. When we were moving towards independence from GSA , Bob Warner said that we would hang our hat in records management on that phrase in the Federal Records Act, \"heads ofagencies shall make and preserve adequate and proper documentation.\" So we proposed to establish standards for what would constitute adequate and proper documentation. These standards would be required for [both paper and] electronic m aterials. This is how we would get our foot into the door. That's why I was hired -- to make certain that these standards addressed electronic materials that the governmen t --that Federal agencies were creating. Of course, Patti Aronsson was hired to be the division director. And she had some problems with the office head."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was in the Office ofRecords Administration? Who was the office head at the time, do you recall?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 28.12881199269128, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I left the branch at that time. Trudy left the branch too at that time or right after that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK so after that in term s ofyour career, you had been an archivist in the Machine-Readable Archives Division and in the Machine-Readable Branch through, I'm looking at your vita just to put the time frame together, until June I983. And then became an archivist in the Documentation Standards Division in the Office ofRecords Administration. Can you talk a little bit about the work ofthat division and how what you did contributed to that? I'm not familiar, excuse my ignorance, but I'm not familiar with docwnentation standards."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the first member ofthe staffor the division. When we were moving towards independence from GSA , Bob Warner said that we would hang our hat in records management on that phrase in the Federal Records Act, \"heads ofagencies shall make and preserve adequate and proper documentation.\" So we proposed to establish standards for what would constitute adequate and proper documentation. These standards would be required for [both paper and] electronic m aterials. This is how we would get our foot into the door. That's why I was hired -- to make certain that these standards addressed electronic materials that the governmen t --that Federal agencies were creating. Of course, Patti Aronsson was hired to be the division director. And she had some problems with the office head."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was in the Office ofRecords Administration? Who was the office head at the time, do you recall?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Jim Moore [James W. Moore, A ssistant Archivist for the Office of Re cords Administration, 1983-19:XX]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh , OK"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.189374199772722, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The move was certainly very successful!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the move was very successful. And that same reorganization has continued. I find it interesting today to hear the discussion about the need to increase the resources that will be processing the paper records. I hear echoes from that earlier time frame today. What they're doing now is to try to limit the reference resources [to ensure that the paper records are processed]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it's a reorganization without reorganizing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during your time period as Chief ofStaffofthe Administrative Staff, what, other than the reorganization are there other parts ofthat you would like to highlight?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 23.54374911085858, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the move was very successful. And that same reorganization has continued. I find it interesting today to hear the discussion about the need to increase the resources that will be processing the paper records. I hear echoes from that earlier time frame today. What they're doing now is to try to limit the reference resources [to ensure that the paper records are processed]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it's a reorganization without reorganizing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during your time period as Chief ofStaffofthe Administrative Staff, what, other than the reorganization are there other parts ofthat you would like to highlight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think that Trudy always wanted me to be involved with anything dealing with electronic records. And so whenever anything [ with electronic records] came up, it would be passed on to me. I think the other thing we did was under Frank Burke who was Acting Archivist. He said that we are a national organization therefore we shall recruit nationally. To go back to the CIDS issue: It was at that time which we recruited the first CIDS class, brought them all in, supervised them for the first year under the Administrative Staff and then farmed them out to the separate units. We established that program; I thought that was really a rather successful program. We were under very strict instructions to recruit nationally: \"The CIDS class should be representative ofthe nation as a whole, both geographically and demographically.\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since the CIDS program did have such, and continues to have such, a big impact on the directions the National Archives has taken, with the number oftalented people and really good people who have been hired through that program, are there parts ofthe training that you developed that you feel were especially influential in moving people along their career paths?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.940175447124798, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Smprised, no. Like I said, I thought that certain aspects ofit had become too bureaucratic, too fossilized. I figured that there would be some changes, I was not expecting it to cease. As a supervisor in the CIDS program, I saw that it was taking an awful lot oftime ofthe supervisors and the office heads, scheduling these quarterly meetings, and all the other drills that one went through. In my own mind, it was becoming too fossilized. I think that is a good term for it. It probably should have been reinvented instead ofabolished. Every training program should be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quite a few CIDS trainees assigned to our unit, and I guess we can move on to the Center for Electronic Records now, who didn't seem to stay around very long because they were able to move on to other parts ofthe Office ofthe National Archives and get better positions, but that's just my opinion and it's not my interview ..."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, one ofthe spreadsheets that I kept was a list of all the CIDS people that had been assigned to us, the date they were assigned, and the date they left. And I think only one stayed ..."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, Greg LaMotta is the one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that had become rather obvious."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So in 1989, shortly after the Center for Electronic Records was established, you were hired on as a branch chief ofthe Archival Services Branch. I don't know, as Chief ofStaff, I guess, yes, you were a supervisor, but now you in charge ofsupervising as a branch chief! assume a larger unit of archivists, technicians and a reference program and all that ..."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 33.26686160791644, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, one ofthe spreadsheets that I kept was a list of all the CIDS people that had been assigned to us, the date they were assigned, and the date they left. And I think only one stayed ..."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, Greg LaMotta is the one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that had become rather obvious."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So in 1989, shortly after the Center for Electronic Records was established, you were hired on as a branch chief ofthe Archival Services Branch. I don't know, as Chief ofStaff, I guess, yes, you were a supervisor, but now you in charge ofsupervising as a branch chief! assume a larger unit of archivists, technicians and a reference program and all that ..."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, I was now a line supervisor as opposed to a staff supervisor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk about how you got your position as a branch chief?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 28.074290675462706, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that had become rather obvious."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So in 1989, shortly after the Center for Electronic Records was established, you were hired on as a branch chief ofthe Archival Services Branch. I don't know, as Chief ofStaff, I guess, yes, you were a supervisor, but now you in charge ofsupervising as a branch chief! assume a larger unit of archivists, technicians and a reference program and all that ..."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, I was now a line supervisor as opposed to a staff supervisor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk about how you got your position as a branch chief?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, when Edie wrote all the [material to launch the Center], she established the Center with two branches, Archival Services and Technical Services. And it was up to Ken to hire Technical [sic Archival] Services [Branch Chief]. Ken [Ken Thibodeau, Director, Center for Electronic Records, December 1988-February 1998] called me down and, or I guess up [from 6W to BE]. We had a discussion as to whether I would like the job, and.I told him I would. We talked about it-it was a job interview including why I wanted it. And at the conclusion, he called Trudy and said, 'Td like to hire Tom.\" At that point, since I was already a supervisor and already a [Grade] 14, it was merely a lateral reassignment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Trudy was willing to Jet you go?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 31.193656306069673, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, I was now a line supervisor as opposed to a staff supervisor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk about how you got your position as a branch chief?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, when Edie wrote all the [material to launch the Center], she established the Center with two branches, Archival Services and Technical Services. And it was up to Ken to hire Technical [sic Archival] Services [Branch Chief]. Ken [Ken Thibodeau, Director, Center for Electronic Records, December 1988-February 1998] called me down and, or I guess up [from 6W to BE]. We had a discussion as to whether I would like the job, and.I told him I would. We talked about it-it was a job interview including why I wanted it. And at the conclusion, he called Trudy and said, 'Td like to hire Tom.\" At that point, since I was already a supervisor and already a [Grade] 14, it was merely a lateral reassignment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Trudy was willing to Jet you go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I think Trudy saw that being the head of an administrative staff really was not my cup oftea. I was really much more ofa line manager."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so at that time in 1989 it was truly a growing program as you document in Thirty Years. Can you talk about how you were able to hire people outside ofthe archivist series, myself included? Because I think that was a very masterful stroke of genius on your part, to be able to hire people who had truly electronic records backgrounds, or at least data, data librarians ..."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 39.165372608665606, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But it was always like a bad penny that always kept coming back and coming back. I think I've said enough in there ..."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hopefully we're beyond that. The other aspect to your discussion in Thirty Years about the changes the Center went through, one ofthe more, actually the whole part of the electronic records program, was where to put appraisal. And certainly you left a lasting mark in the area ofelectronic records appraisal and so my question is while the Center had appraisal of electronic records, did we really do that good of a job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm glad you asked that question, because I think that our colleagues in the appraisal unit today have a misinterpretation ofwhat all was going on when we acquired appraisal in 1989. We had appraisal up until 1984. With the establishment ofthe Office ofRecords Administration under Jim Moore, they consolidated the appraisal function in order to focus in all ofthe records management activity within the agency. The only two things that we had that was records management was appraisal and documentation standards. And they wanted consolidated these; it was a political move so there would be one-stop shopping for records management."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was at the same time as independence"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To distinguish what NARA did from what GSA did"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 29.759750965806443, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, some people considered them to be. Well, I think what's fascinating about these [paper] surveys that\"we have acquired is that -- yes, and we have some Census schedules from the economic censuses of 1927 or something like that --because when the Archives opened its doors, they just took in anything. They needed to justify their existence. And the truth ofthe matter [is that], when the electronic records program was established in 1968, it took in everything that it could. [Ofthe seriesws on) the first list ofaccessioned material in the National Archives in digital form from -- I think it [that list] was in 1973 - '74--within five years; all but one ofthose [series of] records had been internally disposed of. So I think its sort of human nature to go and grab everything initially."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you for your comments on electronic records appraisal, because I think that is such an important aspect ofthe work you've done ofthe last 30 years. Now I'd like to move onto some general questions. I think we've touched upon major points in your career. What were some ofthe challenges and issues that you faced in your career with the agency. Let's start with what was the biggest challenge that you were confronted with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think probably it's always been limited resources because archives is a very labor intensive operation, even ifyou are dealing with electronic records. There's always been the push to do more with less, and I think that's always been the biggest challenge. As I said earlier today in the [ Archivsist Development Program] workshop, John Carlin [Archivist ofthe United States, May 30, 1995-February 15, 2005], was very successful in increasing the amount ofmoney. How that was money was spent would be subject to some discussion. But other than that period, we've always been suffering from limited resources."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we're back to that to point again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, what was your biggest disappointment during your career?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 31.955278850896047, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think probably it's always been limited resources because archives is a very labor intensive operation, even ifyou are dealing with electronic records. There's always been the push to do more with less, and I think that's always been the biggest challenge. As I said earlier today in the [ Archivsist Development Program] workshop, John Carlin [Archivist ofthe United States, May 30, 1995-February 15, 2005], was very successful in increasing the amount ofmoney. How that was money was spent would be subject to some discussion. But other than that period, we've always been suffering from limited resources."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we're back to that to point again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, what was your biggest disappointment during your career?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would say the appraisal ofthe 2000 Census. [I am disappointed in] the fact that we, in effect, appraised 500 million blank pages as permanent, the amount ofmoney that will waste ifwe don't correct it, and the failure ofour colleagues in the agency and outside ofthe agency to see that --what is it? --the Individual Census Record File contains all ofthe information that anyone will ever want, that is the only thing that will need to be saved and that is the only thing that will ever be used. I would say that that was my biggest disappointment. No matter how hard we argued, those arguments fell on deaf ears except inside the Center for Electronic Records."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that goes back to your earlier point about data. Because that's what it is, it's data! Very good. Did changes in the administration change the nature ofyour work assignments, describe those changes. I think this is really, how did you work in the hierarchy? I think in your case, the head ofthe Office ofthe National Archives certainly had a big impact on your career."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 14.06328990592755, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I appraised it as temporary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did? Index to the Secretary's correspondence?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it would not facilitate access to the information given the data elements that was in it. He was more than willing to give it to me ifwe wanted it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm not sure how this next question, I feel obligated to ask all these questions now, how this applies to you but I think it does, describe, and I think you may have touched on this already, in your discussion ofyour early training, describe the process of becoming a subject area expert, in electronic records, how did researcher interest and research demands guide your work with the records? I think you can interpret that in many different ways."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think I ever became a subject matter expert. I may be an expert in electronic records, but that was certainly not driven by researcher demand. It was not like Greg Bradsher and his subject area expertise in records relating to Nazi Germany since researcher demand obviously drove him to learn everything that we could figure out about those records. So I really don't think that I have a subject matter expertise. And if it were in electronic records, it wasn't driven by researchers since I have had very little active involvement in responding to reference."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But I think your subject area expertise is really in Census, at least I consider you to be, in two areas, not just the Census Bureau but in FOIA and access"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 13.403655451030609, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it would not facilitate access to the information given the data elements that was in it. He was more than willing to give it to me ifwe wanted it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm not sure how this next question, I feel obligated to ask all these questions now, how this applies to you but I think it does, describe, and I think you may have touched on this already, in your discussion ofyour early training, describe the process of becoming a subject area expert, in electronic records, how did researcher interest and research demands guide your work with the records? I think you can interpret that in many different ways."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think I ever became a subject matter expert. I may be an expert in electronic records, but that was certainly not driven by researcher demand. It was not like Greg Bradsher and his subject area expertise in records relating to Nazi Germany since researcher demand obviously drove him to learn everything that we could figure out about those records. So I really don't think that I have a subject matter expertise. And if it were in electronic records, it wasn't driven by researchers since I have had very little active involvement in responding to reference."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But I think your subject area expertise is really in Census, at least I consider you to be, in two areas, not just the Census Bureau but in FOIA and access"}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK ... when I was a line archivist from '75 to '83, that was my agency and that's when we worked an awful lot on getting records in from the Census Bureau. But we spent a lot more time trying to. get records in than actually getting records in. It wasn't until Mike Miller came along that he was actually able to burst the dam, and the stuffreally began to flow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The dam's been closed.\n\nBut in the area ofFOIA and access, how did you develop that expertise, I'm curious?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.671179569173592, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK ... when I was a line archivist from '75 to '83, that was my agency and that's when we worked an awful lot on getting records in from the Census Bureau. But we spent a lot more time trying to. get records in than actually getting records in. It wasn't until Mike Miller came along that he was actually able to burst the dam, and the stuffreally began to flow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The dam's been closed.\n\nBut in the area ofFOIA and access, how did you develop that expertise, I'm curious?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Back in '82 (I think it was) or early in the early 80's, the whole issue of contract and grant records came up. I was working with a lot ofcontractor-generated records -- a lot ofstuff from the National Institute ofEducation, --all ofwhich were created under contracts, grants, or combinations thereof. The whole question was, \"Were these Federal records? Could you have access to them?\" It was an issue in various professional associations like APDU [Association ofPublic Data Users] or !ASSIST [International Association for Social Science Information Service and Technology]. And that was how the FOIA became important. When the Forsham decision was handed down,5 we were trying to get involved with the [ scheduling ofthe] National Science Foundation's contract laboratory records. The FOIA question came up as, \"Is the data created under contact and/or grants a Federal record that should be managed as such?\" Can you have access to it? Ifthe agency gives you access to a printout, can you still require the data?\" That was a huge issue and [remained] an issue at various points in time. But I think it all began whether grants and contracts produced Federal records."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the answer is? in the case ofcontracts, yes, and grants, no, except hasn't a decision recently been made about, I haven't understood this, that data collected under grant is subject to FOIA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I am not familiar with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought it was a decision recently related to some tobacco litigation?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.412421743526213, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Back in '82 (I think it was) or early in the early 80's, the whole issue of contract and grant records came up. I was working with a lot ofcontractor-generated records -- a lot ofstuff from the National Institute ofEducation, --all ofwhich were created under contracts, grants, or combinations thereof. The whole question was, \"Were these Federal records? Could you have access to them?\" It was an issue in various professional associations like APDU [Association ofPublic Data Users] or !ASSIST [International Association for Social Science Information Service and Technology]. And that was how the FOIA became important. When the Forsham decision was handed down,5 we were trying to get involved with the [ scheduling ofthe] National Science Foundation's contract laboratory records. The FOIA question came up as, \"Is the data created under contact and/or grants a Federal record that should be managed as such?\" Can you have access to it? Ifthe agency gives you access to a printout, can you still require the data?\" That was a huge issue and [remained] an issue at various points in time. But I think it all began whether grants and contracts produced Federal records."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the answer is? in the case ofcontracts, yes, and grants, no, except hasn't a decision recently been made about, I haven't understood this, that data collected under grant is subject to FOIA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I am not familiar with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought it was a decision recently related to some tobacco litigation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know, I'm not familiar with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll set that aside. In my mind I always considered you a subject area expert in that area and in Census generally and I see where that's come about. How would you describe the intellectual and institutional value ofthe records with which you work? I think that's an interesting question, I'm not sure how to interpret it though? How would you describe the intellectual and institutional value ofthe records with which you work?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.124913048362459, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I am not familiar with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought it was a decision recently related to some tobacco litigation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know, I'm not familiar with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll set that aside. In my mind I always considered you a subject area expert in that area and in Census generally and I see where that's come about. How would you describe the intellectual and institutional value ofthe records with which you work? I think that's an interesting question, I'm not sure how to interpret it though? How would you describe the intellectual and institutional value ofthe records with which you work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'm going to take it very broadly. The records ofthe Center for Electronic Records cover 130 different agencies across the board. I think that's what has been most interesting about working for the Center. In electronic records, you move from one topic to another! That's the whole question about subject area expert. Yes, I worked a lot in the Census, but I was also taking in a lot from the National Institute ofEducation and other things ofthat nature. And the fact that it is so broad in terms ofsubjects, I think, is what gives it its value. Granted I think it may be somewhat shallow. With few exceptions, we're not very deep. Census would be one ofthem [the exceptions] where we are fairly deep. But generally speaking, we have --I think --have identified the basic data and the basic agencies. I think that's the importance ofour holdings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And just as a side comment, unfortunately due to limited resources I think there are certain areas that we could get a lot deeper in"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.9165700537360655, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know, I'm not familiar with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We'll set that aside. In my mind I always considered you a subject area expert in that area and in Census generally and I see where that's come about. How would you describe the intellectual and institutional value ofthe records with which you work? I think that's an interesting question, I'm not sure how to interpret it though? How would you describe the intellectual and institutional value ofthe records with which you work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'm going to take it very broadly. The records ofthe Center for Electronic Records cover 130 different agencies across the board. I think that's what has been most interesting about working for the Center. In electronic records, you move from one topic to another! That's the whole question about subject area expert. Yes, I worked a lot in the Census, but I was also taking in a lot from the National Institute ofEducation and other things ofthat nature. And the fact that it is so broad in terms ofsubjects, I think, is what gives it its value. Granted I think it may be somewhat shallow. With few exceptions, we're not very deep. Census would be one ofthem [the exceptions] where we are fairly deep. But generally speaking, we have --I think --have identified the basic data and the basic agencies. I think that's the importance ofour holdings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And just as a side comment, unfortunately due to limited resources I think there are certain areas that we could get a lot deeper in"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, f do too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it's really the resources it comes down to, doesn't it?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.796188948595628, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I'm going to take it very broadly. The records ofthe Center for Electronic Records cover 130 different agencies across the board. I think that's what has been most interesting about working for the Center. In electronic records, you move from one topic to another! That's the whole question about subject area expert. Yes, I worked a lot in the Census, but I was also taking in a lot from the National Institute ofEducation and other things ofthat nature. And the fact that it is so broad in terms ofsubjects, I think, is what gives it its value. Granted I think it may be somewhat shallow. With few exceptions, we're not very deep. Census would be one ofthem [the exceptions] where we are fairly deep. But generally speaking, we have --I think --have identified the basic data and the basic agencies. I think that's the importance ofour holdings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And just as a side comment, unfortunately due to limited resources I think there are certain areas that we could get a lot deeper in"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, f do too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it's really the resources it comes down to, doesn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, it's the resources internally and the willingness ofthe agencies externally to cooperate with us. Ifyou find an agency with a records officer that's willing to work with us, then we can do great things. Ifyou don't have that records officer, data administrator, or program official who doesn't want to work because it's too much trouble, whatever, whatever, whatever, then we will never get a depth to the records that we have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Linda Henry also submitted some questions. So earlier today in the session you did for the ADP [Archivist Development Program] training you may have heard these already."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.773543276217364, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, f do too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it's really the resources it comes down to, doesn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, it's the resources internally and the willingness ofthe agencies externally to cooperate with us. Ifyou find an agency with a records officer that's willing to work with us, then we can do great things. Ifyou don't have that records officer, data administrator, or program official who doesn't want to work because it's too much trouble, whatever, whatever, whatever, then we will never get a depth to the records that we have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Linda Henry also submitted some questions. So earlier today in the session you did for the ADP [Archivist Development Program] training you may have heard these already."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We never got to them"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think they bear repeating."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.859492529130403, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, it's the resources internally and the willingness ofthe agencies externally to cooperate with us. Ifyou find an agency with a records officer that's willing to work with us, then we can do great things. Ifyou don't have that records officer, data administrator, or program official who doesn't want to work because it's too much trouble, whatever, whatever, whatever, then we will never get a depth to the records that we have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Linda Henry also submitted some questions. So earlier today in the session you did for the ADP [Archivist Development Program] training you may have heard these already."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We never got to them"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think they bear repeating."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We never got to those questions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK, well, the first one was what was the most important thing you learned that you would like to pass on to new electronic records archivists? It says electronic records archivist, but it could really be any new NARA archivist?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.95499169903378, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We never got to them"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think they bear repeating."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We never got to those questions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK, well, the first one was what was the most important thing you learned that you would like to pass on to new electronic records archivists? It says electronic records archivist, but it could really be any new NARA archivist?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The important thing, I mentioned earlier I believe, about electronic records is not the technology, but the intellectual importance ofunderstanding the content ofthe records and coming to some sort ofunderstanding intellectually ofwhat you 're dealing with; their provenance, the reason why they were created, how the agency used them. The technology should be secondary. One ofthe things we were talking about earlier was the diversity ofthe workforce in the archival staff. One ofthe things that we added was IT people on the Archival Service Staff. I think that is very important because ifthe archivist can figure out the intellectual problems and challenges, then the IT person is there ifthere is a new technical issue. The IT person can come to bear [ on the problem] .. As I said in that paper on website appraisals,6 merely the fact that we can preserve something doesn't mean its worth preserving. The important thing is: \"Let's worry about ifwe can preserve it only after we determine whether or not it's worth preserving.\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Something that I've learned from you certainly is that the technology will take care ofitself ... the dependencies. I mean, we are committed to taking things and preserving things in a hardware and software independent format, but there are cases where that's not really possible, but certainly ifthe need is great enough the technology can be tooled to read, to interpret, to process, whatever we may have preserved, so ..."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.655681342981865, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We took in a lot ofstuff from the 9-11 Commission that will be a technological challenge. So long as we have intellectual control over what it is, we will be able to solve the technology issues ifwe're willing to spend the money. Possibly for the 9-11 Commission, future generations may be willing to spend the money. So yes, I agree, technical dependencies may not necessarily take care ofthemselves, but we could be able to take care ofthose dependencies."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your most, I'm moving on to the next question, what was your most important contribution to the program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The diversity ofthe background ofthe staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I agree. What was the high point ofthe program? Or ofyour career, you can do either one or both. What was the high point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably when Ken said that he would like for me to become the head ofthe Archival Services Branch ofthe Center for Electronic Records. Because I really think that ..."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was the high point ofyour career?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 14.061868158868739, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The diversity ofthe background ofthe staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I agree. What was the high point ofthe program? Or ofyour career, you can do either one or both. What was the high point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably when Ken said that he would like for me to become the head ofthe Archival Services Branch ofthe Center for Electronic Records. Because I really think that ..."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was the high point ofyour career?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the high point ofmy career, I think we had some problems. And I think we also had some successes. I think I made a contribution, particularly starting offin those first ten years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the high point ofthe program, what do you think that was?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.846520176520821, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably when Ken said that he would like for me to become the head ofthe Archival Services Branch ofthe Center for Electronic Records. Because I really think that ..."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was the high point ofyour career?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the high point ofmy career, I think we had some problems. And I think we also had some successes. I think I made a contribution, particularly starting offin those first ten years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the high point ofthe program, what do you think that was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would say probably the most significant part ofthe program was when Everett Alldredge [head, Office ofRecords Administration, 1955-May 1971] had the foresight to start it. I mean, it had a rough start getting started. That may not be the high point, but I think that what Ev Alldredge did during that time has probably not been adequately documented --ofhow he labored to get the program started. The high point, probably, I would say, was the fact that we successfully responded to every court challenge presented to us by the PROFS case. And the fmal line was the case was dismissed in 1994, Then the subsequent GRS 207 case was filed against us, and we won that case by a mile. I mean it was just a slam dunk for us. We successfully staved offtwo very serious legal challenges in the early to mid-90's."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, knowing Linda as you do, we have the other side ofthe coin, the low point ofyour career and ofthe program?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.718355751689801, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the high point ofmy career, I think we had some problems. And I think we also had some successes. I think I made a contribution, particularly starting offin those first ten years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the high point ofthe program, what do you think that was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would say probably the most significant part ofthe program was when Everett Alldredge [head, Office ofRecords Administration, 1955-May 1971] had the foresight to start it. I mean, it had a rough start getting started. That may not be the high point, but I think that what Ev Alldredge did during that time has probably not been adequately documented --ofhow he labored to get the program started. The high point, probably, I would say, was the fact that we successfully responded to every court challenge presented to us by the PROFS case. And the fmal line was the case was dismissed in 1994, Then the subsequent GRS 207 case was filed against us, and we won that case by a mile. I mean it was just a slam dunk for us. We successfully staved offtwo very serious legal challenges in the early to mid-90's."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, knowing Linda as you do, we have the other side ofthe coin, the low point ofyour career and ofthe program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Obviously, the RIFs of '82. We knew that individuals were going to suffer; we knew that the program was going to suffer, and we knew that the Archives as an agency was going to suffer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And ofyour career?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.76340216258, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Obviously, the RIFs of '82. We knew that individuals were going to suffer; we knew that the program was going to suffer, and we knew that the Archives as an agency was going to suffer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And ofyour career?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably working for the Documentation Standards Staff"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because it was not a pleasant experience ...."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds like you had a great, challenging mandate? But, just not enough resources."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.9593357362, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably working for the Documentation Standards Staff"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because it was not a pleasant experience ...."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds like you had a great, challenging mandate? But, just not enough resources."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not enough resources and the personalities involved between Peggy [sic Patti] and Jim Moore. That was not a nice situation to be in. Because there were so few ofus, it's not like you can run and hide some place. It was very up close and personal, constantly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The last question listed here, is, this is going back, I think, to our earlier discussion oftraining really, but what do you believe are the most important qualifications to be an electronic records archivist?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.6979999999999995, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which was a NARA publication"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sponsored by NTIS?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was something separate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was something separate?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.22, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sponsored by NTIS?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was something separate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was something separate?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Catalog was a National Archives Trust Fund Publication."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which was a finding aid to our holdings. Interesting. Because then, I guess, it wasn't until the Format-X and-Y came along that NARA had a descriptive standard"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 5.8, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was something separate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was something separate?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Catalog was a National Archives Trust Fund Publication."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which was a finding aid to our holdings. Interesting. Because then, I guess, it wasn't until the Format-X and-Y came along that NARA had a descriptive standard"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that's when we tried to develop one --with the X- and Y-Formats."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which we did and we followed, OK, very good, that helps quite a bit. The other question of course is the inevitable, ERA. As your career came to a close at the end of June, you could see ERA off on the horizon, I believe, and so, what as you now leave the electronic records program, how so you see what you're leaving behind evolve or become a part ofthe ERA effort?"}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Catalog was a National Archives Trust Fund Publication."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which was a finding aid to our holdings. Interesting. Because then, I guess, it wasn't until the Format-X and-Y came along that NARA had a descriptive standard"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that's when we tried to develop one --with the X- and Y-Formats."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which we did and we followed, OK, very good, that helps quite a bit. The other question of course is the inevitable, ERA. As your career came to a close at the end of June, you could see ERA off on the horizon, I believe, and so, what as you now leave the electronic records program, how so you see what you're leaving behind evolve or become a part ofthe ERA effort?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that my experience with electronic records since 1976 is that we've always evolved based upon earlier experience. The automation ofour verification process through AERIC [Archival Electronic Records Inspection and Control Utility] was merely the automation ofthe manual process that we were doing. The ability to verify email within AERIC is based upon the verification ofdata files, structured data files. And so I hope and I think, given the fact that you have Ken and Fynnette [Fynnette Eaton, Chief, Technical Services Branch, Center for Electronic Records, 1989-ca. 1996] there, ERA will be based upon [ our experiences].... And for that matter Mark Conrad, Bob Chadduck ..."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "... Adrienne Reagins and Sharon Smoot and ..."}]}
{"block_id": "assembly-oral-histories-00002:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that's when we tried to develop one --with the X- and Y-Formats."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which we did and we followed, OK, very good, that helps quite a bit. The other question of course is the inevitable, ERA. As your career came to a close at the end of June, you could see ERA off on the horizon, I believe, and so, what as you now leave the electronic records program, how so you see what you're leaving behind evolve or become a part ofthe ERA effort?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that my experience with electronic records since 1976 is that we've always evolved based upon earlier experience. The automation ofour verification process through AERIC [Archival Electronic Records Inspection and Control Utility] was merely the automation ofthe manual process that we were doing. The ability to verify email within AERIC is based upon the verification ofdata files, structured data files. And so I hope and I think, given the fact that you have Ken and Fynnette [Fynnette Eaton, Chief, Technical Services Branch, Center for Electronic Records, 1989-ca. 1996] there, ERA will be based upon [ our experiences].... And for that matter Mark Conrad, Bob Chadduck ..."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "... Adrienne Reagins and Sharon Smoot and ..."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It will be based upon the practical experience that the agency has had dealing with electronic records for the last 35 years now. And I think that ERA will succeed in a number ofits goals. Whether it succeeds with, you know, any format, anytime, anyplace, anywhere ... I don't know if that's possible. But will we be able to manage the basic formats? I think ERA probably will be able to do that. The technology is there, and all we have is to make certain Lockheed Martin finds it. I think it will be a partial solution"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well that concludes all of, those are all the questions I have. Is there anything else you'd like to day for the record here?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.489022893310562, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's an exchange of ideas, exactly right. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it's still in the mid 60s, you conceived and justified and guided the development of that 14 x 22 foot wind tunnel."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was the next thing. I mentioned the 17-foot test section, that's the first thing we were using. But it pretty soon became clear that we needed something better than that. By that time, we'd learned enough about the sizes and so forth. Did you see the 14 x 22 when you were out there?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, we did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They're doing something to it right now, they've got the whole big front end encased in canvas of some sort. I don't know what's going on. Maybe they're just painting it. They wouldn't have to put canvas over it to paint it. Anyway, that's all beside the point. But, we decided we needed a bigger tunnel, and so we developed a 14 x 22 V/STOL [vertical short take off and landing] tunnel. In fact, somebody today on the trip called it the V/STOL tunnel. Just as we drove by it, he said there's the V/STOL tunnel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's quite an undertaking, from the very beginning to the actual development. How long did that take?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.65446988145618, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was the next thing. I mentioned the 17-foot test section, that's the first thing we were using. But it pretty soon became clear that we needed something better than that. By that time, we'd learned enough about the sizes and so forth. Did you see the 14 x 22 when you were out there?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, we did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They're doing something to it right now, they've got the whole big front end encased in canvas of some sort. I don't know what's going on. Maybe they're just painting it. They wouldn't have to put canvas over it to paint it. Anyway, that's all beside the point. But, we decided we needed a bigger tunnel, and so we developed a 14 x 22 V/STOL [vertical short take off and landing] tunnel. In fact, somebody today on the trip called it the V/STOL tunnel. Just as we drove by it, he said there's the V/STOL tunnel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's quite an undertaking, from the very beginning to the actual development. How long did that take?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To build that tunnel? I'd just say it took several years. I don't know, I can't give you a number right now, I'd have to go back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was your project?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.042555409205159, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To build that tunnel? I'd just say it took several years. I don't know, I can't give you a number right now, I'd have to go back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was your project?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, well I came up with it and decided we ought to have it, went down to the Division Chief, and he agreed immediately. We made a presentation to the Director, and he saw what we had, and he had a sketch of where we would build it. He said, \"Yes, you need that tunnel. But I don't want to see it where it is. I want to see a drawing showing interference between one of the tunnels you've got and this new one.\" He didn't want to get stuck with still another wind tunnel, which was perfectly sensible. So I went home that night thinking, \"Did I win or did I lose?\"\\n\\n But I came up with the idea that we could put it on the other side of where I'd sketched it, and build it [beside] the low speed 7 x 10. We had a building which was T-shaped, the offices across the front and shops down between on the leg of the T, wind tunnels on each side. The low speed 7 x 10and the high speed 7 x 10, which was the one I cut my eye teeth on calibrating and everything. Put it on the low speed side, and we found there was enough room there that we could build it before we tore down the low speed 7 x 10. Then I drew a model preparation building between the new tunnel and the shop that we had, so that that would show the interference between the old tunnel and the new, but we could keep using the old tunnel until we got the new one built and ready to operate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That came in handy, didn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that worked out. So then we built the model preparation building across, in between, after we tore down the old, low speed 7 x 10, and long after we got the new V/STOL tunnel in operation. I thought that was clever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds like someone looking at the whole picture."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.521673344697726, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that worked out. So then we built the model preparation building across, in between, after we tore down the old, low speed 7 x 10, and long after we got the new V/STOL tunnel in operation. I thought that was clever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds like someone looking at the whole picture."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So we got that going that way, and most of the rest of my career, or most of my work was then related to the jet and fan powered aircraft rather than building the propeller [driven type]. That was pretty well over with. We got the propeller-driven type to the shape where somebody could come up with a drawing of a propeller-driven V/STOL airplane, and we could go through and calculate what it would do. So there wasn't anything more for us at Langley to do, we don't go into the details beyond that, but we could see exactly how it could be done. But most of the effort from then on was on jet and fan-powered VTOL aircraft that would have the speed and range, fighter capabilities if you needed it, that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us how that impacted your job. You did more research and projects to our studies to follow up on those requirements?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now we're well into NASA, but we always operated pretty much in the old NACA mode. We would see a need, a problem, see the desirability of something but here's a problem in getting there, and then we would go to work on that. We were always talking with DARPA, with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and organizations like that related to the military—not always talking to them, but they'd come by and we'd get together with them occasionally at meetings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things you mentioned to us was this QUESTOL [Quiet, Experimental, Short Take off and Landing] project for the Source Evaluation Board, and even though the program was abandoned, that work led to the Air Force connecting some new airplanes."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.542368786427758, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think what the Air Force decided was that it took too much out of the airplane to do that for the short take off and landing you got, or for the VTOL. So they didn't go ahead with developing the [blown flap] airplanes. So that's the tradeoff. You’re looking to try to get better performance in take off and landing or something, but if it costs too much in another area, [it’s usually dropped. If it’s developed, it’s usually done by the military] or whoever's going to buy the airplane, or the airlines—except we're not dealing with airlines in this category. These would all have to be military before they would go to the airlines. But if the military developed any of these airplanes, then the technology could be built into commercial airplanes if they had a need for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's the most significant change in technology that impacted you along the way? Or maybe you could just share some of the different types of technology that impacted your work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the development of the jet engine was what started this whole thing rolling. And being able to bleed air off of the engine for flow control and so forth. That says, well now, there's possibilities of doing things that we weren’t doing before. Like the old DC-3. You know what the DC-3 is? I'm getting old enough I find I got to ask people if they know what a DC-3 is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's okay, we understand that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But the whole idea is to try to figure out how you can build airplanes that will do something better than what we're now doing. Advance the thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you find new technology along the way that helped you do your job better? Anything in particular?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.60263198491973, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the development of the jet engine was what started this whole thing rolling. And being able to bleed air off of the engine for flow control and so forth. That says, well now, there's possibilities of doing things that we weren’t doing before. Like the old DC-3. You know what the DC-3 is? I'm getting old enough I find I got to ask people if they know what a DC-3 is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's okay, we understand that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But the whole idea is to try to figure out how you can build airplanes that will do something better than what we're now doing. Advance the thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you find new technology along the way that helped you do your job better? Anything in particular?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Help me do my job better?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For instance, the introduction of computers and being able to keep different types of databases."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.521767882616949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Help me do my job better?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For instance, the introduction of computers and being able to keep different types of databases."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that I never really got into that. Now, the coauthor of that book here, Richard Margason, showed up—I forget what school he came out of. I guess he was here on one of our exchanges. Students sometimes get in on an exchange. Anyway, I met him, and he was the computer guy. But I never touched a computer until I got out of Langley. Now, where we were getting all of these data—did I show you this? I showed you the picture of these, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Picture of these guys. They're getting their data, they're writing it down on these pads. We would have these data sheets that they'd get taking data off, and we'd take them into the computer room, which was filled with eight or ten young ladies, most of them were math majors. They sat there with Friden calculators. And they'd turn the crank or punch the buttons. In the early days, they turned the crank to go through and reduce the data, multiply this column by that column, and add that and this and that sort of thing. (Refer to\\n\\n photo 1\\n\\n and\\n\\n photo 2\\n\\n )\\n\\n When we built the V/STOL tunnel, the 14 x 22, we put computers in there to take the data, print it, and so forth. There was a division that handled the calculation, that did the computing, except from these girls. We were getting big, mainframe computers at Langley, so when we went to build the V/STOL tunnel, I went over to the guy that ran that shop and said, \"We're going to want to get this into the computer age, put computers in here, and what should we do?\" Anyway, they took care of that part of the thing. That's as far as I had to go on that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was good."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.229794059772821, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh man, yes!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess data, sometimes, was quicker? Was it quicker before or after the electronic computers, compared to the Friden computers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, compared to taking it to the girls to do it, it was much quicker. Once they got the thing integrated, you could come out with the data plotted. I don't know how they're doing all this now. I can visualize, and I'm talking about years ago, that you could plot—well, you could plot the data, but you wouldn't necessarily have the plots you would want to put into a report. You'd have to wait until you got through the mishmash of what you'd understood to do that.\\n\\n But then again, you could go and say, \"Here, I want this plotted this way,\" and get it off the computer. But that was much later. Most of these later things were still in the mode of we're doing experimental work and we're not setting it up. To what extent the data was plotted on the computer, and to what—a lot of times I would want to plot it by hand. I learned more plotting data than I did any other way. You see how it goes, and that's where you can learn a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were so instrumental in the V/STOL tunnel, and then you were moving up more changing from Assistant Chief to Chief to these divisions. Did more tunnels come up in operations while you were in charge of those divisions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. There was not much in the way of new tunnels. We were using the facilities that we had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But there were just so many of them. There were quite a few out there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.366437844192024, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, compared to taking it to the girls to do it, it was much quicker. Once they got the thing integrated, you could come out with the data plotted. I don't know how they're doing all this now. I can visualize, and I'm talking about years ago, that you could plot—well, you could plot the data, but you wouldn't necessarily have the plots you would want to put into a report. You'd have to wait until you got through the mishmash of what you'd understood to do that.\\n\\n But then again, you could go and say, \"Here, I want this plotted this way,\" and get it off the computer. But that was much later. Most of these later things were still in the mode of we're doing experimental work and we're not setting it up. To what extent the data was plotted on the computer, and to what—a lot of times I would want to plot it by hand. I learned more plotting data than I did any other way. You see how it goes, and that's where you can learn a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were so instrumental in the V/STOL tunnel, and then you were moving up more changing from Assistant Chief to Chief to these divisions. Did more tunnels come up in operations while you were in charge of those divisions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. There was not much in the way of new tunnels. We were using the facilities that we had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But there were just so many of them. There were quite a few out there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't in charge of all of them. We had the V/STOL tunnel and the 7 x 10s, and I've forgotten what we did have. We had the full scale tunnel and the spin tunnel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things that you did put that I found was somewhat interesting was that so much of the work had been done with airplanes, but at some point, you started working in support of air cushion vehicles and high speed trains. Can you talk a little bit about that? That had to be a little different from what you were doing on the norm."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.629375382435581, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. There was not much in the way of new tunnels. We were using the facilities that we had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But there were just so many of them. There were quite a few out there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't in charge of all of them. We had the V/STOL tunnel and the 7 x 10s, and I've forgotten what we did have. We had the full scale tunnel and the spin tunnel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things that you did put that I found was somewhat interesting was that so much of the work had been done with airplanes, but at some point, you started working in support of air cushion vehicles and high speed trains. Can you talk a little bit about that? That had to be a little different from what you were doing on the norm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. The air cushion vehicle, first of all, it was the air cushion. Just take a disk and put a slot all the way around the edge, and blow air straight down. That'll put pressure under the disk and lift it up. You [blow air downward] around the edge, the air flows outwards. Well, it wants to flow inward but it can't go anywhere, and it builds up the pressure under there and so you can get an air cushion landing gear, or vehicle. But there were ideas—you could put several of those together in a train. Or you can build a track just for that purpose, and I don't know that anybody's ever done that, but that was some of what we were doing, what we were thinking about. But the idea was to use those to replace wheels. You get zero friction."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, before you left NASA Langley, you were over the subsonic and transonic aerodynamics division, and then became Special Assistant to the Director."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.138051184934586, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I've got them here, have I?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, sure, the eight-foot transonic tunnel, high speed 7 x 10, pressure tunnel. [The one-thirtieth (1/30)]-meter, a cryogenic tunnel which was the tunnel prior to the big cryo tunnel that's out there on the transonic. At this point, I'm much more NASA oriented than NACA oriented. I'm not involved with the details. Now that's my simple way of looking at the difference between the two. There was still somebody that got to worry about details in the case of NASA, and somebody else has got to worry about the overall in the case of NACA. But that's the way I think about the two. In other words, that was just amalgamation. Somebody decided that we had to have somebody to take those over, and I was the guy that got tapped.\\n\\n Then, as Special Assistant to the Director for Aeronautics, that was one year up at David Taylor Model Basin [West Bethesda, Maryland], and I knew Harvey Chaplin up there, I’d communicated with him, and they were doing some V/STOL related work. I decided I wanted to get out of the NASA work. I did consulting afterwards. Harvey Chaplin and the guys at David Taylor were doing some V/STOL work, and I wanted to go up there. You know, I can't remember what tipped what on that. In the books, they asked for me. I was about ready to leave and they asked for me, so I spent a year up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good timing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just spent a year up there with them on what they were trying to do, helping them as much as I could."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why did you decide it was about time for you to leave?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.81240887028961, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just spent a year up there with them on what they were trying to do, helping them as much as I could."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why did you decide it was about time for you to leave?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was getting into too much red tape type of stuff. Too much administrative. I just wanted to get into the details. I wanted to plot data. You don't plot data as a Division Chief. Things weren't going to go anymore in the direction than what we had done, and they were going to die off. It's just the way it is, if industry doesn't pick up on things—you don't keep working on it just because you want to. That's what it amounted to. So most of the stuff I had gotten interested in had pretty well been done or was in good hands, and so I decided to quit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More things to go do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I want to ask you about your consulting work, but before we do that, give us your thoughts about what you feel the greatest contribution, or what you worked on that brought you the greatest satisfaction when you working for NACA and for NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.7915654114329, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was getting into too much red tape type of stuff. Too much administrative. I just wanted to get into the details. I wanted to plot data. You don't plot data as a Division Chief. Things weren't going to go anymore in the direction than what we had done, and they were going to die off. It's just the way it is, if industry doesn't pick up on things—you don't keep working on it just because you want to. That's what it amounted to. So most of the stuff I had gotten interested in had pretty well been done or was in good hands, and so I decided to quit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More things to go do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I want to ask you about your consulting work, but before we do that, give us your thoughts about what you feel the greatest contribution, or what you worked on that brought you the greatest satisfaction when you working for NACA and for NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess this really sums it right there. I put it in the book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The jet-induced effects."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.546183790481001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I want to ask you about your consulting work, but before we do that, give us your thoughts about what you feel the greatest contribution, or what you worked on that brought you the greatest satisfaction when you working for NACA and for NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess this really sums it right there. I put it in the book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The jet-induced effects."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I enjoyed putting that book together and getting the help from those other guys. Peter Curtis is an Englishman, and Rich Margason had been working with us at Langley, and I started this, got a hold of Rich, and we had a lot of fun putting it together. We got into the hot gas ingestion part of things, which I haven't even talked about. We did some hot gas ingestion work at Langley, but I got Peter Curtis involved to help flesh out that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds pretty comprehensive. Tell us about consulting. How did you enjoy the transition to your own boss?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 8.38464865609, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess this really sums it right there. I put it in the book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The jet-induced effects."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I enjoyed putting that book together and getting the help from those other guys. Peter Curtis is an Englishman, and Rich Margason had been working with us at Langley, and I started this, got a hold of Rich, and we had a lot of fun putting it together. We got into the hot gas ingestion part of things, which I haven't even talked about. We did some hot gas ingestion work at Langley, but I got Peter Curtis involved to help flesh out that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds pretty comprehensive. Tell us about consulting. How did you enjoy the transition to your own boss?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I enjoyed talking with people and a number of those reports toward the later thing were reports that I wrote in what I call consulting here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had quite a diverse group of folks. From everywhere from DoD [Department of Defense] and Naval to, I noticed, the Chrysler Corporation."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.871831840100001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I enjoyed putting that book together and getting the help from those other guys. Peter Curtis is an Englishman, and Rich Margason had been working with us at Langley, and I started this, got a hold of Rich, and we had a lot of fun putting it together. We got into the hot gas ingestion part of things, which I haven't even talked about. We did some hot gas ingestion work at Langley, but I got Peter Curtis involved to help flesh out that area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds pretty comprehensive. Tell us about consulting. How did you enjoy the transition to your own boss?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I enjoyed talking with people and a number of those reports toward the later thing were reports that I wrote in what I call consulting here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had quite a diverse group of folks. From everywhere from DoD [Department of Defense] and Naval to, I noticed, the Chrysler Corporation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I noticed that one the other day reviewing all this stuff, and I can't remember how that came about. Oh, I know what it was. I had done the V/STOL tunnel, and somebody—whether Chrysler went to somebody at [NASA] Headquarters [Washington, D.C.] or at Langley for some help, I guess it was something like that, and whoever they got a hold of recognized the V/STOL tunnel I'd built was the same size, and sent them over to me. It's just that simple."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just that simple."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.413146489000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I enjoyed talking with people and a number of those reports toward the later thing were reports that I wrote in what I call consulting here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had quite a diverse group of folks. From everywhere from DoD [Department of Defense] and Naval to, I noticed, the Chrysler Corporation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I noticed that one the other day reviewing all this stuff, and I can't remember how that came about. Oh, I know what it was. I had done the V/STOL tunnel, and somebody—whether Chrysler went to somebody at [NASA] Headquarters [Washington, D.C.] or at Langley for some help, I guess it was something like that, and whoever they got a hold of recognized the V/STOL tunnel I'd built was the same size, and sent them over to me. It's just that simple."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just that simple."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it different consulting with the military than it was working with corporations?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.014607210000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I noticed that one the other day reviewing all this stuff, and I can't remember how that came about. Oh, I know what it was. I had done the V/STOL tunnel, and somebody—whether Chrysler went to somebody at [NASA] Headquarters [Washington, D.C.] or at Langley for some help, I guess it was something like that, and whoever they got a hold of recognized the V/STOL tunnel I'd built was the same size, and sent them over to me. It's just that simple."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just that simple."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it different consulting with the military than it was working with corporations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think there was that much difference. It was a question of, this is our idea and what problem are we going to run into and how do we do it. It's the kind of thing I was dealing with, there wasn't that much difference. There was a difference for proprietary and classification, of course. Those kind of differences, you have to be careful of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did consulting work for about 20 years. Are you still doing it now?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.682896900000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it different consulting with the military than it was working with corporations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think there was that much difference. It was a question of, this is our idea and what problem are we going to run into and how do we do it. It's the kind of thing I was dealing with, there wasn't that much difference. There was a difference for proprietary and classification, of course. Those kind of differences, you have to be careful of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did consulting work for about 20 years. Are you still doing it now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now, I've been out of it for quite a few years. There's just not that much going on, and they've got their own people. I'm happy. I'm quite happy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess when you get on airplanes, you must look at them a little differently than the rest of us."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.425441000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think there was that much difference. It was a question of, this is our idea and what problem are we going to run into and how do we do it. It's the kind of thing I was dealing with, there wasn't that much difference. There was a difference for proprietary and classification, of course. Those kind of differences, you have to be careful of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did consulting work for about 20 years. Are you still doing it now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now, I've been out of it for quite a few years. There's just not that much going on, and they've got their own people. I'm happy. I'm quite happy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess when you get on airplanes, you must look at them a little differently than the rest of us."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I check to see if the flaps are down on both sides—no! (laughter)"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe you can draw us a picture before we leave so we know how to check it out."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.250490000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now, I've been out of it for quite a few years. There's just not that much going on, and they've got their own people. I'm happy. I'm quite happy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess when you get on airplanes, you must look at them a little differently than the rest of us."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I check to see if the flaps are down on both sides—no! (laughter)"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe you can draw us a picture before we leave so we know how to check it out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know what's going on out there. It's well done, so no problems. It doesn't bother me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you see a lot of changes in aircraft coming in the next years, based on what you know?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.0561, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I check to see if the flaps are down on both sides—no! (laughter)"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe you can draw us a picture before we leave so we know how to check it out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know what's going on out there. It's well done, so no problems. It doesn't bother me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you see a lot of changes in aircraft coming in the next years, based on what you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it's really a question whether—not in my lifetime. I'm already 84, so I'm not going to be around that much longer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It'll take a while to develop?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 6.729, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know what's going on out there. It's well done, so no problems. It doesn't bother me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you see a lot of changes in aircraft coming in the next years, based on what you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it's really a question whether—not in my lifetime. I'm already 84, so I'm not going to be around that much longer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It'll take a while to develop?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The military has the XF-35, which by the way, one version of that is going to be a VTOL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ll see your work."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.81, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it's really a question whether—not in my lifetime. I'm already 84, so I'm not going to be around that much longer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It'll take a while to develop?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The military has the XF-35, which by the way, one version of that is going to be a VTOL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ll see your work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were out just now at Langley Air Force Base, looking at the F-22 and the F-15s sitting there, and the F-35 is being built for the Air Force and the Navy, the Royal Air Force, for a number of military services. And the VTOL version is to serve the Army needs. So that'll be the next one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I find it interesting, work that you've been doing all these years is still being used to day in developing."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The military has the XF-35, which by the way, one version of that is going to be a VTOL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ll see your work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were out just now at Langley Air Force Base, looking at the F-22 and the F-15s sitting there, and the F-35 is being built for the Air Force and the Navy, the Royal Air Force, for a number of military services. And the VTOL version is to serve the Army needs. So that'll be the next one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I find it interesting, work that you've been doing all these years is still being used to day in developing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Well, it's taken a long time for a lot of this stuff I've been working on to get anywhere. It'd really be interesting to see how the F-35 does. But the British want, definitely want it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're getting close to an hour, and I promised you before we started that we'd stop and kind of regroup and see what else you'd like to talk about. Is there anything else that you'd like to talk about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were out just now at Langley Air Force Base, looking at the F-22 and the F-15s sitting there, and the F-35 is being built for the Air Force and the Navy, the Royal Air Force, for a number of military services. And the VTOL version is to serve the Army needs. So that'll be the next one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I find it interesting, work that you've been doing all these years is still being used to day in developing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Well, it's taken a long time for a lot of this stuff I've been working on to get anywhere. It'd really be interesting to see how the F-35 does. But the British want, definitely want it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're getting close to an hour, and I promised you before we started that we'd stop and kind of regroup and see what else you'd like to talk about. Is there anything else that you'd like to talk about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess we pretty well covered it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's just stop for a second, and I'll let you take a look at your papers that you brought.\\n\\n [Pause]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Well, it's taken a long time for a lot of this stuff I've been working on to get anywhere. It'd really be interesting to see how the F-35 does. But the British want, definitely want it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're getting close to an hour, and I promised you before we started that we'd stop and kind of regroup and see what else you'd like to talk about. Is there anything else that you'd like to talk about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess we pretty well covered it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's just stop for a second, and I'll let you take a look at your papers that you brought.\\n\\n [Pause]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This second to last one here is something I was asked to do for a conference in England. Just a, \"Where are we? Where are we going?\" But there's not much being done anymore in these areas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did the Royal Aeronautical Society in London contact you about doing the paper?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess we pretty well covered it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's just stop for a second, and I'll let you take a look at your papers that you brought.\\n\\n [Pause]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This second to last one here is something I was asked to do for a conference in England. Just a, \"Where are we? Where are we going?\" But there's not much being done anymore in these areas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did the Royal Aeronautical Society in London contact you about doing the paper?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not the Society directly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you presented it to that conference?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This second to last one here is something I was asked to do for a conference in England. Just a, \"Where are we? Where are we going?\" But there's not much being done anymore in these areas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did the Royal Aeronautical Society in London contact you about doing the paper?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not the Society directly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you presented it to that conference?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I went over there to present it. But we've been through this stuff. That's where things stand, and now the people that operate these machines have got to be deciding what they want. If you want a jet-driven VTOL airplane, they can be built. Lockheed, you just go in and knock on Lockheed's door."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They can do it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not the Society directly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you presented it to that conference?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I went over there to present it. But we've been through this stuff. That's where things stand, and now the people that operate these machines have got to be deciding what they want. If you want a jet-driven VTOL airplane, they can be built. Lockheed, you just go in and knock on Lockheed's door."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They can do it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in fact, they're building one. The F-35. (laughter)"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the most challenging aspect during all this development that you encountered?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I went over there to present it. But we've been through this stuff. That's where things stand, and now the people that operate these machines have got to be deciding what they want. If you want a jet-driven VTOL airplane, they can be built. Lockheed, you just go in and knock on Lockheed's door."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They can do it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in fact, they're building one. The F-35. (laughter)"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the most challenging aspect during all this development that you encountered?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess I don't think about the challenging aspect. I think about the interesting things to work on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That kept you going, didn't it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in fact, they're building one. The F-35. (laughter)"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the most challenging aspect during all this development that you encountered?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess I don't think about the challenging aspect. I think about the interesting things to work on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That kept you going, didn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever run across a time where someone told you that they may not want you to continue doing your research on this area?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00952:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess I don't think about the challenging aspect. I think about the interesting things to work on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That kept you going, didn't it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever run across a time where someone told you that they may not want you to continue doing your research on this area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The supervisors that I had were all in favor of it. NASA and NACA was a highly technically-oriented organization. What are the problems and how do we attack them was the thing. NASA has got a lot broader base and broader area, and they don't, they don't have to get into that a lot with their stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we certainly appreciate you sharing the details with us today."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 24.70021346372394, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Generally good. Although there are folks on the Hill who like the program, and there are folks on the Hill who do not like the program. I think that’s pretty much like any program. When we were developing the RFI [Request for Information] and the Announcement, I had dual hats there. I was the Headquarters guy, and also the ISS cargo rep [representative] for ESAS output. I was working with Alan’s team on both of those aspects. My job as the ESAS requirements management kind of died down after the first few months as we transitioned all the ESAS requirements over to his program. Then I just picked up as the Program Executive with the standard Program Executive functions at NASA Headquarters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were some of the requirements from the ISS that needed to be included in the COTS program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It ended up being total mass per year, the kinds of experiments and research that we wanted to do as an Agency on the International Space Station. Those were times within NASA when we were actually taking stock of our entire research portfolio and redirecting it towards systems development, testing, and evaluation on ISS to allow us to develop those systems necessary for exploration. ESAS scoped our research portfolio down to a point where it was focused heavily on the transportation systems and exploration beyond low-Earth orbit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It almost sounds simple, doesn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you continue your role along with the selection? Were you involved in that? Can you share some of the details of how that progressed forward?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 16.333570515248823, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It ended up being total mass per year, the kinds of experiments and research that we wanted to do as an Agency on the International Space Station. Those were times within NASA when we were actually taking stock of our entire research portfolio and redirecting it towards systems development, testing, and evaluation on ISS to allow us to develop those systems necessary for exploration. ESAS scoped our research portfolio down to a point where it was focused heavily on the transportation systems and exploration beyond low-Earth orbit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It almost sounds simple, doesn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you continue your role along with the selection? Were you involved in that? Can you share some of the details of how that progressed forward?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. We had the Announcement come out in January of 2006. Between February and June I had to go off and do other stuff, so I wasn’t as heavily involved in the first round of selection as I would’ve loved to have been. Being at Headquarters, you get dragged off to do things every now and then, so between February and August I really wasn’t as involved. I got heavily involved three or five days before the [selection] announcement again. That was really exciting. I was involved during the briefings coming back and the team reporting out to NASA Headquarters as we were moving towards selection, and was part of the selection team as we moved forward.\\n\\n It was really fun and interesting. [Scott J.] “Doc” [Horowitz, Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate] actually had each of the partners come up and brief him prior to the selection, which was kind of unusual. It was really kind of interesting to watch the interplay between the potential partners and NASA management part of the selection. I managed the rollout at Headquarters between Headquarters, OMB, the White House, and the Hill. Then the general rollout as well, with the selection being made in August of 2006."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you describe what that means, the rollout?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 17.037300572498694, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you continue your role along with the selection? Were you involved in that? Can you share some of the details of how that progressed forward?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. We had the Announcement come out in January of 2006. Between February and June I had to go off and do other stuff, so I wasn’t as heavily involved in the first round of selection as I would’ve loved to have been. Being at Headquarters, you get dragged off to do things every now and then, so between February and August I really wasn’t as involved. I got heavily involved three or five days before the [selection] announcement again. That was really exciting. I was involved during the briefings coming back and the team reporting out to NASA Headquarters as we were moving towards selection, and was part of the selection team as we moved forward.\\n\\n It was really fun and interesting. [Scott J.] “Doc” [Horowitz, Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate] actually had each of the partners come up and brief him prior to the selection, which was kind of unusual. It was really kind of interesting to watch the interplay between the potential partners and NASA management part of the selection. I managed the rollout at Headquarters between Headquarters, OMB, the White House, and the Hill. Then the general rollout as well, with the selection being made in August of 2006."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you describe what that means, the rollout?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s just managing the process by which we let Congress know what we selected. Getting them in, briefing them, developing the briefings—allowing OMB, the White House, to know where we are and what we’re doing. Keep them up to speed, and then managing the press releases and managing everything associated with making our decision public. We had a press conference downstairs, press releases, briefings up at the Hill, and briefings here in the building with representatives from the Hill."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was part of your job working closely with the Public Affairs Office [PAO] as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.428766138887273, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s just managing the process by which we let Congress know what we selected. Getting them in, briefing them, developing the briefings—allowing OMB, the White House, to know where we are and what we’re doing. Keep them up to speed, and then managing the press releases and managing everything associated with making our decision public. We had a press conference downstairs, press releases, briefings up at the Hill, and briefings here in the building with representatives from the Hill."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was part of your job working closely with the Public Affairs Office [PAO] as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. At Headquarters you have to work with Legal, OLIA [Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs], PAO. All those organizations were involved in rolling the decision out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned you got started, then you got pulled off, and then you got back in. Do you recall what your thoughts were of the progress that had been made in the time that you had sat in those meetings until they had actually put all of this together?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was progressing on schedule and faster than we’d seen anything happen previously. Remember, we had the draft Announcement go out in November or December [2005]. The final went out in January, and we awarded in August. Normal procurements can take years to get through the system, and to be able to do that in that small number of months was just phenomenal. It was really a credit to Alan and the entire team to get through that entire process in that timeframe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you part of Doc Horowitz’s selection committee, that executive committee? Can you share the types of things that were discussed? I’m just curious if there were things that stood out."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.476406820985858, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. At Headquarters you have to work with Legal, OLIA [Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs], PAO. All those organizations were involved in rolling the decision out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned you got started, then you got pulled off, and then you got back in. Do you recall what your thoughts were of the progress that had been made in the time that you had sat in those meetings until they had actually put all of this together?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was progressing on schedule and faster than we’d seen anything happen previously. Remember, we had the draft Announcement go out in November or December [2005]. The final went out in January, and we awarded in August. Normal procurements can take years to get through the system, and to be able to do that in that small number of months was just phenomenal. It was really a credit to Alan and the entire team to get through that entire process in that timeframe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you part of Doc Horowitz’s selection committee, that executive committee? Can you share the types of things that were discussed? I’m just curious if there were things that stood out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d rather not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Talk about the milestones and why that was an important aspect of the COTS program, why those were set up the way that they were."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.529340912206509, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was progressing on schedule and faster than we’d seen anything happen previously. Remember, we had the draft Announcement go out in November or December [2005]. The final went out in January, and we awarded in August. Normal procurements can take years to get through the system, and to be able to do that in that small number of months was just phenomenal. It was really a credit to Alan and the entire team to get through that entire process in that timeframe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you part of Doc Horowitz’s selection committee, that executive committee? Can you share the types of things that were discussed? I’m just curious if there were things that stood out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d rather not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Talk about the milestones and why that was an important aspect of the COTS program, why those were set up the way that they were."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess the first thing to do is step back and say, this is not a NASA DDTE effort. This is not a NASA development effort. Under this program NASA was acting as a highly interested investor. As part of developing the strategies for moving forward, we wanted to make sure we had understandings that the partners were making progress—financially, programmatically, and technically—and we decided to tie payments to those milestones.\\n\\n We also decided to use a Space Act Agreement as a partnership mechanism, with the thought that it seemed to be the most appropriate tool to allow our partners to maintain the kinds of intellectual property rights that they wanted, with control of developing the hardware and developing the system. NASA would function as an investor for the development of their systems. Again, from the cargo perspective, the hardware systems all remained within ownership of the companies. All of the intellectual property rights are owned by the companies. NASA is buying services once they’re successfully tested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems like the legal team really had a lot of upfront work to do."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.588156569118343, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d rather not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Talk about the milestones and why that was an important aspect of the COTS program, why those were set up the way that they were."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess the first thing to do is step back and say, this is not a NASA DDTE effort. This is not a NASA development effort. Under this program NASA was acting as a highly interested investor. As part of developing the strategies for moving forward, we wanted to make sure we had understandings that the partners were making progress—financially, programmatically, and technically—and we decided to tie payments to those milestones.\\n\\n We also decided to use a Space Act Agreement as a partnership mechanism, with the thought that it seemed to be the most appropriate tool to allow our partners to maintain the kinds of intellectual property rights that they wanted, with control of developing the hardware and developing the system. NASA would function as an investor for the development of their systems. Again, from the cargo perspective, the hardware systems all remained within ownership of the companies. All of the intellectual property rights are owned by the companies. NASA is buying services once they’re successfully tested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems like the legal team really had a lot of upfront work to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did. We worked with the legal team extensively, both at JSC and NASA Headquarters. They did a fantastic job pulling together the strategies that allowed us to actually implement this. It was a really coordinated effort between the Headquarters and JSC legal teams, and the program office down at JSC."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about procurement’s role in this, because it was certainly not a traditional procurement. I’m thinking procurement had to have at least some buy-in to how this was going to be done."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.764618410131492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess the first thing to do is step back and say, this is not a NASA DDTE effort. This is not a NASA development effort. Under this program NASA was acting as a highly interested investor. As part of developing the strategies for moving forward, we wanted to make sure we had understandings that the partners were making progress—financially, programmatically, and technically—and we decided to tie payments to those milestones.\\n\\n We also decided to use a Space Act Agreement as a partnership mechanism, with the thought that it seemed to be the most appropriate tool to allow our partners to maintain the kinds of intellectual property rights that they wanted, with control of developing the hardware and developing the system. NASA would function as an investor for the development of their systems. Again, from the cargo perspective, the hardware systems all remained within ownership of the companies. All of the intellectual property rights are owned by the companies. NASA is buying services once they’re successfully tested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems like the legal team really had a lot of upfront work to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did. We worked with the legal team extensively, both at JSC and NASA Headquarters. They did a fantastic job pulling together the strategies that allowed us to actually implement this. It was a really coordinated effort between the Headquarters and JSC legal teams, and the program office down at JSC."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about procurement’s role in this, because it was certainly not a traditional procurement. I’m thinking procurement had to have at least some buy-in to how this was going to be done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We kept procurement involved completely through the system, and used many of the same processes that procurement would use in a nominal procurement. Though it wasn’t a procurement, they were heavily involved as we stepped through the processes to make sure that everybody knew what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s not procurement, but it’s still financial. Maybe it was also the financial offices?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.071798233479436, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did. We worked with the legal team extensively, both at JSC and NASA Headquarters. They did a fantastic job pulling together the strategies that allowed us to actually implement this. It was a really coordinated effort between the Headquarters and JSC legal teams, and the program office down at JSC."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about procurement’s role in this, because it was certainly not a traditional procurement. I’m thinking procurement had to have at least some buy-in to how this was going to be done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We kept procurement involved completely through the system, and used many of the same processes that procurement would use in a nominal procurement. Though it wasn’t a procurement, they were heavily involved as we stepped through the processes to make sure that everybody knew what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s not procurement, but it’s still financial. Maybe it was also the financial offices?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really the financial. We wanted to make sure that procurement was riding along with us, so that everybody knew what was going on. Technically we didn’t really have to involve them, but it was just the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s good for everybody to know what’s going on in that whole package. I think you’ve already inferred that there was a lot of communication between Headquarters and JSC, with the program office down there. Can you talk more about what your role was, to facilitate communications?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.524220259421595, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We kept procurement involved completely through the system, and used many of the same processes that procurement would use in a nominal procurement. Though it wasn’t a procurement, they were heavily involved as we stepped through the processes to make sure that everybody knew what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s not procurement, but it’s still financial. Maybe it was also the financial offices?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really the financial. We wanted to make sure that procurement was riding along with us, so that everybody knew what was going on. Technically we didn’t really have to involve them, but it was just the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s good for everybody to know what’s going on in that whole package. I think you’ve already inferred that there was a lot of communication between Headquarters and JSC, with the program office down there. Can you talk more about what your role was, to facilitate communications?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That was totally different, too. Where in a typical NASA program you would have monthlies and quarterlies and periodic briefings up to Headquarters, we didn’t have any of that. I was thought of more as a team member than a guy at Headquarters who you out-briefed periodically. I spoke with Alan and the team on an every-couple-day basis. It was a different kind of Headquarters program, remote program office setup, all the way around. We didn’t have formal meetings, we just got together when we needed to. If something happened, I got immediate notification of what was going on at any given time. There wasn’t a lot of formal back and forth. It was really a tightly coupled, very small organization, which I think is another key to why they were successful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How were you viewed here? If someone wanted information from Headquarters, did they talk to you, or did they go directly to Alan?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.13802251046844, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really the financial. We wanted to make sure that procurement was riding along with us, so that everybody knew what was going on. Technically we didn’t really have to involve them, but it was just the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s good for everybody to know what’s going on in that whole package. I think you’ve already inferred that there was a lot of communication between Headquarters and JSC, with the program office down there. Can you talk more about what your role was, to facilitate communications?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That was totally different, too. Where in a typical NASA program you would have monthlies and quarterlies and periodic briefings up to Headquarters, we didn’t have any of that. I was thought of more as a team member than a guy at Headquarters who you out-briefed periodically. I spoke with Alan and the team on an every-couple-day basis. It was a different kind of Headquarters program, remote program office setup, all the way around. We didn’t have formal meetings, we just got together when we needed to. If something happened, I got immediate notification of what was going on at any given time. There wasn’t a lot of formal back and forth. It was really a tightly coupled, very small organization, which I think is another key to why they were successful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How were you viewed here? If someone wanted information from Headquarters, did they talk to you, or did they go directly to Alan?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, generally contacted me. We set it up between Alan and me. I managed that because I could better understand what’s going on here at Headquarters. Again, it helped being up-to-date on a fairly regular basis. We could field questions and field issues relatively quickly, without having to bother the program office. The program wasn’t set up to have a large contingent of folks to do that interfacing, so we purposely put together the processes that would allow us to accomplish this with a very small number of people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you see yourself as a conduit, in a sense?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.93113612274271, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That was totally different, too. Where in a typical NASA program you would have monthlies and quarterlies and periodic briefings up to Headquarters, we didn’t have any of that. I was thought of more as a team member than a guy at Headquarters who you out-briefed periodically. I spoke with Alan and the team on an every-couple-day basis. It was a different kind of Headquarters program, remote program office setup, all the way around. We didn’t have formal meetings, we just got together when we needed to. If something happened, I got immediate notification of what was going on at any given time. There wasn’t a lot of formal back and forth. It was really a tightly coupled, very small organization, which I think is another key to why they were successful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How were you viewed here? If someone wanted information from Headquarters, did they talk to you, or did they go directly to Alan?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, generally contacted me. We set it up between Alan and me. I managed that because I could better understand what’s going on here at Headquarters. Again, it helped being up-to-date on a fairly regular basis. We could field questions and field issues relatively quickly, without having to bother the program office. The program wasn’t set up to have a large contingent of folks to do that interfacing, so we purposely put together the processes that would allow us to accomplish this with a very small number of people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you see yourself as a conduit, in a sense?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If there were questions that were coming from the legislative areas and so forth, did they all come back through you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.92348458082523, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, generally contacted me. We set it up between Alan and me. I managed that because I could better understand what’s going on here at Headquarters. Again, it helped being up-to-date on a fairly regular basis. We could field questions and field issues relatively quickly, without having to bother the program office. The program wasn’t set up to have a large contingent of folks to do that interfacing, so we purposely put together the processes that would allow us to accomplish this with a very small number of people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you see yourself as a conduit, in a sense?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If there were questions that were coming from the legislative areas and so forth, did they all come back through you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Any questions that came in from the Hill or came in from the White House all came through me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you getting many questions through those early days, or was it somewhat under the radar at that time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 22.137205089805814, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If there were questions that were coming from the legislative areas and so forth, did they all come back through you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. Any questions that came in from the Hill or came in from the White House all came through me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you getting many questions through those early days, or was it somewhat under the radar at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "People knew about it, but it was viewed as not viable. I think in general it was viewed by NASA as just a bunch of wacky people doing wacky things. We were kind of left alone, which I think was another benefit that allowed us to be successful. By being unencumbered by lots of oversight at program levels and Headquarters levels it allowed us to very quietly do our job, thus allowing our partner to do their job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you feel like there was a point in time where the view of what the COTS program could produce changed?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 24.767878509077597, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think because it was under the radar. It was small. It wasn’t a huge program, so there weren’t large amounts of money dumping in and out of any one district, two districts, or three districts around the country. It eventually provided a need that NASA wanted. Remember, back when we started COTS there was no need for it within NASA. It was only after the Constellation Program canceled the cargo version of the Orion capsule that the primary role of transporting cargo to Space Station was shifted from a NASA-developed system to the COTS systems. I think that was a big turning point, where the partners became the primary systems for transporting cargo to and from Station. That was a big deal, that was a big shift within the Agency."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did that impact your work, once that shift had been made?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not much. We had our milestones lined out, we knew we had our plans moving forward. At that point we were starting to go through integration with ISS, the visiting vehicle integration. It really didn’t impact our world much at all, that I remember. I didn’t really get any additional questions or a lot more reporting upstairs. Just kept trucking along."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When the ISS produced its requirements document for allowing these visiting vehicles, were you involved in those processes as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, [Space Station Program (SSP)] 50808? I was not involved in 50808, specifically because that’s a Station program and they were going to be doing the integration for visiting vehicles and buying the services, so that’s a different organization. We were just responsible for enabling the capability. [SSP] 50808 was based on the work that Alan’s team and our team pulled together initially. It became the basis for the development of 50808, but Station’s always owned the interface requirements and safety requirements for Station."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Speaking of safety, you mentioned that out of that first 12 people that were in that room, one was a safety rep. Can you share how the safety aspect has been viewed and/or integrated into the COTS program?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 19.742087232308442, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not much. We had our milestones lined out, we knew we had our plans moving forward. At that point we were starting to go through integration with ISS, the visiting vehicle integration. It really didn’t impact our world much at all, that I remember. I didn’t really get any additional questions or a lot more reporting upstairs. Just kept trucking along."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When the ISS produced its requirements document for allowing these visiting vehicles, were you involved in those processes as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, [Space Station Program (SSP)] 50808? I was not involved in 50808, specifically because that’s a Station program and they were going to be doing the integration for visiting vehicles and buying the services, so that’s a different organization. We were just responsible for enabling the capability. [SSP] 50808 was based on the work that Alan’s team and our team pulled together initially. It became the basis for the development of 50808, but Station’s always owned the interface requirements and safety requirements for Station."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Speaking of safety, you mentioned that out of that first 12 people that were in that room, one was a safety rep. Can you share how the safety aspect has been viewed and/or integrated into the COTS program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Safety is primary. From day one we had a safety representative assigned to Alan’s office, the program office down at Johnson Space Center, as well as the safety organization associated with ISS. Each of our partners has to go through the integrated safety system for ISS before they’re allowed to fly to the Station. Just like every vehicle that has gone to the Station—[European Space Agency] ATVs [Automated Transfer Vehicles], [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency] HTVs [H-II Transfer Vehicles], [Russian Federal Space Agency] Progresses [cargo vehicles], [Russian] Soyuz [crew vehicle], and even the Shuttle—had to go through the same processes that our commercial partners have had to go through. It’s right up on par with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re here at Headquarters and the safety person was at JSC—was that safety person connected with the Headquarters safety as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 19.713430258120493, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, [Space Station Program (SSP)] 50808? I was not involved in 50808, specifically because that’s a Station program and they were going to be doing the integration for visiting vehicles and buying the services, so that’s a different organization. We were just responsible for enabling the capability. [SSP] 50808 was based on the work that Alan’s team and our team pulled together initially. It became the basis for the development of 50808, but Station’s always owned the interface requirements and safety requirements for Station."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Speaking of safety, you mentioned that out of that first 12 people that were in that room, one was a safety rep. Can you share how the safety aspect has been viewed and/or integrated into the COTS program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Safety is primary. From day one we had a safety representative assigned to Alan’s office, the program office down at Johnson Space Center, as well as the safety organization associated with ISS. Each of our partners has to go through the integrated safety system for ISS before they’re allowed to fly to the Station. Just like every vehicle that has gone to the Station—[European Space Agency] ATVs [Automated Transfer Vehicles], [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency] HTVs [H-II Transfer Vehicles], [Russian Federal Space Agency] Progresses [cargo vehicles], [Russian] Soyuz [crew vehicle], and even the Shuttle—had to go through the same processes that our commercial partners have had to go through. It’s right up on par with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re here at Headquarters and the safety person was at JSC—was that safety person connected with the Headquarters safety as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s correct. That continues to this day, and we have a really good working relationship with the safety office [Office of Safety and Mission Assurance] here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have a role working with the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] as they work with your COTS partners?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.570478064578325, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Safety is primary. From day one we had a safety representative assigned to Alan’s office, the program office down at Johnson Space Center, as well as the safety organization associated with ISS. Each of our partners has to go through the integrated safety system for ISS before they’re allowed to fly to the Station. Just like every vehicle that has gone to the Station—[European Space Agency] ATVs [Automated Transfer Vehicles], [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency] HTVs [H-II Transfer Vehicles], [Russian Federal Space Agency] Progresses [cargo vehicles], [Russian] Soyuz [crew vehicle], and even the Shuttle—had to go through the same processes that our commercial partners have had to go through. It’s right up on par with that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re here at Headquarters and the safety person was at JSC—was that safety person connected with the Headquarters safety as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s correct. That continues to this day, and we have a really good working relationship with the safety office [Office of Safety and Mission Assurance] here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have a role working with the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] as they work with your COTS partners?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We brought FAA in early as well, as one of the members of the team, knowing that they [the commercial partners] were going to be FAA-licensed. We worked with them initially to establish the processes and roles, not on a day-to-day basis for the cargo operations. Again, once they’re successful the operations are managed by ISS. They work with FAA for the missions going to ISS.\\n\\n For demonstrations we work with FAA for mishap planning and all of that kind of stuff. Not too intense—again, each of the partners is responsible for licensing their system, and only if there are questions that FAA needs from us, we work with them. But they manage it pretty well. I think we have a really good working relationship with the FAA as well. George [C. Nield, FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation] has got a good bunch over there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems to be very interested and in-tune with what NASA’s doing with this whole program."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 20.633864516198138, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s correct. That continues to this day, and we have a really good working relationship with the safety office [Office of Safety and Mission Assurance] here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have a role working with the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] as they work with your COTS partners?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We brought FAA in early as well, as one of the members of the team, knowing that they [the commercial partners] were going to be FAA-licensed. We worked with them initially to establish the processes and roles, not on a day-to-day basis for the cargo operations. Again, once they’re successful the operations are managed by ISS. They work with FAA for the missions going to ISS.\\n\\n For demonstrations we work with FAA for mishap planning and all of that kind of stuff. Not too intense—again, each of the partners is responsible for licensing their system, and only if there are questions that FAA needs from us, we work with them. But they manage it pretty well. I think we have a really good working relationship with the FAA as well. George [C. Nield, FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation] has got a good bunch over there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems to be very interested and in-tune with what NASA’s doing with this whole program."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and they’re working with us on new stuff as well, really well. Those relationships are working out really nicely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s good. It makes you feel like it’s less of a burden when you get that communication down. Lots of good stuff has come out of the COTS program, but at the beginning, there was a kind of a hiccup when Doc Horowitz had to terminate one of the partners. Can you share?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.231313086721743, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We didn’t see any benefit in that. It didn’t look like that would be a benefit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that a benefit for that partner? Or just as a whole in the program that if you had to terminate somebody, that was their work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, as part of the program we actually have rights to their intellectual property should they miss a milestone or should they fail and we have to cancel the Space Act Agreement. We actually do at that point get rights to the IP, and can actually decide whether or not we want to take ownership of that and continue or not. For the COTS program, we waived our rights to any intellectual property unless they failed in developing the system. Or there was a timeframe, I think 2015, where we could have rights to it. Those are the only two cases where we can get rights to their intellectual property."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You missed out on Round 1. Were you involved in the Round 2 selection process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, part of it. At that time Constellation was ramping up, so I was asked to do the program executive job on that as well. I actually picked up on the Ares I and the Ares V [rockets]. That was just about the intense time when things were really picking up on Ares I and Ares V, so I moved over there for a little while. Alan knew how to run those, and it was pretty straightforward. Again, I didn’t come back until right at selection. Then I did the COTS and the Constellation work all at the same time. It was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Goodness. That must’ve been an interesting time period for you though, when Constellation was being cancelled and the COTS piece took on a more commanding role."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.479236763024158, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, as part of the program we actually have rights to their intellectual property should they miss a milestone or should they fail and we have to cancel the Space Act Agreement. We actually do at that point get rights to the IP, and can actually decide whether or not we want to take ownership of that and continue or not. For the COTS program, we waived our rights to any intellectual property unless they failed in developing the system. Or there was a timeframe, I think 2015, where we could have rights to it. Those are the only two cases where we can get rights to their intellectual property."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You missed out on Round 1. Were you involved in the Round 2 selection process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, part of it. At that time Constellation was ramping up, so I was asked to do the program executive job on that as well. I actually picked up on the Ares I and the Ares V [rockets]. That was just about the intense time when things were really picking up on Ares I and Ares V, so I moved over there for a little while. Alan knew how to run those, and it was pretty straightforward. Again, I didn’t come back until right at selection. Then I did the COTS and the Constellation work all at the same time. It was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Goodness. That must’ve been an interesting time period for you though, when Constellation was being cancelled and the COTS piece took on a more commanding role."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was also very interesting to see the differences in culture with two programs within NASA. It was kind of interesting to actually watch and live the culture differences as both programs progressed. It was the most dramatic thing I’ve seen in awhile."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since you made that statement, it makes me want to ask about your thoughts of how you see this new culture being applied in future NASA programs, or do you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.754707514471287, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, part of it. At that time Constellation was ramping up, so I was asked to do the program executive job on that as well. I actually picked up on the Ares I and the Ares V [rockets]. That was just about the intense time when things were really picking up on Ares I and Ares V, so I moved over there for a little while. Alan knew how to run those, and it was pretty straightforward. Again, I didn’t come back until right at selection. Then I did the COTS and the Constellation work all at the same time. It was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Goodness. That must’ve been an interesting time period for you though, when Constellation was being cancelled and the COTS piece took on a more commanding role."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was also very interesting to see the differences in culture with two programs within NASA. It was kind of interesting to actually watch and live the culture differences as both programs progressed. It was the most dramatic thing I’ve seen in awhile."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since you made that statement, it makes me want to ask about your thoughts of how you see this new culture being applied in future NASA programs, or do you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it could make sense to use a partnership where there’s a potential future use for NASA, as well as a really definable commercial use that could sustain itself without any NASA work. In those instances where a future NASA capability could help drive a new industry, that could be a potential for a partnership. Not dual use, but where there’s a real, definable market that is totally not NASA’s. That’s one thing we did on COTS. We wanted to make sure we were stimulating commercial launch capabilities that could be globally competitive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you see other markets that will come from the COTS partnership that will work towards expanding the markets for these partners, and the ones that possibly didn’t win?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.060786127190319, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was also very interesting to see the differences in culture with two programs within NASA. It was kind of interesting to actually watch and live the culture differences as both programs progressed. It was the most dramatic thing I’ve seen in awhile."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since you made that statement, it makes me want to ask about your thoughts of how you see this new culture being applied in future NASA programs, or do you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it could make sense to use a partnership where there’s a potential future use for NASA, as well as a really definable commercial use that could sustain itself without any NASA work. In those instances where a future NASA capability could help drive a new industry, that could be a potential for a partnership. Not dual use, but where there’s a real, definable market that is totally not NASA’s. That’s one thing we did on COTS. We wanted to make sure we were stimulating commercial launch capabilities that could be globally competitive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you see other markets that will come from the COTS partnership that will work towards expanding the markets for these partners, and the ones that possibly didn’t win?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the COTS perspective, I think having the low-cost launch vehicles can help the satellite industry as well as the launch vehicle industry. As we’ve had the ITAR [International Traffic in Arms Regulations] issues over the past, we’ve been losing market share on satellite manufacturing because we did not have a cost-effective way to launch satellites. Satellite production was tending to move offshore.\\n\\n The fact that we have cost-effective launch now within the United States—or we’re getting close to it—you’re seeing satellite companies grab new customers that we might not have been able to grab. You can launch them on launch vehicles in the United States that are actually cheaper than other places. I think we have the potential for—and I can’t really quantify it—helping out the United States satellite manufacturing industry as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That may be something that has started here that could possibly evolve. Is that what you’re thinking of in the future?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 13.40087347465591, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it could make sense to use a partnership where there’s a potential future use for NASA, as well as a really definable commercial use that could sustain itself without any NASA work. In those instances where a future NASA capability could help drive a new industry, that could be a potential for a partnership. Not dual use, but where there’s a real, definable market that is totally not NASA’s. That’s one thing we did on COTS. We wanted to make sure we were stimulating commercial launch capabilities that could be globally competitive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you see other markets that will come from the COTS partnership that will work towards expanding the markets for these partners, and the ones that possibly didn’t win?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the COTS perspective, I think having the low-cost launch vehicles can help the satellite industry as well as the launch vehicle industry. As we’ve had the ITAR [International Traffic in Arms Regulations] issues over the past, we’ve been losing market share on satellite manufacturing because we did not have a cost-effective way to launch satellites. Satellite production was tending to move offshore.\\n\\n The fact that we have cost-effective launch now within the United States—or we’re getting close to it—you’re seeing satellite companies grab new customers that we might not have been able to grab. You can launch them on launch vehicles in the United States that are actually cheaper than other places. I think we have the potential for—and I can’t really quantify it—helping out the United States satellite manufacturing industry as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That may be something that has started here that could possibly evolve. Is that what you’re thinking of in the future?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, just the fact that we’ve helped enable cost-effective launches helps the satellite manufacturers build satellites that can be launched on United States vehicles, and not have any ITAR issues with shipping, with trying to launch satellites on Russian, or Chinese, or any other launch vehicles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Looking back on your involvement with the COTS program, what are the lessons you feel that NASA has learned from this, and also in your job as program executive? What have you gained?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 14.90759560228, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they were successful in part because they didn’t have any money. There wasn’t funding to allow a bunch of people to help them out. They also were not seen as viable, so we didn’t see a lot of NASA people wanting to help out and help us with the current culture. I think they benefited from both sides of that. I think that’s the biggest thing that I saw. Alan Marty, the venture capitalist who we brought in, told us how to put the program together and how to build that culture up so that it could be successful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you feel like he was a very vital part."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, he was really good. He actually handed out copies of a book for all of us to read [The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen]. It was good. The book actually described how culture kills companies, and how to set your program up so culture won’t kill it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s very interesting. Those lessons that you learned, are you able to apply them in other parts of what you’re doing for NASA?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, yes. At home, with my wife, and here at work. It’s really useful and we’ve been very successful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Give me some examples. You mentioned how you were able to share the elements of this culture that needed to be perpetuated, but were understandable for those who weren’t accustomed to what you were doing down there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.5357348, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At the technical level, at the working level, it was really easy. The COTS guys were focused on the partner development and demonstration, and ISS was focused on visiting vehicle verification. Since ISS really understood visiting vehicle verification, they understood what kinds of things they needed to allow them to accomplish that verification and safety certification before going to ISS. Alan Lindenmoyer and Kathy [Kathryn L.] Lueders worked together to make sure that they had a really good, fantastic, seamless team that could transition as needed. We also had shared quarterlies. It was as combined as we could, with everybody understanding who had what roles and responsibilities. That seemed to work really well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More of a team effort?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and I have to give credit to Alan and Kathy on that. The combination of the two really pulled this off, really made it successful. I don’t know if you could’ve put anybody else other than Alan and Kathy in those positions and had it be successful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you had much interaction with the partners themselves, or is your interaction mostly with the NASA personnel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I interact with the partners quite a bit. It tends to be more at the higher level than at the working troop level. Although I did used to get emails at two in the morning, “Give me a call when you get in.” It’s, again, that communication flow, and that communication flow goes all the way up and down through everybody. We try for everybody on the team to know everything they can, so that nothing pops up and there are no surprises. That’s easy with a team of four or five or six. It’s hard with a team of thousands."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure. More shared information rather than trickle down. Where is your role now, and how is your role going to change as the program office starts moving towards closing out?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.706372, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and I have to give credit to Alan and Kathy on that. The combination of the two really pulled this off, really made it successful. I don’t know if you could’ve put anybody else other than Alan and Kathy in those positions and had it be successful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you had much interaction with the partners themselves, or is your interaction mostly with the NASA personnel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I interact with the partners quite a bit. It tends to be more at the higher level than at the working troop level. Although I did used to get emails at two in the morning, “Give me a call when you get in.” It’s, again, that communication flow, and that communication flow goes all the way up and down through everybody. We try for everybody on the team to know everything they can, so that nothing pops up and there are no surprises. That’s easy with a team of four or five or six. It’s hard with a team of thousands."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure. More shared information rather than trickle down. Where is your role now, and how is your role going to change as the program office starts moving towards closing out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess a good way to describe it is with SpaceX. As SpaceX finished their last demonstration mission going to the International Space Station, the next flight was ISS. It was a step function. We no longer worked that. We work closely with the ISS guys up here, because we have the knowledge and help them out as much as they can. The ISS guys sit all around us, so we work with them really closely as well. But it’s an ISS function. Once Orbital finishes their demonstration, it’ll be an ISS function after that. Then we’ll go on and do new things on the cargo side."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the cargo side is going to continue functioning?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.8, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. If you just take a look at SpaceX—I think they have like 40 or 50 launches on their manifest now. Those would be 40 or 50 launches that would be going to China, or Russia, or India, or Europe. That’s something. I think NASA has 12 flights of that 40, so there’s 30-some-odd flights that would not be flown out of this country if not for what we’ve helped with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Speaking of launch services, were you involved with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport operations as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They own the pad out at Wallops [Island, Virginia], and they are the primary launch site for Orbital Sciences. It’s a state of Virginia-owned and -operated launch pad. I think they have some other launch pads out at Wallops as well. This is the largest that they’ve done. It’s been a really fantastic few years watching it all come together, because when they started the pad, it was just sand. Literally. SpaceX flew off Pad 40 [Cape Canaveral, Florida], which has been around for awhile, but this is a brand new pad that started on the sand. To see that come together has been pretty wild as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved in that from an official capacity here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. Again, it was the state of Virginia’s responsibility to build it. We tracked it and just monitored it. Orbital Sciences was their customer. The Wallops range involvement included range-type functions. At Headquarters we just monitored, kept up with it and tracked any issues, and how things were moving forward. They had some issues, but it’s working good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned it was fun. I do want to close out by asking you, what do you consider to be the most challenging aspect of working this new program?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. They own the pad out at Wallops [Island, Virginia], and they are the primary launch site for Orbital Sciences. It’s a state of Virginia-owned and -operated launch pad. I think they have some other launch pads out at Wallops as well. This is the largest that they’ve done. It’s been a really fantastic few years watching it all come together, because when they started the pad, it was just sand. Literally. SpaceX flew off Pad 40 [Cape Canaveral, Florida], which has been around for awhile, but this is a brand new pad that started on the sand. To see that come together has been pretty wild as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved in that from an official capacity here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. Again, it was the state of Virginia’s responsibility to build it. We tracked it and just monitored it. Orbital Sciences was their customer. The Wallops range involvement included range-type functions. At Headquarters we just monitored, kept up with it and tracked any issues, and how things were moving forward. They had some issues, but it’s working good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned it was fun. I do want to close out by asking you, what do you consider to be the most challenging aspect of working this new program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the most challenging aspect is managing expectations and managing culture. There’s a huge propensity within the Agency to do things in ways that we know, which is normal for any organization. The Agency has to have the courage to step back and say, “No, let’s take this out of the old way, the current way we do business, and let’s do it a different way.” I think the more we can do that in the future, the more successful we’ll be. The culture will tend to want to kill it, but that takes management from the top down, as well as the bottom up. You have to have the 9th floor [top management] involvement and support all the way down."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through these years, even though players have changed, the support has continued to be there?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00699:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. Again, it was the state of Virginia’s responsibility to build it. We tracked it and just monitored it. Orbital Sciences was their customer. The Wallops range involvement included range-type functions. At Headquarters we just monitored, kept up with it and tracked any issues, and how things were moving forward. They had some issues, but it’s working good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned it was fun. I do want to close out by asking you, what do you consider to be the most challenging aspect of working this new program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the most challenging aspect is managing expectations and managing culture. There’s a huge propensity within the Agency to do things in ways that we know, which is normal for any organization. The Agency has to have the courage to step back and say, “No, let’s take this out of the old way, the current way we do business, and let’s do it a different way.” I think the more we can do that in the future, the more successful we’ll be. The culture will tend to want to kill it, but that takes management from the top down, as well as the bottom up. You have to have the 9th floor [top management] involvement and support all the way down."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Through these years, even though players have changed, the support has continued to be there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we’ve always had tremendous support out of the White House and OSTP [Office of Science and Technology Policy], up through the 9th floor. We’ve always had really fantastic support, and it’s been growing as we’ve been successful. There were tons and tons of doubters within NASA that said this just can’t be done. I’m glad for the country that we’ve proven them wrong. I think it’s good for the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We look forward to see what’s coming next. It’ll stay busy, I’m sure."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 55.122229078676, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the same guys on their side, with Arnold probably being the connectivity. Actually, Arnold and Gary Johnson on safety down here. Gary Coen was involved early on, on the operations side. Gary probably went back to the Apollo-Soyuz with them, as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, he was one of the originals."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, anyway, I got sidetracked there. But that's kind of how it evolved initially.\\n\\n Then related to that, and parallel almost, we were told in November, about the same time as the addendum to the program implementation plan that Doyle worked on, I think was about the same time the concept of paying for some of this arose. So I was asked to put together a team to negotiate that piece of it, the $400 million. So I'm very familiar with how that evolved. That was largely geared around some of these trying to provide disincentives to the Russians in other areas, as well as recognizing that we were going to get some unique capability and benefits that we should pay a reasonable amount for.\\n\\n Since it was compared to a Space Lab flight, as it evolved, we were getting a real good deal compared to flying a Space Lab. We were getting to use Mir as a research facility and also have, rather than sixteen days, having people up there for four, six months at a clip."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you tell us a little bit about how it was funded and what the money was actually used for?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The money, it was basically kind of a strange negotiation, because we were told what the bottom line was before we went into it, so it was more of a negotiation around what fits in the box."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they needed a bottom line, too."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 56.74306105376993, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When that all occurred?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right from the get-go, including when it was informal and ad hoc, Don Puddy was working crew issues -- the crew and crew training issues. Gary Johnson was working the safety aspects. Gary Coen was working operational aspects. Rick Nygren, I think, was involved at that time working some of the science aspects, although Arnold was still very heavily involved from the Headquarters side. I'm trying to think who else was in that initial group. Jim and I.\\n\\n I was really tied up so much with the contract stuff that I wasn't as much involved in the ongoing meetings and working group meetings and all that kind of thing at that point in time. I'm trying to think who else. Oh, Tommy. Stu Grissom who's still in the area. Stu would probably be an interesting guy to talk to. Stu is kind of Tommy's right-hand person in the early time frame."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Stu worked ASTP."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Stu had worked ASTP. Stu had been around a long time and is a great guy. He'd probably be a good interview for you guys, from his perspective."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know him. He worked with us on the satellite servicing and rescue."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 43.39847797996939, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It had a lot of very high moments and a lot of very boring, tedious moments. A lot of contentious moments. The most unusual part of it was probably the letter contract we did up at Headquarters, because both sides were told, \"You need to get this done by December 16th,\" I think was the date, because there was a Gore/Chernomyrdin meeting. So we had basically three weeks to get this thing done. We were up, and Dee Lee who was -I guess she still is now -I guess she was the head of procurement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She still is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. Head of procurement up at Headquarters, we were in her kind of personal conference room there and going from eight in the morning until three in the morning every day, weekends. I think the only day we took off was Thanksgiving Day. That was very intense and, actually, in retrospect, was a lot of fun, because that was most freewheeling time. Everybody was very motivated to get something done by that deadline, including the Russian side. I mean, for us, at least we could go home to our homes. I mean, they were living in a hotel in a foreign place. So it was unusual for them and us.\\n\\n But that was kind of the funnest of the period, because once we got down here we were out in a formerly classified facility that, back when we used to fly military payloads, had been a secure facility. It's literally under the ground, no windows. Not the nicest -they still do special things out there like -"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Does it still look like it used to look?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It would be interesting to see that. Because the Russians, I mean, they went out there and the only bunker they had ever known about was Hitler's, so they didn't really like it being called \"the bunker.\" They didn't like being out there, because it's not the nicest. It's not what you could call posh executive conference. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ceiling tile table thing."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.023301408419988, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really as part of the partnership yet. It will probably evolve, because we've really dealt with it much more bilaterally than we have as a group, with the exception of now with the IGA all being signed. But once we start operating, it will probably evolve. The Japanese, that's a tougher one, because they've got a much different political view than we do, that's just starting to evolve. They had a longstanding, I guess, not feud, but their own little cold war with Russia, that's just starting to evolve.\\n\\n So hopefully with time that will all benefit everybody. I'd say initially it was probably more the other way, at least from a group perspective. One on one, Europeans are getting a lot out of Mir. I've been involved directly with the Russians before we got this program going, a lot more so than NASA was. Germany and France particularly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You make a really good point there, saying how it's done bilaterally as opposed to multilaterally."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right now. Right now, with a few exceptions like with these intergovernmental agreements being signed. But even that, we negotiated that pretty much on a -the piece of that I was involved with Barry Waddell and Melanie and those guys, with the balance of contributions, which basically opened up the door to allow the agreement to be signed. That was done purely bilaterally. That kind of irked the other partners, because we kind of were keeping our cards all to ourselves, and they were kind of keeping them at arm's length for those negotiations, which were also done partly out at the bunker. So they were happy to come back and face the bunker again. [Laughter] Krusnov was like, \"I'll come to Houston, but just not the bunker.\" So eventually got it out of McDonnell-Douglas Building back there, which was a little nicer for them. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It had windows."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It had windows, yes. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was above ground."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 14.470334898244431, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right now. Right now, with a few exceptions like with these intergovernmental agreements being signed. But even that, we negotiated that pretty much on a -the piece of that I was involved with Barry Waddell and Melanie and those guys, with the balance of contributions, which basically opened up the door to allow the agreement to be signed. That was done purely bilaterally. That kind of irked the other partners, because we kind of were keeping our cards all to ourselves, and they were kind of keeping them at arm's length for those negotiations, which were also done partly out at the bunker. So they were happy to come back and face the bunker again. [Laughter] Krusnov was like, \"I'll come to Houston, but just not the bunker.\" So eventually got it out of McDonnell-Douglas Building back there, which was a little nicer for them. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It had windows."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It had windows, yes. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was above ground."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was above ground. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned a little bit about congressional involvement in this whole program. Can you touch a little bit about what their specific involvement has been?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.5225943313827, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It had windows, yes. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was above ground."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was above ground. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned a little bit about congressional involvement in this whole program. Can you touch a little bit about what their specific involvement has been?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not without using some expletives. [Laughter] No, I shouldn't say that. I remember before I even came to NASA, where I was in another agency, the Space Station in particular was very contentious and very dull. I think it was probably more contentious politically than it's been since we brought the Russians in. Well, before the Russians. I think Congress has been a lot more hands-off with us ever since we brought the Russians in, with a few exceptions, Sessenbrenner primarily being the exception, and lately now more with the discussion over whether we've got our priorities straight between human space flight and doing advanced technology, like Rorbacher and some of those folks would like to see us be doing.\\n\\n But I think the work on particularly the Phase One, actually doing something in space and having a place to go, a port of call, has probably, with the exception of this past summer, has probably helped keep the Shuttle Program, too, off the skyline, because it's been a very visible program, very much tied to the President. From a bipartisan foreign policy point of view, I think it's probably helped politically and congressionally in that way. More in that we haven't been getting a lot of -it helps when you don't have a lot of congressional help with your program. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The best thing you can hope for is the phone doesn't ring. [Laughter]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.691771479314111, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was above ground. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned a little bit about congressional involvement in this whole program. Can you touch a little bit about what their specific involvement has been?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not without using some expletives. [Laughter] No, I shouldn't say that. I remember before I even came to NASA, where I was in another agency, the Space Station in particular was very contentious and very dull. I think it was probably more contentious politically than it's been since we brought the Russians in. Well, before the Russians. I think Congress has been a lot more hands-off with us ever since we brought the Russians in, with a few exceptions, Sessenbrenner primarily being the exception, and lately now more with the discussion over whether we've got our priorities straight between human space flight and doing advanced technology, like Rorbacher and some of those folks would like to see us be doing.\\n\\n But I think the work on particularly the Phase One, actually doing something in space and having a place to go, a port of call, has probably, with the exception of this past summer, has probably helped keep the Shuttle Program, too, off the skyline, because it's been a very visible program, very much tied to the President. From a bipartisan foreign policy point of view, I think it's probably helped politically and congressionally in that way. More in that we haven't been getting a lot of -it helps when you don't have a lot of congressional help with your program. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The best thing you can hope for is the phone doesn't ring. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Frank did a phenomenal job this summer, and Mike from orbit, and then once he came home, of selling and keeping and getting it back on track. Keeping it in perspective, and making that interest kind of peak back off, where now it hasn't been in the papers since -unfortunately. I think it could have a lot more positive attention on it, other than when the air-conditioning system breaks down. But that's the nature -"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or the [project] goes down. That's all you ever hear."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.758551710000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And what better place to start than with the Russians, getting those two programs together. Then the European contribution and the Japanese and whoever else wants to join. It's a lot more meaningful if you've got a real catalyst moving forward, which our two programs is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To me, that's the three major themes that are coming out of the way you look at it. Then all the engineering and the technical piece, that's all supporting data that supports that. But they support those three themes.\\n\\n If I were looking at a closure point, it would be the transfer of this knowledge to Space Station, as well as making the public aware of it. But I mean, to transfer this knowledge somewhere, both on the operational side and into the public where everybody understands it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And beyond."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And beyond, but that's the next step."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the next step."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's the concluding chapter, is we didn't just go do this; we took full advantage of it, both inside the agency and as a way of dealing with our former enemies. Less is bigger than just the Space Station."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.509501900000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And beyond."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And beyond, but that's the next step."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the next step."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's the concluding chapter, is we didn't just go do this; we took full advantage of it, both inside the agency and as a way of dealing with our former enemies. Less is bigger than just the Space Station."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. That makes it more exciting, I think, too, for kids, if they saw it that way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, again, it's not just space."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.343891000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the next step."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's the concluding chapter, is we didn't just go do this; we took full advantage of it, both inside the agency and as a way of dealing with our former enemies. Less is bigger than just the Space Station."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. That makes it more exciting, I think, too, for kids, if they saw it that way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, again, it's not just space."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it's connected to everything. It's connected to everything we're doing in terms of technology development, into the type of country we're able -and we're not living -we don't have air raid drills anymore where you go under your desk. I mean, there is a future now. There is a future and this is a key piece of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like every day wondering whether your kids are going to get nuked."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 10.301100000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it's connected to everything. It's connected to everything we're doing in terms of technology development, into the type of country we're able -and we're not living -we don't have air raid drills anymore where you go under your desk. I mean, there is a future now. There is a future and this is a key piece of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like every day wondering whether your kids are going to get nuked."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Get nuked or whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the minimal paltry amount that -for that kind of future to be opened up to people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We aren't selling things to Saddam Hussein."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.3100000000000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the minimal paltry amount that -for that kind of future to be opened up to people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We aren't selling things to Saddam Hussein."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think that part is kind of the neat part. Bush should get some credit for it and Clinton should get a lot of credit for it, because they both saw it. I think Reagan even saw it, but he got -this may even go back a little bit to Reagan. I'm trying to remember. But he did that whole thing with Reykjavik, with trying to do SDI \"Let's all get rid of our missiles\" thing. I'm pretty sure NASA looked at it in maybe like, '84 or so, or maybe it was even earlier. There was the Afghanistan invasion in like '79 that killed some things that were growing in this direction. Then there was the Nicholson thing, him getting shot and killed in East Germany, I guess. I forget what year that was.\\n\\n But now we're at such a point, I mean, you don't even -little minor things -minor? Big things, like our current situation in Iraq, you don't see anybody threatening to pull the plug on this right now. You know what I mean?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's kind of gotten to a point where it's got his own life force. It's not purely a political program anymore. Or maybe it's so much of a political program in terms of our relationship, that it would be hard to pull. I don't know which one it is, the chicken or the egg."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A lot of it, I think, is that people don't look at it as highly political, so it doesn't get radar screened."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 5.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think that part is kind of the neat part. Bush should get some credit for it and Clinton should get a lot of credit for it, because they both saw it. I think Reagan even saw it, but he got -this may even go back a little bit to Reagan. I'm trying to remember. But he did that whole thing with Reykjavik, with trying to do SDI \"Let's all get rid of our missiles\" thing. I'm pretty sure NASA looked at it in maybe like, '84 or so, or maybe it was even earlier. There was the Afghanistan invasion in like '79 that killed some things that were growing in this direction. Then there was the Nicholson thing, him getting shot and killed in East Germany, I guess. I forget what year that was.\\n\\n But now we're at such a point, I mean, you don't even -little minor things -minor? Big things, like our current situation in Iraq, you don't see anybody threatening to pull the plug on this right now. You know what I mean?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's kind of gotten to a point where it's got his own life force. It's not purely a political program anymore. Or maybe it's so much of a political program in terms of our relationship, that it would be hard to pull. I don't know which one it is, the chicken or the egg."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A lot of it, I think, is that people don't look at it as highly political, so it doesn't get radar screened."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because we're operating. It's down here, it's being done with -"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just operating, we're doing work. They're not talking about closing their borders either."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00792:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because we're operating. It's down here, it's being done with -"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just operating, we're doing work. They're not talking about closing their borders either."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think if you talk, if you guys get some time, Mike [Foale] -I keep saying Mike, because I think he would be a great one to talk to. But from a Lewis and Clark, or Lewis and Ivan, perspective of being on the frontier, and Dave Wolf's letters. I don't know if you guys got a hold of those, those letters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, those are great at showing kind of that you learn by being out on the frontier, and what it's like being on the frontier. And that is the new frontier. I mean, that's NASA explores the space frontier, for kids and all. I think to those that aren't just, got their slide rulers out, and are interested in it from a -you know, the pocket protector crowd that are interested in it, too, from an excitement standpoint. Dave's letter were phenomenal in that way. Yes, but I think you hit it on the head, Bill."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. Do you have anything else you want to add, or some other relative points?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00640:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Me personally?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Or anything you’ve worked on that you feel like made the biggest impact."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’s not one that sticks out. There’s just been a slew of incremental changes. That’s all part of daily life of getting the job done. I influenced certain changes that created additional burdens in terms of getting done, but I viewed as increasing the reliability and safety of the spacecraft. Were those necessary to have a successful EFT-1? Nobody really knows. It was successful. Would it have not been successful if those certain changes would not have been made? Nobody knows the answer to that. So I don’t know that I can say—no one particular contribution sticks out for me personally. I try and take every day a day at a time, and for the issues that come up on a given day try and make the best decisions, do what I can to help the team make the best decisions possible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mark Geyer has been quoted as saying, “The Orion Program learned to persevere.” Is that something you would agree with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. The comment that I made earlier about if Mark personally would not have been in that role, we may not be here having this conversation today, and there may have never been an EFT-1 or a PA-1. I think a less skillful project manager may have not been able to lead us through that turmoil and come out on the other end in a successful way. Yes, we’ve gone through a lot, and have adapted and lived through it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you’d like to mention before we stop?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00640:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’s not one that sticks out. There’s just been a slew of incremental changes. That’s all part of daily life of getting the job done. I influenced certain changes that created additional burdens in terms of getting done, but I viewed as increasing the reliability and safety of the spacecraft. Were those necessary to have a successful EFT-1? Nobody really knows. It was successful. Would it have not been successful if those certain changes would not have been made? Nobody knows the answer to that. So I don’t know that I can say—no one particular contribution sticks out for me personally. I try and take every day a day at a time, and for the issues that come up on a given day try and make the best decisions, do what I can to help the team make the best decisions possible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mark Geyer has been quoted as saying, “The Orion Program learned to persevere.” Is that something you would agree with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. The comment that I made earlier about if Mark personally would not have been in that role, we may not be here having this conversation today, and there may have never been an EFT-1 or a PA-1. I think a less skillful project manager may have not been able to lead us through that turmoil and come out on the other end in a successful way. Yes, we’ve gone through a lot, and have adapted and lived through it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you’d like to mention before we stop?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so. We covered a lot of ground, so nothing immediately comes to mind. I would probably think of something after you leave."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s fine, and you can add it later. We thank you for doing this today."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00437:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 31.237594195748883, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what were your thoughts on that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, again, it was one of these do we or don’t we? Do we or don’t we? They said, “There’s a small fire out there on the pad.” The gantry or the access arm had been swung back to the side hatch. I don’t know that we argued about it. I know there was some discussion like, “Should we run out and get in those baskets and get out of here?” And I don’t know why—I don’t think we ever queried LCC as to whether we should do that or not. It was an internal debate. Maybe one of the other crew members have some better memory than I do on that. But it was just a discussion in the cockpit whether we do, whether we don’t. And we just kind of decided that we would sit tight and wait for LCC to give the call."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In August, you had a chance to launch again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you did have a couple of delays as well."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00437:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.88308725930817, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The urincicle?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. You were called onto possibly—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Possibly do a spacewalk, yes. Hawley and I—which we were really hoping for. Hawley and I had trained as the backup—what do you call them? The contingency EVA [Extravehicular Activity] crew members, in case there was a problem. There was no planned EVA, but they always have two crew members trained in case there is a problem that requires an EVA. So Hawley and I did a—I guess we prepared to do a spacewalk. I later heard on the ground that the ground really felt that was a real long, long, long shot, that they would ever send out anybody to do a spacewalk to get rid of this thing. They felt like they would be able to do it fine with the robot arm, which they did. But, of course, Hawley and I were praying that they would call us and say, “Go out on a spacewalk and knock this thing off.” But I was really looking forward to that, but it wasn’t to be, didn’t happen. Hank used the robot arm and reached in there and knocked the thing off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hank Hartsfield had training on the RMS [remote manipulator system]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He had used the RMS on his mission, STS-3. He’d used the RMS on his mission, I think, and so he was trained. Judy was trained on it, too. I don’t remember the logic process by which Hank used the arm and Judy didn’t. I don’t remember what the rationale was there, but I remember Hank used it to knock off that urine. So we’d better hope that any aliens that are in orbit go by the old Boy Scout adage, “Don’t eat yellow snow.” [Wright laughs.] Because there was going to be a blob of it floating around up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Our research has told us that during this situation that you guys became very resourceful of having to handle all of the lack of sanitary efforts up there. You ended up using some of your used clothing to help—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00437:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 25.558486462437326, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Every opportunity. I sat there at every opportunity taking pictures, taking photos, just clicking away at anything and everything that looked interesting, bringing them back. On a low-inclination orbit like that, you don’t really—a lot of it’s ocean. The world’s a big ocean, but still, we got some great photos."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The mission ended. You landed at Edwards."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Edwards. All three of my missions landed at Edwards. Yes, it was—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that kind of a homecoming? You were back to where you’d spent some time there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not really. Oh, I spent some time there, but it wasn’t—I never considered Edwards a real part of home, I guess. It was fun to land there. Yes, reentry and landing were pretty straightforward. I remember the G-forces seemed to me to be very high on reentry, even though they were under 2, 1.8 or something, but because you’d been weightless, you feel like you have an elephant on your back on reentry.\\n\\n Watching the glow of reentry out the windows was a kick. Entry is not very scary. I mean, you do have some thoughts in your mind, “Well, I hope this thing holds together, and I hope these engineers knew what they were doing,” but it’s not like launch. Launch is terrifying, but entry is fairly relaxing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you returned—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00437:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 24.32565311, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did it compare using it in space as you trained in the simulator?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very similar. I felt that I was well prepared through the simulation: The simulations were very good. I didn’t really find anything that surprised me in the use of it. Just was very careful. Didn’t want to bang anything. I felt really, really good about it. Well prepared. The simulations were perfect."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Before your last mission launched, you announced that you were going to be retiring."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What led to that decision, and specifically why at that time, from the Air Force and from NASA?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00437:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 17.639000000000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The DoD missions I feel very proud about. Even though I can’t talk about them, I feel very, very proud about those DoD missions. I felt like that was something that had a significant impact on America’s security, and I was part of it, and I felt really, really good about those two missions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Before we close today, I was going to ask Sandra if she had some other questions for you that she might like to ask."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Going back to 41B when you were training for the satellite deploys, did you go to the vendors where the satellites were actually created, and if so, do you feel that that helped you understand what you were going to be doing on that mission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Yes. Yes, we did go to the vendors, both the people who made the propulsion module as well as the satellite on top of it, and that absolutely helped, to see the hardware, real hardware, talk to the engineers about various aspects of the deployment sequence, things to watch for. It was absolutely necessary and very beneficial.\\n\\n When I look back on all three of my missions, the only surprise I had on all three of my missions was that SRB separation, the quiet that occurred after that, smoothness of flight. Either nobody ever commented about it, or it wasn’t significant to other people, but that was the only thing I remember thinking, “What is this? What’s going on?” All the rest of them, I felt like whatever I was doing, I had done a thousand times before, because I had done it a thousand—well, probably two thousand times I had done it. It was very well done. NASA’s training is superb. Hey, any training program that puts a camera in the bottom of the toilet trainer is a great training program, let me tell you. You’ve heard that story, I’m sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share it with us."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.507268754687498, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't have a preference. I just, well, where in the world, you know, I didn't have any particular interest. I thought they would send me to a Spanish speaking country was my thought, because I had known Spanish from high school, but I wasn't a native speaker. So maybe that's why. I don't know. I don't know how they pick their people. I have feeling it's just, I don't know how those decisions were made."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wherever they needed someone."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think so, what was coming up and you had this background. I don't you know, I don't know how it was. It was really gearing up, though, to be quite an active program then. Yeah. So I was accepted and was delighted. Oh, how fascinating. I've got to read more about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you had already gone off to school in another country, so your parents were supportive?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.341409727430554, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't have a preference. I just, well, where in the world, you know, I didn't have any particular interest. I thought they would send me to a Spanish speaking country was my thought, because I had known Spanish from high school, but I wasn't a native speaker. So maybe that's why. I don't know. I don't know how they pick their people. I have feeling it's just, I don't know how those decisions were made."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wherever they needed someone."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think so, what was coming up and you had this background. I don't you know, I don't know how it was. It was really gearing up, though, to be quite an active program then. Yeah. So I was accepted and was delighted. Oh, how fascinating. I've got to read more about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you had already gone off to school in another country, so your parents were supportive?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did they feel about you joining Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.268233030478392, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think so, what was coming up and you had this background. I don't you know, I don't know how it was. It was really gearing up, though, to be quite an active program then. Yeah. So I was accepted and was delighted. Oh, how fascinating. I've got to read more about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you had already gone off to school in another country, so your parents were supportive?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did they feel about you joining Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Fine. They were very supportive. Yeah. Yeah. My parents were very eager to get me to experience life, go out. And it's a wonderful world out there, you know, go out there and explore it. So they were very supportive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And maybe unusual for the."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.298036700531545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did they feel about you joining Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Fine. They were very supportive. Yeah. Yeah. My parents were very eager to get me to experience life, go out. And it's a wonderful world out there, you know, go out there and explore it. So they were very supportive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And maybe unusual for the."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the sixties."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.442263000590605, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Fine. They were very supportive. Yeah. Yeah. My parents were very eager to get me to experience life, go out. And it's a wonderful world out there, you know, go out there and explore it. So they were very supportive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And maybe unusual for the."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the sixties."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, maybe. I don't know. They were, as I said, they could have, all they could afford was one year away to college. So make the most of it. And I just decided to go down there and so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think your experience of living in Mexico maybe made you more, more likely to join the Peace Corps since you had?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.38029222287845, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the sixties."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, maybe. I don't know. They were, as I said, they could have, all they could afford was one year away to college. So make the most of it. And I just decided to go down there and so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think your experience of living in Mexico maybe made you more, more likely to join the Peace Corps since you had?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think it yeah, I think it probably helped. It wasn't so scary, you know. I think so. I think that helped. But I did though, I didn't at first. I did not want to go out by myself in a rural area. I knew that I didn't. I don't think so. I think I want to be around some other people, but so that was part of my early decision. They assigned me to Tehran for about six months so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long did that process take from application to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.42254691430939, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, maybe. I don't know. They were, as I said, they could have, all they could afford was one year away to college. So make the most of it. And I just decided to go down there and so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think your experience of living in Mexico maybe made you more, more likely to join the Peace Corps since you had?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think it yeah, I think it probably helped. It wasn't so scary, you know. I think so. I think that helped. But I did though, I didn't at first. I did not want to go out by myself in a rural area. I knew that I didn't. I don't think so. I think I want to be around some other people, but so that was part of my early decision. They assigned me to Tehran for about six months so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long did that process take from application to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember. I think it was in the spring. I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But did it go pretty smoothly?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.580607682565988, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think it yeah, I think it probably helped. It wasn't so scary, you know. I think so. I think that helped. But I did though, I didn't at first. I did not want to go out by myself in a rural area. I knew that I didn't. I don't think so. I think I want to be around some other people, but so that was part of my early decision. They assigned me to Tehran for about six months so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long did that process take from application to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember. I think it was in the spring. I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But did it go pretty smoothly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No hiccups or anything?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.756230758406653, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember. I think it was in the spring. I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But did it go pretty smoothly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No hiccups or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Yeah. It went very, you know, they had to interview. They'd send the FBI out to everybody and interview your neighbors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And background checks."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.062478620451836, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No hiccups or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Yeah. It went very, you know, they had to interview. They'd send the FBI out to everybody and interview your neighbors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And background checks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Background checks. I mean, that was something I did. So, yeah, I don't, it went just fine so far as I know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And so then you were accepted."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 14.513865133835374, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Yeah. It went very, you know, they had to interview. They'd send the FBI out to everybody and interview your neighbors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And background checks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Background checks. I mean, that was something I did. So, yeah, I don't, it went just fine so far as I know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And so then you were accepted."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you do your training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 13.904294593150414, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Background checks. I mean, that was something I did. So, yeah, I don't, it went just fine so far as I know. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And so then you were accepted."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you do your training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At University of Michigan in their English language institute there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they weren't doing training in country then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.647277275494337, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At University of Michigan in their English language institute there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they weren't doing training in country then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this is, no, uh uh. We were there for three months and had, um, I don't know, what was it, 4 hours a day of Farsi, I think. And, you know, obviously get the history of Iran or U.S. relations in, and the history of Iran actually. Briefly, it goes on for so long. You know, we just got the overview of the different age, you know, the different eras and the different periods there. But, uh, and some of the politics, we got that. That's where I learned, we learned there about the, um, the CIA's overtaking of the, you know, that caused the coup of the democratically elected Mossadegh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In '53. And that hadn't been publicly revealed too much. But we, researchers knew it and we were to be informed of that so that, for us to, you know, be aware of it, if it might come up during our training, I mean, during our Peace Corps experience so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now this was the fourth group to go to Iran."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.608085861660374, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this is, no, uh uh. We were there for three months and had, um, I don't know, what was it, 4 hours a day of Farsi, I think. And, you know, obviously get the history of Iran or U.S. relations in, and the history of Iran actually. Briefly, it goes on for so long. You know, we just got the overview of the different age, you know, the different eras and the different periods there. But, uh, and some of the politics, we got that. That's where I learned, we learned there about the, um, the CIA's overtaking of the, you know, that caused the coup of the democratically elected Mossadegh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In '53. And that hadn't been publicly revealed too much. But we, researchers knew it and we were to be informed of that so that, for us to, you know, be aware of it, if it might come up during our training, I mean, during our Peace Corps experience so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now this was the fourth group to go to Iran."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were most of them teachers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.675650957400416, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In '53. And that hadn't been publicly revealed too much. But we, researchers knew it and we were to be informed of that so that, for us to, you know, be aware of it, if it might come up during our training, I mean, during our Peace Corps experience so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now this was the fourth group to go to Iran."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were most of them teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we were all TEFL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how many people were in your group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.784409323884187, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was a good size. There was another group just, we, just started a week or two later and they were in, what do they call it? Community development. They were, they were men, all men, in Logan, Utah. So we go by, you're group four or group five, you know, and it's just. They were just, or they arrived three weeks later, something like that. You know, it was kind of confusing. I get this. I guess at that point, Peace Corps didn't quite know how to number groups or how to discern one from the other. And later on they stopped numbering them all together. I guess it just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[inaudible]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. Because we related to our group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I mean there are some later ones, they said we didn't have any numbers so, so we've now made our own numbers so we can separate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you could keep track."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.079517683807637, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I mean there are some later ones, they said we didn't have any numbers so, so we've now made our own numbers so we can separate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you could keep track."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Keep track of them now that we know because, you know, Iran. Peace Corps was only in Iran for 14 years. So it's, uh, you know, it's a good study, I think, for researchers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, for that, for that time period. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had language training, culture training, and history. Did they, did they bring people from Iran to, to help teach, native speakers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.480819868048883, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they were students. We, in fact I keep up with them. We keep, they're very active. Yeah. They were the, the way they taught Farsi from that institute, that English language institute there in Michigan, they used what they call the aural-oral method of teaching a second language. And so we learned Farsi that way. And we also were, that was the way we were taught how do you teach English as a second language. So it worked both ways. One for us to learn how to learn a second language, and then in turn we were taught how to teach English as a second language. And they used, I guess it's a linguistic term, I don't know. But they use, they're called informants. When you have a native speaker of a language who helps you in your, you know, in your spoken, you know, your accent and how you speak and you hear it. But they were called informants."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were all native speakers of Farsi. They were students from Iran who were coming here to go to college typically. And, uh, then we had a linguist who would show up in class. I don't know how often, but periodically to give you. They taught us how the language was structured and gave us the clues about how you do it. The native speakers didn't necessarily know that, you know, formally. So the linguist gave us the structure of the language and then they would, then the informants would grill us or drill us that day on lesson, how what we were supposed to learn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had another one where, yeah, taught us, um, Iranian, the history of Iran. I don't know if he was a professor here or he just became one. I'm not sure. But he was. He wasn't an informant, as they say. He was one of our academic teachers. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So as you were going through this training, did you get more and more excited about going to Iran?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 14.173851688949238, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had another one where, yeah, taught us, um, Iranian, the history of Iran. I don't know if he was a professor here or he just became one. I'm not sure. But he was. He wasn't an informant, as they say. He was one of our academic teachers. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So as you were going through this training, did you get more and more excited about going to Iran?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No reservations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. Yeah, it was a wonderful experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when training was over, you were ready to go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.510928011048443, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. Yeah, it was a wonderful experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when training was over, you were ready to go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we were ready to go. We came back home for a couple of weeks, I think. I think that's what it was. Two weeks to get your stuff together and you'll all show up in, uh, Kennedy Airport. And we all convened there and then flew. I forget the route. I don't know. It's a, it's a routine one. I think you go to Frankfurt and then Beirut I think. Maybe Istanbul, maybe. No, maybe Beirut. And then you go into Tehran. But you always, you land at like midnight or 1:00 in the morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's the way most of the flights go there. I don't know what, but that's about. I guess it's just the way the timing is of things. But, um, but it was a long flight, you know, all these delays and stuff along the way. But you get there and everything was all lit up in the morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the airport?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.234364456720492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we were ready to go. We came back home for a couple of weeks, I think. I think that's what it was. Two weeks to get your stuff together and you'll all show up in, uh, Kennedy Airport. And we all convened there and then flew. I forget the route. I don't know. It's a, it's a routine one. I think you go to Frankfurt and then Beirut I think. Maybe Istanbul, maybe. No, maybe Beirut. And then you go into Tehran. But you always, you land at like midnight or 1:00 in the morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's the way most of the flights go there. I don't know what, but that's about. I guess it's just the way the timing is of things. But, um, but it was a long flight, you know, all these delays and stuff along the way. But you get there and everything was all lit up in the morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the airport?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So your first impression of the country then, since it was dark, I guess you were, you were probably anticipating."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.820203032988261, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So your first impression of the country then, since it was dark, I guess you were, you were probably anticipating."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The sunrise."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. You didn't. I don't have much of a different impression. Like, see, I could see it was desert. There wasn't much greenery. Um. Yeah, but then the next morning, of course, you're in a big city and you hear the taxis going, you know, all that. They have all the horns and all that. So quite noisy and busy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was Tehran like in those days? Was it a pretty developed and pretty modern city?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.4323494234422975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. You didn't. I don't have much of a different impression. Like, see, I could see it was desert. There wasn't much greenery. Um. Yeah, but then the next morning, of course, you're in a big city and you hear the taxis going, you know, all that. They have all the horns and all that. So quite noisy and busy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was Tehran like in those days? Was it a pretty developed and pretty modern city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty developed. Right. And pretty big too, although it's growing more and more."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was, it's just a big city and, and so I got, you know, not, I just wasn't comfortable going out into a smaller town. I didn't know where I'd be, you know. And you always were warned about what the role of women is in a Muslim country. So I wasn't sure how comfortable I would be. But after being in Tehran, I mean, I didn't get acquainted with Iranians there. I got all tied into the, uh, the embassy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, because there were."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.258166026046997, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty developed. Right. And pretty big too, although it's growing more and more."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was, it's just a big city and, and so I got, you know, not, I just wasn't comfortable going out into a smaller town. I didn't know where I'd be, you know. And you always were warned about what the role of women is in a Muslim country. So I wasn't sure how comfortable I would be. But after being in Tehran, I mean, I didn't get acquainted with Iranians there. I got all tied into the, uh, the embassy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, because there were."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of other expats or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 9.175740028941107, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was, it's just a big city and, and so I got, you know, not, I just wasn't comfortable going out into a smaller town. I didn't know where I'd be, you know. And you always were warned about what the role of women is in a Muslim country. So I wasn't sure how comfortable I would be. But after being in Tehran, I mean, I didn't get acquainted with Iranians there. I got all tied into the, uh, the embassy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, because there were."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of other expats or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, expats. Well, military. There's a lot of a big military presence in Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then your, your social contacts were mostly those Americans?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.018808152630858, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I said, wait a minute, you're here to learn Iran, about Iran, not to socialize with Americans. You'd better get out of this place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I asked for a transfer after six months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Temporarily strayed off course there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that's when I was transferred to Gorgan, which I had a much more fulfilling experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you did, uh, how long did you work in Tehran?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.465342391812064, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I asked for a transfer after six months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Temporarily strayed off course there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that's when I was transferred to Gorgan, which I had a much more fulfilling experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you did, uh, how long did you work in Tehran?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About six months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had interaction with your students."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.961491546457849, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that's when I was transferred to Gorgan, which I had a much more fulfilling experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you did, uh, how long did you work in Tehran?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About six months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had interaction with your students."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but not socially outside of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. But how did you find the students? How did, were they accepting of you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.125298205503517, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but not socially outside of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. But how did you find the students? How did, were they accepting of you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they actually. Yeah, they were. But they also wanted some favors, you know. They didn't want to have to come to class and wanted me to sign off on their, their certificate that they were going to be good at school. Yeah. It's just, it's how."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just wanted you to sign off on it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.8058868950039075, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they actually. Yeah, they were. But they also wanted some favors, you know. They didn't want to have to come to class and wanted me to sign off on their, their certificate that they were going to be good at school. Yeah. It's just, it's how."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just wanted you to sign off on it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Because they didn't want to go to class and they just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they try to bribe you at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.562096550004341, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just wanted you to sign off on it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Because they didn't want to go to class and they just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they try to bribe you at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Eh, sort of. Sort of, you know, and I didn't like that. I didn't like that position, to be in that position of trying to help them along when they didn't want to come to class or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So being in the city, were these students from maybe upper middle class?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.402329500004823, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Because they didn't want to go to class and they just."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they try to bribe you at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Eh, sort of. Sort of, you know, and I didn't like that. I didn't like that position, to be in that position of trying to help them along when they didn't want to come to class or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So being in the city, were these students from maybe upper middle class?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they were used to privilege and having. Yeah. So that was one thing I didn't like about the college at that level. That college level, they wanted some. You know, I didn't. I don't think they bribed me. I don't remember that. I just didn't like even like the question. Come to class, you know, that's our. That's the way we, we don't, we're not used to that. The system here, maybe it's changed. I hope not. But, anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was Peace Corps okay then, when you asked to, you asked to be reassigned?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.335921666672025, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Eh, sort of. Sort of, you know, and I didn't like that. I didn't like that position, to be in that position of trying to help them along when they didn't want to come to class or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So being in the city, were these students from maybe upper middle class?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they were used to privilege and having. Yeah. So that was one thing I didn't like about the college at that level. That college level, they wanted some. You know, I didn't. I don't think they bribed me. I don't remember that. I just didn't like even like the question. Come to class, you know, that's our. That's the way we, we don't, we're not used to that. The system here, maybe it's changed. I hope not. But, anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was Peace Corps okay then, when you asked to, you asked to be reassigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps was okay with that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.291261316879044, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps was okay with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were okay with it, yeah. They had apparently had a request from the, I guess they had enough places to send me and I. So there were two men from my group already in this town of Gorgan. They were teachers too, and so they roomed together. So I wasn't going to be isolated. I would be in the same town with them, uh, or city actually. It was probably 10,000 people. And I would be living, it was all arranged, I would be living with a, um, a midwife who, um, you know, was living alone so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they provided your housing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.434734796532272, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were okay with it, yeah. They had apparently had a request from the, I guess they had enough places to send me and I. So there were two men from my group already in this town of Gorgan. They were teachers too, and so they roomed together. So I wasn't going to be isolated. I would be in the same town with them, uh, or city actually. It was probably 10,000 people. And I would be living, it was all arranged, I would be living with a, um, a midwife who, um, you know, was living alone so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they provided your housing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Told you where you had to live?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.705260885035857, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they provided your housing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Told you where you had to live?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that worked out. It was a wonderful experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She was Iranian, she was local?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.490069801146578, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. A wonderful experience with her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In fact, she just passed away a year ago at 80, she was 86 or something, here in Orange County."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She got out. She and her family got out when the Shah was, you know, with the revolution, when the Shah was booted out. So she came."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were still in touch with her?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 13.226058586271243, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's the original faith of Iran. And it wasn't till the caliphs came in there and the Arab invasion that they then became Muslim. So. Uh, they. So he's a merchant, he comes from a merchant, you know, he's a surgeon. Anyway, so I had my parents, asked my parents to send, to send her. Would they send the things to them, what she wanted for this baby to be born? So my, my parents agreed and they went out and shopped, bought a baby carriage, all this stuff. And, you know, and then they had to ship it and it came in and they had to ship it by airfreight and they dropped it by helicopter or something right in the embassy compound."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A big box like this, because it had the baby carriage and. Got it shipped out to Gorgan, which is, I don't know, 8 hours away or something. Anyway, the bill comes and it was around $400, which was a lot for my parents at the time. It was more for the shipping than the goods were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I'm asking, you know, they thought that would just be rich Americans. It would be a gift from the U.S., from them, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so it wasn't understood?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.867981971598061, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My God, you know her, you know, and. And they said, yes! I said, well, she knew me as Kati. That's how they would say it in Iran. You're Kati? We've been trying to find you. Mehtari is right here in Orange County."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we've been going through all the phone directories trying to find you. Well, my name is oddly spelled, so it's not surprising they couldn't find me. You know, you have to get it spelled right. And I said, oh my gosh. What? She said, what? She's right here. And so, I mean, they went, oh, they went back and I got excited. And I just. How does that happen? Anyway, she came down the next day from, drove down, and we got all reconnected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. That's amazing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.297757746220068, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My God, you know her, you know, and. And they said, yes! I said, well, she knew me as Kati. That's how they would say it in Iran. You're Kati? We've been trying to find you. Mehtari is right here in Orange County."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we've been going through all the phone directories trying to find you. Well, my name is oddly spelled, so it's not surprising they couldn't find me. You know, you have to get it spelled right. And I said, oh my gosh. What? She said, what? She's right here. And so, I mean, they went, oh, they went back and I got excited. And I just. How does that happen? Anyway, she came down the next day from, drove down, and we got all reconnected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. That's amazing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we've been connected ever. That's. And I'm, I couldn't work that, well, how does that? These two women, they just were compelled to invite me to lunch. We never had lunch since, you know, I know there's no reason not to. It's just, it's circumstances, didn't happen. And but they were, they were messengers or something. It was amazing. And we've been in touch and in the sun. And all these years, I'd go visit them, especially when, when they had, during the Iraq war and all, her husband, they had got out. And of course he couldn't practice medicine here. So but it. So yes, I kept up with her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a great story."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.664175273577853, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we've been going through all the phone directories trying to find you. Well, my name is oddly spelled, so it's not surprising they couldn't find me. You know, you have to get it spelled right. And I said, oh my gosh. What? She said, what? She's right here. And so, I mean, they went, oh, they went back and I got excited. And I just. How does that happen? Anyway, she came down the next day from, drove down, and we got all reconnected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow. That's amazing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we've been connected ever. That's. And I'm, I couldn't work that, well, how does that? These two women, they just were compelled to invite me to lunch. We never had lunch since, you know, I know there's no reason not to. It's just, it's circumstances, didn't happen. And but they were, they were messengers or something. It was amazing. And we've been in touch and in the sun. And all these years, I'd go visit them, especially when, when they had, during the Iraq war and all, her husband, they had got out. And of course he couldn't practice medicine here. So but it. So yes, I kept up with her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a great story."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a, I mean, how does, just that I was, we were supposed to meet. I mean that's really. It's almost, I'm Unitarian so I don't really, but it makes you wonder."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You got to wonder."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.0713058595309475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we've been connected ever. That's. And I'm, I couldn't work that, well, how does that? These two women, they just were compelled to invite me to lunch. We never had lunch since, you know, I know there's no reason not to. It's just, it's circumstances, didn't happen. And but they were, they were messengers or something. It was amazing. And we've been in touch and in the sun. And all these years, I'd go visit them, especially when, when they had, during the Iraq war and all, her husband, they had got out. And of course he couldn't practice medicine here. So but it. So yes, I kept up with her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a great story."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's a, I mean, how does, just that I was, we were supposed to meet. I mean that's really. It's almost, I'm Unitarian so I don't really, but it makes you wonder."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You got to wonder."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You got to wonder about what's out there, you know. So I don't, I don't question any of it after that experience, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She must have known that you were from California."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.255045921430502, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, I mean, he didn't do delivery. She says, oh no, she knows him. I don't deliver babies. I call her in when one comes into the hospital. She did it all. But he would do the C-sections, of course. But anyway, it was, so I learned a lot about from that. And one other one. She would go and she was monitoring a woman in labor and she kept saying, oh my God, this baby, the heartbeat is going down. And it was going on way too long. She needs a, he needs a, we need a C-section here. I think it was placenta previa or whatever. And, um, and the husband wouldn't do it. You know, this baby is, the heartbeat is just struggling too much to be born. Nope, I'm not going to have a broken vase of a wife. Didn't want this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, the."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He didn't want her the surgery. He didn't want the scar on her. So she didn't get the C-section and the baby died."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's sad."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So that's the, that's what she was dealing with. So all those."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And she had to have the husband's permission?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.507309741549309, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So. Anyway, those are the kind of things I remember, this. Oh, I guess I should have said when I was at the UNESCO School of Social Work, I was sent to a contraceptive clinic in Tehran, in the south part of Tehran. And they were giving out IUDs then. I didn't know anything about all that, but that's why I said, IUDs? Well, since then, I've learned that, someone told me who knew the field more than I did, that, you know, those were, they were testing IUDs on Iranian women through the UN."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They weren't testing them in U.S. women. They used third world women to test the devices, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "These are things they couldn't get approved through here. So I thought, man, that wasn't good. But anyway, I did learn about that as a contraceptive method. I have no idea if they worked or not. I don't, I don't know the research on it, but because there were some IUDs that weren't, didn't work out at all, so they were pulled from the market. But anyway, what, the reason I mentioned that is that when I was living with that. Well, that was the other part. I had to, when she married the, um, surgeon, I was part of her household. And so I said, oh, I'll just go to another house. You're, you know, you're getting married now. I'll, I'll go with, I'll find another place. You know, you have your own private life now. Oh, heavens, no. You're in Iran. You're part of my household. You have to come."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you moved in with?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0954441253695166, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "These are things they couldn't get approved through here. So I thought, man, that wasn't good. But anyway, I did learn about that as a contraceptive method. I have no idea if they worked or not. I don't, I don't know the research on it, but because there were some IUDs that weren't, didn't work out at all, so they were pulled from the market. But anyway, what, the reason I mentioned that is that when I was living with that. Well, that was the other part. I had to, when she married the, um, surgeon, I was part of her household. And so I said, oh, I'll just go to another house. You're, you know, you're getting married now. I'll, I'll go with, I'll find another place. You know, you have your own private life now. Oh, heavens, no. You're in Iran. You're part of my household. You have to come."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you moved in with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I moved with them. I had my own room. They had another room, but I lived. So I was part of her household. I came with her. So anyway. So she was. So they socialized with, with a lot of the medical community basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were several physicians and the educated people in the town. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now your social circle went from being the embassy folks in Tehran and the expatriates to being all Iranian?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.439382361521685, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I moved with them. I had my own room. They had another room, but I lived. So I was part of her household. I came with her. So anyway. So she was. So they socialized with, with a lot of the medical community basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were several physicians and the educated people in the town. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now your social circle went from being the embassy folks in Tehran and the expatriates to being all Iranian?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much, yeah, pretty much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your Farsi pretty good at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.821535957246317, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were several physicians and the educated people in the town. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now your social circle went from being the embassy folks in Tehran and the expatriates to being all Iranian?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much, yeah, pretty much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your Farsi pretty good at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was. It was pretty good. Yeah. I could, yeah, I could carry on conversations at the table and stuff and, uh. So and then I had my two, the two Peace Corps people in my group. They had their own house, so I'd go and visit them. So that's another story about how I was regarded, you know, when I'd go visit them, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Didn't look proper?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.2461510636070185, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much, yeah, pretty much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your Farsi pretty good at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was. It was pretty good. Yeah. I could, yeah, I could carry on conversations at the table and stuff and, uh. So and then I had my two, the two Peace Corps people in my group. They had their own house, so I'd go and visit them. So that's another story about how I was regarded, you know, when I'd go visit them, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Didn't look proper?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pardon?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't look proper?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.71794562623002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was. It was pretty good. Yeah. I could, yeah, I could carry on conversations at the table and stuff and, uh. So and then I had my two, the two Peace Corps people in my group. They had their own house, so I'd go and visit them. So that's another story about how I was regarded, you know, when I'd go visit them, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh. Didn't look proper?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pardon?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't look proper?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, it wasn't proper. I was, you know, the image of me then would be, oh, she's going over to visit them because she services them. That's why Peace Corps sends women into Iran, to service the men there, you know, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So tell me about the town of Gorgan and what your living conditions were like, what the houses were like. Did you have electricity?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.242161806922245, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pardon?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't look proper?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, it wasn't proper. I was, you know, the image of me then would be, oh, she's going over to visit them because she services them. That's why Peace Corps sends women into Iran, to service the men there, you know, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So tell me about the town of Gorgan and what your living conditions were like, what the houses were like. Did you have electricity?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Yes, we had electricity. The houses were, I don't know, sort of a, what do you call them? Kind of a stucco type thing. They were stucco mud, I guess, with, uh, well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not primitive at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.989882345560501, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bathhouse once a week and or so how often you went. And so that's where you bathe. The bathroom and the toilet. So that was probably the most hardest to adjust to because they were, they're like holes in the ground, they're like a hole in the ground, and you squat over them. So that, you know, that can be a challenge if you have to squat for very long. Oh my God, your legs get wet, you shake. But anyway, and they. I could show you. And it's up, I have it up here. I could show you one. They don't have toilet paper."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They use kind of a ewer. It's a ewer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Pitcher."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A pitcher of water. And I never got, I never could visualize how that was done and never, um, so I just never adjusted to it. So when we learned about that in training, so they said, you better be prepared with a lot of toilet paper if that's what you want to use. So people had whole duffel bags of. You could get it, you know, you could buy it. But I did. I have that. But it's just, that's some of the misconnections, you know, the misread. You think you don't have to. But one man had a whole huge duffel bag."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not taking any chances. So, and your job there, when you were in Gorgan, you taught at a school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.752941167358642, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A pitcher of water. And I never got, I never could visualize how that was done and never, um, so I just never adjusted to it. So when we learned about that in training, so they said, you better be prepared with a lot of toilet paper if that's what you want to use. So people had whole duffel bags of. You could get it, you know, you could buy it. But I did. I have that. But it's just, that's some of the misconnections, you know, the misread. You think you don't have to. But one man had a whole huge duffel bag."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not taking any chances. So, and your job there, when you were in Gorgan, you taught at a school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. Girls school, high school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "High school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Girls school. And started, because my field at that time, I was trained as an elementary teacher at San Diego State. So I had a certificate. So that was my interest. So I did start some, you know, girls classes informally after school. So. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, uh, how did you find the students there and do you get, uh, did you enjoy the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.806100206615609, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Girls school. And started, because my field at that time, I was trained as an elementary teacher at San Diego State. So I had a certificate. So that was my interest. So I did start some, you know, girls classes informally after school. So. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, uh, how did you find the students there and do you get, uh, did you enjoy the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. They were eager to learn. Yeah. Yeah, I did. I liked them a lot. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very loving. They're just the most hospitable people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the other teachers, were you well accepted by them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.22975334150075, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very loving. They're just the most hospitable people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the other teachers, were you well accepted by them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think so. I had an awkward exchange once. They had, they, they could have men teachers in girls schools."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They could. And I remember going into the teacher's lounge once and there was a man teacher, you know, you try to greet them and all that. And I did. You know, it's real awkward. Where do you sit? Do you sit right next to them or sit one over to be rude? You know, it's just one of those socially awkward things. So I sat next to him and I should be friendly. Oh, that was wrong. He gets up and moved away from me, so I learned that little social thing. So I could get along with day one. They really did want some distance between men and women."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Any other cultural observations? Different things that were big revelations to you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 13.588614823889722, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think so. I had an awkward exchange once. They had, they, they could have men teachers in girls schools."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They could. And I remember going into the teacher's lounge once and there was a man teacher, you know, you try to greet them and all that. And I did. You know, it's real awkward. Where do you sit? Do you sit right next to them or sit one over to be rude? You know, it's just one of those socially awkward things. So I sat next to him and I should be friendly. Oh, that was wrong. He gets up and moved away from me, so I learned that little social thing. So I could get along with day one. They really did want some distance between men and women."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Any other cultural observations? Different things that were big revelations to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh. Well, yeah. You know, in the terms of what women are, they're sort of a. Marriages are arranged. So the midwife would say, hey, you know, this chief over here in this village would like you as his wife. But I told them, she, she would interfere for me, knowing that I wouldn't be, they wouldn't be interested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't interested."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.145427257871852, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So that was that. So that was my experience with that man. And I do keep up with them actually."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Iranian folks that you worked with must have had some impression of what America was like or what Americans were like, right? Did you find that, um, they might have had some misconceptions and did those things change after they got to know you? Or do you think you changed their impression of it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, I, it's hard to say. I certainly explained. You know, that we're all rich. You know, the U.S. is Hollywood and all this and that, you know. And the other thing is they were convinced that Johnson killed Kennedy. Convinced."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's the way it happens. The second guy wants in and he just had him done in. I couldn't change that perception, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Something that might happen there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.426453404780064, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's the way it happens. The second guy wants in and he just had him done in. I couldn't change that perception, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Something that might happen there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right. Yeah, they were, just couldn't ever get over that one. So, and they, I was. They were, it's a very hospitable culture. I mean, it comes, I think from a culture of the desert. You don't want to be left out there. It's pretty harsh. So they take all kinds of people in and they just are welcoming. It's a wonderful kind of part of their culture. To this day they like Americans. To this day, even despite our government, you know, what? What do you call it? Detente, not detente. What's the opposite? You know, the opposition they have. They love Americans as people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there were times, though, I must say, and I wasn't there, just I hear from people who served later, ten years later, like Skip Auld, he may tell you that experience. Um. That's when they were in some towns where we were, they were inundated with ugly Americans. They came in with like Bell Helicopter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, all the corporations."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.403028894790202, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there were times, though, I must say, and I wasn't there, just I hear from people who served later, ten years later, like Skip Auld, he may tell you that experience. Um. That's when they were in some towns where we were, they were inundated with ugly Americans. They came in with like Bell Helicopter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, all the corporations."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Corporation. Brought them in. Now they were working. I don't know what they were doing. Somebody told me they had, they were working on helicopters from Vietnam or something. I don't know. But there were huge airfields of helicopters in Isfahan. Someone said there were 10,000 Americans in Isfahan and they were. Now, this was way, a whole later experience. Views about the U.S. had changed then, and they didn't, because they were very disrespectful of their culture, very disrespectful. You know, you'd have the wives of these helicopter repairmen running around jogging in their bras, in their tights, you know, just going down the streets. And, you know, you don't dress like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just ugly American stuff. They weren't acculturized."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.447809883100224, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Corporation. Brought them in. Now they were working. I don't know what they were doing. Somebody told me they had, they were working on helicopters from Vietnam or something. I don't know. But there were huge airfields of helicopters in Isfahan. Someone said there were 10,000 Americans in Isfahan and they were. Now, this was way, a whole later experience. Views about the U.S. had changed then, and they didn't, because they were very disrespectful of their culture, very disrespectful. You know, you'd have the wives of these helicopter repairmen running around jogging in their bras, in their tights, you know, just going down the streets. And, you know, you don't dress like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just ugly American stuff. They weren't acculturized."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not Peace Corps. And they would have dogs and, oh, what is that? You know, and so the Peace Corps volunteer has a very hard time. And as the story goes, I don't know. There's some differences about why the Peace Corps left three years before the, the revolution, and in part because of they just couldn't, they just couldn't overcome the bad image of Americans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what was the standard of living in the country? Like you were in towns where people were middle class, but so was the overall standard of living pretty good or was there poverty anywhere?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:219", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.275344314555802, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just ugly American stuff. They weren't acculturized."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not Peace Corps. And they would have dogs and, oh, what is that? You know, and so the Peace Corps volunteer has a very hard time. And as the story goes, I don't know. There's some differences about why the Peace Corps left three years before the, the revolution, and in part because of they just couldn't, they just couldn't overcome the bad image of Americans."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what was the standard of living in the country? Like you were in towns where people were middle class, but so was the overall standard of living pretty good or was there poverty anywhere?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was growing. There was, there was poverty in some of the villages, yes. But, you know, and he was, the Shah was sending out the education corps to get teachers out and in the villages and getting the health care out, you know. So the standard then, they did have poor villages and a lot of people there wore their chador. In the cities, it was a mix. The Shah's father, he's the one in 1942 or something like that when he came in, he, uh, would, you know, he just decreed no more. We're going to be modern. Just like that. And we're not going to have. He came in '28, I think died in '42, something like that.\n\nAnyway, during his time he decreed you shall not be seen in public with your chador on. Women could not be seen in public. They were traumatized. You know, they just, it was like being nude. They just wouldn't go out, a lot of them, until the younger ones started coming along in school. But then you still had more devout people. Girls would come to school with their, they're more villagers and they had lower incomes and stuff, would come and wear their chador to school. So you had a mix of in these towns."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So if the standard of living was relatively high and education and stuff would Peace, was Peace Corps' main goal there English, teaching English?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:227", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.453504518451153, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So and of course, we're always thought we were spies, CIA spies, you know. So that was part of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So looking back, what do you think were your, your main accomplishments there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just friendship, just really, maybe a few people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Personal relationships."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Personal relations. Yeah. That's, I don't know. People learned some English. One young girl was determined. She just hung around me. And I'd love to catch up with her, that student. She says, I am going to marry American and go to the U.S. So I want to know English so I can talk to them. All right. So she was really a good student, but I heard she did finally met somebody in the Army. She was able to, but she was not respected very much because she. You're not supposed to be that forward with men in that culture, you know, but she. She knew she didn't want to be part of this. And she, I think she finally married one. So I would love to catch up with her and see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I hope it worked out for her."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:229", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.392782798279057, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just friendship, just really, maybe a few people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Personal relationships."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Personal relations. Yeah. That's, I don't know. People learned some English. One young girl was determined. She just hung around me. And I'd love to catch up with her, that student. She says, I am going to marry American and go to the U.S. So I want to know English so I can talk to them. All right. So she was really a good student, but I heard she did finally met somebody in the Army. She was able to, but she was not respected very much because she. You're not supposed to be that forward with men in that culture, you know, but she. She knew she didn't want to be part of this. And she, I think she finally married one. So I would love to catch up with her and see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I hope it worked out for her."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hope it worked, yes, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So do you have any regrets about your service?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.596028146023528, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hope it worked, yes, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So do you have any regrets about your service?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't think so. It was such a learning experience. It was, shaped, it, that shaped every single facet of my life. That experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps had an."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 12.88447571780392, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't think so. It was such a learning experience. It was, shaped, it, that shaped every single facet of my life. That experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps had an."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Enormous impact."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since the early sixties."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.649417464226576, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps had an."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Enormous impact."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since the early sixties."}, {"role": "user", "content": "First love life. I never had dated before. Oh, I learned about, I became, ultimately became a Unitarian because I lived in, at the time she, she was Muslim and she marries this Zoroastrian. What's that? Two different religions. I wasn't even supposed to date Catholics growing up. I was, what? Here we weren't supposed to date Catholics. And there's, what am I here for? These are two different religions, for God's sakes. And they're, they're further ahead than I, than we, than San Diego was. And their whole social group, as I say, they were all physicians. I mean, it was broader intellectuals too. I, we, they had Baha'i friends, Assyrian Christians, Armenian Christians. They had, as I say, Baha'is. They had Jews from a kibbutz that were over there advising Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it opened your eyes to a bigger world."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:245", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.7147042588425165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I had worked in this. Oh, I didn't. Oh, no. There's, there was a benefit. So living with this medical community and learning the plight of women and not being able to plan or space their children. And I had now worked in this clinic in Tehran that was trying to start now with IUDs. So because of my one-to-one connections with the, with some of the physicians, particularly women, women gynecologists there in the town, I said, you know, you might want to check out this School of Social Work because they are giving contraception out. So I gave them the contact from the school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so and then later I heard, yeah, we got some contraception for our patients."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cool."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that was a benefit, I think, besides. But that wasn't my, that was just an aside. It wasn't my job, you know, it's just that you get into these things if you're kind of open to it and you see an opportunity and how you can fill a void. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you said Peace Corps influenced your career. What did you go after?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:255", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.00634093522755, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I checked into it and I ended up in public health administration. But then at the county, when they had a CIDA program, I applied and I put on there and I had, did get a, it was ultimately a master's in public administration, but it was with a specialty in health care, community health care. And that, and I mentioned that I had worked in Peace Corps and got involved with family planning from that experience. And so I ended up, the county saw that on my resume, and says we need somebody to administer our federal Title X program. So that was my career and got into that whole thing. And so it helped my, my, so it helped in my career."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dear friendships, my whole life that's around, you know, keep up with our informants, the Iranian teachers and my friends here. And so it helped my social life. Uh, my views about foreign policy, because I learned about the Mossadeq and our nasty CIA work that we do undercover and how we let down, you know, we don't live up to our values, you know, around the world. And so, yeah, it's every, I can't think of anything that it didn't, hasn't had a positive effect on it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you don't have any regrets at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.451489928030611, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Dear friendships, my whole life that's around, you know, keep up with our informants, the Iranian teachers and my friends here. And so it helped my social life. Uh, my views about foreign policy, because I learned about the Mossadeq and our nasty CIA work that we do undercover and how we let down, you know, we don't live up to our values, you know, around the world. And so, yeah, it's every, I can't think of anything that it didn't, hasn't had a positive effect on it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you don't have any regrets at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. I wouldn't be the person I am today without it. It was a whole world change for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And over the years, have you ever had occasion to talk to somebody who is considering Peace Corps service? And what would you tell them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8349888089229007, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you don't have any regrets at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. I wouldn't be the person I am today without it. It was a whole world change for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And over the years, have you ever had occasion to talk to somebody who is considering Peace Corps service? And what would you tell them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I said, be, oh, but by all means, it was the biggest, changed my worldview. Oh, be sure to go, you know, you'll. Yeah, be sure. They have no, you know, it just, it's, it's, so it's such a benefit to young people, especially if you're young I think. Maybe old people too if they go in. But especially I think it was coming of age experience, too, I think is part of it. But it was, yeah. And I eat, my cuisine, I eat Persian food all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that reminds me of a question."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:261", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.261098676581001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. I wouldn't be the person I am today without it. It was a whole world change for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And over the years, have you ever had occasion to talk to somebody who is considering Peace Corps service? And what would you tell them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I said, be, oh, but by all means, it was the biggest, changed my worldview. Oh, be sure to go, you know, you'll. Yeah, be sure. They have no, you know, it just, it's, it's, so it's such a benefit to young people, especially if you're young I think. Maybe old people too if they go in. But especially I think it was coming of age experience, too, I think is part of it. But it was, yeah. And I eat, my cuisine, I eat Persian food all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that reminds me of a question."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things that, uh, that people think about when they consider Peace Corps is, oh, I got to eat weird stuff, you know. Did you, would you have any, uh, were there any kind of foods that you just?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.73455408509, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I said, be, oh, but by all means, it was the biggest, changed my worldview. Oh, be sure to go, you know, you'll. Yeah, be sure. They have no, you know, it just, it's, it's, so it's such a benefit to young people, especially if you're young I think. Maybe old people too if they go in. But especially I think it was coming of age experience, too, I think is part of it. But it was, yeah. And I eat, my cuisine, I eat Persian food all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that reminds me of a question."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things that, uh, that people think about when they consider Peace Corps is, oh, I got to eat weird stuff, you know. Did you, would you have any, uh, were there any kind of foods that you just?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, they have, their food is wonderful. It's an exquisite cuisine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't run into anything that we would consider weird?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.2606156501, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things that, uh, that people think about when they consider Peace Corps is, oh, I got to eat weird stuff, you know. Did you, would you have any, uh, were there any kind of foods that you just?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, they have, their food is wonderful. It's an exquisite cuisine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't run into anything that we would consider weird?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah, they had the sheep. What is it? The sheep testicles or something that they grill. And you can eat that on your rice. I said, well. I think your kidneys and that stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your favorite food?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4987869000000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, man. They have a lot. They have stews and khoreshes. I don't know. It's wonderful food. The people can really, it's really exquisite, the spices and the way they cook. My favorite, I don't know. Khoresh, really. You know, they have one like. They cook, they make stews with whatever vegetables are in season. So it could be eggplant. And then they make a stew of it and eat it with very little meat, basically, because they can't afford much. But eat that over rice. And the rice is wonderful. So it's just, we were lucky to be in Iran. I've heard of people's other, other countries is their diet isn't that interesting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've heard. I visited Belize later and I knew they had volunteers there and I was eating their food. This diet, oh my goodness, is so limited, you know, but. Oh, no, ours was just robust."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Rich."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very rich, yeah. It's very Middle Eastern, but it's, they have their own variety. Yeah. Have you had Iranian food ever?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I've had Middle Eastern food, I don't know anything specifically, but I love Middle Eastern food."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:273", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.887541, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've heard. I visited Belize later and I knew they had volunteers there and I was eating their food. This diet, oh my goodness, is so limited, you know, but. Oh, no, ours was just robust."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Rich."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very rich, yeah. It's very Middle Eastern, but it's, they have their own variety. Yeah. Have you had Iranian food ever?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I've had Middle Eastern food, I don't know anything specifically, but I love Middle Eastern food."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's, it's a little different, but it's wonderful. Yeah. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any other thoughts or last thoughts or stories that you'd like to share?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 4.31949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very rich, yeah. It's very Middle Eastern, but it's, they have their own variety. Yeah. Have you had Iranian food ever?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I've had Middle Eastern food, I don't know anything specifically, but I love Middle Eastern food."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it's, it's a little different, but it's wonderful. Yeah. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any other thoughts or last thoughts or stories that you'd like to share?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't think of any. I think I got. Oh. Oh, the other one I told too. Oh, that's the other thing is that it saved my life."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps saved your life?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right. And so they talked to them, the other doctor. Nah, she's fine. We did, you know, we dealt with it. So later on I said, oh, it wasn't that. It couldn't have been. That's deadly. So later on I came back here and I had to go to a regular doctor and I told them about it. He said, no, I bet it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I bet it was. Don't doubt that. They see it all the time. You get it from sheep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they know what to do with it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They knew what to do with it. He said that you probably got it when you went to the village. A sheep, it was on a sheep skin and he rubbed you as he went by in that, that shepherd, as he went by and the spore got on you and that's what it was. And he said, there's. I've since learned there's two kinds of anthrax, a topical one, and then the one in your lungs, which is the fatal one. But he said, you know, there was a case he had read. There was a case in Ohio or something. Somebody got that and they didn't know what it was and he died. So you were lucky. They knew, they treat it all the time. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I don't know if you'd say Peace Corps saved your life or almost killed you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:285", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I bet it was. Don't doubt that. They see it all the time. You get it from sheep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they know what to do with it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They knew what to do with it. He said that you probably got it when you went to the village. A sheep, it was on a sheep skin and he rubbed you as he went by in that, that shepherd, as he went by and the spore got on you and that's what it was. And he said, there's. I've since learned there's two kinds of anthrax, a topical one, and then the one in your lungs, which is the fatal one. But he said, you know, there was a case he had read. There was a case in Ohio or something. Somebody got that and they didn't know what it was and he died. So you were lucky. They knew, they treat it all the time. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I don't know if you'd say Peace Corps saved your life or almost killed you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So that was the other thing. It was good to, eh. Or I was guilty, yeah, I don't know. Yeah, but I was lucky. Yeah. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. Well, you had a great experience and very interesting interview."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00132:287", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They knew what to do with it. He said that you probably got it when you went to the village. A sheep, it was on a sheep skin and he rubbed you as he went by in that, that shepherd, as he went by and the spore got on you and that's what it was. And he said, there's. I've since learned there's two kinds of anthrax, a topical one, and then the one in your lungs, which is the fatal one. But he said, you know, there was a case he had read. There was a case in Ohio or something. Somebody got that and they didn't know what it was and he died. So you were lucky. They knew, they treat it all the time. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I don't know if you'd say Peace Corps saved your life or almost killed you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So that was the other thing. It was good to, eh. Or I was guilty, yeah, I don't know. Yeah, but I was lucky. Yeah. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. Well, you had a great experience and very interesting interview."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you. Thank you, Jay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You have anything else?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00883:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We do. We have a number of programs here, from K [kindergarten] through 12 and then on into graduate school. We have pre-service teacher programs which help teachers to learn to teach STEM. We started the distance learning program which reaches schools in the most remote locations and lets them interact with our engineers. This helps them see themselves as engineers or scientists.\\n\\n Some of our folks go out to Explorer Schools and utilize technology to bring NASA into the classrooms and help them grasp, “Well, what is a wind tunnel test?” or “Why do you do that?” So by actually talking to the folks that are doing that work here, they can have a conversation and ask questions.\\n\\n We’ve seen schools turn around, schools that were in the bottom of the pack. I’ve heard principals tell me these stories and how getting involved with NASA moved the school to the top in the state, because kids realize that that’s not something just somebody else does. “That’s something I can do, and here’s how I do that.” So that’s another thing that’s just a huge point of satisfaction."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, very rewarding."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very rewarding indeed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Before we close, is there anything else that you would like to reflect on as NASA enters its next 50 years of discovery and exploration?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I look forward to being part of a leadership team that’s going to make the next dreams a reality and inspire the next generation in making history. It is pretty cool to realize “I’m making history – we are making history.” Not many can say that as they go to work each day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, thank you. That’s a good place to stop. We appreciate it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 46.75259433867545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll be glad to do anything you want, because I know it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that for you it was pretty clear that going on to a free return trajectory was going to be the way to go. You had assumed that the service module was dead. You couldn’t use the SPS engine. Was there a lot of consideration by other people to doing the direct abort?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were, and I couldn’t believe that they were even thinking about it there. We never did do it. We never discussed that. For that kind of case, we always were going around. You didn’t have enough. It was too dangerous. But, no, there were people sitting there thinking it was still nominal until they could prove different, and we were wasting time because we were getting to a point that we were going to lose them. They could go around the Moon and we couldn’t tell them and we couldn’t give them the update. In fact, it was close as it was. It was close to tell the crew what to do. When we told them, they had to know what was happening to them. I forgot that part of it. None of that’s ever written in anything, but they’re bound to have known what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The fact that Apollo 13 was, if I recall, the first of the missions not to be on a free-return trajectory, which I guess was dictated by the length of the flight—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s because we carried the Rover in it. We put more weight on it, and we couldn’t do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there arguments against removing it from a free-return trajectory in the initial flight planning for the mission, something perhaps seen as too dangerous to do that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 34.11176042578354, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. I was just wondering about that.\\n\\n Did anybody ever bring up about the guys that were supposed to be in quarantine, and the girl? Did that ever come up again?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that very briefly at the end of your last interview."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I want somebody else that was over there, that was responsible for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You suggested that we ask Chris Kraft."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You ought to ask him what he thought about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We can put that one down."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 36.790844917537264, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I want somebody else that was over there, that was responsible for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You suggested that we ask Chris Kraft."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You ought to ask him what he thought about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We can put that one down."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did you ever talk to Doctor [Charles A.] Berry?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Chuck Berry."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 40.8787165750414, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You ought to ask him what he thought about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We can put that one down."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did you ever talk to Doctor [Charles A.] Berry?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Chuck Berry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He’s a guy that should know, because that was his crew that got involved in all that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He didn’t mention that, but we have talked to him once."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 43.19857397226822, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did you ever talk to Doctor [Charles A.] Berry?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Chuck Berry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He’s a guy that should know, because that was his crew that got involved in all that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He didn’t mention that, but we have talked to him once."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did the same thing on the ship coming back from the first lunar flight. The guys were supposed to get in some kind of a—looked like one of those small house trailers. Everybody got so excited about seeing them, I think the Marine guards and everything had to go in there because the guys tried to get through the line. I just remember all of that on that. The quarantine really didn’t work. That’s what’s so out of it, all that money and time sometimes. I don’t want to get into that one, but I just thought about that the other day. I wonder what the lunar Mars thing will be like, wonder what they’ll do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That should be interesting to see, and how much they build on the experience from the Lunar Receiving Lab and the procedures they developed for coming back from the Moon."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 35.31304296161841, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn’t."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because I think he had mentioned, I don’t know if it was a similar project or some peripheral involvement with this same one, but he had told a story about ending up out there working on some satellite project."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I always worked with communication satellites, and I don’t remember Don. I knew of him. Gosh, Don used to be a flight controller, a systems guy at the Cape. Arnie [Arnold D.] Aldrich took his place. Yes, I remember that. Then he had a bad wreck, on 517 [Farm-Market Road 517], I believe. That was about the time of Skylab. Head-on collision, I understand. How’s he doing?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He’s doing really well. He’s living down in Florida by the Cape, building a boat."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, he was always something else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ve heard some stories about him."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 32.57004773513157, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I always worked with communication satellites, and I don’t remember Don. I knew of him. Gosh, Don used to be a flight controller, a systems guy at the Cape. Arnie [Arnold D.] Aldrich took his place. Yes, I remember that. Then he had a bad wreck, on 517 [Farm-Market Road 517], I believe. That was about the time of Skylab. Head-on collision, I understand. How’s he doing?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He’s doing really well. He’s living down in Florida by the Cape, building a boat."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, he was always something else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ve heard some stories about him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I really did get into that thing. In fact, I helped him build that launch satellite, that LLMC that went on the Tibetan border. I was really new about that one. I don’t why I didn’t see him, but I saw a lot of commercial guys. I met a lot of them, the Hughes guys and what was Loral now, they were Ford Aerospace, I knew all those guys because they still were there. I worked for the Japanese, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ve covered quite a bit of your career in the several interviews we’ve done here. I don’t know if there are any segments that we’ve left out that you want to talk about."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 36.18894192792396, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, he was always something else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ve heard some stories about him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I really did get into that thing. In fact, I helped him build that launch satellite, that LLMC that went on the Tibetan border. I was really new about that one. I don’t why I didn’t see him, but I saw a lot of commercial guys. I met a lot of them, the Hughes guys and what was Loral now, they were Ford Aerospace, I knew all those guys because they still were there. I worked for the Japanese, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ve covered quite a bit of your career in the several interviews we’ve done here. I don’t know if there are any segments that we’ve left out that you want to talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I’m just glad that you wrote me, and this can be the last one. I don’t have much more to say."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess the only thing I wanted to ask you about, if you wanted to talk about it for a few minutes, are some of the stories I guess that you become famous, or infamous for. Everybody we talked to that’s known you says, “Oh, you’ve got to ask John Llewellyn about this or about this.”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 40.20993547547107, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I really did get into that thing. In fact, I helped him build that launch satellite, that LLMC that went on the Tibetan border. I was really new about that one. I don’t why I didn’t see him, but I saw a lot of commercial guys. I met a lot of them, the Hughes guys and what was Loral now, they were Ford Aerospace, I knew all those guys because they still were there. I worked for the Japanese, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ve covered quite a bit of your career in the several interviews we’ve done here. I don’t know if there are any segments that we’ve left out that you want to talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I’m just glad that you wrote me, and this can be the last one. I don’t have much more to say."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess the only thing I wanted to ask you about, if you wanted to talk about it for a few minutes, are some of the stories I guess that you become famous, or infamous for. Everybody we talked to that’s known you says, “Oh, you’ve got to ask John Llewellyn about this or about this.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll be glad to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So if you just wanted to comment on some of them for a few minutes."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 48.5307845376186, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll be glad to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So if you just wanted to comment on some of them for a few minutes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Certainly. And I do remember the one about—but I didn’t think we was supposed to talk about that. That was kind of a DoD thing on that, the one about Jack Schmitt. Where did that come? Did that come in the book? I missed that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll tell you, that book of Gene’s [Failure is Not an Option] is not bad. Of course, I’ve got to say that. I don’t have to write a resume the rest of my life, I just say, “Get the book.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s a good point."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 50.589760597354, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Certainly. And I do remember the one about—but I didn’t think we was supposed to talk about that. That was kind of a DoD thing on that, the one about Jack Schmitt. Where did that come? Did that come in the book? I missed that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll tell you, that book of Gene’s [Failure is Not an Option] is not bad. Of course, I’ve got to say that. I don’t have to write a resume the rest of my life, I just say, “Get the book.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s a good point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But he did a pretty good job of writing. I didn’t know he could write that well. I think he did a very good job of turning that thing around after the AS-204 or whatever Apollo that thing we called it [unclear] because I think he’s right. I think that was the first time we all realized. I mean, we had had some really cliffhangers with Gemini, but that was the first thing that we were and we could hear it all and we couldn’t do anything about it. I think that’s the point he made, and I think everybody stuck in mind and made sure that no matter what we did, we’d have a way to do things. I think he set the stage for the way I handled 13, having that book available."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "His book has certainly been a valuable resource for us in preparing for interviews and finding other people to talk to."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 27, "return_to_go": 55.09973399706, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll tell you, that book of Gene’s [Failure is Not an Option] is not bad. Of course, I’ve got to say that. I don’t have to write a resume the rest of my life, I just say, “Get the book.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s a good point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But he did a pretty good job of writing. I didn’t know he could write that well. I think he did a very good job of turning that thing around after the AS-204 or whatever Apollo that thing we called it [unclear] because I think he’s right. I think that was the first time we all realized. I mean, we had had some really cliffhangers with Gemini, but that was the first thing that we were and we could hear it all and we couldn’t do anything about it. I think that’s the point he made, and I think everybody stuck in mind and made sure that no matter what we did, we’d have a way to do things. I think he set the stage for the way I handled 13, having that book available."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "His book has certainly been a valuable resource for us in preparing for interviews and finding other people to talk to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He did pretty well at it. He picked a lot of things up I had forgotten all about. That thing with [Alan B.] Shepard [Jr.], I had forgotten that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the recurring stories we get, and I think it even made it in his book, was the one about you getting your parking pass revoked and having to do the horse. I was wondering if you could give us your version of the events that happened there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 27.545994000000004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He didn’t charged, but it dinged his car. That was the end of the story.\\n\\n I understand that George Abbey said when I left NASA the first time he went to one of those interdivision things in Building 1, he brought up to the guy who was ever running, he says, “Now I think that you can get rid of a lot of these rent-a-cops because Llewellyn’s gone. You can get rid of half of them.” That’s what I understand happened. They said, “It’s all over, man.” That did start up. That did do it.\\n\\n I do think about that. The one I can’t understand, I was walking. One day I was over there and it was kind of a nice day, and I says, because it’s changed, “I want to go back to Building 30 because they’ve got that—” You can’t really tell where I did it because they’ve got that glass thing. I says, “God, I can’t believe I did that. I really can’t believe I actually drove up and left it.” It was really out of it. It’s a really out of it deal. To me, it’s funny. It was funny when I did it. It wasn’t funny the way it turned out with all that, but then it turned out okay, too, because it had the horse incident and then it had Dutch driving into the OD, which is great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That story seems to be the one that most of the people remember that involves you, so it was memorable for quite a few people."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, why is that? It’s another day. But there was a lot of stuff we did. Did anybody ever write—too bad you didn’t get a hold of Mel [Melvin F.] Brooks. He just died."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We did actually interview him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did you ever go through him about that Hatch Act thing?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It didn’t come up during his interview. Unfortunately, we only had one day to talk to him and had a lot to cover. We didn’t get a chance to talk about that part."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.606660000000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, why is that? It’s another day. But there was a lot of stuff we did. Did anybody ever write—too bad you didn’t get a hold of Mel [Melvin F.] Brooks. He just died."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We did actually interview him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did you ever go through him about that Hatch Act thing?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It didn’t come up during his interview. Unfortunately, we only had one day to talk to him and had a lot to cover. We didn’t get a chance to talk about that part."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was another—not only all the other stuff we did, but that turned out to be a long drawn-out thing. I don’t think many organizations have had that kind of thing going. Has anybody ever talked about that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, we haven’t gotten much on that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00338:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 37.786, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was another—not only all the other stuff we did, but that turned out to be a long drawn-out thing. I don’t think many organizations have had that kind of thing going. Has anybody ever talked about that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, we haven’t gotten much on that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Lunney never mentioned it? He didn’t get in it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kraft?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We haven’t talked to him yet. He was waiting until his book came out, at least, to talk to us, which it should be out in a month or two, I guess."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00083:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 137.13926434990165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s my pleasure. I’m honored to be part of the program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. Well, this morning I think we should begin with your experiences in the Apollo Program. When did you start working on the Apollo Program?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably it was early on. I think, as I told you last time, I arrived at the Manned Spacecraft Center [Houston, Texas] in May of ’62, and by ’64, I was deeply involved in the Apollo reaction control system work. One thing that drove that was the fact that, although I was also working on Gemini, the reaction control system thrusters, their little rocket engines for Gemini and for the Apollo command module, which held the crew, were made by the same company, Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, California, and were almost identical.\\n\\n In fact, when the contract had been given to Rocketdyne for the Apollo thrusters, the idea was that they would be identical, and therefore would save development money, and that type of thing, turned out not to be the case. But the fact that I was working on Gemini led me, really, into the Apollo ablative thrusters also. And then the thrusters on the service module and on the lunar module, which was contracted for later, were of a different type. They were hard metallic rocket engines, which were cooled by radiation. In other words, they just allowed them to get up to very high temperatures and then radiated away their heat and controlled their temperature by that mechanism.\\n\\n So I would say by mid-’64 I was deeply involved in the Apollo reaction control system thruster, and my field was specifically working on the thruster, although I was also aware of technology and did periodically work on other components like the propellant tanks, the pressure regulators, the various valves, and the things of that nature."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that the idea was to have the Gemini and the Apollo be identical for the RCS [Reaction Control System]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you mentioned that they weren’t exactly. Can you explain that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 48.33504139924007, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was the research in the factual material. It was relating the social sciences to each other. It was interdisciplinary research and it was writing. We had to write lots of papers. It was a very intensive course. So all these things combined to give me some preparation for the work I was to undertake later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A really good background. What caused you to apply for a position with the Library of Congress?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, in August of 1941, the Legislative Reference Service had a position open for an editor of post-war abstracts. We were not in the war yet, but the State Department anticipated that we would get in the war, which we did very shortly, because Pearl Harbor came on in December. They wanted to have a lot of work done in what happens and what do you do after a war was over, because they were assuming that if we were in the war, we were going to win and we would have problems. I was to do research on the post-war problems.\\n\\n So I became editor of the post-war abstracts, and there I learned how to do research in the library, [where] the Legislative Reference is the research arm of the Congress, and it is set up in order to do factual reports that are not political, but help the members to identify issues and the reasons for and against [issues], so they can make up their mind. So this was a very valuable experience, because as soon as the post-war abstracts were over, I became editor of the [Public Affairs Abstracts which furnished information on problems before Congress.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We can come back to it if you’d like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I didn’t know whether I was getting into your next question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it’s close, but go ahead. I was going to ask you about some of the special characteristics."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 35.143997921199286, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The beneficial uses."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What would you regard as the highlights of your career on Capitol Hill?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, one of them was my appointment as a Special Consultant to the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences. One was my work with Lyndon [B.] Johnson on the hearings, on the missile satellites situation. My work with [Congressman] McCormack in the House on the same subject, that is, the legislation that set up NASA, that was very important. Then a highlight was being sent by the Senate to the United Nations and to some foreign conferences. [This experience led to opportunities for keeping abreast of international space activities. In 1995 when the United Nations was celebrating its 59th Anniversary I was invited to speak on “Space Law: Role of the United Nations: Organization and Management.” In 1997 I was invited by the United Nations and the Government of Austria to participate in a seminar at Alpbach, Austria where I gave a paper on “Space Futures and Human Security.”\\n\\n Then by this time I was promoted from the lowest—I had gone in there at the lowest paying job for a researcher—and I was promoted to the top level. That is, at first I was just what they call P-1, a Professional 1, and I wound up as a Senior Specialist in International Relations/National Security. So that was a highlight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What time period? How long between those two positions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I went in 1941, and I guess I became a senior specialist at the time I was working for Lyndon Johnson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sometime in the late fifties?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 37.9377754679992, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, one of them was my appointment as a Special Consultant to the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences. One was my work with Lyndon [B.] Johnson on the hearings, on the missile satellites situation. My work with [Congressman] McCormack in the House on the same subject, that is, the legislation that set up NASA, that was very important. Then a highlight was being sent by the Senate to the United Nations and to some foreign conferences. [This experience led to opportunities for keeping abreast of international space activities. In 1995 when the United Nations was celebrating its 59th Anniversary I was invited to speak on “Space Law: Role of the United Nations: Organization and Management.” In 1997 I was invited by the United Nations and the Government of Austria to participate in a seminar at Alpbach, Austria where I gave a paper on “Space Futures and Human Security.”\\n\\n Then by this time I was promoted from the lowest—I had gone in there at the lowest paying job for a researcher—and I was promoted to the top level. That is, at first I was just what they call P-1, a Professional 1, and I wound up as a Senior Specialist in International Relations/National Security. So that was a highlight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What time period? How long between those two positions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I went in 1941, and I guess I became a senior specialist at the time I was working for Lyndon Johnson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sometime in the late fifties?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes [or early sixties]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s quite a rise then in prestige and pay and everything else."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 42.15308385333245, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I went in 1941, and I guess I became a senior specialist at the time I was working for Lyndon Johnson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sometime in the late fifties?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes [or early sixties]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s quite a rise then in prestige and pay and everything else."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Sometimes oral history people ask how I handled the problem of being discriminated against because I was a woman. And I was never discriminated against, and the question always surprised me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you never felt like there was a different treatment or that you were treated any differently at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 52.04084426337339, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Sometimes oral history people ask how I handled the problem of being discriminated against because I was a woman. And I was never discriminated against, and the question always surprised me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you never felt like there was a different treatment or that you were treated any differently at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And this is true in all the space things. There are outstanding positions that women hold in the space [field], not only in the United States, but in other countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the research that we’ve done, it seems to be the case with most of the women that we’ve talked to, that they feel that way."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 57.8231602926371, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And this is true in all the space things. There are outstanding positions that women hold in the space [field], not only in the United States, but in other countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the research that we’ve done, it seems to be the case with most of the women that we’ve talked to, that they feel that way."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When you’re in a meeting and there are a lot of people from different walks and people who have specialties or they’re from different nations, nobody cares anything about any of that, because we’re studying a subject and trying to do something with it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re more interested in the subject at hand than who’s actually speaking. Do you have any recollections of Congress in action when working on outer space legislation?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 35, "return_to_go": 64.35476343947126, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they organized the executive branch, they organized the Congress, with two new standing committees. By the fall [of 1958] was when [Dwight D.] Eisenhower had asked Lyndon Johnson to go to the United Nations and help set up the Ad hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and that showed that we were looking at it from every point of view. We were developing [outer space] from national and international [aspects], and the leadership really came from the Congress. It was a remarkable achievement. By October of that year, we had the first Administrator in at NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s amazing. Do you feel that if the United States had not moved that swiftly—I mean, the other countries involved, do you think they would have tried to do the same things as far as setting up the peaceful side of it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think they would have had the wherewithal to do it. I mean, you had to have somebody spearheading this. The United States as a whole was the real leader that the scientists and the engineers and the politicians and the economists and everybody got together. There were those three forces, I think I mentioned before, that combined instantly out of fear of orbiting weapons and belief in the benefits that space activities were going to produce."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it certainly did make a difference."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that time or after that, you traveled with your husband, as you mentioned earlier, George Galloway, to conferences [of] the Interparliamentary Union, and you went to several different countries when you traveled. Could you tell us about some of your experiences when you were traveling with him?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 42.25844145628907, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One time the American Bar Association invited me to a meeting, and I was fixing my own paper, you know, and typing a round, and someone came up and offered me a job as a typist. I was really very proud of that. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ask him how much you’d be making? [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I’d been tempted to tell him I already had a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were traveling with your husband, what was the time period in there? You were still working at that time in—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was working, but, you know, I have annual leave, and so my annual leave I took at the time when they had the conferences."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So every year whenever you had time off, you would just accumulate it and go with him?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 46.953823840321185, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I’d been tempted to tell him I already had a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were traveling with your husband, what was the time period in there? You were still working at that time in—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was working, but, you know, I have annual leave, and so my annual leave I took at the time when they had the conferences."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So every year whenever you had time off, you would just accumulate it and go with him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s interesting. So you got to travel over most of the world then."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 52.17091537813465, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was working, but, you know, I have annual leave, and so my annual leave I took at the time when they had the conferences."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So every year whenever you had time off, you would just accumulate it and go with him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s interesting. So you got to travel over most of the world then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we did a great deal of traveling, and it was really interesting because we got to meet so many people, and the members of the different legislatures met each other and then they could get in touch with each other later on different subjects, when they wanted to work together on disarmament, for example, or some subject like that, or some economic subject."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had two sons during this time, too. Did they ever travel with you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 18, "return_to_go": 46.85657264237183, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s interesting. So you got to travel over most of the world then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we did a great deal of traveling, and it was really interesting because we got to meet so many people, and the members of the different legislatures met each other and then they could get in touch with each other later on different subjects, when they wanted to work together on disarmament, for example, or some subject like that, or some economic subject."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had two sons during this time, too. Did they ever travel with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. My first son [David] was born while I was at Swarthmore. He became news editor of the Los Angeles Times in Costa Mesa, California. A few years ago he died. But he had three children, and so I have those three grandchildren, and from them, four great-grandchildren.\\n\\n My other son [Jonathan] is a professor at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois. He also has three children. So I have lots of grandchildren and great-grandchildren."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did your traveling on your own, too, with the International Astronautical Federation. Can you share a little about your experience with that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 35.33999793076029, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I could do that with all of the social sciences, that is, identify which ones are needed in order to solve a certain problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were an expert in solving problems."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So the European Space Agency invited me to their meeting in Beatenburg, Switzerland, also to work on this with regard to the Moon and Mars. I gave a paper on “Space Science and Technology on the Moon-Mars Mission” in Dresden, Germany, and that was how they happened to invite me.\\n\\n Again, I had an amusing experience. I arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, and the plane comes in and the railroad station is on the bottom, is on the underground. I had to go from the plane to the railroad, so I had a wheelchair that took me there, and the man was very attentive, but when we got to the railroad, it was two hours before I was to leave for Beatenburg. So he didn’t know what to do with me, and he took me to the Lost and Found, and I was the only animate person in this. Everything else was just lost wallets and umbrellas and things like that. But he remembered, fortunately, to get me in time to get on the train for Beatenburg."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So nobody tried to claim you at the Lost and Found?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was unclaimed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were unclaimed. When was that? What year did that trip take place?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 35.9333310341781, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So the European Space Agency invited me to their meeting in Beatenburg, Switzerland, also to work on this with regard to the Moon and Mars. I gave a paper on “Space Science and Technology on the Moon-Mars Mission” in Dresden, Germany, and that was how they happened to invite me.\\n\\n Again, I had an amusing experience. I arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, and the plane comes in and the railroad station is on the bottom, is on the underground. I had to go from the plane to the railroad, so I had a wheelchair that took me there, and the man was very attentive, but when we got to the railroad, it was two hours before I was to leave for Beatenburg. So he didn’t know what to do with me, and he took me to the Lost and Found, and I was the only animate person in this. Everything else was just lost wallets and umbrellas and things like that. But he remembered, fortunately, to get me in time to get on the train for Beatenburg."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So nobody tried to claim you at the Lost and Found?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was unclaimed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were unclaimed. When was that? What year did that trip take place?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don’t remember. I go so many places that I don’t really—I’d have to look that up. [It was in 1994 when the European Space Agency held an International Lunar Workshop: Towards a World Strategy for the Exploration and Utilization of Our Natural Satellite. My paper was on “Political, Legal and Economic Aspects of a Return to the Moon.”]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the future?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 39.925923371309004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was unclaimed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were unclaimed. When was that? What year did that trip take place?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don’t remember. I go so many places that I don’t really—I’d have to look that up. [It was in 1994 when the European Space Agency held an International Lunar Workshop: Towards a World Strategy for the Exploration and Utilization of Our Natural Satellite. My paper was on “Political, Legal and Economic Aspects of a Return to the Moon.”]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the future?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I’m sure they value your opinion, since you’ve been doing this for so long and they’re still calling you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 44.36213707923223, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don’t remember. I go so many places that I don’t really—I’d have to look that up. [It was in 1994 when the European Space Agency held an International Lunar Workshop: Towards a World Strategy for the Exploration and Utilization of Our Natural Satellite. My paper was on “Political, Legal and Economic Aspects of a Return to the Moon.”]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the future?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I’m sure they value your opinion, since you’ve been doing this for so long and they’re still calling you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I suppose so. Anyway, the International Astronautical Federation is very important in [bringing] together people from all over the world. They get to know each other, and all these space conferences keep it going in all these countries, because it’s also international. The people know each other and they can solve problems that way and get together more easily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, I imagine, promotes that feeling of peace that you all tried to create at the very beginning."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 49.29126342136914, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I’m sure they value your opinion, since you’ve been doing this for so long and they’re still calling you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I suppose so. Anyway, the International Astronautical Federation is very important in [bringing] together people from all over the world. They get to know each other, and all these space conferences keep it going in all these countries, because it’s also international. The people know each other and they can solve problems that way and get together more easily."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, I imagine, promotes that feeling of peace that you all tried to create at the very beginning."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just share the information. There’s quite a few significant differences in the Senate staffing now compared to the way it was when you were involved. What are your thoughts about that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 25.10424680019699, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And this moves so fast that it’s hard to keep up, but you need to have that in mind when you’re coming to a conclusion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it is definitely hard to write space history while it happens, and I know the timeliness of it is important. So if you keep all of those things in mind, maybe we won’t have as many problems.\\n\\n When you were fourteen and deciding you were going to learn to be a dressmaker and then later on thinking about being a secretary or learning those skills so that they would, and they did, come in handy in your life—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I tell you, they were very handy yesterday. If I hadn’t been able to type, I couldn’t have got that fax off to NASA this morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. Well, when you were learning all those skills and then when you were later at Washington University and Swarthmore College, did you have any idea of the path your life would take?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn’t."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It just happened that way?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.338052000218877, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I tell you, they were very handy yesterday. If I hadn’t been able to type, I couldn’t have got that fax off to NASA this morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. Well, when you were learning all those skills and then when you were later at Washington University and Swarthmore College, did you have any idea of the path your life would take?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn’t."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It just happened that way?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and I didn’t see all these connections until later, you know, when I had time to look back and when I began to be so grateful to some of my teachers and wished that I had been able to tell them that while they were still living, especially my shorthand and typing teacher, Miss Borland. She was a martinet. You know, you couldn’t come to school unless you had done your homework, and you had to do each little Gregg shorthand wiggle exactly the same size as in the book, and you had to do it nine times every night for each one. If you typed a page and you made an overstrike or made any mistake at all—and you had nothing on your keys, you know, you were just looking at a chart—you had to do the whole page over.\\n\\n Well, this came in very handy. We had a meeting in Stockholm,… Sweden [1960]. This was a meeting of the International Astronautical Federation. I took all my notes in shorthand, and the machinery for recording broke down. I didn’t know this at the time because I just had a shorthand book. No one had any record of this, and this was when the Russian was giving his speech and the U.S. was anxious to know what it was that he said, and we didn’t have that simultaneous translation. I had it all in shorthand in my book, and they were so surprised that I had this. [Laughter] I couldn’t believe it. Meanwhile, I was the one that was surprised because all these other people could speak two languages or three, which I thought was more important."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your skill, though, at that time was very important since this was the record."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 24.820057778020974, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn’t."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It just happened that way?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and I didn’t see all these connections until later, you know, when I had time to look back and when I began to be so grateful to some of my teachers and wished that I had been able to tell them that while they were still living, especially my shorthand and typing teacher, Miss Borland. She was a martinet. You know, you couldn’t come to school unless you had done your homework, and you had to do each little Gregg shorthand wiggle exactly the same size as in the book, and you had to do it nine times every night for each one. If you typed a page and you made an overstrike or made any mistake at all—and you had nothing on your keys, you know, you were just looking at a chart—you had to do the whole page over.\\n\\n Well, this came in very handy. We had a meeting in Stockholm,… Sweden [1960]. This was a meeting of the International Astronautical Federation. I took all my notes in shorthand, and the machinery for recording broke down. I didn’t know this at the time because I just had a shorthand book. No one had any record of this, and this was when the Russian was giving his speech and the U.S. was anxious to know what it was that he said, and we didn’t have that simultaneous translation. I had it all in shorthand in my book, and they were so surprised that I had this. [Laughter] I couldn’t believe it. Meanwhile, I was the one that was surprised because all these other people could speak two languages or three, which I thought was more important."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your skill, though, at that time was very important since this was the record."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was very handy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, did your parents, when you went to college and they—I’m sure they supported your choices and your career choices."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 26.46673086446775, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and I didn’t see all these connections until later, you know, when I had time to look back and when I began to be so grateful to some of my teachers and wished that I had been able to tell them that while they were still living, especially my shorthand and typing teacher, Miss Borland. She was a martinet. You know, you couldn’t come to school unless you had done your homework, and you had to do each little Gregg shorthand wiggle exactly the same size as in the book, and you had to do it nine times every night for each one. If you typed a page and you made an overstrike or made any mistake at all—and you had nothing on your keys, you know, you were just looking at a chart—you had to do the whole page over.\\n\\n Well, this came in very handy. We had a meeting in Stockholm,… Sweden [1960]. This was a meeting of the International Astronautical Federation. I took all my notes in shorthand, and the machinery for recording broke down. I didn’t know this at the time because I just had a shorthand book. No one had any record of this, and this was when the Russian was giving his speech and the U.S. was anxious to know what it was that he said, and we didn’t have that simultaneous translation. I had it all in shorthand in my book, and they were so surprised that I had this. [Laughter] I couldn’t believe it. Meanwhile, I was the one that was surprised because all these other people could speak two languages or three, which I thought was more important."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your skill, though, at that time was very important since this was the record."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was very handy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, did your parents, when you went to college and they—I’m sure they supported your choices and your career choices."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[My parents were divorced when I was nine years old.] My mother died when I was—she died very young."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were still a child?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 17, "return_to_go": 28.296367627186388, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was very handy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, did your parents, when you went to college and they—I’m sure they supported your choices and your career choices."}, {"role": "user", "content": "[My parents were divorced when I was nine years old.] My mother died when I was—she died very young."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were still a child?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "[No, but yes before] my father died. However, I don’t know whether they should be a part of this [because I chose my major in Political Science when I entered college]. When I got married, my main ambition was to graduate from college. So giving up two years of my scholarship to go to Washington with George was quite a wrench, you know. But we were so much in love, you know, we had to get married."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When we first [arrived], you were talking about how “they” won’t let you retire. They’re still calling on you. Maybe you can explain a little bit about what you’re doing now."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.508257319290333, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and I just finished an article for—what was that? I have just had published an article on the future of space law. That was in the Space Law Journal, which is published in Oxford, Mississippi, at the university there [University of Mississippi]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you’re just keeping pretty much as busy as you were before you retired then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. There’s a lot of interest in the future, in the future problems. I had written a piece before on this problem of sovereignty over air space. We don’t have any sovereignty in outer space, and that makes quite a problem. So that was given at a conference in—where was that? I don’t know. I went to so many conferences."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You can’t keep them all straight."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Bermuda last year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How could you forget Bermuda? [Laughter]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.564730354767036, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. There’s a lot of interest in the future, in the future problems. I had written a piece before on this problem of sovereignty over air space. We don’t have any sovereignty in outer space, and that makes quite a problem. So that was given at a conference in—where was that? I don’t know. I went to so many conferences."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You can’t keep them all straight."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Bermuda last year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How could you forget Bermuda? [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I forgot that I’d been to Bermuda."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve traveled so much you can’t remember where you’ve been."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.738589283074484, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Bermuda last year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How could you forget Bermuda? [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I forgot that I’d been to Bermuda."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve traveled so much you can’t remember where you’ve been."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s wonderful. It’d be hard to [remember] the countries you haven’t been to.\n\nWell, before we end, I was going to ask Rebecca if there was anything else that she had, any other questions.\n\nI think you’ve just shared so much invaluable information with us, and we certainly thank you for giving us all your time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 13.04287698119387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I forgot that I’d been to Bermuda."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve traveled so much you can’t remember where you’ve been."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s wonderful. It’d be hard to [remember] the countries you haven’t been to.\n\nWell, before we end, I was going to ask Rebecca if there was anything else that she had, any other questions.\n\nI think you’ve just shared so much invaluable information with us, and we certainly thank you for giving us all your time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I hope it makes some sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It does, and we really appreciate you letting us come back and do this again."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.04764109021541, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s wonderful. It’d be hard to [remember] the countries you haven’t been to.\n\nWell, before we end, I was going to ask Rebecca if there was anything else that she had, any other questions.\n\nI think you’ve just shared so much invaluable information with us, and we certainly thank you for giving us all your time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I hope it makes some sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It does, and we really appreciate you letting us come back and do this again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought that calling attention to these [government publications] would be helpful to someone doing research. See, a committee print is not like a document, see? I mean, it’s a document, but it doesn’t have a number like a hearing or report on the hearing which goes to all the depository libraries. So you really have to find out if you’re interested in some subject, what they have in the way of committee prints, because some of them are very valuable research projects.\\n\\n Like one time when I was working on military affairs, I came across a real gem on the legal relation of the Marine Corps to the Navy, and that was really interesting to me. Then there was one that one friend of mine did on the role of the Senate in treaty-making. I, of course, was interested in that.\\n\\n I did a lot of work for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when they were considering the ’67 treaty. It’s interesting that Senator [Albert] Gore [Sr.], that is, the father of the Vice President, brought up some of these really important questions when that committee was considering this treaty, the extent to which the United States was committing itself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your office always in the Library of Congress?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:104", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 11.1640456557949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I hope it makes some sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It does, and we really appreciate you letting us come back and do this again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought that calling attention to these [government publications] would be helpful to someone doing research. See, a committee print is not like a document, see? I mean, it’s a document, but it doesn’t have a number like a hearing or report on the hearing which goes to all the depository libraries. So you really have to find out if you’re interested in some subject, what they have in the way of committee prints, because some of them are very valuable research projects.\\n\\n Like one time when I was working on military affairs, I came across a real gem on the legal relation of the Marine Corps to the Navy, and that was really interesting to me. Then there was one that one friend of mine did on the role of the Senate in treaty-making. I, of course, was interested in that.\\n\\n I did a lot of work for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when they were considering the ’67 treaty. It’s interesting that Senator [Albert] Gore [Sr.], that is, the father of the Vice President, brought up some of these really important questions when that committee was considering this treaty, the extent to which the United States was committing itself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your office always in the Library of Congress?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get the same office all the time that you were working or did [they] move you over in the office—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:106", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.960050728661, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought that calling attention to these [government publications] would be helpful to someone doing research. See, a committee print is not like a document, see? I mean, it’s a document, but it doesn’t have a number like a hearing or report on the hearing which goes to all the depository libraries. So you really have to find out if you’re interested in some subject, what they have in the way of committee prints, because some of them are very valuable research projects.\\n\\n Like one time when I was working on military affairs, I came across a real gem on the legal relation of the Marine Corps to the Navy, and that was really interesting to me. Then there was one that one friend of mine did on the role of the Senate in treaty-making. I, of course, was interested in that.\\n\\n I did a lot of work for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when they were considering the ’67 treaty. It’s interesting that Senator [Albert] Gore [Sr.], that is, the father of the Vice President, brought up some of these really important questions when that committee was considering this treaty, the extent to which the United States was committing itself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your office always in the Library of Congress?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get the same office all the time that you were working or did [they] move you over in the office—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I started out in the Main Building, and as it grew and we got more and more employees, we were finally moved to the second floor, which is a perfectly beautiful room with windows from the floor to the ceiling, which is now used for exhibits. Then I was moved to the Annex Building, and the Annex Building [had] offices at the top for the [senior] staff. I finally got an office with a double window, which I enjoyed. I could see the dome of the Library and the dome of the Capitol."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were finished with your report and you met with the Senators or even during the time that you were meeting with them, were you going over to their offices or were you having group meetings in the Library of Congress? Where were those discussions taking place?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:118", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7124209999999997, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it’s different for the quick questions that you need to answer, you know. Members might call in and have a constituent—they have a lot of constituent mail—and somebody writes a letter and asks his member how long it takes a robin to hatch its egg or something like that. I don’t know if you can find that on the Internet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You can find anything on the Internet. I’m sure you can find that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So if you were in a congressman’s office, you could look that up on the Internet and not call the Congressional Research Service. I don’t know to what extent that would develop."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned earlier about making sure it’s not second-hand information and that sort of thing, I think with the Internet it’s a little harder to make sure you have real information, instead of somebody else’s interpretation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And would you always know whether it was up to date? That bothers me, people coming to conclusions. Then it always bothers me when people do research on problems and offer solutions and make no attempt to estimate the probable consequences. I mean, in any walk of life, whatever you’re [doing], if you make a decision, it has consequences, some of which can be undesirable. So you should, it seems to me, look—that’s one way of looking ahead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And be aware of the consequences that every action has."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:120", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9026899999999998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So if you were in a congressman’s office, you could look that up on the Internet and not call the Congressional Research Service. I don’t know to what extent that would develop."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned earlier about making sure it’s not second-hand information and that sort of thing, I think with the Internet it’s a little harder to make sure you have real information, instead of somebody else’s interpretation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And would you always know whether it was up to date? That bothers me, people coming to conclusions. Then it always bothers me when people do research on problems and offer solutions and make no attempt to estimate the probable consequences. I mean, in any walk of life, whatever you’re [doing], if you make a decision, it has consequences, some of which can be undesirable. So you should, it seems to me, look—that’s one way of looking ahead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And be aware of the consequences that every action has."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You also mentioned the swiftness of the legislative branch during the time of Sputnik. Were you also expected to be very swift at turning papers and publications back around for whatever topic that they gave you to research?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:122", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1140999999999996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And would you always know whether it was up to date? That bothers me, people coming to conclusions. Then it always bothers me when people do research on problems and offer solutions and make no attempt to estimate the probable consequences. I mean, in any walk of life, whatever you’re [doing], if you make a decision, it has consequences, some of which can be undesirable. So you should, it seems to me, look—that’s one way of looking ahead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And be aware of the consequences that every action has."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You also mentioned the swiftness of the legislative branch during the time of Sputnik. Were you also expected to be very swift at turning papers and publications back around for whatever topic that they gave you to research?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you usually had deadlines. I was set up to meet deadlines. That’s how I was able to do this work yesterday and get it in to NASA this morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To do something like these committee reports, how long would something like that take?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:124", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3489999999999998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You also mentioned the swiftness of the legislative branch during the time of Sputnik. Were you also expected to be very swift at turning papers and publications back around for whatever topic that they gave you to research?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you usually had deadlines. I was set up to meet deadlines. That’s how I was able to do this work yesterday and get it in to NASA this morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To do something like these committee reports, how long would something like that take?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don’t know. I couldn’t estimate how long it was because it’s just been so long since I did these. But I could get them out quicker than some of the other people because I could type, and we never had enough typists."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn’t have to depend on someone else—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:126", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.61, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, you usually had deadlines. I was set up to meet deadlines. That’s how I was able to do this work yesterday and get it in to NASA this morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To do something like these committee reports, how long would something like that take?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don’t know. I couldn’t estimate how long it was because it’s just been so long since I did these. But I could get them out quicker than some of the other people because I could type, and we never had enough typists."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn’t have to depend on someone else—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t have to depend on the typist if I had something I had to get out right away. I just had to be sure that they didn’t send out my typing and not have a copy…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have to use carbon paper back then as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:128", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I don’t know. I couldn’t estimate how long it was because it’s just been so long since I did these. But I could get them out quicker than some of the other people because I could type, and we never had enough typists."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn’t have to depend on someone else—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t have to depend on the typist if I had something I had to get out right away. I just had to be sure that they didn’t send out my typing and not have a copy…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have to use carbon paper back then as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I used carbon. When the first post-war abstracts were on a mimeograph machine that had a round cylinder with ink. And it went around and around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a mess."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:130", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t have to depend on the typist if I had something I had to get out right away. I just had to be sure that they didn’t send out my typing and not have a copy…"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have to use carbon paper back then as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I used carbon. When the first post-war abstracts were on a mimeograph machine that had a round cylinder with ink. And it went around and around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a mess."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was a real mess. Then I always wanted to have my big, main reports indexed, the ones that are printed by the Senate. I have one on “International Organization and Cooperation in Outer Space,” and it has an index that is really suited for research. Very fine, everything is worked out really fine. So if you look under United Nations, you see everything in the page and everything, you can tell exactly when Eisenhower wrote [Nikolai A.] Bulganin [Soviet Premier] in Russia and so forth. So I had to teach someone how to do this, because usually they printed them without any index. So this girl I taught how to do it, and she was really excellent. I was just delighted with the whole thing, and I said, “This is absolutely wonderful. We have a subject under every letter of the alphabet except Q,” and she thought that I was criticizing her and she started to cry. She didn’t know that I was, you know—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were happy."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:132", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I used carbon. When the first post-war abstracts were on a mimeograph machine that had a round cylinder with ink. And it went around and around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a mess."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was a real mess. Then I always wanted to have my big, main reports indexed, the ones that are printed by the Senate. I have one on “International Organization and Cooperation in Outer Space,” and it has an index that is really suited for research. Very fine, everything is worked out really fine. So if you look under United Nations, you see everything in the page and everything, you can tell exactly when Eisenhower wrote [Nikolai A.] Bulganin [Soviet Premier] in Russia and so forth. So I had to teach someone how to do this, because usually they printed them without any index. So this girl I taught how to do it, and she was really excellent. I was just delighted with the whole thing, and I said, “This is absolutely wonderful. We have a subject under every letter of the alphabet except Q,” and she thought that I was criticizing her and she started to cry. She didn’t know that I was, you know—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were happy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—was humorous, you know, and then I was upset because she was crying and I said, “Oh, I know how we can fix that.” We had the International Year of the Quiet Sun. We do research on that. I said, “We’ll put 'Q, Quiet [Sun], International [Year] of.'” Oh, she brightened up and smiled, and everything was solved. The crisis, we no longer had a crisis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Gee, if all those problems could be solved that easily."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-01003:134", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was a real mess. Then I always wanted to have my big, main reports indexed, the ones that are printed by the Senate. I have one on “International Organization and Cooperation in Outer Space,” and it has an index that is really suited for research. Very fine, everything is worked out really fine. So if you look under United Nations, you see everything in the page and everything, you can tell exactly when Eisenhower wrote [Nikolai A.] Bulganin [Soviet Premier] in Russia and so forth. So I had to teach someone how to do this, because usually they printed them without any index. So this girl I taught how to do it, and she was really excellent. I was just delighted with the whole thing, and I said, “This is absolutely wonderful. We have a subject under every letter of the alphabet except Q,” and she thought that I was criticizing her and she started to cry. She didn’t know that I was, you know—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were happy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—was humorous, you know, and then I was upset because she was crying and I said, “Oh, I know how we can fix that.” We had the International Year of the Quiet Sun. We do research on that. I said, “We’ll put 'Q, Quiet [Sun], International [Year] of.'” Oh, she brightened up and smiled, and everything was solved. The crisis, we no longer had a crisis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Gee, if all those problems could be solved that easily."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything else that you have?\n\nI don’t think so.\n\nWell, I really appreciate you letting us come into your home."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 16.47220753075723, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Community development volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, great. So tell me why you joined the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's really a very good question. And I am thinking back. I think. I had I had gone to college. I went to, I did a B.A. at Yale. And at first I thought I wanted to be an engineer because my dad was an engineer. He came out to Seattle and was one of the first engineers at Boeing. And I got partway through the program, and I thought, this is really not for me. So I thought, well, I’d taken a couple of philosophy courses in high school and kind of carry that on as a as a bachelor's degree. So in philosophy and political science and I found myself graduated. I'd been accepted at law school in Los Angeles. And I said, I really don't want to do that. And I'm not quite sure where I'm going. And so the idea of the Peace Corps just came up. I thought, well, that sounds really exciting. And, you know, I'd never been outside the country before. And I thought, well, let's give it a try."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And what did your parents think and what did your friends think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, my parents I think we're kind of hoping that I would come back to Seattle. And I was dating a woman at the time and she was very encouraging about going. So I thought, well, and I had other high school friends that had indicated an interest in doing some overseas work. So I thought, well, that was that was pretty good support."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice. Nice. So what was the application process like? What did you go through in order to get into the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 12.064453741675594, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, my parents I think we're kind of hoping that I would come back to Seattle. And I was dating a woman at the time and she was very encouraging about going. So I thought, well, and I had other high school friends that had indicated an interest in doing some overseas work. So I thought, well, that was that was pretty good support."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice. Nice. So what was the application process like? What did you go through in order to get into the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I remember filling out the application and I don't remember if there was an oral interview or not. Now, this was 1964, so it would be in the spring. I did it, on the application, I remember that I was given a choice of where I wanted to go. And I thought, well, maybe Latin America might be nice. Some mountain climbing. Nepal would be good too. So I kind of thought in my mind, the Peace Corps must have taken a look at a map and drawn a line between Latin America and Nepal and saw where it crossed right by Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any like what? Did you have medical exams?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm pretty sure we did. But I but I don't remember if that occurred before or after. I think that happened maybe during the orientation process, at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. And I do remember there were some psychological discussions of some psychological discussions we had and some medical exams, because I'm pretty sure that took place at the first part of the orientation program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so what was the orientation like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.071615268528438, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I remember filling out the application and I don't remember if there was an oral interview or not. Now, this was 1964, so it would be in the spring. I did it, on the application, I remember that I was given a choice of where I wanted to go. And I thought, well, maybe Latin America might be nice. Some mountain climbing. Nepal would be good too. So I kind of thought in my mind, the Peace Corps must have taken a look at a map and drawn a line between Latin America and Nepal and saw where it crossed right by Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any like what? Did you have medical exams?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm pretty sure we did. But I but I don't remember if that occurred before or after. I think that happened maybe during the orientation process, at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. And I do remember there were some psychological discussions of some psychological discussions we had and some medical exams, because I'm pretty sure that took place at the first part of the orientation program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so what was the orientation like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Orientation was it was really interesting that Iran V was consisted of lot of bachelor’s degree folks. There were some agricultural development and some manual arts volunteers who were all together and had a series of language and cultural classes. We played soccer. We were housed in the fraternity that was open during the summer. I think also that, we also suppose that perhaps the Peace Corps thought that this location was probably the closest we could get in the United States to simulate what would happen in Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Similar kind of geography."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.190683631698265, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm pretty sure we did. But I but I don't remember if that occurred before or after. I think that happened maybe during the orientation process, at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. And I do remember there were some psychological discussions of some psychological discussions we had and some medical exams, because I'm pretty sure that took place at the first part of the orientation program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so what was the orientation like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Orientation was it was really interesting that Iran V was consisted of lot of bachelor’s degree folks. There were some agricultural development and some manual arts volunteers who were all together and had a series of language and cultural classes. We played soccer. We were housed in the fraternity that was open during the summer. I think also that, we also suppose that perhaps the Peace Corps thought that this location was probably the closest we could get in the United States to simulate what would happen in Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Similar kind of geography."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was kind of desert like. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long was orientation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.322981812998073, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Orientation was it was really interesting that Iran V was consisted of lot of bachelor’s degree folks. There were some agricultural development and some manual arts volunteers who were all together and had a series of language and cultural classes. We played soccer. We were housed in the fraternity that was open during the summer. I think also that, we also suppose that perhaps the Peace Corps thought that this location was probably the closest we could get in the United States to simulate what would happen in Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Similar kind of geography."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was kind of desert like. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long was orientation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was for the summer, so it would have been two months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your class like, was it mostly men? Was it a mixture of men and women?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.35886868110897, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was kind of desert like. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long was orientation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was for the summer, so it would have been two months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your class like, was it mostly men? Was it a mixture of men and women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were no women in the program, although when we got to Iran we found that there were women who were in Iran IV, which was an English teaching project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Teaching job, yeah, but yours in community development was all men."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.509854090121078, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was for the summer, so it would have been two months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your class like, was it mostly men? Was it a mixture of men and women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were no women in the program, although when we got to Iran we found that there were women who were in Iran IV, which was an English teaching project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Teaching job, yeah, but yours in community development was all men."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so then what happened after you had your orientation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.566504544578974, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were no women in the program, although when we got to Iran we found that there were women who were in Iran IV, which was an English teaching project."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Teaching job, yeah, but yours in community development was all men."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so then what happened after you had your orientation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were we were selected. I went home briefly back to Seattle and we met in New York on an airplane and flew for what seemed like a long time to Tehran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. I've always been curious about those days where they took a lot of people and then deselected during that orientation period. Were you guys aware that that you were always being scrutinized? Was that nerve wracking? I mean, what did it feel like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.74056060508775, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so then what happened after you had your orientation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were we were selected. I went home briefly back to Seattle and we met in New York on an airplane and flew for what seemed like a long time to Tehran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. I've always been curious about those days where they took a lot of people and then deselected during that orientation period. Were you guys aware that that you were always being scrutinized? Was that nerve wracking? I mean, what did it feel like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know if it was particularly nerve wracking or not. I know several volunteers deselected themselves. But I don't remember how many of us finally went to Iran. I think the group must have been around 50."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a big group."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 13.045067338986387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were we were selected. I went home briefly back to Seattle and we met in New York on an airplane and flew for what seemed like a long time to Tehran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. I've always been curious about those days where they took a lot of people and then deselected during that orientation period. Were you guys aware that that you were always being scrutinized? Was that nerve wracking? I mean, what did it feel like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know if it was particularly nerve wracking or not. I know several volunteers deselected themselves. But I don't remember how many of us finally went to Iran. I think the group must have been around 50."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a big group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a fairly good sized group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And once you arrived in Tehran, what happened?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.161185932207097, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know if it was particularly nerve wracking or not. I know several volunteers deselected themselves. But I don't remember how many of us finally went to Iran. I think the group must have been around 50."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a big group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a fairly good sized group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And once you arrived in Tehran, what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were we were put in a hotel and we got in the middle of the night. And I remember waking up in the morning and kind of going outside and looking around and not really knowing what to expect. I had you know, there were trees growing along the street and I looked up and the sky was blue and clouds just like the Pacific Northwest. I said, you know, things aren't so different after all. So after a short stay in Tehran, we went to another orientation session in an agricultural college, a little bit west of Tehran, and we were probably be there for maybe a week or so before we were given our assignments."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, just a week. And the language you were learning, I assume was Farsi."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.40131770245233, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a fairly good sized group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And once you arrived in Tehran, what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were we were put in a hotel and we got in the middle of the night. And I remember waking up in the morning and kind of going outside and looking around and not really knowing what to expect. I had you know, there were trees growing along the street and I looked up and the sky was blue and clouds just like the Pacific Northwest. I said, you know, things aren't so different after all. So after a short stay in Tehran, we went to another orientation session in an agricultural college, a little bit west of Tehran, and we were probably be there for maybe a week or so before we were given our assignments."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, just a week. And the language you were learning, I assume was Farsi."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The language was Farsi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how difficult was that for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.668130780502588, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were we were put in a hotel and we got in the middle of the night. And I remember waking up in the morning and kind of going outside and looking around and not really knowing what to expect. I had you know, there were trees growing along the street and I looked up and the sky was blue and clouds just like the Pacific Northwest. I said, you know, things aren't so different after all. So after a short stay in Tehran, we went to another orientation session in an agricultural college, a little bit west of Tehran, and we were probably be there for maybe a week or so before we were given our assignments."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, just a week. And the language you were learning, I assume was Farsi."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The language was Farsi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how difficult was that for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the script is different. It was not, it was, it was fairly difficult. But I remember finally, you know, and language was pretty intense. I think we probably were studying for a couple hours a day. I remember being very surprised when I got to Iran and I tried it out. People actually understood what I was saying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in the agricultural, you guys were all sitting together in a dorm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.075700867225098, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The language was Farsi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how difficult was that for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the script is different. It was not, it was, it was fairly difficult. But I remember finally, you know, and language was pretty intense. I think we probably were studying for a couple hours a day. I remember being very surprised when I got to Iran and I tried it out. People actually understood what I was saying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in the agricultural, you guys were all sitting together in a dorm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what kind of community development training did you have?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 14.528556519138998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the script is different. It was not, it was, it was fairly difficult. But I remember finally, you know, and language was pretty intense. I think we probably were studying for a couple hours a day. I remember being very surprised when I got to Iran and I tried it out. People actually understood what I was saying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in the agricultural, you guys were all sitting together in a dorm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what kind of community development training did you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, back in Utah, um, it was I guess you could say there were two parts. One was the idea was we would be sent to a village and we were expected to figure out how the villages operated, you know, who the important people were and what they did. And if we wanted to effect change, how we might go about doing that. And so we had the we kind of paired up into groups of I think it was maybe four people and did interviews around Logan, Utah. And so we were trying to figure out just what the power structure was like in Logan. And the other part was physical. We did, you know, several hikes in the mountains and stayed out overnight without any, you know, shelters, just on the assumption that that would be something we would face when we got to Iran. And in my case, neither of those things were applicable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So you get your assignment. What was your assignment?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 11.698396132376665, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what kind of community development training did you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, back in Utah, um, it was I guess you could say there were two parts. One was the idea was we would be sent to a village and we were expected to figure out how the villages operated, you know, who the important people were and what they did. And if we wanted to effect change, how we might go about doing that. And so we had the we kind of paired up into groups of I think it was maybe four people and did interviews around Logan, Utah. And so we were trying to figure out just what the power structure was like in Logan. And the other part was physical. We did, you know, several hikes in the mountains and stayed out overnight without any, you know, shelters, just on the assumption that that would be something we would face when we got to Iran. And in my case, neither of those things were applicable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So you get your assignment. What was your assignment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My assignment was to work with the community development office, an engineering office in a provincial capital. And the city was Sari, S-S-A-R-I, in the province of Mazandaran. So this is on the northern part of Iran. You take, Tehran is, north of Tehran there's a range of mountains called the, uh, I can’t remember the name of the range. But after you cross over, you head down towards the plain that's along the south coast of the Caspian Sea. And this is, you know, quite a big difference in climate, it’s more temperate. It reminded me a lot of here in the Pacific Northwest. So one side got one on the other side, very lush and nice. And the office where I was working had an engineer and I was paired up with a with another volunteer, Napoleon, and we knew he was kind of short. And we need a lot of humor out of the fact that he would come in and say, I am Napoleon and people would be very impressed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, and what did you guys do when you got there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.511349081506879, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had kind of a mix. The main engineer that we worked with spoke fairly good English and a lot of the community development kind of person spoke some English. So it was kind of a mix of Farsi and English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you in particular do? Did you draw up plans? Did you just consult with the engineer and work with him to draw up plans? I mean, how much did you use your engineering background that you'd had some of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we would do actual surveying. We might be sent out and would do that actual work. In other cases, we would do drawings when we got back to the office. But in terms of, you know, the actual definition of the project, that was not within our purview. That had already been decided."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, did you feel like you were making a good contribution to the to the projects, to the efforts of developing these communities?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it's difficult to say because a project might take, you know, a year. And so we didn't always see the fruits of our labor. With some of the roads, though, I remember one road that we worked on that went from village on the Caspian Sea coast. We were part of the survey team. And then actually saw the construction. So but in the most cases of what was happening in terms of finishing the project, happened later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I would just kind of curious how many of these projects actually got done."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.568165646118754, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we would do actual surveying. We might be sent out and would do that actual work. In other cases, we would do drawings when we got back to the office. But in terms of, you know, the actual definition of the project, that was not within our purview. That had already been decided."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, did you feel like you were making a good contribution to the to the projects, to the efforts of developing these communities?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it's difficult to say because a project might take, you know, a year. And so we didn't always see the fruits of our labor. With some of the roads, though, I remember one road that we worked on that went from village on the Caspian Sea coast. We were part of the survey team. And then actually saw the construction. So but in the most cases of what was happening in terms of finishing the project, happened later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I would just kind of curious how many of these projects actually got done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that's a good question. I’m not sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So you talked a little bit about what a usual day is. What were your biggest challenges during the day? What was it like moving to a totally different culture and getting plopped down and living there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.40907294013195, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it's difficult to say because a project might take, you know, a year. And so we didn't always see the fruits of our labor. With some of the roads, though, I remember one road that we worked on that went from village on the Caspian Sea coast. We were part of the survey team. And then actually saw the construction. So but in the most cases of what was happening in terms of finishing the project, happened later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I would just kind of curious how many of these projects actually got done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that's a good question. I’m not sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So you talked a little bit about what a usual day is. What were your biggest challenges during the day? What was it like moving to a totally different culture and getting plopped down and living there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think we were it was it helped us that we had another, two other volunteers in town that we kind of show us where things were and kind of laid out you how you operated. It seemed like it, we adapted fairly quickly, you know, we would take trips to visit other volunteers that were scattered in different towns along the Caspian coast. That was kind of a weekend event that we would do. Looking back a long time, 50 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember any big surprises that you had about the culture, about yourself during this time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.232303266813277, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that's a good question. I’m not sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah. So you talked a little bit about what a usual day is. What were your biggest challenges during the day? What was it like moving to a totally different culture and getting plopped down and living there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think we were it was it helped us that we had another, two other volunteers in town that we kind of show us where things were and kind of laid out you how you operated. It seemed like it, we adapted fairly quickly, you know, we would take trips to visit other volunteers that were scattered in different towns along the Caspian coast. That was kind of a weekend event that we would do. Looking back a long time, 50 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember any big surprises that you had about the culture, about yourself during this time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think one of the big surprises was that the Iranian people were really welcoming and we were a big deal in town and kids would come up and say, hello mister. Let me help me practice my English with you. Going out to the villages, the villagers that we met were extremely generous. And, you know, they didn't have much. But when our team would come into the village, they would lay out a lunch for us. And the kind of, my expectation was, well, you know, these people just living way up in the hills and they can't have very just a tenuous connection with the outside world. And that was simply not the case. They had radios and they could ask us questions about, explain American foreign policy, and we would have a hard time. And so that was a big surprise and a pleasant surprise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Any unpleasant surprises?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.147003629792529, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think we were it was it helped us that we had another, two other volunteers in town that we kind of show us where things were and kind of laid out you how you operated. It seemed like it, we adapted fairly quickly, you know, we would take trips to visit other volunteers that were scattered in different towns along the Caspian coast. That was kind of a weekend event that we would do. Looking back a long time, 50 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember any big surprises that you had about the culture, about yourself during this time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think one of the big surprises was that the Iranian people were really welcoming and we were a big deal in town and kids would come up and say, hello mister. Let me help me practice my English with you. Going out to the villages, the villagers that we met were extremely generous. And, you know, they didn't have much. But when our team would come into the village, they would lay out a lunch for us. And the kind of, my expectation was, well, you know, these people just living way up in the hills and they can't have very just a tenuous connection with the outside world. And that was simply not the case. They had radios and they could ask us questions about, explain American foreign policy, and we would have a hard time. And so that was a big surprise and a pleasant surprise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Any unpleasant surprises?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There probably were. You know, we all had health problems, especially when we were having that initial orientation at the agricultural college and we got over that. You don't, you don't remember the unpleasant parts though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your medical care like while you were there? Like, would you go into Tehran to see a doctor?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.163337366436144, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think one of the big surprises was that the Iranian people were really welcoming and we were a big deal in town and kids would come up and say, hello mister. Let me help me practice my English with you. Going out to the villages, the villagers that we met were extremely generous. And, you know, they didn't have much. But when our team would come into the village, they would lay out a lunch for us. And the kind of, my expectation was, well, you know, these people just living way up in the hills and they can't have very just a tenuous connection with the outside world. And that was simply not the case. They had radios and they could ask us questions about, explain American foreign policy, and we would have a hard time. And so that was a big surprise and a pleasant surprise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Any unpleasant surprises?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There probably were. You know, we all had health problems, especially when we were having that initial orientation at the agricultural college and we got over that. You don't, you don't remember the unpleasant parts though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your medical care like while you were there? Like, would you go into Tehran to see a doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a medical kit with us for minor stuff, but in the event of any serious medical issues, we'd have to go to Tehran. And I don't remember any of us having anything serious."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the usual stomach stuff when you first got there and got through that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 11.292597073817937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There probably were. You know, we all had health problems, especially when we were having that initial orientation at the agricultural college and we got over that. You don't, you don't remember the unpleasant parts though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your medical care like while you were there? Like, would you go into Tehran to see a doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a medical kit with us for minor stuff, but in the event of any serious medical issues, we'd have to go to Tehran. And I don't remember any of us having anything serious."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the usual stomach stuff when you first got there and got through that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Got through that and used to that. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you travel while you were in the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.658441193131042, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a medical kit with us for minor stuff, but in the event of any serious medical issues, we'd have to go to Tehran. And I don't remember any of us having anything serious."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the usual stomach stuff when you first got there and got through that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Got through that and used to that. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you travel while you were in the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Traveled both in country and outside the country. Yeah. We got down to the south to Isfahan and Shiraz. We went east to Herat and went over into Afghanistan. During the break between year one and year two we traveled to Jordan and Egypt, we as a group of guys, range from four or five."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel like you made friends with Iranians?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.064934659034491, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Got through that and used to that. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you travel while you were in the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Traveled both in country and outside the country. Yeah. We got down to the south to Isfahan and Shiraz. We went east to Herat and went over into Afghanistan. During the break between year one and year two we traveled to Jordan and Egypt, we as a group of guys, range from four or five."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel like you made friends with Iranians?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk about some of the people you made friends with?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.516594065593878, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Traveled both in country and outside the country. Yeah. We got down to the south to Isfahan and Shiraz. We went east to Herat and went over into Afghanistan. During the break between year one and year two we traveled to Jordan and Egypt, we as a group of guys, range from four or five."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel like you made friends with Iranians?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk about some of the people you made friends with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the colleagues in the office, we made friends with a lot of the kids that were around and wanted to learn English. We made friends with shopkeepers. We were known in restaurants."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you felt like you were part of the community?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.018437850659865, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk about some of the people you made friends with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the colleagues in the office, we made friends with a lot of the kids that were around and wanted to learn English. We made friends with shopkeepers. We were known in restaurants."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you felt like you were part of the community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which is nice. And how big was the town you were in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.576042056288738, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the colleagues in the office, we made friends with a lot of the kids that were around and wanted to learn English. We made friends with shopkeepers. We were known in restaurants."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you felt like you were part of the community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which is nice. And how big was the town you were in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the town must have been less than 20,000 people and it wasn't big. At that point, Iran was only a country of 20 million people. You know, Tehran had a population of about two million."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Religiously what was it like for you? Like now there's the sort of struggle between Sunnis and Shias and certainly the Muslim versus Christian stuff that that happens now, at least here and probably there, too. Was there any of that when you were there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.084491173654153, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which is nice. And how big was the town you were in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the town must have been less than 20,000 people and it wasn't big. At that point, Iran was only a country of 20 million people. You know, Tehran had a population of about two million."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Religiously what was it like for you? Like now there's the sort of struggle between Sunnis and Shias and certainly the Muslim versus Christian stuff that that happens now, at least here and probably there, too. Was there any of that when you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, most of Iran was and still is Shia. And there are, you know, smaller sects. And we found out, you know, people would tell us later that there was discrimination. But for the most part, you didn't see that. Religion, of course, was a part of the daily life. And people prayed and, you know, there were some customs regarding women and they had to be covered. But I never got the feeling that by being a Christian of a Christian background, that I was in any way discriminated against. We would have some religious discussion with the Iranians, but that was more not an effort to convert, but just to explain and discuss."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever go to mosque?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.538323526282392, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the town must have been less than 20,000 people and it wasn't big. At that point, Iran was only a country of 20 million people. You know, Tehran had a population of about two million."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Religiously what was it like for you? Like now there's the sort of struggle between Sunnis and Shias and certainly the Muslim versus Christian stuff that that happens now, at least here and probably there, too. Was there any of that when you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, most of Iran was and still is Shia. And there are, you know, smaller sects. And we found out, you know, people would tell us later that there was discrimination. But for the most part, you didn't see that. Religion, of course, was a part of the daily life. And people prayed and, you know, there were some customs regarding women and they had to be covered. But I never got the feeling that by being a Christian of a Christian background, that I was in any way discriminated against. We would have some religious discussion with the Iranians, but that was more not an effort to convert, but just to explain and discuss."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever go to mosque?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Visited mosques. I don't remember ever going through a service, a religious service. I wasn't going to religious services back at home either, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't any different."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.042581695869324, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, most of Iran was and still is Shia. And there are, you know, smaller sects. And we found out, you know, people would tell us later that there was discrimination. But for the most part, you didn't see that. Religion, of course, was a part of the daily life. And people prayed and, you know, there were some customs regarding women and they had to be covered. But I never got the feeling that by being a Christian of a Christian background, that I was in any way discriminated against. We would have some religious discussion with the Iranians, but that was more not an effort to convert, but just to explain and discuss."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever go to mosque?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Visited mosques. I don't remember ever going through a service, a religious service. I wasn't going to religious services back at home either, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't any different."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you eat there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.6028685509659155, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Visited mosques. I don't remember ever going through a service, a religious service. I wasn't going to religious services back at home either, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't any different."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you eat there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In other words, sparsely?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you cook your meals, did was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.225409501073239, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you eat there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In other words, sparsely?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you cook your meals, did was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had some we had some meals cooked. We had a housekeeper that cooked some of our meals. We would go out to restaurants. Iranians have a really nice cuisine. It's very, it's not particularly spicy, but I remember never having had yogurt before. I think this is really pretty good. Rice and bread, like there would be, you know, chenjeh kabobs, which is beef that's been grilled, various stews or koreshs mixed with rice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it sounds like you didn't do a lot of your own cooking."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.9171216678591545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In other words, sparsely?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you cook your meals, did was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had some we had some meals cooked. We had a housekeeper that cooked some of our meals. We would go out to restaurants. Iranians have a really nice cuisine. It's very, it's not particularly spicy, but I remember never having had yogurt before. I think this is really pretty good. Rice and bread, like there would be, you know, chenjeh kabobs, which is beef that's been grilled, various stews or koreshs mixed with rice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it sounds like you didn't do a lot of your own cooking."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have to go out to market and pick up stuff and trying to figure out what the ingredients were and all those things. So that's a pretty, pretty luxurious living."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.685690742065727, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had some we had some meals cooked. We had a housekeeper that cooked some of our meals. We would go out to restaurants. Iranians have a really nice cuisine. It's very, it's not particularly spicy, but I remember never having had yogurt before. I think this is really pretty good. Rice and bread, like there would be, you know, chenjeh kabobs, which is beef that's been grilled, various stews or koreshs mixed with rice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it sounds like you didn't do a lot of your own cooking."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have to go out to market and pick up stuff and trying to figure out what the ingredients were and all those things. So that's a pretty, pretty luxurious living."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very luxurious, that is correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, how is your apartment?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.53965638007303, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have to go out to market and pick up stuff and trying to figure out what the ingredients were and all those things. So that's a pretty, pretty luxurious living."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very luxurious, that is correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, how is your apartment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we had an apartment to begin with, let me try to think. There was a kitchen area. A couple of bedrooms, a living room, not totally different from what we would see in an apartment here. The bathroom, most or all, always different. We had to learn to use that. For the most part, the water was potable. We didn't have to worry about drinking water out of it, didn't boil water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, now did Peace Corps find the apartment, did the engineering firm find the apartment? Do you know how you ended up there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.488507088970033, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very luxurious, that is correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, how is your apartment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we had an apartment to begin with, let me try to think. There was a kitchen area. A couple of bedrooms, a living room, not totally different from what we would see in an apartment here. The bathroom, most or all, always different. We had to learn to use that. For the most part, the water was potable. We didn't have to worry about drinking water out of it, didn't boil water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, now did Peace Corps find the apartment, did the engineering firm find the apartment? Do you know how you ended up there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Peace Corps found the apartment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So for you, the Peace Corps found the apartment, great. And they I assume they paid for everything. And you had a monthly stipend?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.542785654411148, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we had an apartment to begin with, let me try to think. There was a kitchen area. A couple of bedrooms, a living room, not totally different from what we would see in an apartment here. The bathroom, most or all, always different. We had to learn to use that. For the most part, the water was potable. We didn't have to worry about drinking water out of it, didn't boil water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, now did Peace Corps find the apartment, did the engineering firm find the apartment? Do you know how you ended up there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Peace Corps found the apartment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So for you, the Peace Corps found the apartment, great. And they I assume they paid for everything. And you had a monthly stipend?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a monthly stipend. And I don't remember if we paid rent or not. I think probably the Peace Corps paid for the apartment. We would have personal expenses that would cover food and transportation and clothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you date at all when you were over there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.491984060456831, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Peace Corps found the apartment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So for you, the Peace Corps found the apartment, great. And they I assume they paid for everything. And you had a monthly stipend?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a monthly stipend. And I don't remember if we paid rent or not. I think probably the Peace Corps paid for the apartment. We would have personal expenses that would cover food and transportation and clothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you date at all when you were over there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We socialized with some of the women volunteers. It would be really, it was unheard of to socialize with Iranian women. It's not done. And the only exception I remember with our group was that one of the agricultural volunteers was in a village and ended up marrying an Armenian woman. Yeah, but I don't think that there were any. I don't remember any examples of Americans dating or socializing with Iranian men or women."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you allowed? Were you allowed to talk to Iranian women?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.546648956063144, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a monthly stipend. And I don't remember if we paid rent or not. I think probably the Peace Corps paid for the apartment. We would have personal expenses that would cover food and transportation and clothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you date at all when you were over there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We socialized with some of the women volunteers. It would be really, it was unheard of to socialize with Iranian women. It's not done. And the only exception I remember with our group was that one of the agricultural volunteers was in a village and ended up marrying an Armenian woman. Yeah, but I don't think that there were any. I don't remember any examples of Americans dating or socializing with Iranian men or women."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you allowed? Were you allowed to talk to Iranian women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was not, that was not a problem going beyond a social situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. What was your biggest challenge in going through all of this?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.607387728959049, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We socialized with some of the women volunteers. It would be really, it was unheard of to socialize with Iranian women. It's not done. And the only exception I remember with our group was that one of the agricultural volunteers was in a village and ended up marrying an Armenian woman. Yeah, but I don't think that there were any. I don't remember any examples of Americans dating or socializing with Iranian men or women."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you allowed? Were you allowed to talk to Iranian women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was not, that was not a problem going beyond a social situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. What was your biggest challenge in going through all of this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you always have to, it was difficult to relax. We were in a different environment and two years when you just started is an awfully long time and, you know, and we would miss certain things that, certain freedoms that we would have back in the United States, we didn't have in Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like what? Like dating the women?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.785986365510054, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was not, that was not a problem going beyond a social situation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. What was your biggest challenge in going through all of this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you always have to, it was difficult to relax. We were in a different environment and two years when you just started is an awfully long time and, you know, and we would miss certain things that, certain freedoms that we would have back in the United States, we didn't have in Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like what? Like dating the women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To speak of one."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.98442929501117, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you always have to, it was difficult to relax. We were in a different environment and two years when you just started is an awfully long time and, you know, and we would miss certain things that, certain freedoms that we would have back in the United States, we didn't have in Iran."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like what? Like dating the women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To speak of one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We didn't, there were there was seven of us. We didn't always understand what was being broadcast in Farsi, but we could watch the movies. Again, traveling around the country was a nice form of sort of doing something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was it. It sounds like what you're saying is it wasn't as, um, sort of stimulating. You were used to having more entertainment options, being able to let your hair down and not have to worry that there was a whole community watching you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.31603255001241, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To speak of one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We didn't, there were there was seven of us. We didn't always understand what was being broadcast in Farsi, but we could watch the movies. Again, traveling around the country was a nice form of sort of doing something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was it. It sounds like what you're saying is it wasn't as, um, sort of stimulating. You were used to having more entertainment options, being able to let your hair down and not have to worry that there was a whole community watching you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, we were always on display in a certain sense. You were the first Americans that a lot of these people had ever seen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, then that reminds me of goal number two of Peace Corps, which is to let the world know what Americans are really like as opposed to what they see in the movies and TV. Um, did you have any experiences around that, did people have different expectations from maybe having seen an American movie?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 13.6844806111249, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We didn't, there were there was seven of us. We didn't always understand what was being broadcast in Farsi, but we could watch the movies. Again, traveling around the country was a nice form of sort of doing something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So was it. It sounds like what you're saying is it wasn't as, um, sort of stimulating. You were used to having more entertainment options, being able to let your hair down and not have to worry that there was a whole community watching you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, we were always on display in a certain sense. You were the first Americans that a lot of these people had ever seen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, then that reminds me of goal number two of Peace Corps, which is to let the world know what Americans are really like as opposed to what they see in the movies and TV. Um, did you have any experiences around that, did people have different expectations from maybe having seen an American movie?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably the biggest expectation on the Iranians’ part was that we would dress very formally. All the officers and the engineers in the office would always be out in a suit and tie. And we’d dress pretty much like you see me now, with your Levi's and casual shirts, maybe boots. And so I think that was probably strange for a lot of Iranians to see us in that respect."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you travel? You said you traveled around the country. What was the transportation system like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.760534012361001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, we were always on display in a certain sense. You were the first Americans that a lot of these people had ever seen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, then that reminds me of goal number two of Peace Corps, which is to let the world know what Americans are really like as opposed to what they see in the movies and TV. Um, did you have any experiences around that, did people have different expectations from maybe having seen an American movie?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably the biggest expectation on the Iranians’ part was that we would dress very formally. All the officers and the engineers in the office would always be out in a suit and tie. And we’d dress pretty much like you see me now, with your Levi's and casual shirts, maybe boots. And so I think that was probably strange for a lot of Iranians to see us in that respect."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you travel? You said you traveled around the country. What was the transportation system like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’re city to city taxis called keres. And you go to Tehran, their place in one of the circles where you could get a cab and it would load up with as many people as they could take and then it would go over the mountains and drop us off in another circle in Tehran. There was a train that went along the north coast. We took that to Gorgan, one of one of our trips. We had to volunteer there, Barkley Moore, that stayed on for six years. I think he set a record for the amount of time that at least an American Peace Corps volunteer in Iran was there. And he got libraries established, got schools established, and we would look at a paragon of the Peace Corps volunteer. It must have been Barkley."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, nice. Did your family ever come over to visit?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.956148902623335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably the biggest expectation on the Iranians’ part was that we would dress very formally. All the officers and the engineers in the office would always be out in a suit and tie. And we’d dress pretty much like you see me now, with your Levi's and casual shirts, maybe boots. And so I think that was probably strange for a lot of Iranians to see us in that respect."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you travel? You said you traveled around the country. What was the transportation system like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’re city to city taxis called keres. And you go to Tehran, their place in one of the circles where you could get a cab and it would load up with as many people as they could take and then it would go over the mountains and drop us off in another circle in Tehran. There was a train that went along the north coast. We took that to Gorgan, one of one of our trips. We had to volunteer there, Barkley Moore, that stayed on for six years. I think he set a record for the amount of time that at least an American Peace Corps volunteer in Iran was there. And he got libraries established, got schools established, and we would look at a paragon of the Peace Corps volunteer. It must have been Barkley."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, nice. Did your family ever come over to visit?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did other people's family, I mean, did you kind of miss not having your family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.284609891803704, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’re city to city taxis called keres. And you go to Tehran, their place in one of the circles where you could get a cab and it would load up with as many people as they could take and then it would go over the mountains and drop us off in another circle in Tehran. There was a train that went along the north coast. We took that to Gorgan, one of one of our trips. We had to volunteer there, Barkley Moore, that stayed on for six years. I think he set a record for the amount of time that at least an American Peace Corps volunteer in Iran was there. And he got libraries established, got schools established, and we would look at a paragon of the Peace Corps volunteer. It must have been Barkley."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, nice. Did your family ever come over to visit?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did other people's family, I mean, did you kind of miss not having your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think there were a few volunteers who got visits from their parents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They still wanted you back in Seattle?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 14.760677657559672, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did other people's family, I mean, did you kind of miss not having your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think there were a few volunteers who got visits from their parents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They still wanted you back in Seattle?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did it take to write a letter and get a response back? What was the communication like with you and your family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.178530730621857, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think there were a few volunteers who got visits from their parents."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They still wanted you back in Seattle?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did it take to write a letter and get a response back? What was the communication like with you and your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't remember ever talking on the phone. Of course, we didn't have Skype. A letter would take, oh it must take ten days to two weeks each way, so it might be a month between for letters to go back and forth. Packages may or may not ever happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there anything that happened at home while you were there that that kind of upset you, that you weren't there or did things go pretty smoothly at home and this was like two years at college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.753923034024284, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did it take to write a letter and get a response back? What was the communication like with you and your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't remember ever talking on the phone. Of course, we didn't have Skype. A letter would take, oh it must take ten days to two weeks each way, so it might be a month between for letters to go back and forth. Packages may or may not ever happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there anything that happened at home while you were there that that kind of upset you, that you weren't there or did things go pretty smoothly at home and this was like two years at college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was probably at that point pretty oblivious of what was going on in terms of my sisters’ life. I have two younger sisters, and so that wasn't a big deal. So, no, I don't think that there was anything there that made me feel like I should be back in Seattle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you're there for two years and you do your job and it's time to go home now. What were your feelings when it when it got to be time to come back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.393247815582537, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't remember ever talking on the phone. Of course, we didn't have Skype. A letter would take, oh it must take ten days to two weeks each way, so it might be a month between for letters to go back and forth. Packages may or may not ever happen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there anything that happened at home while you were there that that kind of upset you, that you weren't there or did things go pretty smoothly at home and this was like two years at college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was probably at that point pretty oblivious of what was going on in terms of my sisters’ life. I have two younger sisters, and so that wasn't a big deal. So, no, I don't think that there was anything there that made me feel like I should be back in Seattle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you're there for two years and you do your job and it's time to go home now. What were your feelings when it when it got to be time to come back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, both of maybe the excitement to move on to do something else. Also a certain reluctance to go, because in assessing the whole two years, it was really a positive experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In what way?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.214719795091707, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was probably at that point pretty oblivious of what was going on in terms of my sisters’ life. I have two younger sisters, and so that wasn't a big deal. So, no, I don't think that there was anything there that made me feel like I should be back in Seattle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you're there for two years and you do your job and it's time to go home now. What were your feelings when it when it got to be time to come back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, both of maybe the excitement to move on to do something else. Also a certain reluctance to go, because in assessing the whole two years, it was really a positive experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In what way?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, being able to see, to get inside of the culture that you just can't do as a tourist. And again, this is me looking back at the experience. To be able to live there and more or less be accepted as just part of the society. And I think I probably felt that somewhat at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you miss call to prayer? I always like that rhythm of the day, you know."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 20.238577550101898, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, both of maybe the excitement to move on to do something else. Also a certain reluctance to go, because in assessing the whole two years, it was really a positive experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In what way?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, being able to see, to get inside of the culture that you just can't do as a tourist. And again, this is me looking back at the experience. To be able to live there and more or less be accepted as just part of the society. And I think I probably felt that somewhat at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you miss call to prayer? I always like that rhythm of the day, you know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was always you always kind of had your ear out listening for that that nice rhythm that came out. It was always so pretty. And what was it like coming home?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.59841950011322, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, being able to see, to get inside of the culture that you just can't do as a tourist. And again, this is me looking back at the experience. To be able to live there and more or less be accepted as just part of the society. And I think I probably felt that somewhat at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you miss call to prayer? I always like that rhythm of the day, you know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was always you always kind of had your ear out listening for that that nice rhythm that came out. It was always so pretty. And what was it like coming home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were five of us that flew to Beirut and bought motorcycles and we traveled through Lebanon and we went over into Syria and up the eastern coast of the Mediterranean through Turkey, crossed over into Greece. I met my youngest sister in Athens and we on the motorcycle, traveled through Europe and ended up bringing the motorcycle back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it sounds like Peace Corps really fed your adventurous spirit. And the young man who never left the States decided to see a lot of the world."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.1093550001258, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was always you always kind of had your ear out listening for that that nice rhythm that came out. It was always so pretty. And what was it like coming home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were five of us that flew to Beirut and bought motorcycles and we traveled through Lebanon and we went over into Syria and up the eastern coast of the Mediterranean through Turkey, crossed over into Greece. I met my youngest sister in Athens and we on the motorcycle, traveled through Europe and ended up bringing the motorcycle back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it sounds like Peace Corps really fed your adventurous spirit. And the young man who never left the States decided to see a lot of the world."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, saw quite a bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you flew home."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 16.788172222362, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were five of us that flew to Beirut and bought motorcycles and we traveled through Lebanon and we went over into Syria and up the eastern coast of the Mediterranean through Turkey, crossed over into Greece. I met my youngest sister in Athens and we on the motorcycle, traveled through Europe and ended up bringing the motorcycle back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it sounds like Peace Corps really fed your adventurous spirit. And the young man who never left the States decided to see a lot of the world."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, saw quite a bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you flew home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was it like coming back to the States?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.320191358180001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, saw quite a bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you flew home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was it like coming back to the States?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I had been offered a Peace Corps assignment in Micronesia to extend for a couple of years. And in 1966, they were not offering draft deferments. And I didn't particularly want to go to Vietnam, and so I got into a graduate program at the University of Washington with a specialty in Middle Eastern science, and managed to return to Lebanon for a year to do kind of postgraduate work. And then another year, a fellowship to study Arabic at American University in Cairo. So I really, I think I was affected by the region in many ways, it was so different and so rooted in history where we think that three hundred years is old or we're going back all over that region thousands of years. To be able to actually need to go to the, as we're doing a road, and to see structures that date back to heaven only knows when."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it's pretty cool. So did you stay in Middle East and work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.800212620200001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was it like coming back to the States?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I had been offered a Peace Corps assignment in Micronesia to extend for a couple of years. And in 1966, they were not offering draft deferments. And I didn't particularly want to go to Vietnam, and so I got into a graduate program at the University of Washington with a specialty in Middle Eastern science, and managed to return to Lebanon for a year to do kind of postgraduate work. And then another year, a fellowship to study Arabic at American University in Cairo. So I really, I think I was affected by the region in many ways, it was so different and so rooted in history where we think that three hundred years is old or we're going back all over that region thousands of years. To be able to actually need to go to the, as we're doing a road, and to see structures that date back to heaven only knows when."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it's pretty cool. So did you stay in Middle East and work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, pretty much so for a while. After coming back from Egypt, at that point, two young boys came along and at some point I felt like I had to get a job and Boeing was looking to develop a business in the Middle East. So I got on as a, joined Boeing is doing marketing and business development work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were probably delighted with your all your Middle East."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.3335695780000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I had been offered a Peace Corps assignment in Micronesia to extend for a couple of years. And in 1966, they were not offering draft deferments. And I didn't particularly want to go to Vietnam, and so I got into a graduate program at the University of Washington with a specialty in Middle Eastern science, and managed to return to Lebanon for a year to do kind of postgraduate work. And then another year, a fellowship to study Arabic at American University in Cairo. So I really, I think I was affected by the region in many ways, it was so different and so rooted in history where we think that three hundred years is old or we're going back all over that region thousands of years. To be able to actually need to go to the, as we're doing a road, and to see structures that date back to heaven only knows when."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it's pretty cool. So did you stay in Middle East and work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, pretty much so for a while. After coming back from Egypt, at that point, two young boys came along and at some point I felt like I had to get a job and Boeing was looking to develop a business in the Middle East. So I got on as a, joined Boeing is doing marketing and business development work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were probably delighted with your all your Middle East."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And somewhere along that route, if two boys came along, there must have been a wife."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.926188420000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, pretty much so for a while. After coming back from Egypt, at that point, two young boys came along and at some point I felt like I had to get a job and Boeing was looking to develop a business in the Middle East. So I got on as a, joined Boeing is doing marketing and business development work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were probably delighted with your all your Middle East."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And somewhere along that route, if two boys came along, there must have been a wife."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Oh, yes. Yes, that's right. Yes. When I was still in graduate school, I got married. And when my wife and I went to Lebanon, we came back with the first son and we went to Egypt and came back with, had two more boys. So we have a family of three boys."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice. Well, how do you feel like Peace Corps impacted your life? What do you think, in all kinds of ways, that you got out of Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.584653800000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And somewhere along that route, if two boys came along, there must have been a wife."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Oh, yes. Yes, that's right. Yes. When I was still in graduate school, I got married. And when my wife and I went to Lebanon, we came back with the first son and we went to Egypt and came back with, had two more boys. So we have a family of three boys."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice. Well, how do you feel like Peace Corps impacted your life? What do you think, in all kinds of ways, that you got out of Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it certainly expanded my view physically of what the world looks like and it caused me to appreciate that there are different cultures that are important. They're important to the whole mix, of the global mix, and we got countless, whenever we travel in the Middle East to Iran or Lebanon or Egypt, the people would say, you know, we like you as Americans. We don't like your foreign policy. And I think it's that's reassuring in a way but it's also a challenge, I think, to come back as a volunteer and to reassess what we need as Americans. How are we, are we behaving as global citizens? And do we fall short in that respect?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So that's something that's now just been part of your life, is that evaluation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.316282000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Oh, yes. Yes, that's right. Yes. When I was still in graduate school, I got married. And when my wife and I went to Lebanon, we came back with the first son and we went to Egypt and came back with, had two more boys. So we have a family of three boys."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nice. Well, how do you feel like Peace Corps impacted your life? What do you think, in all kinds of ways, that you got out of Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it certainly expanded my view physically of what the world looks like and it caused me to appreciate that there are different cultures that are important. They're important to the whole mix, of the global mix, and we got countless, whenever we travel in the Middle East to Iran or Lebanon or Egypt, the people would say, you know, we like you as Americans. We don't like your foreign policy. And I think it's that's reassuring in a way but it's also a challenge, I think, to come back as a volunteer and to reassess what we need as Americans. How are we, are we behaving as global citizens? And do we fall short in that respect?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So that's something that's now just been part of your life, is that evaluation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you ever been back to Iran? Did you ever get a chance to go back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.906980000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it certainly expanded my view physically of what the world looks like and it caused me to appreciate that there are different cultures that are important. They're important to the whole mix, of the global mix, and we got countless, whenever we travel in the Middle East to Iran or Lebanon or Egypt, the people would say, you know, we like you as Americans. We don't like your foreign policy. And I think it's that's reassuring in a way but it's also a challenge, I think, to come back as a volunteer and to reassess what we need as Americans. How are we, are we behaving as global citizens? And do we fall short in that respect?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So that's something that's now just been part of your life, is that evaluation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you ever been back to Iran? Did you ever get a chance to go back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One quick trip back in conjunction with some Boeing work I was doing in Saudi Arabia. So stayed briefly over the weekend in Tehran. But I have not been back to Sari. It would be something I like to do, but I think it would be difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, at this time."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.058, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One quick trip back in conjunction with some Boeing work I was doing in Saudi Arabia. So stayed briefly over the weekend in Tehran. But I have not been back to Sari. It would be something I like to do, but I think it would be difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, at this time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know that Rick Steves has been, you know, the travel guy that has been sponsoring trips to Iran, which is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that surprises me. That surprises me. But you never can put anything over on Rick Steves. He can manage all kinds of stuff. Yeah. It’d be interesting to go back. What did you feel like when all the revolution was happening and the hostages were happening? And I mean, you must have had a personal feeling of personal connection with all the changes that were convulsing the country."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 5.62, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know that Rick Steves has been, you know, the travel guy that has been sponsoring trips to Iran, which is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that surprises me. That surprises me. But you never can put anything over on Rick Steves. He can manage all kinds of stuff. Yeah. It’d be interesting to go back. What did you feel like when all the revolution was happening and the hostages were happening? And I mean, you must have had a personal feeling of personal connection with all the changes that were convulsing the country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For me, it came as a complete surprise. And, yeah, you know, I didn't sense the roots of the revolution when I was there. That was, you know, several years later, but still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was like only like eight or, you know, it wasn't all that many years later."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For me, it came as a complete surprise. And, yeah, you know, I didn't sense the roots of the revolution when I was there. That was, you know, several years later, but still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was like only like eight or, you know, it wasn't all that many years later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The revolution in the mid ‘70s. And like, I was there in the 60s, so yeah. Looking back on it, though. The shah of Iran, there was a constitutional monarchy in place when we were there. He was supported first by the British and then by the Americans, and a lot of that had to do with containing Russia and sharing our oil supply. I think, I'm not surprised that a lot of Iranians felt that their independence was being encroached on. But still, it was terrible to think that to be such an integral part of a country and find that the revolution occurred, probably a lot of our friends and people even that did not survive the revolution. Oh, we've got Iranian friends today that go back and forth and you talk about the other difficulties there. I don't think that currently we're treating Iran with very much respect or appreciation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know how I can say that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, you can't, that's impossible these days to say things gently about that. The third goal of Peace Corps is educating Americans about other countries. Have you felt like you've had a chance to do that? Do people are people interested in your experience? Were they interested when you came back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The revolution in the mid ‘70s. And like, I was there in the 60s, so yeah. Looking back on it, though. The shah of Iran, there was a constitutional monarchy in place when we were there. He was supported first by the British and then by the Americans, and a lot of that had to do with containing Russia and sharing our oil supply. I think, I'm not surprised that a lot of Iranians felt that their independence was being encroached on. But still, it was terrible to think that to be such an integral part of a country and find that the revolution occurred, probably a lot of our friends and people even that did not survive the revolution. Oh, we've got Iranian friends today that go back and forth and you talk about the other difficulties there. I don't think that currently we're treating Iran with very much respect or appreciation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know how I can say that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, you can't, that's impossible these days to say things gently about that. The third goal of Peace Corps is educating Americans about other countries. Have you felt like you've had a chance to do that? Do people are people interested in your experience? Were they interested when you came back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh absolutely. Absolutely. I think for most of America, Iran was just a mystery and probably still is to a large extent. In graduate school, there was, I was friends with a Peace Corps volunteer from Pakistan, and I know we were taking a class of Middle Eastern studies and our professor had a radio program and he and this other guy and I were on together and talking about Iran and trying to explain what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cool. Very nice. Is there anything that I haven't asked you that you'd like to share?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00113:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know how I can say that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, you can't, that's impossible these days to say things gently about that. The third goal of Peace Corps is educating Americans about other countries. Have you felt like you've had a chance to do that? Do people are people interested in your experience? Were they interested when you came back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh absolutely. Absolutely. I think for most of America, Iran was just a mystery and probably still is to a large extent. In graduate school, there was, I was friends with a Peace Corps volunteer from Pakistan, and I know we were taking a class of Middle Eastern studies and our professor had a radio program and he and this other guy and I were on together and talking about Iran and trying to explain what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cool. Very nice. Is there anything that I haven't asked you that you'd like to share?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think you've gone over a lot. I think you got through the whole lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it was a delight. And thank you for coming down and sharing with me."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 16.475585333020277, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, you know, it was also at the time, you know, the economic situation, people coming out of college with degrees that weren't necessarily resulting in jobs. I was majoring in print journalism."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which now looking back is sort of laughable because at the time that I was even in school, they were telling us that, you know, the times were changing. People aren't really referring to print reading as much as often, as much as they did previously. And international studies was kind of an area that I really was interested in going into. I was at the time also looking at like Foreign Service and, you know, those careers later on down the line. But yeah, I think Peace Corps just sounded appealing to me for so many reasons, not just because of the aspect of getting to go out into the world and try something different, but also because of the training that they give you, everything that's embedded in there. It was all very different from anything that anyone in my family had ever done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so, yeah, even though I said that my family, they're immigrants from India, and they very much appreciated the fact that I wanted to go and live in these situations that they are more familiar with in India. I still had to sit down and talk to my mom about what the Peace Corps actually was because it wasn't something that was on her radar either. So, yeah, it took a little bit of convincing, I think. But in the end, I realized that that was probably the only logical path for me after college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, wonderful. So you completed your application and finally got your invitation and you left in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.195094814466977, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which now looking back is sort of laughable because at the time that I was even in school, they were telling us that, you know, the times were changing. People aren't really referring to print reading as much as often, as much as they did previously. And international studies was kind of an area that I really was interested in going into. I was at the time also looking at like Foreign Service and, you know, those careers later on down the line. But yeah, I think Peace Corps just sounded appealing to me for so many reasons, not just because of the aspect of getting to go out into the world and try something different, but also because of the training that they give you, everything that's embedded in there. It was all very different from anything that anyone in my family had ever done."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so, yeah, even though I said that my family, they're immigrants from India, and they very much appreciated the fact that I wanted to go and live in these situations that they are more familiar with in India. I still had to sit down and talk to my mom about what the Peace Corps actually was because it wasn't something that was on her radar either. So, yeah, it took a little bit of convincing, I think. But in the end, I realized that that was probably the only logical path for me after college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, wonderful. So you completed your application and finally got your invitation and you left in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "August of 2010."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And so tell me what happened when your plane landed?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 21.787151034677933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They, yeah, they make a party out of coming to the Capitol to greet the new batch of volunteers. So we were just greeted with the screaming crowd of, like, you know, paparazzi like so. And I think I remember someone, because there's a Peace Corps volunteer magazine in the Dominican Republic called the Gringo Grita. And someone took a picture of me walking out into that screaming excitement, and that picture ended up in that issue of the Grita. So I have a picture of my own face like looking so excited and also exhausted with my glasses and my hair in a bun. So, yeah, I have an actual photograph of myself stepping out of the airport."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I ended up writing for the Grita for at least three issues after that, on the staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, journalism."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after you got there and were greeted, what was your training experience like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.541278927419928, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I ended up writing for the Grita for at least three issues after that, on the staff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, journalism."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after you got there and were greeted, what was your training experience like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So training in the Dominican Republic was held in a sort of outskirts of Santo Domingo, an area called Pantoja, and they had a big training center there. And it was very, you know, very lush and garden like, there's lots of little sort of, what do you call it, gazebos. We called them, alas, all sitting around all these lawns and gardens. And it was very quiet, strangely, even though it was in the middle of this busy city suburb. And our trainings were very intimate, broken off into small groups. The trainers were, of course, all Dominican, with lots of experience working with Peace Corps volunteers for years. And so it felt very welcoming. It felt very at home. Peace Corps volunteers would come from their sites to also participate in the training, which also helped, because then we had a visual on, you know, different people that were out there doing the work that we were going to do.\n\nAnd it was also just a great way to be embedded in this neighborhood because the host families that we were staying with initially were around the training center. So we all walked to training together every morning. And, you know, being in the capital, we were able to do a little bit of exploring, some cultural sites and things like that since Santo Domingo has such a rich history in the Caribbean. And so, yeah, it felt like we could get out there and start experiencing the country, but also have our quiet reflection time to come back and talk with both Dominican and American staff and, you know, sort of help ourselves process as we were getting started."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Tell me about your host family. Did you have a host family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 21.65589991039497, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So training in the Dominican Republic was held in a sort of outskirts of Santo Domingo, an area called Pantoja, and they had a big training center there. And it was very, you know, very lush and garden like, there's lots of little sort of, what do you call it, gazebos. We called them, alas, all sitting around all these lawns and gardens. And it was very quiet, strangely, even though it was in the middle of this busy city suburb. And our trainings were very intimate, broken off into small groups. The trainers were, of course, all Dominican, with lots of experience working with Peace Corps volunteers for years. And so it felt very welcoming. It felt very at home. Peace Corps volunteers would come from their sites to also participate in the training, which also helped, because then we had a visual on, you know, different people that were out there doing the work that we were going to do.\n\nAnd it was also just a great way to be embedded in this neighborhood because the host families that we were staying with initially were around the training center. So we all walked to training together every morning. And, you know, being in the capital, we were able to do a little bit of exploring, some cultural sites and things like that since Santo Domingo has such a rich history in the Caribbean. And so, yeah, it felt like we could get out there and start experiencing the country, but also have our quiet reflection time to come back and talk with both Dominican and American staff and, you know, sort of help ourselves process as we were getting started."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Tell me about your host family. Did you have a host family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had three host families throughout my whole service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So should I tell you about all three of them or just?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me about training and we'll come back to the other ones."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.613613239799319, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you ever get to see your site before you moved there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. Part of training, and that was where the sort of community-based thing was. We were not just out in a site, in a rural area together as a team, but then they also included a weekend where we had to go visit another Peace Corps volunteer in their site. That was part of the sort of training that we got. And then the other part of that was later on when they assigned us our sites, we were sent there for a weekend to check it out and then come back for our swearing in ceremony and then go back to our sites to actually be there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I think I visited my site for like a day or so because it's really not far from the capital. It's like maybe an hour and a half drive from the capital. So I was one of the lucky ones that had that sort of convenient access to the Peace Corps office. And so, yeah, I remember going to my site, checking it out, meeting people. And my site was on the beach, so they did take me to the beach. They did walk me around, show me the school, all of that stuff. And yeah, and they really, I think Peace Corps had done a lot of work. Our APCD, Adele Williams, had done a lot of work for the youth volunteers to cultivate that confianza with the community, so they were ready and waiting for me. They were like, as soon as you're finished your ceremony, you'll be back. We're so excited to have you. Already, they were treating me like a member of the family, and I was there for a couple of days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, awesome. So tell me about swearing in."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 13.58520334677547, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Swearing in was great. It was also held at the Pantoja training site, so lots of good opportunities for pretty pictures. I dressed up and the thing that you know, Dominican women like to do is get like really outrageous nails done at the salon. So I went and did that for the first time, which is fun. Got it to match my dress. And Dona Belkis came, and she also brought her husband. So that was really nice. And most of the Peace Corps volunteers host families came to that, host families in the capital, I mean, came to that swearing in ceremony. And yeah, it was really great. I remember how profound it was to like, raise your hand and say, and everybody swearing in together. We elected one of my friends, her name is Phoebe Sunflower, and she had just this wonderfully warm, inspiring personality, and we elected her to give the address on behalf of our cohort at the swearing in ceremony. So that was really nice. Romeo Massey, our director, gave each one of us this pen as we walked across the stage. And so, yeah, it was a really inspiring day, and I think we were all ready to get out there. But it was also sad to be like, oh, this part of it's over. Now we have to kind of build camaraderie in a different place with different people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So then you moved to your site. And you stayed with a host family at your site also?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the requirement was three months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I stayed for six months with my host family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow. They just asked you to stay longer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.59901647750058, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I stayed for six months with my host family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow. They just asked you to stay longer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah, I mean, I had a really good relationship with my host family in my site, in Carlos Pintos. They were, I mean, not very rich, but they wielded a lot of influence. The mother of the family, her name was Nancy. She was the president of the local health committee, which was the organization that the Peace Corps volunteer has been partnered with. So they were my sort of host organization, and she was also very. Both her children were police officers. Her husband, my host dad Julian, was also very influential in the community. They were just known as a very respectable family, very hardworking family, very invested in the community and invested in their neighbors. So when they took in this Peace Corps volunteer, me, I got to enjoy the respect that this family had already built for itself, and I continued to feed into that.\n\nSo, you know, a lot of the work that I did, I think, you know, I'm so eternally grateful to them for helping me with that because Peace Corps volunteers come in with zero context. And so to have the backing and the trust of this wonderful, powerful family really helped my work along, I think. And so, yeah, I stayed with them for the required three months, but my relationship with them was so good and they were just like, you stay as long as you want. You can stay the whole two years if you want."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Aww."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I said, I will stay for six months, but I do want to try the experience of living on my own here, having my own house, all of that. And they helped me find my own house just around the corner from where they lived, with a distant relative of theirs, who had a giant plot of land. And they helped me set up everything for that house and I still did my laundry with them. I still ate meals at least twice a week with them. And so I saw them every day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's so lovely."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.776684975000645, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah, I mean, I had a really good relationship with my host family in my site, in Carlos Pintos. They were, I mean, not very rich, but they wielded a lot of influence. The mother of the family, her name was Nancy. She was the president of the local health committee, which was the organization that the Peace Corps volunteer has been partnered with. So they were my sort of host organization, and she was also very. Both her children were police officers. Her husband, my host dad Julian, was also very influential in the community. They were just known as a very respectable family, very hardworking family, very invested in the community and invested in their neighbors. So when they took in this Peace Corps volunteer, me, I got to enjoy the respect that this family had already built for itself, and I continued to feed into that.\n\nSo, you know, a lot of the work that I did, I think, you know, I'm so eternally grateful to them for helping me with that because Peace Corps volunteers come in with zero context. And so to have the backing and the trust of this wonderful, powerful family really helped my work along, I think. And so, yeah, I stayed with them for the required three months, but my relationship with them was so good and they were just like, you stay as long as you want. You can stay the whole two years if you want."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Aww."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I said, I will stay for six months, but I do want to try the experience of living on my own here, having my own house, all of that. And they helped me find my own house just around the corner from where they lived, with a distant relative of theirs, who had a giant plot of land. And they helped me set up everything for that house and I still did my laundry with them. I still ate meals at least twice a week with them. And so I saw them every day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's so lovely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, yeah, it was they were very they were very powerful and very potent in my Peace Corps experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So tell me about your new house."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 18.832808303274646, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Put in like a little bucket shower area. Helped me to procure like all my furniture and like a gas tank and a fridge full of stuff. They helped me. All I did was basically pay for it with the Peace Corps, like, you know, stipend that they give you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I paid for it and they basically set up this house for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My host brother even surprised me by painting it ocean blue inside, and my host dad made me curtains to separate the rooms because there were no doors inside. It was a two-room house with an added sort of lean-to bathroom area where the toilet and the bucket shower and my giant water tank was. But one of the two rooms was basically my kitchen and sitting area. And in the other room was the bedroom. And I loved that house so much. And even though my American family, when they came and saw it, and my Dominican host family and they were like, why are you living like this? This is not like a fancy house at all. You should be living in a concrete block house. But I liked my little wooden house with the tin roof. And you know, it was not sealed. So at night fireflies would come in and I could see them from underneath my mosquito nets when the power went out. Sometimes, you know, little critters would come in, like lizards, and climb across the maps that I tacked to the wall and the dogs on the property would come hang out on the front porch. They put the cattle behind my house at night, so like I could sort of feel their presence on the other side of the wall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like a very loud living situation."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 14.600425600238355, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, exactly. So that was a really warm moment for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Oh, that's wonderful. So I don't think we've talked about your projects at all yet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not yet. So youth development projects are interesting because they kind of spread into all the other sectors. I had three iterations of Chicas Brillantes, which is the Dominican version of GLOW. And then I also had Escojo Mi Vida, which was the HIV AIDS teen health promoter program. It was a multiplier course in which you teach one and then they become certified to do another. You can do it in other styles, too, but that was the way I chose to run that program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can I interrupt you really quick?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you translate the names of those?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.855362307835401, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it was really through them that I, that that site was made available to Peace Corps, because they had never had a Peace Corps volunteer before me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was shared between this local and this international organization, which is really kind of weird. But the complex was open to me any time I needed to. I would have to like trek through the, you know, the dry creek bed and through the jungle, or to pay for a motorcycle to get there. But they also had baseball games at the diamond there, because a lot of American recruiters were going to find players. So I would go with the kids to watch baseball games for free, which would be fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cool."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then, of course, my graduations for my various youth groups, we got free run of that beautiful space so that it was a really special occasion. For example, when my Escojo Mi Vida group graduated and became multipliers of that HIV AIDS and sexual health training, we held the graduation there. And so the families dressed up, they took it very seriously. I presented certificates, there was a cake. And yeah, it was just an opportunity for them to have this sort of professional experience and really enjoy the celebration of it, not just something we were doing in like a random classroom in the community. This is something to be recognized. So, yeah, so there was a lot going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You called them youth groups. What age counts as youth?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00139:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.839291453150446, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was shared between this local and this international organization, which is really kind of weird. But the complex was open to me any time I needed to. I would have to like trek through the, you know, the dry creek bed and through the jungle, or to pay for a motorcycle to get there. But they also had baseball games at the diamond there, because a lot of American recruiters were going to find players. So I would go with the kids to watch baseball games for free, which would be fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cool."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then, of course, my graduations for my various youth groups, we got free run of that beautiful space so that it was a really special occasion. For example, when my Escojo Mi Vida group graduated and became multipliers of that HIV AIDS and sexual health training, we held the graduation there. And so the families dressed up, they took it very seriously. I presented certificates, there was a cake. And yeah, it was just an opportunity for them to have this sort of professional experience and really enjoy the celebration of it, not just something we were doing in like a random classroom in the community. This is something to be recognized. So, yeah, so there was a lot going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. You called them youth groups. What age counts as youth?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So my groups, I think the youngest were like 11 and the oldest, the oldest one was 23. But the 23 year old, I mean, she was exactly my age at the time, and she really helped facilitate more than. She participated in the classes as the student for a while. And then later on, I brought her in as my sort of co-teacher. So I think once people leave for university, it gets harder to reach them. But the teenagers, particularly, were the ones who most easily clustered around me. So that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If you had to pick a favorite, what would you say was your favorite project?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00622:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 26.125479390670996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Work always expands to fill the available time, and there’s nothing like a schedule to bring the team to focus. We had an aggressive schedule to build the FGB [functional cargo block], which was a U.S. paid-for element that Khrunichev [Production Center] built, and then the Russian elements would soon form the backbone of the station. Necessity is the mother of invention, so the schedule was the impetus, the driver that pushed us to forge those relationships and make the progress that we did. There were a lot of bumps in the road along the way. We did not meet—the Russians didn’t meet their initial promised date; they were actually two years late on the Service Module. But of course we put that time to really good use; we had used the time to do a lot more ground testing of the U.S. segment and were able to really give us a lot higher confidence in the pedigree of the hardware that the U.S. was sending to Space Station. So that’s what I think was the ultimate driver of the progress that we made."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that you were there for 10 years, but along this progression, at what point did you move?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I left Space Station shortly after the node launched."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got to see—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got to see the first elements launched. I actually had an opportunity to go—I’d spent 10 years working on building Space Station, I wanted to then go use Space Station. I was excited about its prospects as an orbiting research platform. There was an opportunity that came up, at the time it was called the Space and Life Sciences Directorate, working different payloads, because it was exciting, the prospects of the microgravity research. So I spent several years doing that before I was pulled back into the flight programs when Constellation kicked off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your thoughts when you saw the door opened? There’s got to be some feeling of satisfaction or reward when you got to see the two modules unite, then astronauts taking full-time residence. Can you share some of the—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00622:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 26.80608821185666, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I left Space Station shortly after the node launched."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got to see—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got to see the first elements launched. I actually had an opportunity to go—I’d spent 10 years working on building Space Station, I wanted to then go use Space Station. I was excited about its prospects as an orbiting research platform. There was an opportunity that came up, at the time it was called the Space and Life Sciences Directorate, working different payloads, because it was exciting, the prospects of the microgravity research. So I spent several years doing that before I was pulled back into the flight programs when Constellation kicked off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your thoughts when you saw the door opened? There’s got to be some feeling of satisfaction or reward when you got to see the two modules unite, then astronauts taking full-time residence. Can you share some of the—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, sure. That’s what really motivates us NASA engineers, you know, is seeing the fruits of our labor finally realized by flying, which is why it’s so tough for us nowadays when we don’t have a human spaceflight capability. These are years we have to weather the storm, and it’s harder to come to work. Which is motivating us, like on Orion or a commercial crew, that we feel that the United States needs to have a place as a world leader in technology and human spaceflight, we should have a preeminent role in that. We’re hard believers in our country’s leadership role in technology and want to play a role in that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You said you spent some time in the human and life sciences area. Were you working on elements to go as far as what they were doing to go to Station?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00017:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.06801054292609, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I should keep my answers shorter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, no, [that came out wrong]! This is great, because a lot of times you answer them, but then sometimes I come up with different questions. How much time does a crew spend training on the ground for how many hours they’re in space? Does that make sense? Do you have a stat for that? I know that EVA is like seven hours in the pool for every hour they’re outside."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I might need to go and get that number for you. That would be pretty easy to get."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought that might be interesting to put in the chapter, because I think that would be one of those factors that people go, “Wow, that’s a lot of work for a 15-day mission.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, that’s definitely a number that I can get for you, because now that you mention it, I’d like to know that myself. [Integrated simulations are a relatively] small part of the whole picture. There [are] about 4 launch/ascent sims and about 4 entry[/landing] sims that every crew does. They’ll [also] do what [we] call a deorbit prep, which is the last 6 hours before landing, putting away everything in the cabin and getting ready to come home and then landing. There’s one called a post-insertion, which is where you launch and then do the activities [scheduled] right after getting into orbit. There’s a lot of cabin setup that has to be done after all the shake, rattle, and rolling of launch, and now you can get everything out and set it up.\\n\\n Besides those simulations, our orbit sim template was somewhere around 100 hours, I think, of orbit sims. Approximately 120 hrs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you share an example from one or two of those integrated sims for us? Some of the things that you were working on? Maybe some of the challenges or malfunctions that you encountered that stand out?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00017:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 34.52001171436232, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I might need to go and get that number for you. That would be pretty easy to get."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought that might be interesting to put in the chapter, because I think that would be one of those factors that people go, “Wow, that’s a lot of work for a 15-day mission.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, that’s definitely a number that I can get for you, because now that you mention it, I’d like to know that myself. [Integrated simulations are a relatively] small part of the whole picture. There [are] about 4 launch/ascent sims and about 4 entry[/landing] sims that every crew does. They’ll [also] do what [we] call a deorbit prep, which is the last 6 hours before landing, putting away everything in the cabin and getting ready to come home and then landing. There’s one called a post-insertion, which is where you launch and then do the activities [scheduled] right after getting into orbit. There’s a lot of cabin setup that has to be done after all the shake, rattle, and rolling of launch, and now you can get everything out and set it up.\\n\\n Besides those simulations, our orbit sim template was somewhere around 100 hours, I think, of orbit sims. Approximately 120 hrs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you share an example from one or two of those integrated sims for us? Some of the things that you were working on? Maybe some of the challenges or malfunctions that you encountered that stand out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s a good question. I’m trying to think if there’s a specific example. It’s been a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure, sure. Like I said, it’s been a while, and these are very specific questions."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00017:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 38.355568571513686, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, that’s definitely a number that I can get for you, because now that you mention it, I’d like to know that myself. [Integrated simulations are a relatively] small part of the whole picture. There [are] about 4 launch/ascent sims and about 4 entry[/landing] sims that every crew does. They’ll [also] do what [we] call a deorbit prep, which is the last 6 hours before landing, putting away everything in the cabin and getting ready to come home and then landing. There’s one called a post-insertion, which is where you launch and then do the activities [scheduled] right after getting into orbit. There’s a lot of cabin setup that has to be done after all the shake, rattle, and rolling of launch, and now you can get everything out and set it up.\\n\\n Besides those simulations, our orbit sim template was somewhere around 100 hours, I think, of orbit sims. Approximately 120 hrs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you share an example from one or two of those integrated sims for us? Some of the things that you were working on? Maybe some of the challenges or malfunctions that you encountered that stand out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s a good question. I’m trying to think if there’s a specific example. It’s been a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure, sure. Like I said, it’s been a while, and these are very specific questions."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’s not anything that really jumps out at me as a specific example from one of those. I’m trying to think of an example of a type of failure. Wow! That’s a great question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you simulate any failures with the boom, for instance? Did you have any problems with that freezing up?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00017:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 42.617298412792984, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s a good question. I’m trying to think if there’s a specific example. It’s been a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure, sure. Like I said, it’s been a while, and these are very specific questions."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’s not anything that really jumps out at me as a specific example from one of those. I’m trying to think of an example of a type of failure. Wow! That’s a great question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you simulate any failures with the boom, for instance? Did you have any problems with that freezing up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we did. I know we did simulate the boom transfer and all the robotics choreography. Actually now that I’m over in training management, this is [an example of] something that we talk with future teams as we get into the simulation plans for them. Throwing everything off the timeline and into never-never land really can be sometimes detrimental to the team, because it takes away the focus on getting ready for the mission. In other words, there’s a balance. Every once in a while, we talk about how it’s nice to see a nominal timeline once in a while, because it means hey, “This is what we’re actually going to do”, and running through it as a dry run for some of the complex timelines is pretty important.\\n\\n I do recall some power issues that needed to be sorted out, if I remember correctly, on the Shuttle side, to make sure that we were going to feel confident that we could provide power to the boom once it got handed off to us. But I don’t remember the specifics. But there were things like that that we had to talk about, maybe do some work with the crew to throw some circuit breakers and check some things on orbit to make sure. Sometimes reconfigure some systems on orbit to be able to ensure that we have what we need when we got the boom transferred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point do you decide you’re ready to fly? What’s that process? When do you hit that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00017:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 47.3525537919922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’s not anything that really jumps out at me as a specific example from one of those. I’m trying to think of an example of a type of failure. Wow! That’s a great question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you simulate any failures with the boom, for instance? Did you have any problems with that freezing up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we did. I know we did simulate the boom transfer and all the robotics choreography. Actually now that I’m over in training management, this is [an example of] something that we talk with future teams as we get into the simulation plans for them. Throwing everything off the timeline and into never-never land really can be sometimes detrimental to the team, because it takes away the focus on getting ready for the mission. In other words, there’s a balance. Every once in a while, we talk about how it’s nice to see a nominal timeline once in a while, because it means hey, “This is what we’re actually going to do”, and running through it as a dry run for some of the complex timelines is pretty important.\\n\\n I do recall some power issues that needed to be sorted out, if I remember correctly, on the Shuttle side, to make sure that we were going to feel confident that we could provide power to the boom once it got handed off to us. But I don’t remember the specifics. But there were things like that that we had to talk about, maybe do some work with the crew to throw some circuit breakers and check some things on orbit to make sure. Sometimes reconfigure some systems on orbit to be able to ensure that we have what we need when we got the boom transferred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point do you decide you’re ready to fly? What’s that process? When do you hit that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let’s see. I’m trying to think of where to start."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s probably a complicated question."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00017:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.58, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes it was, it really was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was it like working with a new international partner, with having the Japanese on board?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got a lot of satisfaction out of it having been a Station flight director for probably the first 4 years or so of my flight director career. Not really having a chance to work with them before that, or even the Europeans for that matter. The Russians and the Canadians I’d worked with quite a bit. But the Europeans came along, their module, after I had gone back over to the Shuttle side. But to me, having JAXA come on in such a big way on this mission was really really satisfying. Having Aki [Akihiko] Hoshide on board and doing the work and getting into the module and getting it activated from the crew perspective. Then to have, finally, all the partners involved in the effort in the Space Station Program was really phenomenal.\\n\\n They had been involved in the previous mission [to install] the logistics module. I always thought about it like a closet; [it’s] small. That ultimately got relocated onto the big module on our mission. They had been involved [on STS-123], but it wasn’t really in a major, critical, we’re not going to get everything done without them” way [until STS-124]. You could hear the satisfaction and the pride in their voices, hearing them talk with Aki on orbit, the Japanese flight control team and their CapCom equivalent talking with the crew. The satisfaction and pride that they had was really so great to hear. As a flight director, seeing all the partners around the world now part of this operation was just fantastic, really really cool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any lessons learned that you passed along from this flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You mean with respect to the international partner aspect, or just in general?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just in general. Anything that you learned."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00017:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 18, "return_to_go": 18.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You mean with respect to the international partner aspect, or just in general?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just in general. Anything that you learned."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There’s always a lot of little things that we find. Things went so very very well. I know we reinforced a lot of the things that we try to do about staying ahead of ourselves wherever we can. Thinking one step ahead, which is pretty much normal day-to-day business. It’s the way we try to operate. The way a lot of folks say is, “Try to stay ahead of the vehicle.” You try to stay one step ahead of what might be going on, thinking about possibly the next worst failure that might come up, and be thinking about that so if it happens you’re prepared, and if it doesn’t happen, well, that’s okay, you were ready for it. Something happens that isn’t quite as bad, well, you were prepared for worse than that.\\n\\n If you prepare appropriately and the vehicle and the hardware behave themselves the way they’re supposed to—it’s like your car or your house, you never know what’s going to happen sometimes—but the preparation is everything. All the work that you do planning and preparing for failures and things not going right, the more you do that, the better chance you have when it comes down to getting things done, getting through them without a hitch.\\n\\n We were really fortunate that we didn’t have to dive into those bags of tricks very much at all in this mission. But because of the planning and preparation, I knew that we were ready for whatever might come along."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we’re getting close to your time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t even realize how much time had passed. Wow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything else that you think we should know, either about the mission itself or about planning, training, and flying that we haven’t talked about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 40.48923023661864, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes, and not knowing about NASA, just getting there and just seeing this man come in and kind of demanding that he could just walk in and just go straight in. One of the other people that I worked with on a real regular basis, because of several different things, was Neil [A.] Armstrong. He lived, at the time, in a place called Littlerock [California], actually he lived next to Betty [Scott] Love, and he used to sing, and we would have him come and sing for our parties and those types of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there specific types of songs that he liked to sing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I don’t remember that, I just remember that when we sang, he sang, that type of thing. Very nice man, very humble, very quiet. Then one of the other things that you ask about here is things that went on as far as what we did. I believe that we were on a bowling team together. That’s where I met my husband. Actually, my husband worked there, but he and I were on the bowling team together. There was also a group of women got together and they formed what was called WONASA, but that was after NACA changed to NASA in 1958."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were there during that transition. You had just started, and then within a year it changed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was about a year, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you share with us if there was anything significant about the transition?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 29.940908758754194, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was working for NACA in Cleveland, and his mother had transferred out to Fontana [California]; his uncle had opened a business. He asked to be relocated somewhere where they flew aircraft, and he had two choices. He had either San Francisco, which would have been Ames [Research Center, Moffett Field] at the time, or NACA [High Speed Flight Station], and he chose to do NACA because they were flying, the beginning of the [Bell] X-1 projects, so he opted to do that instead. That’s why he came out. Then he retired from NASA in 1990; had 38 years of service with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was watching a lot of changes, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were right there with him, I would imagine."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of the time. I actually worked at NASA three different times. I worked there from 1957 through 1961, and then from 1965 for about two weeks, for a real short period of time, and then I went back to NASA in 1997 and I retired there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many years did you stay from ‘97, when did you retire?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.045454176393548, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were right there with him, I would imagine."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of the time. I actually worked at NASA three different times. I worked there from 1957 through 1961, and then from 1965 for about two weeks, for a real short period of time, and then I went back to NASA in 1997 and I retired there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many years did you stay from ‘97, when did you retire?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In 2000, 2001. Three years, I retired from NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you in the same type of procurement position?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 34.49494908488172, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of the time. I actually worked at NASA three different times. I worked there from 1957 through 1961, and then from 1965 for about two weeks, for a real short period of time, and then I went back to NASA in 1997 and I retired there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many years did you stay from ‘97, when did you retire?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In 2000, 2001. Three years, I retired from NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you in the same type of procurement position?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, oh no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us all the different areas that you worked."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 31.661054538757462, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In 2000, 2001. Three years, I retired from NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you in the same type of procurement position?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, oh no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us all the different areas that you worked."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let’s see. I worked for NASA as a typist secretary, then when I worked for them before I was in Personnel for a short period of time, and then when I went back I was in what was then called Human Resources. In the interim, though, I worked for the Air Force and for the Defense Logistics Agency [DLA], and most of those times it was in Human Resources, Quality Assurance, that type of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We always think of technology changing for hardware, but technology also impacted a lot of what Human Resources did, didn’t it, how you kept files?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.84561615417496, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, oh no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Share with us all the different areas that you worked."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let’s see. I worked for NASA as a typist secretary, then when I worked for them before I was in Personnel for a short period of time, and then when I went back I was in what was then called Human Resources. In the interim, though, I worked for the Air Force and for the Defense Logistics Agency [DLA], and most of those times it was in Human Resources, Quality Assurance, that type of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We always think of technology changing for hardware, but technology also impacted a lot of what Human Resources did, didn’t it, how you kept files?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When we did the Human Resources, that was the biggest impact, I think, because when I first started working for DLA, I was assigned to the Air Force Academy for six months, and that was a transition where they were going from the paper copy to automated processes, so that continued on through my career with the Air Force, having two sets of records, paper copies and then putting everything on a computer of some sort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And making sure they both say the same thing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 35.38401794908329, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let’s see. I worked for NASA as a typist secretary, then when I worked for them before I was in Personnel for a short period of time, and then when I went back I was in what was then called Human Resources. In the interim, though, I worked for the Air Force and for the Defense Logistics Agency [DLA], and most of those times it was in Human Resources, Quality Assurance, that type of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We always think of technology changing for hardware, but technology also impacted a lot of what Human Resources did, didn’t it, how you kept files?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When we did the Human Resources, that was the biggest impact, I think, because when I first started working for DLA, I was assigned to the Air Force Academy for six months, and that was a transition where they were going from the paper copy to automated processes, so that continued on through my career with the Air Force, having two sets of records, paper copies and then putting everything on a computer of some sort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And making sure they both say the same thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and to this day people still do backup copies of paper, because if your computer crashes, you’re lost."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What other aspects of the Human Resources or Personnel did you work in? At some point did you manage a group of people?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 39.31557549898143, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When we did the Human Resources, that was the biggest impact, I think, because when I first started working for DLA, I was assigned to the Air Force Academy for six months, and that was a transition where they were going from the paper copy to automated processes, so that continued on through my career with the Air Force, having two sets of records, paper copies and then putting everything on a computer of some sort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And making sure they both say the same thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and to this day people still do backup copies of paper, because if your computer crashes, you’re lost."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What other aspects of the Human Resources or Personnel did you work in? At some point did you manage a group of people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were always just the hands-on, doing that as well."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 43.68397277664604, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and to this day people still do backup copies of paper, because if your computer crashes, you’re lost."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What other aspects of the Human Resources or Personnel did you work in? At some point did you manage a group of people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were always just the hands-on, doing that as well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about some of the other changes? The fact that you came in, and you were out, I’d have to think that over the time period you saw—and of course your husband working out there—you saw changes happen at the base and/or some of the aircraft that was going in and out. Were you able to go in and see the aircraft that landed and know much about what was going on at the base?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 45.204414196273376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were always just the hands-on, doing that as well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about some of the other changes? The fact that you came in, and you were out, I’d have to think that over the time period you saw—and of course your husband working out there—you saw changes happen at the base and/or some of the aircraft that was going in and out. Were you able to go in and see the aircraft that landed and know much about what was going on at the base?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I tell kind of an interesting story. I think it’s interesting. One of the things that we used to do on our breaks, we used to go into the—at the time there were two large hangars, right and left—and we used to go into the left hangar and we used to play Ping-Pong. We’d eat our sandwich real quick and go out and play Ping-Pong, just for some exercise. We were out playing one day, and all of a sudden all the doors to the hangar shut and we were told immediately to go into our offices and not to say anything to anybody. Naturally you’re curious, but you go back to your desk.\\n\\n Got home, and on the news that night, that was one of the aircraft that had come in, one of the spy planes had come in and had landed, and they just didn’t want anybody to know about it. I believe, but I’m not positive, it was [Francis] Gary Powers at the time that he was flying, but the fact that we were there and we saw something but we didn’t know what we saw, and we were told to shut up and not say anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel a lot of the work or a lot of the people that you worked around were working on projects that were classified or secret for security reasons?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 38.84983318237278, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, we did that. In fact, was it last year, two years ago? When they ferried it? It came right over our house. Right over. I live across the street from a school, and so all the school kids were out in the field and you can see it, and they did a double pass; they came this way. When the Shuttle would land, we’d get those two [sonic] booms, so you could go out and watch, you could see it come over. That was exciting, in fact."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I saw your bracelet. Tell us about what those [charms] are."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s all the different ones [California Shuttle landings]. My daughter put this together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was nice of her. Are your children involved in any way, having two parents who were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, my one son worked there as a contractor for about, probably 10 or 15 years. He worked for ABC. ABC used to do the broadcasting. My other son worked there as a contractor for several years, he worked for PCR, and then he was a NASA employee for about three years, and he resigned from there and he works for a company in Orlando, Florida. The one worked on the range, for the tracking of things, and he worked there for about 10 years; he doesn’t work there anymore."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first started, you mentioned that you were here and then had started college. Were you raised in this area?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 40.9442590915253, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s all the different ones [California Shuttle landings]. My daughter put this together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was nice of her. Are your children involved in any way, having two parents who were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, my one son worked there as a contractor for about, probably 10 or 15 years. He worked for ABC. ABC used to do the broadcasting. My other son worked there as a contractor for several years, he worked for PCR, and then he was a NASA employee for about three years, and he resigned from there and he works for a company in Orlando, Florida. The one worked on the range, for the tracking of things, and he worked there for about 10 years; he doesn’t work there anymore."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first started, you mentioned that you were here and then had started college. Were you raised in this area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, I was from New Mexico. I’m from Albuquerque."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your family here?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 44.382510101694784, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, my one son worked there as a contractor for about, probably 10 or 15 years. He worked for ABC. ABC used to do the broadcasting. My other son worked there as a contractor for several years, he worked for PCR, and then he was a NASA employee for about three years, and he resigned from there and he works for a company in Orlando, Florida. The one worked on the range, for the tracking of things, and he worked there for about 10 years; he doesn’t work there anymore."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you first started, you mentioned that you were here and then had started college. Were you raised in this area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, I was from New Mexico. I’m from Albuquerque."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your family here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had an uncle that had come out here to live, and I came to live with him and went to school. Graduated from AV [Antelope Valley] High [School] in Lancaster. Like I said, I was going to school on the GI Bill from my dad, and went to work at NACA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I just thought it was interesting that both you and your husband were not from here but yet made your whole lives here. That’s pretty interesting. When you all got married, you lived here. Did you live in Lancaster or Palmdale?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 42.64723344632753, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, I was from New Mexico. I’m from Albuquerque."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your family here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had an uncle that had come out here to live, and I came to live with him and went to school. Graduated from AV [Antelope Valley] High [School] in Lancaster. Like I said, I was going to school on the GI Bill from my dad, and went to work at NACA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I just thought it was interesting that both you and your husband were not from here but yet made your whole lives here. That’s pretty interesting. When you all got married, you lived here. Did you live in Lancaster or Palmdale?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we’ve lived in Lancaster the entire time. In fact, I’m in my house right now, I’ve been in it 43 years. I’m going to sell. My son lives with me, one son, and he has some medical issues, and when that’s over with we’ll go to Florida and I’ll be with my other son there in Pensacola, Gulf Breeze.\\n\\n Now, I’ll tell you another story about, more about my husband. My husband, when he passed away, had over 100 models, and the majority of them were ones that he had either flown in or worked on. Half of them I gave to the Air Force Museum out at Edwards, and the other half, that are Shuttle forward, will go to the museum in Fort Pickens, in Pensacola, as a donation. To be able to say, “I worked on that one, or I flew in that one”—because he used to fly in the back seat on some of the two-seaters, just to test their equipment to be sure that the equipment was working."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Some things, you said, that he couldn’t share with you, but did he share a lot when he came home?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 43.59385791899294, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the Personnel Director was a woman. When I worked at NACA/NASA, that Personnel Director was a man. No, there were a lot of women—I believe the EEO [Equal Employment Opportunity] officer was a female, I think the training officer was a female, in Human Resources, there were a couple while I was there in that three-year period, they were all females. In fact my last supervisor was a lady by the name of Susan Miller, and she runs the AERO [Aerospace, Education, Research, Operations] Institute here in Palmdale. I don’t know if you’ve met her. There were always females in the finance department, that part of it; there were females in the finance department later on, and probably an equal amount."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From what I understand, during that early time there were a number of female employees that were considered to be mathematicians."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, well, that was Betty [Scott Love]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a lot of interaction with her?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t. Actually there were about three of them. There was Betty, there was a lady named Kay [Katherine H.] Armstead, and Roxanah [B.] Yancey. They were called the computers, and they did the downloads, the tapes would come in and they’d do the download. We knew them, we all knew them. Betty Love’s husband’s first wife was in the security office, but she was a secretary. I was trying to think who else. But yes, the computers, I think there were three or four of those ladies that did all the taping. That must’ve been an interesting job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like it to me, the whole reading of the films and plotting it. A lot of math."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 15, "return_to_go": 48.43761990999215, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, well, that was Betty [Scott Love]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a lot of interaction with her?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t. Actually there were about three of them. There was Betty, there was a lady named Kay [Katherine H.] Armstead, and Roxanah [B.] Yancey. They were called the computers, and they did the downloads, the tapes would come in and they’d do the download. We knew them, we all knew them. Betty Love’s husband’s first wife was in the security office, but she was a secretary. I was trying to think who else. But yes, the computers, I think there were three or four of those ladies that did all the taping. That must’ve been an interesting job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like it to me, the whole reading of the films and plotting it. A lot of math."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Too much math for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Me too. You said you worked with the Air Force. Were there a lot of differences that you found in the working environment between the two different agencies?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:78", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.918429347947146, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Well, there were several people that came from Kennedy [Space Center, Florida] and from Houston [Johnson Space Center, Texas], both, that would come out on a regular basis and would see him. They used to have a trailer just outside of Dryden there where they kept the media passes. Now the Visitors Center is completely different than it used to be, and the cafeteria is no longer where it used to be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where was it when you started?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I first started, there used to be a long hallway that went all the way down, and then to the left was the cafeteria. The last time I was there I think it was a lot of little offices, completely, completely changed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did a lot of people gather in the cafeteria in those early days? Since there wasn’t that much around that you could just go out and get lunch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like I said, we’d go in the cafeteria and get a sandwich or whatever, and then we’d go out and play Ping-Pong. There were other times, though, that they would bring the airplanes in the other hangar, and they’d be working out there. You could go out there and see stuff, but you didn’t know a lot about what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that group WONASA. We’ve heard a couple of other ladies talk about it. How did that get started? Who started that? Was it the women employees?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:80", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.24269927549683, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I first started, there used to be a long hallway that went all the way down, and then to the left was the cafeteria. The last time I was there I think it was a lot of little offices, completely, completely changed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did a lot of people gather in the cafeteria in those early days? Since there wasn’t that much around that you could just go out and get lunch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like I said, we’d go in the cafeteria and get a sandwich or whatever, and then we’d go out and play Ping-Pong. There were other times, though, that they would bring the airplanes in the other hangar, and they’d be working out there. You could go out there and see stuff, but you didn’t know a lot about what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that group WONASA. We’ve heard a couple of other ladies talk about it. How did that get started? Who started that? Was it the women employees?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we were the women, the wives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so the wives."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:82", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 25.8252214172187, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like I said, we’d go in the cafeteria and get a sandwich or whatever, and then we’d go out and play Ping-Pong. There were other times, though, that they would bring the airplanes in the other hangar, and they’d be working out there. You could go out there and see stuff, but you didn’t know a lot about what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that group WONASA. We’ve heard a couple of other ladies talk about it. How did that get started? Who started that? Was it the women employees?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we were the women, the wives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so the wives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wives or employees. It was a combination of both. And you know, I think one of the first persons that started it was that Della Mae Bowling, her husband was the procurement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of activities did you all do as part of that group?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:84", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.361357130243, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we were the women, the wives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so the wives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wives or employees. It was a combination of both. And you know, I think one of the first persons that started it was that Della Mae Bowling, her husband was the procurement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of activities did you all do as part of that group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Luncheons. We met, we had parties. I think we had Halloween parties. I think we had a WONASA Halloween party. We had a Christmas party; my husband was Santa Claus. Just trying to think what else. Christmas, Halloween, New Year’s. We had a New Year’s party. I don’t remember much else during that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the purpose just for you all to have an opportunity to get together?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:86", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 13, "return_to_go": 28.17928570027, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wives or employees. It was a combination of both. And you know, I think one of the first persons that started it was that Della Mae Bowling, her husband was the procurement officer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What kind of activities did you all do as part of that group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Luncheons. We met, we had parties. I think we had Halloween parties. I think we had a WONASA Halloween party. We had a Christmas party; my husband was Santa Claus. Just trying to think what else. Christmas, Halloween, New Year’s. We had a New Year’s party. I don’t remember much else during that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was the purpose just for you all to have an opportunity to get together?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Get together. Breakfast or lunch, and it varied, and we went from different people’s houses, and then there were only a couple of restaurants that we went to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know some of the early astronauts came through here, and also when they were in Houston, the wives, after accidents the wives supported each other. Was that the same kind of thing happening here when these test pilots would have accidents and you knew the families and the wives. Did you, as a group, support each other?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:94", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.058810700000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes, my neighborhood is really bad, it’s really bad. It’s not safe anymore. We have a lot of activity late at night that we just don’t really care for. Luckily I have a five-pound terror Chihuahua."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "An alarm, anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "An alarm, and he makes a lot of noise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was also wondering, in your experience there, when you started Walt [Walter C.] Williams was the [Center] Director, and then as you went back different Directors, and then I’m sure your husband dealt with a lot of different Directors. Do you have any thoughts on any of the Directors or their style of management?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of the nicest Directors was John [A.] Manke. There was Isaac [T.] Gillam. Wonderful man, wonderful man. My husband really, really liked him. I liked him, I liked his family. Walt Williams was a little, if I remember, but I was only 19, 20, he was kind of standoffish to me. He wasn’t somebody that you would chitchat with or whatever. But Gillam was really nice, John Manke was nice. Ken [Kenneth J.] Szalai was there when I was there towards the end. I see him on a regular basis. He does a lot of the eulogies, he’s a very good speaker, an excellent speaker.\\n\\n Phil Walker was the Personnel Director, he was a little different. I tell a story about him. Every once in a while he’d get on a tangent about something, and I remember he came in and he said that somebody was stealing Scotch tape, and he pulled all of our documents on how much Scotch tape we had bought, and when they did a review he didn’t realize that the tape that they were using, that Betty Love and those people were using, was 3M, and it was the same tracking number on a procurement as Scotch tape. So nobody was stealing Scotch tape, but he had his information wrong."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, he was adamant."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:96", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.843123000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "An alarm, and he makes a lot of noise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was also wondering, in your experience there, when you started Walt [Walter C.] Williams was the [Center] Director, and then as you went back different Directors, and then I’m sure your husband dealt with a lot of different Directors. Do you have any thoughts on any of the Directors or their style of management?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of the nicest Directors was John [A.] Manke. There was Isaac [T.] Gillam. Wonderful man, wonderful man. My husband really, really liked him. I liked him, I liked his family. Walt Williams was a little, if I remember, but I was only 19, 20, he was kind of standoffish to me. He wasn’t somebody that you would chitchat with or whatever. But Gillam was really nice, John Manke was nice. Ken [Kenneth J.] Szalai was there when I was there towards the end. I see him on a regular basis. He does a lot of the eulogies, he’s a very good speaker, an excellent speaker.\\n\\n Phil Walker was the Personnel Director, he was a little different. I tell a story about him. Every once in a while he’d get on a tangent about something, and I remember he came in and he said that somebody was stealing Scotch tape, and he pulled all of our documents on how much Scotch tape we had bought, and when they did a review he didn’t realize that the tape that they were using, that Betty Love and those people were using, was 3M, and it was the same tracking number on a procurement as Scotch tape. So nobody was stealing Scotch tape, but he had his information wrong."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, he was adamant."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was trying to be progressive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. Trying to make sure things were working correctly."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:98", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.6034700000000015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of the nicest Directors was John [A.] Manke. There was Isaac [T.] Gillam. Wonderful man, wonderful man. My husband really, really liked him. I liked him, I liked his family. Walt Williams was a little, if I remember, but I was only 19, 20, he was kind of standoffish to me. He wasn’t somebody that you would chitchat with or whatever. But Gillam was really nice, John Manke was nice. Ken [Kenneth J.] Szalai was there when I was there towards the end. I see him on a regular basis. He does a lot of the eulogies, he’s a very good speaker, an excellent speaker.\\n\\n Phil Walker was the Personnel Director, he was a little different. I tell a story about him. Every once in a while he’d get on a tangent about something, and I remember he came in and he said that somebody was stealing Scotch tape, and he pulled all of our documents on how much Scotch tape we had bought, and when they did a review he didn’t realize that the tape that they were using, that Betty Love and those people were using, was 3M, and it was the same tracking number on a procurement as Scotch tape. So nobody was stealing Scotch tape, but he had his information wrong."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, he was adamant."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was trying to be progressive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. Trying to make sure things were working correctly."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you stole a pencil, I don’t know that they tracked those, but yes, 3M tape, he got on a tangent about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was thinking, too, I’m sure you saw a lot of landings out here, Shuttle landings. Did you ever get to see a launch, since you have a son in Florida?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:100", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.448300000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was trying to be progressive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. Trying to make sure things were working correctly."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you stole a pencil, I don’t know that they tracked those, but yes, 3M tape, he got on a tangent about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was thinking, too, I’m sure you saw a lot of landings out here, Shuttle landings. Did you ever get to see a launch, since you have a son in Florida?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. I saw a night launch. That was just awesome. It was so amazing, right before everything started, you come across the waterway and there’s all kinds of birds and things. Just before that thing went off—it gives me goosebumps—everything got quiet. The birds got quiet. Everything got quiet. And then that thing went off and it was just incredible. Just incredible. Everything shook. But the fact that the animals, the animals got quiet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like they could sense it was coming."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:102", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If you stole a pencil, I don’t know that they tracked those, but yes, 3M tape, he got on a tangent about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was thinking, too, I’m sure you saw a lot of landings out here, Shuttle landings. Did you ever get to see a launch, since you have a son in Florida?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. I saw a night launch. That was just awesome. It was so amazing, right before everything started, you come across the waterway and there’s all kinds of birds and things. Just before that thing went off—it gives me goosebumps—everything got quiet. The birds got quiet. Everything got quiet. And then that thing went off and it was just incredible. Just incredible. Everything shook. But the fact that the animals, the animals got quiet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like they could sense it was coming."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they say they do. They say that they can predict earthquakes and things like that. But the fact that everything got so quiet, and then just to see it go up. We had good seats, too. We had wonderful seats."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Those launches are pretty impressive."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:104", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 10.43, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. I saw a night launch. That was just awesome. It was so amazing, right before everything started, you come across the waterway and there’s all kinds of birds and things. Just before that thing went off—it gives me goosebumps—everything got quiet. The birds got quiet. Everything got quiet. And then that thing went off and it was just incredible. Just incredible. Everything shook. But the fact that the animals, the animals got quiet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like they could sense it was coming."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they say they do. They say that they can predict earthquakes and things like that. But the fact that everything got so quiet, and then just to see it go up. We had good seats, too. We had wonderful seats."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Those launches are pretty impressive."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Have I chewed your leg off?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, not at all. Are there any other areas that you can think of that you’d like to share, just about anything? I’m trying to think, too, I don’t know how long your husband was a protocol officer. Was he there during the time when [President Ronald] Reagan was there when that July Fourth [STS-4 landing]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:108", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 3.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Have I chewed your leg off?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, not at all. Are there any other areas that you can think of that you’d like to share, just about anything? I’m trying to think, too, I don’t know how long your husband was a protocol officer. Was he there during the time when [President Ronald] Reagan was there when that July Fourth [STS-4 landing]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. That one I can tell you about. In fact, well, I should have brought one but I didn’t think about it. The way Dryden was set up, Leonard Nimoy [TV/Movie actor] was over here. Leonard Nimoy was over here, [Barry] Goldwater, Jr. was there. The way NASA was set up, the airplane was here, and they had to get a carpet and carpet the airplane because the Reagan people said that he always appeared in front of a blue background. So they got a carpet and they brought the carpet in and they put it behind the airplane so that they’d have a good photo shot. The building right there is like this, and the whole building was marked with flags. There were flags all the way around.\\n\\n The reason there were flags there is because behind them were people with guns, and the dogs, because someone had tried to shoot Reagan when he was out on the [dry] lake bed. They caught a guy with a gun, so the reason those flags were there was to block the view. Nobody knew, but behind them were guns. Anyway, as they’re going to go ferry the Shuttle, the Shuttle comes like this, and Fitz Fulton and Tom McMurtry were in that airplane [Shuttle Carrier Aircraft]. The airplane is coming like this, and it dipped to Reagan, and there was a little boy standing in the crowd, and he says, “That’s my grandpa.” Somebody says, “No, no, it’s not,” and it was. Fitz Fulton’s grandson was down here. I saw that. That was incredible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What an activity. You had a good view for that as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, wonderful view, wonderful view."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s a spectacular day."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00934:112", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, wonderful view, wonderful view."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s a spectacular day."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. They used to have a Visitors Center in Lancaster, it’s on Sierra Highway, and NASA had a center there, and people would go in and get their badges, and they had buses there. You would catch a bus and you’d go out and then sit either in the bleachers or wherever you had passes to go. I have a lot of that, but I packed it all up about six months ago and shipped it all to Florida, thinking I was going to move sooner than I have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it’s done. That’s the best part. Unless you can think of something else, I thank you for the visit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I can’t. How about you guys?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think you’ve answered most of our questions."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 52.122036959655375, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yes, it was really cool. At the end of astronaut candidate training, you’ve got to throw a party. We were the very first class to throw a party at Frenchie’s Villa Capri, and I’ll never forget that. That was a neat night, and we got our silver astronaut pins."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Am I correct in saying you also have to put on a skit at that party?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we did all kinds of skits. Once you’re an AsCan, any time there’s entertainment—until there’s a new AsCan class—you’re in charge of the Christmas party. You’re in charge of everything. I’ll never forget. One of the skits we did—Brian Duffy and I and Linda [M.] Godwin and Tammy [Tamara E.] Jernigan—have you ever heard of a short man skit?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don’t think so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Basically, what you do is—you’ve got a sheet with slits in it and a table, and you’re behind it. So you are through the slit in the sheet; your arms are the legs, and you’ve got shoes on [your hands]. You’re standing in front of this table, so you’re like this. [Demonstrates] You’re the feet, and then somebody behind you is the arms coming up through the hole. They can’t see you, and you can do all kinds of stuff. You can bring your feet up in the air.\\n\\n We did a couple of skits. One of them, we pretended we were George and somebody else. We had Hawaiian shirts on, and it was kind of crazy. One of them—it was two astronaut candidates going flying. We had flight suits, and we were doing all this crazy stuff in the airplane. They’re a hoot. If you’ve never seen one, Google “short man skits” or something, and something will come up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. A lot of the mission specialists come in, and they haven’t flown before. Would you talk about training some of your classmates?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 39.34123590889854, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think [it was tough], especially on those folks that had a very close relationship [with the crew]. They were classmates in their astronaut classes. They were former crewmates. There was a significant feeling of loss, but I think—to a person—everybody was, “We need to get this right and get flying again.” There was a real desire to correct the problem, to get things right, to make the vehicle safer, and to get back to flying in space."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did the Center leadership help boost morale? Or within the Agency, how was that achieved?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were a lot of changes to leadership after Challenger. I think it was having a purpose, laying out a course, seeing what needed to get done, and focusing your resources to help make that happen. In the Astronaut Corps, we had great morale, because you’ve got a bunch of folks that are driven. We had a bunch of pranksters, too.\\n\\n I remember one of the things we did. We had a sock hop at Walter Hall Pavilion down in League City [Texas], before it burned down. It was awesome. Here’s this wood gymnasium floor and this outdoor pavilion. We had a cookout. We had barbeque. “Sonny” [Manley Lanier] Carter had his collection of 45s that was unreal, and he was the disc jockey. Bill [William M.] Shepherd and Mark [C.] Lee did the Blues Brothers. We had all kinds of skits. I think that’s when we did the skit where Duffy and I wore Hawaiian shirts, and we were pretending to be George and somebody else. I can’t remember the whole background, but it was just a fun evening. We were getting together, and we were doing stuff. We were a family, and we all just pulled together to get things done and move forward."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have to ask: were you on Mr. Abbey’s softball team?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I played second base. I don’t know if it was his softball team, but I was on the astronaut softball team."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that probably was it. We hear about that one every once in a while."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 39.26803989877615, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there were a lot of changes to leadership after Challenger. I think it was having a purpose, laying out a course, seeing what needed to get done, and focusing your resources to help make that happen. In the Astronaut Corps, we had great morale, because you’ve got a bunch of folks that are driven. We had a bunch of pranksters, too.\\n\\n I remember one of the things we did. We had a sock hop at Walter Hall Pavilion down in League City [Texas], before it burned down. It was awesome. Here’s this wood gymnasium floor and this outdoor pavilion. We had a cookout. We had barbeque. “Sonny” [Manley Lanier] Carter had his collection of 45s that was unreal, and he was the disc jockey. Bill [William M.] Shepherd and Mark [C.] Lee did the Blues Brothers. We had all kinds of skits. I think that’s when we did the skit where Duffy and I wore Hawaiian shirts, and we were pretending to be George and somebody else. I can’t remember the whole background, but it was just a fun evening. We were getting together, and we were doing stuff. We were a family, and we all just pulled together to get things done and move forward."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have to ask: were you on Mr. Abbey’s softball team?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I played second base. I don’t know if it was his softball team, but I was on the astronaut softball team."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that probably was it. We hear about that one every once in a while."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was second baseman. Brian Duffy played ball at the Air Force Academy [Colorado Springs, Colorado]. He was center fielder. Brian, he could cover some range out there. I was never a long ball hitter. Brian could put it over the fence, and I just went for base hits, but I was a good glove. That was a lot of fun, and I continued play softball for a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about working at Aircraft Ops. I understand that’s one of the coveted positions within the office."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 38.07559988752906, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I played second base. I don’t know if it was his softball team, but I was on the astronaut softball team."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that probably was it. We hear about that one every once in a while."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was second baseman. Brian Duffy played ball at the Air Force Academy [Colorado Springs, Colorado]. He was center fielder. Brian, he could cover some range out there. I was never a long ball hitter. Brian could put it over the fence, and I just went for base hits, but I was a good glove. That was a lot of fun, and I continued play softball for a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about working at Aircraft Ops. I understand that’s one of the coveted positions within the office."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don’t know if it’s coveted or not, but I really enjoyed it. I was the deputy chief. Joe took care of everything technical. If it had to do with people or facilities, then it was my problem. I got a number of facilities remodeled and upgraded while I was out there. I got to fly a lot. Got to hire some good people, and I really enjoyed my time while I was out there. I remember one time, I was down in the locker room, and I had been out there a long time. It was slow after the loss of Challenger, getting back to flying again. I was just thinking, “Dang, I came here to fly Space Shuttles, and here I am, doing stuff I did in the Marine Corps.”\\n\\n Joe Algranti, what a great guy. Interesting man, very smart, flew SBDs [dive-bombers] in the Navy, was a test pilot, flew in World War II—“Cabana, I’m going to tell you what I told Pete [Charles] Conrad when he had your job.” He basically said, “You just keep doing good like you’re doing. You’re going to fly before you know it.” And I did. It all worked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved at all in the discussions to purchase a new Shuttle Carrier Aircraft? Was that something you were working on?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 45.50836747260501, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was something that—I wasn’t involved in the discussions—but that happened while I was there. I remember going through all the modifications and getting that aircraft. It was a Japanese 747, JAL 747SP. I remember when we worked all that, did the briefings and acquired it, and then had to do the modifications."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "An interesting bird in itself."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, very much so. I know the folks at JSC are really disappointed there’s not a Shuttle here, but I think that display with the 747 and the mockup on top of it—they’ve done a great job upgrading the mockup to make it more flight-like. I think that is really cool in the way it’s being displayed here and utilized at Space Center Houston."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it’s quite a sight when you drive over the bridge."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think it’s awesome."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it’s cool."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 47.23151941400557, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, very much so. I know the folks at JSC are really disappointed there’s not a Shuttle here, but I think that display with the 747 and the mockup on top of it—they’ve done a great job upgrading the mockup to make it more flight-like. I think that is really cool in the way it’s being displayed here and utilized at Space Center Houston."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it’s quite a sight when you drive over the bridge."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think it’s awesome."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it’s cool."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Unfortunately, every airplane and spaceship I’ve flown is on a pedestal somewhere. I go out to Ellington, and the KC-135 is sitting there on pedestals. They’ve got T-38s on pedestals. Even the F-18 I flew is on pedestals."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They’re just historic artifacts these days."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 51.36835490445063, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think it’s awesome."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it’s cool."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Unfortunately, every airplane and spaceship I’ve flown is on a pedestal somewhere. I go out to Ellington, and the KC-135 is sitting there on pedestals. They’ve got T-38s on pedestals. Even the F-18 I flew is on pedestals."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They’re just historic artifacts these days."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s okay. I’m not on a pedestal. That’s important. I’ve still got a few good years left. I’m not dead yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There you go. Your bio sheet also said that you were chief of Astronaut Appearances at one time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 53.74261656050069, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Unfortunately, every airplane and spaceship I’ve flown is on a pedestal somewhere. I go out to Ellington, and the KC-135 is sitting there on pedestals. They’ve got T-38s on pedestals. Even the F-18 I flew is on pedestals."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They’re just historic artifacts these days."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s okay. I’m not on a pedestal. That’s important. I’ve still got a few good years left. I’m not dead yet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There you go. Your bio sheet also said that you were chief of Astronaut Appearances at one time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was one of my tacky little jobs—every astronaut had to go out [and give talks, and we had an astronaut in charge]. I’ll never forget John Young. When we completed our media training, John Young said—and I use this today. He says, “I don’t care what they tell you to come out and talk about. You just tell them what we want them to hear.” “Okay, John.” No, it was my responsibility. Every astronaut had to do two appearances a month. We had some guys in the office that that’s all they’d do, if you let them, and there were other guys that didn’t want to do any. So first off, it was my job to approve the appearances, whether it was something that was worth sending an astronaut to or not, and then it was to ensure that everybody was doing their fair share and not doing too many or not enough. So I did that for, I don’t know, six months or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any odd requests that came through that you thought, “Unbelievable.”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 52.64630065667647, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I loved it. What a great airplane. The first time I landed the Space Shuttle, I felt like I’d done it a thousand times before, and I had in the Shuttle Training Aircraft. I loved flying the STA, and we had so many great instructors and flight engineers. What a great team! When I left being chief of the Astronaut Office, the only person that had more dives in the STA than me was John Young. The three years that I was chief of the office, I never delegated. It was really bad. I did all the ascent and entry weather flights in the STA. You know, we scrub, and that’s okay. I stayed. I was living in Florida. For three years, I spent half of those in Florida. I’m convinced of it. I loved flying the STA; what an amazing vehicle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your family didn’t see much of you at that time, did they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they did. Maybe not as much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you travel to Europe or go out to California and learn more about the payload?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. For Ulysses, we went to ESA [European Space Agency] in Noordwijk, in the Netherlands. I think that’s the other neat thing about being an astronaut, yes, you’re assigned here, at the Johnson Space Center, but we’d go out to Edwards [Air Force Base, California] and fly the Shuttle Training Aircraft. We’d go out to Ames [Research Center, Moffett Field, California], and we’d fly the vertical motion simulator out there. We’d go up to Huntsville [Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama] and train on payloads up there. You got all over NASA to see everything and have relationship with folks at other Centers, and I think that was really good. So yes, on [STS]-41, got to go to Europe. That was for the reviews on Ulysses. And California, it was just flying the Shuttle Training Aircraft. I think we went out to JPL [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena], too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How much did you have to know about Ulysses as the pilot?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 63.98669500229969, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew that there were 11 experiments onboard to study our Earth’s Sun from the polar regions, that when we launched it on that Inertial Upper Stage built by Boeing, it went out to Jupiter’s north pole. Jupiter[‘s gravity] flung it out of the ecliptic plane, back to the south pole of the Sun, and around the north pole of the Sun. It was supposed to last for one pass around the Sun, and it ended up lasting 18 years. And what was really cool—it was in a five-year orbit going out—the closest it ever got to the Sun was Earth, when we launched it. It went out to Jupiter and was in this five-year orbit around the Sun. What was cool was it ended up seeing the north and south pole of the Sun both at a solar minimum and a solar maximum, so that they could compare the data between the two, and then it continued to work for another 13 years beyond that. It studied the Sun’s magnetosphere—I can’t remember what all 11 experiments were, but a very successful experiment.\\n\\n As the pilot, I had to know about the Inertial Upper Stage, but my real job during the deploy—I was in the commander’s seat. I maneuvered the Space Shuttle to attitude for the deploy and made sure that we were in the right attitude, and I had my deploy checklist. Tom Akers was the one that actually deployed Ulysses, and he was back on payload station on the aft flight deck, moving all the switches to actually deploy the vehicle. Dick was overseeing the whole thing as the commander and making sure that we all did the right thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What are your memories of that deployment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t see a whole lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not from the commander’s seat? Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I was sitting in the commander’s sit. Payload was out back in the payload bay, and I was in the commander’s seat, looking at our attitude and watching the Earth go by."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were working."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 34, "return_to_go": 71.09632778033298, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t see a whole lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not from the commander’s seat? Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I was sitting in the commander’s sit. Payload was out back in the payload bay, and I was in the commander’s seat, looking at our attitude and watching the Earth go by."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were working."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got to see the pictures afterwards, but I remember looking back in the payload bay, seeing the tilt table elevated for the deploy. When it deployed, I remember looking out and seeing it just go slowly past the aft windows, out the overhead windows, and off into its position. So then we did a burn after that, to move away from Ulysses when it did its ignition of its upper stage—[so] that we were out of the way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things I often like to ask people, just because everyone’s memories are different, is to talk about that day of launch, from the time that you wake up. I imagine that you’ve got so many memories until main engine cutoff."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 24.969191270804767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. I remember, it was STS-53. We were the Dog Crew. That’s a whole other story. We had this dog mask, and Jim [James S.] Voss taped this thing. He had it in a locker with a flight jacket, and it looked like he was actually pulling a dog out of a locker with a flight jacket on. We put it in our crew movie, and afterwards, this lady came [up and told us], “I can’t believe you did that to a dog.” “Ma’am, ma’am, that wasn’t a real dog.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’re lucky PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] didn’t call you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Those were the rats on my first flight. I was in charge of the rats, to make sure they were doing okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you tell us about that experiment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d open up the locker and pull it out, and it had Plexiglas so you could see if they were [alive and getting] food and water. By flight day four, I couldn’t even see the rats any more, hardly. It was covered with a mess. They’ve got better animal enclosure facilities now, I think. It worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there other experiments that you worked on for that mission?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.632434745338628, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Those were the rats on my first flight. I was in charge of the rats, to make sure they were doing okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you tell us about that experiment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d open up the locker and pull it out, and it had Plexiglas so you could see if they were [alive and getting] food and water. By flight day four, I couldn’t even see the rats any more, hardly. It was covered with a mess. They’ve got better animal enclosure facilities now, I think. It worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there other experiments that you worked on for that mission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On 41? You know—jeez, I can’t remember. I just remember being in charge of the rats. The other thing that we did on 41 was the first space-basics educational movie. Bill Shepherd was our director. That’s another thing I’ll never forget. Bill was also a classmate of mine from the Naval Academy, and he had storyboarded the whole thing on the ground. He had this whole thing set up, and it really turned out to be a great video, if you’ve ever seen it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don’t think so."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.591594161487365, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’d open up the locker and pull it out, and it had Plexiglas so you could see if they were [alive and getting] food and water. By flight day four, I couldn’t even see the rats any more, hardly. It was covered with a mess. They’ve got better animal enclosure facilities now, I think. It worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there other experiments that you worked on for that mission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On 41? You know—jeez, I can’t remember. I just remember being in charge of the rats. The other thing that we did on 41 was the first space-basics educational movie. Bill Shepherd was our director. That’s another thing I’ll never forget. Bill was also a classmate of mine from the Naval Academy, and he had storyboarded the whole thing on the ground. He had this whole thing set up, and it really turned out to be a great video, if you’ve ever seen it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don’t think so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s awesome. I will never forget—we’re doing takes. We filmed some of it on the ground. We filmed some of it on orbit, and Bill has got the camera. He’s going through it. And the only thing I remember is, “That was really good, but,” and we’d tape it again. He got enough good takes on all the things that we did to pull together a good movie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you face any challenges on that first mission, or do you think you were prepared really well because of training?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 32.87954906831929, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On 41? You know—jeez, I can’t remember. I just remember being in charge of the rats. The other thing that we did on 41 was the first space-basics educational movie. Bill Shepherd was our director. That’s another thing I’ll never forget. Bill was also a classmate of mine from the Naval Academy, and he had storyboarded the whole thing on the ground. He had this whole thing set up, and it really turned out to be a great video, if you’ve ever seen it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don’t think so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s awesome. I will never forget—we’re doing takes. We filmed some of it on the ground. We filmed some of it on orbit, and Bill has got the camera. He’s going through it. And the only thing I remember is, “That was really good, but,” and we’d tape it again. He got enough good takes on all the things that we did to pull together a good movie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you face any challenges on that first mission, or do you think you were prepared really well because of training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, we were prepared. We were very well prepared, and I can’t think of anything that happened that was so off-nominal that it was a concern."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about that landing. You said you wouldn’t even forget that first launch. What about landing—same way?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 35.42172118702144, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s awesome. I will never forget—we’re doing takes. We filmed some of it on the ground. We filmed some of it on orbit, and Bill has got the camera. He’s going through it. And the only thing I remember is, “That was really good, but,” and we’d tape it again. He got enough good takes on all the things that we did to pull together a good movie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you face any challenges on that first mission, or do you think you were prepared really well because of training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, we were prepared. We were very well prepared, and I can’t think of anything that happened that was so off-nominal that it was a concern."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about that landing. You said you wouldn’t even forget that first launch. What about landing—same way?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, landing was okay. Dick got to land it. I was just the pilot. All I had to do was lower the landing gear. Arm the gear. Push this button at 400 feet. That’s very important. I got the landing gear down twice, so they let me be the commander on my third flight. If you don’t get the landing gear down, that’s career limiting. You’re probably not going to get to command. So I got the landing gear down twice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Usually, after your first flight, you have a bunch of PRs [Public Relations], and you go to your hometown."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 39.357467985579376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, we were prepared. We were very well prepared, and I can’t think of anything that happened that was so off-nominal that it was a concern."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about that landing. You said you wouldn’t even forget that first launch. What about landing—same way?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, landing was okay. Dick got to land it. I was just the pilot. All I had to do was lower the landing gear. Arm the gear. Push this button at 400 feet. That’s very important. I got the landing gear down twice, so they let me be the commander on my third flight. If you don’t get the landing gear down, that’s career limiting. You’re probably not going to get to command. So I got the landing gear down twice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Usually, after your first flight, you have a bunch of PRs [Public Relations], and you go to your hometown."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was awesome. I’ll never forget this, too. You can’t win. So you’re going out and giving these talks, right? Once you become an astronaut candidate and get through your media training, you’re an astronaut, but you’ve never flown in space. They bless you to go out and give all these talks. So you’re out giving talks about the space program, and first [question], “Have you flown in space?” “Well, no, I haven’t gotten to fly yet.” “Oh, okay.” So this is it. I’ve flown in space. “Have you flown in space?” “Yes, I have flown in space.” “Well, how many times?” “Well, just once.” So then you go out, and you’ve flown two or three times. “Have you flown?” “Yes, I’ve flown in space three times.” “Well, have you been to the Moon?” “No.” You can’t win. You just can’t win."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don’t know. I’m pretty impressed. I did hear that, I think, when we went to a Sally [K.] Ride Science event, and someone asked that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 43.774651834048605, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was awesome. I’ll never forget this, too. You can’t win. So you’re going out and giving these talks, right? Once you become an astronaut candidate and get through your media training, you’re an astronaut, but you’ve never flown in space. They bless you to go out and give all these talks. So you’re out giving talks about the space program, and first [question], “Have you flown in space?” “Well, no, I haven’t gotten to fly yet.” “Oh, okay.” So this is it. I’ve flown in space. “Have you flown in space?” “Yes, I have flown in space.” “Well, how many times?” “Well, just once.” So then you go out, and you’ve flown two or three times. “Have you flown?” “Yes, I’ve flown in space three times.” “Well, have you been to the Moon?” “No.” You can’t win. You just can’t win."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don’t know. I’m pretty impressed. I did hear that, I think, when we went to a Sally [K.] Ride Science event, and someone asked that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s one more. “Well, have you been to the Moon? Well, have you been to Mars?” I’d go though. I’m volunteering, because I’m physically fit. I can pass the physical. I’m old enough that the radiation doesn’t matter a bit, and I’ll do anything to get out of going to any more meetings. If I had two years on Mars on a Martian mission, that’s okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you volunteer for Mars One?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That’s dumb. A one-way trip to Mars, no. We’re going to do it right. We’re going to send folks to Mars and bring them home. Have you read the book The Martian?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did, yes."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 48.638502037831785, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s one more. “Well, have you been to the Moon? Well, have you been to Mars?” I’d go though. I’m volunteering, because I’m physically fit. I can pass the physical. I’m old enough that the radiation doesn’t matter a bit, and I’ll do anything to get out of going to any more meetings. If I had two years on Mars on a Martian mission, that’s okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you volunteer for Mars One?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That’s dumb. A one-way trip to Mars, no. We’re going to do it right. We’re going to send folks to Mars and bring them home. Have you read the book The Martian?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s awesome. You’ve got to read it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s really good, yes."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 51.82055781981309, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That’s dumb. A one-way trip to Mars, no. We’re going to do it right. We’re going to send folks to Mars and bring them home. Have you read the book The Martian?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s awesome. You’ve got to read it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s really good, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars. It’s very well done. Andy Weir did a great job researching it. He took a little license with the storm that set up the whole thing, but everything in it is very plausible. Very, very well done story. That’s what exploring is about. We need to be able to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I think it’s a reading list requirement by [Center Director] Ellen [Ochoa]. It’s being stocked now, actually, at the Gilruth. You can pick it up when you’re at the gym."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 57.5783975775701, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s awesome. You’ve got to read it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s really good, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars. It’s very well done. Andy Weir did a great job researching it. He took a little license with the storm that set up the whole thing, but everything in it is very plausible. Very, very well done story. That’s what exploring is about. We need to be able to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I think it’s a reading list requirement by [Center Director] Ellen [Ochoa]. It’s being stocked now, actually, at the Gilruth. You can pick it up when you’re at the gym."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it’s going to be a great movie, if you’ve looked at the trailers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I’m definitely looking forward to that. So once you’re finished with your PRs, what did you do until you got assigned to STS-53?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 62.86488619730011, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars. It’s very well done. Andy Weir did a great job researching it. He took a little license with the storm that set up the whole thing, but everything in it is very plausible. Very, very well done story. That’s what exploring is about. We need to be able to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I think it’s a reading list requirement by [Center Director] Ellen [Ochoa]. It’s being stocked now, actually, at the Gilruth. You can pick it up when you’re at the gym."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it’s going to be a great movie, if you’ve looked at the trailers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I’m definitely looking forward to that. So once you’re finished with your PRs, what did you do until you got assigned to STS-53?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was a CapCom. We talked about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yes, we did talk about that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 67.62765133033345, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it’s going to be a great movie, if you’ve looked at the trailers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, I’m definitely looking forward to that. So once you’re finished with your PRs, what did you do until you got assigned to STS-53?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was a CapCom. We talked about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yes, we did talk about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was great. Then 53, that was a great flight. DoD-1, can’t tell you about it. It’s still classified. It all went flawlessly. We had some experiments, too. We had some fluids experiments down on the middeck. We did an experiment where we had a fire in space. It was all contained, but looking at how flames propagate in a micro-gravity environment. That was cool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, those were neat."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 75.14183481148162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was a CapCom. We talked about that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yes, we did talk about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was great. Then 53, that was a great flight. DoD-1, can’t tell you about it. It’s still classified. It all went flawlessly. We had some experiments, too. We had some fluids experiments down on the middeck. We did an experiment where we had a fire in space. It was all contained, but looking at how flames propagate in a micro-gravity environment. That was cool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, those were neat."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Fifty-three, that was just—it was a great flight, again. I really enjoyed flying with all those guys. It was awesome. The training, going through again a second time, just reinforcing everything I’d learned. There’s stuff I’d tell you, but I’m not going to tell it to a recording."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s okay. I’ve got some open-ended questions that you could probably answer. How did training differ from working on partially classified flight to a very open mission? How do things change for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.310914685697224, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And Dave had willed the Dog Mobile to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the Dogs of Summer, instead of being flat black, they painted it like a T-38. It was white with blue stripes. It was really nice, looked awesome, still had all the flight hardware on it. So we tow it down to Rick’s little ranch in Santa Fe [Texas], and we got it parked down there, and we’re rebuilding the Dog Mobile. It doesn’t run anymore. It is in sad shape. It had just rusted away and wasn’t going to run, and we’re getting it going in our spare time, which is nil. I go down there one night to work on it, and it looks totally different. “Wow, Rick, you’ve really been working hard.” Well, he was driving home one night, and he saw this 1978 Buick station wagon. The Dog Mobile was a Pontiac but the same year. You can’t tell the difference between a Pontiac and a Buick. He had bought it for like $600, so we took all the flight hardware off of the old Dog Mobile, and we mounted it on the new one. It was really nice. It ran good, painted it again white with blue stripes, just like a T-38, and that was it.\\n\\n Then, after that, I thought, “What’s going to happen to the Dog Mobile?” Well, Rick pulled all the stuff off, patched all the holes, repainted it, and sold it, because it was registered to him now, and the other Dog Mobile just ended up getting junked. I’ve got to go find those pictures somewhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that’s the story of the three Dog Mobiles and the three Dog Crews, or the one Dog Mobile and three Dog Crews."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you guys do with all that flight hardware?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.78990520633025, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the Dogs of Summer, instead of being flat black, they painted it like a T-38. It was white with blue stripes. It was really nice, looked awesome, still had all the flight hardware on it. So we tow it down to Rick’s little ranch in Santa Fe [Texas], and we got it parked down there, and we’re rebuilding the Dog Mobile. It doesn’t run anymore. It is in sad shape. It had just rusted away and wasn’t going to run, and we’re getting it going in our spare time, which is nil. I go down there one night to work on it, and it looks totally different. “Wow, Rick, you’ve really been working hard.” Well, he was driving home one night, and he saw this 1978 Buick station wagon. The Dog Mobile was a Pontiac but the same year. You can’t tell the difference between a Pontiac and a Buick. He had bought it for like $600, so we took all the flight hardware off of the old Dog Mobile, and we mounted it on the new one. It was really nice. It ran good, painted it again white with blue stripes, just like a T-38, and that was it.\\n\\n Then, after that, I thought, “What’s going to happen to the Dog Mobile?” Well, Rick pulled all the stuff off, patched all the holes, repainted it, and sold it, because it was registered to him now, and the other Dog Mobile just ended up getting junked. I’ve got to go find those pictures somewhere."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that’s the story of the three Dog Mobiles and the three Dog Crews, or the one Dog Mobile and three Dog Crews."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you guys do with all that flight hardware?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know what happened to it, but it’s somewhere. I’d have to track Rick down and ask him, because there’s a wingtip, a drag chute door, an HPU vent. We had flight data file checklists inside, just like the Orbiter, Velcro-ed in place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they specific to your mission?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 27.544339118144723, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that’s the story of the three Dog Mobiles and the three Dog Crews, or the one Dog Mobile and three Dog Crews."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you guys do with all that flight hardware?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know what happened to it, but it’s somewhere. I’d have to track Rick down and ask him, because there’s a wingtip, a drag chute door, an HPU vent. We had flight data file checklists inside, just like the Orbiter, Velcro-ed in place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they specific to your mission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, it was some unique stuff, as I recall. I’d like to get a hold of that and look at it again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. That’d be great. We could send it over to the Air and Space Museum, like your whole mission in the Dog Crews. Yes, that’d be great."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 30.604821242383025, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know what happened to it, but it’s somewhere. I’d have to track Rick down and ask him, because there’s a wingtip, a drag chute door, an HPU vent. We had flight data file checklists inside, just like the Orbiter, Velcro-ed in place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they specific to your mission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, it was some unique stuff, as I recall. I’d like to get a hold of that and look at it again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. That’d be great. We could send it over to the Air and Space Museum, like your whole mission in the Dog Crews. Yes, that’d be great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was fun, so I credit Dave Walker. Dave was the one that got the Dog Mobile and kept all that alive. It was a good time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, what a hoot. So Guy Bluford told me that you guys actually got to ride the crawler out for a day, take the Orbiter out there."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.672023602647805, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, it was some unique stuff, as I recall. I’d like to get a hold of that and look at it again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. That’d be great. We could send it over to the Air and Space Museum, like your whole mission in the Dog Crews. Yes, that’d be great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was fun, so I credit Dave Walker. Dave was the one that got the Dog Mobile and kept all that alive. It was a good time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, what a hoot. So Guy Bluford told me that you guys actually got to ride the crawler out for a day, take the Orbiter out there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we did. When 53 rolled out to the pad, we flew down, and we rode on the crawler with Discovery partway out to the pad. That was awesome. I was looking at the tail of the Orbiter, and it sets up a frequency. Since then, they roll slower to the pad because of it. The tail was doing this [demonstrates] all the way out. I said, “That can’t be good, having all that flutter on the tail like that.” It was really interesting.\\n\\n When I got assigned to be a director at KSC, the last six missions that we flew out, I went out. One o’clock in the morning, I went out and rolled out with every vehicle. When I first got there, I was the only one out there. It was me and the guys doing it. The last three flights, there were a ton of people. To me, when the Orbiter clears the VAB [Vehicle Assembly Building] doors, and it rolls out in the xenon lights, that is the beginning of a trip to space. That’s almost as emotional as a launch. You’re on the mobile launcher on top of the crawler. The Orbiter—it’s just awesome. It rolls past those doors, you’re on that crawler-way, and the lights are shining, and that’s special. Pretty cool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it’s pretty unique. Not many people have gotten to ride in that crawler."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 37.866695805738026, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we did. When 53 rolled out to the pad, we flew down, and we rode on the crawler with Discovery partway out to the pad. That was awesome. I was looking at the tail of the Orbiter, and it sets up a frequency. Since then, they roll slower to the pad because of it. The tail was doing this [demonstrates] all the way out. I said, “That can’t be good, having all that flutter on the tail like that.” It was really interesting.\\n\\n When I got assigned to be a director at KSC, the last six missions that we flew out, I went out. One o’clock in the morning, I went out and rolled out with every vehicle. When I first got there, I was the only one out there. It was me and the guys doing it. The last three flights, there were a ton of people. To me, when the Orbiter clears the VAB [Vehicle Assembly Building] doors, and it rolls out in the xenon lights, that is the beginning of a trip to space. That’s almost as emotional as a launch. You’re on the mobile launcher on top of the crawler. The Orbiter—it’s just awesome. It rolls past those doors, you’re on that crawler-way, and the lights are shining, and that’s special. Pretty cool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it’s pretty unique. Not many people have gotten to ride in that crawler."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So all six [of the final missions] I did that. It’s like being on a ship. The mobile launch platform and the crawler, it’s painted navy gray. It smells like diesel fuel. The diesels are running. There’s a hum to it. It has got knee-knockers and watertight doors and ladders and hatches. It is just like being at sea, except there’s not as much motion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow, interesting.\n\nYes, that is interesting. One of the things I read is that your crew sent greetings for participants to the Army-Navy game. Do you remember that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh jeez."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been a big deal."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 36.51855089526447, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So all six [of the final missions] I did that. It’s like being on a ship. The mobile launch platform and the crawler, it’s painted navy gray. It smells like diesel fuel. The diesels are running. There’s a hum to it. It has got knee-knockers and watertight doors and ladders and hatches. It is just like being at sea, except there’s not as much motion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow, interesting.\n\nYes, that is interesting. One of the things I read is that your crew sent greetings for participants to the Army-Navy game. Do you remember that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh jeez."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been a big deal."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is bad. I cannot be in space during an Army-Navy game. I had two December missions, STS-53 and STS-88. I took Beat Army stickers with me on both of them. On STS-53, it made the USA Today. I’ve still got the article. I’m walking out with the rest of the crew, and I didn’t tell Jim Voss, because he’s in the Army. So as we walk out, I pull up this Beat Army sticker, and I got pictures showing it. I took it to space. I got pictures of me in space wearing a Naval Academy sweatshirt with a Beat Army sticker, and we lost both of those games. We were winning the one. They’re giving us updates throughout the game, and I’m giving Voss a hard time, because Navy’s killing Army. And dang, they came back and won by a field goal in the last seconds of the game, and we lost but that was fun. We did a little inflight spirit video that we sent down to be played during the Army-Navy game. That was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s neat. So this mission was scheduled to land at Edwards, but it ended up landing at KSC."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:140", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 39.46505655029385, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh jeez."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been a big deal."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is bad. I cannot be in space during an Army-Navy game. I had two December missions, STS-53 and STS-88. I took Beat Army stickers with me on both of them. On STS-53, it made the USA Today. I’ve still got the article. I’m walking out with the rest of the crew, and I didn’t tell Jim Voss, because he’s in the Army. So as we walk out, I pull up this Beat Army sticker, and I got pictures showing it. I took it to space. I got pictures of me in space wearing a Naval Academy sweatshirt with a Beat Army sticker, and we lost both of those games. We were winning the one. They’re giving us updates throughout the game, and I’m giving Voss a hard time, because Navy’s killing Army. And dang, they came back and won by a field goal in the last seconds of the game, and we lost but that was fun. We did a little inflight spirit video that we sent down to be played during the Army-Navy game. That was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s neat. So this mission was scheduled to land at Edwards, but it ended up landing at KSC."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, actually, it was scheduled to land at KSC, and we landed at Edwards. My first two flights both landed at Edwards Air Force Base."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I must have dyslexia, sorry."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:150", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 50.23803375212764, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was happy to just be home. It was okay. We got to see them soon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you do once you finished your PRs and debriefs?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My first flight, I remembered giving my wife a hug, and I almost knocked her tooth out with my neck ring."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, ouch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hon, careful. Yes, what else? From 53, there was probably more."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure there is. I’m just not sure what you can talk about."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:152", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 16, "return_to_go": 55.820037502364045, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My first flight, I remembered giving my wife a hug, and I almost knocked her tooth out with my neck ring."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, ouch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hon, careful. Yes, what else? From 53, there was probably more."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure there is. I’m just not sure what you can talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I’m letting a lot of that stuff go. I’ll tell you afterwards. Somehow, I’m going to have to record it for somebody somewhere. I think some of that stuff needs to be saved."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think so. Well, maybe write a book, be like Mike [Robert M.] Mullane."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:154", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 44.24448611373783, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hon, careful. Yes, what else? From 53, there was probably more."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure there is. I’m just not sure what you can talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I’m letting a lot of that stuff go. I’ll tell you afterwards. Somehow, I’m going to have to record it for somebody somewhere. I think some of that stuff needs to be saved."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think so. Well, maybe write a book, be like Mike [Robert M.] Mullane."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe. No, it won’t be like Mike Mullane’s. One of the most fun things that the commander and the pilot do—and we take mission specialists with us sometimes, but sometimes we’re just by ourselves—was going out to Edwards to fly the Shuttle Training Aircraft, taking a weekend. You’d be scheduled to fly on a Sunday morning or a Saturday. Dick and I had this routine, because we trained out at Edwards and at the Cape and at White Sands [Space Harbor, New Mexico], of course. Once a quarter, they’d have a weekend where the assigned crews would go out and fly at Edwards Air Force Base. And it had to be on the weekend, to not interfere with the work out at Edwards.\\n\\n I remember we’d fly out there Saturday night, Saturday afternoon. We’d get up early Sunday morning, fly the Shuttle Training Aircraft, and then we’d stop in El Paso [Forward Operating Location and T-38 Depot, Texas] for gas on the way back to Houston. We hadn’t had breakfast yet, and we’d get the rental car there or GSA [General Services Administration] car while they were filling the jets with gas. We’d drive out to Whataburger, and we’d get taquitos and coffee— potato and egg, awesome—and have breakfast. It was fun, flying out to Edwards with Dave, too. I just love flying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "While you’re on the subject of the commanders, you mentioned earlier that there were two different types of commanders, but you learned a lot from each one. Can you share some of the things that you learned that you used for your own?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:182", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 54.13898352932335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did that on a couple of flight. Frank Culbertson was the hardest one to get airborne. I don’t know how many trips I made. You know, Jim Newman had to marry Mary Lee, because it wasn’t fair for her to keep paying her own way down to the Cape to see him launch, as many trips as he made."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s a new reason."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, this is really embarrassing. Mike [Michael L.] Coats is one of my dearest friends. I’m escorting the STS-39 crew, I got Diane and the whole gang, and I missed a turn. It was dark at night, going back from the beach house. I missed a turn, and we ended up way the heck south of Patrick Air Force Base [Florida]. I’m on this bridge going back, and then we’ve got to drive all the way back north again to get to Cape Canaveral, and the Cape Winds condo where they were staying. I was so embarrassed. I said, “Don’t tell anybody.” They didn’t mind. We bonded. I was close with all those wives. They were good to me. Guy Bluford was on that flight, and Linda Bluford, she is a hoot. So on STS-53, Linda, jerkin’ Guy’s chain, sends a note up to him and says, “Guy, I’m remodeling the kitchen. I just gutted everything, and I’m buying new appliances.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good timing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think she really was. She was just jerking his chain."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During that time that we’re talking about, Shuttle-Mir was kicking off. The negotiations had started."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:204", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.948830135193898, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I don’t want them to forget the crews, I don’t want them to forget what we learned from that, and that we rose above it, that both times we returned to flight and we were better."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure the families appreciated that, as well, that they’re not forgotten."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, especially the Challenger families, because Challenger got handled different than Columbia, and it meant so much to them. Kathie, Scobee’s daughter [Kathie Scobee Fulghum], she said, “Can we have an overnight? Can we just have a sleepover here?” And Lorna Onizuka was just so thankful and pleased, they all were. Jane Smith is a close friend. They’re all close friends. I got to know all of them long before this, and they’re all special people, and their husbands and spouses were, also."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s a nice gift."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve got a lot of memories of all those folks, the crews. Kalpana [Chawla], I remember teasing her at the astronaut gym before she went down to the Cape to fly right—she’d just gone into quarantine. She was always over at the gym. I’d run into her all the time over there. “Kalpana, I’m going to have a pull-up contest with you while you’re in space.” Yes, lot of good memories."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you even fostered that family when you were chief with the Astronaut Office—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:206", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.054255705770997, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, especially the Challenger families, because Challenger got handled different than Columbia, and it meant so much to them. Kathie, Scobee’s daughter [Kathie Scobee Fulghum], she said, “Can we have an overnight? Can we just have a sleepover here?” And Lorna Onizuka was just so thankful and pleased, they all were. Jane Smith is a close friend. They’re all close friends. I got to know all of them long before this, and they’re all special people, and their husbands and spouses were, also."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s a nice gift."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve got a lot of memories of all those folks, the crews. Kalpana [Chawla], I remember teasing her at the astronaut gym before she went down to the Cape to fly right—she’d just gone into quarantine. She was always over at the gym. I’d run into her all the time over there. “Kalpana, I’m going to have a pull-up contest with you while you’re in space.” Yes, lot of good memories."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you even fostered that family when you were chief with the Astronaut Office—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—not just the crews."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:208", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.282506339745552, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve got a lot of memories of all those folks, the crews. Kalpana [Chawla], I remember teasing her at the astronaut gym before she went down to the Cape to fly right—she’d just gone into quarantine. She was always over at the gym. I’d run into her all the time over there. “Kalpana, I’m going to have a pull-up contest with you while you’re in space.” Yes, lot of good memories."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you even fostered that family when you were chief with the Astronaut Office—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—not just the crews."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. We always did stuff together, yes. I give a lot of leadership classes, and I really believe in servant leadership, in always putting the welfare of the people that work for you above your own. Take care of the people and they’ll take care of you, put them first."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we just talked with Beak [Jefferson D. Howell], and I’m curious, because he teaches leadership classes, as well: is that something that is Marine heritage, or part of your training?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:210", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.647229266383947, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—not just the crews."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. We always did stuff together, yes. I give a lot of leadership classes, and I really believe in servant leadership, in always putting the welfare of the people that work for you above your own. Take care of the people and they’ll take care of you, put them first."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we just talked with Beak [Jefferson D. Howell], and I’m curious, because he teaches leadership classes, as well: is that something that is Marine heritage, or part of your training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I learned a lot about leadership at the Naval Academy and in the Marine Corps, but I think that has a lot to do with what I’ve learned over the years. Everybody can learn to be a better leader. There’s no such thing as a born leader. Some folks are a little more charismatic than others, but we can all learn to be better leaders."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are there a few tips that you can share with us?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:222", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.048361467000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, we were all brand new to the job. After being chief of the Astronaut Office I was so looking forward to being director of Flight Crew Ops and being with the crews again down at the Cape, after coming from Russia and being away, even though I was involved in everything. Then that was the very first flight. It was hard, but it all worked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had a tough job that morning."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All worked out. Never forget that, telling the families that they weren’t coming home. I could not believe it, out there at the middle of the runway with the convoy commander, and it’s like, no sonic booms. Where are they? And then you realized, there’s no way. They’re not coming. This is it. Then seeing the video clips of those pieces of the Orbiter reentering."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you make the decision on when to tell the families?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, got them all together, and I told them. That was hard. Then we got them on a plane, got them out of there. I got on a plane and headed back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point did you know for sure the crew wasn’t coming back, and you had to inform the families? Was that something you talked with [NASA Administrator Sean] O’Keefe about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:224", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.720401630000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "All worked out. Never forget that, telling the families that they weren’t coming home. I could not believe it, out there at the middle of the runway with the convoy commander, and it’s like, no sonic booms. Where are they? And then you realized, there’s no way. They’re not coming. This is it. Then seeing the video clips of those pieces of the Orbiter reentering."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you make the decision on when to tell the families?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, got them all together, and I told them. That was hard. Then we got them on a plane, got them out of there. I got on a plane and headed back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point did you know for sure the crew wasn’t coming back, and you had to inform the families? Was that something you talked with [NASA Administrator Sean] O’Keefe about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As soon as I got back to crew quarters I told them. It was obvious, based on the data that I had and what I saw. So it was in the time it took to get them from the end of the runway back to crew quarters, and for me to get from midfield back there. Bad Saturday morning. Eight o’clock in the morning, beautiful blue sky. It was a great day to bring an Orbiter home, and they didn’t come home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Ellen was back here in Houston. What were you sharing with her from the Cape?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:226", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.244890700000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, got them all together, and I told them. That was hard. Then we got them on a plane, got them out of there. I got on a plane and headed back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point did you know for sure the crew wasn’t coming back, and you had to inform the families? Was that something you talked with [NASA Administrator Sean] O’Keefe about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As soon as I got back to crew quarters I told them. It was obvious, based on the data that I had and what I saw. So it was in the time it took to get them from the end of the runway back to crew quarters, and for me to get from midfield back there. Bad Saturday morning. Eight o’clock in the morning, beautiful blue sky. It was a great day to bring an Orbiter home, and they didn’t come home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Ellen was back here in Houston. What were you sharing with her from the Cape?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I don’t even remember talking to Ellen. She was in Mission Control. She knew what was going on. I remember—well, we were flying back, getting Jim [James D.] Wetherbee in a car headed up to East Texas, to start putting a recovery effort together. It started that quick. I look at everything that we went through, figuring things out, and all that we did to make the Orbiter better after that. One of the things I tell folks is don’t ever be afraid to ask questions. You’ve got to ask questions. If something’s bugging you, make sure you ask it. I don’t care how new you are. What’s going on. Don’t take people’s word. Ask the question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you talk about those days and weeks following the accident? What were your days like? What sort of issues were you grappling with?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1870000000000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was really hard. Everybody wanted to go out and do something, and you can’t just have people running willy-nilly. We had to set up somebody in charge. Jim spearheaded pulling the team together and the recovery efforts. I’m sure you’ve heard this: the hardest part was having to deal with the physical remains. And the astronauts that worked with all of that, that was really hard. Really hard. Have you talked to Nancy Currie?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not yet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Talk to Nancy. The whole recovery effort was just phenomenal. When you think of the team and the area of ground that they covered, and how much of Columbia was recovered, and how we were able to piece together what happened, just absolutely phenomenal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "While the answer wasn’t one you wanted to hear, it certainly saved the Orbiters’ future issues."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, what we learned was critical to the future. Allowed us to complete the program and complete the Space Station."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And those are good things."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.43, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Talk to Nancy. The whole recovery effort was just phenomenal. When you think of the team and the area of ground that they covered, and how much of Columbia was recovered, and how we were able to piece together what happened, just absolutely phenomenal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "While the answer wasn’t one you wanted to hear, it certainly saved the Orbiters’ future issues."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, what we learned was critical to the future. Allowed us to complete the program and complete the Space Station."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And those are good things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was a great thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to spend any time up in East Texas?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:239", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, what we learned was critical to the future. Allowed us to complete the program and complete the Space Station."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And those are good things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was a great thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to spend any time up in East Texas?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. Great folks. I went up and saw the team a number of times, just to see how my astronauts were doing, see how folks were doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were so well-received in the neighborhood, they did such a good job."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 3.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was a great thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to spend any time up in East Texas?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. Great folks. I went up and saw the team a number of times, just to see how my astronauts were doing, see how folks were doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were so well-received in the neighborhood, they did such a good job."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was awesome. People were so nice. People up there are just absolutely wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did your days return to normal after Columbia? Did it take a few months? You had other things to do."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. Great folks. I went up and saw the team a number of times, just to see how my astronauts were doing, see how folks were doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they were so well-received in the neighborhood, they did such a good job."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was awesome. People were so nice. People up there are just absolutely wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did your days return to normal after Columbia? Did it take a few months? You had other things to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we got back into the return to flight mode. Once we figured out what the problem was, “Yes, this is it; all right, so how do we fix it?” Then it was an engineering return to work mode. I still had crews on the International Space Station. We still had to assign crews. We had crews in training. We had to work to get crews up there. We had to take care of them. It wasn’t like we weren’t flying in space; we were still doing space ops on ISS, so you had to take care of them. It was hard on Don [Donald R.] Pettit and [Kenneth D.] Bowersox, being on orbit and losing a crew. They had to deal with that up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, of course, all the regular, day-to-day things that you had to deal with."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:245", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was awesome. People were so nice. People up there are just absolutely wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did your days return to normal after Columbia? Did it take a few months? You had other things to do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we got back into the return to flight mode. Once we figured out what the problem was, “Yes, this is it; all right, so how do we fix it?” Then it was an engineering return to work mode. I still had crews on the International Space Station. We still had to assign crews. We had crews in training. We had to work to get crews up there. We had to take care of them. It wasn’t like we weren’t flying in space; we were still doing space ops on ISS, so you had to take care of them. It was hard on Don [Donald R.] Pettit and [Kenneth D.] Bowersox, being on orbit and losing a crew. They had to deal with that up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, of course, all the regular, day-to-day things that you had to deal with."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we still did all of that, yes. Life goes on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That all managed to get done."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we got back into the return to flight mode. Once we figured out what the problem was, “Yes, this is it; all right, so how do we fix it?” Then it was an engineering return to work mode. I still had crews on the International Space Station. We still had to assign crews. We had crews in training. We had to work to get crews up there. We had to take care of them. It wasn’t like we weren’t flying in space; we were still doing space ops on ISS, so you had to take care of them. It was hard on Don [Donald R.] Pettit and [Kenneth D.] Bowersox, being on orbit and losing a crew. They had to deal with that up there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, of course, all the regular, day-to-day things that you had to deal with."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we still did all of that, yes. Life goes on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That all managed to get done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think this might be a good time for us to stop."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00054:249", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we still did all of that, yes. Life goes on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That all managed to get done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think this might be a good time for us to stop."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. I’ll have to tell you about STS-88 another time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. I wanted to save that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 20.726159880565156, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, certainly they were primarily interested every time we had a major failure. “What does this mean to the schedule?” The first Shuttle was launched in ’81, I think it was three or four years late. I think the Shuttle probably paced that schedule as well as the Orbiter. Both of them were struggling with some technical issues. All the systems seemed to really mature, coming together so we could seriously look at a launch about 1980, and from there on we knew sometime in ’81 we’d get it off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How were you able to follow the progress of the project, being as you had work going on in California, work in Mississippi, and at Marshall? How were kept apprised of all the different components and different issues facing the engine? Did you have other management below you keeping track?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had other people in the program that were assigned to stay on top of the various subsystems, and we had constant reviews, both at Marshall as well as at the contractor site. Not only within the project, but also within the Center that were Shuttle-focused, not only including the Shuttle main engine, but the solid rocket boosters and the external tank as well. Then we had a number of meetings and reviews with Headquarters, so it was a very review-focused time. You were almost constantly in some kind of a review or budget cycle or something else. It was a very exciting time, looking back on it. A lot of pain, but exciting nonetheless."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your hours like during those years that you were the project manager?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m an early person, so I would usually get to work around 6:30 and then leave in the evening sometime. On TDY [temporary duty], the hours seemed to be a little longer. Down at the test sites, Stennis, there were always things to do and be concerned about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was some involvement by the National Research Council with the main engines. Can you talk about their involvement and their suggestions to improve the main engines?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.251288756183504, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had other people in the program that were assigned to stay on top of the various subsystems, and we had constant reviews, both at Marshall as well as at the contractor site. Not only within the project, but also within the Center that were Shuttle-focused, not only including the Shuttle main engine, but the solid rocket boosters and the external tank as well. Then we had a number of meetings and reviews with Headquarters, so it was a very review-focused time. You were almost constantly in some kind of a review or budget cycle or something else. It was a very exciting time, looking back on it. A lot of pain, but exciting nonetheless."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your hours like during those years that you were the project manager?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m an early person, so I would usually get to work around 6:30 and then leave in the evening sometime. On TDY [temporary duty], the hours seemed to be a little longer. Down at the test sites, Stennis, there were always things to do and be concerned about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was some involvement by the National Research Council with the main engines. Can you talk about their involvement and their suggestions to improve the main engines?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they first got involved back in the days of the subsynchronous whirl. Perhaps the [NASA] Administrator [Robert A. Frosch] or John Yardley asked the National Research Council to take a look at the Shuttle engine because of the criticality, and it was problem plagued at that time. The Research Council appointed Professor Gene [Eugene E.] Covert from MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge] to head a team or a panel. They came down to Marshall on several occasions and out to Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, got heavily involved in the program, offered advice, reviewed status and progress, and eventually were satisfied with the outcome. They were very helpful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn’t find that particularly challenging, working with another group coming in and having some oversight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 16.94587639575945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m an early person, so I would usually get to work around 6:30 and then leave in the evening sometime. On TDY [temporary duty], the hours seemed to be a little longer. Down at the test sites, Stennis, there were always things to do and be concerned about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was some involvement by the National Research Council with the main engines. Can you talk about their involvement and their suggestions to improve the main engines?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they first got involved back in the days of the subsynchronous whirl. Perhaps the [NASA] Administrator [Robert A. Frosch] or John Yardley asked the National Research Council to take a look at the Shuttle engine because of the criticality, and it was problem plagued at that time. The Research Council appointed Professor Gene [Eugene E.] Covert from MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge] to head a team or a panel. They came down to Marshall on several occasions and out to Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, got heavily involved in the program, offered advice, reviewed status and progress, and eventually were satisfied with the outcome. They were very helpful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn’t find that particularly challenging, working with another group coming in and having some oversight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I mean, probably your first reaction is, “Oh no, not another one.” But once you get through that, we worked well together. It was not contentious, there was no tension as I recall. It was just a tough problem and we welcomed the help."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about your relationship with John Yardley, who was AA [associate administrator] for Manned Space Flight at that time, and his impact on the main engines."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 13.273195995288276, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they first got involved back in the days of the subsynchronous whirl. Perhaps the [NASA] Administrator [Robert A. Frosch] or John Yardley asked the National Research Council to take a look at the Shuttle engine because of the criticality, and it was problem plagued at that time. The Research Council appointed Professor Gene [Eugene E.] Covert from MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge] to head a team or a panel. They came down to Marshall on several occasions and out to Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, got heavily involved in the program, offered advice, reviewed status and progress, and eventually were satisfied with the outcome. They were very helpful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn’t find that particularly challenging, working with another group coming in and having some oversight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I mean, probably your first reaction is, “Oh no, not another one.” But once you get through that, we worked well together. It was not contentious, there was no tension as I recall. It was just a tough problem and we welcomed the help."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about your relationship with John Yardley, who was AA [associate administrator] for Manned Space Flight at that time, and his impact on the main engines."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I really liked John. To me, he was the glue that held the Shuttle Program together, and it took a toll on his life too. John was on the road quite a bit. He was very tough, he was very demanding. I mentioned I usually came in early, six-thirty, seven o’clock, but wherever I was, I could expect a call from John at seven o’clock Washington [DC] time. So if you’re out in California, that’s four o’clock in the morning, and he knew where I was and he stayed in touch. It was tough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand that you tested the engine with a number of flaws to prove its worthiness at some point. Did he approve of those ideas?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.969510738131802, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Certainly they were heavily involved in that and wanted to know the progress and why the local project managers felt that it was safe enough and the testing was adequate enough to fly safely, and so they monitored that progress pretty well. I would say they were very active as an oversight, and, I might add, tolerant, patient as we worked through some of these problems. I found the NASA management system, and particularly the Marshall management system, people like Bob [Robert E.] Lindstrom, who I worked for, and Bill [William R.] Lucas, who was the [Marshall] Center Director at that time, to be very supportive, patient, but also very demanding, just like John Yardley was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about your relationship with Bob [Robert F.] Thompson at JSC. What was that relationship like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very good. It was on par, I thought, to the relationship I had with John Yardley. He was a very strong leader, got heavily involved in making sure that he understood what the problem was that you were working, and he was comfortable that we were going about it in the right way. That was a good relationship; it was a good oversight. Headquarters was Level Zero, Yardley was Level One, Thompson was Level Two. The projects, like the Shuttle and the Orbiter and the main engine, were Level Three."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned the Management Council was particularly patient as you were working through some of these challenges. Did you ever feel any pressure to meet certain schedules or meet certain costs at any point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a lot of pressure, but you just did the best you could, and if you had a cost problem, you had a cost problem. You couldn’t save costs and solve the technical problems at the same time. I could have been fired a number of times. I mean, there was probably a lot of reason to do that, but they were patient and probably in the end had to ask, “Well, if we fire him, who are we going to get?”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, who wants to work those hours? Tell us about the certification of the main engines for that first flight and the flight acceptance test."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.777173750780001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a lot of pressure, but you just did the best you could, and if you had a cost problem, you had a cost problem. You couldn’t save costs and solve the technical problems at the same time. I could have been fired a number of times. I mean, there was probably a lot of reason to do that, but they were patient and probably in the end had to ask, “Well, if we fire him, who are we going to get?”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, who wants to work those hours? Tell us about the certification of the main engines for that first flight and the flight acceptance test."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The certification program was probably inspired more by John Yardley. At the time, I think he brought his airplane experience with him. This was much in advance of the certification program. You had to write down what the criteria was, how many engines you were going to use, no failures, how many tests, how long. You couldn’t wing it; you couldn’t test and then all of a sudden at the very end decide we were ready. You had to write down, and then once you wrote it down he had to approve it, and he usually added something. It was a very strenuous program.\\n\\n I think before the first flight we completed two ten-test series of engine testing at the normal thrust and then the 109 percent thrust. No failures, no anomalies or you had to start over. That’s where we introduced some of the flaw testing that he got quite nervous about, because we were doing that as a part of the formal certification of the engine. You’re going to run these tests with flawed parts, and you can’t have any problems. You had to be right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s a pretty gutsy move."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then the acceptance testing was, as I recall, very successful. All three of the first flight engines were conducted without a hitch, and then, of course, all subsequent flight engines went through an acceptance series. I don’t recall any real problems in the acceptance testing after the basic design had been through that torturous certification program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk to us about that first flight readiness review that you participated in for STS-1."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.564412038, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then the acceptance testing was, as I recall, very successful. All three of the first flight engines were conducted without a hitch, and then, of course, all subsequent flight engines went through an acceptance series. I don’t recall any real problems in the acceptance testing after the basic design had been through that torturous certification program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk to us about that first flight readiness review that you participated in for STS-1."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was the first one, so there was a lot of attention. It was a very important review. It was very thorough, perhaps somewhat tense. There was no one part of it that stands out. I don’t recall any particular focus on the Shuttle engine, other than, “Now you’ve had eight years of testing of this thing and you’ve had a lot of problems, have you solved them all?” And, of course, we had the results of the certification program and testing to augment everything we had said at that time. It worked out very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about the minutes before the launch. What was happening at launch control? Were you at one of the consoles monitoring that main engine?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I went in that night. It was before midnight, I think, and George [B.] Hardy, who was the project manager of the solid rocket booster, rode in with me. I remember coming over the causeway and looking out at the launch pad and it was all lit up. I mean, the whole sky was lit up, and the realization that “This is it.” And we launched later that morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any trepidation as the main engines—?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.96045782, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was the first one, so there was a lot of attention. It was a very important review. It was very thorough, perhaps somewhat tense. There was no one part of it that stands out. I don’t recall any particular focus on the Shuttle engine, other than, “Now you’ve had eight years of testing of this thing and you’ve had a lot of problems, have you solved them all?” And, of course, we had the results of the certification program and testing to augment everything we had said at that time. It worked out very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about the minutes before the launch. What was happening at launch control? Were you at one of the consoles monitoring that main engine?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I went in that night. It was before midnight, I think, and George [B.] Hardy, who was the project manager of the solid rocket booster, rode in with me. I remember coming over the causeway and looking out at the launch pad and it was all lit up. I mean, the whole sky was lit up, and the realization that “This is it.” And we launched later that morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any trepidation as the main engines—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I had plenty. You know, while you’re sitting there listening and watching that launch, all your past failures run right through your head. It was a very stressful time, but rewarding as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any sensors on those main engines for that first flight that you were able to get data as they launched?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.5116198, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I went in that night. It was before midnight, I think, and George [B.] Hardy, who was the project manager of the solid rocket booster, rode in with me. I remember coming over the causeway and looking out at the launch pad and it was all lit up. I mean, the whole sky was lit up, and the realization that “This is it.” And we launched later that morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any trepidation as the main engines—?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I had plenty. You know, while you’re sitting there listening and watching that launch, all your past failures run right through your head. It was a very stressful time, but rewarding as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any sensors on those main engines for that first flight that you were able to get data as they launched?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had a lot of instrumentation, everything we had during acceptance tests, so we knew how they were performing. They performed very well. There were no issues, there was no spurious data that got us all upset during flight. It was very nominal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at Edwards [Air Force Base, California] or at the Cape [Canaveral, Florida]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.91558, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had a lot of instrumentation, everything we had during acceptance tests, so we knew how they were performing. They performed very well. There were no issues, there was no spurious data that got us all upset during flight. It was very nominal."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at Edwards [Air Force Base, California] or at the Cape [Canaveral, Florida]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was at the Cape for launch and went out to Edwards for touchdown."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Exciting moment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at the Cape when they pulled out the main engines and looked them over?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.9062, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was at the Cape for launch and went out to Edwards for touchdown."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Exciting moment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at the Cape when they pulled out the main engines and looked them over?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I probably got reports of that, but I wasn’t there for any inspections after it got back to the Cape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any changes made to the main engines following that first flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 22.118, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at the Cape when they pulled out the main engines and looked them over?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I probably got reports of that, but I wasn’t there for any inspections after it got back to the Cape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any changes made to the main engines following that first flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, there were some. They were normal upgrades or improvements of a valve or of a seal, nothing that was dictated by the last flight. There was no change of that type."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did you serve as project manager once the Shuttle started flying?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00724:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 19.02, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I probably got reports of that, but I wasn’t there for any inspections after it got back to the Cape."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any changes made to the main engines following that first flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure, there were some. They were normal upgrades or improvements of a valve or of a seal, nothing that was dictated by the last flight. There was no change of that type."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did you serve as project manager once the Shuttle started flying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For several years, from 1974 to ’82. I was a manager of the Shuttle engine for those eight years, and then after that I became the chief engineer at Marshall. So I was still involved in the Shuttle engine, all of the Shuttle elements then for another two years, and then I went to Princeton [University, New Jersey]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then you came back as the Center Director, I understand. Would you like to talk about your years as Center Director at Marshall?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 17.116536001340872, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was from Los Angeles. He got into trouble about two months after we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, there were a handful of guys."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they were adjusting to the drinking part of Fiji, not necessarily the other parts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But I'm going to back up a little bit. So you got accepted and got this invitation to Fiji. Did you know anything about Fiji or have you heard of it before?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.958686421408485, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they were adjusting to the drinking part of Fiji, not necessarily the other parts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But I'm going to back up a little bit. So you got accepted and got this invitation to Fiji. Did you know anything about Fiji or have you heard of it before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I had worked on staff in L.A., so I knew all of the countries, and actually had to learn that they weren't misspelling Tonga when they were inviting people to Togo in Africa. But Fiji, we had a guy on our staff who had been a volunteer in group two of Fiji's Peace Corps volunteers, so he was really excited to take me to an Indian restaurant in L.A. and tell me about his experiences. He was a teacher, Dick Earl. And then my family, of course, thought, oh, you're going to the cannibal islands. That's about all the information there was in books around that time. This is '74, 1974. So not everybody even knew about Fiji other than, I mean, even now it's become a tourist destination, but not so much then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was expensive to get to. And so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very far away."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 13.287429357120539, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I had worked on staff in L.A., so I knew all of the countries, and actually had to learn that they weren't misspelling Tonga when they were inviting people to Togo in Africa. But Fiji, we had a guy on our staff who had been a volunteer in group two of Fiji's Peace Corps volunteers, so he was really excited to take me to an Indian restaurant in L.A. and tell me about his experiences. He was a teacher, Dick Earl. And then my family, of course, thought, oh, you're going to the cannibal islands. That's about all the information there was in books around that time. This is '74, 1974. So not everybody even knew about Fiji other than, I mean, even now it's become a tourist destination, but not so much then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was expensive to get to. And so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very far away."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very far away. And I was a little naive. I thought, oh, on my school break, I knew you get a break at the end of the year, I'd go to see the Taj Mahal. I'd go to India during that, because I knew you had almost three weeks of break. So my sense of geography has improved."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So what was your family's reaction?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.700530070519182, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very far away. And I was a little naive. I thought, oh, on my school break, I knew you get a break at the end of the year, I'd go to see the Taj Mahal. I'd go to India during that, because I knew you had almost three weeks of break. So my sense of geography has improved."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So what was your family's reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. Two years is not much. At that time, you know, if it went badly, it was still only two years, so nobody expected changes to, you know, happen badly. I'm a good correspondent, so I, you know, wrote to them when possible. There was no telephone service where I was during training or on my assignment. So that was actually kind of nice. People had to come see you or write to you and you'd get mail. Delayed mail, sometimes about a week and a half to get from California to Fiji. But they were enthusiastic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I should state that I was in the same group as you. So I've got a little insight, insider information. And we didn't, we weren't in the same language training, but I do. I do remember one thing from when you went down on one of these homestays."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 14.111700078354646, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. Two years is not much. At that time, you know, if it went badly, it was still only two years, so nobody expected changes to, you know, happen badly. I'm a good correspondent, so I, you know, wrote to them when possible. There was no telephone service where I was during training or on my assignment. So that was actually kind of nice. People had to come see you or write to you and you'd get mail. Delayed mail, sometimes about a week and a half to get from California to Fiji. But they were enthusiastic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I should state that I was in the same group as you. So I've got a little insight, insider information. And we didn't, we weren't in the same language training, but I do. I do remember one thing from when you went down on one of these homestays."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that you had the kids write their names down. What was it on? Tell us. Tell me about. Do you remember that? You had them write it on a piece of cloth."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.457444531505162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I should state that I was in the same group as you. So I've got a little insight, insider information. And we didn't, we weren't in the same language training, but I do. I do remember one thing from when you went down on one of these homestays."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that you had the kids write their names down. What was it on? Tell us. Tell me about. Do you remember that? You had them write it on a piece of cloth."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I made use of fabric a lot. And so in one of the summer school kinds of things I did during training, I was going to do tie-dying and the news went through the school like it was wildfire. People were taking their shirts off in order to get the fabric printing techniques that I was teaching in the little school at Bunimono. And this is in a place where the rain is on the tin roof. And it was an interesting introduction to teaching there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, I think after having the kids write their name on the cloth, didn't you embroider it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.952716146116847, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that you had the kids write their names down. What was it on? Tell us. Tell me about. Do you remember that? You had them write it on a piece of cloth."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I made use of fabric a lot. And so in one of the summer school kinds of things I did during training, I was going to do tie-dying and the news went through the school like it was wildfire. People were taking their shirts off in order to get the fabric printing techniques that I was teaching in the little school at Bunimono. And this is in a place where the rain is on the tin roof. And it was an interesting introduction to teaching there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, I think after having the kids write their name on the cloth, didn't you embroider it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I did. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you would remember all of their names."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 16.61412905124094, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I made use of fabric a lot. And so in one of the summer school kinds of things I did during training, I was going to do tie-dying and the news went through the school like it was wildfire. People were taking their shirts off in order to get the fabric printing techniques that I was teaching in the little school at Bunimono. And this is in a place where the rain is on the tin roof. And it was an interesting introduction to teaching there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, I think after having the kids write their name on the cloth, didn't you embroider it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I did. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you would remember all of their names."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's permanent. Permanent in my memories. Yeah, I've got. I do that a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I thought that was a great idea. So any other experiences from that training period or the home stays that you can think of or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.23792116804549, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I did. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you would remember all of their names."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's permanent. Permanent in my memories. Yeah, I've got. I do that a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I thought that was a great idea. So any other experiences from that training period or the home stays that you can think of or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was glad that I had the opportunity to go to two different villages and a cross-cultural Indian town. I was always asked, you know, when are you coming back? When are you coming back? And I would say in Navua, I'd say, oh, when the bridge gets finished. Because the bridge had washed out several times before I got to that to that part of the island and it washed out again. A brand-new bridge had been in construction. It wasn't finished when I left. And then the first big flood it washed out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you kind of keep in touch with those families?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.04213463116165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's permanent. Permanent in my memories. Yeah, I've got. I do that a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. I thought that was a great idea. So any other experiences from that training period or the home stays that you can think of or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was glad that I had the opportunity to go to two different villages and a cross-cultural Indian town. I was always asked, you know, when are you coming back? When are you coming back? And I would say in Navua, I'd say, oh, when the bridge gets finished. Because the bridge had washed out several times before I got to that to that part of the island and it washed out again. A brand-new bridge had been in construction. It wasn't finished when I left. And then the first big flood it washed out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you kind of keep in touch with those families?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I'm still in touch with three or four of my former students. It's gone down from about a dozen that I was pretty frequently in touch with. I know about when their kids are born, when they've gotten put in arranged marriages. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said your training was about three months."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 20.04681625684628, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was glad that I had the opportunity to go to two different villages and a cross-cultural Indian town. I was always asked, you know, when are you coming back? When are you coming back? And I would say in Navua, I'd say, oh, when the bridge gets finished. Because the bridge had washed out several times before I got to that to that part of the island and it washed out again. A brand-new bridge had been in construction. It wasn't finished when I left. And then the first big flood it washed out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you kind of keep in touch with those families?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I'm still in touch with three or four of my former students. It's gone down from about a dozen that I was pretty frequently in touch with. I know about when their kids are born, when they've gotten put in arranged marriages. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said your training was about three months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then tell me about your assignment, your work assignment."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 21.163129174273646, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I'm still in touch with three or four of my former students. It's gone down from about a dozen that I was pretty frequently in touch with. I know about when their kids are born, when they've gotten put in arranged marriages. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said your training was about three months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then tell me about your assignment, your work assignment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was invited to Fiji with the information that I was going to be teaching art at two Indian schools. This is in contrast to having the two months of Fijian language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, disconnect with the language training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 19.070143526970718, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then tell me about your assignment, your work assignment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was invited to Fiji with the information that I was going to be teaching art at two Indian schools. This is in contrast to having the two months of Fijian language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, disconnect with the language training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I wound up having tutoring in Hindi for about 10 days. And then that assignment fell through because the Minister of Education, um, they were. He told the schools who were trying to say, well, you have to give her housing. No, you have to give her housing. So I had no housing. That was going to be part of my school assignment. And so the Minister of Education said, OK, you don't have an art teacher for the next two years. So I wound up going to the teacher's college. I actually was sworn-in in January of '75 without an assignment. I stayed with the Peace Corps nurse in her house that needed to be fumigated, with albino cockroaches flying in the facilities. And shortly after that they found the assignment at the teacher's college. So I got to teach in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that a little discouraging when you were kind of in limbo for a while?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 18.966826141078574, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was invited to Fiji with the information that I was going to be teaching art at two Indian schools. This is in contrast to having the two months of Fijian language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, disconnect with the language training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I wound up having tutoring in Hindi for about 10 days. And then that assignment fell through because the Minister of Education, um, they were. He told the schools who were trying to say, well, you have to give her housing. No, you have to give her housing. So I had no housing. That was going to be part of my school assignment. And so the Minister of Education said, OK, you don't have an art teacher for the next two years. So I wound up going to the teacher's college. I actually was sworn-in in January of '75 without an assignment. I stayed with the Peace Corps nurse in her house that needed to be fumigated, with albino cockroaches flying in the facilities. And shortly after that they found the assignment at the teacher's college. So I got to teach in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that a little discouraging when you were kind of in limbo for a while?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had worked in Peace Corps in L.A., so I knew the administration can be, um, a government administration can be challenging. So, you know, I might. I didn't. I wasn't too too worried. One of the ladies who was in my training group and had been my pal in Navua wound up going home in January because she felt that the hurricane that came through while we were finishing our training was enough to send her back to that old boyfriend that she'd left in America. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then you get assigned to the, uh."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.008427334664905, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had worked in Peace Corps in L.A., so I knew the administration can be, um, a government administration can be challenging. So, you know, I might. I didn't. I wasn't too too worried. One of the ladies who was in my training group and had been my pal in Navua wound up going home in January because she felt that the hurricane that came through while we were finishing our training was enough to send her back to that old boyfriend that she'd left in America. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then you get assigned to the, uh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Teacher's college. And I wound up teaching in English because the British have set up that system so that the children are taught in English primarily. I was teaching integrated arts. So the kids that were going to do art, P.E., or music in the high school level would were in my classes. I had, my favorites were the licensed teachers. They had been in Fiji and had a one-year experience of teacher training years and years before. And so they were just so enthusiastic for anything I could share with them. And then the third group were the two-year secondary, well, two year regular kind of college students. And so I taught them, and some of those are the ones that I've stayed in touch with. Some of them were put in arranged marriages with licensed teachers that I knew too. So I've kind of known some of those families."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Those would have been the Indian."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Indian teachers. So there at the school, you had a mixed population."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.787141482961005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Teacher's college. And I wound up teaching in English because the British have set up that system so that the children are taught in English primarily. I was teaching integrated arts. So the kids that were going to do art, P.E., or music in the high school level would were in my classes. I had, my favorites were the licensed teachers. They had been in Fiji and had a one-year experience of teacher training years and years before. And so they were just so enthusiastic for anything I could share with them. And then the third group were the two-year secondary, well, two year regular kind of college students. And so I taught them, and some of those are the ones that I've stayed in touch with. Some of them were put in arranged marriages with licensed teachers that I knew too. So I've kind of known some of those families."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Those would have been the Indian."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Indian teachers. So there at the school, you had a mixed population."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Half female, half male."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, and you got to work with both cultures."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.763490536623337, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Indian teachers. So there at the school, you had a mixed population."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Half female, half male."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, and you got to work with both cultures."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or the many cultures that are in Fiji."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 21.959433929581486, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Half female, half male."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, and you got to work with both cultures."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or the many cultures that are in Fiji."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so walk me through a typical day. What was your typical workday there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 16.621593255090538, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or the many cultures that are in Fiji."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so walk me through a typical day. What was your typical workday there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was. It was longer than I expected. I had worked in an administrative kind of jobs in my career prior to that, but I thought teaching up, oh, you'll start at 8:00 and you'll finish at 3:00, maybe a couple more hours for homework, you know, to prepare for your lessons and you'll be, you know, that's not, doesn't sound bad. That wasn't the case. This was my first year of very formal teaching, trying to research what they could benefit from, what resources they had. So I was teaching how to do things with art supplies that they could get ahold of. Things. I think I was most effective because I could teach with, if you had a fish, you could use the bones for jewelry. You could make fish prints with the skin. There was, I really liked teaching there and studying things that would be useful.\n\nI got publicity for the art classes from a study of tattooing. Fijians don't tattoo as much as some. Some groups in other cultures will scar their skin in order to make a raised pattern. So that got first page on the Fiji Times with coming out to see my students in the lessons that we were learning. We were painting on the skin. But it wasn't boring. I had heard that Peace Corps volunteers had a lot of off time. That didn't happen for me. I was, I don't know if it was because I was eight miles from the capital city, so I would be able to go in and get some groceries from the capital and come back, or what the story was. But I had sent myself some books to read during those two years, and I never read them at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you lived near the capital, did you? Did you live on the school compound or in the neighborhood?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.198344657188663, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I lived in the school compound in a house that was a wood house that was elevated off of the soil. And so I had plants growing underneath my house that I'd only bought in nurseries in L.A. So that was kind of pretty to have maidenhair ferns and different kinds of lush, tropical flowers. My house didn't have hot water, so I spent the two years without hot water. So that made it easier to come back to move to San Francisco, which was undergoing a drought, because they were asking people not to use water so much. So I thought I was well prepared for my culture. Also, with the mice that would be in the house. When I had mice in San Francisco my first month, it was like, what's the story here? I'm in civilized country. And so I bought mousetraps and I was buying mousetraps for the size mice that were in Fiji. The mice would eat the lure and go away. So I kept going to smaller and smaller mouse traps.\n\nBut I had electricity, so I could work a long time into the night at home. And I was just, you know, a flip flop walk away from the school art building. First year, I also made clothes for myself with the sewing machine that my New Zealand volunteer roommate had. And the second year I would go up to the home ec department and make clothes for myself there. So that was one of the things I'd worried about in leaving America was, how am I going to sew for two years?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I remember they had treadle sewing machines?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that what you used?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that's what they had up at the classroom. And so, um. One of the other activities in art that I was doing was batik and stenciling and stuff, and I learned to use a kerosene iron. I had electricity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So describe a kerosene iron. How does that work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 15.05968476196131, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that's what they had up at the classroom. And so, um. One of the other activities in art that I was doing was batik and stenciling and stuff, and I learned to use a kerosene iron. I had electricity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So describe a kerosene iron. How does that work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kerosene iron is just crazy. It's got this little contraption on the back of the iron that will, um, that you put the kerosene in and then you light it. And so you have this sound like a hot air balloon at the same time that you're ironing. I grew up with kerosene lamps and iron, old 1880s artifacts in my family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so but I had never even heard of a kerosene iron, and so I thought that was pretty cool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like something you could burn yourself pretty good on if you're not careful."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.399649735512567, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kerosene iron is just crazy. It's got this little contraption on the back of the iron that will, um, that you put the kerosene in and then you light it. And so you have this sound like a hot air balloon at the same time that you're ironing. I grew up with kerosene lamps and iron, old 1880s artifacts in my family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so but I had never even heard of a kerosene iron, and so I thought that was pretty cool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like something you could burn yourself pretty good on if you're not careful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think so. I think so. Definitely. Yeah. I used the Primus and different kinds of kerosene stoves when I was in more rural areas in the homes. I went to visit with one of my students who was a licensed teacher, and she invited me to her home up in Labasa area, and so I got to meet her family. She had left her family to take this one- year course at the teacher's college, and I've been involved with her family ever since. You know, they've, both her daughters have been married. I've made wedding gifts for them and stayed in touch since the '70s."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was it? I'm sure you remember her name then."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 14.888499706125074, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so but I had never even heard of a kerosene iron, and so I thought that was pretty cool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like something you could burn yourself pretty good on if you're not careful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think so. I think so. Definitely. Yeah. I used the Primus and different kinds of kerosene stoves when I was in more rural areas in the homes. I went to visit with one of my students who was a licensed teacher, and she invited me to her home up in Labasa area, and so I got to meet her family. She had left her family to take this one- year course at the teacher's college, and I've been involved with her family ever since. You know, they've, both her daughters have been married. I've made wedding gifts for them and stayed in touch since the '70s."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was it? I'm sure you remember her name then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was her name?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.098333006805637, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think so. I think so. Definitely. Yeah. I used the Primus and different kinds of kerosene stoves when I was in more rural areas in the homes. I went to visit with one of my students who was a licensed teacher, and she invited me to her home up in Labasa area, and so I got to meet her family. She had left her family to take this one- year course at the teacher's college, and I've been involved with her family ever since. You know, they've, both her daughters have been married. I've made wedding gifts for them and stayed in touch since the '70s."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what was it? I'm sure you remember her name then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was her name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I have. The friends that I've kept in touch with there, the Ryans, Mayawatiram and her husband Hari, H-A-R-I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Also this was an Indian lady from Labasa."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 11.220370007561819, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was her name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I have. The friends that I've kept in touch with there, the Ryans, Mayawatiram and her husband Hari, H-A-R-I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Also this was an Indian lady from Labasa."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm-hmm. Yeah. And so she moved, I guess her assignment eventually after she finished her teacher's college thing was still on that island, but not as close. Probably a 40 minute bus ride from Labasa. And so when I went back in '84 with now my husband, who I met in Fiji, we went on a bus to just go and see her. And on the elementary school compound, the bus driver forgot that we were on the bus. I thought that showed we really fit in pretty well because you didn't even notice that we were still on the bus and we were very unfamiliar where we were going. We got to her home. She wasn't there, but her neighbors invited us into their house. We had tea and probably some biscuits at their house. You just don't have that in California. I, you know, I will never forget the hospitality in Fiji. I think it was just so sweet."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, so talk about that a little bit. You just got off the bus and had nowhere to go, so they invited you into their house. Was that typical?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.558806594735005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it would be hard to not to stand out as you're making your way in an area that, um, you're the white people. And so but that happened also with a family in, um, in another part of Fiji, where we got to their house, they weren't there, their neighbors took us to a stream to, you know, enjoy the sightseeing in that area. And eventually, the people we were looking forward to meeting came home. One of the things we did in '84. My husband said he felt like a visiting education officer. We went at the crack of dawn to get to a village where my friends would be. And we'd get there by sunset. We'd spend the night with, you know, socializing and staying with my old students and then get up the next day to take a punt, a boat, to the bus stop to proceed to visit other people. So all of his work companions that he knew were in Suva, right in the capital city. All my students naturally were sent to outlying places."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They were all over the place."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm-hmm. Fiji's got 300 islands when there's low tide and my students went to all sorts of places. One of the sweetest letters I've kept all of these years is from a fellow whose assignment took him on a boat to get to it, and he writes about his homesickness. And his homesickness was just like anybody's homesickness that we're familiar with, because he was going someplace unfamiliar, didn't know who he was going to see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Even though it's in the same country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I've often wondered what happened to Apollo Qata because, and I've asked a few friends if they can find him for me, because that made an impression on me. His last name, Q-A-T-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was one of your students?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.176451771927783, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm-hmm. Fiji's got 300 islands when there's low tide and my students went to all sorts of places. One of the sweetest letters I've kept all of these years is from a fellow whose assignment took him on a boat to get to it, and he writes about his homesickness. And his homesickness was just like anybody's homesickness that we're familiar with, because he was going someplace unfamiliar, didn't know who he was going to see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Even though it's in the same country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I've often wondered what happened to Apollo Qata because, and I've asked a few friends if they can find him for me, because that made an impression on me. His last name, Q-A-T-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was one of your students?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. We've had some of my students come back. We just had a student come by about two years ago on their way to on various busses and things from Fiji to see other parts of the United States. And I get this call totally out of the blue. And she remembered me with such fondness and it was like, my god. It's nice to know that you've made an impression on people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they found you after that somehow."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.86272419103087, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I've often wondered what happened to Apollo Qata because, and I've asked a few friends if they can find him for me, because that made an impression on me. His last name, Q-A-T-A."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was one of your students?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. We've had some of my students come back. We just had a student come by about two years ago on their way to on various busses and things from Fiji to see other parts of the United States. And I get this call totally out of the blue. And she remembered me with such fondness and it was like, my god. It's nice to know that you've made an impression on people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they found you after that somehow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, it's a closely knit community. The Fijians often have someone who they, they don't call them cousins, they're sisters and brothers. And often you'll find someone, you'll see a name that you think you know, and you'll ask somebody else about it. And oh yeah, that's my, you know, relative. And I don't know if exactly that's really their auntie, but they just have a genuine affection for everybody."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they have these large extended families."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.625249101145411, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. We've had some of my students come back. We just had a student come by about two years ago on their way to on various busses and things from Fiji to see other parts of the United States. And I get this call totally out of the blue. And she remembered me with such fondness and it was like, my god. It's nice to know that you've made an impression on people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they found you after that somehow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, it's a closely knit community. The Fijians often have someone who they, they don't call them cousins, they're sisters and brothers. And often you'll find someone, you'll see a name that you think you know, and you'll ask somebody else about it. And oh yeah, that's my, you know, relative. And I don't know if exactly that's really their auntie, but they just have a genuine affection for everybody."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they have these large extended families."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hard to figure out what the real relationships are. So were you at Nasinu Teachers Training College for your entire?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.472499001272679, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, it's a closely knit community. The Fijians often have someone who they, they don't call them cousins, they're sisters and brothers. And often you'll find someone, you'll see a name that you think you know, and you'll ask somebody else about it. And oh yeah, that's my, you know, relative. And I don't know if exactly that's really their auntie, but they just have a genuine affection for everybody."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they have these large extended families."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hard to figure out what the real relationships are. So were you at Nasinu Teachers Training College for your entire?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was my two years experience. And during school breaks, my students and I would go to a village and we would teach arts and crafts during the day, and the villagers would teach us traditional weaving, because my students were going to be going to these various islands. And not everybody knows how to do bark cloth printing or any of the crafts that Fijians are known for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got to visit quite a few different places as part of your job."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.459875310213183, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was my two years experience. And during school breaks, my students and I would go to a village and we would teach arts and crafts during the day, and the villagers would teach us traditional weaving, because my students were going to be going to these various islands. And not everybody knows how to do bark cloth printing or any of the crafts that Fijians are known for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got to visit quite a few different places as part of your job."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I did. I took advantage. I got to see where the cannibals actually originally fought, and it made a lot more sense when you study all of the tools, the wooden clubs and things that are so beautifully carved, how they could not just be slaughtered in these jungle like settings. These were not the open grasses that you sometimes see in TV movies of battles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was, it made a lot more sense to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The jungle kind of places?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.622083678014647, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I did. I took advantage. I got to see where the cannibals actually originally fought, and it made a lot more sense when you study all of the tools, the wooden clubs and things that are so beautifully carved, how they could not just be slaughtered in these jungle like settings. These were not the open grasses that you sometimes see in TV movies of battles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was, it made a lot more sense to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The jungle kind of places?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what place was this that you're talking about? Do you remember the name of it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.913426308905162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was, it made a lot more sense to me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The jungle kind of places?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what place was this that you're talking about? Do you remember the name of it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wrote it down because I thought I might be asked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it in the interior of Viti Levu?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 14.348251454339069, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what place was this that you're talking about? Do you remember the name of it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wrote it down because I thought I might be asked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it in the interior of Viti Levu?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it was on a coast."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the coast?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 13.720279393710076, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wrote it down because I thought I might be asked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it in the interior of Viti Levu?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it was on a coast."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On the coast?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And in fact, it was a place that if, um, you could almost see a tourist island off the shore. And this village, they got their water from rainwater collected in barrels and stuff. They were on the coast, so we got to see a traditional fishing kind of net activity. And I should have, I wrote it down. It seems to me it was K-A-B-A, Kaba. Now, being in California, I think it's fun to say words in Fijian like tholorondo because of, you know, I learned the pronunciation of Fijian words, but not necessarily all of those pronouns. The nominative pronouns that are necessary in order to. You, not all of you, you and me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. The sounds of the letters are different in Fijian. Yeah. So any other interesting places you got to see traveling with your students?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.667011597172932, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And in fact, it was a place that if, um, you could almost see a tourist island off the shore. And this village, they got their water from rainwater collected in barrels and stuff. They were on the coast, so we got to see a traditional fishing kind of net activity. And I should have, I wrote it down. It seems to me it was K-A-B-A, Kaba. Now, being in California, I think it's fun to say words in Fijian like tholorondo because of, you know, I learned the pronunciation of Fijian words, but not necessarily all of those pronouns. The nominative pronouns that are necessary in order to. You, not all of you, you and me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. The sounds of the letters are different in Fijian. Yeah. So any other interesting places you got to see traveling with your students?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, let's see. I've mentioned a couple of them. I also went down to Kadavu with John and sort of played and did seashell things with the kids, the young kids that were down there. Where else? Interacted with a Swiss architect that was out in Lami that participated in boat racing in Fiji."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he's from Switzerland, so I went to one of his parties. No one spoke Fijian, no one spoke French, no one spoke Spanish. They spoke Italian or German. You know, things I didn't speak. So I remember it was as much as, it was as difficult speaking at that with those people as it had been in trying to learn Fijian in the beginning. You did a lot more hand gestures and it doesn't do you well to only be arrivederci. That's goodbye."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there were a lot of expatriates around at that time."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.630012885747702, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, let's see. I've mentioned a couple of them. I also went down to Kadavu with John and sort of played and did seashell things with the kids, the young kids that were down there. Where else? Interacted with a Swiss architect that was out in Lami that participated in boat racing in Fiji."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And he's from Switzerland, so I went to one of his parties. No one spoke Fijian, no one spoke French, no one spoke Spanish. They spoke Italian or German. You know, things I didn't speak. So I remember it was as much as, it was as difficult speaking at that with those people as it had been in trying to learn Fijian in the beginning. You did a lot more hand gestures and it doesn't do you well to only be arrivederci. That's goodbye."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there were a lot of expatriates around at that time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There definitely were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So tell me about the impact this Peace Corps Fiji experience has had on the rest of your life."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.432114673762594, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There definitely were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So tell me about the impact this Peace Corps Fiji experience has had on the rest of your life."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It changed my life. I mean, even joining the Peace Corps staff in L.A. changed my life in meeting people. I didn't know that the people from Santa Barbara that are just so kind and nice. And what's the story with that? They had a very large Peace Corps recruitment from that school, and I thought I should have gone there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "UCSB?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh-huh. And I could have majored in medieval studies. All sorts of strange things. But in my artwork, I, well, in my family you didn't. It wasn't so bad if you failed at something. So the fact that I wasn't making a lot of money for two years in Fiji wasn't, you know, a disaster. And so I think it gave me the confidence to become a freelance artist here in San Francisco. So I've involved a lot more artwork that has an ability to share what I liked about Fiji in my artwork. And so I've taught needlework to people. I've made etchings and embroideries that have mossy patterns in them, like a Wizard of Oz scene where we know we're not in Kansas, but it's palm trees with mossy on the trunks. And I had always said, you know, there's no upper age limits for Peace Corps. So I had thought maybe I would do that eventually again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You still thinking about it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.36901630418066, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It changed my life. I mean, even joining the Peace Corps staff in L.A. changed my life in meeting people. I didn't know that the people from Santa Barbara that are just so kind and nice. And what's the story with that? They had a very large Peace Corps recruitment from that school, and I thought I should have gone there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "UCSB?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh-huh. And I could have majored in medieval studies. All sorts of strange things. But in my artwork, I, well, in my family you didn't. It wasn't so bad if you failed at something. So the fact that I wasn't making a lot of money for two years in Fiji wasn't, you know, a disaster. And so I think it gave me the confidence to become a freelance artist here in San Francisco. So I've involved a lot more artwork that has an ability to share what I liked about Fiji in my artwork. And so I've taught needlework to people. I've made etchings and embroideries that have mossy patterns in them, like a Wizard of Oz scene where we know we're not in Kansas, but it's palm trees with mossy on the trunks. And I had always said, you know, there's no upper age limits for Peace Corps. So I had thought maybe I would do that eventually again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You still thinking about it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know, my health isn't. My walking is not as good as it was in Fiji. I'm not sure that I have the right health anymore, but I sure love the people I met there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you've stayed in touch with other volunteers as well as local people?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.298907004645176, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh-huh. And I could have majored in medieval studies. All sorts of strange things. But in my artwork, I, well, in my family you didn't. It wasn't so bad if you failed at something. So the fact that I wasn't making a lot of money for two years in Fiji wasn't, you know, a disaster. And so I think it gave me the confidence to become a freelance artist here in San Francisco. So I've involved a lot more artwork that has an ability to share what I liked about Fiji in my artwork. And so I've taught needlework to people. I've made etchings and embroideries that have mossy patterns in them, like a Wizard of Oz scene where we know we're not in Kansas, but it's palm trees with mossy on the trunks. And I had always said, you know, there's no upper age limits for Peace Corps. So I had thought maybe I would do that eventually again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You still thinking about it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know, my health isn't. My walking is not as good as it was in Fiji. I'm not sure that I have the right health anymore, but I sure love the people I met there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you've stayed in touch with other volunteers as well as local people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have. I have. I helped organize a reunion of volunteers in Kirby Cove that brought about 80 people from the United States all over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. When was that, back in the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.221007782939084, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know, my health isn't. My walking is not as good as it was in Fiji. I'm not sure that I have the right health anymore, but I sure love the people I met there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you've stayed in touch with other volunteers as well as local people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have. I have. I helped organize a reunion of volunteers in Kirby Cove that brought about 80 people from the United States all over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. When was that, back in the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Kirby Cove thing was, I think, '84."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was one of many reunions as I recall."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.440950743696212, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You did the third or fourth one down in Catalina. Yeah. So I thought those were so useful because you got to meet people who had your assignment perhaps after you left. Not my particular successor had a nervous breakdown."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I actually went in at the end of my first year in Fiji, and Dan Cantor, the Peace Corps director, looked at me and he said, what are you doing? Because I looked so tired. I, you know, if I didn't. I was full fledged, fully fledged into that assignment. And plus the humidity. Remember I said I don't do well with humidity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So but I looked tired and I was teaching more classes than normal, normally. But if I didn't teach them, then the students really wouldn't have had that amount of art available. So it was my choice and, um. But anyhow, so she used up the amount of paper in a few months that I had used in two years. So paper is not something that people are going to be able to get in the outer islands."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you tried to use other."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.267723048551346, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I actually went in at the end of my first year in Fiji, and Dan Cantor, the Peace Corps director, looked at me and he said, what are you doing? Because I looked so tired. I, you know, if I didn't. I was full fledged, fully fledged into that assignment. And plus the humidity. Remember I said I don't do well with humidity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So but I looked tired and I was teaching more classes than normal, normally. But if I didn't teach them, then the students really wouldn't have had that amount of art available. So it was my choice and, um. But anyhow, so she used up the amount of paper in a few months that I had used in two years. So paper is not something that people are going to be able to get in the outer islands."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you tried to use other."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was smart."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.18635894283483, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So but I looked tired and I was teaching more classes than normal, normally. But if I didn't teach them, then the students really wouldn't have had that amount of art available. So it was my choice and, um. But anyhow, so she used up the amount of paper in a few months that I had used in two years. So paper is not something that people are going to be able to get in the outer islands."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you tried to use other."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was smart."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, bamboo sheets, bamboo that comes off of trees. You can etch into it with a with a sharp seashell and make a print from that. It was just, it was a lot of fun. You could take, the PE department when they were ready to throw away the basketballs or whatever, soccer balls and stuff. You tear that open and you can print, carve into that and make rubber stamps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. You would glue it to block a wood or something?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.2070654920387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was smart."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, bamboo sheets, bamboo that comes off of trees. You can etch into it with a with a sharp seashell and make a print from that. It was just, it was a lot of fun. You could take, the PE department when they were ready to throw away the basketballs or whatever, soccer balls and stuff. You tear that open and you can print, carve into that and make rubber stamps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. You would glue it to block a wood or something?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you could. But if you kept it in a, you know, somewhat arc shape, then you could print on an uneven surface too. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's pretty inventive."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.341183880043, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Well, bamboo sheets, bamboo that comes off of trees. You can etch into it with a with a sharp seashell and make a print from that. It was just, it was a lot of fun. You could take, the PE department when they were ready to throw away the basketballs or whatever, soccer balls and stuff. You tear that open and you can print, carve into that and make rubber stamps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. You would glue it to block a wood or something?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you could. But if you kept it in a, you know, somewhat arc shape, then you could print on an uneven surface too. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's pretty inventive."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then there's the plants. You just crushed different plants and we did that with my classes so that they would know that you could get something totally unexpected from onion skins if you boil them and make an ink or paint out of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you just discover this there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.60131542227, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you could. But if you kept it in a, you know, somewhat arc shape, then you could print on an uneven surface too. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's pretty inventive."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then there's the plants. You just crushed different plants and we did that with my classes so that they would know that you could get something totally unexpected from onion skins if you boil them and make an ink or paint out of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you just discover this there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or did you know about this?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 14.001461580299999, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then there's the plants. You just crushed different plants and we did that with my classes so that they would know that you could get something totally unexpected from onion skins if you boil them and make an ink or paint out of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you just discover this there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or did you know about this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you experimented while you were there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.890512866999998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or did you know about this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you experimented while you were there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh man, I wish I had known more before I went to Fiji. I can. I eventually traveled to Singapore after. We traveled three months through Southeast Asia. I did get to India after Peace Corps. And I saw carving into seashells like cameos that I didn't know about. You know, it's like, oh yeah, you could do that. I had, during one of those school breaks, I told all the students to bring back seashells with them, and they brought some seashells I had never seen. It was like, whoa. We can't just break that up and try and drill a hole with a nail and a stone. That's a beautiful shell. So but I learned, I researched. I had, I was given the opportunity to order books. The British High Commission gave Nasinu Teachers College a grant for art books. They may do that every year, but the people who had done it in the past didn't care. And so maybe the books never arrived.\n\nI cared, and by the end of my first year, those books came in. And so I had books that talked about leaf printing and different things and comparative cultural things with other islands, other parts of the island, the Solomon Islands. They've got alligators. So they had, or crocodiles, and they had artwork that had that. It was a great two years experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it sounds like it. And it sounds like you introduced them to a lot of new stuff."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.878347629999999, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you experimented while you were there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh man, I wish I had known more before I went to Fiji. I can. I eventually traveled to Singapore after. We traveled three months through Southeast Asia. I did get to India after Peace Corps. And I saw carving into seashells like cameos that I didn't know about. You know, it's like, oh yeah, you could do that. I had, during one of those school breaks, I told all the students to bring back seashells with them, and they brought some seashells I had never seen. It was like, whoa. We can't just break that up and try and drill a hole with a nail and a stone. That's a beautiful shell. So but I learned, I researched. I had, I was given the opportunity to order books. The British High Commission gave Nasinu Teachers College a grant for art books. They may do that every year, but the people who had done it in the past didn't care. And so maybe the books never arrived.\n\nI cared, and by the end of my first year, those books came in. And so I had books that talked about leaf printing and different things and comparative cultural things with other islands, other parts of the island, the Solomon Islands. They've got alligators. So they had, or crocodiles, and they had artwork that had that. It was a great two years experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it sounds like it. And it sounds like you introduced them to a lot of new stuff."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you mentioned a trip back in 1984. Have you made any other trips back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.864830699999999, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh man, I wish I had known more before I went to Fiji. I can. I eventually traveled to Singapore after. We traveled three months through Southeast Asia. I did get to India after Peace Corps. And I saw carving into seashells like cameos that I didn't know about. You know, it's like, oh yeah, you could do that. I had, during one of those school breaks, I told all the students to bring back seashells with them, and they brought some seashells I had never seen. It was like, whoa. We can't just break that up and try and drill a hole with a nail and a stone. That's a beautiful shell. So but I learned, I researched. I had, I was given the opportunity to order books. The British High Commission gave Nasinu Teachers College a grant for art books. They may do that every year, but the people who had done it in the past didn't care. And so maybe the books never arrived.\n\nI cared, and by the end of my first year, those books came in. And so I had books that talked about leaf printing and different things and comparative cultural things with other islands, other parts of the island, the Solomon Islands. They've got alligators. So they had, or crocodiles, and they had artwork that had that. It was a great two years experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it sounds like it. And it sounds like you introduced them to a lot of new stuff."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you mentioned a trip back in 1984. Have you made any other trips back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, that was pretty exhausting. I, you know, things don't change an awful lot in Fiji. They've had political coups that have changed the relationship between the cultures. It's kind of sad to see families that got along, don't get along necessarily. I have had students whose kids were raised and thought they could become teachers or they would get, um, they wanted to go into higher education. And these vocational schools had changed. You have to have a sponsor in order to be a student at FIT."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't know that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.960923, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you mentioned a trip back in 1984. Have you made any other trips back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, that was pretty exhausting. I, you know, things don't change an awful lot in Fiji. They've had political coups that have changed the relationship between the cultures. It's kind of sad to see families that got along, don't get along necessarily. I have had students whose kids were raised and thought they could become teachers or they would get, um, they wanted to go into higher education. And these vocational schools had changed. You have to have a sponsor in order to be a student at FIT."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't know that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it's kind of sad that aspirations are not as successful right now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So back to the time you lived in Fiji, what did you do in your leisure time? What did you do for fun?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.845469999999999, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, that was pretty exhausting. I, you know, things don't change an awful lot in Fiji. They've had political coups that have changed the relationship between the cultures. It's kind of sad to see families that got along, don't get along necessarily. I have had students whose kids were raised and thought they could become teachers or they would get, um, they wanted to go into higher education. And these vocational schools had changed. You have to have a sponsor in order to be a student at FIT."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't know that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it's kind of sad that aspirations are not as successful right now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So back to the time you lived in Fiji, what did you do in your leisure time? What did you do for fun?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. Well, I learned some of those Fijian crafts so that I could offer those. A lot of cooking, a lot of learning to use local vegetables and fruits and things. Socializing, especially like with no television at the time and no broadcast radio after 11 p.m. unless there was some catastrophe going on. We actually didn't mind the fact that there was a cyclone or two that would come through because you'd have radio all night and hear about different inoki and kalera getting their furniture. But I think just the typical things I had thought I would do some knitting. I thought I might be teaching embroidery. The missionaries had already come through some of the villages, and so people knew embroidery more than I expected. So I wound up not really doing needlework with people. I did other kinds of crafts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So over the years, you've probably seen a lot of people come and go from Peace Corps Fiji through your continued connection. Do you have any thoughts for or have you given advice to people who thought they might want to join the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.828299999999999, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So it's kind of sad that aspirations are not as successful right now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So back to the time you lived in Fiji, what did you do in your leisure time? What did you do for fun?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's see. Well, I learned some of those Fijian crafts so that I could offer those. A lot of cooking, a lot of learning to use local vegetables and fruits and things. Socializing, especially like with no television at the time and no broadcast radio after 11 p.m. unless there was some catastrophe going on. We actually didn't mind the fact that there was a cyclone or two that would come through because you'd have radio all night and hear about different inoki and kalera getting their furniture. But I think just the typical things I had thought I would do some knitting. I thought I might be teaching embroidery. The missionaries had already come through some of the villages, and so people knew embroidery more than I expected. So I wound up not really doing needlework with people. I did other kinds of crafts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So over the years, you've probably seen a lot of people come and go from Peace Corps Fiji through your continued connection. Do you have any thoughts for or have you given advice to people who thought they might want to join the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it's pretty hard to keep me from not talking about it. Yeah. Especially because I had such an appreciation of, say, skilled tradesmen who no longer should be getting up on those ladders could teach those skills in Fiji and other Peace Corps assignments. I think because I did recruitment for two years before I was a volunteer, came back. I was the first person in the United States on Peace Corps staff who had got a leave of absence to become a volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you went back to work for Peace Corps when you came back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 8.43, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it's pretty hard to keep me from not talking about it. Yeah. Especially because I had such an appreciation of, say, skilled tradesmen who no longer should be getting up on those ladders could teach those skills in Fiji and other Peace Corps assignments. I think because I did recruitment for two years before I was a volunteer, came back. I was the first person in the United States on Peace Corps staff who had got a leave of absence to become a volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you went back to work for Peace Corps when you came back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. But having worked for them for two years, I thought, well, a leave of absence would, you know, be easy to fulfill. Turned out my job disintegrated while I was gone. The guy that I was working for didn't want to come up to San Francisco, and they moved the offices up here. So the region communications office wasn't up here anymore. But I eventually got a job in the recruitment office, so I was telling people how to join VISTA, which is the domestic version, and the Peace Corps. And I think like everybody else, I think that Peace Corps' training provided me confidence to do whatever I wanted. And I learned some agriculture things that I could do while I was there. I did informal teaching in America before I went overseas, but now I've made a career of teaching since 1980 or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you still teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Wherever I can get hired."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you still have some Fijian friends today? There's quite a community."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. But having worked for them for two years, I thought, well, a leave of absence would, you know, be easy to fulfill. Turned out my job disintegrated while I was gone. The guy that I was working for didn't want to come up to San Francisco, and they moved the offices up here. So the region communications office wasn't up here anymore. But I eventually got a job in the recruitment office, so I was telling people how to join VISTA, which is the domestic version, and the Peace Corps. And I think like everybody else, I think that Peace Corps' training provided me confidence to do whatever I wanted. And I learned some agriculture things that I could do while I was there. I did informal teaching in America before I went overseas, but now I've made a career of teaching since 1980 or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you still teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Wherever I can get hired."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you still have some Fijian friends today? There's quite a community."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, there's a large community here in Northern California, so we've had additional group get togethers. When we've had these reunions, we've had a night where we've made, say, Indian food on a Friday night and Saturday we've made a big lovo. And I had no idea there was many Fijians in the area. Actually right now I'll see someone out on the street and I'll go and ask. I'll say ni sa bula to them because they look to me like they could be Melanesian, and they're helping, they take care of the elderly in San Francisco perhaps and so as a caretaker. I've gone over. I've crossed the street and given my greeting and their client has said to me, it's not to me, it's said to the Fijian, it's someone from your home country, dear. So, you know, it's like, right, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I heard a story just yesterday. I was talking to Paul Milo."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 3.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Wherever I can get hired."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you still have some Fijian friends today? There's quite a community."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, there's a large community here in Northern California, so we've had additional group get togethers. When we've had these reunions, we've had a night where we've made, say, Indian food on a Friday night and Saturday we've made a big lovo. And I had no idea there was many Fijians in the area. Actually right now I'll see someone out on the street and I'll go and ask. I'll say ni sa bula to them because they look to me like they could be Melanesian, and they're helping, they take care of the elderly in San Francisco perhaps and so as a caretaker. I've gone over. I've crossed the street and given my greeting and their client has said to me, it's not to me, it's said to the Fijian, it's someone from your home country, dear. So, you know, it's like, right, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I heard a story just yesterday. I was talking to Paul Milo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, neat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know what I'm talking about?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, there's a large community here in Northern California, so we've had additional group get togethers. When we've had these reunions, we've had a night where we've made, say, Indian food on a Friday night and Saturday we've made a big lovo. And I had no idea there was many Fijians in the area. Actually right now I'll see someone out on the street and I'll go and ask. I'll say ni sa bula to them because they look to me like they could be Melanesian, and they're helping, they take care of the elderly in San Francisco perhaps and so as a caretaker. I've gone over. I've crossed the street and given my greeting and their client has said to me, it's not to me, it's said to the Fijian, it's someone from your home country, dear. So, you know, it's like, right, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I heard a story just yesterday. I was talking to Paul Milo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, neat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know what I'm talking about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Because Union Street has this fair in every June and so it's very crowded. And my husband got sort of separated from me and I tried to get his attention in Fiji in a crowded market. You can go, psst! And only the person you're doing that turns around. That never, you know, made any sense to me, but that really was true. So John turned around and so did Paul, and it was like, well, what's this? What's this American turning around for? So I went over and introduced myself, and he was a former volunteer from Fiji. So crazy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What are the chances of that happening?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, neat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know what I'm talking about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Because Union Street has this fair in every June and so it's very crowded. And my husband got sort of separated from me and I tried to get his attention in Fiji in a crowded market. You can go, psst! And only the person you're doing that turns around. That never, you know, made any sense to me, but that really was true. So John turned around and so did Paul, and it was like, well, what's this? What's this American turning around for? So I went over and introduced myself, and he was a former volunteer from Fiji. So crazy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What are the chances of that happening?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, are there any other memories or stories you'd like to share? Or final words of wisdom?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Because Union Street has this fair in every June and so it's very crowded. And my husband got sort of separated from me and I tried to get his attention in Fiji in a crowded market. You can go, psst! And only the person you're doing that turns around. That never, you know, made any sense to me, but that really was true. So John turned around and so did Paul, and it was like, well, what's this? What's this American turning around for? So I went over and introduced myself, and he was a former volunteer from Fiji. So crazy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What are the chances of that happening?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, are there any other memories or stories you'd like to share? Or final words of wisdom?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ha, wisdom. I don't know. I was greeting people in California. If I was to meet somebody up out on the, uh, in this neighborhood. I remember just, you know, saying hello to them as they were coming into a restaurant or whatever. And so it's crazy because you want to be effusive and you'll look, people will look at you somewhat strangely. But it pays off sometimes, you know. I think it's nice to have some kindness going around in the area. So that's. I make that a thing I want to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So, well, if you don't have anything to add, I want to thank you for taking the time for doing this today."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00077:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yep."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, are there any other memories or stories you'd like to share? Or final words of wisdom?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ha, wisdom. I don't know. I was greeting people in California. If I was to meet somebody up out on the, uh, in this neighborhood. I remember just, you know, saying hello to them as they were coming into a restaurant or whatever. And so it's crazy because you want to be effusive and you'll look, people will look at you somewhat strangely. But it pays off sometimes, you know. I think it's nice to have some kindness going around in the area. So that's. I make that a thing I want to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So, well, if you don't have anything to add, I want to thank you for taking the time for doing this today."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's been fun. And that concludes the interview."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 30.834225618862146, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you prepare and deal for what you’re going to find?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, over time we’ve learned that the weakest part, our Achilles’ heel of the program, is whether we can launch and recover boats safely. We don’t have divers jump off the ship. We have to launch a smaller boat, and these are SOLAS [Safety of Life at Sea] boats. These are phenomenal boats, but because the ship bounces and these little boats bounce a lot more, it’s very dynamic, and if we can’t safely launch and recover a boat, then that’s when we say it’s too rough to work.\\n\\n STS 51-L, the Challenger, they were unable to make it to station because it was too rough, but I don’t think there was any other time that the ships were in weather that was so bad that we couldn’t get out there. We leave twenty-four hours prior to launch, and so there’s ample time to get on station, but the seas were so nasty that they couldn’t get on station. That was the only time that’s ever happened. We have been held back in port before, but that was an administrative decision."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When both of the ships are out, tell me the procedure of knowing who goes to where and to which one. I’m always curious, do the boosters have names?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they do. There’s a right hand and a left hand. The right hand doesn’t have a stripe, and the left hand has the stripe around the forward skirt. So that’s a good question. Freedom always gets the left hand and Liberty always gets the right hand. There’s no reason for that, except one has to do one and one has to do the other, so it’s just the way it fell."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is it a parallel operation, or is it independent of each other?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 17.833683284784, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely, yes. They’re doers. They’re not sitters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How does that cross over to your barge transportation? If we could talk about that for a few minutes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. For the ship’s crew, there is nothing nicer than, “All right, let’s go to New Orleans,” and you go around the [Florida] Keys and you cross. Sometimes in the middle of the Gulf it gets nasty, but, all in all, you’ve got the rigs. There’s so much going on in the Gulf. I really miss doing that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The water’s pretty."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Everything is nice about that. Then once you get in there, Michoud’s only twenty minutes from New Orleans, so there’s a lot to do. That was a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had to do some modifications to the ships?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.148536983093333, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. For the ship’s crew, there is nothing nicer than, “All right, let’s go to New Orleans,” and you go around the [Florida] Keys and you cross. Sometimes in the middle of the Gulf it gets nasty, but, all in all, you’ve got the rigs. There’s so much going on in the Gulf. I really miss doing that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The water’s pretty."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Everything is nice about that. Then once you get in there, Michoud’s only twenty minutes from New Orleans, so there’s a lot to do. That was a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had to do some modifications to the ships?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went with the naval architect who still has the plans for the ship, so the same group that designed the ship initially converted it to handle a bigger tow. We put an H-Bit, it looks like a big H, on the back deck, and that basically provides the thimble for the wire to go through and the tow point puts the load on the vessel where you want it for towing this barge. We got our pilotage for the Mississippi River Gulf outlet, which we used all the way up until [Hurricane] Katrina. After Hurricane Katrina, it’s closed and now we have to go to Gulfport [Mississippi] and use small tugs to bring it over from Gulfport to MAF. But, yes, that was nothing but a plus for us. Loved that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you actually took ownership of the ET."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.60948553677037, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Everything is nice about that. Then once you get in there, Michoud’s only twenty minutes from New Orleans, so there’s a lot to do. That was a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had to do some modifications to the ships?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went with the naval architect who still has the plans for the ship, so the same group that designed the ship initially converted it to handle a bigger tow. We put an H-Bit, it looks like a big H, on the back deck, and that basically provides the thimble for the wire to go through and the tow point puts the load on the vessel where you want it for towing this barge. We got our pilotage for the Mississippi River Gulf outlet, which we used all the way up until [Hurricane] Katrina. After Hurricane Katrina, it’s closed and now we have to go to Gulfport [Mississippi] and use small tugs to bring it over from Gulfport to MAF. But, yes, that was nothing but a plus for us. Loved that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you actually took ownership of the ET."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We signed for it out there, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then once it got on the Pegasus, it was yours."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 12.899428374189299, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went with the naval architect who still has the plans for the ship, so the same group that designed the ship initially converted it to handle a bigger tow. We put an H-Bit, it looks like a big H, on the back deck, and that basically provides the thimble for the wire to go through and the tow point puts the load on the vessel where you want it for towing this barge. We got our pilotage for the Mississippi River Gulf outlet, which we used all the way up until [Hurricane] Katrina. After Hurricane Katrina, it’s closed and now we have to go to Gulfport [Mississippi] and use small tugs to bring it over from Gulfport to MAF. But, yes, that was nothing but a plus for us. Loved that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you actually took ownership of the ET."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We signed for it out there, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then once it got on the Pegasus, it was yours."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. After it was finally loaded, we’d go around and make sure everything is tight, everything is good, and then we sign for it. It was an 1149 [form], and that transferred the responsibility over from the manufacturer, which was Lockheed Martin [Corporation], to USA [United Space Alliance]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you got it here, tell me about the route back."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 9.88825374909922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We signed for it out there, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then once it got on the Pegasus, it was yours."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. After it was finally loaded, we’d go around and make sure everything is tight, everything is good, and then we sign for it. It was an 1149 [form], and that transferred the responsibility over from the manufacturer, which was Lockheed Martin [Corporation], to USA [United Space Alliance]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you got it here, tell me about the route back."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We come around the [Gulf] coast, we come up the East Coast, and if the weather was nice, if it was agreeable, we would come into the port and two inland tugs would be waiting for us. Then one of our guys here is a river pilot, and he would bring the barge all the way up to the VAB [turning] basin, where it would be ready for offload. If the weather was nice, we’d do that all in one day. Otherwise, we can tow the barge in just about any kind of weather, but going up the Banana River, because there’s so much windage on the barge, it’s easy to get blown out of the channel. So the weather has to be less than 15 knots for us to go up the river."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have plans for the barge as well in your future?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.542504165665801, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. After it was finally loaded, we’d go around and make sure everything is tight, everything is good, and then we sign for it. It was an 1149 [form], and that transferred the responsibility over from the manufacturer, which was Lockheed Martin [Corporation], to USA [United Space Alliance]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you got it here, tell me about the route back."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We come around the [Gulf] coast, we come up the East Coast, and if the weather was nice, if it was agreeable, we would come into the port and two inland tugs would be waiting for us. Then one of our guys here is a river pilot, and he would bring the barge all the way up to the VAB [turning] basin, where it would be ready for offload. If the weather was nice, we’d do that all in one day. Otherwise, we can tow the barge in just about any kind of weather, but going up the Banana River, because there’s so much windage on the barge, it’s easy to get blown out of the channel. So the weather has to be less than 15 knots for us to go up the river."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have plans for the barge as well in your future?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We have. Right now I think the only need is to be transferring hardware between the different Centers. There’s a bunch of engine components to bring to [NASA] Stennis [Space Center, Mississippi]. I think there’s some hardware that they want to bring to MAF, but ultimately I think the barge is going to stay at Stennis until SLS [Space Launch System] or whenever they need it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it’s a very unique piece of equipment?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.7609344200000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. No humor at all. They’re just looking to transfer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s literally a big project coming in, wasn’t it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What are your other thoughts about what makes your team so unique? You are, there’s no one else that does what you do. From what you’ve been telling me, too, you’ve been pretty much in a process of evolution ever since you came here."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. There’s a lot of creativity, and left alone, if you fertilize the environment enough, great things are going to happen. These guys are great. I keep bragging about our people, but on these Navy contracts, we pick up a junction box or a sensor and an acoustic array that’s in 500 feet of water offshore. There’s a current and the captain’s holding the vessel in the current, and he might have to be doing this for hours. They’re splicing fiber optic cable. Well, on these contracts now, our guys are doing that. Because we have four deck crew that go along with the ship, more and more they’re turning over their work to us because they can. Here’s a guy who’s a crane operator, he’s a diver, he’s a welder, and now he’s splicing fiber optic cables for the Navy.\\n\\n It’s the same way with the running ROVs for NOAA. We set up the controls in the deck workshop where they’ve got all their equipment, and I go down there, and one of our guys is flying it. “Come on, you guys.” They’re just doers and they’re capable, and it’s amazing. I’m sure you guys have seen that at JSC too. It’s a shame there’s so many phenomenal people walking out the door. It’s tough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is the greatest concern you have when your crew is out, as far as hazard and risk?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4580000000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we don’t. We’re hustling all the time, but that’s what we like. My focus is to just keep it propagating. NASA’s got a great asset, and I’m sure they have assets all over the place that are great, but I’m going to do my best to make sure this one keeps going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By the end of the month, how large of a staff will you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we’re down to twenty, and the deal is now we’re supposed to maintain both vessels and have a crew to operate one at a time. That’s where we’re at. And maintain our divability and all that stuff too. These guys are really busy, but it’s heartbreaking to see the talent go. It’s not a name or it’s not a number that’s walking out the door. It’s that guy who’s married to this person, who has these kids that are at this school, and that one’s going to get married. I mean, these are all—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like a family moving away."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is. It’s just like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I wish you the best. Is there something else that we might not have covered that you can think of, that you want people to know about your operations? I guess you might have already covered it, but when you are out on the retrieval for the SRBs, we talked about the parachute risks, but are there also risk of other explosives that are on the boosters?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.62, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we’re down to twenty, and the deal is now we’re supposed to maintain both vessels and have a crew to operate one at a time. That’s where we’re at. And maintain our divability and all that stuff too. These guys are really busy, but it’s heartbreaking to see the talent go. It’s not a name or it’s not a number that’s walking out the door. It’s that guy who’s married to this person, who has these kids that are at this school, and that one’s going to get married. I mean, these are all—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like a family moving away."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is. It’s just like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I wish you the best. Is there something else that we might not have covered that you can think of, that you want people to know about your operations? I guess you might have already covered it, but when you are out on the retrieval for the SRBs, we talked about the parachute risks, but are there also risk of other explosives that are on the boosters?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the SWARs, that saltwater-activated release, sometimes those don’t blow, and there’s a risk of them going, but it’s pretty much self-contained. There’s hydrazine gas, but that is water-soluble, so that’s not generally a risk for the divers. Most hazards are physical hazards, sharp edges of the phenolic nozzle as it’s surging. More things that you will see, not things that you can’t see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The other one is kind of an odd question, but I know that during the Columbia recovery that the Navy was a big asset in helping to salvage, especially in Toledo Bend Reservoir [between Texas and Louisiana]. I know they employed a number of divers. Were you involved in the recovery of that as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is. It’s just like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I wish you the best. Is there something else that we might not have covered that you can think of, that you want people to know about your operations? I guess you might have already covered it, but when you are out on the retrieval for the SRBs, we talked about the parachute risks, but are there also risk of other explosives that are on the boosters?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the SWARs, that saltwater-activated release, sometimes those don’t blow, and there’s a risk of them going, but it’s pretty much self-contained. There’s hydrazine gas, but that is water-soluble, so that’s not generally a risk for the divers. Most hazards are physical hazards, sharp edges of the phenolic nozzle as it’s surging. More things that you will see, not things that you can’t see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The other one is kind of an odd question, but I know that during the Columbia recovery that the Navy was a big asset in helping to salvage, especially in Toledo Bend Reservoir [between Texas and Louisiana]. I know they employed a number of divers. Were you involved in the recovery of that as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have comments, but you’d have to turn off your machine. [laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, I think we answered that question."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the SWARs, that saltwater-activated release, sometimes those don’t blow, and there’s a risk of them going, but it’s pretty much self-contained. There’s hydrazine gas, but that is water-soluble, so that’s not generally a risk for the divers. Most hazards are physical hazards, sharp edges of the phenolic nozzle as it’s surging. More things that you will see, not things that you can’t see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The other one is kind of an odd question, but I know that during the Columbia recovery that the Navy was a big asset in helping to salvage, especially in Toledo Bend Reservoir [between Texas and Louisiana]. I know they employed a number of divers. Were you involved in the recovery of that as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have comments, but you’d have to turn off your machine. [laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, I think we answered that question."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We offered and, just like it is today, the political climate at that point was so high that they wanted to leave it with the supervisor of salvage with the Navy. We had a bunch of our people walking the fields, but they opted not to use us for the diving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess the only other divers that I know off the top of my head are the ones at the NBL [Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory]. Do you have any communication?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have comments, but you’d have to turn off your machine. [laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, I think we answered that question."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We offered and, just like it is today, the political climate at that point was so high that they wanted to leave it with the supervisor of salvage with the Navy. We had a bunch of our people walking the fields, but they opted not to use us for the diving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess the only other divers that I know off the top of my head are the ones at the NBL [Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory]. Do you have any communication?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s funny, because we’ve never worked for the same company. The divers there, I think they’re [Raytheon Technical Services Company], and we’re USA. I know our guys have actually gone out and dove in the NBL for certain projects, because it was built here and they wanted the consistency of the same divers out there. Certainly no hard feelings, and I’ve got a lot of respect for them. It’s funny that our paths have crossed more at Aquarius, training the astronauts, than they have at the NBL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course, one’s a very controlled environment and one, like you said, is—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We offered and, just like it is today, the political climate at that point was so high that they wanted to leave it with the supervisor of salvage with the Navy. We had a bunch of our people walking the fields, but they opted not to use us for the diving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess the only other divers that I know off the top of my head are the ones at the NBL [Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory]. Do you have any communication?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s funny, because we’ve never worked for the same company. The divers there, I think they’re [Raytheon Technical Services Company], and we’re USA. I know our guys have actually gone out and dove in the NBL for certain projects, because it was built here and they wanted the consistency of the same divers out there. Certainly no hard feelings, and I’ve got a lot of respect for them. It’s funny that our paths have crossed more at Aquarius, training the astronauts, than they have at the NBL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course, one’s a very controlled environment and one, like you said, is—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One is wide open."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Boy, that’s a good description of the sea.\\n\\n Well, I thank you for your time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00707:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s funny, because we’ve never worked for the same company. The divers there, I think they’re [Raytheon Technical Services Company], and we’re USA. I know our guys have actually gone out and dove in the NBL for certain projects, because it was built here and they wanted the consistency of the same divers out there. Certainly no hard feelings, and I’ve got a lot of respect for them. It’s funny that our paths have crossed more at Aquarius, training the astronauts, than they have at the NBL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of course, one’s a very controlled environment and one, like you said, is—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One is wide open."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Boy, that’s a good description of the sea.\\n\\n Well, I thank you for your time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you very much for coming out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your information is just great, and I’ll look forward to learning more. Thank you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 31.941579037085326, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. When you say “different,” in my view all missions really are 99 percent the same, and there’s 1 percent that’s different. So to me it wasn’t significantly different, even though it was classified and was Department of Defense. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but that’s true."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, you mentioned that the training part was easy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Oh, without a doubt. I’m trying to think of a good analogy. If every crew person could do that, they would get on a ramp, because you’ve just flown, and when you land from any Space Shuttle mission, there are no more trained astronauts than the people who have just landed.\\n\\n If they turned right around and flew, assigned to another mission with a different on-orbit task, I’ve always said I think you could have about a month and a half of training, and they could launch. Because the ascent and entry consume so much of the training that you’re way up on a stump, and so a few little proficiencies of ascent and entry, and that’s how you could do that. So, anyway, I thought maybe it’s a better, more efficient way to fly around here. Have about five crews, and you just keep turning them. [Laughter]\\n\\n But anyway, there’s obviously other purposes going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve spent so many years as a pilot in the Air Force. Did that help you meld into this DOD mission without too many questions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. …"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is there anything that sticks out in your memory about that mission that you can share with us?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 43.46684734247363, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I don’t remember that, but if we had, I think she would have told me, because we had got where if it was something bad I had to tell you, I’ll just tell you. “Hey, John, you’re screwing up this.”\\n\\n “Oh, okay.”\\n\\n I don’t remember her doing that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that’s interesting. I don’t think we’ve heard that before. While she was there, speaking of Shannon Lucid, she set a record for the greatest number of flights for an American woman in the hours in orbit. But you, also, too; you were the first time that an astronaut had flown three times since Challenger, so I guess that was a mark for that. As a commander you were also involved in at least one experiment that we were able to find, the Investigations into the Polymer Membrane Processing Experiment. Is that normal for commanders to be in an experiment?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. I always was willing to volunteer if they needed additional subjects to do whatever they wanted to do. So, yes, I always did that, and especially the life science people. I came to like them and think they were trying to figure out things. So why shouldn’t I volunteer to be a lab rat for them, to give them additional data? Not that I knew anything. Usually when I did something like that, I’d have the crew member that knew all about it just hook me all up and start doing whatever they had to do, and I’d just be a lab rat for them, if that makes any sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. I’m sure they appreciated that, a willing subject, and one that was hostage, at that. [Laughter] You were up there for nine days, and then you landed the Atlantis on the runway at Kennedy [Space Center, Florida], which was different, because you had been landing [at] Edwards [Air Force Base, California]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right, both previous times at Edwards."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This time, too, you were the one who was doing the landing. So tell us how the Orbiter handled."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 41.31709548453534, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right, both previous times at Edwards."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This time, too, you were the one who was doing the landing. So tell us how the Orbiter handled."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was just like the STA [Shuttle Training Aircraft] and just like people say, so there was, to me, no surprise, except there was one big surprise. I [debriefed] this—I’ll say it in a minute—and, of course, I then saw it happen. It’s happened many times afterwards. It was a new flight rule that came out because of it, and even the last mission, they did it. That is, when you’re landing at Kennedy [runway] 15 in the morning, on a clear blue day—in the STA you don’t see this. So if you’re the STA pilot flying, and I’ve done that role, too, you don’t notice it.\\n\\n But in the Orbiter I almost fell over when I came around the corner right at the end on the inner glide slope, I tried to pick up the ball/bar, and I couldn’t see it real good. I couldn’t see it with clarity, because of glare, some Sun glare in the morning off the window that you didn’t see in the STA. I really briefed that, because if you can’t see the ball/bar, you can have a tendency maybe to get low.\\n\\n So that surprised me, really surprised me, and so I really debriefed it and they made a flight rule then that said, with certain constraints, definitely do a right turn and land on [runway] 33, and even accept some tailwind. On a clear day where there [are] no clouds at 15,000, there was Sun glare in the morning. So that was a surprise on 43, to me, that I couldn’t see the ball/bar. Other than that, it was just like the STA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As a pilot, is it good to be able to land the spacecraft?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was different from other aircraft that you had [flown]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 44.635972640578736, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Yes, because if I remember correctly, and I could be wrong, I think Brewster [H. Shaw, Jr.] at the time was the Space Shuttle Program Manager at the time, and we had gained some bit of confidence working on some things earlier in the office. He was the one who was saying, “I need you to go do this.” And working with Fred Gregory [who] at the time was the safety guy at [NASA] Headquarters [Washington, DC], so they would evidently say, “Hey, John, we need you to [evaluate this for us].”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that worked out well. Everybody knew—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, so they wanted to get an assessment on those subjects, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s great. Well, within the year it was announced that you were going to command yet another mission, STS-58. Now, this one was, we could say, is maybe more than 1 percent different, because it was a Spacelab life science mission."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But see, again, to me—yes, to me, with everything that’s going on, 99 percent—maybe I ought to be saying 98—is really the same. There are some little differences between the missions, yes. But, anyway, that’s my way of looking at it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was fourteen days long, and you had a lot of other crew members, but they were in the shape of rats, so you had some experiments."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 36.455171205418345, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and it all worked out really good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned the involvement with Huntsville at Marshall Space Flight Center. I know that Ames Research Center [Moffett Field, California] had a lot to do with this flight as well, preparing. Did you have a lot of communication—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. Okay, it was Rhea who really worked with them. Rhea and Shannon and Marty and Dave, they worked with them. I totally deferred that subject and didn’t even get involved with it. On orbit, I’d float over and watch what they were doing every now and then, because I thought it was pretty interesting.\\n\\n One thing, as a guy knowing nothing about anything, that I observed that I’ll never forget is when they cut open one of those rats. I couldn’t believe what I saw. On the ground, humans, any animal, blood runs all over the place, and it looks kind of messy. It didn’t happen up there. You made that cut, and the blood just stayed all right there, let’s say, next to the spine or the bone, and it didn’t run all over the place. So it wasn’t messy. Me, I’m not a medical person, but it was clean. I thought, “Good Lord, that’s amazing.” Because fluids don’t run, it’s gravity that’s making them run here. Of course, up there, they’re just adhering to a surface. It’s coming out and adhering and just staying stuck to it. Crazy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, this was the first time that the spaceflight experiments were done to assess the changes in tissues while they were in space."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. That’s right. And they really, again, in your debrief on this mission, Rhea and Marty were the ones who were doing most of that, and they really knew what they were doing, and I won’t try to act like I knew anything about it. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, one of the other types of experiments that you worked with, we understand that you did some SAREX [Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment]. You wanted to see if you could contact the schoolchildren."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 39.32737185854116, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s right. That’s right. And they really, again, in your debrief on this mission, Rhea and Marty were the ones who were doing most of that, and they really knew what they were doing, and I won’t try to act like I knew anything about it. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, one of the other types of experiments that you worked with, we understand that you did some SAREX [Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment]. You wanted to see if you could contact the schoolchildren."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, that was good. Rick Searfoss really was the one who put all that together. He put together a tremendous plan that involved working with people on the ground who wanted to do that. Then he would get where each crew member would have a couple different groups of schools. Anyway, Rick worked out a very good SAREX plan so we could do communicating with schoolkids on the ground, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long were you talking to them from space?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On those passes, always, always. Even when I was on the Mir, it doesn’t make any difference. Basically the length of time is about seven minutes total, and sometimes it’s only five minutes. What shortens it is how close you are to running right over the top. So if you’re offset to the left or right of them, that limits the contact range. So it’s on the order of four to seven minutes, depending on what the ground track is relevant to where they’re located."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this a daily function that you did, or was it—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 42.5859687317124, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, that was good. Rick Searfoss really was the one who put all that together. He put together a tremendous plan that involved working with people on the ground who wanted to do that. Then he would get where each crew member would have a couple different groups of schools. Anyway, Rick worked out a very good SAREX plan so we could do communicating with schoolkids on the ground, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long were you talking to them from space?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On those passes, always, always. Even when I was on the Mir, it doesn’t make any difference. Basically the length of time is about seven minutes total, and sometimes it’s only five minutes. What shortens it is how close you are to running right over the top. So if you’re offset to the left or right of them, that limits the contact range. So it’s on the order of four to seven minutes, depending on what the ground track is relevant to where they’re located."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this a daily function that you did, or was it—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m trying to remember. There were some days, obviously, when we didn’t have them, but we did a lot of them, and again, Rick worked with a lot of people on the ground who put all that together. Rick could tell you an awful lot about that, so I’m not going to try to act like I know how he did that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Well, we’ll make a note to [ask.]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 38.80044007272122, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it follows there. Yes, when I was going to land from the Mir, [and] at the time the NASA Administrator would come up a couple of days before and just say to you, “Whatever you want, within reason, whatever is possible, as soon as you land, I’m happy to bring it to you.”\\n\\n So he said, “What do you want?”\\n\\n And I said, “Well, I’ll tell you what. I want Brenda.”\\n\\n So when I landed, what that meant was he brought Brenda—or Dave [David C.] Leestma did—literally into the middeck of the Space Shuttle. And my daughter was in the White Room vehicle, and what they ended up doing, which I thought was kind of neat, since my daughter liked biology and chemistry kind of thing, is she got—I really said this more for my daughter. She then went around with me for the next five hours in all the postlanding medical stuff that was going on, and so she and my wife were with me the whole time for those four or five hours. So she saw a lot of interesting experiment things, from the scientist’s viewpoint. So I used to think she got, as an outsider to the space program, she ended up seeing a lot of things that were maybe useful, or not useful to her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it’s very unique. It won’t be something she could repeat again, so that’s pretty neat timing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, thanks for sharing that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know if that’s important. That’s what I remember these years later. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that’s great. Before we leave 58, there was a laptop computer simulator put on board, because there had been a belief that the pilot, or rather the commander, would need maybe some refreshing. Did you utilize that computer? What was your assessment of that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 36.73287619680113, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t. I didn’t. When I flew on all those missions, for whatever reason, nothing was affecting me. I had no SAS [Space Adaptation Syndrome] symptoms, which is similar to Shannon, see? I had none, and that was interesting. So, no, whether it was the fourteen days or the nine days, it wasn’t different to me. Although there was something different on that mission, but if you were ever going to have this problem, you wanted to have it when you had a lot of doctors on your crew. [Wright laughs.]\\n\\n For whatever reason—I shouldn’t put this in the history, but I don’t know; I always believe in the truth. If it’s truth, it doesn’t hurt. But anyway, it’s the day before entry, and I had diarrhea. Why I did, I don’t know, but I had four doctors taking care of me, and one way or the other, they told me they were going to get me fixed so that I could land the next day. And they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hope they all didn’t send you a bill. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, and they did. They didn’t send me a bill, but I had all the help in the world. So if that was ever going to happen, that was the perfect time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was the good time, huh? What were your assignments and duties after you got back from this flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have to think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess the other part of that question is did you think that you were going to have another flight, and were you starting to think about leaving?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 36.369862440890145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, and they did. They didn’t send me a bill, but I had all the help in the world. So if that was ever going to happen, that was the perfect time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was the good time, huh? What were your assignments and duties after you got back from this flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have to think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess the other part of that question is did you think that you were going to have another flight, and were you starting to think about leaving?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, I wanted to fly again. When I landed from that mission, of course, “Hoot” [Robert L. Gibson] was now the chief of the office. He’s Rhea’s husband. We were out at a dinner right here in town, I don’t know, a week after landing, a lot of us. And I said, “Hoot, are we just going to assign mission specialists to go fly on the Mir, or are we going to let a pilot do it, too? Or is it going to be a mission specialists club thing?” [Laughs] Anyway, that started my mission up to the Mir.\\n\\n No, I wanted to fly again, but I felt so far up on the stump with the Space Shuttle. Then I thought, “Why don’t I just go do something different?” So I wanted to fly on the Mir, and I thought why does it have to just be mission specialists? As it turns out, all the other six people that flew on the Mir were all doctor kind of people, Ph.D. kind of people, and I was only the oddball pilot kind of person."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it gave a different perception and observation."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 30.23603481312322, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. You know, from my viewpoint, it was weeks. It was weeks. I would say it was two to three months when I felt normal. The data would tell you it was six months till my strength measurements and my bone density and everything was the way it was before I launched. To me, why that’s so important and all that is so important is that has an awful lot to do with are we ready to really put crew members on the surface of Mars, because I don’t see a therapist there to work with you. I don’t see a flight surgeon waiting for you to land on Mars. I don’t see a swimming pool for you to work out in for a month. And mind you, NASA is working very hard on trying to understand and solve that problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s been almost ten years since you returned. Are you having any issues or—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—has everything just been fine ever since those six months, huh?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Oh yes. But it’s amazing to me. So there’s a real challenge. Going to the Moon was enough—“Buzz” [Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.] and I have talked about this; Aldrin. You know, going to the Moon is one thing, because it’s two days there, and then you’re walking in one-sixth gravity on a spacewalk. Then it’s two days back, and the whole mission is an eleven-day mission.\\n\\n Going to Mars is two hundred days there. In today’s world, if we did it the way we go there, we went to the Moon, where you’re really as if you’ve came off the Space Station, because you were there for four or five, six months, and then, man, you’re on the surface of Mars in one-third gravity. [Laughs] I know one thing. We need to solve that problem. We can’t have humans land there until we solve this problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Once you were back up to being your normal self after returning from Mir, did you have new assignments? At what point did you start processing that you wanted to leave the agency?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 34.61733170524447, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would say that now that I’ve—and Rhea said this once, which was funny to me, a couple of years ago at a conference. She said, “John, I remember,” and she said it kind of quick, but to the point. “I remember on 58 how you said you feel so good when you come off a space mission, you could probably stay there for a long time and it wouldn’t have any effect on you. That turned out not to be true.”\\n\\n I said, “You’re right, Rhea. I found my limit,” from the duration as far as it affected me when I returned. [Laughter]\\n\\n But let’s see. To make a long story short, I decided in the first two or three months that I thought I was ready to return home to San Antonio and earn some money for about five to ten years so I wouldn’t be living under a bridge for the rest of my life. I like the space program. I love the space program. But I figured I had to stop riding a tricycle like I was five years old at fifty-five, and go do a real job, earn some more money so I wouldn’t live under a bridge for the rest of my life. So that was a good decision. I look back now, and I’m happy I did that, but I loved the space program, and I liked flying in space. If someone could have figured out how to pay me maybe three times what they were paying me, I would have been happy to stay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Happier, huh? [Laughs]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I know that when we talked many years ago that you were involved in the Challenger Learning Centers. Do you still have involvement in those as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 24.71275519165984, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The one in San Antonio is really neat. We like it. The national office uses [the San Antonio Challenger Center as a benchmark for other Challenger Centers]. … I’ve asked [the national office], because there [are] about fifty-two [Challenger Centers, and] and they say there are three or four like us that are really running real good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Stellar."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. So the one in San Antonio is really good. We’ve had, gosh, I think it’s now 72,000 middle school kids, at about 30 a group, have gone through the center. Something like 800 middle school science teachers have come there in the summer and trained. The program has been a big success in San Antonio. I don’t know if it would be in other cities, but in San Antonio it’s been a big success.\\n\\n In the summer we have some space camps that we run for one week, kind of like a day camp. You know, parents bring their kids at nine, pick them up at four, for five days during the week. We call that a Space Week, and that’s turned out to be real successful, and people like it. Some of the other science coordinators of the schools in San Antonio have come up with other ways to use it, and UTSA [University of Texas, San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas] has a engineering prep program for tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders going to be and going into those grades. They’ve had that for years, twenty-five, thirty years. They’ve now incorporated our Challenger Center in, because they bring students over during the summer to fly the missions, and so it’s turned out to be a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you personally have a lot of activity on a day-to-day basis?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 19.82739703042195, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s a good thing. I think it’s helping, if you will, motivate the twelve-year-old kids in science and math. It’s playing a role. I’m not saying—I don’t know where to put it with all the other things that go on with education, but if it has a role, it’s to motivate their interest."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are you involved in other aspects of space exploration, as far as conferences or doing any of the other things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I go to the Association of Space Explorers every year, but I’m going to miss the one this year, because Brenda and I are going on another PR [Public Relations] thing. When people invite us to come and talk about NASA, we will go and do it. I didn’t mean all the time, but we do some of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved with any of the aspects with the Columbia accident investigation or any of that when that happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. My answer is no. The only involvement I had with that is a roommate of mine from both Air Force Academy [Colorado Springs, Colorado] and Purdue and pilot training, Roy [D.] Bridges [Jr.], was the Center Director, so my only involvement was watching him on C-Span in a nice way trying to tell some of the members of the board real answers that maybe they weren’t—anyway, I was always applauding Roy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure he was glad to have a good friend."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.252663367135497, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I go to the Association of Space Explorers every year, but I’m going to miss the one this year, because Brenda and I are going on another PR [Public Relations] thing. When people invite us to come and talk about NASA, we will go and do it. I didn’t mean all the time, but we do some of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you involved with any of the aspects with the Columbia accident investigation or any of that when that happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. My answer is no. The only involvement I had with that is a roommate of mine from both Air Force Academy [Colorado Springs, Colorado] and Purdue and pilot training, Roy [D.] Bridges [Jr.], was the Center Director, so my only involvement was watching him on C-Span in a nice way trying to tell some of the members of the board real answers that maybe they weren’t—anyway, I was always applauding Roy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure he was glad to have a good friend."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think, in the end, you know, he left Kennedy, like many of the people did, but he was there for six or seven years. But I think the NASA Administrator must have really liked him, because he kind of removed him before they were being asked to leave, I think, but he gave him the Center Director up at Langley [Research Center, Hampton, Virginia] that he had for about three years, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think he’s back in Texas now. Is he?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.725181519039442, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. My answer is no. The only involvement I had with that is a roommate of mine from both Air Force Academy [Colorado Springs, Colorado] and Purdue and pilot training, Roy [D.] Bridges [Jr.], was the Center Director, so my only involvement was watching him on C-Span in a nice way trying to tell some of the members of the board real answers that maybe they weren’t—anyway, I was always applauding Roy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m sure he was glad to have a good friend."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think, in the end, you know, he left Kennedy, like many of the people did, but he was there for six or seven years. But I think the NASA Administrator must have really liked him, because he kind of removed him before they were being asked to leave, I think, but he gave him the Center Director up at Langley [Research Center, Hampton, Virginia] that he had for about three years, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think he’s back in Texas now. Is he?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, he lives in Williamsburg, Virginia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. That’s good to know."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.250201687821601, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think, in the end, you know, he left Kennedy, like many of the people did, but he was there for six or seven years. But I think the NASA Administrator must have really liked him, because he kind of removed him before they were being asked to leave, I think, but he gave him the Center Director up at Langley [Research Center, Hampton, Virginia] that he had for about three years, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think he’s back in Texas now. Is he?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, he lives in Williamsburg, Virginia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. That’s good to know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we’re real good—Roy and Bonita, that’s his wife—I mean, literally, Roy and I roomed together, so we used to double date a lot, the four of us, when we were younger people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that’s a great friendship that has lasted."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 16.944668542024, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, he lives in Williamsburg, Virginia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. That’s good to know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we’re real good—Roy and Bonita, that’s his wife—I mean, literally, Roy and I roomed together, so we used to double date a lot, the four of us, when we were younger people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that’s a great friendship that has lasted."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they’re good people. Yes, we like them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, one of the questions that we wanted to ask you before we concluded today and concluded the oral history was when you look back over your NASA career, what do you find to be the most challenging aspect of all that you have done?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 12.2773685704, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they’re good people. Yes, we like them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, one of the questions that we wanted to ask you before we concluded today and concluded the oral history was when you look back over your NASA career, what do you find to be the most challenging aspect of all that you have done?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know the right answer to that, most challenging. Oh, well, I do, I guess, immediately. The most challenging two years, not only of my seventeen at NASA but of my entire life was the two and a half years I spent training and flying with the Russians. It was just an order of magnitude more challenging. It wasn’t because of them. I think the cause was there was a language barrier, and you had to learn the language. By the time I was done, Russian to me was like English, but it wasn’t when I was taking my first courses in Star City [Russia], so I think it was language that made it a challenge. It had nothing to do with the Russians, nothing to do with them.\\n\\n Then, as an American, because of the Cold War, you felt, “Whatever I do, I don’t want to make America look bad.” So it sort of was a motivation to maybe study even more than you wanted to study, to try to not look too stupid. Because you know how a foreigner can look stupid when you don’t speak real well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So early on, man, I felt like we were just making America look real stupid. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you retained any of your Russian language?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.697864000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve heard people say that, too. Maybe it’s because every now and then I can be driving a car, and I’ll just in my brain shift into—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—speaking Russian to myself and sometimes almost mouthing it, because it’s not even hard. It’s not hard. If you get to that point, it’s actually not hard anymore. It’s not hard at all. Early on in a foreign language, like I did it in French the way most people do a foreign language in America, it seems real hard, and your mouth doesn’t—it hurts if you talk it, speak it a while, even in that country. If you hear it a while, your head feels all scrambled. You’ve got to get through that barrier, and then it’s easy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ll remember. Would you consider the experience on Mir to be your most significant time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but it was the most challenging. That was the answer to your question, the challenge. But not most significant, no. It wasn’t any different than any of the other—to me, it wasn’t different. Although I really enjoyed it, because it was something different. My greatest disappointment was that we never launched or returned on the Soyuz, because it would have been fun for me to do that in a different vehicle. That’s just the way it worked out at that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that time. And then now it’s that time again."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.330960000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "—speaking Russian to myself and sometimes almost mouthing it, because it’s not even hard. It’s not hard. If you get to that point, it’s actually not hard anymore. It’s not hard at all. Early on in a foreign language, like I did it in French the way most people do a foreign language in America, it seems real hard, and your mouth doesn’t—it hurts if you talk it, speak it a while, even in that country. If you hear it a while, your head feels all scrambled. You’ve got to get through that barrier, and then it’s easy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ll remember. Would you consider the experience on Mir to be your most significant time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but it was the most challenging. That was the answer to your question, the challenge. But not most significant, no. It wasn’t any different than any of the other—to me, it wasn’t different. Although I really enjoyed it, because it was something different. My greatest disappointment was that we never launched or returned on the Soyuz, because it would have been fun for me to do that in a different vehicle. That’s just the way it worked out at that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that time. And then now it’s that time again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are there some other areas of your career with NASA or other aspects that you’d like to discuss? Anything else about the missions that we might not have covered?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 7.816000000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Are there some other areas of your career with NASA or other aspects that you’d like to discuss? Anything else about the missions that we might not have covered?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll tell you, if I remember some, when I see your transcript that you’ll give me an opportunity to change, I will just add them in, if I remember anything significant. I’m trying to think right now. Let’s see, we did 33 and we did 43."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Fifty-eight."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And 58."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We didn’t talk much about the [STS]-79 and 81."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.24, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ll tell you, if I remember some, when I see your transcript that you’ll give me an opportunity to change, I will just add them in, if I remember anything significant. I’m trying to think right now. Let’s see, we did 33 and we did 43."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Fifty-eight."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And 58."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We didn’t talk much about the [STS]-79 and 81."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that’s okay. I say that; I always tell people when I’m talking to them—I flew on STS-79 just like a piece of luggage. [Wright laughs.] Because I really didn’t train with the crew. I joined them, and they were a nice group of people, and Bill [William F.] Readdy was a great commander, and it was nice. And Jay [Jerome] Apt was real nice, and I could talk about the other crew members. So, I mean, it was nice. But they knew what they were doing. I hadn’t been involved with the Space Shuttle for two and a half years, and my real role on that crew was I was a piece of luggage.\\n\\n I even remember saying to Jay Apt, flying on the middeck prior to launch, I said, “Jay, you know I really don’t know too much about what I’m supposed to do down here,” because I’d never been on the middeck.\\n\\n He said, “Don’t worry about it, John. I’ll take you through everything you need to do as soon as we get on orbit.”\\n\\n I thought, “Okay, I’ll wait till we get there, and Jay will start.” [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess that was a sound experience for you, then, since you weren’t up in the pilot’s seat."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was interested. To me, I just listened to everything and thought it was interesting. But I knew I didn’t know what to do, so anyway—and then on entry with 81, similarly, although I tried to do a few things that extra day in orbit, if I could help them out. I more took the role like Shannon showed me. “Hey, you need the garbage collected? I’ll pick the garbage up. You want something cleaned, I’ll do that.” Since I wasn’t involved with the details of what they were really doing, and really wanted to stay out of the way. So I felt like a piece of luggage again, returning on those two crews. [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it’s interesting observations, because you had been—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don’t mean that bad, but I was happy to be a piece of luggage. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure. Yes, I could see that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But Bill Readdy, my wife would tell you Bill Readdy was really nice. He just took us in, even though we were only with the crew for about three weeks prior to launch, and made us feel like we were just part of the crew with everything that happened. I didn’t really deserve anything, since I hadn’t done anything, but anyway—and I think Mike [Michael A.] Baker did the same thing on 81. He had flown on 43 with me, so that was interesting. But it was all fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, because you truly were a crew member. You weren’t the pilot or the commander, and so you just—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don’t mean that bad, but I was happy to be a piece of luggage. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure. Yes, I could see that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But Bill Readdy, my wife would tell you Bill Readdy was really nice. He just took us in, even though we were only with the crew for about three weeks prior to launch, and made us feel like we were just part of the crew with everything that happened. I didn’t really deserve anything, since I hadn’t done anything, but anyway—and I think Mike [Michael A.] Baker did the same thing on 81. He had flown on 43 with me, so that was interesting. But it was all fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, because you truly were a crew member. You weren’t the pilot or the commander, and so you just—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I even think more I was a piece of baggage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A piece of baggage. [Laughs]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But Bill Readdy, my wife would tell you Bill Readdy was really nice. He just took us in, even though we were only with the crew for about three weeks prior to launch, and made us feel like we were just part of the crew with everything that happened. I didn’t really deserve anything, since I hadn’t done anything, but anyway—and I think Mike [Michael A.] Baker did the same thing on 81. He had flown on 43 with me, so that was interesting. But it was all fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, because you truly were a crew member. You weren’t the pilot or the commander, and so you just—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I even think more I was a piece of baggage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A piece of baggage. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, I was worse than a payload specialist, if you want to call that worse. I mean, it’s lower. I didn’t have any real responsibilities."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Except sit in that seat till—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I even think more I was a piece of baggage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A piece of baggage. [Laughs]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, I was worse than a payload specialist, if you want to call that worse. I mean, it’s lower. I didn’t have any real responsibilities."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Except sit in that seat till—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was okay with me, you know. That was okay with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. That’s right. That’s great. Well, we’ll take anything else you want to add when we send that, and the information that you gave us today—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, I was worse than a payload specialist, if you want to call that worse. I mean, it’s lower. I didn’t have any real responsibilities."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Except sit in that seat till—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was okay with me, you know. That was okay with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. That’s right. That’s great. Well, we’ll take anything else you want to add when we send that, and the information that you gave us today—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The biggest things that I thought were these two. Now, this was just something that crews used to write after a mission. [Hands Wright a document.] But that’s already old and probably tampered, whereas this stuff is real."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But these firsthand observations will be great. We’ll definitely add those in, and then—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00040:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was okay with me, you know. That was okay with me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. That’s right. That’s great. Well, we’ll take anything else you want to add when we send that, and the information that you gave us today—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The biggest things that I thought were these two. Now, this was just something that crews used to write after a mission. [Hands Wright a document.] But that’s already old and probably tampered, whereas this stuff is real."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But these firsthand observations will be great. We’ll definitely add those in, and then—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And more the e-mails. Like that front page I would call every bit as false as this. [Shows documents] But the three e-mails and that whole story were what I really thought at the time. And I wished afterwards, now, I’d done that on all the missions. I should have."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. We will add it in and then send you a copy of the transcript, and if something else comes to mind, then just feel free to include that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.725080650202825, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was a senior. I was entering my senior year at the University of Colorado in Boulder. I was majoring in political science. My plan was law school. I very much wanted to go to law school, but I was burnt out on school and I was absolutely. The idea that you would sit in the UMC in Boulder and you'd solve all the world's problems, but nothing really happened, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was '63 now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was '62-'63, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you grow up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm an army brat, so I had grown up all over the world and Nuremburg High School was where I went to high school for about three years. And I come out of a time where we were, it was like we were all charged with the idea that you had a responsibility in the world and you had to make things better and you couldn't let what happened in Germany happen again. And you very much, you know, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that part of the army milieu?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.805645166892027, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was '62-'63, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you grow up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm an army brat, so I had grown up all over the world and Nuremburg High School was where I went to high school for about three years. And I come out of a time where we were, it was like we were all charged with the idea that you had a responsibility in the world and you had to make things better and you couldn't let what happened in Germany happen again. And you very much, you know, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that part of the army milieu?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that was certainly, yeah, my father was a career military and he came out and he was a teacher and he worked with Model U.N. as a teacher. But yeah, I grew up with that, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so when you went into college, you had decided, had you made a career choice?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.006272407657807, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm an army brat, so I had grown up all over the world and Nuremburg High School was where I went to high school for about three years. And I come out of a time where we were, it was like we were all charged with the idea that you had a responsibility in the world and you had to make things better and you couldn't let what happened in Germany happen again. And you very much, you know, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that part of the army milieu?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that was certainly, yeah, my father was a career military and he came out and he was a teacher and he worked with Model U.N. as a teacher. But yeah, I grew up with that, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so when you went into college, you had decided, had you made a career choice?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not when I went into college. I started out as a math major, hit calculus and changed immediately. Then I was going to do an anthropology, which I found fascinating. But I was a scholarship student and I was afraid to take tough courses because of my average. And physical anthropology was real tough and I didn't want to risk it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During your high school years, did you do any kind of volunteer work, extracurricular things?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.11808045295312, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that was certainly, yeah, my father was a career military and he came out and he was a teacher and he worked with Model U.N. as a teacher. But yeah, I grew up with that, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so when you went into college, you had decided, had you made a career choice?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, not when I went into college. I started out as a math major, hit calculus and changed immediately. Then I was going to do an anthropology, which I found fascinating. But I was a scholarship student and I was afraid to take tough courses because of my average. And physical anthropology was real tough and I didn't want to risk it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During your high school years, did you do any kind of volunteer work, extracurricular things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Junior Red Cross. But also when you're, I was a, you know, in the military and we were in Germany after the occupation officially ended and there was a big push to develop German-American relationships and friendships. And so in high school, we were part of, you know, you certainly got the idea that you had obligations, you know, whether it was to kids who were poor or whether, you know, yeah, that was very much part of growing up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you learned in the second language?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.256889448090272, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Junior Red Cross. But also when you're, I was a, you know, in the military and we were in Germany after the occupation officially ended and there was a big push to develop German-American relationships and friendships. And so in high school, we were part of, you know, you certainly got the idea that you had obligations, you know, whether it was to kids who were poor or whether, you know, yeah, that was very much part of growing up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you learned in the second language?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, it's real interesting. I studied German for three years and I could never speak or understand a word of it, but I could do the written part."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whereas I could a little bit, but not very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then when you were in college, same thing. Extracurricular work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.507654942322525, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, it's real interesting. I studied German for three years and I could never speak or understand a word of it, but I could do the written part."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whereas I could a little bit, but not very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then when you were in college, same thing. Extracurricular work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really, because I worked. I put myself through college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you do any travel at all during your college years?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 13.89739438035836, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Whereas I could a little bit, but not very much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then when you were in college, same thing. Extracurricular work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really, because I worked. I put myself through college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you do any travel at all during your college years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So you're facing graduation in '63. And how had you become aware of the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.441549311509289, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really, because I worked. I put myself through college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you do any travel at all during your college years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So you're facing graduation in '63. And how had you become aware of the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I remember John Kennedy's speech. You know, I just. And my grandfather in Philadelphia was Irish Catholic, and he was a ward healer in Philadelphia, and he, to him, the fact that a Catholic Irish kid was president, you know. So how could I not know, you know? And I remember that speech and I remember thinking, wow, just wow. But I didn't think, I didn't think Peace Corps myself. I wasn't that focused at the time. And even in my senior year, it was, um. I wasn't. They were giving various tests, you know, and I probably would have taken the CIA test if that had been the Saturday I was off work, you know. I wished I had been more honest, but it just, you know. But certainly, that's not true. I would not have done the CIA. But I might have, well, I did have the possibility of being a clerk and the Land Management Bureau in Denver. That was because I was a poli sci major. And I wanted to go to law school, but I was not going to, I was burnt out and financially I was going to have to finagle some stuff before I could go. And so I took the Peace Corps test and I still, there was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the test?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.0461659016769875, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So you're facing graduation in '63. And how had you become aware of the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I remember John Kennedy's speech. You know, I just. And my grandfather in Philadelphia was Irish Catholic, and he was a ward healer in Philadelphia, and he, to him, the fact that a Catholic Irish kid was president, you know. So how could I not know, you know? And I remember that speech and I remember thinking, wow, just wow. But I didn't think, I didn't think Peace Corps myself. I wasn't that focused at the time. And even in my senior year, it was, um. I wasn't. They were giving various tests, you know, and I probably would have taken the CIA test if that had been the Saturday I was off work, you know. I wished I had been more honest, but it just, you know. But certainly, that's not true. I would not have done the CIA. But I might have, well, I did have the possibility of being a clerk and the Land Management Bureau in Denver. That was because I was a poli sci major. And I wanted to go to law school, but I was not going to, I was burnt out and financially I was going to have to finagle some stuff before I could go. And so I took the Peace Corps test and I still, there was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the test?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I recall taking it. I don't recall anything about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But usually you didn't take the test until you had applied, or not necessarily. Do you remember applying to the Peace Corps and filling out the application form?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.229834446514799, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I recall taking it. I don't recall anything about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But usually you didn't take the test until you had applied, or not necessarily. Do you remember applying to the Peace Corps and filling out the application form?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember taking the test first."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they offered the test on campus, you know, in a basement, you know, kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And at that point after you took the test, was it just one of several possibilities of what you might do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.922038273905332, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember taking the test first."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they offered the test on campus, you know, in a basement, you know, kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And at that point after you took the test, was it just one of several possibilities of what you might do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was still very theoretical."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.691153637672591, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think they offered the test on campus, you know, in a basement, you know, kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And at that point after you took the test, was it just one of several possibilities of what you might do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was still very theoretical."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point did it become real?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.050806960089618, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point did it become real?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. I tell this story because this is the way it happened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wrote a letter to Sargent Shriver and I said, no, don't. I said I understood that he was going to be sending a group of lawyers to one of the countries in Africa that had just come out from under colonial rule. And the idea was to codify tribal law. And I wrote and said that I would like to go with that group of lawyers. And of course, at the time, they were all male. And I said I wasn't a lawyer, but I had helped in voter registration and I could type. And I swear I got a telegram back inviting me to join an all-female group going to South America. And I don't, I put the two together, but I think that they saw right through my thinking. And I need to say that I did not want to get married at the time, although most of my friends were and there was a relationship that might have developed that way. But I also felt the kind of men that I want to know are in the Peace Corps. And I think that came real clear, came through in my letter to Shriver."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had graduated?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.612007733432909, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. I tell this story because this is the way it happened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wrote a letter to Sargent Shriver and I said, no, don't. I said I understood that he was going to be sending a group of lawyers to one of the countries in Africa that had just come out from under colonial rule. And the idea was to codify tribal law. And I wrote and said that I would like to go with that group of lawyers. And of course, at the time, they were all male. And I said I wasn't a lawyer, but I had helped in voter registration and I could type. And I swear I got a telegram back inviting me to join an all-female group going to South America. And I don't, I put the two together, but I think that they saw right through my thinking. And I need to say that I did not want to get married at the time, although most of my friends were and there was a relationship that might have developed that way. But I also felt the kind of men that I want to know are in the Peace Corps. And I think that came real clear, came through in my letter to Shriver."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had graduated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this was still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was still before you graduated."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.235564148258788, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wrote a letter to Sargent Shriver and I said, no, don't. I said I understood that he was going to be sending a group of lawyers to one of the countries in Africa that had just come out from under colonial rule. And the idea was to codify tribal law. And I wrote and said that I would like to go with that group of lawyers. And of course, at the time, they were all male. And I said I wasn't a lawyer, but I had helped in voter registration and I could type. And I swear I got a telegram back inviting me to join an all-female group going to South America. And I don't, I put the two together, but I think that they saw right through my thinking. And I need to say that I did not want to get married at the time, although most of my friends were and there was a relationship that might have developed that way. But I also felt the kind of men that I want to know are in the Peace Corps. And I think that came real clear, came through in my letter to Shriver."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had graduated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this was still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was still before you graduated."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the application? Because usually when you do fill the application out, you indicate country of interest that you'd like to go here."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.928404609176431, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this was still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was still before you graduated."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the application? Because usually when you do fill the application out, you indicate country of interest that you'd like to go here."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that that was. I don't remember the, I think that came after the test. And I do remember, all kidding aside, thinking that Africa because the colonial era was ending, that that would be the most fantastic. That would be just the greatest place to be. And I did want to go to Africa. And as I say, this handwritten note about, please, I want to be with all those lawyers, you know? And I was disappointed when I got the assignment for health education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you wrote to Shriver, the next thing you know, got a telegram saying you're invited to train."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.553585937254852, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that that was. I don't remember the, I think that came after the test. And I do remember, all kidding aside, thinking that Africa because the colonial era was ending, that that would be the most fantastic. That would be just the greatest place to be. And I did want to go to Africa. And as I say, this handwritten note about, please, I want to be with all those lawyers, you know? And I was disappointed when I got the assignment for health education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you wrote to Shriver, the next thing you know, got a telegram saying you're invited to train."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. For health education. And it was all women."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was the training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.3928732636165, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. For health education. And it was all women."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was the training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "University of New Mexico."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At Las Cruces?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.214303626240556, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. For health education. And it was all women."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was the training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "University of New Mexico."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At Las Cruces?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. In Albuquerque."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And what was the time frame then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.904781806933951, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "University of New Mexico."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At Las Cruces?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. In Albuquerque."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And what was the time frame then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty quick. I remember I got the telegram it seems to me like in May and our training started July 7th."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And you had to fit graduation in there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.671979785482168, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. In Albuquerque."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And what was the time frame then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty quick. I remember I got the telegram it seems to me like in May and our training started July 7th."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And you had to fit graduation in there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your family's reaction?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.524421983869075, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty quick. I remember I got the telegram it seems to me like in May and our training started July 7th."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And you had to fit graduation in there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your family's reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My mother was appalled. And my father was more concerned about how was I going to support myself, you know. But my mother did not want me to go. It just did not, um. She was afraid for my safety, and um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was when she knew you would likely to go to Colombia."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.47157998207675, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your family's reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My mother was appalled. And my father was more concerned about how was I going to support myself, you know. But my mother did not want me to go. It just did not, um. She was afraid for my safety, and um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was when she knew you would likely to go to Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about your peers, your friends?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.412866646751946, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My mother was appalled. And my father was more concerned about how was I going to support myself, you know. But my mother did not want me to go. It just did not, um. She was afraid for my safety, and um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was when she knew you would likely to go to Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about your peers, your friends?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they were excited for me, but they all were going to join the Peace Corps, but I was the only one who went. It was one of those things, you know, a year later, I would say they were still sitting in the UMC, you know, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, talking about saving the world. And I was there in the middle of nowhere, you know? Thanks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your initial reaction when you got the telegram? Cause all of a sudden, it's real."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.458740718613273, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about your peers, your friends?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they were excited for me, but they all were going to join the Peace Corps, but I was the only one who went. It was one of those things, you know, a year later, I would say they were still sitting in the UMC, you know, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, talking about saving the world. And I was there in the middle of nowhere, you know? Thanks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your initial reaction when you got the telegram? Cause all of a sudden, it's real."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was amazed they wanted me, and I did not want to go to Colombia with all women and do health education. But I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you think to say no and see if they could offer you a better deal?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.509711909570303, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they were excited for me, but they all were going to join the Peace Corps, but I was the only one who went. It was one of those things, you know, a year later, I would say they were still sitting in the UMC, you know, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, talking about saving the world. And I was there in the middle of nowhere, you know? Thanks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your initial reaction when you got the telegram? Cause all of a sudden, it's real."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was amazed they wanted me, and I did not want to go to Colombia with all women and do health education. But I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you think to say no and see if they could offer you a better deal?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did not. I really did not, because in those days, even getting, I mean, getting accepted for training was a big step and I didn't. I didn't think. I mean, we knew that that training was not any guarantee that you would go overseas. And I just, you know, I felt lucky to have gotten that far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever studied Spanish?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.677457677300335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I was amazed they wanted me, and I did not want to go to Colombia with all women and do health education. But I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you think to say no and see if they could offer you a better deal?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did not. I really did not, because in those days, even getting, I mean, getting accepted for training was a big step and I didn't. I didn't think. I mean, we knew that that training was not any guarantee that you would go overseas. And I just, you know, I felt lucky to have gotten that far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever studied Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I had taken Spanish in college. I hadn't done real well, but yeah, I had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So how did you, what happened? How did you get from Denver to Albuquerque?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.863841863667039, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did not. I really did not, because in those days, even getting, I mean, getting accepted for training was a big step and I didn't. I didn't think. I mean, we knew that that training was not any guarantee that you would go overseas. And I just, you know, I felt lucky to have gotten that far."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever studied Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I had taken Spanish in college. I hadn't done real well, but yeah, I had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So how did you, what happened? How did you get from Denver to Albuquerque?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It happened real quick. I mean, I was going to go visit a friend of mine who was in Mexico City, that was going to be my graduation trip, and I went for my initial evaluation, physical evaluation. I needed to have dental work done. So that cancels the trip, and I had to use money for dental work and people, dentists, people moved, well they didn't move heaven and earth, but people made accommodations. Dentists did, and I stayed with a friend's family so that I could get the work done in time to report to training. So there was a sense of, well, let us help you do this since you're, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where was your family living?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.959824292963376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I had taken Spanish in college. I hadn't done real well, but yeah, I had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So how did you, what happened? How did you get from Denver to Albuquerque?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It happened real quick. I mean, I was going to go visit a friend of mine who was in Mexico City, that was going to be my graduation trip, and I went for my initial evaluation, physical evaluation. I needed to have dental work done. So that cancels the trip, and I had to use money for dental work and people, dentists, people moved, well they didn't move heaven and earth, but people made accommodations. Dentists did, and I stayed with a friend's family so that I could get the work done in time to report to training. So there was a sense of, well, let us help you do this since you're, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where was your family living?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Canyon City, which is about 150 miles southwest of Denver."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But do you remember at the goodbye, did you think next thing you'd be in Colombia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 13.530647275263426, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Canyon City, which is about 150 miles southwest of Denver."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But do you remember at the goodbye, did you think next thing you'd be in Colombia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I knew that there would be training and that we'd be home after training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I knew that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at that point it wasn't like."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.70071919473714, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I knew that there would be training and that we'd be home after training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I knew that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at that point it wasn't like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. And in those days it was the three months training or the 10 weeks or whatever. And then you came home and then you were gone for two years. And I saw it as an adventure, really, really an adventure. I wasn't at all sure that I would get through training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now talk about first reporting to training in Albuquerque."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 13.000799105263487, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I knew that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So at that point it wasn't like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. And in those days it was the three months training or the 10 weeks or whatever. And then you came home and then you were gone for two years. And I saw it as an adventure, really, really an adventure. I wasn't at all sure that I would get through training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now talk about first reporting to training in Albuquerque."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I just, I remember getting off the plane and there was somebody waving a sign and a couple of us kind of gravitated towards, you know, kind of looking each other over, as I say, we were an all-female group. And uh, and we had a nickname for him, which I will not say, but he was part of the training, you know, he was a training coordinator and he was always waving signs and changing schedules and herding us to this place or that place. And so that was my first, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now you're in the midst of, how many were in the training group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.013332228720355, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I just, I remember getting off the plane and there was somebody waving a sign and a couple of us kind of gravitated towards, you know, kind of looking each other over, as I say, we were an all-female group. And uh, and we had a nickname for him, which I will not say, but he was part of the training, you know, he was a training coordinator and he was always waving signs and changing schedules and herding us to this place or that place. And so that was my first, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now you're in the midst of, how many were in the training group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK, um, that was the summer. That was the summer of '63. And they used to talk about they were going to just parachute volunteers. There were 300 in training at UNM."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we, our group, 42 went down and I think we were over 60, all women. But we trained concurrently with a group of men who were going to Ecuador and there were about 75 of them. And then there was a group going. There was a group that was four weeks ahead of us that was going to Colombia. There was a group going to Brazil, you know. And it just seemed like there were, the whole campus was Peace Corps trainees."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you could identify your own Colombia."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.01481358746706, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK, um, that was the summer. That was the summer of '63. And they used to talk about they were going to just parachute volunteers. There were 300 in training at UNM."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we, our group, 42 went down and I think we were over 60, all women. But we trained concurrently with a group of men who were going to Ecuador and there were about 75 of them. And then there was a group going. There was a group that was four weeks ahead of us that was going to Colombia. There was a group going to Brazil, you know. And it just seemed like there were, the whole campus was Peace Corps trainees."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you could identify your own Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. Because we, yeah, we trained together. We roomed together. We were on the same schedule."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your initial impression of the others in the group? I mean, you joined and now."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.127570652741177, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we, our group, 42 went down and I think we were over 60, all women. But we trained concurrently with a group of men who were going to Ecuador and there were about 75 of them. And then there was a group going. There was a group that was four weeks ahead of us that was going to Colombia. There was a group going to Brazil, you know. And it just seemed like there were, the whole campus was Peace Corps trainees."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you could identify your own Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. Because we, yeah, we trained together. We roomed together. We were on the same schedule."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your initial impression of the others in the group? I mean, you joined and now."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My first impression, which really turned out to be wrong, was they were all home ec majors. And what was I doing here, you know? And um, that changed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. For the most part, were they recent college graduates?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.363967391934642, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. Because we, yeah, we trained together. We roomed together. We were on the same schedule."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your initial impression of the others in the group? I mean, you joined and now."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My first impression, which really turned out to be wrong, was they were all home ec majors. And what was I doing here, you know? And um, that changed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. For the most part, were they recent college graduates?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were all college graduates. There were one or two women who had had two years of college, but everybody else was a college grad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anyone over 30?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 11.515519324371823, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My first impression, which really turned out to be wrong, was they were all home ec majors. And what was I doing here, you know? And um, that changed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. For the most part, were they recent college graduates?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were all college graduates. There were one or two women who had had two years of college, but everybody else was a college grad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Anyone over 30?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. A woman named Olga, who was like in her sixties. And I think she was the oldest and by far and she did go overseas. She did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any in that group who came from a Hispanic background?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.194128016970951, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And again, you know, it's only in retrospect that it registers. Two women who, one was the daughter of, her last name was Lara, and she was the daughter of, or she was the niece of a very famous songwriter in Mexico. And then another woman who came from California and the very, the first day, either the first day we were there or the first Sunday, Maria Elena and three or four other women in my group went out to the Albuquerque airport and parachuted. They couldn't, I can't believe, because it's just coming to mind, because I remember she had these leather boots and they couldn't have parachuted. But I think they did. They did something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Skydiving?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They couldn't have skydived. Because I don't think we did. But it seems to me they, something just, they were tremendous women. They were just tremendous. Yeah. And I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No! I wanted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your feet were on the ground."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.882364463301056, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They couldn't have skydived. Because I don't think we did. But it seems to me they, something just, they were tremendous women. They were just tremendous. Yeah. And I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No! I wanted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your feet were on the ground."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I wanted to sit and drink coffee and smoke cigarettes and save the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, talk about the structure of training. It must have different phases."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.313738292556729, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No! I wanted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your feet were on the ground."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I wanted to sit and drink coffee and smoke cigarettes and save the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, talk about the structure of training. It must have different phases."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very demanding physically. We had calisthenics every morning. We were told that we were American women and we didn't have upper body strength and that we had to, we did a lot of exercises to develop upper body strength. Climbing up ropes in the gym. We ran for a mile every morning. We had very intensive language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's stay with the physical."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.793042547285254, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I wanted to sit and drink coffee and smoke cigarettes and save the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, talk about the structure of training. It must have different phases."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very demanding physically. We had calisthenics every morning. We were told that we were American women and we didn't have upper body strength and that we had to, we did a lot of exercises to develop upper body strength. Climbing up ropes in the gym. We ran for a mile every morning. We had very intensive language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's stay with the physical."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, with the physical, OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it just that 40, your health ed group that was doing this?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.214491719205838, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very demanding physically. We had calisthenics every morning. We were told that we were American women and we didn't have upper body strength and that we had to, we did a lot of exercises to develop upper body strength. Climbing up ropes in the gym. We ran for a mile every morning. We had very intensive language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let's stay with the physical."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, with the physical, OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it just that 40, your health ed group that was doing this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was part of everybody. Everybody. We ran for a mile in the morning, and I think everybody was pretty much on the same schedule in terms of running in the morning, breakfast and lunch and dinner, so that all volunteers were, I mean, all trainees were in that thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the phys ed, did you have a feeling attendance was being taken and people were watching you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.682768576895375, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, with the physical, OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it just that 40, your health ed group that was doing this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was part of everybody. Everybody. We ran for a mile in the morning, and I think everybody was pretty much on the same schedule in terms of running in the morning, breakfast and lunch and dinner, so that all volunteers were, I mean, all trainees were in that thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With the phys ed, did you have a feeling attendance was being taken and people were watching you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Absolutely. And I was going to say we didn't miss anything, and that was the other part. And there was a real emphasis on you're American women and you're weak. And we're really going to see, you know, for us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who's articulating this? Who are the trainers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.54662787271034, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Absolutely. And I was going to say we didn't miss anything, and that was the other part. And there was a real emphasis on you're American women and you're weak. And we're really going to see, you know, for us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who's articulating this? Who are the trainers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Later on, when we did survival training, we had ex Marines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But initially?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Initially they were the PE staff at UNM."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they had not been volunteers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.051808747455934, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Later on, when we did survival training, we had ex Marines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But initially?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Initially they were the PE staff at UNM."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they had not been volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. We did not. And we were Colombia 11. But Colombia I still was in the process of terminating and they did come back and train us, but not till further on in our training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, now let's talk about the language training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.002233021550535, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. We did not. And we were Colombia 11. But Colombia I still was in the process of terminating and they did come back and train us, but not till further on in our training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, now let's talk about the language training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had native speakers. It was audiolingual and it was five hours a day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went into it, was there any implication that if you didn't learn the language at a certain level, you wouldn't go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.558036690611705, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had native speakers. It was audiolingual and it was five hours a day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went into it, was there any implication that if you didn't learn the language at a certain level, you wouldn't go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they give you a particular test you had to pass or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.175596322901894, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you went into it, was there any implication that if you didn't learn the language at a certain level, you wouldn't go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they give you a particular test you had to pass or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were tested all the time in class. I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And how did you take to the language training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5284403587798825, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they give you a particular test you had to pass or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were tested all the time in class. I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. And how did you take to the language training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't have a facility in language. I really don't. And I was in the third group out of five and five would have been bilingual and one would have been people had no language background at all. And I did a lot of memorizing because I couldn't verbalize very well. But one of the things that we, after a while we were just so tired because we went from 6:00 in the morning to maybe 9:00 or 10:00 at night. And I think that you get so tired that a lot of your resistance, you know, you're picking stuff up and you don't even realize it. Language was very important."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your own feeling about language learning, that you were going to make it or this was going to be what did you in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.3560992083702255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't have a facility in language. I really don't. And I was in the third group out of five and five would have been bilingual and one would have been people had no language background at all. And I did a lot of memorizing because I couldn't verbalize very well. But one of the things that we, after a while we were just so tired because we went from 6:00 in the morning to maybe 9:00 or 10:00 at night. And I think that you get so tired that a lot of your resistance, you know, you're picking stuff up and you don't even realize it. Language was very important."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your own feeling about language learning, that you were going to make it or this was going to be what did you in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was beginning to feel pretty, because I was in the third group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was beginning to feel. Plus, I just I had had Spanish in my senior year in college and I hadn't done that well. But it was like I was, now that was being a help. And I was not worried about the language. Perhaps I should have been, but I wasn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you begin to have a sense of commitment was growing to being a Peace Corps volunteer? You must have been, you know, not sure at all."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.840110231522472, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I was beginning to feel pretty, because I was in the third group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was beginning to feel. Plus, I just I had had Spanish in my senior year in college and I hadn't done that well. But it was like I was, now that was being a help. And I was not worried about the language. Perhaps I should have been, but I wasn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you begin to have a sense of commitment was growing to being a Peace Corps volunteer? You must have been, you know, not sure at all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had. What happened. You develop the group. You know, you're bonding with these people that you're going through all this strenuous stuff with and you really care about them and you don't want to leave that. That was first thing. Second thing is, you already hate the Peace Corps staff. You know, you're just, you know, you can't wait. Yeah, yeah. Can't wait to get away from them. I had been and continue to have a lot of questions about the actual projects that we were doing and how comprehensive our training was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well that will come later."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.377900257247192, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I was beginning to feel. Plus, I just I had had Spanish in my senior year in college and I hadn't done that well. But it was like I was, now that was being a help. And I was not worried about the language. Perhaps I should have been, but I wasn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you begin to have a sense of commitment was growing to being a Peace Corps volunteer? You must have been, you know, not sure at all."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had. What happened. You develop the group. You know, you're bonding with these people that you're going through all this strenuous stuff with and you really care about them and you don't want to leave that. That was first thing. Second thing is, you already hate the Peace Corps staff. You know, you're just, you know, you can't wait. Yeah, yeah. Can't wait to get away from them. I had been and continue to have a lot of questions about the actual projects that we were doing and how comprehensive our training was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well that will come later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but that was right on. That was from the very beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so you had PE, you had the language. What else in training in the early phase?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7532225080524353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had. What happened. You develop the group. You know, you're bonding with these people that you're going through all this strenuous stuff with and you really care about them and you don't want to leave that. That was first thing. Second thing is, you already hate the Peace Corps staff. You know, you're just, you know, you can't wait. Yeah, yeah. Can't wait to get away from them. I had been and continue to have a lot of questions about the actual projects that we were doing and how comprehensive our training was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well that will come later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but that was right on. That was from the very beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so you had PE, you had the language. What else in training in the early phase?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK, we had to have a course in American government because if, we did a lot of this, if the communists captured you, you have to be able to defend your country. We had a course in Russian history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, was it world communism?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.170247231169372, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but that was right on. That was from the very beginning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so you had PE, you had the language. What else in training in the early phase?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK, we had to have a course in American government because if, we did a lot of this, if the communists captured you, you have to be able to defend your country. We had a course in Russian history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, was it world communism?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It seems to me Russian history. Very good professor. And then we had a lot of cultural stuff about Colombia, history of Colombia, and then cultural things. We had very little training in health education, very little. And what we had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the early phase then, did the those going to Colombia would, did you go to separate lectures on the history of Colombia? Or was everybody learning?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.633608034632636, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK, we had to have a course in American government because if, we did a lot of this, if the communists captured you, you have to be able to defend your country. We had a course in Russian history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, was it world communism?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It seems to me Russian history. Very good professor. And then we had a lot of cultural stuff about Colombia, history of Colombia, and then cultural things. We had very little training in health education, very little. And what we had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the early phase then, did the those going to Colombia would, did you go to separate lectures on the history of Colombia? Or was everybody learning?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we were, because the training groups were staggered by training start date. And so every group was kind of going through its own stuff. And it seems to me that a lot of stuff was done in language groups so that there were maybe, maybe 15 in my, 10 or 15 in my language group. And we were, we would be tracked for some cultural education based on our language group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how early did the technical training start, was that in the early phases too?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.14845337181404, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It seems to me Russian history. Very good professor. And then we had a lot of cultural stuff about Colombia, history of Colombia, and then cultural things. We had very little training in health education, very little. And what we had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the early phase then, did the those going to Colombia would, did you go to separate lectures on the history of Colombia? Or was everybody learning?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we were, because the training groups were staggered by training start date. And so every group was kind of going through its own stuff. And it seems to me that a lot of stuff was done in language groups so that there were maybe, maybe 15 in my, 10 or 15 in my language group. And we were, we would be tracked for some cultural education based on our language group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how early did the technical training start, was that in the early phases too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was in the early phases at UNM."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did it consist of?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.498281524237822, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we were, because the training groups were staggered by training start date. And so every group was kind of going through its own stuff. And it seems to me that a lot of stuff was done in language groups so that there were maybe, maybe 15 in my, 10 or 15 in my language group. And we were, we would be tracked for some cultural education based on our language group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how early did the technical training start, was that in the early phases too?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was in the early phases at UNM."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did it consist of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we had a first aid course, but no, we had a self-help medical course that was for everybody in the evening. The training was inadequate. That's all I can say. I remember at one point, we were taken down to Albuquerque's, the public health or the public utilities, and they gave us a demonstration on how to use an atomic stove, which was an early microwave. We visited some community centers. When we got up into Taos later on, we again, but the training from, in terms of health, was just inadequate. I think we studied the food groups and I remember my partner and I, we got to Colombia. We couldn't remember were there five food groups or eight? I mean, you know, it was truly, um, I kept waiting for training and it never came in the health part."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there anyone in that phase of training who was defining what a health ed Peace Corps volunteer would likely be doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8869794713753576, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was in the early phases at UNM."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did it consist of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we had a first aid course, but no, we had a self-help medical course that was for everybody in the evening. The training was inadequate. That's all I can say. I remember at one point, we were taken down to Albuquerque's, the public health or the public utilities, and they gave us a demonstration on how to use an atomic stove, which was an early microwave. We visited some community centers. When we got up into Taos later on, we again, but the training from, in terms of health, was just inadequate. I think we studied the food groups and I remember my partner and I, we got to Colombia. We couldn't remember were there five food groups or eight? I mean, you know, it was truly, um, I kept waiting for training and it never came in the health part."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there anyone in that phase of training who was defining what a health ed Peace Corps volunteer would likely be doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so it was all kind of generalized."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.318866079305953, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we had a first aid course, but no, we had a self-help medical course that was for everybody in the evening. The training was inadequate. That's all I can say. I remember at one point, we were taken down to Albuquerque's, the public health or the public utilities, and they gave us a demonstration on how to use an atomic stove, which was an early microwave. We visited some community centers. When we got up into Taos later on, we again, but the training from, in terms of health, was just inadequate. I think we studied the food groups and I remember my partner and I, we got to Colombia. We couldn't remember were there five food groups or eight? I mean, you know, it was truly, um, I kept waiting for training and it never came in the health part."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there anyone in that phase of training who was defining what a health ed Peace Corps volunteer would likely be doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so it was all kind of generalized."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the time, if you can remember, did you have a sense that it was just very general and didn't relate to what you were going to do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.798740088117725, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so it was all kind of generalized."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the time, if you can remember, did you have a sense that it was just very general and didn't relate to what you were going to do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. We as a group had concerns."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another very big part of the training process is selection. Do you recall the selection process?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.331933431241917, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the time, if you can remember, did you have a sense that it was just very general and didn't relate to what you were going to do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. We as a group had concerns."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another very big part of the training process is selection. Do you recall the selection process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As if one could ever forget. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did it work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.813259368046574, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. We as a group had concerns."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another very big part of the training process is selection. Do you recall the selection process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As if one could ever forget. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did it work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had two selection boards and then a final board. We had a selection, I think, training was 12 weeks, at the end. Some were an early selection that may have almost been a self-selection out. We had some people leave early on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what did you have to go through in the selection process?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.367982672217522, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK. I didn't have to go through. We were observed all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By who?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Our trainers, our teachers, everybody was making, observing what we were doing. We filled out questionnaires. We were tested all the time. We were given the Minnesota."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Multiphasic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And I was called in because I had marked down that I thought my body was falling apart. And they asked about that and I said, probably because I had all this dental work done, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it a psychologist, a psychiatrist, who saw you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.74220296913058, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Our trainers, our teachers, everybody was making, observing what we were doing. We filled out questionnaires. We were tested all the time. We were given the Minnesota."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Multiphasic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And I was called in because I had marked down that I thought my body was falling apart. And they asked about that and I said, probably because I had all this dental work done, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it a psychologist, a psychiatrist, who saw you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was a woman. I think it was a psychologist, and she asked me some questions. We did have a psychiatrist from Colorado, his name was Garcia, who was assigned to our group, who sat on it. We had selection boards that met in secret and we knew they were meeting, but that we didn't go before them or anything. This interview was the only thing that I remember and she asked me why I wanted to join. And I told her, you know, wanted to do something concrete. And there was just a lot of testing, a lot of background checks. We were very worried about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The FBI was doing background checks."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.158003299033978, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And I was called in because I had marked down that I thought my body was falling apart. And they asked about that and I said, probably because I had all this dental work done, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was it a psychologist, a psychiatrist, who saw you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was a woman. I think it was a psychologist, and she asked me some questions. We did have a psychiatrist from Colorado, his name was Garcia, who was assigned to our group, who sat on it. We had selection boards that met in secret and we knew they were meeting, but that we didn't go before them or anything. This interview was the only thing that I remember and she asked me why I wanted to join. And I told her, you know, wanted to do something concrete. And there was just a lot of testing, a lot of background checks. We were very worried about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The FBI was doing background checks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Background checks. What were they going to find?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any concern on that score?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.620003665593309, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was a woman. I think it was a psychologist, and she asked me some questions. We did have a psychiatrist from Colorado, his name was Garcia, who was assigned to our group, who sat on it. We had selection boards that met in secret and we knew they were meeting, but that we didn't go before them or anything. This interview was the only thing that I remember and she asked me why I wanted to join. And I told her, you know, wanted to do something concrete. And there was just a lot of testing, a lot of background checks. We were very worried about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The FBI was doing background checks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Background checks. What were they going to find?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any concern on that score?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think, in the sense that you didn't know what was personal and what was not. You didn't know how, what people would say. You didn't know how your life would be evaluated. And certainly in those days in college, I mean, women had curfews and you couldn't do this and you couldn't do that, and a lot of us had done that. And what if that came up and, you know, all that kind of stuff? So there was more apprehension about the background check."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel uncertain about the selection?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.133337406214787, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Background checks. What were they going to find?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any concern on that score?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think, in the sense that you didn't know what was personal and what was not. You didn't know how, what people would say. You didn't know how your life would be evaluated. And certainly in those days in college, I mean, women had curfews and you couldn't do this and you couldn't do that, and a lot of us had done that. And what if that came up and, you know, all that kind of stuff? So there was more apprehension about the background check."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel uncertain about the selection?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. And it was Orwellian in the sense that you really felt you were being watched all the time and that that wasn't fair."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do peer ratings also?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.703708229127542, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think, in the sense that you didn't know what was personal and what was not. You didn't know how, what people would say. You didn't know how your life would be evaluated. And certainly in those days in college, I mean, women had curfews and you couldn't do this and you couldn't do that, and a lot of us had done that. And what if that came up and, you know, all that kind of stuff? So there was more apprehension about the background check."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel uncertain about the selection?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. And it was Orwellian in the sense that you really felt you were being watched all the time and that that wasn't fair."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do peer ratings also?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And we did peer ratings twice and the second time a lot of us declined to do them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I was going to ask about that, OK."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.337453587919491, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. And it was Orwellian in the sense that you really felt you were being watched all the time and that that wasn't fair."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do peer ratings also?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And we did peer ratings twice and the second time a lot of us declined to do them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I was going to ask about that, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But you would, I would always remind myself that I volunteered for this, you know. And there was that, the worst, the only thing worse about being there was not being there, and that was Peace Corps. That was just Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the group begin to coalesce against the process?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.041615097688323, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And we did peer ratings twice and the second time a lot of us declined to do them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I was going to ask about that, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But you would, I would always remind myself that I volunteered for this, you know. And there was that, the worst, the only thing worse about being there was not being there, and that was Peace Corps. That was just Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the group begin to coalesce against the process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very much so. Very strongly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't think that was a conscious thing on their part, but."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.824016775209248, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But you would, I would always remind myself that I volunteered for this, you know. And there was that, the worst, the only thing worse about being there was not being there, and that was Peace Corps. That was just Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the group begin to coalesce against the process?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very much so. Very strongly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't think that was a conscious thing on their part, but."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, sometimes I wonder. Because you never knew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the first selection board occurred and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.5822408613436085, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very much so. Very strongly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't think that was a conscious thing on their part, but."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, sometimes I wonder. Because you never knew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the first selection board occurred and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some women. I can't remember how we found out. People were called in for interviews and I was not called in for an interview. My interview had been earlier around the Minnesota test. They were called in for interviews and they were either told that we don't think this is right for you or they were told we have some concerns. And so we had people leave and the ones who left then, only a couple of women left. And I think young."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have any explanations given to you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.424712068159565, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, sometimes I wonder. Because you never knew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the first selection board occurred and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some women. I can't remember how we found out. People were called in for interviews and I was not called in for an interview. My interview had been earlier around the Minnesota test. They were called in for interviews and they were either told that we don't think this is right for you or they were told we have some concerns. And so we had people leave and the ones who left then, only a couple of women left. And I think young."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have any explanations given to you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Never. What would happen, we were never given anything, but the women would come and tell you. People would tell us why they were told that they were selected out. And then Peace Corps would tell us, discount what anyone is telling you because they, you know, they may choose not to tell you the real reason. So it was that kind of game playing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did the group disagree with any of the selection choices?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.36079118684396, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some women. I can't remember how we found out. People were called in for interviews and I was not called in for an interview. My interview had been earlier around the Minnesota test. They were called in for interviews and they were either told that we don't think this is right for you or they were told we have some concerns. And so we had people leave and the ones who left then, only a couple of women left. And I think young."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have any explanations given to you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Never. What would happen, we were never given anything, but the women would come and tell you. People would tell us why they were told that they were selected out. And then Peace Corps would tell us, discount what anyone is telling you because they, you know, they may choose not to tell you the real reason. So it was that kind of game playing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did the group disagree with any of the selection choices?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first time?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you do anything about it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.11208788499254, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first time?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you do anything about it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first time, no. These are great questions. The selection at the end we did. If you want me to tell you about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. The last selection was the night before we left Taos. We'd been up there for a month and our boards met and then, I mean, it was tough. It was just awful. We have this big barbecue celebration. And then they said everybody would be given a piece of paper and it would have either a circle or an X and a circle meant one thing and an X meant something else. And of course, I couldn't remember which was which. And one was you were going and the other was you were not going. And we were all there, bonded, with the guys from Ecuador, and it was god awful. And there was one woman who was selected out that night, and she was told that her parents had divorced and that she had not, hey didn't feel that she had handled it and that she was likely to have a problem when she got overseas. And we thought that was crazy.\n\nAnd when it got time to get on the plane in New York, we staged, we refused to get on the plane until we were told that she'd have a chance to get, you know, to go. And it was a minor little, you know, we weren't very successful, but we felt that was incredibly unfair. And I still think it was unfair. With the men, there was somebody that they selected out and that night, when we went back to the ski lodge where we had been staying, the men of Ecuador V got up a petition right away because they thought it was so unfair. And I remember encouraging somebody that was a friend of mine at the time to sign the petition. They signed the petition. The guy got to go down to Ecuador and had a severe cultural shock reaction and had to be escorted home. So that. But yeah, the selection, the selection was, I don't. It was just really awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The one effect tends to be to create group spirit."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.902319872213933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first time, no. These are great questions. The selection at the end we did. If you want me to tell you about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. The last selection was the night before we left Taos. We'd been up there for a month and our boards met and then, I mean, it was tough. It was just awful. We have this big barbecue celebration. And then they said everybody would be given a piece of paper and it would have either a circle or an X and a circle meant one thing and an X meant something else. And of course, I couldn't remember which was which. And one was you were going and the other was you were not going. And we were all there, bonded, with the guys from Ecuador, and it was god awful. And there was one woman who was selected out that night, and she was told that her parents had divorced and that she had not, hey didn't feel that she had handled it and that she was likely to have a problem when she got overseas. And we thought that was crazy.\n\nAnd when it got time to get on the plane in New York, we staged, we refused to get on the plane until we were told that she'd have a chance to get, you know, to go. And it was a minor little, you know, we weren't very successful, but we felt that was incredibly unfair. And I still think it was unfair. With the men, there was somebody that they selected out and that night, when we went back to the ski lodge where we had been staying, the men of Ecuador V got up a petition right away because they thought it was so unfair. And I remember encouraging somebody that was a friend of mine at the time to sign the petition. They signed the petition. The guy got to go down to Ecuador and had a severe cultural shock reaction and had to be escorted home. So that. But yeah, the selection, the selection was, I don't. It was just really awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The one effect tends to be to create group spirit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even if it's a negative motivation."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.780355413571037, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. The last selection was the night before we left Taos. We'd been up there for a month and our boards met and then, I mean, it was tough. It was just awful. We have this big barbecue celebration. And then they said everybody would be given a piece of paper and it would have either a circle or an X and a circle meant one thing and an X meant something else. And of course, I couldn't remember which was which. And one was you were going and the other was you were not going. And we were all there, bonded, with the guys from Ecuador, and it was god awful. And there was one woman who was selected out that night, and she was told that her parents had divorced and that she had not, hey didn't feel that she had handled it and that she was likely to have a problem when she got overseas. And we thought that was crazy.\n\nAnd when it got time to get on the plane in New York, we staged, we refused to get on the plane until we were told that she'd have a chance to get, you know, to go. And it was a minor little, you know, we weren't very successful, but we felt that was incredibly unfair. And I still think it was unfair. With the men, there was somebody that they selected out and that night, when we went back to the ski lodge where we had been staying, the men of Ecuador V got up a petition right away because they thought it was so unfair. And I remember encouraging somebody that was a friend of mine at the time to sign the petition. They signed the petition. The guy got to go down to Ecuador and had a severe cultural shock reaction and had to be escorted home. So that. But yeah, the selection, the selection was, I don't. It was just really awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The one effect tends to be to create group spirit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even if it's a negative motivation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, the initial phase of training was in Albuquerque."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.755950459523374, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Even if it's a negative motivation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, the initial phase of training was in Albuquerque."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. [tape break]\n\nLanguage test."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so apparently you were learning it, and you were learning it somehow."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 10.83994495502597, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, the initial phase of training was in Albuquerque."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. [tape break]\n\nLanguage test."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so apparently you were learning it, and you were learning it somehow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don't remember. I have a dear, dear friend of mine who was in the language, who had not had Spanish at all, and she was in the first group of, you know, and she got to go. So I don't remember people being selected out on the basis of language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now what was the point of the Taos training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.488827727806633, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. [tape break]\n\nLanguage test."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so apparently you were learning it, and you were learning it somehow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don't remember. I have a dear, dear friend of mine who was in the language, who had not had Spanish at all, and she was in the first group of, you know, and she got to go. So I don't remember people being selected out on the basis of language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now what was the point of the Taos training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were rural community development and northern New Mexico has villages that were in those days, very, very, um. They were three and four hundred years old, and the people living there were Spanish speaking and culturally they had a lot in common with the people we would be working with in Latin America. And the University of New Mexico had been doing community development in northern New Mexico for about a year or so. And it was. Community development is almost cultish in the sense that they had preconceived notions about what these communities should do to develop. And that wasn't good. But we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you spend your time when you were up there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.987586364229593, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I don't remember. I have a dear, dear friend of mine who was in the language, who had not had Spanish at all, and she was in the first group of, you know, and she got to go. So I don't remember people being selected out on the basis of language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now what was the point of the Taos training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were rural community development and northern New Mexico has villages that were in those days, very, very, um. They were three and four hundred years old, and the people living there were Spanish speaking and culturally they had a lot in common with the people we would be working with in Latin America. And the University of New Mexico had been doing community development in northern New Mexico for about a year or so. And it was. Community development is almost cultish in the sense that they had preconceived notions about what these communities should do to develop. And that wasn't good. But we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you spend your time when you were up there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went, we went up to the Taos ski lodge, Taos Ski Valley, and then we spent. We were there for a week and then we'd spend a week out in a site assignment and then we go back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not the whole group."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.541762626921769, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were rural community development and northern New Mexico has villages that were in those days, very, very, um. They were three and four hundred years old, and the people living there were Spanish speaking and culturally they had a lot in common with the people we would be working with in Latin America. And the University of New Mexico had been doing community development in northern New Mexico for about a year or so. And it was. Community development is almost cultish in the sense that they had preconceived notions about what these communities should do to develop. And that wasn't good. But we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you spend your time when you were up there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went, we went up to the Taos ski lodge, Taos Ski Valley, and then we spent. We were there for a week and then we'd spend a week out in a site assignment and then we go back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not the whole group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about your own experience."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.607114354224406, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, OK."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about your own experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My own experience. I was in Peñasco, New Mexico, and there were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Alone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. There were Ecuador, men training for Ecuador and women in my group. We were about eight or 10 in Peñasco."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you stay?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.119015949138229, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My own experience. I was in Peñasco, New Mexico, and there were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Alone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. There were Ecuador, men training for Ecuador and women in my group. We were about eight or 10 in Peñasco."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you stay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We stayed in the theater. And the movie that was playing was called Lode Macho and we saw it all over Latin America. I think it's still playing in Peñasco and they would bring out, we had army cots. We slept in the lobby. And the food was just wonderful and there were some."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were your hosts?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3544621657091436, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no, no. There were Ecuador, men training for Ecuador and women in my group. We were about eight or 10 in Peñasco."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you stay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We stayed in the theater. And the movie that was playing was called Lode Macho and we saw it all over Latin America. I think it's still playing in Peñasco and they would bring out, we had army cots. We slept in the lobby. And the food was just wonderful and there were some."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were your hosts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The people who owned the theater and the café associated to it. They really kind of were the people that took care of, that were, I guess, our host, but nobody had really invited us into the village because the village was not that, or this was before the War on Poverty. There really wasn't, you know. But the Colombian I volunteers were there and they took over our training when we went up to northern New Mexico. And they began, there was a Center for Community Development at the University of New Mexico, and they became employees of the center that had a contract to train us. And that's, they came on board and it was like, OK, we're here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you're in Peñasco with the seven others, there's also a Colombia I volunteer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6160690730101597, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We stayed in the theater. And the movie that was playing was called Lode Macho and we saw it all over Latin America. I think it's still playing in Peñasco and they would bring out, we had army cots. We slept in the lobby. And the food was just wonderful and there were some."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were your hosts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The people who owned the theater and the café associated to it. They really kind of were the people that took care of, that were, I guess, our host, but nobody had really invited us into the village because the village was not that, or this was before the War on Poverty. There really wasn't, you know. But the Colombian I volunteers were there and they took over our training when we went up to northern New Mexico. And they began, there was a Center for Community Development at the University of New Mexico, and they became employees of the center that had a contract to train us. And that's, they came on board and it was like, OK, we're here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you're in Peñasco with the seven others, there's also a Colombia I volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. And they had veto power over whether or not we went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it just one person?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.2297149049508143, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. And they had veto power over whether or not we went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it just one person?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We just had one trainer, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Peñasco?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You remember who it was?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4774610055009045, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We just had one trainer, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Peñasco?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You remember who it was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "His first name was Brad, and I don't remember his last name, and I think he had two or other, you know, a couple of other sites."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you do in that phase?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7527344505565607, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You remember who it was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "His first name was Brad, and I don't remember his last name, and I think he had two or other, you know, a couple of other sites."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you do in that phase?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We visited the clinic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do everything in a group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.058593833951734, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "His first name was Brad, and I don't remember his last name, and I think he had two or other, you know, a couple of other sites."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what did you do in that phase?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We visited the clinic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do everything in a group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Not the men, the women. We went to a clinic and we assisted in the clinic. It was the first time we met with women who only spoke Spanish. You know, we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How'd you do? What was your?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7760417703107825, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Not the men, the women. We went to a clinic and we assisted in the clinic. It was the first time we met with women who only spoke Spanish. You know, we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How'd you do? What was your?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember that I held a little boy, they were doing shots. And we did clerical stuff. We did assist. And I remember asking him, quieres agua, do you want some water? And he said, yes, and I thought, there you go, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Communication."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The other thing I remember is the nuns. They had some apples that they wanted us to sort into big apples and little apples, and they were like four of us. And I remember the smell of the apples and the four of us, all of us college graduates, going bananas. Is this a big apple or a little apple?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The nuns, you said?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.195601967011981, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember that I held a little boy, they were doing shots. And we did clerical stuff. We did assist. And I remember asking him, quieres agua, do you want some water? And he said, yes, and I thought, there you go, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Communication."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The other thing I remember is the nuns. They had some apples that they wanted us to sort into big apples and little apples, and they were like four of us. And I remember the smell of the apples and the four of us, all of us college graduates, going bananas. Is this a big apple or a little apple?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The nuns, you said?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were some missionary sisters in Peñasco who ran, no, they had a school. I guess they ran part of the school. Yeah. And that was what. And I remember thinking, you know, this does not bear well for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they just putting you down?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:219", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.550668852235534, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The other thing I remember is the nuns. They had some apples that they wanted us to sort into big apples and little apples, and they were like four of us. And I remember the smell of the apples and the four of us, all of us college graduates, going bananas. Is this a big apple or a little apple?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The nuns, you said?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were some missionary sisters in Peñasco who ran, no, they had a school. I guess they ran part of the school. Yeah. And that was what. And I remember thinking, you know, this does not bear well for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they just putting you down?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, well, I don't know. The apples needed to be sorted. And we were an extra pair of hands. And the other thing is that this, that was just beautiful. The Colombian volunteer, this one woman that we thought we were helping, she was she was a senior citizen and we thought we were helping her because we were going to convince her to build a latrine or get inside plumbing or something. And she saw herself as an American whose job it was to help these poor fools. You know, that she was helping us, and I remember she had this sense that she was, that we were like the last group through before the snow came. And she was kind of relieved because it had been a rough summer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did she speak both English and Spanish?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:221", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9451876135950377, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were some missionary sisters in Peñasco who ran, no, they had a school. I guess they ran part of the school. Yeah. And that was what. And I remember thinking, you know, this does not bear well for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they just putting you down?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, well, I don't know. The apples needed to be sorted. And we were an extra pair of hands. And the other thing is that this, that was just beautiful. The Colombian volunteer, this one woman that we thought we were helping, she was she was a senior citizen and we thought we were helping her because we were going to convince her to build a latrine or get inside plumbing or something. And she saw herself as an American whose job it was to help these poor fools. You know, that she was helping us, and I remember she had this sense that she was, that we were like the last group through before the snow came. And she was kind of relieved because it had been a rough summer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did she speak both English and Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, she spoke Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And she articulated this to you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:223", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.383541792883375, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was, well, I don't know. The apples needed to be sorted. And we were an extra pair of hands. And the other thing is that this, that was just beautiful. The Colombian volunteer, this one woman that we thought we were helping, she was she was a senior citizen and we thought we were helping her because we were going to convince her to build a latrine or get inside plumbing or something. And she saw herself as an American whose job it was to help these poor fools. You know, that she was helping us, and I remember she had this sense that she was, that we were like the last group through before the snow came. And she was kind of relieved because it had been a rough summer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did she speak both English and Spanish?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, she spoke Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And she articulated this to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and my Spanish, I've always been able to understand much better than I could speak. But the thing is that we would share with each other, the group, we would share this stuff. So I remember us laughing about the apples. And I remember thinking this woman had this idea, you know, of course, and it was good for us to understand that. You know, because at first we thought, well, you know, she doesn't understand, we're here to help her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, the Colombia I volunteer, did he tried to introduce any reality checks? I mean, like this is what you're going to face when you get down there. Did he even know the project that you were going into?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:225", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.870601992092639, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, she spoke Spanish."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And she articulated this to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and my Spanish, I've always been able to understand much better than I could speak. But the thing is that we would share with each other, the group, we would share this stuff. So I remember us laughing about the apples. And I remember thinking this woman had this idea, you know, of course, and it was good for us to understand that. You know, because at first we thought, well, you know, she doesn't understand, we're here to help her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, the Colombia I volunteer, did he tried to introduce any reality checks? I mean, like this is what you're going to face when you get down there. Did he even know the project that you were going into?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did he do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:227", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.411779991214043, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and my Spanish, I've always been able to understand much better than I could speak. But the thing is that we would share with each other, the group, we would share this stuff. So I remember us laughing about the apples. And I remember thinking this woman had this idea, you know, of course, and it was good for us to understand that. You know, because at first we thought, well, you know, she doesn't understand, we're here to help her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, the Colombia I volunteer, did he tried to introduce any reality checks? I mean, like this is what you're going to face when you get down there. Did he even know the project that you were going into?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did he do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was community development, so he knew community development, but he didn't know health education. And they were very much like the top sergeants, like the kind of, you know, hey, I don't know whether you can make it or not. It was that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you couldn't go up and say, what am I going to be doing when I'm in Colombia or what's the expectation or what's the role of the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:229", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.013088879126714, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did he do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was community development, so he knew community development, but he didn't know health education. And they were very much like the top sergeants, like the kind of, you know, hey, I don't know whether you can make it or not. It was that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you couldn't go up and say, what am I going to be doing when I'm in Colombia or what's the expectation or what's the role of the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. They would tell us what they did, but Colombia I guys were kind of like demigods down in Colombia, you know what I mean? So it was more like, can you meet our standard?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the whole, all the training, did anyone from Peace Corps, either Washington or Colombia, speak to the group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.681209865696349, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was community development, so he knew community development, but he didn't know health education. And they were very much like the top sergeants, like the kind of, you know, hey, I don't know whether you can make it or not. It was that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you couldn't go up and say, what am I going to be doing when I'm in Colombia or what's the expectation or what's the role of the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. They would tell us what they did, but Colombia I guys were kind of like demigods down in Colombia, you know what I mean? So it was more like, can you meet our standard?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the whole, all the training, did anyone from Peace Corps, either Washington or Colombia, speak to the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sargent Shriver spoke to the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, do you remember that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.24840724160043, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sargent Shriver spoke to the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, do you remember that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How big?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The whole group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were in Albuquerque?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.164896935111589, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How big?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The whole group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were in Albuquerque?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Like all five hundred of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's your recollection of that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:239", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.84988548345732, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The whole group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were in Albuquerque?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Like all five hundred of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's your recollection of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was kind of, by that time we were really just not, we didn't. He got some tough questions from the audience because we had a lot of questions about the training. Exactly what were we doing? And I remember he said, finally, to somebody, if you don't like this, I'll send you to the Philippines. And in those days, the Philippines was a real tough, tough assignment. You know, Latin America was a good assignment that, you know, and I remember whenever I see Arlene, I always think of that, Shriver saying, I'll send you to the Philippines. We were not, um, there's a lot of frustration about. And you would get this kind of stuff that if you asked a question about what you were going to do, it might indicate that you could not tolerate what they called an unstructured situation. And it was kind of like a Catch 22, which is a book a lot of people were reading during training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. So you didn't, at no point in training did you have a clear sense of what it is you would be doing when you got to Colombia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.610983870508133, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Like all five hundred of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's your recollection of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was kind of, by that time we were really just not, we didn't. He got some tough questions from the audience because we had a lot of questions about the training. Exactly what were we doing? And I remember he said, finally, to somebody, if you don't like this, I'll send you to the Philippines. And in those days, the Philippines was a real tough, tough assignment. You know, Latin America was a good assignment that, you know, and I remember whenever I see Arlene, I always think of that, Shriver saying, I'll send you to the Philippines. We were not, um, there's a lot of frustration about. And you would get this kind of stuff that if you asked a question about what you were going to do, it might indicate that you could not tolerate what they called an unstructured situation. And it was kind of like a Catch 22, which is a book a lot of people were reading during training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. So you didn't, at no point in training did you have a clear sense of what it is you would be doing when you got to Colombia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes and no. We did some community surveys. We were supposed to do that. What do people want?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were up in Peñasco?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.234426522786815, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was kind of, by that time we were really just not, we didn't. He got some tough questions from the audience because we had a lot of questions about the training. Exactly what were we doing? And I remember he said, finally, to somebody, if you don't like this, I'll send you to the Philippines. And in those days, the Philippines was a real tough, tough assignment. You know, Latin America was a good assignment that, you know, and I remember whenever I see Arlene, I always think of that, Shriver saying, I'll send you to the Philippines. We were not, um, there's a lot of frustration about. And you would get this kind of stuff that if you asked a question about what you were going to do, it might indicate that you could not tolerate what they called an unstructured situation. And it was kind of like a Catch 22, which is a book a lot of people were reading during training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh yeah. So you didn't, at no point in training did you have a clear sense of what it is you would be doing when you got to Colombia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes and no. We did some community surveys. We were supposed to do that. What do people want?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were up in Peñasco?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peñasco. Felt needs. I remember we had a discussion about some things that had been done at the clinic and that I felt we should build on what people wanted. But we weren't really there long enough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were there what, six weeks?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:245", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.704918358652017, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes and no. We did some community surveys. We were supposed to do that. What do people want?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you were up in Peñasco?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peñasco. Felt needs. I remember we had a discussion about some things that had been done at the clinic and that I felt we should build on what people wanted. But we weren't really there long enough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were there what, six weeks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. We were up in New Mexico for a month and only out in the villages for like a week, at a time, for two weeks. So it was very, very brief. It was just, it was more like an introduction to a culture rather than training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone within the training group of the women, did they have a background in social work or community development?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.116575954057796, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peñasco. Felt needs. I remember we had a discussion about some things that had been done at the clinic and that I felt we should build on what people wanted. But we weren't really there long enough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were there what, six weeks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. We were up in New Mexico for a month and only out in the villages for like a week, at a time, for two weeks. So it was very, very brief. It was just, it was more like an introduction to a culture rather than training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone within the training group of the women, did they have a background in social work or community development?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We had a couple of people who were, who had a degree in home economics. Most of us, yeah, but most of us were sociology, history, political science. We really and truly were the BA generalist."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone in your group during the training simply say, well, this this is a lot of nonsense. I'm not going to do it. I'm going to resign."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:251", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9710814247627106, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We had a couple of people who were, who had a degree in home economics. Most of us, yeah, but most of us were sociology, history, political science. We really and truly were the BA generalist."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone in your group during the training simply say, well, this this is a lot of nonsense. I'm not going to do it. I'm going to resign."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I tried to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I, and this again, is another Peace Corps story, and I don't remember what, I think it was the atomic stove stuff. And I remember going over to Hokona Hall, which was where the Peace Corps administration was, and I said, I want to resign. And as it turned out, there was nobody there who was authorized to accept my resignation. And so they just kind of blew it off. But yeah, I felt very young."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it must have been personally very stressful, I mean, you and others as well."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:253", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.412312694180789, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I tried to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I, and this again, is another Peace Corps story, and I don't remember what, I think it was the atomic stove stuff. And I remember going over to Hokona Hall, which was where the Peace Corps administration was, and I said, I want to resign. And as it turned out, there was nobody there who was authorized to accept my resignation. And so they just kind of blew it off. But yeah, I felt very young."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it must have been personally very stressful, I mean, you and others as well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But because it was that wanting to be with the group. Wanting to go, wanting very much to be a part of the whole effort and yet feeling very strongly that it didn't, what were we were being trained to do didn't make sense. You know that we didn't have, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me ask you, you mentioned that Shriver had come, but had anyone from staff of Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:255", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.680347437978655, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I, and this again, is another Peace Corps story, and I don't remember what, I think it was the atomic stove stuff. And I remember going over to Hokona Hall, which was where the Peace Corps administration was, and I said, I want to resign. And as it turned out, there was nobody there who was authorized to accept my resignation. And so they just kind of blew it off. But yeah, I felt very young."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it must have been personally very stressful, I mean, you and others as well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But because it was that wanting to be with the group. Wanting to go, wanting very much to be a part of the whole effort and yet feeling very strongly that it didn't, what were we were being trained to do didn't make sense. You know that we didn't have, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me ask you, you mentioned that Shriver had come, but had anyone from staff of Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the head of Colombia came, Chris Sheldon. And in those days, it was sometimes I think of World War II and this kind of, you know, very cavalier. You know, we're all going over the, yeah, kind of thing. And he said he didn't know how many volunteers he had in Colombia, three hundred? And he was just, but that was Chris Sheldon. I mean, he was. And people liked him, you know, but he was not incompetent at all. But he was very casual and he wasn't making promises to anyone. He said, I've got volunteers in jail down there. You know, the Colombian law you, they had been out drinking and they wound up in jail and they were on their own. And that was, you know, and it was kind of like, I don't know what I'm going to put you and your helmet and you're doing. You know, it was just kind of a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been frustrating."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.978163819976283, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But because it was that wanting to be with the group. Wanting to go, wanting very much to be a part of the whole effort and yet feeling very strongly that it didn't, what were we were being trained to do didn't make sense. You know that we didn't have, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let me ask you, you mentioned that Shriver had come, but had anyone from staff of Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the head of Colombia came, Chris Sheldon. And in those days, it was sometimes I think of World War II and this kind of, you know, very cavalier. You know, we're all going over the, yeah, kind of thing. And he said he didn't know how many volunteers he had in Colombia, three hundred? And he was just, but that was Chris Sheldon. I mean, he was. And people liked him, you know, but he was not incompetent at all. But he was very casual and he wasn't making promises to anyone. He said, I've got volunteers in jail down there. You know, the Colombian law you, they had been out drinking and they wound up in jail and they were on their own. And that was, you know, and it was kind of like, I don't know what I'm going to put you and your helmet and you're doing. You know, it was just kind of a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been frustrating."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that wasn't that frustrating because it was kind of like, this is the persona. This is our leader, you know? And people had confidence in him, the Colombia I people had confidence in him, and he had the feeling that he knew what he was doing. He might not share it with us, but you know. And he was funny. And so he was not. That's what I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Let's go to, you're back in Albuquerque. You finish your training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.309070911084759, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the head of Colombia came, Chris Sheldon. And in those days, it was sometimes I think of World War II and this kind of, you know, very cavalier. You know, we're all going over the, yeah, kind of thing. And he said he didn't know how many volunteers he had in Colombia, three hundred? And he was just, but that was Chris Sheldon. I mean, he was. And people liked him, you know, but he was not incompetent at all. But he was very casual and he wasn't making promises to anyone. He said, I've got volunteers in jail down there. You know, the Colombian law you, they had been out drinking and they wound up in jail and they were on their own. And that was, you know, and it was kind of like, I don't know what I'm going to put you and your helmet and you're doing. You know, it was just kind of a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been frustrating."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that wasn't that frustrating because it was kind of like, this is the persona. This is our leader, you know? And people had confidence in him, the Colombia I people had confidence in him, and he had the feeling that he knew what he was doing. He might not share it with us, but you know. And he was funny. And so he was not. That's what I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Let's go to, you're back in Albuquerque. You finish your training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We finished training in Taos."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. Now that was just the health ed group and the Ecuador."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:261", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6767454567608433, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that wasn't that frustrating because it was kind of like, this is the persona. This is our leader, you know? And people had confidence in him, the Colombia I people had confidence in him, and he had the feeling that he knew what he was doing. He might not share it with us, but you know. And he was funny. And so he was not. That's what I remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Let's go to, you're back in Albuquerque. You finish your training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We finished training in Taos."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. Now that was just the health ed group and the Ecuador."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did any of the health ed group marry any of the Ecuador group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.5391919219269665, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did any of the health ed group marry any of the Ecuador group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was not allowed during training. It was not supposed to be in-country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone try to switch projects?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.043546579918852, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was not allowed during training. It was not supposed to be in-country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone try to switch projects?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You couldn't because we were all women and they were all men."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so it happened later."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.60394064435428, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was not allowed during training. It was not supposed to be in-country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone try to switch projects?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You couldn't because we were all women and they were all men."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so it happened later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So final selection, you mentioned that it was not easy. But at some point you, you know, you've been accepted, you are now a Peace Corps volunteer. Do you recall if there was a swearing-in ceremony?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.2266007159492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You couldn't because we were all women and they were all men."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so it happened later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So final selection, you mentioned that it was not easy. But at some point you, you know, you've been accepted, you are now a Peace Corps volunteer. Do you recall if there was a swearing-in ceremony?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. And it was at the barbecue. It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you're getting your little X's and O's."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.2180255752459255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. And it was at the barbecue. It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you're getting your little X's and O's."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And by that time, everybody was in love with somebody else. And I said that we were all computerized matched, you know, because everything. And I, of course, found the only other person by the time we got up to Taos, who was still real dubious about the whole thing. So and then I didn't know what his, whether he had an X or a zero. He didn't know whether I had an X, you know, show me yours. I mean, it's just madness. And I remember standing in this, at the D.H. Lawrence Ranch, which is where the barbecue was, being sworn in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of our trainers, one of the staff, I don't even know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now it's for real, for real. What happened after Taos?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:279", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.096327870673982, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "One of our trainers, one of the staff, I don't even know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now it's for real, for real. What happened after Taos?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went home for 10 days and then we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You, individually."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I lost. We were given $200 clothing allowance, which I lost. Got home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew back from?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.55147541185998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We went home for 10 days and then we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You, individually."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I lost. We were given $200 clothing allowance, which I lost. Got home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew back from?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Denver. Yeah, from Albuquerque to Denver. My parents met me at the plane and my father said, be careful, your mother, she's going to try and persuade you not to go. And I said something about I had taken an oath and my mother said, oh, you took an oath? And so finally, I got my clothing allowance. They had found that they had found it in Albuquerque and put it in inter-campus mail, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you're preparing your shopping for two years?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.0571949020666445, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I lost. We were given $200 clothing allowance, which I lost. Got home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew back from?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Denver. Yeah, from Albuquerque to Denver. My parents met me at the plane and my father said, be careful, your mother, she's going to try and persuade you not to go. And I said something about I had taken an oath and my mother said, oh, you took an oath? And so finally, I got my clothing allowance. They had found that they had found it in Albuquerque and put it in inter-campus mail, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you're preparing your shopping for two years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And at that point, did you have any second thoughts about, you know, do I really want to go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:285", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.619105446740716, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From Denver. Yeah, from Albuquerque to Denver. My parents met me at the plane and my father said, be careful, your mother, she's going to try and persuade you not to go. And I said something about I had taken an oath and my mother said, oh, you took an oath? And so finally, I got my clothing allowance. They had found that they had found it in Albuquerque and put it in inter-campus mail, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you're preparing your shopping for two years?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And at that point, did you have any second thoughts about, you know, do I really want to go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not, because what I had decided. And somewhere along the way, you make the commitment. And I had decided that this was something I wanted to do and that I was totally committed to the idea and that it might not work and that I understood that and that I was willing to accept whatever came."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't have a clear idea of what you would be doing once you got to Colombia."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:287", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.243450496378573, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And at that point, did you have any second thoughts about, you know, do I really want to go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not, because what I had decided. And somewhere along the way, you make the commitment. And I had decided that this was something I wanted to do and that I was totally committed to the idea and that it might not work and that I understood that and that I was willing to accept whatever came."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't have a clear idea of what you would be doing once you got to Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you felt it was still worth trying."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.9371672181984145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely not, because what I had decided. And somewhere along the way, you make the commitment. And I had decided that this was something I wanted to do and that I was totally committed to the idea and that it might not work and that I understood that and that I was willing to accept whatever came."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you didn't have a clear idea of what you would be doing once you got to Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you felt it was still worth trying."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And trying is probably the word. It was worth the effort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any interaction with your peers during home leave?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.707963575776016, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you felt it was still worth trying."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And trying is probably the word. It was worth the effort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any interaction with your peers during home leave?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was just pretty much family."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.564403973084461, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And trying is probably the word. It was worth the effort."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any interaction with your peers during home leave?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was just pretty much family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your mom, because you took the oath, your mom stayed quiet. Do you have any siblings?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.51600441453829, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was just pretty much family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your mom, because you took the oath, your mom stayed quiet. Do you have any siblings?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have three sisters, three younger sisters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did they think of you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:297", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.351116016153656, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your mom, because you took the oath, your mom stayed quiet. Do you have any siblings?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have three sisters, three younger sisters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did they think of you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I really don't remember. Because my dad had been in the Army, the idea of somebody leaving, packing up and going away, was something that was real common. My baby sister was upset because I was 10 years older and I was kind of the person who would be, I was her guardian. And I told her not to worry and then I told her on my Peace Corps insurance she was the beneficiary. And I think my other two sisters were in college and had their own lives, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they weren't preparing you for sainthood before you went."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:299", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.279017795726284, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have three sisters, three younger sisters."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did they think of you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I really don't remember. Because my dad had been in the Army, the idea of somebody leaving, packing up and going away, was something that was real common. My baby sister was upset because I was 10 years older and I was kind of the person who would be, I was her guardian. And I told her not to worry and then I told her on my Peace Corps insurance she was the beneficiary. And I think my other two sisters were in college and had their own lives, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they weren't preparing you for sainthood before you went."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, absolutely not. No, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what next? You flew to New York."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:301", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.310019773029204, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I really don't remember. Because my dad had been in the Army, the idea of somebody leaving, packing up and going away, was something that was real common. My baby sister was upset because I was 10 years older and I was kind of the person who would be, I was her guardian. And I told her not to worry and then I told her on my Peace Corps insurance she was the beneficiary. And I think my other two sisters were in college and had their own lives, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So they weren't preparing you for sainthood before you went."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, absolutely not. No, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what next? You flew to New York."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Flew to New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that, did you have any time in New York?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:303", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.122244192254671, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, absolutely not. No, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what next? You flew to New York."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Flew to New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that, did you have any time in New York?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we got in like, I got in at 5:00 and we flew out the next morning about 10:00 or 11:00."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was that a charter plane?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:305", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.024715769171857, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Flew to New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that, did you have any time in New York?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we got in like, I got in at 5:00 and we flew out the next morning about 10:00 or 11:00."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was that a charter plane?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We were on a plane with other people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, who was it that was on the flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:307", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.027461965746507, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we got in like, I got in at 5:00 and we flew out the next morning about 10:00 or 11:00."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was that a charter plane?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We were on a plane with other people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, who was it that was on the flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were 42 of us. I know 42 went down and like, I think, 38 came back. That's my count."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Forty-two, was that all the health ed?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:309", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.141624406385008, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. We were on a plane with other people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At that point, who was it that was on the flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were 42 of us. I know 42 went down and like, I think, 38 came back. That's my count."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Forty-two, was that all the health ed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so the final selection was 42 women."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:311", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.379582673761119, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were 42 of us. I know 42 went down and like, I think, 38 came back. That's my count."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Forty-two, was that all the health ed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so the final selection was 42 women."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And the Ecuador V boys were not there. They were on their own. Different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Flew to Miami and then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.532869637512354, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so the final selection was 42 women."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And the Ecuador V boys were not there. They were on their own. Different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Flew to Miami and then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then to Bogota. Stopped in Panama. Got into Bogota."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Talk about your impression of arriving."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:315", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.703188486124837, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And the Ecuador V boys were not there. They were on their own. Different."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Flew to Miami and then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then to Bogota. Stopped in Panama. Got into Bogota."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Talk about your impression of arriving."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were all women and there was Colombia III waiting for us. We had many, there were many male volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To greet you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:317", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.892431651249819, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then to Bogota. Stopped in Panama. Got into Bogota."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. Talk about your impression of arriving."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were all women and there was Colombia III waiting for us. We had many, there were many male volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To greet you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To greet us. And then we were in Bogota for three or four days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you stay?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:319", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.99159072361091, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we were all women and there was Colombia III waiting for us. We had many, there were many male volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To greet you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To greet us. And then we were in Bogota for three or four days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you stay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we stayed, I can't think. Hotel San Francisco. And it's real important because what I was going to say is, I was blessed to be with a wonderful group of women who were so funny. And it turned out the Hotel San Francisco was number one, owned by communists, and number two, was known as a premier place for call, the Colombian equivalent of call girls. So that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You only learned this later?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:321", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.2128785817899, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To greet us. And then we were in Bogota for three or four days."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you stay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we stayed, I can't think. Hotel San Francisco. And it's real important because what I was going to say is, I was blessed to be with a wonderful group of women who were so funny. And it turned out the Hotel San Francisco was number one, owned by communists, and number two, was known as a premier place for call, the Colombian equivalent of call girls. So that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You only learned this later?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Later, yes, after we always made it a point to stay at the hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your initial response reaction to being in Colombia? I assume you tried to start speaking Spanish."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:323", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.569865090877666, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we stayed, I can't think. Hotel San Francisco. And it's real important because what I was going to say is, I was blessed to be with a wonderful group of women who were so funny. And it turned out the Hotel San Francisco was number one, owned by communists, and number two, was known as a premier place for call, the Colombian equivalent of call girls. So that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You only learned this later?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Later, yes, after we always made it a point to stay at the hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your initial response reaction to being in Colombia? I assume you tried to start speaking Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were still then, we were still very much with the group getting our assignments, getting a whole lot of. The main concern we had was who are we going to be with?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so essentially you weren't ready to reach out."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.077627878752962, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Later, yes, after we always made it a point to stay at the hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your initial response reaction to being in Colombia? I assume you tried to start speaking Spanish."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were still then, we were still very much with the group getting our assignments, getting a whole lot of. The main concern we had was who are we going to be with?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so essentially you weren't ready to reach out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was very little contact, if at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You got your assignment."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:327", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 16.75291986528107, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were still then, we were still very much with the group getting our assignments, getting a whole lot of. The main concern we had was who are we going to be with?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, so essentially you weren't ready to reach out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was very little contact, if at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You got your assignment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with someone?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:329", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.947688739201187, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was very little contact, if at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You got your assignment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with someone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. What happened, and this is one of those things that I didn't understand at the time. My maiden name is Powhida and I'm not Native American, I'm Slovak. But I was assigned to one of the women in the group who was Native American, who was from the Taos Pueblo as a matter of fact. A brilliant, funny woman, and we were good friends and I just assumed we were assigned luck of the draw. There was another woman whose last name was Jackson, and she was assigned to the African American woman in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was only one African American woman?\n\nYes. Mm hmm. And the woman who was Jackson was very, very funny, but really high maintenance. She didn't want to really be in Peace Corps. She was very, she was high maintenance. And so that was the setup. And then they said if there were any complaints, they would change our assignments. Next day, there was a reassignment and I got Jackson and my friend, the Native American, got the African American woman. And those two women had nothing in common, and they were both very, very uncomfortable with that assignment.\n\nAnd there wasn't a re-reassignment."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:331", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.05298748800132, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And with someone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. What happened, and this is one of those things that I didn't understand at the time. My maiden name is Powhida and I'm not Native American, I'm Slovak. But I was assigned to one of the women in the group who was Native American, who was from the Taos Pueblo as a matter of fact. A brilliant, funny woman, and we were good friends and I just assumed we were assigned luck of the draw. There was another woman whose last name was Jackson, and she was assigned to the African American woman in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was only one African American woman?\n\nYes. Mm hmm. And the woman who was Jackson was very, very funny, but really high maintenance. She didn't want to really be in Peace Corps. She was very, she was high maintenance. And so that was the setup. And then they said if there were any complaints, they would change our assignments. Next day, there was a reassignment and I got Jackson and my friend, the Native American, got the African American woman. And those two women had nothing in common, and they were both very, very uncomfortable with that assignment.\n\nAnd there wasn't a re-reassignment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. And years later, my friend, the Native American. I said, I remember saying to her, Anne, do you think they assigned us together initially because?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They thought you were Native American."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:333", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.281097208890355, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. What happened, and this is one of those things that I didn't understand at the time. My maiden name is Powhida and I'm not Native American, I'm Slovak. But I was assigned to one of the women in the group who was Native American, who was from the Taos Pueblo as a matter of fact. A brilliant, funny woman, and we were good friends and I just assumed we were assigned luck of the draw. There was another woman whose last name was Jackson, and she was assigned to the African American woman in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was only one African American woman?\n\nYes. Mm hmm. And the woman who was Jackson was very, very funny, but really high maintenance. She didn't want to really be in Peace Corps. She was very, she was high maintenance. And so that was the setup. And then they said if there were any complaints, they would change our assignments. Next day, there was a reassignment and I got Jackson and my friend, the Native American, got the African American woman. And those two women had nothing in common, and they were both very, very uncomfortable with that assignment.\n\nAnd there wasn't a re-reassignment."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. And years later, my friend, the Native American. I said, I remember saying to her, Anne, do you think they assigned us together initially because?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They thought you were Native American."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And she said, you don't get it, do you? You don't understand. Of course they did. You know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Now during your stay at the Hotel San Francisco, there was Peace Corps Colombia staff? What was your reaction to them and what was their role?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:335", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.423441343211506, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. And years later, my friend, the Native American. I said, I remember saying to her, Anne, do you think they assigned us together initially because?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They thought you were Native American."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And she said, you don't get it, do you? You don't understand. Of course they did. You know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Now during your stay at the Hotel San Francisco, there was Peace Corps Colombia staff? What was your reaction to them and what was their role?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, it was Sheldon and I think he was. And then there was like a secretary. And then I think the ambassador talked to us and the medical doctor. And the medical doctor, Dr. King, he was kind of like real important, you know, and they just talked to us very briefly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a regional setup where there'd be regional directors or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:337", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.470490381346117, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And she said, you don't get it, do you? You don't understand. Of course they did. You know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Now during your stay at the Hotel San Francisco, there was Peace Corps Colombia staff? What was your reaction to them and what was their role?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, it was Sheldon and I think he was. And then there was like a secretary. And then I think the ambassador talked to us and the medical doctor. And the medical doctor, Dr. King, he was kind of like real important, you know, and they just talked to us very briefly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a regional setup where there'd be regional directors or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were just getting, we, my project director, a woman social worker, came down like three or four months after we did. And they went to a regional system about two months after we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But she was supposed to be in charge of all health ed though?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:339", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.633878201495685, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Again, it was Sheldon and I think he was. And then there was like a secretary. And then I think the ambassador talked to us and the medical doctor. And the medical doctor, Dr. King, he was kind of like real important, you know, and they just talked to us very briefly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a regional setup where there'd be regional directors or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were just getting, we, my project director, a woman social worker, came down like three or four months after we did. And they went to a regional system about two months after we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But she was supposed to be in charge of all health ed though?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. She wasn't there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any idea when you arrived, approximately how many volunteers were in-country?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:341", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.926531334995206, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were just getting, we, my project director, a woman social worker, came down like three or four months after we did. And they went to a regional system about two months after we were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But she was supposed to be in charge of all health ed though?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. She wasn't there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any idea when you arrived, approximately how many volunteers were in-country?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Between three and five hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow, OK. So it was a big."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:343", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.362812594439117, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. She wasn't there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any idea when you arrived, approximately how many volunteers were in-country?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Between three and five hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow, OK. So it was a big."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the Peace Corps leaders were the infrastructure. That was our, that was our contact, the Peace Corps leader."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Volunteers who were designated as leaders?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:345", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.847569549376797, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Between three and five hundred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow, OK. So it was a big."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the Peace Corps leaders were the infrastructure. That was our, that was our contact, the Peace Corps leader."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Volunteers who were designated as leaders?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Third year volunteers. They were supposed to have completed successfully. And they were third year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But no one had been a woman's health ed volunteer."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:347", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.49729949930755, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the Peace Corps leaders were the infrastructure. That was our, that was our contact, the Peace Corps leader."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Volunteers who were designated as leaders?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Third year volunteers. They were supposed to have completed successfully. And they were third year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But no one had been a woman's health ed volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So who was your leader?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:349", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.33033277700839, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Third year volunteers. They were supposed to have completed successfully. And they were third year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But no one had been a woman's health ed volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So who was your leader?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the project? We didn't have a leader when we first got down there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're finally, you and Jackson, are given your walking papers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:351", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 20.36703641889821, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So who was your leader?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the project? We didn't have a leader when we first got down there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're finally, you and Jackson, are given your walking papers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Exactly what was it, I mean?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.40781824322023, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the project? We didn't have a leader when we first got down there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're finally, you and Jackson, are given your walking papers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Exactly what was it, I mean?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were assigned. We got a site description and it was a, we had a wonderful assignment. We were on the Pan-Am Highway. We were in southern Colombia and we were at about 7,500 feet. So the weather was beautiful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who had prepared the site descriptions?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.67535360357803, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Exactly what was it, I mean?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were assigned. We got a site description and it was a, we had a wonderful assignment. We were on the Pan-Am Highway. We were in southern Colombia and we were at about 7,500 feet. So the weather was beautiful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who had prepared the site descriptions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the other thing. There were male volunteers in the area and they knew that we were the first women volunteers to go into the campo. And so evidently male volunteers had all done site reports trying to get the female volunteers in and afterwards the guys in our area would say, you know, with chagrin, and we won, you know, because yeah, we had some trouble initially."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there's some creative descriptions."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:357", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 25.194837337308922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were assigned. We got a site description and it was a, we had a wonderful assignment. We were on the Pan-Am Highway. We were in southern Colombia and we were at about 7,500 feet. So the weather was beautiful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who had prepared the site descriptions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the other thing. There were male volunteers in the area and they knew that we were the first women volunteers to go into the campo. And so evidently male volunteers had all done site reports trying to get the female volunteers in and afterwards the guys in our area would say, you know, with chagrin, and we won, you know, because yeah, we had some trouble initially."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there's some creative descriptions."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, exactly. And we were anticipated. Yeah, that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's Jackson's first name?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:359", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 26.88315259700991, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's the other thing. There were male volunteers in the area and they knew that we were the first women volunteers to go into the campo. And so evidently male volunteers had all done site reports trying to get the female volunteers in and afterwards the guys in our area would say, you know, with chagrin, and we won, you know, because yeah, we had some trouble initially."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there's some creative descriptions."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, exactly. And we were anticipated. Yeah, that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's Jackson's first name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Claudine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you and Claudine now, how did you get from Bogota to? Tell me again where you were assigned?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:361", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 14, "return_to_go": 22.092391774455457, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, exactly. And we were anticipated. Yeah, that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's Jackson's first name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Claudine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you and Claudine now, how did you get from Bogota to? Tell me again where you were assigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were assigned Piendamó, Cauca, Colombia, which was on the Pan-Am and it was south of Cali. We flew to Cali and our Peace Corps leader was supposed to meet us. Jim, and I think it was Jim Corbett, Jim. And he was, nobody was here. And that's when we asked. It was a Saturday. It was a Saturday. And we didn't know what to do, you know, and Claudine had already decided she was ready to go. Well, just a running commentary on how much she did not like this. But it was more, it was very funny. It was kind of like if you were in a World War II movie where the guy with the cigarette in his mouth was saying, you know, this sucks. That was Claudine. And she was funny. She was really, really funny."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where's she from?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:369", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.753835961675746, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, but it was just a cement block. You know, running water."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Jim has disappeared."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, down the Pan-Am with his girlfriend. But now there were the male volunteers that lived out of the little village outside of Piendamó were there. And so we were not. And they introduced us to the priest and to the doctor, and the doctor said we were to be assigned. He was to be our Colombian supervisor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did he know that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was because the program was coordinated with Salud Publica in Colombia. And so he had had to acquiesce to the volunteers coming. He knew we were coming. And so we were assigned to him. He was our Colombian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So some legwork had been done."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:371", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.72648440186194, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, down the Pan-Am with his girlfriend. But now there were the male volunteers that lived out of the little village outside of Piendamó were there. And so we were not. And they introduced us to the priest and to the doctor, and the doctor said we were to be assigned. He was to be our Colombian supervisor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did he know that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was because the program was coordinated with Salud Publica in Colombia. And so he had had to acquiesce to the volunteers coming. He knew we were coming. And so we were assigned to him. He was our Colombian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So some legwork had been done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. Yeah. No, I'm sorry if it sounds. I should have been more. Yeah. And so the doctor told us he didn't want to see us for a month. He wanted us to get organized and get a place to live and get accustomed. And then he would."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the deal with money? Did they just give you packs of money or did you have?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:373", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.807204890957712, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was because the program was coordinated with Salud Publica in Colombia. And so he had had to acquiesce to the volunteers coming. He knew we were coming. And so we were assigned to him. He was our Colombian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So some legwork had been done."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. Yeah. No, I'm sorry if it sounds. I should have been more. Yeah. And so the doctor told us he didn't want to see us for a month. He wanted us to get organized and get a place to live and get accustomed. And then he would."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the deal with money? Did they just give you packs of money or did you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were going to be paid once a month and the male volunteers took us into. They were they were really the ones who kind of got us situated and I still am in communication with one of them. They were just great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you really had."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:375", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.896894323286347, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. Yeah. No, I'm sorry if it sounds. I should have been more. Yeah. And so the doctor told us he didn't want to see us for a month. He wanted us to get organized and get a place to live and get accustomed. And then he would."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the deal with money? Did they just give you packs of money or did you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were going to be paid once a month and the male volunteers took us into. They were they were really the ones who kind of got us situated and I still am in communication with one of them. They were just great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you really had."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we were not. But again, all of this is Peace Corps. It's not, you know, it's not, we're not really doing very much interaction at all with Colombians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they help you and Claudine find a place to stay?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:377", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.99654924809594, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were going to be paid once a month and the male volunteers took us into. They were they were really the ones who kind of got us situated and I still am in communication with one of them. They were just great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you really had."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we were not. But again, all of this is Peace Corps. It's not, you know, it's not, we're not really doing very much interaction at all with Colombians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they help you and Claudine find a place to stay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did. But we stayed at the hotel because the place where we were going to move in wasn't quite ready. And one of the things that they did then, the two male volunteers, is that they put barricades on the windows and the doors so that you could close the doors at night and then put a bar down so that you would really be safe. And the issue was not our safety as much as belongings, that there had been things stolen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were the two? What had the two volunteers been doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:379", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.107276942328822, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we were not. But again, all of this is Peace Corps. It's not, you know, it's not, we're not really doing very much interaction at all with Colombians."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they help you and Claudine find a place to stay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did. But we stayed at the hotel because the place where we were going to move in wasn't quite ready. And one of the things that they did then, the two male volunteers, is that they put barricades on the windows and the doors so that you could close the doors at night and then put a bar down so that you would really be safe. And the issue was not our safety as much as belongings, that there had been things stolen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were the two? What had the two volunteers been doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were both. One was community development, and he had been there about a year. The other was in a group called Colombia XIII, and he was just a month ahead of us. And originally, the plan was that at the time, our site description was there were going to be two women volunteers and a male volunteer assigned to clinics. And the male volunteer was like going to build the clinic or help build the clinic. And it's just crazy stuff. And Colombia XIII had both men and women in it, and we were supposed to be the third counterpart to that, and that didn't last very long, that particular setup. But we were assigned to the clinic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were at the hotel staying. Do you recall your initial impression of, you know, now you're really in the Peace Corps? You're there, this is where you're going to be. What were you doing about food, about laundry?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:387", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.51589230655208, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was Piendamó. This is when we go back to our site. And so many people and the poverty, even though at that time we weren't really talking to people, it was just physically it was just overwhelming. And yet at the same time, it was kind of like, well, we'll just, how are we going to, what are we going to do to get this cleaned up and straightened, you know, that kind of thing?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Initially not very much. It was. And we didn't know how to relate to people. We had met the doctor and as I say, he said come back in a month. And it was the town was 3,000 people, which was, and we, of course, were very visible. Everybody was watching us all the time. We drank Pepsis. The kids would come up and we would send them out to buy us pineapple. And we were paying three dollars for pineapple, you know, and we each had. We each smoked Pall Malls and we each brought down a carton or two, whatever you were allowed to. And we were counting Pall Malls and we didn't know what to do. We didn't know what to do. We didn't know where to begin. And we didn't know. And we had kind of developed this. We were making fun of Peace Corps. I mean, we were, you know, covered, you know, we just didn't know where to begin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "On any given day during this time, what would you do? Where would you have breakfast?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would have breakfast at the hotel, but outside there was, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you decide that today we're going to try to do this?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:391", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.513447292039604, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would have breakfast at the hotel, but outside there was, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you decide that today we're going to try to do this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would, yes. And we wouldn't get anyplace."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was, because we didn't. We were supposed to get settled and so we were waiting for. We had excuses not to do stuff and we kept wanting to go into town, into the capital city, which we did. We set up bank accounts so that we would get our money."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get to the capital city?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:393", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.348274768932892, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would, yes. And we wouldn't get anyplace."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was, because we didn't. We were supposed to get settled and so we were waiting for. We had excuses not to do stuff and we kept wanting to go into town, into the capital city, which we did. We set up bank accounts so that we would get our money."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get to the capital city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "By bus. Well, now this is, that's real good. There was what they called, um, and I can't roll my, I can't trill my Rs, I never could. But an autoferrial, which was kind of like a light rail that would go from Piendamó down to the capital, and it was about an hour's drive. But there were also busses that came through like every 10 or 20 minutes. And we initially would ride the train because we just, the idea of getting on those busses with the chickens and, you know. And we were spending money, we had a housing furnishing allowance and we were spending, we weren't, because things are so much cheaper. We didn't realize we weren't. We were just, we were not doing well, OK, we were just not spending money appropriately. We were eating, you know, we were staying at the Monasterio and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's when you go into the capital?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:395", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.16474974325877, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was, because we didn't. We were supposed to get settled and so we were waiting for. We had excuses not to do stuff and we kept wanting to go into town, into the capital city, which we did. We set up bank accounts so that we would get our money."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get to the capital city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "By bus. Well, now this is, that's real good. There was what they called, um, and I can't roll my, I can't trill my Rs, I never could. But an autoferrial, which was kind of like a light rail that would go from Piendamó down to the capital, and it was about an hour's drive. But there were also busses that came through like every 10 or 20 minutes. And we initially would ride the train because we just, the idea of getting on those busses with the chickens and, you know. And we were spending money, we had a housing furnishing allowance and we were spending, we weren't, because things are so much cheaper. We didn't realize we weren't. We were just, we were not doing well, OK, we were just not spending money appropriately. We were eating, you know, we were staying at the Monasterio and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's when you go into the capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And so it was only an hour to get to the capital. So we were in the capital too much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, OK. This is all during the first?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:397", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.9608330480653, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "By bus. Well, now this is, that's real good. There was what they called, um, and I can't roll my, I can't trill my Rs, I never could. But an autoferrial, which was kind of like a light rail that would go from Piendamó down to the capital, and it was about an hour's drive. But there were also busses that came through like every 10 or 20 minutes. And we initially would ride the train because we just, the idea of getting on those busses with the chickens and, you know. And we were spending money, we had a housing furnishing allowance and we were spending, we weren't, because things are so much cheaper. We didn't realize we weren't. We were just, we were not doing well, OK, we were just not spending money appropriately. We were eating, you know, we were staying at the Monasterio and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's when you go into the capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And so it was only an hour to get to the capital. So we were in the capital too much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, OK. This is all during the first?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two or three weeks, OK? And then when we started riding the bus. That's when we realize we're spending too much money and we had to get. We did get the house that we were going to move into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get it or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:401", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.828188948228764, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two or three weeks, OK? And then when we started riding the bus. That's when we realize we're spending too much money and we had to get. We did get the house that we were going to move into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get it or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The volunteers helped us. The male volunteers helped us do everything. And the four of us talked all the time, you know, we were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In English?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And we had beds made because we didn't, you know, didn't have furniture. Well, we had army cots initially. And we didn't have beds made. We had something made. And the thing I remember is that the cabinet maker in the town was, he basically made coffins and there would be coffins in front of the shop. And he was the one that. And I forget what it was he made for us, if we had the army cots and either it was a table or something. The coffee maker, the coffin maker. But we were just, we were. And it was like we were invisible. We thought that people couldn't see us because we weren't that. Yeah. And I felt real guilty. And I think Claudine did too. But we laughed. Everything was a joke, and then it became black humor, you know, and but we were not. I mean, like, we weren't doing anything inappropriate, but we were just not getting things done. And then I was going to say, then the assassination."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. During this time, did you think to yourself, I mean, this is nonsense, I might as well go home?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:403", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.920209942476404, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The volunteers helped us. The male volunteers helped us do everything. And the four of us talked all the time, you know, we were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In English?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And we had beds made because we didn't, you know, didn't have furniture. Well, we had army cots initially. And we didn't have beds made. We had something made. And the thing I remember is that the cabinet maker in the town was, he basically made coffins and there would be coffins in front of the shop. And he was the one that. And I forget what it was he made for us, if we had the army cots and either it was a table or something. The coffee maker, the coffin maker. But we were just, we were. And it was like we were invisible. We thought that people couldn't see us because we weren't that. Yeah. And I felt real guilty. And I think Claudine did too. But we laughed. Everything was a joke, and then it became black humor, you know, and but we were not. I mean, like, we weren't doing anything inappropriate, but we were just not getting things done. And then I was going to say, then the assassination."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. During this time, did you think to yourself, I mean, this is nonsense, I might as well go home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, how about Claudine?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:405", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.022455491640448, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And we had beds made because we didn't, you know, didn't have furniture. Well, we had army cots initially. And we didn't have beds made. We had something made. And the thing I remember is that the cabinet maker in the town was, he basically made coffins and there would be coffins in front of the shop. And he was the one that. And I forget what it was he made for us, if we had the army cots and either it was a table or something. The coffee maker, the coffin maker. But we were just, we were. And it was like we were invisible. We thought that people couldn't see us because we weren't that. Yeah. And I felt real guilty. And I think Claudine did too. But we laughed. Everything was a joke, and then it became black humor, you know, and but we were not. I mean, like, we weren't doing anything inappropriate, but we were just not getting things done. And then I was going to say, then the assassination."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. During this time, did you think to yourself, I mean, this is nonsense, I might as well go home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, how about Claudine?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wanted to go home every day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was her stance?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:407", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.247172768489387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, how about Claudine?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wanted to go home every day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was her stance?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was. Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you writing home at this time? Could you call home?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:409", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 13.607969742765984, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wanted to go home every day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was her stance?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was. Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you writing home at this time? Could you call home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, no, no. I don't remember if I was, we were. We were trying to write to other volunteers, you know, in Colombia, in our group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a posting list where you knew?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:411", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.897744158628871, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that was. Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you writing home at this time? Could you call home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, no, no. I don't remember if I was, we were. We were trying to write to other volunteers, you know, in Colombia, in our group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a posting list where you knew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that in those days it was real simple just to say Cuerpo de Paz and the name of the site in Colombia. And that, you know, but mail from the States was not reliable. Mail in country was not reliable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So initially, you're really sort of very much at loose ends."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:413", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.330826842920969, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, no, no. I don't remember if I was, we were. We were trying to write to other volunteers, you know, in Colombia, in our group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a posting list where you knew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that in those days it was real simple just to say Cuerpo de Paz and the name of the site in Colombia. And that, you know, but mail from the States was not reliable. Mail in country was not reliable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So initially, you're really sort of very much at loose ends."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that's kind."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, at the same time, Kennedy was assassinated."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:415", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.923140936578854, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that in those days it was real simple just to say Cuerpo de Paz and the name of the site in Colombia. And that, you know, but mail from the States was not reliable. Mail in country was not reliable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So initially, you're really sort of very much at loose ends."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that's kind."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, at the same time, Kennedy was assassinated."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you first hear?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:417", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 16.581267707309838, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that's kind."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, at the same time, Kennedy was assassinated."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you first hear?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were sitting, Friday afternoon, we were sitting on the patio in front of the hotel smoking cigarettes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In this village?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:421", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.2484786509998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were sitting, Friday afternoon, we were sitting on the patio in front of the hotel smoking cigarettes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In this village?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the village, and it was Claudine's birthday. Or it was going to be her birthday and we were going into the capital that weekend to celebrate her birthday. And the kids in town all had transistor radios, and the kids were called Coca-Colas because they were just beginning to develop a teenage kind of thing. And so the Coca-Colas. And they came and they said to us, Castro killed Kennedy, Castro se mató a Kennedy. Exactly. And we couldn't figure out what they were saying. And my father had given me a shortwave radio to take with me, and I had it and I went in and got it and we turned on the radio and were able pretty quickly to get radio. We got, there's a big Christian station in Quito, and it announced that Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. And then it said an update in a half hour. And then we got something called New York Worldwide. And they had the mikes open and so we could hear them talking, and we heard that he had been. We were listening to that before he'd been declared dead. So it was real quick."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then before it faded out, the last thing we heard was that he had been declared dead. And that Johnson had been seen going into the hospital with his hand over his heart and we thought he'd had a heart attack. And our reaction, and again, was this black humor stuff that we spent a lot of time trying to say Castro didn't kill him, they didn't know who, you know. And my friend, and she's a wonderful woman, and she said, you know, now they're going to close the bars, just our luck. Then she said, well, there goes our career, because our whole, you know, part of our justification had been, well, we'll just link on to this charismatic family. And she said, there goes the career."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're both 22?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:427", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.239339713305625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty two. Yeah, she was going to be 22. We didn't cry. And we did not express any fear about what was happening. And what we found out later was that the people in our village were very suspicious of us, they found our reaction was not OK. I was told a year later that there were people in the village who wanted to kill us because this is what the thinking was. First of all, we had not really, we had connected with the mayor, with the doctor and the priest, and we had kind of had their protection, if you will."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But we had really not connected with anybody else in that village. And people in Colombia, the Bogotasso, there had been an assassination in '48 in Colombia that had thrown the country into the first episode of incredible internal violence. And we were not concerned for our families. They thought that was very suspicious. We didn't cry, and there were those who assumed that Castro was taking over the United States and that we were part of some kind of advanced guard that had been. And it sounds funny now and at that, I remember. And then there was a blackout in Piendamó, which happened a lot. And because it was Claudine's birthday, again, the male volunteers are coming down to celebrate. And they came into town on motorcycles and, yeah, and we went with them into the capital city and the priest told everybody that we needed to be with our compatriots and that's why we were going. And evidently we did not. I mean, people were very. Other women in our group were immediately embraced by their communities where, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had made virtually no contact at that point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so now I'm curious is, going ahead, you know, what happened, I mean, how did you phase into?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:429", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.710377459228472, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But we had really not connected with anybody else in that village. And people in Colombia, the Bogotasso, there had been an assassination in '48 in Colombia that had thrown the country into the first episode of incredible internal violence. And we were not concerned for our families. They thought that was very suspicious. We didn't cry, and there were those who assumed that Castro was taking over the United States and that we were part of some kind of advanced guard that had been. And it sounds funny now and at that, I remember. And then there was a blackout in Piendamó, which happened a lot. And because it was Claudine's birthday, again, the male volunteers are coming down to celebrate. And they came into town on motorcycles and, yeah, and we went with them into the capital city and the priest told everybody that we needed to be with our compatriots and that's why we were going. And evidently we did not. I mean, people were very. Other women in our group were immediately embraced by their communities where, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had made virtually no contact at that point."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so now I'm curious is, going ahead, you know, what happened, I mean, how did you phase into?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, because we kept. What happened was that our perception of what was going on in the United States and what we said to people was not to be afraid, the country is not going to riot, you know, that kind of stuff was then was then confirmed, by the way the people in the United States conducted themselves and the fact that that Jacqueline Kennedy had her children in public. You know, just reaffirmed that our reaction was normal and the country, our America, did not go into chaos. So that helped. And then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, I was thinking more about being a Peace Corps volunteer."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:431", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.122641621364969, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly, exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so now I'm curious is, going ahead, you know, what happened, I mean, how did you phase into?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, because we kept. What happened was that our perception of what was going on in the United States and what we said to people was not to be afraid, the country is not going to riot, you know, that kind of stuff was then was then confirmed, by the way the people in the United States conducted themselves and the fact that that Jacqueline Kennedy had her children in public. You know, just reaffirmed that our reaction was normal and the country, our America, did not go into chaos. So that helped. And then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, I was thinking more about being a Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because then we after like about a week or 10 days, then because we were volunteers, because we began to represent Kennedy, then people reached out to us. And I think that that helped us become into the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the months must have been over and you went back to the doctor?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:433", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.580712912627743, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, because we kept. What happened was that our perception of what was going on in the United States and what we said to people was not to be afraid, the country is not going to riot, you know, that kind of stuff was then was then confirmed, by the way the people in the United States conducted themselves and the fact that that Jacqueline Kennedy had her children in public. You know, just reaffirmed that our reaction was normal and the country, our America, did not go into chaos. So that helped. And then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know, I was thinking more about being a Peace Corps volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because then we after like about a week or 10 days, then because we were volunteers, because we began to represent Kennedy, then people reached out to us. And I think that that helped us become into the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the months must have been over and you went back to the doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What happened at that time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:435", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.089681014030826, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because then we after like about a week or 10 days, then because we were volunteers, because we began to represent Kennedy, then people reached out to us. And I think that that helped us become into the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the months must have been over and you went back to the doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What happened at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He wanted us to do it. First of all, he had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You really hadn't accomplished anything as far as learning about the community."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:437", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.655201126700917, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What happened at that time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He wanted us to do it. First of all, he had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You really hadn't accomplished anything as far as learning about the community."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you go back anyway."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:439", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.172445696334353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He wanted us to do it. First of all, he had."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You really hadn't accomplished anything as far as learning about the community."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you go back anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And it's like, you know, it was like half a block away. We were not, you know, we were not. And I think that he was disappointed that he was a young doctor and he was committed to the village. I think he was disappointed that we were not more confident that, you know, but he had CARE food and he wanted us to come up with a way of distributing the food in the village. And we did not do that. And I can't remember where our contact was, but it was like Peace Corps volunteers don't distribute food, you don't decide who gets the food. So we couldn't do that. But what he did want us to do and what we did do and which was consistent with community development theory and certainly health education, is that we did a survey of the community and we visited homes and we gathered data on who was living there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's you and Claudine?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:441", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.747161884815947, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you go back anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And it's like, you know, it was like half a block away. We were not, you know, we were not. And I think that he was disappointed that he was a young doctor and he was committed to the village. I think he was disappointed that we were not more confident that, you know, but he had CARE food and he wanted us to come up with a way of distributing the food in the village. And we did not do that. And I can't remember where our contact was, but it was like Peace Corps volunteers don't distribute food, you don't decide who gets the food. So we couldn't do that. But what he did want us to do and what we did do and which was consistent with community development theory and certainly health education, is that we did a survey of the community and we visited homes and we gathered data on who was living there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's you and Claudine?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Claudine and I, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With no official sanction to do so?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:443", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.385735427573274, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And it's like, you know, it was like half a block away. We were not, you know, we were not. And I think that he was disappointed that he was a young doctor and he was committed to the village. I think he was disappointed that we were not more confident that, you know, but he had CARE food and he wanted us to come up with a way of distributing the food in the village. And we did not do that. And I can't remember where our contact was, but it was like Peace Corps volunteers don't distribute food, you don't decide who gets the food. So we couldn't do that. But what he did want us to do and what we did do and which was consistent with community development theory and certainly health education, is that we did a survey of the community and we visited homes and we gathered data on who was living there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's you and Claudine?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Claudine and I, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With no official sanction to do so?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Other than the doctor, no. The doctor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How can you walk into a house and say, we want to know how many people?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:449", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.52501430394139, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no. Well, we knocked on the door and we introduced ourselves."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As Peace Corps volunteers. Yes, Cuerpo de Paz. And yeah, we were known, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Doing what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were doing a survey of what the people needed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you would say this to the family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:451", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 8.361127004379322, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As Peace Corps volunteers. Yes, Cuerpo de Paz. And yeah, we were known, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Doing what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were doing a survey of what the people needed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you would say this to the family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they didn't throw you out?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:453", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.845696671532579, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were doing a survey of what the people needed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you would say this to the family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they didn't throw you out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. And but by that time, everybody had a picture of, you know, torn from Life magazine or something of John Kennedy and Pope John the 23rd. And it was Los Dos Juans. And we were welcomed then or supported in that community because we were Peace Corps volunteers and because we were associated with Kennedy. That was absolutely, I mean, that's why I say that that made. They changed their attitude towards us based on their feeling about Kennedy. And we were the beneficiaries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the doctor try to have a counterpart to work with you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:455", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.384107412813977, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And they didn't throw you out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. And but by that time, everybody had a picture of, you know, torn from Life magazine or something of John Kennedy and Pope John the 23rd. And it was Los Dos Juans. And we were welcomed then or supported in that community because we were Peace Corps volunteers and because we were associated with Kennedy. That was absolutely, I mean, that's why I say that that made. They changed their attitude towards us based on their feeling about Kennedy. And we were the beneficiaries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the doctor try to have a counterpart to work with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a practical nurse at the at the clinic and we would help her, you know, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To go out and do the survey?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:457", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.982341569793308, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. And but by that time, everybody had a picture of, you know, torn from Life magazine or something of John Kennedy and Pope John the 23rd. And it was Los Dos Juans. And we were welcomed then or supported in that community because we were Peace Corps volunteers and because we were associated with Kennedy. That was absolutely, I mean, that's why I say that that made. They changed their attitude towards us based on their feeling about Kennedy. And we were the beneficiaries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the doctor try to have a counterpart to work with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a practical nurse at the at the clinic and we would help her, you know, but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To go out and do the survey?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did not, no, we did the surveys on our own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you collect the data?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:461", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 7.385606876288034, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did not, no, we did the surveys on our own."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how did you collect the data?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had, the priest in town had a ditto machine and mimeograph. It wasn't ditto, it was mimeograph. And he mimeographed out these surveys and we went and collected information and we asked everybody over and over. And what I remember is that women, when we would say how many children do you have, they would always tell us how many children they had living and how many children they had dead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then when we say, what do you want? They wanted to keep their children alive and the main, what they needed most of all were medicines. They needed drugs that they just did not have. So we did identify a felt need in the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did the survey go on?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:463", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6506743069867045, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had, the priest in town had a ditto machine and mimeograph. It wasn't ditto, it was mimeograph. And he mimeographed out these surveys and we went and collected information and we asked everybody over and over. And what I remember is that women, when we would say how many children do you have, they would always tell us how many children they had living and how many children they had dead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then when we say, what do you want? They wanted to keep their children alive and the main, what they needed most of all were medicines. They needed drugs that they just did not have. So we did identify a felt need in the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did the survey go on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably in probably mid January. So we had come in in October, November, this was the end of November. We started sometime in December. And then so we were on track. I mean, that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're doing all this under the direction of the doctor?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:465", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9451936744296714, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then when we say, what do you want? They wanted to keep their children alive and the main, what they needed most of all were medicines. They needed drugs that they just did not have. So we did identify a felt need in the community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did the survey go on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably in probably mid January. So we had come in in October, November, this was the end of November. We started sometime in December. And then so we were on track. I mean, that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're doing all this under the direction of the doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who works at a government clinic."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:467", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.272437416032968, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably in probably mid January. So we had come in in October, November, this was the end of November. We started sometime in December. And then so we were on track. I mean, that was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're doing all this under the direction of the doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who works at a government clinic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. That had nothing. Nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he hope that you might be the hope for him to go and get someone to provide medicine and stuff?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:469", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6360415733699645, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who works at a government clinic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. That had nothing. Nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he hope that you might be the hope for him to go and get someone to provide medicine and stuff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we because that then became our first goal, how do we get drugs? And we came up with the idea of having a drug co-op."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. In doing the survey, had you identified the illnesses that polled for the particular drugs? I mean, how sophisticated was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:471", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.040046192633294, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. That had nothing. Nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he hope that you might be the hope for him to go and get someone to provide medicine and stuff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we because that then became our first goal, how do we get drugs? And we came up with the idea of having a drug co-op."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. In doing the survey, had you identified the illnesses that polled for the particular drugs? I mean, how sophisticated was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was not very sophisticated at all, but children were dying from fever and he didn't even have aspirin. Dysentery. And you know, there was, he didn't have anything to intervene."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the people you surveyed would say that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:473", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.488940214036993, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we because that then became our first goal, how do we get drugs? And we came up with the idea of having a drug co-op."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. In doing the survey, had you identified the illnesses that polled for the particular drugs? I mean, how sophisticated was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was not very sophisticated at all, but children were dying from fever and he didn't even have aspirin. Dysentery. And you know, there was, he didn't have anything to intervene."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the people you surveyed would say that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That they needed drugs to keep the, for the babies and for the children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or that a baby had died from a fever?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:475", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.987711348929992, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was not very sophisticated at all, but children were dying from fever and he didn't even have aspirin. Dysentery. And you know, there was, he didn't have anything to intervene."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the people you surveyed would say that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That they needed drugs to keep the, for the babies and for the children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or that a baby had died from a fever?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. Oh, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And the children were dying from dysentery. A lot of whooping cough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And while you're doing the survey, during this time, how many hours a day? How many days a week did you put into it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:477", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.430790387699991, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That they needed drugs to keep the, for the babies and for the children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or that a baby had died from a fever?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. Oh, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And the children were dying from dysentery. A lot of whooping cough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And while you're doing the survey, during this time, how many hours a day? How many days a week did you put into it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would go out and maybe do it two or three hours a day. Not very much. It was hard work. It was hard work because our Spanish wasn't that good. Because we didn't always understand everything people were saying. And because it was hard for the two of us to get up and get going, you know, I mean, it was just real hard. And what I am amazed at, because I was trying to get some of these documents, as I say, ready for. I had forgotten that there was a logic to what we were doing. And we were going to do a drug co-op."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, now that was your decision or was it in talking with the doctor?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:479", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.923100430777768, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah. Oh, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And the children were dying from dysentery. A lot of whooping cough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And while you're doing the survey, during this time, how many hours a day? How many days a week did you put into it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We would go out and maybe do it two or three hours a day. Not very much. It was hard work. It was hard work because our Spanish wasn't that good. Because we didn't always understand everything people were saying. And because it was hard for the two of us to get up and get going, you know, I mean, it was just real hard. And what I am amazed at, because I was trying to get some of these documents, as I say, ready for. I had forgotten that there was a logic to what we were doing. And we were going to do a drug co-op."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, now that was your decision or was it in talking with the doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was the two of us. We thought that would be, that would be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you then go to the doctor and say what do you think?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:485", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.049520481176636, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And it was kind of like we were just beginning the discussion. We went to Cali. They were co-op volunteers in the area. And in Cali, there was a priest who had a marvelous drug co-op, and we visited there and we were just beginning. And then a co-op volunteer came down to Piendamó and he said, you need to look around. And they were like five or six pharmacies. And he said, have you thought about this? And the problem was the drugs there were very, very old because nobody could afford to buy them. But he said, if you do a drug co-op, how are you going to do that without being in competition? And so it was. And that was good. I mean, that was the next step. That's what we needed to think about, you know? And then there was a tragedy with Claudine's family and she had to go home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "About when?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "February. She got a, her father had given her two hundred dollars in American money to keep with her, in case you had to come home, he said. And she did not know that he had just been diagnosed with throat cancer. And stupid me. She had put her purse in the windowsill and we had been out for some reason and her purse was still in the windowsill and I had gone back and I'd opened the window to get some light in to do something, and I didn't lock it, and somebody had reached in and taken the two hundred dollars. So she got a letter from home saying, your father doesn't want you to know this, but he's going in for surgery. And if you ever want to talk to him again, you need to come home right now. And that's all she had, and Peace Corps did not really help her get home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It didn't?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's nightmare stuff. Nightmare stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did she do, she packed it up and went to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:487", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.16613386797404, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "February. She got a, her father had given her two hundred dollars in American money to keep with her, in case you had to come home, he said. And she did not know that he had just been diagnosed with throat cancer. And stupid me. She had put her purse in the windowsill and we had been out for some reason and her purse was still in the windowsill and I had gone back and I'd opened the window to get some light in to do something, and I didn't lock it, and somebody had reached in and taken the two hundred dollars. So she got a letter from home saying, your father doesn't want you to know this, but he's going in for surgery. And if you ever want to talk to him again, you need to come home right now. And that's all she had, and Peace Corps did not really help her get home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It didn't?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's nightmare stuff. Nightmare stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did she do, she packed it up and went to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We collected all the money we had, we sent her to Cali. And in Cali, the Peace Corps, the new Peace Corps rep, who was the second cousin of some. I have to be careful. I don't want to be. He was really awful and he did one of these interrogations. How do we know somebody's sick? All you have is this letter. You're looking for a way out. We're not going to pay your way home, you know. And they couldn't get anybody, they couldn't confirm it because it was a weekend. And they finally, she finally arrived in Miami. They sent her home. She had 10 cents. She called home and nobody was there and she finally got to Missouri. But her father had been operated on and he was terminal. But he couldn't talk, you know, after the. It's just god awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You only learned all this later?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:489", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2957042977489333, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's nightmare stuff. Nightmare stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did she do, she packed it up and went to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We collected all the money we had, we sent her to Cali. And in Cali, the Peace Corps, the new Peace Corps rep, who was the second cousin of some. I have to be careful. I don't want to be. He was really awful and he did one of these interrogations. How do we know somebody's sick? All you have is this letter. You're looking for a way out. We're not going to pay your way home, you know. And they couldn't get anybody, they couldn't confirm it because it was a weekend. And they finally, she finally arrived in Miami. They sent her home. She had 10 cents. She called home and nobody was there and she finally got to Missouri. But her father had been operated on and he was terminal. But he couldn't talk, you know, after the. It's just god awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You only learned all this later?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, she would write."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, but at the time you left, she gets on a plane in Cali. And you're then faced with going back to the village alone."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:491", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.439671441943259, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We collected all the money we had, we sent her to Cali. And in Cali, the Peace Corps, the new Peace Corps rep, who was the second cousin of some. I have to be careful. I don't want to be. He was really awful and he did one of these interrogations. How do we know somebody's sick? All you have is this letter. You're looking for a way out. We're not going to pay your way home, you know. And they couldn't get anybody, they couldn't confirm it because it was a weekend. And they finally, she finally arrived in Miami. They sent her home. She had 10 cents. She called home and nobody was there and she finally got to Missouri. But her father had been operated on and he was terminal. But he couldn't talk, you know, after the. It's just god awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You only learned all this later?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, she would write."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, but at the time you left, she gets on a plane in Cali. And you're then faced with going back to the village alone."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. But she left from the village. I'd never come. She got on the bus in Piendamó and went, yeah. And we gave her, everybody got together and gave her all the money we could so she could afford to even get up to Cali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how did you feel about? I mean, it was obviously dramatic and traumatic perhaps. Underneath it all, it means a significant change in your arrangement."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:493", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.59963493549251, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, she would write."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, but at the time you left, she gets on a plane in Cali. And you're then faced with going back to the village alone."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. But she left from the village. I'd never come. She got on the bus in Piendamó and went, yeah. And we gave her, everybody got together and gave her all the money we could so she could afford to even get up to Cali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how did you feel about? I mean, it was obviously dramatic and traumatic perhaps. Underneath it all, it means a significant change in your arrangement."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your reaction?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:495", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7773721505472333, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. But she left from the village. I'd never come. She got on the bus in Piendamó and went, yeah. And we gave her, everybody got together and gave her all the money we could so she could afford to even get up to Cali."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how did you feel about? I mean, it was obviously dramatic and traumatic perhaps. Underneath it all, it means a significant change in your arrangement."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Partly I felt relief because we were really weighing each other down, OK? And partly, I thought she was going to come back. That was the last thing she said to me, I'm coming back, you know. And it was rough because, and she was funny, but she's also brilliant."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Peace Corps in Cali at least knew that she was out of the country."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:497", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9748579450524815, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Partly I felt relief because we were really weighing each other down, OK? And partly, I thought she was going to come back. That was the last thing she said to me, I'm coming back, you know. And it was rough because, and she was funny, but she's also brilliant."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Peace Corps in Cali at least knew that she was out of the country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, she had to go to Cali. Because, you know, she couldn't get home on her own. They kept her passports."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they knew she was going."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:499", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1942866056138683, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Partly I felt relief because we were really weighing each other down, OK? And partly, I thought she was going to come back. That was the last thing she said to me, I'm coming back, you know. And it was rough because, and she was funny, but she's also brilliant."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Peace Corps in Cali at least knew that she was out of the country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, she had to go to Cali. Because, you know, she couldn't get home on her own. They kept her passports."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they knew she was going."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone from Peace Corps try to get back in touch with you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:501", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4380962284598535, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, she had to go to Cali. Because, you know, she couldn't get home on her own. They kept her passports."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So they knew she was going."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone from Peace Corps try to get back in touch with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you were sort of there in February. The survey's done. You have this idea of a drug co-op, which is a very sophisticated thing requiring money, if nothing else. I assume that the people in the village, for the most part, were relatively poor."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:503", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.708995809399837, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone from Peace Corps try to get back in touch with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you were sort of there in February. The survey's done. You have this idea of a drug co-op, which is a very sophisticated thing requiring money, if nothing else. I assume that the people in the village, for the most part, were relatively poor."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, subsistence. They were, the poverty was god awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't an unrealistic thing to."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:505", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0099953437775966, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you were sort of there in February. The survey's done. You have this idea of a drug co-op, which is a very sophisticated thing requiring money, if nothing else. I assume that the people in the village, for the most part, were relatively poor."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, subsistence. They were, the poverty was god awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't an unrealistic thing to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the thing is that I abandoned it. And that's why. I mean, we had had a Peace Corps volunteer come down who was trained in co- ops and that he was beginning. And when I say Claudine was the brains behind it, she was really, really bright. And it was her idea to do a co-op and it was these people need drugs. I mean, she really. And I think if she had stayed, I don't know that we would have gotten a drug co-op, but we would have done something about the drugs. She would have done something about the drug problem. And I didn't. OK, that's what I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long were you alone?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:507", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.344439270863996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, subsistence. They were, the poverty was god awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it wasn't an unrealistic thing to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the thing is that I abandoned it. And that's why. I mean, we had had a Peace Corps volunteer come down who was trained in co- ops and that he was beginning. And when I say Claudine was the brains behind it, she was really, really bright. And it was her idea to do a co-op and it was these people need drugs. I mean, she really. And I think if she had stayed, I don't know that we would have gotten a drug co-op, but we would have done something about the drugs. She would have done something about the drug problem. And I didn't. OK, that's what I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long were you alone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About two months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spinning your wheels?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:509", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.716043634293329, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the thing is that I abandoned it. And that's why. I mean, we had had a Peace Corps volunteer come down who was trained in co- ops and that he was beginning. And when I say Claudine was the brains behind it, she was really, really bright. And it was her idea to do a co-op and it was these people need drugs. I mean, she really. And I think if she had stayed, I don't know that we would have gotten a drug co-op, but we would have done something about the drugs. She would have done something about the drug problem. And I didn't. OK, that's what I mean."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long were you alone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About two months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spinning your wheels?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were working."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:511", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.017826260325921, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About two months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Spinning your wheels?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were working."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then I started to accompany the doctor. Because he would, there were veredas. There were little communities outside and he would go on rounds and I would go with him and I would take babies' temperatures and I would do some histories. I would talk to the moms and just, you know. And again, and I would help out in the clinic. He was in the clinic in Piendamó on Wednesday and Saturday, and they had a triage system where all the moms would bring their sick babies and the nurse would decide which were the 20 sickest. It was a triage, it was just awful. And I would sometimes, I'd do a little charla, a little presentation about boiling water or washing hands."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a waiting room and everyone's there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:513", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.3531402892510234, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were working."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then I started to accompany the doctor. Because he would, there were veredas. There were little communities outside and he would go on rounds and I would go with him and I would take babies' temperatures and I would do some histories. I would talk to the moms and just, you know. And again, and I would help out in the clinic. He was in the clinic in Piendamó on Wednesday and Saturday, and they had a triage system where all the moms would bring their sick babies and the nurse would decide which were the 20 sickest. It was a triage, it was just awful. And I would sometimes, I'd do a little charla, a little presentation about boiling water or washing hands."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a waiting room and everyone's there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was just a little two, a cement block two room clinic. Yeah. And I was occupied and I was learning, but I was not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had all these mothers there with sick children who obviously are very concerned."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:515", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.725711432501137, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then I started to accompany the doctor. Because he would, there were veredas. There were little communities outside and he would go on rounds and I would go with him and I would take babies' temperatures and I would do some histories. I would talk to the moms and just, you know. And again, and I would help out in the clinic. He was in the clinic in Piendamó on Wednesday and Saturday, and they had a triage system where all the moms would bring their sick babies and the nurse would decide which were the 20 sickest. It was a triage, it was just awful. And I would sometimes, I'd do a little charla, a little presentation about boiling water or washing hands."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a waiting room and everyone's there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was just a little two, a cement block two room clinic. Yeah. And I was occupied and I was learning, but I was not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had all these mothers there with sick children who obviously are very concerned."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You stand up and say, let me teach you about how to boil your water."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:517", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.139679369445708, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was just a little two, a cement block two room clinic. Yeah. And I was occupied and I was learning, but I was not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had all these mothers there with sick children who obviously are very concerned."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You stand up and say, let me teach you about how to boil your water."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, just little, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It couldn't have been easy."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:519", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.5996437438285644, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You stand up and say, let me teach you about how to boil your water."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, just little, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It couldn't have been easy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was not easy and I was not very good at it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your Spanish was not, you were not anywhere near bilingual."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:521", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.110715270920627, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, just little, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It couldn't have been easy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was not easy and I was not very good at it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your Spanish was not, you were not anywhere near bilingual."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Oh no. And I was pretty good. I could take babies' temperatures. I could do that and I did that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you had enough Spanish to be able to take medical history?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:523", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.678572523245141, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was not easy and I was not very good at it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your Spanish was not, you were not anywhere near bilingual."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Oh no. And I was pretty good. I could take babies' temperatures. I could do that and I did that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you had enough Spanish to be able to take medical history?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was very, very simple stuff, you know. Like, does anyone in the family have crosses in the blood? Was there a blood test? And that was, I think that was either TB or syphilis. You know, that kind of thing, you know? And again, always, how many children do you have and how many living and how many dead and what did they die of and have the babies been vaccinated? You know, that kind of stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At this time, all of that information then would go to the doctor?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:525", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.309525025827935, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Oh no. And I was pretty good. I could take babies' temperatures. I could do that and I did that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you had enough Spanish to be able to take medical history?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was very, very simple stuff, you know. Like, does anyone in the family have crosses in the blood? Was there a blood test? And that was, I think that was either TB or syphilis. You know, that kind of thing, you know? And again, always, how many children do you have and how many living and how many dead and what did they die of and have the babies been vaccinated? You know, that kind of stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At this time, all of that information then would go to the doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he would try to see the 20."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:527", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.0105833620310385, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was very, very simple stuff, you know. Like, does anyone in the family have crosses in the blood? Was there a blood test? And that was, I think that was either TB or syphilis. You know, that kind of thing, you know? And again, always, how many children do you have and how many living and how many dead and what did they die of and have the babies been vaccinated? You know, that kind of stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At this time, all of that information then would go to the doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he would try to see the 20."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He would see the 20."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't dispense any drugs or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:529", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.789537068923376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he would try to see the 20."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He would see the 20."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't dispense any drugs or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. There was nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. All right. And then at the end of, this was for a couple of months?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:531", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.655041187692639, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He would see the 20."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't dispense any drugs or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. There was nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. All right. And then at the end of, this was for a couple of months?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and then, I liked being alone. I just liked being alone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't living in the hotel then."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:533", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.6167124307696, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. There was nothing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. All right. And then at the end of, this was for a couple of months?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and then, I liked being alone. I just liked being alone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't living in the hotel then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we were in, I was in a house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your own place."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:535", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.685236034188444, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and then, I liked being alone. I just liked being alone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't living in the hotel then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we were in, I was in a house."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your own place."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right. And then and again, there were the male volunteers that moved back into town, had moved into Piendamó. So I was alone, but I was not the only volunteer in town. And we would visit, you know. They were working on an irrigation ditch in one of the veredas, and we would visit and we would have meetings, and we were just. Nothing really got done. But we were moving and we were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Supporting each other."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:539", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.845970412578327, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, right. And then and again, there were the male volunteers that moved back into town, had moved into Piendamó. So I was alone, but I was not the only volunteer in town. And we would visit, you know. They were working on an irrigation ditch in one of the veredas, and we would visit and we would have meetings, and we were just. Nothing really got done. But we were moving and we were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Supporting each other."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And I was, I really liked. And then there was a woman who was with the coffee confederation, and she was more like a home economist and she would go out and visit in the vereda."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, she was a woman that the cafetarios, the coffee growers, had an organization and they did work like 4-H work, and she was like a 4-H person and I would go out with her. All of these people, the 4-H woman and the nurse, were competent people and there were all kinds of people in the village who could have been doing what I was attempting to do so much better than I, you know, but that's what I was learning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you're still in your first year."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:541", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 10.93996712508703, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. And I was, I really liked. And then there was a woman who was with the coffee confederation, and she was more like a home economist and she would go out and visit in the vereda."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, she was a woman that the cafetarios, the coffee growers, had an organization and they did work like 4-H work, and she was like a 4-H person and I would go out with her. All of these people, the 4-H woman and the nurse, were competent people and there were all kinds of people in the village who could have been doing what I was attempting to do so much better than I, you know, but that's what I was learning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you're still in your first year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "First six months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, wow. So another volunteer was assigned to you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:543", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.711074583430034, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, she was a woman that the cafetarios, the coffee growers, had an organization and they did work like 4-H work, and she was like a 4-H person and I would go out with her. All of these people, the 4-H woman and the nurse, were competent people and there were all kinds of people in the village who could have been doing what I was attempting to do so much better than I, you know, but that's what I was learning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now you're still in your first year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "First six months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, wow. So another volunteer was assigned to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Betty Hutchinson, who was our project director. I got word she was coming in the next, like the next day. And she showed up and she showed up with a man who was doing evaluations of programs in Colombia. He had been the Peace Corps director in Cyprus and had been, um, they closed the program. And so he was coming through to do evaluations, and I read his evaluations at College Park. They were brilliant. They were so good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember his name?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:545", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.345638426033371, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "First six months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, wow. So another volunteer was assigned to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Betty Hutchinson, who was our project director. I got word she was coming in the next, like the next day. And she showed up and she showed up with a man who was doing evaluations of programs in Colombia. He had been the Peace Corps director in Cyprus and had been, um, they closed the program. And so he was coming through to do evaluations, and I read his evaluations at College Park. They were brilliant. They were so good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember his name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't remember his name. I have it at home and I can email it to you because he's not. He's one of the Peace Corps archetypes from that era. And she showed up and she told me that I was getting a partner that would be coming in in a couple of. And I was flabbergasted. I didn't know I was getting a partner, didn't want a partner, and the partner was like arriving the next day and I didn't like any of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was your first contact with Betty?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:547", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.050709362259301, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Betty Hutchinson, who was our project director. I got word she was coming in the next, like the next day. And she showed up and she showed up with a man who was doing evaluations of programs in Colombia. He had been the Peace Corps director in Cyprus and had been, um, they closed the program. And so he was coming through to do evaluations, and I read his evaluations at College Park. They were brilliant. They were so good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember his name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't remember his name. I have it at home and I can email it to you because he's not. He's one of the Peace Corps archetypes from that era. And she showed up and she told me that I was getting a partner that would be coming in in a couple of. And I was flabbergasted. I didn't know I was getting a partner, didn't want a partner, and the partner was like arriving the next day and I didn't like any of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was your first contact with Betty?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did Betty know? Did Betty know what was going on with you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:549", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.8341215136214455, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can't remember his name. I have it at home and I can email it to you because he's not. He's one of the Peace Corps archetypes from that era. And she showed up and she told me that I was getting a partner that would be coming in in a couple of. And I was flabbergasted. I didn't know I was getting a partner, didn't want a partner, and the partner was like arriving the next day and I didn't like any of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was your first contact with Betty?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did Betty know? Did Betty know what was going on with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps leader, Peace Corps leader."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had been reflecting back to the leader?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:551", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.704579459579383, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did Betty know? Did Betty know what was going on with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps leader, Peace Corps leader."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had been reflecting back to the leader?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The leader was, like, we would see them maybe once a week. Yeah, the Peace Corps leader was on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was some leadership."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:553", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.449532732865982, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps leader, Peace Corps leader."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had been reflecting back to the leader?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The leader was, like, we would see them maybe once a week. Yeah, the Peace Corps leader was on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was some leadership."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, exactly. I'm sorry, I should have made that clear. Yeah, the Peace Corps leaders were kind of like, and by that time, the Peace Corps leader was the guy who had been a volunteer in the site, who had been in country like four weeks longer than I. And they made him a leader. The woman who was being assigned to my site. And then you get into all this stuff, what happened to women in Colombia. She and her partner had been on the Ecuadorian border, and they had closed their site because they said that there was a problem with her partner and they sent her home. And that kind of arbitrary. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now this was a woman who would had trained with you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:555", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.166147480962202, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The leader was, like, we would see them maybe once a week. Yeah, the Peace Corps leader was on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there was some leadership."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, exactly. I'm sorry, I should have made that clear. Yeah, the Peace Corps leaders were kind of like, and by that time, the Peace Corps leader was the guy who had been a volunteer in the site, who had been in country like four weeks longer than I. And they made him a leader. The woman who was being assigned to my site. And then you get into all this stuff, what happened to women in Colombia. She and her partner had been on the Ecuadorian border, and they had closed their site because they said that there was a problem with her partner and they sent her home. And that kind of arbitrary. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now this was a woman who would had trained with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She had trained in Colombia XIII, which was a group that was four weeks ahead of us in training, but we had had the same training and we had both come out of University of New Mexico."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And she had been assigned with another woman at the border."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:557", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.629052756624669, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, exactly. I'm sorry, I should have made that clear. Yeah, the Peace Corps leaders were kind of like, and by that time, the Peace Corps leader was the guy who had been a volunteer in the site, who had been in country like four weeks longer than I. And they made him a leader. The woman who was being assigned to my site. And then you get into all this stuff, what happened to women in Colombia. She and her partner had been on the Ecuadorian border, and they had closed their site because they said that there was a problem with her partner and they sent her home. And that kind of arbitrary. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now this was a woman who would had trained with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She had trained in Colombia XIII, which was a group that was four weeks ahead of us in training, but we had had the same training and we had both come out of University of New Mexico."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And she had been assigned with another woman at the border."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were closing the site and sending the other woman home, which was incredibly unfair. And my partner, Bev was her name, Makowski, and she didn't want to come to Piendamó. She was outraged that what had happened had been unfair, that they had been, they were deeply involved in their community. She's maintained ties with that community over the 40 years, you know? And so it was a wrench. It just, and I hadn't been told and it was just awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Betty appears, tells you, disappears. And Bev comes the next day."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:559", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.032280840694077, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She had trained in Colombia XIII, which was a group that was four weeks ahead of us in training, but we had had the same training and we had both come out of University of New Mexico."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And she had been assigned with another woman at the border."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were closing the site and sending the other woman home, which was incredibly unfair. And my partner, Bev was her name, Makowski, and she didn't want to come to Piendamó. She was outraged that what had happened had been unfair, that they had been, they were deeply involved in their community. She's maintained ties with that community over the 40 years, you know? And so it was a wrench. It just, and I hadn't been told and it was just awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Betty appears, tells you, disappears. And Bev comes the next day."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. What I remember about the man who was doing the evaluation is that he was trying. We were, I was trying to impress upon him how desperate the situation was for so many of these women whose children were dying. And I remember he said to me in kind of like this Socratic sort of thing, he said, well, populations are real. You know, overpopulation is a real problem. So why are you even worried about saving these babies or something along those lines? And it was rhetorical, you know, he was trying to. And I remember along the lines of, well, you should have thought of that before you sent me here. So that was that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when Bev comes?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:561", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.480312045215641, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were closing the site and sending the other woman home, which was incredibly unfair. And my partner, Bev was her name, Makowski, and she didn't want to come to Piendamó. She was outraged that what had happened had been unfair, that they had been, they were deeply involved in their community. She's maintained ties with that community over the 40 years, you know? And so it was a wrench. It just, and I hadn't been told and it was just awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Betty appears, tells you, disappears. And Bev comes the next day."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. What I remember about the man who was doing the evaluation is that he was trying. We were, I was trying to impress upon him how desperate the situation was for so many of these women whose children were dying. And I remember he said to me in kind of like this Socratic sort of thing, he said, well, populations are real. You know, overpopulation is a real problem. So why are you even worried about saving these babies or something along those lines? And it was rhetorical, you know, he was trying to. And I remember along the lines of, well, you should have thought of that before you sent me here. So that was that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when Bev comes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bev comes, and Bev was just, um, we were as different as night and day. She was very comfortable in country. Her Spanish was very good. She was interested. She really, really liked Colombian people and could relate to them in a way that I could not. And she danced. She could dance well and she loved the music. She loved the culture. And so she was a real addition to our site. And she was just competent, and she managed the household much better than I, you know, that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel intimidated?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:565", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.531249438537828, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bev comes, and Bev was just, um, we were as different as night and day. She was very comfortable in country. Her Spanish was very good. She was interested. She really, really liked Colombian people and could relate to them in a way that I could not. And she danced. She could dance well and she loved the music. She loved the culture. And so she was a real addition to our site. And she was just competent, and she managed the household much better than I, you know, that kind of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel intimidated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. But she wasn't interested in what I was interested in. And what I was. She became, she did a lot of visiting, a lot of community, you know, trying to do the community development part. She was not interested in health education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was, but I was floundering. And what happened, because we did develop a project. We again, based on our."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You being you and Bev?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:567", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.145832709486475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. But she wasn't interested in what I was interested in. And what I was. She became, she did a lot of visiting, a lot of community, you know, trying to do the community development part. She was not interested in health education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was, but I was floundering. And what happened, because we did develop a project. We again, based on our."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You being you and Bev?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now Bev and I, yeah, we did work on something. And again, it was this logical progression. The doctor was real concerned that women would. When one of the things he would do is that if the babies were really needed to be hospitalized because they were dehydrated, or if a woman needed to be hospitalized to deliver, they would not go to the hospital in our village. We didn't have a hospital in our village. They would not go to the capital where there was a hospital, and the medical care there was free, but they wouldn't go because hospitals were places where people died. So what Bev and I did based on, that was a felt need, the doctor said, we need to educate them, is that we would take groups of women into Colombia, into Popayán and we would visit the hospitals. And Bev was just marvelous because of her ease and her sociability and her language facility. So we visited hospitals in order to help women understand that the hospital could be a healing place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you identify a group of women to take?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:569", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.828703010540528, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was, but I was floundering. And what happened, because we did develop a project. We again, based on our."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You being you and Bev?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now Bev and I, yeah, we did work on something. And again, it was this logical progression. The doctor was real concerned that women would. When one of the things he would do is that if the babies were really needed to be hospitalized because they were dehydrated, or if a woman needed to be hospitalized to deliver, they would not go to the hospital in our village. We didn't have a hospital in our village. They would not go to the capital where there was a hospital, and the medical care there was free, but they wouldn't go because hospitals were places where people died. So what Bev and I did based on, that was a felt need, the doctor said, we need to educate them, is that we would take groups of women into Colombia, into Popayán and we would visit the hospitals. And Bev was just marvelous because of her ease and her sociability and her language facility. So we visited hospitals in order to help women understand that the hospital could be a healing place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you identify a group of women to take?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had established what we call clubs de madres, well, mothers clubs, where we would, you know, give our little speeches. And it was very, very informal. But we would take women who wanted, anyone who wanted to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did these meetings take place?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:573", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.430497543877195, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had established what we call clubs de madres, well, mothers clubs, where we would, you know, give our little speeches. And it was very, very informal. But we would take women who wanted, anyone who wanted to go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did these meetings take place?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the clinic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At that point. But we would pay their way on the bus."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With money from?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:575", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.25610838208577, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the clinic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At that point. But we would pay their way on the bus."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With money from?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Our Peace Corps money, because the bus fare was very cheap. But that was something that we did that theoretically we weren't supposed to do. But yeah. And that was again based on, you know, something the doctor felt that needed to be done. And we did that and that worked out well. Then I was attempting to give some kind of. At a Saturday morning clinic, and I was not there and I was supposed to, I came late and I was going, I was doing something with a doll and I was just really not doing well. And as it turned out, public health had sent a nurse up. The one registered nurse in the whole department, who had taught classes in Popayán, had come up to see the clinic and she was wonderful. She saw me and we smiled and she was very gracious and it was immediately apparent I didn't know what I was doing. But we were in the village, we had contact with women and women trusted us enough to visit the hospital. So what she did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She is Colombian?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:577", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.951231535650857, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At that point. But we would pay their way on the bus."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "With money from?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Our Peace Corps money, because the bus fare was very cheap. But that was something that we did that theoretically we weren't supposed to do. But yeah. And that was again based on, you know, something the doctor felt that needed to be done. And we did that and that worked out well. Then I was attempting to give some kind of. At a Saturday morning clinic, and I was not there and I was supposed to, I came late and I was going, I was doing something with a doll and I was just really not doing well. And as it turned out, public health had sent a nurse up. The one registered nurse in the whole department, who had taught classes in Popayán, had come up to see the clinic and she was wonderful. She saw me and we smiled and she was very gracious and it was immediately apparent I didn't know what I was doing. But we were in the village, we had contact with women and women trusted us enough to visit the hospital. So what she did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She is Colombian?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Colombian nurse, right. She said that she would come up to Piendamó every Saturday for 10 weeks and she would teach midwives. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had connected with the Colombian nurse."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:579", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.612479484056507, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Our Peace Corps money, because the bus fare was very cheap. But that was something that we did that theoretically we weren't supposed to do. But yeah. And that was again based on, you know, something the doctor felt that needed to be done. And we did that and that worked out well. Then I was attempting to give some kind of. At a Saturday morning clinic, and I was not there and I was supposed to, I came late and I was going, I was doing something with a doll and I was just really not doing well. And as it turned out, public health had sent a nurse up. The one registered nurse in the whole department, who had taught classes in Popayán, had come up to see the clinic and she was wonderful. She saw me and we smiled and she was very gracious and it was immediately apparent I didn't know what I was doing. But we were in the village, we had contact with women and women trusted us enough to visit the hospital. So what she did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She is Colombian?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The Colombian nurse, right. She said that she would come up to Piendamó every Saturday for 10 weeks and she would teach midwives. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had connected with the Colombian nurse."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And she made an agreement with the doctor that she would come up every Saturday morning and she would teach midwives. There was a UNICEF course on how to. These were indigenous midwives. They had no training at all, but they were the ones delivering babies in the area. And if we, our job, my job, Bev and I, if we would gather the midwives to come to the clinic, she would give them this lecture on how babies developed and how to do the most basic things to ensure a safe delivery. And so we did that, because what we could contribute was we could, the midwives trusted us at that point and we could bring them in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So Bev was willing to go along with that even though she preferred doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:585", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.587763352615237, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nutrition and just, you know, visiting. Yeah. And so we did that and the midwives, we had I think five midwives who completed the course, and when they completed the course, they got a U.N. kit and it had scissors in it. It had a little bowl that they could sterilize water so that they could sterilize. They could boil water so they could sterilize.\n\nAnd then what we did, and then what I did after the course was completed, is that I would then go out to the veredas, the little villages were the midwives lived, and meet with the midwife and the women that they were going to deliver. And I would give exactly the same course that the midwives would have, so that we were coordinating. And then after the women delivered, I went out and talked to each woman and this is where I got into. What I thought I was doing was fine at the time. But in retrospect, I really was doing some clinic monitoring that probably wasn't appropriate. But they were real concerned to make sure that the midwives did not give injections because there were drugs available in the marketplace that could speed up labor that could cause ruptured uterus. And so that it was my job to make sure that things had gone well and that if there had been a problem, and this is crazy stuff, if there was a problem during labor, the midwives were instructed that they should take the woman to the hospital, which was impossible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, and then I was to make sure that. And I just would do a record that I would take back to the clinic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this is sort of the second half of this year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, into my second year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're beginning to have a sense that there was a reason for you to be where you were."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:587", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.319737058461374, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, and then I was to make sure that. And I just would do a record that I would take back to the clinic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this is sort of the second half of this year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, into my second year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're beginning to have a sense that there was a reason for you to be where you were."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was Bev going doing exactly the same thing? Or was she beginning to go off on her own?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:591", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.036712417853549, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was Bev going doing exactly the same thing? Or was she beginning to go off on her own?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was beginning to go off on her own because I think I probably became fanatical about this stuff. And not fanatical, but I mean, you know, I was talking all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Single minded."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, single minded. This was really big stuff for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that essentially working with the midwives."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:593", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.04079157539283, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She was beginning to go off on her own because I think I probably became fanatical about this stuff. And not fanatical, but I mean, you know, I was talking all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Single minded."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, single minded. This was really big stuff for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that essentially working with the midwives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during now you're, are you somewhat satisfied with being a volunteer, that you know, it's working out the way you like."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:595", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.156435083769813, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, single minded. This was really big stuff for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that essentially working with the midwives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during now you're, are you somewhat satisfied with being a volunteer, that you know, it's working out the way you like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to feed this back to the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:603", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 8.577099655189471, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. This was just the volunteers in Cauca. There were about 15 of us and we didn't have a leader because our leader had had a nervous breakdown. So they said, the Peace Corps staff came down from Cali and said, we're going to have an election. We want you to, we're going to choose your own leader. It will be secret ballot. Please write down the person that you think would be the best volunteer leader. So we all did that. He said, I'm taking the ballots back to Cali. I'll let you know. So about two weeks later, we get a Peace Corps leader that it took us another two months to figure out we hadn't voted for him. And evidently, what they had done was chose the volunteer that got the least votes on the theory that he wouldn't have any trouble being close. And he turned out to be OK. He didn't have a nervous breakdown and he didn't harass us. But, you know, but by that time I was just, I was totally immersed in my midwife and I would talk about placentas, you know, at the drop of a hat and, you know, all this stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you're well into your second year now. Well, let's stay with this right through to the time you were about to leave. Was your role essentially the same for the entire period?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you were coming near the end of that, do you know if you were going to be replaced?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were not going to be replaced, but we knew that partly because in the last few months that I was in Cauca, violence, that the violence that now plagues Colombia began to assert itself in Cauca. Cauca was off limits for other volunteers. We didn't even know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, did you ever experience any?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:605", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.085666283543856, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you were coming near the end of that, do you know if you were going to be replaced?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were not going to be replaced, but we knew that partly because in the last few months that I was in Cauca, violence, that the violence that now plagues Colombia began to assert itself in Cauca. Cauca was off limits for other volunteers. We didn't even know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, did you ever experience any?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I did. Two things. In April of '65, market day. Outside our village, a market bus was attacked by guerrillas, bandits, and they machine gunned the bus and killed most of the people on the bus. They were barefoot peasants, and it was a terrorist attack. And we found out about it because the potatoes never showed up. The bus never came. And in our village, when we when it began the dimensions of what had happened, everybody was terrified. And us too. And I remember standing talking about this and saying to this, we had sisters in the village that ran the school, ran a school for girls. Saying, well, if the bandits come, we'll just run to the convent because it was the biggest place. And the Mother Superior who had been there for us said, no, you won't. That if the bandits come, or the guerrillas come, the first people they'll look for is the gringos. And if you're with us, you'll endanger our sisters. And then our landlord, who was like four or five, 4'5\", real short guy said, don't worry, I'll take care of you. And we had no contact with Peace Corps at all. Peace Corps' whole thing was, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they know that the shooting at the bus had occurred?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:607", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.650740315048728, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were not going to be replaced, but we knew that partly because in the last few months that I was in Cauca, violence, that the violence that now plagues Colombia began to assert itself in Cauca. Cauca was off limits for other volunteers. We didn't even know that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, did you ever experience any?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I did. Two things. In April of '65, market day. Outside our village, a market bus was attacked by guerrillas, bandits, and they machine gunned the bus and killed most of the people on the bus. They were barefoot peasants, and it was a terrorist attack. And we found out about it because the potatoes never showed up. The bus never came. And in our village, when we when it began the dimensions of what had happened, everybody was terrified. And us too. And I remember standing talking about this and saying to this, we had sisters in the village that ran the school, ran a school for girls. Saying, well, if the bandits come, we'll just run to the convent because it was the biggest place. And the Mother Superior who had been there for us said, no, you won't. That if the bandits come, or the guerrillas come, the first people they'll look for is the gringos. And if you're with us, you'll endanger our sisters. And then our landlord, who was like four or five, 4'5\", real short guy said, don't worry, I'll take care of you. And we had no contact with Peace Corps at all. Peace Corps' whole thing was, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they know that the shooting at the bus had occurred?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was. And one of the things is that when the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far away from, physically, from where you were when it happened?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:609", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.167489238943031, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I did. Two things. In April of '65, market day. Outside our village, a market bus was attacked by guerrillas, bandits, and they machine gunned the bus and killed most of the people on the bus. They were barefoot peasants, and it was a terrorist attack. And we found out about it because the potatoes never showed up. The bus never came. And in our village, when we when it began the dimensions of what had happened, everybody was terrified. And us too. And I remember standing talking about this and saying to this, we had sisters in the village that ran the school, ran a school for girls. Saying, well, if the bandits come, we'll just run to the convent because it was the biggest place. And the Mother Superior who had been there for us said, no, you won't. That if the bandits come, or the guerrillas come, the first people they'll look for is the gringos. And if you're with us, you'll endanger our sisters. And then our landlord, who was like four or five, 4'5\", real short guy said, don't worry, I'll take care of you. And we had no contact with Peace Corps at all. Peace Corps' whole thing was, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they know that the shooting at the bus had occurred?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was. And one of the things is that when the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far away from, physically, from where you were when it happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was about an hour and a half up. It was up in the mountains and they were coming down on this winding road. And I don't really, maybe 20, if that far. Very, very poor people. Yeah, everybody knew."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You said there's another incident."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:617", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.3932163373617295, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was, I was weeks and Bev left four weeks before I did because she was in the group, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And right before I left, there was a noise in the middle of the night and I lost it. And my landlord lived downstairs, and by that time I was alone. And he'd always said if you get scared, just bang on the door. So I banged on the floor. And he and his wife came up and I was shaking and it was nothing. There was, a horseman had run come through town. And I remember I was shaking so bad that they lit a cigarette for me and I couldn't drink coffee. I was just, I just lost it. And I remember, I couldn't wait to get out, and when it was time for me to go, I left and I was so glad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The second bus incident occurred how close to the end of your service?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometime in May and I left like July 3rd or 4th."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it must have been a very, very difficult last few months."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:619", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.992462597068588, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And right before I left, there was a noise in the middle of the night and I lost it. And my landlord lived downstairs, and by that time I was alone. And he'd always said if you get scared, just bang on the door. So I banged on the floor. And he and his wife came up and I was shaking and it was nothing. There was, a horseman had run come through town. And I remember I was shaking so bad that they lit a cigarette for me and I couldn't drink coffee. I was just, I just lost it. And I remember, I couldn't wait to get out, and when it was time for me to go, I left and I was so glad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The second bus incident occurred how close to the end of your service?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometime in May and I left like July 3rd or 4th."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it must have been a very, very difficult last few months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was scared."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you still doing your work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:621", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.436069552298432, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometime in May and I left like July 3rd or 4th."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it must have been a very, very difficult last few months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was scared."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you still doing your work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And let me tell you about the incident when the bus where they shot everybody. I was going out to the vereda because that's where, the little villages, that's where I was meeting with the women who were delivering. And I was also taking CARE milk out because we had decided that when a woman delivered, we gave her two cartons of CARE milk or a carton of CARE milk, not for the baby, but for her and her family. And so taking the CARE milk out was important because that was a commodity thing. And people came into town to tell me not to come out because they had been escorting me sometimes back to the road or, you know, and they felt it wasn't safe. And they weren't concerned about me, they were concerned about the kid. No, no, not. I don't mean that facetiously. They have little, they had, you know, boys who would come with, who would escort me out to the road and then they would have to go back on their own. And they just felt it wasn't safe for anybody to be walking. And that happened. So there was about two weeks. It was around Easter time where everything kind of stopped because people were afraid. And then it was like, then things kind of picked up again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you're coming to the end, did you have a sense of some kind of accomplishment for the time, the two years that you have been there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:623", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.928966169220479, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was scared."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you still doing your work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And let me tell you about the incident when the bus where they shot everybody. I was going out to the vereda because that's where, the little villages, that's where I was meeting with the women who were delivering. And I was also taking CARE milk out because we had decided that when a woman delivered, we gave her two cartons of CARE milk or a carton of CARE milk, not for the baby, but for her and her family. And so taking the CARE milk out was important because that was a commodity thing. And people came into town to tell me not to come out because they had been escorting me sometimes back to the road or, you know, and they felt it wasn't safe. And they weren't concerned about me, they were concerned about the kid. No, no, not. I don't mean that facetiously. They have little, they had, you know, boys who would come with, who would escort me out to the road and then they would have to go back on their own. And they just felt it wasn't safe for anybody to be walking. And that happened. So there was about two weeks. It was around Easter time where everything kind of stopped because people were afraid. And then it was like, then things kind of picked up again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you're coming to the end, did you have a sense of some kind of accomplishment for the time, the two years that you have been there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did about the midwives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:625", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.476629076911643, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And let me tell you about the incident when the bus where they shot everybody. I was going out to the vereda because that's where, the little villages, that's where I was meeting with the women who were delivering. And I was also taking CARE milk out because we had decided that when a woman delivered, we gave her two cartons of CARE milk or a carton of CARE milk, not for the baby, but for her and her family. And so taking the CARE milk out was important because that was a commodity thing. And people came into town to tell me not to come out because they had been escorting me sometimes back to the road or, you know, and they felt it wasn't safe. And they weren't concerned about me, they were concerned about the kid. No, no, not. I don't mean that facetiously. They have little, they had, you know, boys who would come with, who would escort me out to the road and then they would have to go back on their own. And they just felt it wasn't safe for anybody to be walking. And that happened. So there was about two weeks. It was around Easter time where everything kind of stopped because people were afraid. And then it was like, then things kind of picked up again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you're coming to the end, did you have a sense of some kind of accomplishment for the time, the two years that you have been there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did about the midwives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, that was. That was important. We, you know, the other thing is that we had done a school restaurant, a school lunch program, that we had finally got."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You keep saying we. You and Bev did most of these things together?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:627", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.862921196568492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did about the midwives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, that was. That was important. We, you know, the other thing is that we had done a school restaurant, a school lunch program, that we had finally got."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You keep saying we. You and Bev did most of these things together?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bev and Bob and I. Volunteers had been working on this school for like two years and we finally got that done. But the municipality really didn't want schools acting on their own, so they cut the water to the school and that stopped that program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. So. There's no major, the town doesn't turn out and have a parade and everything as you leave."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:629", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.29213466285388, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah, that was. That was important. We, you know, the other thing is that we had done a school restaurant, a school lunch program, that we had finally got."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You keep saying we. You and Bev did most of these things together?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bev and Bob and I. Volunteers had been working on this school for like two years and we finally got that done. But the municipality really didn't want schools acting on their own, so they cut the water to the school and that stopped that program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. So. There's no major, the town doesn't turn out and have a parade and everything as you leave."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The only one you're really saying goodbye to is the doctor and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:631", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.769038514282089, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bev and Bob and I. Volunteers had been working on this school for like two years and we finally got that done. But the municipality really didn't want schools acting on their own, so they cut the water to the school and that stopped that program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. So. There's no major, the town doesn't turn out and have a parade and everything as you leave."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The only one you're really saying goodbye to is the doctor and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some of them, yeah, some of the people I'd worked with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your feeling when you were finally out of? It must have been relief."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:633", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.298931682535654, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The only one you're really saying goodbye to is the doctor and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some of them, yeah, some of the people I'd worked with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your feeling when you were finally out of? It must have been relief."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. I had been so afraid. I was glad. And then I also remember saying to another volunteer, you know, I'm not going to forget this, and there's a whole list of things I'm going to do when I get back home and I never did them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any kind of termination conference in Bogota?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:635", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.554368536150727, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some of them, yeah, some of the people I'd worked with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your feeling when you were finally out of? It must have been relief."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. I had been so afraid. I was glad. And then I also remember saying to another volunteer, you know, I'm not going to forget this, and there's a whole list of things I'm going to do when I get back home and I never did them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any kind of termination conference in Bogota?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. But the termination conference in Bogota had been like that April or the end of April. Yeah, we had, even earlier. Maybe in March. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're leaving. It was just you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:637", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8381872623896967, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was. I had been so afraid. I was glad. And then I also remember saying to another volunteer, you know, I'm not going to forget this, and there's a whole list of things I'm going to do when I get back home and I never did them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there any kind of termination conference in Bogota?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. But the termination conference in Bogota had been like that April or the end of April. Yeah, we had, even earlier. Maybe in March. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're leaving. It was just you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Meeting some of my group up in Cali and then we were all going to be terminated out of Bogota. But it wasn't a conference. It was a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any chance to feedback to Peace Corps staff what was going on in your area?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:639", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1535414026552187, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. But the termination conference in Bogota had been like that April or the end of April. Yeah, we had, even earlier. Maybe in March. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're leaving. It was just you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Meeting some of my group up in Cali and then we were all going to be terminated out of Bogota. But it wasn't a conference. It was a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any chance to feedback to Peace Corps staff what was going on in your area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had written a letter to Betty. Betty Hutchinson and I had been in correspondence because my big thing was we had not been trained, that we were dealing with desperate women whose babies were dying. These people needed, they need it. And their expectation was when we showed up, we were going to help them and we were not trained to meet that need. And I felt that was outrageous because we knew they were training a group with the same training we had to replace us, even though not in our site. And so Betty and I had gone back and forth about that, and it never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You knew that your site was going to be closed down?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:641", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5039348918391315, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Meeting some of my group up in Cali and then we were all going to be terminated out of Bogota. But it wasn't a conference. It was a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any chance to feedback to Peace Corps staff what was going on in your area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had written a letter to Betty. Betty Hutchinson and I had been in correspondence because my big thing was we had not been trained, that we were dealing with desperate women whose babies were dying. These people needed, they need it. And their expectation was when we showed up, we were going to help them and we were not trained to meet that need. And I felt that was outrageous because we knew they were training a group with the same training we had to replace us, even though not in our site. And so Betty and I had gone back and forth about that, and it never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You knew that your site was going to be closed down?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. So because of the unrest."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:643", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.8932609909323683, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had written a letter to Betty. Betty Hutchinson and I had been in correspondence because my big thing was we had not been trained, that we were dealing with desperate women whose babies were dying. These people needed, they need it. And their expectation was when we showed up, we were going to help them and we were not trained to meet that need. And I felt that was outrageous because we knew they were training a group with the same training we had to replace us, even though not in our site. And so Betty and I had gone back and forth about that, and it never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You knew that your site was going to be closed down?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. So because of the unrest."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was my feeling. Yeah, it was off limits to people, you know, other volunteers couldn't come visit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then you found out."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:645", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2147344343692983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. So because of the unrest."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was my feeling. Yeah, it was off limits to people, you know, other volunteers couldn't come visit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then you found out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. One of the questions women in my group do have is whatever happened to our sites, we don't know. There was a replacement group with like five, four or five, maybe no, maybe two or three months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was '65 when you're leaving."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:647", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.57192714929922, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was my feeling. Yeah, it was off limits to people, you know, other volunteers couldn't come visit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then you found out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. One of the questions women in my group do have is whatever happened to our sites, we don't know. There was a replacement group with like five, four or five, maybe no, maybe two or three months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was '65 when you're leaving."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How much longer did Peace Corps stay?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:649", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.9688079436658, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. One of the questions women in my group do have is whatever happened to our sites, we don't know. There was a replacement group with like five, four or five, maybe no, maybe two or three months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was '65 when you're leaving."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How much longer did Peace Corps stay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Colombia?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At least another 10 years."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:653", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.66519499218, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Colombia?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At least another 10 years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "'81."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They pulled out in '81."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What happened? Tell me about leaving Colombia and where did you go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:655", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.0724388802, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "'81."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They pulled out in '81."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What happened? Tell me about leaving Colombia and where did you go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I had some medical problems that had, they'd started some treatment in Colombia, and so I went back to the States and that was supposed to be resolved and it was a hassle. And so I was preoccupied with getting that taken care of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Peace Corps provide the ongoing medical care?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:657", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4138209780000004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They pulled out in '81."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What happened? Tell me about leaving Colombia and where did you go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I had some medical problems that had, they'd started some treatment in Colombia, and so I went back to the States and that was supposed to be resolved and it was a hassle. And so I was preoccupied with getting that taken care of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Peace Corps provide the ongoing medical care?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was Peace Corps Colombia, said that they would. And I got to Peace Corps Washington, and they weren't comfortable. They didn't want to do anything because it was, I had some kind of adrenal problem. And so I wound up at NIH for an evaluation and it just colored. I was preoccupied with that. And of course, I've been so scared for so long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have to pay for that care."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:659", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7931344200000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I had some medical problems that had, they'd started some treatment in Colombia, and so I went back to the States and that was supposed to be resolved and it was a hassle. And so I was preoccupied with getting that taken care of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Peace Corps provide the ongoing medical care?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was Peace Corps Colombia, said that they would. And I got to Peace Corps Washington, and they weren't comfortable. They didn't want to do anything because it was, I had some kind of adrenal problem. And so I wound up at NIH for an evaluation and it just colored. I was preoccupied with that. And of course, I've been so scared for so long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have to pay for that care."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did not. No, I did not. But I didn't have to pay because I was a research patient, not because Peace Corps was paying for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh interesting. Their record was not good during this period."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:661", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.2145938, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was Peace Corps Colombia, said that they would. And I got to Peace Corps Washington, and they weren't comfortable. They didn't want to do anything because it was, I had some kind of adrenal problem. And so I wound up at NIH for an evaluation and it just colored. I was preoccupied with that. And of course, I've been so scared for so long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't have to pay for that care."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did not. No, I did not. But I didn't have to pay because I was a research patient, not because Peace Corps was paying for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh interesting. Their record was not good during this period."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, when you finally get your head back, what was your initial reaction being back home, back in the U.S.? I mean, you weren't home yet, but."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:665", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.98098, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, when you finally get your head back, what was your initial reaction being back home, back in the U.S.? I mean, you weren't home yet, but."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, and again, one of these stereotypical things. I remember before I went overseas that I had counted the different brands of hairspray. And of all the stupid, why? And one of the things I did when I came home was to go into drugstore and there were, instead of 17, there were like 25 different brands of hairspray. Now what? What are we doing here? What is going on?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was in D.C. and the buildup was starting for Vietnam. Johnson was calling up. And everything for my whole life has always been ambivalent, because I had been afraid and I knew that that guerillas did exist and people, innocent people, got killed. And if that was what was going on in Vietnam, then I welcomed, you know, the troops. On the other hand, the whole point of Peace Corps was supposed to be so that we never had to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You finally left Washington."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:667", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.3122000000000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, and again, one of these stereotypical things. I remember before I went overseas that I had counted the different brands of hairspray. And of all the stupid, why? And one of the things I did when I came home was to go into drugstore and there were, instead of 17, there were like 25 different brands of hairspray. Now what? What are we doing here? What is going on?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was in D.C. and the buildup was starting for Vietnam. Johnson was calling up. And everything for my whole life has always been ambivalent, because I had been afraid and I knew that that guerillas did exist and people, innocent people, got killed. And if that was what was going on in Vietnam, then I welcomed, you know, the troops. On the other hand, the whole point of Peace Corps was supposed to be so that we never had to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You finally left Washington."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:669", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4580000000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was in D.C. and the buildup was starting for Vietnam. Johnson was calling up. And everything for my whole life has always been ambivalent, because I had been afraid and I knew that that guerillas did exist and people, innocent people, got killed. And if that was what was going on in Vietnam, then I welcomed, you know, the troops. On the other hand, the whole point of Peace Corps was supposed to be so that we never had to do that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You finally left Washington."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Claudine was in Washington, she was going to Georgetown, and I stayed there for a couple of months. Could not stand Georgetown. I mean, couldn't stand Washington. I had a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You hadn't seen your folks?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:671", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.62, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Claudine was in Washington, she was going to Georgetown, and I stayed there for a couple of months. Could not stand Georgetown. I mean, couldn't stand Washington. I had a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You hadn't seen your folks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had been home briefly and then I had had to come back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh OK. So you had touched base."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:673", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Claudine was in Washington, she was going to Georgetown, and I stayed there for a couple of months. Could not stand Georgetown. I mean, couldn't stand Washington. I had a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You hadn't seen your folks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had been home briefly and then I had had to come back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh OK. So you had touched base."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just, I couldn't. I couldn't do Washington. I just could not do it. And so a chance to be a substitute teacher in this little town where my parents lived opened up. And I just couldn't wait to get out of Washington. You know, because I just, I was, they didn't. Nobody understood. You couldn't talk about where you'd been or what you had seen. And it was all war and the excitement that comes with war. It was a war capital. And I didn't fit in. And I just didn't fit in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're back in Colorado?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:675", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had been home briefly and then I had had to come back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh OK. So you had touched base."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just, I couldn't. I couldn't do Washington. I just could not do it. And so a chance to be a substitute teacher in this little town where my parents lived opened up. And I just couldn't wait to get out of Washington. You know, because I just, I was, they didn't. Nobody understood. You couldn't talk about where you'd been or what you had seen. And it was all war and the excitement that comes with war. It was a war capital. And I didn't fit in. And I just didn't fit in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're back in Colorado?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You started teaching."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:677", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I just, I couldn't. I couldn't do Washington. I just could not do it. And so a chance to be a substitute teacher in this little town where my parents lived opened up. And I just couldn't wait to get out of Washington. You know, because I just, I was, they didn't. Nobody understood. You couldn't talk about where you'd been or what you had seen. And it was all war and the excitement that comes with war. It was a war capital. And I didn't fit in. And I just didn't fit in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're back in Colorado?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You started teaching."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I taught for half a year and then I went back to University of New Mexico to get a master's in Latin American studies. But I didn't get it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. And through the years, how do you think your Peace Corps experience affected what you've done in your career or your life?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:681", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I taught for half a year and then I went back to University of New Mexico to get a master's in Latin American studies. But I didn't get it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. And through the years, how do you think your Peace Corps experience affected what you've done in your career or your life?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Changed my whole life. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I'd wanted to go to law school and that was, you know what? I wanted to then understand what it is I had seen, what it is I had worked with. I was haunted by those women and their problems, and we weren't able to really help them. And we didn't have an answer then. We don't have an answer now, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've mentioned that you weren't able or you haven't maintained any connection with people back in Colombia."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:683", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Changed my whole life. Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I'd wanted to go to law school and that was, you know what? I wanted to then understand what it is I had seen, what it is I had worked with. I was haunted by those women and their problems, and we weren't able to really help them. And we didn't have an answer then. We don't have an answer now, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've mentioned that you weren't able or you haven't maintained any connection with people back in Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, my partner did. Bev did and I did not. Partly, I tried to, and I didn't. Partly there was the fear because any kind of contact, you know, you just didn't know where it would go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure, sure. Well, sort of coming near the end. Anything else about the experience you'd like to mention?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:685", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I'd wanted to go to law school and that was, you know what? I wanted to then understand what it is I had seen, what it is I had worked with. I was haunted by those women and their problems, and we weren't able to really help them. And we didn't have an answer then. We don't have an answer now, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've mentioned that you weren't able or you haven't maintained any connection with people back in Colombia."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, my partner did. Bev did and I did not. Partly, I tried to, and I didn't. Partly there was the fear because any kind of contact, you know, you just didn't know where it would go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure, sure. Well, sort of coming near the end. Anything else about the experience you'd like to mention?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that what we did was important. I think it's important to write down what we did that worked and what we did that didn't. And I, you know, I think that we should have learned from our mistakes and we should have had a technology or an approach or a strategy to help in particular that built on a cross-cultural understanding, that built on. The women that I worked with, those midwives. I mean, I learned so much from them, just their whole approach, their everything, their courage. You know that that should be, that should permeate what we do when we talk about health and we talk about education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Peace Corps at that time certainly didn't have a long-term vision."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:687", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, my partner did. Bev did and I did not. Partly, I tried to, and I didn't. Partly there was the fear because any kind of contact, you know, you just didn't know where it would go."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sure, sure. Well, sort of coming near the end. Anything else about the experience you'd like to mention?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that what we did was important. I think it's important to write down what we did that worked and what we did that didn't. And I, you know, I think that we should have learned from our mistakes and we should have had a technology or an approach or a strategy to help in particular that built on a cross-cultural understanding, that built on. The women that I worked with, those midwives. I mean, I learned so much from them, just their whole approach, their everything, their courage. You know that that should be, that should permeate what we do when we talk about health and we talk about education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Peace Corps at that time certainly didn't have a long-term vision."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or even a short-term strategy in relation to poverty. They were there and it was kind of."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00209:689", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that what we did was important. I think it's important to write down what we did that worked and what we did that didn't. And I, you know, I think that we should have learned from our mistakes and we should have had a technology or an approach or a strategy to help in particular that built on a cross-cultural understanding, that built on. The women that I worked with, those midwives. I mean, I learned so much from them, just their whole approach, their everything, their courage. You know that that should be, that should permeate what we do when we talk about health and we talk about education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Peace Corps at that time certainly didn't have a long-term vision."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or even a short-term strategy in relation to poverty. They were there and it was kind of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And the people were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And if you don't like it, we'll send you to the Philippines."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 11.325628087646603, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What was going on, alright. I was, I was working. I had, um, I was working in a job and I was there for a couple of years and I had a boyfriend, and he just joined the Navy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where was the job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The job was in, um, Kansas City, Missouri, for the Borden Company. And, and I had graduated from, um, a technical vocational school, and I was a secretary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did you graduate from business school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About '64, 1964."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And before that? Where had you grown up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.13958676405178, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The job was in, um, Kansas City, Missouri, for the Borden Company. And, and I had graduated from, um, a technical vocational school, and I was a secretary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When did you graduate from business school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About '64, 1964."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And before that? Where had you grown up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Before that, I grew up, um. I was born in North Dakota. Moved to north Missouri when I was ten, graduated from Trenton High School in 1962."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where in northern Missouri?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.7031935358663945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Before that, I grew up, um. I was born in North Dakota. Moved to north Missouri when I was ten, graduated from Trenton High School in 1962."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where in northern Missouri?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Trenton."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Trenton."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Trenton High."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And during the high school years, did you do any volunteer work, any extracurricular activities, any travel?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.628523368815355, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was, uh, my dad was a grade E dairy farmer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so being a dairy farmer, you didn't travel much. So, but they were, they were leaders, uh, 4-H leaders. So I grew up from, um, from age during the 4-H when I was about eight or nine clear on through high school and they were the leaders. And so of course we had our, we had our, all our projects, our farm projects, our sewing and cooking and. And, um, even one year I raised, I raised a litter of pigs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, that was exciting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you lived and worked on a farm?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.142803743128171, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so being a dairy farmer, you didn't travel much. So, but they were, they were leaders, uh, 4-H leaders. So I grew up from, um, from age during the 4-H when I was about eight or nine clear on through high school and they were the leaders. And so of course we had our, we had our, all our projects, our farm projects, our sewing and cooking and. And, um, even one year I raised, I raised a litter of pigs."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, that was exciting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you lived and worked on a farm?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, outside of town. And we were kind of a model farm for the, um, FFA people that the students and they'd come and observe the dairy farm and, and the crops and we had a very, very nice, nice, nice farm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any brothers and sisters?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.714226381253524, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, that was exciting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you lived and worked on a farm?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, outside of town. And we were kind of a model farm for the, um, FFA people that the students and they'd come and observe the dairy farm and, and the crops and we had a very, very nice, nice, nice farm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any brothers and sisters?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've got, um, three sisters, older sisters, and a younger brother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. So you went to high school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.349140423615026, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes, outside of town. And we were kind of a model farm for the, um, FFA people that the students and they'd come and observe the dairy farm and, and the crops and we had a very, very nice, nice, nice farm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any brothers and sisters?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've got, um, three sisters, older sisters, and a younger brother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. So you went to high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then when you finished high school, what were your options at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.83237824846114, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've got, um, three sisters, older sisters, and a younger brother."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. So you went to high school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then when you finished high school, what were your options at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't terribly interested in a regular four-year college, and, um, and I'd been interested in probably being a secretary. And, and, um, so I went to Kansas City, Missouri, it had a business college. So I, I went there and I, um, it was like a two year program and got my diploma as a secretary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And during the two years, any travel, any special activities?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 4.854787961063136, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't terribly interested in a regular four-year college, and, um, and I'd been interested in probably being a secretary. And, and, um, so I went to Kansas City, Missouri, it had a business college. So I, I went there and I, um, it was like a two year program and got my diploma as a secretary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. And during the two years, any travel, any special activities?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, not really. Not really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And of course, on weekends, I go back home and, and, uh, help out and visit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And then so after school, you, did you go straight to work for the Borden Company?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 2.2898616803248584, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And of course, on weekends, I go back home and, and, uh, help out and visit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And then so after school, you, did you go straight to work for the Borden Company?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Uh huh. I went to Borden Company and I was there for about two years. And meanwhile, I'd been dating this, this fellow I'd met at the business college, and he, um. Uh, we were getting serious, but not ready for marriage or anything. And so he joined the Navy, and it just, it just sounded like he went off to, well, he went to Vietnam."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, and I just felt there was something, something else I should be doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you, do you remember when you first heard of the Peace Corps or how you heard of the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.32206853369428723, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Uh huh. I went to Borden Company and I was there for about two years. And meanwhile, I'd been dating this, this fellow I'd met at the business college, and he, um. Uh, we were getting serious, but not ready for marriage or anything. And so he joined the Navy, and it just, it just sounded like he went off to, well, he went to Vietnam."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, and I just felt there was something, something else I should be doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you, do you remember when you first heard of the Peace Corps or how you heard of the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, this was in 19, about 1964 at the time. And it was, you know, you could. It was in the newspapers, it was on, um, TV, newspapers. And, and there's a lot of mention of the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember your reaction to hearing about it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.3578539263269858, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, and I just felt there was something, something else I should be doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you, do you remember when you first heard of the Peace Corps or how you heard of the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, this was in 19, about 1964 at the time. And it was, you know, you could. It was in the newspapers, it was on, um, TV, newspapers. And, and there's a lot of mention of the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember your reaction to hearing about it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just, I just thought that, you know, it was, it was something pretty exciting and, and something I probably should look into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, good. And do you recall the how and when you made the decision? Well, I'm going to join the Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.3976154736966509, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, this was in 19, about 1964 at the time. And it was, you know, you could. It was in the newspapers, it was on, um, TV, newspapers. And, and there's a lot of mention of the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember your reaction to hearing about it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just, I just thought that, you know, it was, it was something pretty exciting and, and something I probably should look into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, good. And do you recall the how and when you made the decision? Well, I'm going to join the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, of course, I, I started, you know, I, I got the. I don't even, I don't remember where I got the application from. I think I sent off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you living and working in Kansas City?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.44179497077405655, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I just, I just thought that, you know, it was, it was something pretty exciting and, and something I probably should look into."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, good. And do you recall the how and when you made the decision? Well, I'm going to join the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, of course, I, I started, you know, I, I got the. I don't even, I don't remember where I got the application from. I think I sent off."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you living and working in Kansas City?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Kansas City at the time. And I send off for more information. They sent me a 12 page application and I, um, went ahead and filled it out and progressed from there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you didn't have any sense that they were really just looking for people with bachelor's degrees or anything?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5454258898445142, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Kansas City at the time. And I send off for more information. They sent me a 12 page application and I, um, went ahead and filled it out and progressed from there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you didn't have any sense that they were really just looking for people with bachelor's degrees or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At the time, they didn't. They didn't state that's what they were looking for."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because they said there's, you know, there's, there's agriculture, there's health, health groups. And, um, and I really didn't know what I could be doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the reaction of your family and your friends when, or you didn't tell them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6733652961043385, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because they said there's, you know, there's, there's agriculture, there's health, health groups. And, um, and I really didn't know what I could be doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the reaction of your family and your friends when, or you didn't tell them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I did. And I think they knew, um, what I was doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, of course, my parents, you know, they. Of course, they were concerned about me the whole entire process and the time I was gone, of course. And, um. But."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did your sisters think of you? They, I gather."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9236835337508073, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, nobody else had done anything quite like this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Exactly."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A couple of sisters who went off to college, you know, and one sister had a nursing degree. And then my oldest sister is a medical technician. And, uh, and of course, they'd been to, been to college and another sister at home doing a, um, um, art and working on art."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But no one had taken the steps of going out of the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. So they thought you were crazy or they just?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1403500416676633, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But no one had taken the steps of going out of the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right. So they thought you were crazy or they just?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, pretty much. Pretty much. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I always had a kind of an adventurous, you know, an inquisitive past anyway. So I don't think they were too surprised."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were the youngest of four sisters."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2670556018529593, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, pretty much. Pretty much. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I always had a kind of an adventurous, you know, an inquisitive past anyway. So I don't think they were too surprised."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were the youngest of four sisters."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The youngest of the girls, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Some, in the application process. Often in those days when you signed up, you could indicate an area of preference. I'd rather be in this part of the world. And sometimes you could even indicate a job preference. Do you remember?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7380735279190112, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember that. And, and, I was, I was very unsure because I'd never been outside of the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I had absolutely no preference."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No preference. And as far as working at something, like I said, I'd been a secretary. I didn't know what else I could do. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Except you'd grown up on a farm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3841886528381497, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Farm background."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, so I just put down on the application what I knew and what I felt I could do and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you seem to remember that you took the entrance exam."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6490985031534997, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, so I just put down on the application what I knew and what I felt I could do and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you seem to remember that you took the entrance exam."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I took one, yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the post office building."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.943442781281666, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you seem to remember that you took the entrance exam."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I took one, yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the post office building."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Post office basement. Um, some government exam."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got the references."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.270491979201851, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I took one, yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the post office building."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Post office basement. Um, some government exam."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got the references."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And got the references and, uh, and then sent in my application and, and, uh, just kind of supplied them after that, what they asked for and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then what happened?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6338799768909453, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Post office basement. Um, some government exam."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got the references."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And got the references and, uh, and then sent in my application and, and, uh, just kind of supplied them after that, what they asked for and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they sent me, of course, my medical exam. They sent me to a doctor and dentist and, um, sent everything in and just kind of waited around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in the meantime, you were still working?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.037644418767717, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And got the references and, uh, and then sent in my application and, and, uh, just kind of supplied them after that, what they asked for and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they sent me, of course, my medical exam. They sent me to a doctor and dentist and, um, sent everything in and just kind of waited around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in the meantime, you were still working?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was working. I was working."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you announced at work that you might be leaving or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.538606884455029, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, no, I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I enjoyed my work. You know, it's my first, first real job. I enjoyed it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then what happened?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4823139704458557, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I got, um, I think I got a letter that said I was, uh, either letter or telegram, that I was accepted and then the information to, uh, um, report for training at a certain, certain date. And this was about March of, um, 1996 [1966], I believe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "'66, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, of course, I gave my notice at work and informed my family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And of course, they were excited, you know, for me, of course, the opportunity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you have any second thoughts?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8692377449398396, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, of course, I gave my notice at work and informed my family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And of course, they were excited, you know, for me, of course, the opportunity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you have any second thoughts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never. Never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you were ready."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.299153049933155, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And of course, they were excited, you know, for me, of course, the opportunity."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you have any second thoughts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never. Never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you were ready."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was just ready to just, just. I was ready to do anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the letter or telegram indicate where you'd be going?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.77683672214795, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, never. Never."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, you were ready."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was just ready to just, just. I was ready to do anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the letter or telegram indicate where you'd be going?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or just that you'd be going into training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.196485246831055, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was just ready to just, just. I was ready to do anything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the letter or telegram indicate where you'd be going?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or just that you'd be going into training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think. I think, you know, I don't remember. I don't remember, but somehow when I got to training, maybe that's when I found out. When I got to training in Washington, D.C."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you flew to Washington."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.662761385367839, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or just that you'd be going into training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think. I think, you know, I don't remember. I don't remember, but somehow when I got to training, maybe that's when I found out. When I got to training in Washington, D.C."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you flew to Washington."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it the first time flying?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.645384426380048, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it the first time flying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was. It was the first time. I'm just a farm girl, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, first time flying. So I left out of Kansas City, TWA. And, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have really made it an event."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.050427140422276, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was. It was the first time. I'm just a farm girl, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, first time flying. So I left out of Kansas City, TWA. And, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have really made it an event."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was wonderful. I just loved every minute of it. And went to D.C. And I think when I got to Washington, and we all met at a hotel and stayed at a hotel, I think that's where we got our information on where we were going. And of course, our training, our language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the program described to you was worldwide secretary?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.500474600469195, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, first time flying. So I left out of Kansas City, TWA. And, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have really made it an event."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was wonderful. I just loved every minute of it. And went to D.C. And I think when I got to Washington, and we all met at a hotel and stayed at a hotel, I think that's where we got our information on where we were going. And of course, our training, our language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the program described to you was worldwide secretary?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were reasonably sure that whatever you were going to go somewhere and work as a secretary."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.1734905356230385, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that was, that was okay with me because I knew, you know, I knew I could do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm curious, when you, when you first reported to Washington, you got to the hotel. Now there's a group."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.621593253855602, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm curious, when you, when you first reported to Washington, you got to the hotel. Now there's a group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was about, I would say, near 30. Um. Females."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Women. And we were all, um, most of us had been working as secretaries in a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you feel about the group? I mean, now you made this decision to join and all of a sudden you're in the midst of a couple of dozen other people. And I think inevitably you sort of look at, you know, wonder, do I match up? Do you remember your reaction?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.246214726506224, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was about, I would say, near 30. Um. Females."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All women?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Women. And we were all, um, most of us had been working as secretaries in a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you feel about the group? I mean, now you made this decision to join and all of a sudden you're in the midst of a couple of dozen other people. And I think inevitably you sort of look at, you know, wonder, do I match up? Do you remember your reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think I did. And everybody was from, you know, all across the United States. And, um, then we were given, um, informed which country they intended for us to go and, um, and so. So we had three months of training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was all in Washington?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.829127473895804, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Women. And we were all, um, most of us had been working as secretaries in a job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you feel about the group? I mean, now you made this decision to join and all of a sudden you're in the midst of a couple of dozen other people. And I think inevitably you sort of look at, you know, wonder, do I match up? Do you remember your reaction?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think I did. And everybody was from, you know, all across the United States. And, um, then we were given, um, informed which country they intended for us to go and, um, and so. So we had three months of training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was all in Washington?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh, George Washington University area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But you said you stayed at the hotel?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.476808304328671, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think I did. And everybody was from, you know, all across the United States. And, um, then we were given, um, informed which country they intended for us to go and, um, and so. So we had three months of training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was all in Washington?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh, George Washington University area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. But you said you stayed at the hotel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Stayed at the hotel. And we had, we had, um, uh, our language training in the hotel also. And they, they had, uh, instructors come in. Native language instructors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And now at that point, of the 30 or so, were all going to India?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7116711993534564, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there was, um, oh, I think they had slated like 14 different countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Different countries. They had three of us, or at the time four of us, taking five Indian, um, Hindu, um, language classes. They had Africa. Um. Philippines, Thailand."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, just many, many countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So for the language training, you really split into small groups?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.012967999281618, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Different countries. They had three of us, or at the time four of us, taking five Indian, um, Hindu, um, language classes. They had Africa. Um. Philippines, Thailand."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, just many, many countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So for the language training, you really split into small groups?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was that, in the initial phase of training, was that every day?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.13946666577977546, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And was that, in the initial phase of training, was that every day?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Every day. Six days a week. Every morning from about 8:00 to 12:00, we had language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then in the afternoons we had, um, we met as groups and maybe one group and they gave us like general culture, um, culture training information about culture in other countries and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that general, it wasn't specific to India?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.1549629619775283, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Every day. Six days a week. Every morning from about 8:00 to 12:00, we had language training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then in the afternoons we had, um, we met as groups and maybe one group and they gave us like general culture, um, culture training information about culture in other countries and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that general, it wasn't specific to India?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think most of it was, was general and kind of highlighting all the countries then. So everybody got kind of a, a general of different countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was the whole group."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.17218106886392032, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then in the afternoons we had, um, we met as groups and maybe one group and they gave us like general culture, um, culture training information about culture in other countries and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that general, it wasn't specific to India?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think most of it was, was general and kind of highlighting all the countries then. So everybody got kind of a, a general of different countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was the whole group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, uh huh. And then we had like physical education. We went and had swimming like twice a week or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At George Washington?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.23618802313294968, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, uh huh. And those that didn't know how to swim, they learned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, and just, just for some, you know, physical education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone say, well, in order to go, you need to learn the language, or was it just?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.2624311368143885, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, and just, just for some, you know, physical education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone say, well, in order to go, you need to learn the language, or was it just?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It would be good if you learned it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.2915901520159872, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone say, well, in order to go, you need to learn the language, or was it just?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It would be good if you learned it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they pretty much said when you, uh, you needed to know the language to go to a country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, did they, in training you did the language. You did the culture studies. In those days, they also were doing something called American Studies World Communism. Do you recall if they?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.3239890577955413, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It would be good if you learned it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they pretty much said when you, uh, you needed to know the language to go to a country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, did they, in training you did the language. You did the culture studies. In those days, they also were doing something called American Studies World Communism. Do you recall if they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't recall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any of that? Yeah, they may have dropped it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.3599878419950459, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they pretty much said when you, uh, you needed to know the language to go to a country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, did they, in training you did the language. You did the culture studies. In those days, they also were doing something called American Studies World Communism. Do you recall if they?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't recall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any of that? Yeah, they may have dropped it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So there was language, cultural studies, and physical education.\n\nYeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about medical training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.3999864911056066, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't recall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any of that? Yeah, they may have dropped it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So there was language, cultural studies, and physical education.\n\nYeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about medical training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Medical? Not really. But we were, we were kind of, um, there was a psychologist that came in and visited with each of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had separate interviews."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.49381048284642787, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Medical? Not really. But we were, we were kind of, um, there was a psychologist that came in and visited with each of us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had separate interviews."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the interview?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5486783142738088, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the interview?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sort of, um. And I think he just kind of visited with you on, on, on, uh, background and reaction and potential incidents that may occur. And, and, uh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he ask if you were leaving a boyfriend and would you miss him and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6096425714153431, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the interview?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sort of, um. And I think he just kind of visited with you on, on, on, uh, background and reaction and potential incidents that may occur. And, and, uh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he ask if you were leaving a boyfriend and would you miss him and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He probably did. And family. And he probably did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was, do you know if the FBI was doing the background check while you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6773806349059367, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sort of, um. And I think he just kind of visited with you on, on, on, uh, background and reaction and potential incidents that may occur. And, and, uh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he ask if you were leaving a boyfriend and would you miss him and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He probably did. And family. And he probably did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was, do you know if the FBI was doing the background check while you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you know?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7526451498954853, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He probably did. And family. And he probably did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was, do you know if the FBI was doing the background check while you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think they told us that we were going to be investigated."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did anyone from back home say, oh, the FBI came and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8362723887727613, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think they told us that we were going to be investigated."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did anyone from back home say, oh, the FBI came and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh. I don't think anybody actually saw anybody."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah. And what were you writing back to the family while you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.929191543080846, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think they told us that we were going to be investigated."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did anyone from back home say, oh, the FBI came and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh. I don't think anybody actually saw anybody."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah. And what were you writing back to the family while you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I just, you know, I, I wrote letters so they could see what was going on, what we were doing. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, and how long was the training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0324350478676065, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh. I don't think anybody actually saw anybody."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah. And what were you writing back to the family while you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I just, you know, I, I wrote letters so they could see what was going on, what we were doing. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, and how long was the training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Training was three months. Three."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it was just the pattern we talked about. Was there anything else? At any point that they try to teach you Peace Corps procedures or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1471500531862295, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I just, you know, I, I wrote letters so they could see what was going on, what we were doing. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, and how long was the training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Training was three months. Three."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it was just the pattern we talked about. Was there anything else? At any point that they try to teach you Peace Corps procedures or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did I think. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get a chance to visit Peace Corps headquarters?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2746111702069216, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Training was three months. Three."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it was just the pattern we talked about. Was there anything else? At any point that they try to teach you Peace Corps procedures or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did I think. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get a chance to visit Peace Corps headquarters?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was downtown, it was near the White House."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.573594037292496, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was downtown, it was near the White House."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we had speakers come in, though, and, and, uh. Yeah. And then on our own, you know, we could take, you know, we visited Washington, D.C., we had picnics and, and, um, um. Yeah, we had some free time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And it was during cherry blossom time, and it was just beautiful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you had a chance to see Washington as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7484378192138843, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we had speakers come in, though, and, and, uh. Yeah. And then on our own, you know, we could take, you know, we visited Washington, D.C., we had picnics and, and, um, um. Yeah, we had some free time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And it was during cherry blossom time, and it was just beautiful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you had a chance to see Washington as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, did anyone from Washington, from Peace Corps staff, come and say, well, your program's a little bit different in the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.942708688015427, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And it was during cherry blossom time, and it was just beautiful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So you had a chance to see Washington as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, did anyone from Washington, from Peace Corps staff, come and say, well, your program's a little bit different in the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was it they said?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1638378864387988, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was it they said?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They said it was kind of an experimental thing, and the Peace Corps was. There was so many, um, Peace Corps volunteers at that time in the field and, and, and offices were opening up regional offices in countries and they just, they needed, um. They needed quality people in the offices because local people with the customs and everything just couldn't, couldn't produce as we were used to doing it in the States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, and they just needed some, some good help. And, um, and there was two programs of worldwide secretaries and I was, um, I believe I was the second, second program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. So your expectation then was that you were going to be going to India but."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2931532071542209, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They said it was kind of an experimental thing, and the Peace Corps was. There was so many, um, Peace Corps volunteers at that time in the field and, and, and offices were opening up regional offices in countries and they just, they needed, um. They needed quality people in the offices because local people with the customs and everything just couldn't, couldn't produce as we were used to doing it in the States."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, and they just needed some, some good help. And, um, and there was two programs of worldwide secretaries and I was, um, I believe I was the second, second program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. So your expectation then was that you were going to be going to India but."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Working in an office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you'd be working in the Peace Corps, a Peace Corps office."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5964854409311369, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Working in an office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That you'd be working in the Peace Corps, a Peace Corps office."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. And then that was the last of the program. I don't know why they. We were, there was only two programs only."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. The sixties, this time was I think when the greatest number of Peace Corps volunteers were overseas, maybe up to 15,000. And another part of training usually is the selection process. You mentioned that a psychologist had interviewed you. Do you recall people talking about selection as to whether you were going to make it or not?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.7738727121457076, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mm hmm. And then that was the last of the program. I don't know why they. We were, there was only two programs only."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. The sixties, this time was I think when the greatest number of Peace Corps volunteers were overseas, maybe up to 15,000. And another part of training usually is the selection process. You mentioned that a psychologist had interviewed you. Do you recall people talking about selection as to whether you were going to make it or not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Everybody was being that they said, you know, they said the language was very important. To me, I, myself, I had, I thought I had a difficult time learning this language because it was a difficult language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what language was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:203", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9553984100564289, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Everybody was being that they said, you know, they said the language was very important. To me, I, myself, I had, I thought I had a difficult time learning this language because it was a difficult language."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what language was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hindi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hindi. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, and there was about, about five of us in that class and, and, uh, so we knew it was important that we, we learn. So I, I did my best."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And usually with training there's a mid selection board and then a final selection board. So somewhere in the middle of training, all of a sudden a few people disappeared."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1795042099462083, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, and there was about, about five of us in that class and, and, uh, so we knew it was important that we, we learn. So I, I did my best."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And usually with training there's a mid selection board and then a final selection board. So somewhere in the middle of training, all of a sudden a few people disappeared."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think in our program, as I recall, it was only final."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you recall what happened? I mean, how you were informed?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4561780369706276, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you recall what happened? I mean, how you were informed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think, I think they met individually at the end and let us know whether we were accepted or not. In my, in my India class, out of the five of us, only three of us were selected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was surprised as to maybe one that was not selected. Of course, I didn't know her background either but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had the five you become sort of friendly?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6179755966340306, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think, I think they met individually at the end and let us know whether we were accepted or not. In my, in my India class, out of the five of us, only three of us were selected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was surprised as to maybe one that was not selected. Of course, I didn't know her background either but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had the five you become sort of friendly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Oh, yeah. Because we were with each other, you know, all the time, so yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you weren't inclined to protest that someone had been deselected."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7977506629267006, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I was surprised as to maybe one that was not selected. Of course, I didn't know her background either but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had the five you become sort of friendly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Oh, yeah. Because we were with each other, you know, all the time, so yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you weren't inclined to protest that someone had been deselected."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So end of the three months you, final selection."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9975007365852229, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Oh, yeah. Because we were with each other, you know, all the time, so yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you weren't inclined to protest that someone had been deselected."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So end of the three months you, final selection."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Final selection. Got the, they let us know who and went home and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had home leave."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:221", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.466050292080522, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Final selection. Got the, they let us know who and went home and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had home leave."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Had a home leave and they, of course, we had our little list of what they suggested we take with us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, I don't remember how long I was home. Not too long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did anyone from the family sort of say, okay, now, why don't you give it up or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.065166712527768, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nervous."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably. And, but, uh, I think they were all excited for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So went home and packed and took care of my, um, affairs and my, my banking and, and, uh, anything else I had to do and. And, uh, flew to New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your feeling as you were leaving heading for India?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7841564352194665, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So went home and packed and took care of my, um, affairs and my, my banking and, and, uh, anything else I had to do and. And, uh, flew to New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what was your feeling as you were leaving heading for India?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Excited."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was just, I was just ready for anything. I was excited."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you sort of picture that, well, that puts the whole farm thing behind me and I'm now moving into a new, new world."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.2046182613549625, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Excited."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was just, I was just ready for anything. I was excited."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you sort of picture that, well, that puts the whole farm thing behind me and I'm now moving into a new, new world."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you reported to New York."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.190886742413534, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you reported to New York."}, {"role": "user", "content": "New York. And of course, they, they sent us. Um, they sent me airline, an airline ticket, of course. And, um, I think most of us or some of us, some of the groups, we went together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, my India group met in New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was just three of you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.656540824903927, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "New York. And of course, they, they sent us. Um, they sent me airline, an airline ticket, of course. And, um, I think most of us or some of us, some of the groups, we went together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, my India group met in New York."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was just three of you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At JFK Airport. Mm hmm. Right. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you join a group going over or you just flew, the three of you just flew commercial?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.748815833214724, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At JFK Airport. Mm hmm. Right. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you join a group going over or you just flew, the three of you just flew commercial?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it's commercial."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So just the three of you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:249", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.387573148016361, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it's commercial."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So just the three of you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And, um, and of course, the other, I think at the airport we did see maybe from other groups going to their countries, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:251", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.875081275573734, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So just the three of you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And, um, and of course, the other, I think at the airport we did see maybe from other groups going to their countries, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And uh, so yeah, we all met there and then, and then flew over to New Delhi together. Well, first, first we moved, we. From New York, we flew to London, and um, of course went through the customs and, um, flew to London."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It all must have seemed so strange to you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.589515737804806, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I loved it. And then from, uh, London, we went to, um, flew to Moscow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And this was like late in the evening and everything. The airport was outside of the city and, and, and everything was dark and gloomy and, and, uh. So we got off the plane there and went inside the terminal for, for tea, and we were there for a couple of hours I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there someone who was escorting you or it was just the three of you were on your own?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.431500910870131, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there someone who was escorting you or it was just the three of you were on your own?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think someone. I think we were on our own, but, but there was other passengers on the plane."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That were taking kind of the same trip maybe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the other two come from the same kind of background as you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8127787898557015, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I think someone. I think we were on our own, but, but there was other passengers on the plane."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That were taking kind of the same trip maybe."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the other two come from the same kind of background as you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, let me see. I think one gal was from Minnesota. Um, I think we all had varied backgrounds."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm. Of the three, who took the lead in saying, well, maybe we should go there to get our visas or maybe we should?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.230149231626476, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we just kind of, we kind of went with the flow of the passengers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And but, but I was. I think my first time to be really nervous was when we got to Moscow and, and, the, the plane parked out on the runway somewhere. And it was like I said, it was dark and gloomy. And as we exited the plane, they took our passports."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That made me nervous. That made me nervous. And then we boarded a bus and the bus took us to the terminal and it was so quiet and no passengers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was early in the morning?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:273", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.700165812918307, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And but, but I was. I think my first time to be really nervous was when we got to Moscow and, and, the, the plane parked out on the runway somewhere. And it was like I said, it was dark and gloomy. And as we exited the plane, they took our passports."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That made me nervous. That made me nervous. And then we boarded a bus and the bus took us to the terminal and it was so quiet and no passengers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was early in the morning?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think this was in the evening."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Yes."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.052683756924717, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We sat at this table and we had tea and, and, um, eventually they told us we could get, we could board. So got back on the bus and got back on the plane. And all this time I was thinking, oh my gosh, I hope they're giving me my passport, you know? And, um, finally, once we got back on the plane and took off, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your identity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I was, I was Ruth again so. And then from there, we went to New Delhi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Talk about arriving in New Delhi."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.614093063249685, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your identity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I was, I was Ruth again so. And then from there, we went to New Delhi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Talk about arriving in New Delhi."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was, I think we arrived like early morning because, um. And, um. Got off the plane and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You must have been pretty exhausted because you've been traveling."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:287", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.696411189197142, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was, I think we arrived like early morning because, um. And, um. Got off the plane and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You must have been pretty exhausted because you've been traveling."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, I don't remember that. When you're 23 years old, I don't think, I don't think you get exhausted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't so, I wasn't. That, that's not even a, um, I don't remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the adrenaline must have been flowing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5758162829594338, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't so, I wasn't. That, that's not even a, um, I don't remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the adrenaline must have been flowing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, yeah. Anyway, I think we got a chance to sleep on the plane and a little. And, um, so we got to. And there was the, uh, the office, Peace Corps office in New Delhi met us. And, um, from there. First thing I noticed was it was, it was hot already, and this was in about May."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About May sometime. And it was pretty warm. Um. And they took us by car to a hotel and we checked in and we stayed at the hotel there for, in New Delhi, for I think about three days. And I remember that we all went down as a group for breakfast and then they."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's still the three of you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9731292032882597, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, yeah. Anyway, I think we got a chance to sleep on the plane and a little. And, um, so we got to. And there was the, uh, the office, Peace Corps office in New Delhi met us. And, um, from there. First thing I noticed was it was, it was hot already, and this was in about May."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About May sometime. And it was pretty warm. Um. And they took us by car to a hotel and we checked in and we stayed at the hotel there for, in New Delhi, for I think about three days. And I remember that we all went down as a group for breakfast and then they."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's still the three of you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three of us. And then, and then they'd come from the office and have breakfast with us. And. And um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember first trying to use your Hindi?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.414588003653622, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About May sometime. And it was pretty warm. Um. And they took us by car to a hotel and we checked in and we stayed at the hotel there for, in New Delhi, for I think about three days. And I remember that we all went down as a group for breakfast and then they."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's still the three of you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three of us. And then, and then they'd come from the office and have breakfast with us. And. And um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember first trying to use your Hindi?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "See, like in the hotel we didn't need to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Everybody spoke?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:297", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.7939866707262464, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three of us. And then, and then they'd come from the office and have breakfast with us. And. And um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember first trying to use your Hindi?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "See, like in the hotel we didn't need to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Everybody spoke?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Everybody spoke English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Although, you must have taken a while to tune into Indian English cause of the accents?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:301", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.214798358921292, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Everybody spoke English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Although, you must have taken a while to tune into Indian English cause of the accents?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah. But, uh, but I think, I think when the I, I looked out, the hotel was like maybe five stories high, and that was like maybe on the third or fourth floor, looking down. Pretty much the first, the first look of India. And there was some, some stucco little houses down there with tin roofs and homes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there was like a little, little, tiny, narrow canal in front and they dumped their sewage in it and, and um, and the chattering and the, and the kids playing and, and I thought, okay, this is India."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Different than Kansas."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:309", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.3757024217669436, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So then I, I, uh, then I also remember going, um, for breakfast to the dining room of the hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh my gosh. The, the, uh, fruit they put before us. Mangoes, papayas. I've never tasted anything so good. Of course, at home, we had our fresh peaches off the trees and pears and plums and everything. That was, that was good. But this was just wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was so good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. A nice welcome to the country."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:311", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7507804686299373, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh my gosh. The, the, uh, fruit they put before us. Mangoes, papayas. I've never tasted anything so good. Of course, at home, we had our fresh peaches off the trees and pears and plums and everything. That was, that was good. But this was just wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was so good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. A nice welcome to the country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during the three days, did you go to the Peace Corps office or just hang around?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:317", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.1451035234978555, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think they let us rest quite a bit."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, which I can remember doing, pulling the shades and just sleeping and, um. And then they'd come over and, um, you know, I. If they took us to the office, I don't remember. I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you remember your first introduction to Indian food? I mean, the breakfast was exotic."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:319", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.7167816927753945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, which I can remember doing, pulling the shades and just sleeping and, um. And then they'd come over and, um, you know, I. If they took us to the office, I don't remember. I don't remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you remember your first introduction to Indian food? I mean, the breakfast was exotic."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it was. It was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about, I mean, I picture curries, but, uh."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 6.607382294616453, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably in the dining room. Um. Of course I liked, you know, I liked everything I ate, the curries and the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. Of course, and I think in a nice hotel like that, they tend to serve European type food rather than the local Indian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after the three days?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:327", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8970914384627253, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. Of course, and I think in a nice hotel like that, they tend to serve European type food rather than the local Indian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after the three days?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three days, we, um, they put me on a plane and I went down to Hyderabad. Another gal went to Bangalore. Another one went to, I believe it was Madras."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And New Delhi was the main Peace Corps office?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:329", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2189904871808057, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after the three days?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three days, we, um, they put me on a plane and I went down to Hyderabad. Another gal went to Bangalore. Another one went to, I believe it was Madras."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And New Delhi was the main Peace Corps office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And who told you where you were going and what it was?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:331", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.576656096867562, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three days, we, um, they put me on a plane and I went down to Hyderabad. Another gal went to Bangalore. Another one went to, I believe it was Madras."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And New Delhi was the main Peace Corps office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And who told you where you were going and what it was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, the director."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember who it was?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:335", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.415624810947607, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, the director."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember who it was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I don't. I'm sorry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's alright."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I don't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But what were you told? You were going to be a secretary in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:337", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.906249789941786, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I don't. I'm sorry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's alright."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I don't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But what were you told? You were going to be a secretary in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the regional office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And what was the region?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:339", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.340277544379761, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I don't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But what were you told? You were going to be a secretary in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the regional office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And what was the region?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Region was, um, well, it was like the central. It was Andhra Pradesh, which is a very big state in India. And there were many volunteer, many groups there already."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the center was Hyderabad."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:341", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.822530604866401, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the regional office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. And what was the region?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Region was, um, well, it was like the central. It was Andhra Pradesh, which is a very big state in India. And there were many volunteer, many groups there already."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the center was Hyderabad."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you flew, another flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:343", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.358367338740446, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Region was, um, well, it was like the central. It was Andhra Pradesh, which is a very big state in India. And there were many volunteer, many groups there already."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the center was Hyderabad."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you flew, another flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Flew to end the course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just by yourself?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.726307539061535, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And they met me and brought me back to the office. And I think she, um, Joyce had had a home there and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Hyderabad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Hyderabad, and, uh, so I think first we went to her house and, and, and in a couple of weeks, she was gonna be taking a leave back to the States. So she asked me if I'd like to stay there while she was gone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was, it was very nice. I mean it's a beautiful, beautiful home, and uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She must have had a few servants."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.91811948784615, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Hyderabad, and, uh, so I think first we went to her house and, and, and in a couple of weeks, she was gonna be taking a leave back to the States. So she asked me if I'd like to stay there while she was gone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was, it was very nice. I mean it's a beautiful, beautiful home, and uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She must have had a few servants."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. [tape break] Oh. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that must have been a novelty. I mean, I'm sure you would not had a personal cook or."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:359", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1334808491927777, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. [tape break] Oh. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that must have been a novelty. I mean, I'm sure you would not had a personal cook or."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, and I didn't. And his name was Joseph, and he was wonderful. And, of course, he already knew to fix Joyce her favorite meals and some Indian meals. And I'd never been waited on before, ever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was a very strange feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you, you must have at some point said, I'm supposed to be a Peace Corps volunteer, and here I am, you know, living in the lap of luxury."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:361", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.259423165769753, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, and I didn't. And his name was Joseph, and he was wonderful. And, of course, he already knew to fix Joyce her favorite meals and some Indian meals. And I'd never been waited on before, ever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was a very strange feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you, you must have at some point said, I'm supposed to be a Peace Corps volunteer, and here I am, you know, living in the lap of luxury."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So, but, but I started off right away going to the office and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far was it from the house to the office?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:363", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3993590730775034, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was a very strange feeling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you, you must have at some point said, I'm supposed to be a Peace Corps volunteer, and here I am, you know, living in the lap of luxury."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. So, but, but I started off right away going to the office and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far was it from the house to the office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how'd you get there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:367", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7276037939228435, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, how'd you get there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I walked. Um. Oh, I would say. I think at first, I think the associate director would maybe come. He had a vehicle assigned to him. And I, I think while I was maybe at his, at Joyce's house, I think he picked me up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh, later on in my own place, I walked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. But let's stay with the first couple of weeks while you're there. You're staying at Joyce's."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:369", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9195597710253816, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I walked. Um. Oh, I would say. I think at first, I think the associate director would maybe come. He had a vehicle assigned to him. And I, I think while I was maybe at his, at Joyce's house, I think he picked me up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh, later on in my own place, I walked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. But let's stay with the first couple of weeks while you're there. You're staying at Joyce's."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he picked me up. Yeah, because it was further out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't nervous walking the streets?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:371", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1328441900282016, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh, later on in my own place, I walked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. But let's stay with the first couple of weeks while you're there. You're staying at Joyce's."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he picked me up. Yeah, because it was further out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't nervous walking the streets?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you settled into Joyce's."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:373", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.3698268778091127, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he picked me up. Yeah, because it was further out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You weren't nervous walking the streets?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you settled into Joyce's."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. Go to the office and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're at the office, and describe the office."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:377", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.814601083714954, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. Go to the office and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're at the office, and describe the office."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The office was, uh, was a, um, had been like a two story house and they transformed it into, into offices."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, there already was a volunteer there from the first secretarial program. Her name was Barbara. And um, so she was working for the, mainly for Joyce, the director, regional director. And I assisted the associate directors. [dog barks] And um, and there was two there. So we were on the second floor and uh, and so I got to know the, uh. [tape stops]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we're talking about your first few days at work."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:379", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0162234263499488, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The office was, uh, was a, um, had been like a two story house and they transformed it into, into offices."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. And."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, there already was a volunteer there from the first secretarial program. Her name was Barbara. And um, so she was working for the, mainly for Joyce, the director, regional director. And I assisted the associate directors. [dog barks] And um, and there was two there. So we were on the second floor and uh, and so I got to know the, uh. [tape stops]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we're talking about your first few days at work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the office and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, how many, how many volunteers were in that region, approximately?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:381", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.240248251499943, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, there already was a volunteer there from the first secretarial program. Her name was Barbara. And um, so she was working for the, mainly for Joyce, the director, regional director. And I assisted the associate directors. [dog barks] And um, and there was two there. So we were on the second floor and uh, and so I got to know the, uh. [tape stops]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we're talking about your first few days at work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the office and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, how many, how many volunteers were in that region, approximately?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That region? Oh my. Oh, hundreds. It probably was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was in the hundreds?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:385", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.765738582098695, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That region? Oh my. Oh, hundreds. It probably was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was in the hundreds?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In India itself, there were 1,500 volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In this region there was, oh, I would say. I would guess four or 500 about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what were they doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:391", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7938800851833947, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, there were programs, um, health programs. Um, agriculture, like poultry. And um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yes, some teachers and, oh, lots of agriculture type programs, gardening type. There were two volunteers in Hyderabad and they were working with, in auto maintenance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were working with maybe I think it was privately or government owned maintenance programs. And so they're working with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Training mechanics and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:393", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.215422316870439, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yes, some teachers and, oh, lots of agriculture type programs, gardening type. There were two volunteers in Hyderabad and they were working with, in auto maintenance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were working with maybe I think it was privately or government owned maintenance programs. And so they're working with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Training mechanics and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:395", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.683802574300487, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they were working with maybe I think it was privately or government owned maintenance programs. And so they're working with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Training mechanics and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there, uh, well, let's talk about the office a little more. So you were secretary to the two assistant directors. And what was the typical workday like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:397", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.204225082556097, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there, uh, well, let's talk about the office a little more. So you were secretary to the two assistant directors. And what was the typical workday like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, typical was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If there was one."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:401", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6101544229087617, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, typical was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If there was one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, pretty much. Um, start about probably 8:30 or 9:00, and um, until 5:00 or 6:00 at night. And when it was during busy times, I could be there at 8:00 at night working."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because, um, there were so many volunteers and then, then continuously there was volunteers coming into the region. So we had to plan to meet them and hand out materials and um, take care of those volunteers. Usually they were in the city probably a couple days, so we had to arrange for, um, for them to stay at a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you doing those arrangements or did the assistants?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:403", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.789060469898624, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, pretty much. Um, start about probably 8:30 or 9:00, and um, until 5:00 or 6:00 at night. And when it was during busy times, I could be there at 8:00 at night working."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because, um, there were so many volunteers and then, then continuously there was volunteers coming into the region. So we had to plan to meet them and hand out materials and um, take care of those volunteers. Usually they were in the city probably a couple days, so we had to arrange for, um, for them to stay at a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you doing those arrangements or did the assistants?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly the assistants, but I kind of helped them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The backup, yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:405", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9878449665540268, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because, um, there were so many volunteers and then, then continuously there was volunteers coming into the region. So we had to plan to meet them and hand out materials and um, take care of those volunteers. Usually they were in the city probably a couple days, so we had to arrange for, um, for them to stay at a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you doing those arrangements or did the assistants?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly the assistants, but I kind of helped them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The backup, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's a lot of correspondence then with, with the volunteers in the field, if they had questions, if they had problems or issues, and um, even correspondence with, um, local, um, government people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Now this is all for the most part written and you're working off the typewriter?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:407", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2087166295044742, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Mostly the assistants, but I kind of helped them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The backup, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's a lot of correspondence then with, with the volunteers in the field, if they had questions, if they had problems or issues, and um, even correspondence with, um, local, um, government people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Now this is all for the most part written and you're working off the typewriter?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're typing up."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:409", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4541295883383047, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's a lot of correspondence then with, with the volunteers in the field, if they had questions, if they had problems or issues, and um, even correspondence with, um, local, um, government people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Now this is all for the most part written and you're working off the typewriter?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're typing up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, the typewriter. Oh my. Of course, they were manual back then. This was 1966."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was not, it wasn't an electric?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:411", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7268106537092276, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're typing up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, the typewriter. Oh my. Of course, they were manual back then. This was 1966."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was not, it wasn't an electric?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the electrics were. I think there were electrics but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back in the U.S. Yeah, not there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:417", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.505913105225278, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they were manual typewriters and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Carbon paper."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Carbon paper. And I, I think, I was used to, you know, fairly nice at my last, at the job I had, uh, in the States, you know, a fairly nice typewriter. But this was some government issue or something. Very, very difficult to type. And, and I, I think I asked for maybe if there was an, eventually, pretty soon I got a nicer typewriter like, like an Underwood or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which, which was much better than the first issue. But uh, oh yes, everything was typed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the kinds of correspondence you were handling was communications with volunteers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:421", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0937198829941703, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which, which was much better than the first issue. But uh, oh yes, everything was typed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the kinds of correspondence you were handling was communications with volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The volunteers, manuals. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Manuals?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the new volunteers maybe, because I think we, all the groups that came in were like doing something different, like one group of, of, of, uh, nursing, not nursing, but health care. And the next group would be agriculture of some kind. So, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was mostly technical, kind of?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:423", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4374665366601893, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The volunteers, manuals. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Manuals?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the new volunteers maybe, because I think we, all the groups that came in were like doing something different, like one group of, of, of, uh, nursing, not nursing, but health care. And the next group would be agriculture of some kind. So, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was mostly technical, kind of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Technical and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How to do the job?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:425", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8194072629557656, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For the new volunteers maybe, because I think we, all the groups that came in were like doing something different, like one group of, of, of, uh, nursing, not nursing, but health care. And the next group would be agriculture of some kind. So, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was mostly technical, kind of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Technical and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How to do the job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I think suggestions or maybe suggestions? And then other things were, um, maybe how to dealing with maybe the local people. And I believe things like that, that nature."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a lot of correspondence that you handled with between the office and the main office or directly with Washington?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:427", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.2437858477286285, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Technical and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How to do the job?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I think suggestions or maybe suggestions? And then other things were, um, maybe how to dealing with maybe the local people. And I believe things like that, that nature."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a lot of correspondence that you handled with between the office and the main office or directly with Washington?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not with Washington. If it would be any place, it'd probably be the regional office. I mean, I mean, the main office in New Delhi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't get involved with."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:429", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.715317608587365, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I think suggestions or maybe suggestions? And then other things were, um, maybe how to dealing with maybe the local people. And I believe things like that, that nature."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a lot of correspondence that you handled with between the office and the main office or directly with Washington?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not with Washington. If it would be any place, it'd probably be the regional office. I mean, I mean, the main office in New Delhi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't get involved with."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not Washington, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if you had a security clearance? I mean, there were some documents that were classified."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:431", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.239241787319294, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not with Washington. If it would be any place, it'd probably be the regional office. I mean, I mean, the main office in New Delhi."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't get involved with."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not Washington, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if you had a security clearance? I mean, there were some documents that were classified."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Limited official use and."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:433", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.821379763688104, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not Washington, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if you had a security clearance? I mean, there were some documents that were classified."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Limited official use and."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I don't remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, it's possible."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:439", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.516295972137316, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then in the office also, there were some, some, uh, national, Indian national people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember one was, his name was Cirrus and he did some typing. And of course, the, uh, and then there was another one. There was a gal, her name was Hydra and she was. She was a, uh, she was a Hindu."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She came in in her saris and she did some typing. But I, I just remember, though, that I just was a little appalled at how. [dog barks, tape stops] That I remember something I see after I had typed something and, and their work was, of course, culturally so different. I mean, mistakes and, and, of course, the, the sentence structure and all that was just, it was so different. It was just interesting how different it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you weren't expected to supervise or correct her work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:441", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9069955245970176, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I remember one was, his name was Cirrus and he did some typing. And of course, the, uh, and then there was another one. There was a gal, her name was Hydra and she was. She was a, uh, she was a Hindu."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She came in in her saris and she did some typing. But I, I just remember, though, that I just was a little appalled at how. [dog barks, tape stops] That I remember something I see after I had typed something and, and their work was, of course, culturally so different. I mean, mistakes and, and, of course, the, the sentence structure and all that was just, it was so different. It was just interesting how different it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you weren't expected to supervise or correct her work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, I think occasionally, yes. Yeah. If it was too bad, they just had to do it over. But of course the Indians, even, even the government officials, um, you know, they were used to that, that sort of English, you know, they were. Cause we got letters from them the same way, so we weren't too concerned about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it wasn't a role that Peace Corps or your staff or the directors said, well, why don't you try to help them?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:443", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.3411061384411305, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She came in in her saris and she did some typing. But I, I just remember, though, that I just was a little appalled at how. [dog barks, tape stops] That I remember something I see after I had typed something and, and their work was, of course, culturally so different. I mean, mistakes and, and, of course, the, the sentence structure and all that was just, it was so different. It was just interesting how different it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you weren't expected to supervise or correct her work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, I think occasionally, yes. Yeah. If it was too bad, they just had to do it over. But of course the Indians, even, even the government officials, um, you know, they were used to that, that sort of English, you know, they were. Cause we got letters from them the same way, so we weren't too concerned about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it wasn't a role that Peace Corps or your staff or the directors said, well, why don't you try to help them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Occasionally I did, yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Okay."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:445", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.823451264934589, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I, I think occasionally, yes. Yeah. If it was too bad, they just had to do it over. But of course the Indians, even, even the government officials, um, you know, they were used to that, that sort of English, you know, they were. Cause we got letters from them the same way, so we weren't too concerned about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it wasn't a role that Peace Corps or your staff or the directors said, well, why don't you try to help them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Occasionally I did, yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh, yeah, I, I enjoyed, I enjoyed working with them and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By now, have you had a chance to begin using your Hindi or was it more comfortable to work in English?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:449", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.720310203622949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh, yeah, I, I enjoyed, I enjoyed working with them and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By now, have you had a chance to begin using your Hindi or was it more comfortable to work in English?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were in the office. It, of course, English and we were so busy that, that, you know, I had Sunday off and, and, uh, and that for a while Sunday was just, well, the whole time I was there, Sunday was just, you know, rest as much as you could because we had long, long days and long hours."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh. But I used Hindi for, um, uh, maybe the, oh, some of the office, maybe the, the. We had some janitors and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there drivers, Peace Corps drivers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:453", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.8275434612629, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh. But I used Hindi for, um, uh, maybe the, oh, some of the office, maybe the, the. We had some janitors and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there drivers, Peace Corps drivers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yeah, we had, we had a driver also. Yeah. So I kind of experimented. Use it here and there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after three or four weeks, did you wake up one morning and say, oh my goodness, I'm in India and I'm a Peace Corps volunteer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:455", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.252826068069889, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yeah, we had, we had a driver also. Yeah. So I kind of experimented. Use it here and there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after three or four weeks, did you wake up one morning and say, oh my goodness, I'm in India and I'm a Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think, I think I realized it from the first day I arrived in Delhi, you know, and it was just. And of course, everything was just, you know, something every day was something new and different I'd see and experience. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk now about, initially you stayed at Joyce's house."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:457", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 4.725362297855432, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yeah, we had, we had a driver also. Yeah. So I kind of experimented. Use it here and there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after three or four weeks, did you wake up one morning and say, oh my goodness, I'm in India and I'm a Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think, I think I realized it from the first day I arrived in Delhi, you know, and it was just. And of course, everything was just, you know, something every day was something new and different I'd see and experience. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk now about, initially you stayed at Joyce's house."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk about the transition."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:461", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.1300769109326323, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's talk about the transition."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. And then after she was gone, she was in the States for about a month, she came back and, and so I think I was there for another, um, week or two and, and started looking for my own place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, I don't know how I found, I think it's just word of mouth because, um, because of course all the Indians were just, you know, there's, there's foreigners, Americans and, and we just got a lot of, a lot of attention from everybody and, and about. Someone came to the office and asked if anybody was looking for a place to live. And in this neighborhood, they had just finished building a little, a little, little house. And so I went to see it and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far from the office?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:465", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3951566801637434, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, I don't know how I found, I think it's just word of mouth because, um, because of course all the Indians were just, you know, there's, there's foreigners, Americans and, and we just got a lot of, a lot of attention from everybody and, and about. Someone came to the office and asked if anybody was looking for a place to live. And in this neighborhood, they had just finished building a little, a little, little house. And so I went to see it and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How far from the office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, walking. It was about, about 15 minutes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, um. So I moved there and went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Describe the house."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:473", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.1264390796581973, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, and that's where I had my meals. And there was a window and, and a couple of windows and they had my meals there. And, uh, and then there was a door. To the back of this room, there was a door out the back with the little, uh, a couple of steps. There was another little door, and that was the restroom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. Of course there wasn't. It was just a little walk-in with the hole in the floor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um. And then, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have electricity?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:479", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5451839227135764, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh. Yes, I did. Um, but not all day long."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. And then. And then from the front door forward, there's like a little, little room. And there was, uh, used as my bedroom. And then there was, uh, uh, another little sitting room. And I just, I put, like, a couch in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, Peace Corps was paying the rent?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:481", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.7168710252373072, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. And then. And then from the front door forward, there's like a little, little room. And there was, uh, used as my bedroom. And then there was, uh, uh, another little sitting room. And I just, I put, like, a couch in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, Peace Corps was paying the rent?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They gave me an allowance. They gave all the volunteers an allowance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got the same as any other volunteer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:483", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.907634472485897, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh. And then. And then from the front door forward, there's like a little, little room. And there was, uh, used as my bedroom. And then there was, uh, uh, another little sitting room. And I just, I put, like, a couch in there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, Peace Corps was paying the rent?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They gave me an allowance. They gave all the volunteers an allowance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got the same as any other volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the volunteers in, in the cities got a little more because there was just, the cost of living was a little bit more. So I got a little bit more than the, the ones out in, uh, in the little villages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you also get a settling in allowance so you could buy some furniture?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:485", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1195938583176632, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They gave me an allowance. They gave all the volunteers an allowance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got the same as any other volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the volunteers in, in the cities got a little more because there was just, the cost of living was a little bit more. So I got a little bit more than the, the ones out in, uh, in the little villages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you also get a settling in allowance so you could buy some furniture?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yes, I did. So I got, um, of course, a table and some pots and pans and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone from Peace Corps come out and check the place to see that it was appropriate? Or are they just trust that you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:487", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.3551042870196257, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the volunteers in, in the cities got a little more because there was just, the cost of living was a little bit more. So I got a little bit more than the, the ones out in, uh, in the little villages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you also get a settling in allowance so you could buy some furniture?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yes, I did. So I got, um, of course, a table and some pots and pans and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone from Peace Corps come out and check the place to see that it was appropriate? Or are they just trust that you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so, no. I don't remember. I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this is the end of your second month, third month, is when?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:489", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5056714300218061, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yes, I did. So I got, um, of course, a table and some pots and pans and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone from Peace Corps come out and check the place to see that it was appropriate? Or are they just trust that you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so, no. I don't remember. I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this is the end of your second month, third month, is when?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, this is probably into the, probably about the third by that time. About the third."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you hire a steward?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:491", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6729682555797847, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so, no. I don't remember. I don't think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this is the end of your second month, third month, is when?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, this is probably into the, probably about the third by that time. About the third."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you hire a steward?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hired, um, a cook. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A cook. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:493", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8588536173108718, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, this is probably into the, probably about the third by that time. About the third."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you hire a steward?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hired, um, a cook. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A cook. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the Peace Corps had no problem with that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:495", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.065392908123191, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I hired, um, a cook. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A cook. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the Peace Corps had no problem with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They didn't say you should not."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:497", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.294881009025768, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh huh. And, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the Peace Corps had no problem with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They didn't say you should not."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think, I think the cook I got was recommended by maybe Joyce, the, uh, regional director's cook, Joseph. I think maybe he recommended her as someone he knew. So. So it was easy that way. I didn't have to go and, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember her name?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:501", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.833186430896009, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I think, I think the cook I got was recommended by maybe Joyce, the, uh, regional director's cook, Joseph. I think maybe he recommended her as someone he knew. So. So it was easy that way. I didn't have to go and, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember her name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. I think. No, I don't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I've got it written down in my journal but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's alright. But she did the shopping and the cooking?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:509", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.559497684645647, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, I think I walked home for lunch and she'd have lunch prepared."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I'd go back to the office and probably take about an hour off for lunch."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I go back to the office and she'd have, um, dinner for me when I came back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The houses around you, were Indians were living there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:515", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.139228648347938, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, yes. It was just a typical Indian neighborhood."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And my landlords lived in the back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kind of you walked from the courtyard, well, not really a courtyard, but not much there. You walk through the front gate and kind of past my house, and they, their family lived right back there. And it was a typical little kind of, uh, old, old stucco, shaggy type thing. And, uh, and that's where they lived. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your relations with the landlord's family?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:517", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.376920720386598, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And my landlords lived in the back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kind of you walked from the courtyard, well, not really a courtyard, but not much there. You walk through the front gate and kind of past my house, and they, their family lived right back there. And it was a typical little kind of, uh, old, old stucco, shaggy type thing. And, uh, and that's where they lived. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your relations with the landlord's family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was good. It was good. They were very, they had, they had a herd of cows. And they had a little, and I'm just now remembering, I don't know how they managed to build this little new addition on. I really never thought about it and never asked. I'm just now, I don't know how it happened. But, but they had this herd of buffalo and, and, um. Anyway, my, outside my front door, there was a window and they put a little flower box. And I thought, wow, I'm a farm girl. I can grow anything I want. Flowers. I thought flowers would be beautiful. So I put flowers in there and the buffalo would come around and eat my flowers. I never had flowers. They're all eaten down, you know? And, uh. But, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So were you comfortable in living alone in that setting?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:519", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6410230226517757, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kind of you walked from the courtyard, well, not really a courtyard, but not much there. You walk through the front gate and kind of past my house, and they, their family lived right back there. And it was a typical little kind of, uh, old, old stucco, shaggy type thing. And, uh, and that's where they lived. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your relations with the landlord's family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was good. It was good. They were very, they had, they had a herd of cows. And they had a little, and I'm just now remembering, I don't know how they managed to build this little new addition on. I really never thought about it and never asked. I'm just now, I don't know how it happened. But, but they had this herd of buffalo and, and, um. Anyway, my, outside my front door, there was a window and they put a little flower box. And I thought, wow, I'm a farm girl. I can grow anything I want. Flowers. I thought flowers would be beautiful. So I put flowers in there and the buffalo would come around and eat my flowers. I never had flowers. They're all eaten down, you know? And, uh. But, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So were you comfortable in living alone in that setting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good. I mean, because you're in the midst of."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:521", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9344700251686398, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was good. It was good. They were very, they had, they had a herd of cows. And they had a little, and I'm just now remembering, I don't know how they managed to build this little new addition on. I really never thought about it and never asked. I'm just now, I don't know how it happened. But, but they had this herd of buffalo and, and, um. Anyway, my, outside my front door, there was a window and they put a little flower box. And I thought, wow, I'm a farm girl. I can grow anything I want. Flowers. I thought flowers would be beautiful. So I put flowers in there and the buffalo would come around and eat my flowers. I never had flowers. They're all eaten down, you know? And, uh. But, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So were you comfortable in living alone in that setting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good. I mean, because you're in the midst of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "People who are different."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:523", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.2605222501873774, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good. I mean, because you're in the midst of."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "People who are different."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And I had a lock on my door and, of course, I used that. And they had, you know, they had children and sons and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to become friends with any of the family or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:527", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7907682101078732, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And I had a lock on my door and, of course, I used that. And they had, you know, they had children and sons and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to become friends with any of the family or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And one of their sons was, um, he liked to draw. So I remember sitting in the chair one day and he, and I've still got the drawing. He drew my picture. He drew my picture. And, and, of course, they loved American music."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had radios and they were listening to American music and, and, uh. So they were curious and we'd talk. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mostly in English?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:529", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1008535667865256, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And one of their sons was, um, he liked to draw. So I remember sitting in the chair one day and he, and I've still got the drawing. He drew my picture. He drew my picture. And, and, of course, they loved American music."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had radios and they were listening to American music and, and, uh. So they were curious and we'd talk. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mostly in English?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, both. And I, mostly in English, yes. Yeah. And, uh, and, you know, they'd try to help me with my Hindu because I wasn't very good and. And in, in a way I could, I could, I could, uh, communicate with, with their parents, my landlords, and, and by words, by gestures, by their little English. So we got along fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sometimes the most difficult time for a volunteer is the first Thanksgiving and Christmas."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:531", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4453928519850283, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had radios and they were listening to American music and, and, uh. So they were curious and we'd talk. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Mostly in English?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, both. And I, mostly in English, yes. Yeah. And, uh, and, you know, they'd try to help me with my Hindu because I wasn't very good and. And in, in a way I could, I could, I could, uh, communicate with, with their parents, my landlords, and, and by words, by gestures, by their little English. So we got along fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sometimes the most difficult time for a volunteer is the first Thanksgiving and Christmas."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you recall?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:533", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.8282142799833645, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, both. And I, mostly in English, yes. Yeah. And, uh, and, you know, they'd try to help me with my Hindu because I wasn't very good and. And in, in a way I could, I could, I could, uh, communicate with, with their parents, my landlords, and, and by words, by gestures, by their little English. So we got along fine."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sometimes the most difficult time for a volunteer is the first Thanksgiving and Christmas."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you recall?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I do. Um, let's see, Thanksgiving. I remember we had. There was a doctor in town, like a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps doctor?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:537", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4916225678806967, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I do. Um, let's see, Thanksgiving. I remember we had. There was a doctor in town, like a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps doctor. And I don't know, of course, this is the first Thanksgiving or the second, but. But probably the second. I don't remember the first. We went to, uh. Okay. The first Thanksgiving here is coming back to me. The first Thanksgiving, we went to the regional director's house and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Joyce."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Joyce. And of course, the associate directors had their own places and we all came and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was just the staff?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:539", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.879580630978552, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Peace Corps doctor. And I don't know, of course, this is the first Thanksgiving or the second, but. But probably the second. I don't remember the first. We went to, uh. Okay. The first Thanksgiving here is coming back to me. The first Thanksgiving, we went to the regional director's house and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Joyce."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Joyce. And of course, the associate directors had their own places and we all came and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was just the staff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like a potluck thing. And the staff and, and any of the volunteers that were in town or in the area could come too. So there was a full house of volunteers and we had, um, I remember we had, um, turkey probably. Somewhere they got turkey. Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, was there was there an American community in Hyderabad?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:541", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1995340344206133, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Joyce. And of course, the associate directors had their own places and we all came and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was just the staff?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like a potluck thing. And the staff and, and any of the volunteers that were in town or in the area could come too. So there was a full house of volunteers and we had, um, I remember we had, um, turkey probably. Somewhere they got turkey. Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, was there was there an American community in Hyderabad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a USAID office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so there was probably a commissary for them."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:543", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5550378160229035, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like a potluck thing. And the staff and, and any of the volunteers that were in town or in the area could come too. So there was a full house of volunteers and we had, um, I remember we had, um, turkey probably. Somewhere they got turkey. Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, was there was there an American community in Hyderabad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a USAID office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so there was probably a commissary for them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or it wasn't a."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:545", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.950042017803226, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a USAID office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so there was probably a commissary for them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or it wasn't a."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so because I don't recall ever. I don't know that there was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Probably there was in New Delhi and it may be that they could get stuff from there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:547", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.388935575336918, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or it wasn't a."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so because I don't recall ever. I don't know that there was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Probably there was in New Delhi and it may be that they could get stuff from there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And of course, they said, you know, we were welcome to get, ask our families to send food and whatever. I mean, like dry foods."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:549", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.7654839725965754, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so because I don't recall ever. I don't know that there was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Probably there was in New Delhi and it may be that they could get stuff from there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And of course, they said, you know, we were welcome to get, ask our families to send food and whatever. I mean, like dry foods."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. Yeah. But, uh, yeah, we had Thanksgiving at the, and then the second year we had Thanksgiving I remember at the, at the doctor's home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the doctor's name?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:551", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.9616488584406393, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And of course, they said, you know, we were welcome to get, ask our families to send food and whatever. I mean, like dry foods."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. Yeah. But, uh, yeah, we had Thanksgiving at the, and then the second year we had Thanksgiving I remember at the, at the doctor's home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the doctor's name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, Allen Margolis. And he was married and, um, because he wasn't there when I got there, he was, came like a year later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Hyderabad, was there a Peace Corps hostel so that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:553", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.1796098427118213, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. Yeah. But, uh, yeah, we had Thanksgiving at the, and then the second year we had Thanksgiving I remember at the, at the doctor's home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall the doctor's name?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, Allen Margolis. And he was married and, um, because he wasn't there when I got there, he was, came like a year later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Hyderabad, was there a Peace Corps hostel so that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Volunteers coming from upcountry?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:555", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.421788714124246, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Uh, Allen Margolis. And he was married and, um, because he wasn't there when I got there, he was, came like a year later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Hyderabad, was there a Peace Corps hostel so that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Volunteers coming from upcountry?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, I think any volunteers that came in for a while either stayed with other volunteers or maybe I think, I think the Peace Corps had stayed, um, paid for a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, but there weren't that many volunteers assigned in the Hyderabad area?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:557", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6908763490269396, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Volunteers coming from upcountry?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, I think any volunteers that came in for a while either stayed with other volunteers or maybe I think, I think the Peace Corps had stayed, um, paid for a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, but there weren't that many volunteers assigned in the Hyderabad area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You said just two that you knew."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:559", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.989862610029933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, I think any volunteers that came in for a while either stayed with other volunteers or maybe I think, I think the Peace Corps had stayed, um, paid for a hotel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, but there weren't that many volunteers assigned in the Hyderabad area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You said just two that you knew."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The two mechanics, um, and about two of us in the office and then the directors and no. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so during the first year there were two Peace Corps secretaries?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:563", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.4566205062097937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The two mechanics, um, and about two of us in the office and then the directors and no. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so during the first year there were two Peace Corps secretaries?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And, well, she left, I think it was just a matter of months and she left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. She went back to the States. Well, I was the replacement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so it was just you then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:565", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.729578340233104, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And, well, she left, I think it was just a matter of months and she left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. She went back to the States. Well, I was the replacement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so it was just you then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, uh, some Indian staff."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:567", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.0328648224812267, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. She went back to the States. Well, I was the replacement."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, so it was just you then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And, uh, some Indian staff."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Again, during the first year would, was there a lot of volunteer traffic through the office? I mean, weekends tend to be?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:571", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5097096573842306, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Again, during the first year would, was there a lot of volunteer traffic through the office? I mean, weekends tend to be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not so much weekends, but about every, oh, I want to say every six months or so, we'd bring one group in for a little R&R, a little, some conference time and some good time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so then we put them up in a, in a hotel and, and have the meetings and they'd wander in and out of the office and, and use some of our facilities like phones and typing and um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you become close friends with any of the volunteers more than others?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:573", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7885662859824785, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not so much weekends, but about every, oh, I want to say every six months or so, we'd bring one group in for a little R&R, a little, some conference time and some good time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so then we put them up in a, in a hotel and, and have the meetings and they'd wander in and out of the office and, and use some of our facilities like phones and typing and um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you become close friends with any of the volunteers more than others?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. Didn't have a chance to, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounds like you were very busy."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:579", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8251938079320693, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very busy. Really, yeah. But one good thing. Oh, also, while they were in town, um, of course, we'd go out and eat together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And there's a couple of night spots and we'd go in there and. And they had, um, of course, American music and these Indian bands, and we'd go out there on the floor and we'd dance like the, the twist in the, in the, in the, all that, all those dances. And the Indians of course they just watched, you know, and they were so fascinated with it. And we just had such a good time. And the Indian beer was so good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh huh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So good. And it was, uh, it was a darker, heavier beer. And it was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It came in liter bottles, the large size?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:583", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.722461491274159, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So good. And it was, uh, it was a darker, heavier beer. And it was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It came in liter bottles, the large size?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the large size. And it was good. And then, um. Of course, also women, Indian women, you'd see them out in the streets once in a while, but, but you'd never see them at the movies. You'd never see them, um, at these nightclubs and restaurants. You'd never, Indian women just didn't go out. Men did, of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, of course, they were fascinated with us women. That's for sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did any of the Indian men try to date you or did you date?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:585", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.1360683236379545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the large size. And it was good. And then, um. Of course, also women, Indian women, you'd see them out in the streets once in a while, but, but you'd never see them at the movies. You'd never see them, um, at these nightclubs and restaurants. You'd never, Indian women just didn't go out. Men did, of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, um, of course, they were fascinated with us women. That's for sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did any of the Indian men try to date you or did you date?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes, there's one. And, um, he was a Sikh. And, um. And I don't know exactly where I met him, but he and a friend would. They'd come over and hang out and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Come over to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:601", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.285266451858095, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were wonderful. We'd go in the dining room and have this wonderful big meal. And then I had to go back to work and work on a full stomach. And I remember, oh, it was just a little bit too much, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But so we did every once in a while and then, um, but uh. One nice thing about it, though, he, he, uh, he wanted to be friends, but he didn't want to be, um, no romance, which was a relief for me because I didn't have to deal with that. And then somebody said later on that he was married but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, but, but he was just, we were just friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was just companionship."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:603", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.09474050206455, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But so we did every once in a while and then, um, but uh. One nice thing about it, though, he, he, uh, he wanted to be friends, but he didn't want to be, um, no romance, which was a relief for me because I didn't have to deal with that. And then somebody said later on that he was married but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, but, but he was just, we were just friends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was just companionship."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And I think he was very curious as to, as to American women. And so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he spoke obviously English."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:611", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.880872583546028, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But he'd been educated well, and yeah. But, uh, and then he took me on a, on a safari."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they call them shikars. Shikars."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So he and his friend and, um, in a jeep, a driver. And we went out, it was just supposed to be like a weekend over one night, overnight thing. Ended up almost three days, just incident after incident with the drivers and, oh my, but, uh, it was interesting. It was, it was kind of fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it in an area that was particularly beautiful or wild animals or just?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:617", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 10.947699017209914, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, we went to look for wild animals and then so it was the two of them. It was me. It was a driver. And then a couple other men that had, had the guns. And, and I don't know if the other two men just wanted to go along or they were kind of like, probably like guides."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so we traveled and traveled in a jeep, and it wasn't all that comfortable, you know?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And, uh, then we'd stop and eat. And, um, I remember the first night we stayed in a little hostel someplace. Yeah. And, uh, and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you on leave from, taking vacation from work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:627", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.661550605784877, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Clear out in the country somewhere. And, and apparently the, the, the guides knew, knew the family. And so we went there and we visited for a while and then we took off again and we were like hours away. All of a sudden these guys realized, oh, they left their guns at the hut. That's when we, that's when we found that little hostel, I guess."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were gone, oh, they were gone over half a day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost a day they were gone, going back after their, after their guns and. And we just figured they did it on purpose, you know, but we stayed at this hostel and slept and ate and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No one had cell phones."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:629", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.068389561983197, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were gone, oh, they were gone over half a day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost a day they were gone, going back after their, after their guns and. And we just figured they did it on purpose, you know, but we stayed at this hostel and slept and ate and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No one had cell phones."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing, nothing. Finally they came back and we went out again and. And, you know, I was, they delivered me back to Hyderabad like a whole day later, later than I was supposed to have been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And people in the office worried about you or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:633", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.022703162942218, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing, nothing. Finally they came back and we went out again and. And, you know, I was, they delivered me back to Hyderabad like a whole day later, later than I was supposed to have been."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And people in the office worried about you or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were concerned."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were concerned but, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nothing they could do."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:637", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.200868102397799, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were concerned but, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nothing they could do."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nothing they could do. And of course, you know, being it was India after I got back and told my story, they understood. So yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So that that was kind of, yeah, it was fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And the first Christmas?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:643", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.912027575305623, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "First Christmas I was, I was, uh, raised Catholic and the two, I got to, I got to know pretty good the two volunteers, mechanic volunteers, in Hyderabad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they both had motorcycles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And sometimes in the evening on weekends we, we'd spend a lot of time together, we'd go to movies. We'd, um, go out to eat, we'd hang out at their house, my house. Go sightseeing around the city. And, uh. So the first Christmas I remember we went to, uh, we went to. I think one of the other volunteers was Catholic and we went to church. Well, I was like going to church every Sunday anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:645", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.457808417006247, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they both had motorcycles."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And sometimes in the evening on weekends we, we'd spend a lot of time together, we'd go to movies. We'd, um, go out to eat, we'd hang out at their house, my house. Go sightseeing around the city. And, uh. So the first Christmas I remember we went to, uh, we went to. I think one of the other volunteers was Catholic and we went to church. Well, I was like going to church every Sunday anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. At that time I did. I'd get up and, and we, then we'd go together and sometimes I'd go by myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the only European in the church?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:647", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 6.0642315744513855, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And sometimes in the evening on weekends we, we'd spend a lot of time together, we'd go to movies. We'd, um, go out to eat, we'd hang out at their house, my house. Go sightseeing around the city. And, uh. So the first Christmas I remember we went to, uh, we went to. I think one of the other volunteers was Catholic and we went to church. Well, I was like going to church every Sunday anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. At that time I did. I'd get up and, and we, then we'd go together and sometimes I'd go by myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the only European in the church?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think there was others. I think. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you went to."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:651", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.5484340425325738, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think there was others. I think. [tape break]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. So you went to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Went to church and I was going every Sunday and I remember going to like midnight mass and I remember there being a lot of candles and kind of like a procession, and they made a really big deal out of it. There was quite a few Christians Indians there. Um, so, um. Did that and then I don't remember. Oh, okay. So, um, I remember decorating my little house. The good old high school days of floats, homecoming floats, you know, and parades and everything. So. So I got this, I found this chicken wire, made probably a two foot cone shape out of a chicken wire. Then I found some, some red and green crepe paper, stuffed it in the chicken wire. And that was my Christmas tree."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great, great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I put little, somehow, I don't know what kind of ornaments on it. And of course, my neighbors, my landlady and my land people, they, landlords loved it. And, you know, and that was new to them, too, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Did, had you bought gifts and sent home, you know?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:663", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.795328253809122, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so, so one day she and I. Her cousin was a doctor in the hospital. So she and I, she and I went to the hospital and she got her nose pierced and I got my ears pierced and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so then I, I asked my family, I said, no, when you're, when you're sending like dried milk to me or cake mixes or, um. I said. I said, you know, some people find items missing, you know. I said, kind of open a box maybe of powdered milk and hide some earrings in the box. Well, I still, that way I still didn't get everything, you know, the Indians would open and take what they wanted. So I got most of the food, I think, but not. So after a while, I said, you know, I can buy earrings here."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't exchange presents, I mean."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:667", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.685590436801385, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you didn't exchange presents, I mean."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't, no. So I didn't send anything home and I just collected. And then when I got home after two years, then they got their, everybody got something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Souvenirs and things, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But spending the first Christmas away from home wasn't a problem?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:669", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.206211596445983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't, no. So I didn't send anything home and I just collected. And then when I got home after two years, then they got their, everybody got something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Souvenirs and things, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But spending the first Christmas away from home wasn't a problem?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were involved with lots of things."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:671", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.784679551606647, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Souvenirs and things, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But spending the first Christmas away from home wasn't a problem?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were involved with lots of things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there much of an American community in Hyderabad?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:675", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.4378759896378353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, sure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there much of an American community in Hyderabad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and like I said, USAID, there was an office there. But we didn't, um. I remember 4th of July, we had a big, the first 4th of July I was there. Um. The AID office was in a separate little compound. And, and I remember going there for 4th of July, having a honest to goodness picnic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And fireworks and it's just a big celebration. And any volunteers that were not too far out of the city, they'd come in and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the Americans who were with AID, they didn't try to socialize with, pull you into their circle?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:677", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7087510995975945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, and like I said, USAID, there was an office there. But we didn't, um. I remember 4th of July, we had a big, the first 4th of July I was there. Um. The AID office was in a separate little compound. And, and I remember going there for 4th of July, having a honest to goodness picnic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And fireworks and it's just a big celebration. And any volunteers that were not too far out of the city, they'd come in and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the Americans who were with AID, they didn't try to socialize with, pull you into their circle?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not very much, no. I was there for the 4th of July but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a conscious policy of, you know, staying separate?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:679", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.009723443997327, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And fireworks and it's just a big celebration. And any volunteers that were not too far out of the city, they'd come in and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the Americans who were with AID, they didn't try to socialize with, pull you into their circle?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not very much, no. I was there for the 4th of July but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a conscious policy of, you know, staying separate?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't think so. There was a, I think it was very, it was probably like, like maybe a couple of people in one little office. But other than that, there wasn't, there wasn't too many others. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So during the first year, you also get some leave time. I gather you went off hunting with the Sikh."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:689", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.35516849395811434, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was so good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then did some shopping and I got earrings, and I'm still wearing my earrings. I still have them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got earrings. I got a, I think I got a sari there. I got, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, uh, just since you mentioned it. Did you ever wear saris?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:691", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.3946316599534604, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then did some shopping and I got earrings, and I'm still wearing my earrings. I still have them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got earrings. I got a, I think I got a sari there. I got, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did, uh, just since you mentioned it. Did you ever wear saris?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, yeah. Not right away, but after a while. Oh, I did wear their little, um, shalwar kameez, um, the, like the, like the loose. Well, at that time it wasn't loose. And they still wear them. They still wear them today like the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The big over blouse."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:695", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.4871995801894572, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did, yeah. Not right away, but after a while. Oh, I did wear their little, um, shalwar kameez, um, the, like the, like the loose. Well, at that time it wasn't loose. And they still wear them. They still wear them today like the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The big over blouse."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Form fitting, the over blouse thing with the, with the, uh, with the pants that are, they're very full at the hips and come down skinny and narrow at the, at the ankle. And I had, and I still have those, I had several of those made."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I went to a tailor and they made those for me and I picked out my fabric and. At that time though, at that time it was a very form fitting like, like at the waist. And like a, like a form fitting top. It came down to like above the knees, just above the knees. And but now, of course, they're wearing them very loose."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where would you wear the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:699", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6014809631968607, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I went to a tailor and they made those for me and I picked out my fabric and. At that time though, at that time it was a very form fitting like, like at the waist. And like a, like a form fitting top. It came down to like above the knees, just above the knees. And but now, of course, they're wearing them very loose."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where would you wear the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wore them all the time. I wore them to work. I wore them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, uh huh. I didn't, uh, every once in a while, I wore my American clothes. But, but, uh, it was just. I wore these most of the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your family happy to see you in Indian dress? I mean, the landlord's family."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:701", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6683121813298453, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wore them all the time. I wore them to work. I wore them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, uh huh. I didn't, uh, every once in a while, I wore my American clothes. But, but, uh, it was just. I wore these most of the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was your family happy to see you in Indian dress? I mean, the landlord's family."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. I had all different. I probably had a trunk down there, probably, oh, probably about six or seven different outfits. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any restrictions on travel or, I mean, were you expected to stay within India?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:711", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1317925474264512, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And so every once in a while, they'd take us along."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which to me was just fantastic because we got, we got to know more volunteers. We got to see what they were doing, how they lived."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was just great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it sounds like it was a very enlightened office."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:713", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.257547274918279, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Which to me was just fantastic because we got, we got to know more volunteers. We got to see what they were doing, how they lived."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it was just great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it sounds like it was a very enlightened office."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So we had a driver, and we just traveled by, by, um, by vehicle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were some of the problems that existed in, from your perspective, sitting in the office?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:717", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.4414163887879987, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. So we had a driver, and we just traveled by, by, um, by vehicle."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were some of the problems that existed in, from your perspective, sitting in the office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, oh, um. I think it was maybe cooperation from local, maybe local government people or. And of course, everybody had, I mean, just the time delays and, you know, there's."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Some corruption."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some corruption and just, you know, Americans, you know, are used to getting things done right away. Well, weeks and weeks of waiting until things could, they could get cooperation from government and getting started and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would volunteers come into the office and sort of vent and?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:719", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.49046265420888746, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, oh, um. I think it was maybe cooperation from local, maybe local government people or. And of course, everybody had, I mean, just the time delays and, you know, there's."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Some corruption."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some corruption and just, you know, Americans, you know, are used to getting things done right away. Well, weeks and weeks of waiting until things could, they could get cooperation from government and getting started and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would volunteers come into the office and sort of vent and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To you or to the assistant or to whoever was listening?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:721", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5449585046765416, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some corruption and just, you know, Americans, you know, are used to getting things done right away. Well, weeks and weeks of waiting until things could, they could get cooperation from government and getting started and, and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would volunteers come into the office and sort of vent and?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To you or to the assistant or to whoever was listening?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were aware of that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:723", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6055094496406017, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did, they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To you or to the assistant or to whoever was listening?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were aware of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about volunteer behavior, I mean, or misbehavior?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:725", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6727882773784464, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were aware of that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How about volunteer behavior, I mean, or misbehavior?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Misbehavior."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were any volunteers sent home while you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:729", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8306028115783289, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Misbehavior."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were any volunteers sent home while you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't recall any. There could have been some, but I don't recall any."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but, uh, I don't recall anybody."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. As you came to the end of the first year, uh, it sounds to me like you were thoroughly settled into the job."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:731", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9228920128648099, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't recall any. There could have been some, but I don't recall any."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but, uh, I don't recall anybody."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. As you came to the end of the first year, uh, it sounds to me like you were thoroughly settled into the job."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I was, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your living conditions were good."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:733", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.0254355698497888, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, but, uh, I don't recall anybody."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. As you came to the end of the first year, uh, it sounds to me like you were thoroughly settled into the job."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I was, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your living conditions were good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you could, at that point, you sort of can look ahead and say, well, within ten months, whatever, I'm going to be going home."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:735", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1393728553886542, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I was, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And your living conditions were good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you could, at that point, you sort of can look ahead and say, well, within ten months, whatever, I'm going to be going home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if you reflected back and forward? I mean, well, before I leave, I'd like to accomplish this or see this or do this."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:737", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2659698393207268, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you could, at that point, you sort of can look ahead and say, well, within ten months, whatever, I'm going to be going home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall if you reflected back and forward? I mean, well, before I leave, I'd like to accomplish this or see this or do this."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, um. Probably so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Don't let me put words."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:741", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5629257275564528, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, um. Probably so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Don't let me put words."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I, uh, of course did some traveling then, but, um. I think when the time came. I don't know, for some reason, I just, I just pretty much went directly, directly home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's take the second year. Was the second year at all different than the first?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:743", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.736584141729392, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I, uh, of course did some traveling then, but, um. I think when the time came. I don't know, for some reason, I just, I just pretty much went directly, directly home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's take the second year. Was the second year at all different than the first?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think so. I think I'm just more comfortable with the people and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did new staff come in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:755", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.3860130131649453, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just fine. Um. She didn't spend much time in the office working and she decided she really didn't like it. So she found herself a teaching job in a school in Hyderabad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And she was teaching."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nobody objected?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. And she got permission, of course, from the, the director. And then they of course, New Delhi okayed it and everything. So everything was, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So your workload was heavy, but not impossible."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:757", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.4289033479610504, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And she was teaching."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nobody objected?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. And she got permission, of course, from the, the director. And then they of course, New Delhi okayed it and everything. So everything was, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So your workload was heavy, but not impossible."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, impossible took me into 8:00 at night and every once in a while 10:00 at night on really, really deadline, you know, projects. But yeah, we just, if there was work just stayed and worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there was always, I mean, the flow was constant."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:759", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.4765592755122782, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No. And she got permission, of course, from the, the director. And then they of course, New Delhi okayed it and everything. So everything was, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. So your workload was heavy, but not impossible."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, impossible took me into 8:00 at night and every once in a while 10:00 at night on really, really deadline, you know, projects. But yeah, we just, if there was work just stayed and worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there was always, I mean, the flow was constant."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall, did groups that were finished have their, they used to call it a termination conference?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:761", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5295103061247536, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, impossible took me into 8:00 at night and every once in a while 10:00 at night on really, really deadline, you know, projects. But yeah, we just, if there was work just stayed and worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there was always, I mean, the flow was constant."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall, did groups that were finished have their, they used to call it a termination conference?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They came into town. They came into Hyderabad and had, as a group, and had the little conference and, um, and then left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you sit in on those or not?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:763", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5883447845830595, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall, did groups that were finished have their, they used to call it a termination conference?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They came into town. They came into Hyderabad and had, as a group, and had the little conference and, um, and then left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you sit in on those or not?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, yeah, I think I did. I think I, I helped out maybe with materials. And I did, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh, so through the second year, was second year not much different than the first?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:769", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8070573176722352, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not a whole lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Additional travel?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like I said, there were so many volunteers coming and going and conferences through there every six months or so. So there was always it seemed like groups coming and going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we, the new groups would of course be going to the airport or meet them at the train station or wherever. And, and um. Yeah. Always something going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Were you satisfied that you had, you know, met Indians and become somewhat involved? I mean, you were going to church, which puts you in the."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:771", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8967303529691503, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like I said, there were so many volunteers coming and going and conferences through there every six months or so. So there was always it seemed like groups coming and going."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we, the new groups would of course be going to the airport or meet them at the train station or wherever. And, and um. Yeah. Always something going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Were you satisfied that you had, you know, met Indians and become somewhat involved? I mean, you were going to church, which puts you in the."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or did you feel that there was a lot of India that you were kind of missing or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:773", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9963670588546114, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then we, the new groups would of course be going to the airport or meet them at the train station or wherever. And, and um. Yeah. Always something going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Were you satisfied that you had, you know, met Indians and become somewhat involved? I mean, you were going to church, which puts you in the."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or did you feel that there was a lot of India that you were kind of missing or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think, I think once I got home, I probably thought, well, you know, I probably should have traveled more afterwards or, um. But, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But not while you were there. While you were there, you were busy and you felt your life was."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:775", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1070745098384571, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or did you feel that there was a lot of India that you were kind of missing or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think, I think once I got home, I probably thought, well, you know, I probably should have traveled more afterwards or, um. But, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But not while you were there. While you were there, you were busy and you felt your life was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And at the time probably, um, being that I was there by myself as a volunteer, which meant I lived by myself and, and maybe, maybe at the time, I didn't feel comfortable about just going off and traveling by myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Alone, sure, sure."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:777", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2300827887093968, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think, I think once I got home, I probably thought, well, you know, I probably should have traveled more afterwards or, um. But, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But not while you were there. While you were there, you were busy and you felt your life was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And at the time probably, um, being that I was there by myself as a volunteer, which meant I lived by myself and, and maybe, maybe at the time, I didn't feel comfortable about just going off and traveling by myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Alone, sure, sure."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. That's probably the main reason that I didn't try to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the two years, do you recall thinking to yourself at all, well, I joined the Peace Corps, and I think, you know, it's been the experience I wanted?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:781", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.5186207268017244, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. That's probably the main reason that I didn't try to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the two years, do you recall thinking to yourself at all, well, I joined the Peace Corps, and I think, you know, it's been the experience I wanted?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I, I knew, I knew from the beginning I wasn't, I wasn't a teacher. And I knew that, I didn't have the personality to be a teacher. And so I think I was, I was totally satisfied with, with what I did. And, uh, yeah, I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And as you're coming near the end of the second year, uh, any regrets? Any, well, are you ready to wrap it up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:783", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.687356363113027, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I, I knew, I knew from the beginning I wasn't, I wasn't a teacher. And I knew that, I didn't have the personality to be a teacher. And so I think I was, I was totally satisfied with, with what I did. And, uh, yeah, I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And as you're coming near the end of the second year, uh, any regrets? Any, well, are you ready to wrap it up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you being replaced?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:785", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7637292923478077, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I, I knew, I knew from the beginning I wasn't, I wasn't a teacher. And I knew that, I didn't have the personality to be a teacher. And so I think I was, I was totally satisfied with, with what I did. And, uh, yeah, I was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And as you're coming near the end of the second year, uh, any regrets? Any, well, are you ready to wrap it up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you being replaced?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Yeah. We didn't get any new volunteers in the office. And by then, by then, I think that's like two years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it's '68."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:787", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8485881026086752, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you being replaced?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Yeah. We didn't get any new volunteers in the office. And by then, by then, I think that's like two years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it's '68."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, '68. So they were still coming and going. Um. And I remember one of the associate directors had left. He went back to the States to I think go back to college or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. This period is the height of the anti-Vietnam War movement."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:789", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9428756695651946, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um. Yeah. We didn't get any new volunteers in the office. And by then, by then, I think that's like two years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, it's '68."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, '68. So they were still coming and going. Um. And I remember one of the associate directors had left. He went back to the States to I think go back to college or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. This period is the height of the anti-Vietnam War movement."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall it spilling over at all into the office?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:791", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0476396328502162, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, '68. So they were still coming and going. Um. And I remember one of the associate directors had left. He went back to the States to I think go back to college or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. This period is the height of the anti-Vietnam War movement."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall it spilling over at all into the office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or discussions with volunteers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:793", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0529329253891292, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall it spilling over at all into the office?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or discussions with volunteers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. It seems like I almost lost two years. I didn't lose, but I kind of missed out on two years of kind of what was going on in Vietnam. We kind of, you know, we had newspapers and BBC once in a while. But, but, but I don't regret missing out too much. Well, I just know we did kind of miss out on that and maybe the music scene in the States and the, and some of that. But, um. But no really regrets."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall volunteers who had any trouble with the draft?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:795", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.05881436154347689, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Or discussions with volunteers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. It seems like I almost lost two years. I didn't lose, but I kind of missed out on two years of kind of what was going on in Vietnam. We kind of, you know, we had newspapers and BBC once in a while. But, but, but I don't regret missing out too much. Well, I just know we did kind of miss out on that and maybe the music scene in the States and the, and some of that. But, um. But no really regrets."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall volunteers who had any trouble with the draft?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:797", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.06534929060386321, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really. It seems like I almost lost two years. I didn't lose, but I kind of missed out on two years of kind of what was going on in Vietnam. We kind of, you know, we had newspapers and BBC once in a while. But, but, but I don't regret missing out too much. Well, I just know we did kind of miss out on that and maybe the music scene in the States and the, and some of that. But, um. But no really regrets."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall volunteers who had any trouble with the draft?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had, we had, you know, single volunteers that we have, um, I think in all groups we had couples also serving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any, through the two years, your health was generally good?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:799", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.07261032289318134, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay. All right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had, we had, you know, single volunteers that we have, um, I think in all groups we had couples also serving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any, through the two years, your health was generally good?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think so. I think I had a couple of bouts of dysentery at first. Um, got straightened out there. Avoided, you know, the water, boiled the water and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was malaria a problem?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:801", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.08067813654797927, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And we had, we had, you know, single volunteers that we have, um, I think in all groups we had couples also serving."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any, through the two years, your health was generally good?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think so. I think I had a couple of bouts of dysentery at first. Um, got straightened out there. Avoided, you know, the water, boiled the water and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was malaria a problem?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you taking?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:803", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.08964237394219919, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think so. I think I had a couple of bouts of dysentery at first. Um, got straightened out there. Avoided, you know, the water, boiled the water and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was malaria a problem?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you taking?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, wasn't a malarial area."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:809", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.12296621939945018, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of course before we left we had, you know, every week in training we had go to some health office and we had shots like every, every week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For this and that, just about everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh, I don't recall people getting really sick except with maybe dysentery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, as you finish your tour and what are your plans at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:811", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.13662913266605575, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For this and that, just about everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh, I don't recall people getting really sick except with maybe dysentery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, as you finish your tour and what are your plans at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Plans? I came home and, and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about the reentry to the U.S. Now, you've been in a very exotic place for two years."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:813", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.1518101474067286, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But, uh, I don't recall people getting really sick except with maybe dysentery."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, as you finish your tour and what are your plans at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Plans? I came home and, and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about the reentry to the U.S. Now, you've been in a very exotic place for two years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you're returning to Missouri."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:815", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.16867794156303179, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Plans? I came home and, and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about the reentry to the U.S. Now, you've been in a very exotic place for two years."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you're returning to Missouri."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Returning to Missouri. And, and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did people make of you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:817", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.18741993507003532, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you're returning to Missouri."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Returning to Missouri. And, and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did people make of you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they just thought it was, it was. Of course, at that time in a small community, like my hometown of Trenton at that time was maybe 8,000 people. And, yes, it was a big thing that somebody went off to India. And, of course, before I left, they had an article about me in the paper and my picture. And then when I returned, I think, I think, I think there was another article when I was home and the story. And I remember speaking at a few groups. And my mother was involved like in a homemakers group. And, and, of course, the, I think the 4-H group was still going. My brother was in that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you put on your Indian dress and you went to speak?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:819", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.20824437230003925, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Returning to Missouri. And, and, um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did people make of you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they just thought it was, it was. Of course, at that time in a small community, like my hometown of Trenton at that time was maybe 8,000 people. And, yes, it was a big thing that somebody went off to India. And, of course, before I left, they had an article about me in the paper and my picture. And then when I returned, I think, I think, I think there was another article when I was home and the story. And I remember speaking at a few groups. And my mother was involved like in a homemakers group. And, and, of course, the, I think the 4-H group was still going. My brother was in that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you put on your Indian dress and you went to speak?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I sure did. And then I did, I brought some, some items that I brought with me, some fabric silks and that kind of thing. And some little dolls and souvenirs. Yes. Jewelry. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the readjustment was relatively easy for you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:821", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.23138263588893251, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, they just thought it was, it was. Of course, at that time in a small community, like my hometown of Trenton at that time was maybe 8,000 people. And, yes, it was a big thing that somebody went off to India. And, of course, before I left, they had an article about me in the paper and my picture. And then when I returned, I think, I think, I think there was another article when I was home and the story. And I remember speaking at a few groups. And my mother was involved like in a homemakers group. And, and, of course, the, I think the 4-H group was still going. My brother was in that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you put on your Indian dress and you went to speak?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I sure did. And then I did, I brought some, some items that I brought with me, some fabric silks and that kind of thing. And some little dolls and souvenirs. Yes. Jewelry. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the readjustment was relatively easy for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It really was. It really was. Probably if I, it was not as much. I think, I think the ones that lived in the villages for two years and had very limited access to fruit and vegetables and, it was, I'm sure it was a lot more difficult. But I could go to, to any store in Hyderabad. And, and, um, I think I even found toilet paper."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the end of the, as you came to the end of the second year, were you at all tempted to extend your tour?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:823", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.25709181765436945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, I sure did. And then I did, I brought some, some items that I brought with me, some fabric silks and that kind of thing. And some little dolls and souvenirs. Yes. Jewelry. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the readjustment was relatively easy for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It really was. It really was. Probably if I, it was not as much. I think, I think the ones that lived in the villages for two years and had very limited access to fruit and vegetables and, it was, I'm sure it was a lot more difficult. But I could go to, to any store in Hyderabad. And, and, um, I think I even found toilet paper."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the end of the, as you came to the end of the second year, were you at all tempted to extend your tour?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because sometimes that was an option."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:825", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.2856575751715216, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It really was. It really was. Probably if I, it was not as much. I think, I think the ones that lived in the villages for two years and had very limited access to fruit and vegetables and, it was, I'm sure it was a lot more difficult. But I could go to, to any store in Hyderabad. And, and, um, I think I even found toilet paper."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the end of the, as you came to the end of the second year, were you at all tempted to extend your tour?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because sometimes that was an option."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't. I wasn't. And, uh, I don't know if I didn't, I probably didn't even think about it. I don't know. I don't remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh. So let's talk now about, you've made the shift, you've readjusted to being back in the U.S. How do you think your, what effect did the Peace Corps service have on your life?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:829", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.35266367305126123, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wasn't. I wasn't. And, uh, I don't know if I didn't, I probably didn't even think about it. I don't know. I don't remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Uh. So let's talk now about, you've made the shift, you've readjusted to being back in the U.S. How do you think your, what effect did the Peace Corps service have on your life?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think it's just such wonderful memories and it just, I think it just opened my, opened my whole view of there's something out there besides, besides North Dakota and north Missouri and Kansas City."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, that's just. I don't know, it just very, very, just opened up my world and my thinking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another of the Peace Corps goals is that you come back and sort of help other Americans understand about the third world."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:831", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.3918485256125125, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think it's just such wonderful memories and it just, I think it just opened my, opened my whole view of there's something out there besides, besides North Dakota and north Missouri and Kansas City."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, that's just. I don't know, it just very, very, just opened up my world and my thinking."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Another of the Peace Corps goals is that you come back and sort of help other Americans understand about the third world."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall consciously trying to do anything like that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:835", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.4837636118672994, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you recall consciously trying to do anything like that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've always been, I've always been interested. Well, after that, I guess, I guess I did a lot of volunteering after that, and I still do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, since then. I mean, I. Of course, I got a job within pretty quick and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back at secretarial work?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:837", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5375151242969993, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've always been, I've always been interested. Well, after that, I guess, I guess I did a lot of volunteering after that, and I still do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, since then. I mean, I. Of course, I got a job within pretty quick and, uh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back at secretarial work?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did. And not the same place, but I got another job and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you at all tempted to go on for a degree when you came back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:843", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.7373321320946492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don't think so. Um, I went to, I took some classes at, um, like the junior college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And just here and there, not for a degree, but just, because I was, I took biology I remember. I took, um, not biology. I took sociology."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'm just still interested in learning more. And that was interesting but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were we able to maintain any kind of contact with people you knew in India?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:845", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.8192579245496102, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And just here and there, not for a degree, but just, because I was, I took biology I remember. I took, um, not biology. I took sociology."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'm just still interested in learning more. And that was interesting but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were we able to maintain any kind of contact with people you knew in India?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For a while. For a while. But then that kind of it seems like it didn't last. And I started my own life and moving and traveling and family and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Married with children."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:847", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9102865828329002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I'm just still interested in learning more. And that was interesting but."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were we able to maintain any kind of contact with people you knew in India?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For a while. For a while. But then that kind of it seems like it didn't last. And I started my own life and moving and traveling and family and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Married with children."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, so, so, no, that's, that's what I regret, that I didn't. I didn't stay in touch more with, with, uh, like long term with the, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And through the years, you've not gone back to India?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:851", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1238105960900002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, so, so, no, that's, that's what I regret, that I didn't. I didn't stay in touch more with, with, uh, like long term with the, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And through the years, you've not gone back to India?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I haven't. And I'd still like to. I'd still like to, but, but I know going back, I could. I'm sure the place, Hyderabad's changed like every other place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, you know, I would have no idea how to even get over or get around to where locations are."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you came back, did you find that old friends who would not been in the Peace Corps, there was kind of a dissonance that now you were the world traveler and had been in these exotic places and they were still in Missouri, you know?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:853", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.2486784401000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I haven't. And I'd still like to. I'd still like to, but, but I know going back, I could. I'm sure the place, Hyderabad's changed like every other place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, you know, I would have no idea how to even get over or get around to where locations are."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you came back, did you find that old friends who would not been in the Peace Corps, there was kind of a dissonance that now you were the world traveler and had been in these exotic places and they were still in Missouri, you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Missouri, and yeah, of course, a lot of my friends had gone to college and having their own out of town experiences. Um, yes, everybody was very interested at first, of course. Everybody finds, um, interested in what you're doing and family is interested and, and then, and then after a while it's not so much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Very quickly."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:855", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.3874204890000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, you know, I would have no idea how to even get over or get around to where locations are."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you came back, did you find that old friends who would not been in the Peace Corps, there was kind of a dissonance that now you were the world traveler and had been in these exotic places and they were still in Missouri, you know?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Missouri, and yeah, of course, a lot of my friends had gone to college and having their own out of town experiences. Um, yes, everybody was very interested at first, of course. Everybody finds, um, interested in what you're doing and family is interested and, and then, and then after a while it's not so much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Very quickly."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that's why I've very much enjoyed getting together with the local returned Peace Corps volunteer group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now, I mean, for the last several years you've been very active in the?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:857", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.43046721000000016, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Missouri, and yeah, of course, a lot of my friends had gone to college and having their own out of town experiences. Um, yes, everybody was very interested at first, of course. Everybody finds, um, interested in what you're doing and family is interested and, and then, and then after a while it's not so much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Very quickly."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that's why I've very much enjoyed getting together with the local returned Peace Corps volunteer group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now, I mean, for the last several years you've been very active in the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About I'd say probably ten or 12 years now, very active in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Kansas City returned volunteer group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:859", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.47829690000000014, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And that's why I've very much enjoyed getting together with the local returned Peace Corps volunteer group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So now, I mean, for the last several years you've been very active in the?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "About I'd say probably ten or 12 years now, very active in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Kansas City returned volunteer group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And, and I just enjoy very much, um, getting together and, and then we can, you know, everybody's interested in what everybody else is doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If someone came to you and said, well, do you think I should join the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:861", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5314410000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About I'd say probably ten or 12 years now, very active in the group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The Kansas City returned volunteer group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And, and I just enjoy very much, um, getting together and, and then we can, you know, everybody's interested in what everybody else is doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If someone came to you and said, well, do you think I should join the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I'd say definitely. Definitely. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did either of your children express interest or did their lives go in other directions?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:863", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.5904900000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And, and I just enjoy very much, um, getting together and, and then we can, you know, everybody's interested in what everybody else is doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If someone came to you and said, well, do you think I should join the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I'd say definitely. Definitely. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did either of your children express interest or did their lives go in other directions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They knew their mother had been in the Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:865", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.6561000000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I'd say definitely. Definitely. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did either of your children express interest or did their lives go in other directions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they didn't."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They knew their mother had been in the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I suggested. Yes. And I suggested especially my youngest daughter, she's traveled a lot. And, and, and, but. But I guess she found that, um. I don't know. It wasn't for her, but I tried. I sure tried that. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Anything else you'd like to say for the National Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:869", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.81, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I suggested. Yes. And I suggested especially my youngest daughter, she's traveled a lot. And, and, and, but. But I guess she found that, um. I don't know. It wasn't for her, but I tried. I sure tried that. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Anything else you'd like to say for the National Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Um. It was just a wonderful experience. I have no regrets whatsoever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And since then people I meet, um, I've made a lot of good returned Peace Corps friends and, um. Of course, of course, when you, when you meet new people that are not Peace Corps, they're still, I think a lot of them are still kind of surprised that you've done something like that, and um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you've gone on job interviews, do you usually mention you've been in the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00220:871", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Um. It was just a wonderful experience. I have no regrets whatsoever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And since then people I meet, um, I've made a lot of good returned Peace Corps friends and, um. Of course, of course, when you, when you meet new people that are not Peace Corps, they're still, I think a lot of them are still kind of surprised that you've done something like that, and um."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you've gone on job interviews, do you usually mention you've been in the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I do, definitely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what do people make of it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00452:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 25.581575168200004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Now when the Shuttle lands, see, it's not the same. I don't think it could be the same as it was in Apollo or Gemini or Mercury."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, give us one that lasted your memory."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, remember the old Flintlock Inn? Well, the Flintlock Inn was a great place to have splashdown parties, because they had this whole open second level deck that was open from one end to the other, you could get hundreds of people in there. I'm sure we violated every fire law they ever had cramming people in the place. But you'd get in like [AS-]201, there were things that happened like that commanding sequence we had on [AS-]204 trying to get the commands in before they went over the hill, because they had a maneuver coming up. The guy from the command console down in the bowels of the building just and said, “I never thought you guys would pull that off.” We sat around, we must have rehashed that for half an hour and laughed about it. You'd laugh about a lot of things. You end up—crazy things. Arm-wrestling, Phil [Philip E.] Shaffer, did you know Phil Shaffer? Did you interview him?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We did."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did you? Okay. He was one of our favorite guys."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were an arm-wrestler."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00452:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 25.903179220000006, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Did you? Okay. He was one of our favorite guys."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were an arm-wrestler."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Arm-wrestling, Indian leg-wrestling. You remember you get on your back and you lock legs together, try to flip the guy. Crazy stuff. Drank a lot of beer. Drank a lot of beer and ate those things that—what was the place in Dickinson?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hofbrau Garden?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hofbrau Garden yeah, that was another really good place, because you can get a lot of people in there. They were all a lot of fun. Everybody showed up. [Christopher C.] Kraft would show up. Everybody showed up. They went to all of them that I remember. They wouldn't stay long necessarily but Kranz would come, he'd hang out, and [Glynn S.] Lunney would always be there. Everybody went. It was a good way to defuse or depressurize after the mission was over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very much a personal level more than a professional level, I guess."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00452:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 24.336865800000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Arm-wrestling, Indian leg-wrestling. You remember you get on your back and you lock legs together, try to flip the guy. Crazy stuff. Drank a lot of beer. Drank a lot of beer and ate those things that—what was the place in Dickinson?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hofbrau Garden?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hofbrau Garden yeah, that was another really good place, because you can get a lot of people in there. They were all a lot of fun. Everybody showed up. [Christopher C.] Kraft would show up. Everybody showed up. They went to all of them that I remember. They wouldn't stay long necessarily but Kranz would come, he'd hang out, and [Glynn S.] Lunney would always be there. Everybody went. It was a good way to defuse or depressurize after the mission was over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very much a personal level more than a professional level, I guess."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah absolutely, yeah, people you talked to that were down in the RTCC [Real-Time Computer Complex] you actually never saw, except at splashdown parties. Let's see. The Ops Taskforce was a really good thing. That was the one where we put the ops concept together. We spent a lot of time as a group down at [NASA] Kennedy [Space Center, Florida] locked up in one of their barns down there to do that. That was good. One of the side benefits is when I worked in the Department of Transportation in the planning area, the systems planning, it got me a call to join the Rockville City Planning Commission, because they're always dealing with a lot of transportation issues and so on. So I spent eight years on the Rockville City Planning Commission because of my UMTA experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's a pretty growing town at that time, wasn't it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00452:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 32.978, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'd like to think that was part of it, because I had no clue when I was down in Houston in flight control as a console guy. I wrote requirements, we'd justify them, we sat down with IBM [Corporation] and all these contractor teams, and we'd sit there, and we'd discuss and discuss how to build this software to do this thing for us, the command system and all that. Had no clue what cost was. Had never heard anything about cost. Never. If that's the culture that came forward, where you had no idea what the cost was, or you didn't care—senior managers just said tell [James E.] Webb, he'll go get another $500,000. That was during Apollo. Now that's not happened in Station. You got to fight for every nickel and you have to tell them why. I think they're fair questions as a taxpayer to ask those questions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you still on board when the Congress took the vote where it passed by one vote?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For Station?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, oh yeah. It's in the book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, good. I'll catch up on my reading."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00452:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 22, "return_to_go": 34.42, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For Station?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, oh yeah. It's in the book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Okay, good. I'll catch up on my reading."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was a scary time, yeah. New Millennium, that program with EO-1, I was real pleased with how that went, that was a big success. This interoperability stuff we're doing with taking the Earth Science vision and translating that into a very international kind of a concept with this GEOSS stuff I mentioned, I felt real good about that. I hope that actually keeps moving on. I didn't really talk much about my parallel career in the Navy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, you didn't."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.17994282235466, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. However, I also I also said initially that I was interested in doing work in the health field. And so the first post that was offered, kind of funny, was South Korea. They were there was a tuberculosis project going on there. And I said, no thank you. And then I know by virtue of the timing of this and when my final clearances came through in the summer of 1980, because Benin had a different academic calendar there, what we would consider to be our summer break. Benin is above the equator. And so it's, you know, the same seasons as us. But they had a planting component as part of their curriculum and so were in school during the summer basically. That changed. And so our training was going on in November, December, January of 1980 into 1981. And so when I was cleared for volunteer service in the summer. And that's why I went to Benin, the former French colony formerly called Dahomey. And the name had changed. And so, uh, and so we arrived there and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's back up. OK, so where did you grow up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I grew up I was born in New York. I grew up in New Jersey. Suburban New Jersey mayor. And then but I was living in Massachusetts and I went to high school and college in Massachusetts. Sudbury, Massachusetts was where my parents were living. And I had. Actually I was working in an administrative capacity at MIT and had met a Peace Corps recruiter there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you weren’t straight out of college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn't. No, I was 26. Now, when I became a volunteer, I'd been working for about two years. I graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, with a political science and French major and studied in France. And I and then got this job at MIT. Yeah, nice people, but it wasn't really what I was interested in. And then I knew someone who was a volunteer had been a volunteer in Liberia. And I and the parents of my high school friend, they encouraged me to apply."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you said you met a recruiter as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 19.088825358171846, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I grew up I was born in New York. I grew up in New Jersey. Suburban New Jersey mayor. And then but I was living in Massachusetts and I went to high school and college in Massachusetts. Sudbury, Massachusetts was where my parents were living. And I had. Actually I was working in an administrative capacity at MIT and had met a Peace Corps recruiter there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you weren’t straight out of college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn't. No, I was 26. Now, when I became a volunteer, I'd been working for about two years. I graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, with a political science and French major and studied in France. And I and then got this job at MIT. Yeah, nice people, but it wasn't really what I was interested in. And then I knew someone who was a volunteer had been a volunteer in Liberia. And I and the parents of my high school friend, they encouraged me to apply."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you said you met a recruiter as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The recruiter came to MIT, and so I went and interviewed up and applied. Then I don't remember anything about meeting with the recruiter or the up and so up. And then they found out during the summer that I thought I was going to be going to go to Benin. I went and looked up in the library to see because I didn't recognize that name. And so I started to get ready."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you meet up with the rest of the group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 16.76536150907983, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I wasn't. No, I was 26. Now, when I became a volunteer, I'd been working for about two years. I graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, with a political science and French major and studied in France. And I and then got this job at MIT. Yeah, nice people, but it wasn't really what I was interested in. And then I knew someone who was a volunteer had been a volunteer in Liberia. And I and the parents of my high school friend, they encouraged me to apply."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you said you met a recruiter as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The recruiter came to MIT, and so I went and interviewed up and applied. Then I don't remember anything about meeting with the recruiter or the up and so up. And then they found out during the summer that I thought I was going to be going to go to Benin. I went and looked up in the library to see because I didn't recognize that name. And so I started to get ready."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you meet up with the rest of the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Philadelphia. We did about a week, I think, about a week just before we were set to go over, just before Thanksgiving in 1980. And so met in Philadelphia. Received brief orientation. I remember a lot of shots at the time. And I and then Ed's left Philadelphia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was everybody in a TEFL group? Was the whole group TEFL?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.517068343422032, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The recruiter came to MIT, and so I went and interviewed up and applied. Then I don't remember anything about meeting with the recruiter or the up and so up. And then they found out during the summer that I thought I was going to be going to go to Benin. I went and looked up in the library to see because I didn't recognize that name. And so I started to get ready."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you meet up with the rest of the group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Philadelphia. We did about a week, I think, about a week just before we were set to go over, just before Thanksgiving in 1980. And so met in Philadelphia. Received brief orientation. I remember a lot of shots at the time. And I and then Ed's left Philadelphia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was everybody in a TEFL group? Was the whole group TEFL?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of it. There were 31 of us that were teachers. And then there were also four appropriate technology volunteers who were doing what were called Lorena Stoves development, L-O-R-E-N-A. So there were four of them and the other 31 were training to be teachers. And there was TEFL, physics, math and biology."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were in TEFL?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 19.463409270468926, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Philadelphia. We did about a week, I think, about a week just before we were set to go over, just before Thanksgiving in 1980. And so met in Philadelphia. Received brief orientation. I remember a lot of shots at the time. And I and then Ed's left Philadelphia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was everybody in a TEFL group? Was the whole group TEFL?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of it. There were 31 of us that were teachers. And then there were also four appropriate technology volunteers who were doing what were called Lorena Stoves development, L-O-R-E-N-A. So there were four of them and the other 31 were training to be teachers. And there was TEFL, physics, math and biology."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were in TEFL?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the TEFL group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after a week in Philadelphia you all flew off?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 19.403788078298806, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Most of it. There were 31 of us that were teachers. And then there were also four appropriate technology volunteers who were doing what were called Lorena Stoves development, L-O-R-E-N-A. So there were four of them and the other 31 were training to be teachers. And there was TEFL, physics, math and biology."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were in TEFL?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the TEFL group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after a week in Philadelphia you all flew off?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We took off, took off for Paris and then flew down to and from Paris down to, well eventually to Cotonou, Benin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that, is that the capital?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 20.448653420332008, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the TEFL group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after a week in Philadelphia you all flew off?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We took off, took off for Paris and then flew down to and from Paris down to, well eventually to Cotonou, Benin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that, is that the capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's the commercial center, the capital of Benin is Porto-Novo. And then, uh, we had yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew to Cote?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 12.720726022591117, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We took off, took off for Paris and then flew down to and from Paris down to, well eventually to Cotonou, Benin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that, is that the capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's the commercial center, the capital of Benin is Porto-Novo. And then, uh, we had yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew to Cote?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cote d’Ivoire. We flew to Abidjan, we were supposed to stop in Ouagadougou. Oh gosh, I'm trying to remember every country of the to the north, not Mali. Burkina Faso. That's it. We were supposed to stop there but there had been a coup and so we did not stop there. And but it landed in Abidjan and got on local Air Afrique to fly to Contonou, Benin. So it was we were all together and had gotten to know people over the week, you know, that we were in in Benin and then were in training in Benin for a couple of months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was the training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.689695580656796, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that's the commercial center, the capital of Benin is Porto-Novo. And then, uh, we had yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You flew to Cote?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Cote d’Ivoire. We flew to Abidjan, we were supposed to stop in Ouagadougou. Oh gosh, I'm trying to remember every country of the to the north, not Mali. Burkina Faso. That's it. We were supposed to stop there but there had been a coup and so we did not stop there. And but it landed in Abidjan and got on local Air Afrique to fly to Contonou, Benin. So it was we were all together and had gotten to know people over the week, you know, that we were in in Benin and then were in training in Benin for a couple of months."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where was the training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was in Cotonou, the, uh, that was that a place called Codiam. And that and that was a, you know, kind of an educational center now. But it also had rooms and everything, although there were other people living there. And I remember some Zairian students, that was back when it was called Zaire, being there. As we said, the interesting thing was we had a staff, contract staff basically, who were doing the training and some of them were Beninese. A lot of the trainees didn't speak French, the English teachers, as a matter of fact, spoke the best French in the group, and since they were to be, you know, teaching in French, this was kind of difficult for them. So they had Beninese teachers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Teaching them French?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.258883432909624, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was in Cotonou, the, uh, that was that a place called Codiam. And that and that was a, you know, kind of an educational center now. But it also had rooms and everything, although there were other people living there. And I remember some Zairian students, that was back when it was called Zaire, being there. As we said, the interesting thing was we had a staff, contract staff basically, who were doing the training and some of them were Beninese. A lot of the trainees didn't speak French, the English teachers, as a matter of fact, spoke the best French in the group, and since they were to be, you know, teaching in French, this was kind of difficult for them. So they had Beninese teachers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Teaching them French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Teaching them French, but also doing the technical training. And were more Americans working under contract all the time. When we arrived in country, there were only four volunteers who were in country. And the reason that was such a small group was that there had been some political issues of the in the late ‘70s, there had been an attempted invasion. Benin is a very poor country and it was kind of improbable, I think, that that Americans or Americans backed armed forces were trying to invade Benin, but there were. It was a time when a government was Marxist-Leninist, at least on paper."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you came?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I came, but they had asked for assistance. And so a lot of the that's why one of the reasons that there were only four volunteers in country, because there hadn't been a group that had gone over recently."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had they'd been kicked out before?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.17653714767736, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Teaching them French, but also doing the technical training. And were more Americans working under contract all the time. When we arrived in country, there were only four volunteers who were in country. And the reason that was such a small group was that there had been some political issues of the in the late ‘70s, there had been an attempted invasion. Benin is a very poor country and it was kind of improbable, I think, that that Americans or Americans backed armed forces were trying to invade Benin, but there were. It was a time when a government was Marxist-Leninist, at least on paper."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you came?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I came, but they had asked for assistance. And so a lot of the that's why one of the reasons that there were only four volunteers in country, because there hadn't been a group that had gone over recently."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had they'd been kicked out before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then you well, you weren’t the first group, you were the second group back."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.973930164085956, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I came, but they had asked for assistance. And so a lot of the that's why one of the reasons that there were only four volunteers in country, because there hadn't been a group that had gone over recently."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had they'd been kicked out before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then you well, you weren’t the first group, you were the second group back."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. The Peace Corps had been in Benin since the ‘60s, but as I say, up in the mid ‘70s, it's due to this political due to this quote unquote, invasion, the Americans had been had been kicked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because Benin accused the United States of backing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.859922404539951, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So then you well, you weren’t the first group, you were the second group back."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. The Peace Corps had been in Benin since the ‘60s, but as I say, up in the mid ‘70s, it's due to this political due to this quote unquote, invasion, the Americans had been had been kicked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because Benin accused the United States of backing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Backing the people that were invading. Not something that was really talked about very much, you know. So it was something that my recollection of it at this point is spotty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel anti-Americanism when you were there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.62213600504439, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. The Peace Corps had been in Benin since the ‘60s, but as I say, up in the mid ‘70s, it's due to this political due to this quote unquote, invasion, the Americans had been had been kicked out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because Benin accused the United States of backing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Backing the people that were invading. Not something that was really talked about very much, you know. So it was something that my recollection of it at this point is spotty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel anti-Americanism when you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Once it was clear that we were. At one point, because I spoke French so well and because my accent was it was Parisian, they said, are you French? And they were hostile kind of towards the French. And although they were taking aid from the French, from France. And I said, no, that as an American. And that was fine. So it's no, I think a lot of people didn't know any Americans, you know, and the experiences that they had had no work that were favorable of this was kind of, um. So we had gone to the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So let's go back to the training. You clearly didn't need French, did you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.469040005604878, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Backing the people that were invading. Not something that was really talked about very much, you know. So it was something that my recollection of it at this point is spotty."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel anti-Americanism when you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Once it was clear that we were. At one point, because I spoke French so well and because my accent was it was Parisian, they said, are you French? And they were hostile kind of towards the French. And although they were taking aid from the French, from France. And I said, no, that as an American. And that was fine. So it's no, I think a lot of people didn't know any Americans, you know, and the experiences that they had had no work that were favorable of this was kind of, um. So we had gone to the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So let's go back to the training. You clearly didn't need French, did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't need French training. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But other people went through French training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.410044450672086, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Once it was clear that we were. At one point, because I spoke French so well and because my accent was it was Parisian, they said, are you French? And they were hostile kind of towards the French. And although they were taking aid from the French, from France. And I said, no, that as an American. And that was fine. So it's no, I think a lot of people didn't know any Americans, you know, and the experiences that they had had no work that were favorable of this was kind of, um. So we had gone to the."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So let's go back to the training. You clearly didn't need French, did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't need French training. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But other people went through French training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And then technical training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How was the TEFL training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.455604945191206, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I didn't need French training. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But other people went through French training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And then technical training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How was the TEFL training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was, I understand that it's well different from training here in the United States, you know, to teach English as a second language or as a foreign language. You know, some of my friends that I served with in Benin and had gone on to be Teaching English as a Second Language teachers. We learned, you know, basically through a practice of how to how to teach, you know, not doing a lot of translation, although I was capable of doing that. Most of the English teachers spoke pretty good French and I, uh, and not doing translations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But did you learn other local languages as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.61733882799023, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And then technical training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. How was the TEFL training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was, I understand that it's well different from training here in the United States, you know, to teach English as a second language or as a foreign language. You know, some of my friends that I served with in Benin and had gone on to be Teaching English as a Second Language teachers. We learned, you know, basically through a practice of how to how to teach, you know, not doing a lot of translation, although I was capable of doing that. Most of the English teachers spoke pretty good French and I, uh, and not doing translations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But did you learn other local languages as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I had difficulty learning a local language. Not in not in the training. Not in the initial training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The initial training was all in French?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.908154253322477, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was, I understand that it's well different from training here in the United States, you know, to teach English as a second language or as a foreign language. You know, some of my friends that I served with in Benin and had gone on to be Teaching English as a Second Language teachers. We learned, you know, basically through a practice of how to how to teach, you know, not doing a lot of translation, although I was capable of doing that. Most of the English teachers spoke pretty good French and I, uh, and not doing translations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But did you learn other local languages as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I had difficulty learning a local language. Not in not in the training. Not in the initial training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The initial training was all in French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was a total immersion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And does everybody in Benin speak French or did everybody at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.342393614802752, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I had difficulty learning a local language. Not in not in the training. Not in the initial training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The initial training was all in French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was a total immersion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And does everybody in Benin speak French or did everybody at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there were at. It is the national language, but it is. There were forty local languages. They're not written down. They're tonal. I had difficulty picking up a local language and I did learn a little once I was at my post. But, uh, but there were some people that were better than others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, did you have, did you do practice teaching?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 15.935992905336391, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was a total immersion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And does everybody in Benin speak French or did everybody at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there were at. It is the national language, but it is. There were forty local languages. They're not written down. They're tonal. I had difficulty picking up a local language and I did learn a little once I was at my post. But, uh, but there were some people that were better than others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, did you have, did you do practice teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. There was a school near Codiam where we did practice teaching and then so that went fine and then I felt comfortable with it though I'm not I'm not really a born teacher. I'll be honest. That was one of the reasons I didn't go into teaching when I got back. The some people really were gifted that at no, I did not fall into that category."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what kind of, were you trained to teach children or adults or what? What kind of TEFL did you do?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.928881005929323, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, there were at. It is the national language, but it is. There were forty local languages. They're not written down. They're tonal. I had difficulty picking up a local language and I did learn a little once I was at my post. But, uh, but there were some people that were better than others."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, did you have, did you do practice teaching?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. There was a school near Codiam where we did practice teaching and then so that went fine and then I felt comfortable with it though I'm not I'm not really a born teacher. I'll be honest. That was one of the reasons I didn't go into teaching when I got back. The some people really were gifted that at no, I did not fall into that category."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what kind of, were you trained to teach children or adults or what? What kind of TEFL did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "English was a required subject in their secondary school, so this would be middle school and high school. I did not. Taught at the middle school level. I would be equivalencies like the seventh grade, I think seventh and eighth grade and then 10th grade also because they did not want an American and non-African or Beninese to teach the senior year because that was Nigerian literature and they wanted an African point of view for that. But I did teach at the 10th grade level or the equivalent to 10th grade level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just said it's Nigerian?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 11.032090006588136, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. There was a school near Codiam where we did practice teaching and then so that went fine and then I felt comfortable with it though I'm not I'm not really a born teacher. I'll be honest. That was one of the reasons I didn't go into teaching when I got back. The some people really were gifted that at no, I did not fall into that category."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what kind of, were you trained to teach children or adults or what? What kind of TEFL did you do?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "English was a required subject in their secondary school, so this would be middle school and high school. I did not. Taught at the middle school level. I would be equivalencies like the seventh grade, I think seventh and eighth grade and then 10th grade also because they did not want an American and non-African or Beninese to teach the senior year because that was Nigerian literature and they wanted an African point of view for that. But I did teach at the 10th grade level or the equivalent to 10th grade level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just said it's Nigerian?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nigerian authors basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So like the Nigerian authors?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.035655562875707, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "English was a required subject in their secondary school, so this would be middle school and high school. I did not. Taught at the middle school level. I would be equivalencies like the seventh grade, I think seventh and eighth grade and then 10th grade also because they did not want an American and non-African or Beninese to teach the senior year because that was Nigerian literature and they wanted an African point of view for that. But I did teach at the 10th grade level or the equivalent to 10th grade level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just said it's Nigerian?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nigerian authors basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So like the Nigerian authors?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yes. It was Nigerian authors that. Benin is right next to Nigeria. And so the senior year class read Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart. And other Nigerian authors like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so that was all. You were teaching English as well as English literature, I guess?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.817395069861895, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nigerian authors basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So like the Nigerian authors?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yes. It was Nigerian authors that. Benin is right next to Nigeria. And so the senior year class read Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart. And other Nigerian authors like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so that was all. You were teaching English as well as English literature, I guess?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, English, basically, to be honest, at the elementary school in Benin was taught in a in a local language, in the appropriate local language. And so when they got to their final year in elementary school and into middle school, time was when they were learning French. And so my French was actually better than theirs. And I'd been studying it for 20 years or 20 plus years at that point. So it was kind of odd. So class size was 60, you know, 60 to 120. Tremendous classes, mostly male students. Very, very few girls. You had to pay up to go to school there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So where did you end up teaching? You were trained in the training facility and then where?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.46377229984655, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yes. It was Nigerian authors that. Benin is right next to Nigeria. And so the senior year class read Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart. And other Nigerian authors like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so that was all. You were teaching English as well as English literature, I guess?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, English, basically, to be honest, at the elementary school in Benin was taught in a in a local language, in the appropriate local language. And so when they got to their final year in elementary school and into middle school, time was when they were learning French. And so my French was actually better than theirs. And I'd been studying it for 20 years or 20 plus years at that point. So it was kind of odd. So class size was 60, you know, 60 to 120. Tremendous classes, mostly male students. Very, very few girls. You had to pay up to go to school there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So where did you end up teaching? You were trained in the training facility and then where?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I went into my post up in Parakou, Benin. Up in the north, with two other, two other volunteers, one of whom left not long after arriving up there. But Ed David was teaching biology at one of the high schools and Parakou was a large city."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How big of a city is that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.1819692220517215, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, English, basically, to be honest, at the elementary school in Benin was taught in a in a local language, in the appropriate local language. And so when they got to their final year in elementary school and into middle school, time was when they were learning French. And so my French was actually better than theirs. And I'd been studying it for 20 years or 20 plus years at that point. So it was kind of odd. So class size was 60, you know, 60 to 120. Tremendous classes, mostly male students. Very, very few girls. You had to pay up to go to school there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So where did you end up teaching? You were trained in the training facility and then where?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I went into my post up in Parakou, Benin. Up in the north, with two other, two other volunteers, one of whom left not long after arriving up there. But Ed David was teaching biology at one of the high schools and Parakou was a large city."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How big of a city is that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, probably about 20 or 30 thousand. Oh, I'm thinking yeah, it was a good sized city. Yes, it was the principal city up in the north of there, about halfway up the country at the end of the train line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you took so after training, you took the train up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.979965802279691, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I went into my post up in Parakou, Benin. Up in the north, with two other, two other volunteers, one of whom left not long after arriving up there. But Ed David was teaching biology at one of the high schools and Parakou was a large city."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How big of a city is that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, probably about 20 or 30 thousand. Oh, I'm thinking yeah, it was a good sized city. Yes, it was the principal city up in the north of there, about halfway up the country at the end of the train line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you took so after training, you took the train up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the train. I took the train up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You and David and the other person?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.866628669199656, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, probably about 20 or 30 thousand. Oh, I'm thinking yeah, it was a good sized city. Yes, it was the principal city up in the north of there, about halfway up the country at the end of the train line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so you took so after training, you took the train up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the train. I took the train up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You and David and the other person?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you end up living?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.629587410221839, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the train. I took the train up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You and David and the other person?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you end up living?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Initially, there was an apartment that David had because he was teaching at the lycée, the high school, that they had apartments for French volunteers were there and German volunteers that were there working up there, but I eventually found a house near the Peace Corps, as you know, arranged for up with officials in Paris who opted for a separate house. It's luckily for me and part of a compound, though, I was the only person living there, basically. So I did not live with a family. I understand now that in training that people live with families. This is something that since Peace Corps presence and the number of volunteers in country was so small, that really wasn't an opportunity to go out and find places, you know, for people to live. We did our, we did a live-in that we would have normally done with someone that volunteered in Benin, over in Togo, as a matter of fact, because there were teachers over there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was before you were assigned?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.477319344690931, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And where did you end up living?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Initially, there was an apartment that David had because he was teaching at the lycée, the high school, that they had apartments for French volunteers were there and German volunteers that were there working up there, but I eventually found a house near the Peace Corps, as you know, arranged for up with officials in Paris who opted for a separate house. It's luckily for me and part of a compound, though, I was the only person living there, basically. So I did not live with a family. I understand now that in training that people live with families. This is something that since Peace Corps presence and the number of volunteers in country was so small, that really wasn't an opportunity to go out and find places, you know, for people to live. We did our, we did a live-in that we would have normally done with someone that volunteered in Benin, over in Togo, as a matter of fact, because there were teachers over there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was before you were assigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, exactly. That that was part of my training that we went over to Togo, living in Togo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how long was that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.197021494101035, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Initially, there was an apartment that David had because he was teaching at the lycée, the high school, that they had apartments for French volunteers were there and German volunteers that were there working up there, but I eventually found a house near the Peace Corps, as you know, arranged for up with officials in Paris who opted for a separate house. It's luckily for me and part of a compound, though, I was the only person living there, basically. So I did not live with a family. I understand now that in training that people live with families. This is something that since Peace Corps presence and the number of volunteers in country was so small, that really wasn't an opportunity to go out and find places, you know, for people to live. We did our, we did a live-in that we would have normally done with someone that volunteered in Benin, over in Togo, as a matter of fact, because there were teachers over there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was before you were assigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, exactly. That that was part of my training that we went over to Togo, living in Togo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how long was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think a week or two. Just a very short period of time that I stayed with volunteer who was an English TEFL volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you lived with a Peace Corps volunteer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.9966905490011495, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, exactly. That that was part of my training that we went over to Togo, living in Togo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how long was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think a week or two. Just a very short period of time that I stayed with volunteer who was an English TEFL volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you lived with a Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that useful?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.662989498890166, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I think a week or two. Just a very short period of time that I stayed with volunteer who was an English TEFL volunteer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you lived with a Peace Corps volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that useful?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, because I hadn't seen, you know, someone really teaching and she was teaching in school at that time that even though the students in Benin were still on the winter break because they were on, in Togo, they were on a traditional September to June schedule, academic schedule. And so would. But we went back to Benin and went out to our posts and I was sworn-in in February of 1981."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so. So you ended up there. And what school did you teach at?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.2922105543224065, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that useful?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, because I hadn't seen, you know, someone really teaching and she was teaching in school at that time that even though the students in Benin were still on the winter break because they were on, in Togo, they were on a traditional September to June schedule, academic schedule. And so would. But we went back to Benin and went out to our posts and I was sworn-in in February of 1981."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so. So you ended up there. And what school did you teach at?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I taught at a CEMG, C-E-M-G."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we can talk about that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.76816117817581, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I taught at a CEMG, C-E-M-G."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we can talk about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know that this is something that it was like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "C-E-M-G."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. School. Like the combination of the American middle school and high school basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were saying it was mostly boys and paid."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.631290197973122, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. You know that this is something that it was like."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "C-E-M-G."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. School. Like the combination of the American middle school and high school basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were saying it was mostly boys and paid."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the only female teacher?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.479211331081245, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. School. Like the combination of the American middle school and high school basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were saying it was mostly boys and paid."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the only female teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, I wasn't there. I remember a couple of a couple of women teachers, not a lot, but it was, um. A lot of people in Benin had gone and done training in France, you know, teachers and staff. And there was a college in Benin, but a lot of the teachers and other professionals had gone for training in Benin, I'm sorry, in France. Talk about a brain drain of where they took people from West Africa and set them for training in France. And then people wouldn't want to come back. And I, and so they kind of, they didn't do that as much. And that was much more difficult to go for training for the teachers to go for training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By the time you were there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.421345923423607, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Mm hmm."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you the only female teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, I wasn't there. I remember a couple of a couple of women teachers, not a lot, but it was, um. A lot of people in Benin had gone and done training in France, you know, teachers and staff. And there was a college in Benin, but a lot of the teachers and other professionals had gone for training in Benin, I'm sorry, in France. Talk about a brain drain of where they took people from West Africa and set them for training in France. And then people wouldn't want to come back. And I, and so they kind of, they didn't do that as much. And that was much more difficult to go for training for the teachers to go for training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By the time you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "By the time I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the older ones had come back."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.468162137137341, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No, I wasn't there. I remember a couple of a couple of women teachers, not a lot, but it was, um. A lot of people in Benin had gone and done training in France, you know, teachers and staff. And there was a college in Benin, but a lot of the teachers and other professionals had gone for training in Benin, I'm sorry, in France. Talk about a brain drain of where they took people from West Africa and set them for training in France. And then people wouldn't want to come back. And I, and so they kind of, they didn't do that as much. And that was much more difficult to go for training for the teachers to go for training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By the time you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "By the time I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the older ones had come back."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you become friends with those teachers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.520180152374824, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "By the time I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the older ones had come back."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you become friends with those teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. Not so much in Parakou because I changed posts after a year there. I changed posts then and I made more friends at my second posting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's talk a little bit about the first post. So what, what did you, how many classes did you teach?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.689089058194249, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you become friends with those teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. Not so much in Parakou because I changed posts after a year there. I changed posts then and I made more friends at my second posting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's talk a little bit about the first post. So what, what did you, how many classes did you teach?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, four or five."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were busy?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.987876731326942, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. Not so much in Parakou because I changed posts after a year there. I changed posts then and I made more friends at my second posting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, let's talk a little bit about the first post. So what, what did you, how many classes did you teach?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, four or five."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were busy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was quite busy, a lot of you know that I remember writing on the board and the students didn't have books there. Very few people had books that I did a lot of writing on the board. And then they would write up their case in their notebooks as well. And we would practice, you know, what's very oral. And then I, uh, I think the students got to know the kind of American kind of pronunciation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you did that. What did you do in your spare time?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.430974145918825, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, four or five."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were busy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was quite busy, a lot of you know that I remember writing on the board and the students didn't have books there. Very few people had books that I did a lot of writing on the board. And then they would write up their case in their notebooks as well. And we would practice, you know, what's very oral. And then I, uh, I think the students got to know the kind of American kind of pronunciation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you did that. What did you do in your spare time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's not a whole lot of the, uh, the it's been a lot of time correcting, you know, reviewing papers and a lot of testing. A lot of testing. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was your idea?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.034415717687583, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was quite busy, a lot of you know that I remember writing on the board and the students didn't have books there. Very few people had books that I did a lot of writing on the board. And then they would write up their case in their notebooks as well. And we would practice, you know, what's very oral. And then I, uh, I think the students got to know the kind of American kind of pronunciation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you did that. What did you do in your spare time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's not a whole lot of the, uh, the it's been a lot of time correcting, you know, reviewing papers and a lot of testing. A lot of testing. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was your idea?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was that was required. Yeah. No, that was required."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did they have the French curriculum at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 17.816017464097314, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's not a whole lot of the, uh, the it's been a lot of time correcting, you know, reviewing papers and a lot of testing. A lot of testing. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was your idea?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was that was required. Yeah. No, that was required."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did they have the French curriculum at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. No, it was, well it was Beninese, but it was heavily influenced by the French curriculum."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you live by yourself. Were you lonely or did you make some good of it? You said there was another Peace Corps volunteer there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.462241626774794, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that was that was required. Yeah. No, that was required."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did they have the French curriculum at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. No, it was, well it was Beninese, but it was heavily influenced by the French curriculum."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you live by yourself. Were you lonely or did you make some good of it? You said there was another Peace Corps volunteer there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And so I used to, uh, get in there with David, at the time lived together for at least a couple of months before I found the place of my own place, basically. The other thing is that I was sick fairly frequently, unfortunately, this was something that and so would get on the train to go down to see the Peace Corps nurse and the Peace Corps doctor in Togo, in Lomé, Togo now. But there was a nurse in Benin in Cotonou. You know, and so it seemed almost every month, probably because I wasn't being careful about what I was eating and that this was kind of. That was one of the reasons that I decided that I wanted to move further south is so I wouldn't be away from the post as much, and so the opportunity came up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do cooking on your own or how did you keep getting sick?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.291379585305325, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. No, it was, well it was Beninese, but it was heavily influenced by the French curriculum."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you live by yourself. Were you lonely or did you make some good of it? You said there was another Peace Corps volunteer there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And so I used to, uh, get in there with David, at the time lived together for at least a couple of months before I found the place of my own place, basically. The other thing is that I was sick fairly frequently, unfortunately, this was something that and so would get on the train to go down to see the Peace Corps nurse and the Peace Corps doctor in Togo, in Lomé, Togo now. But there was a nurse in Benin in Cotonou. You know, and so it seemed almost every month, probably because I wasn't being careful about what I was eating and that this was kind of. That was one of the reasons that I decided that I wanted to move further south is so I wouldn't be away from the post as much, and so the opportunity came up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do cooking on your own or how did you keep getting sick?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I would go out and eat on the street basically. Yes, I did the cooking, but not not a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you ate on the street and got sick?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.323755094783696, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And so I used to, uh, get in there with David, at the time lived together for at least a couple of months before I found the place of my own place, basically. The other thing is that I was sick fairly frequently, unfortunately, this was something that and so would get on the train to go down to see the Peace Corps nurse and the Peace Corps doctor in Togo, in Lomé, Togo now. But there was a nurse in Benin in Cotonou. You know, and so it seemed almost every month, probably because I wasn't being careful about what I was eating and that this was kind of. That was one of the reasons that I decided that I wanted to move further south is so I wouldn't be away from the post as much, and so the opportunity came up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do cooking on your own or how did you keep getting sick?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I would go out and eat on the street basically. Yes, I did the cooking, but not not a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you ate on the street and got sick?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes. And so the bathroom facilities weren't very advanced either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You have an outhouse kind of?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 22.58195010531522, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I would go out and eat on the street basically. Yes, I did the cooking, but not not a lot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you ate on the street and got sick?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes. And so the bathroom facilities weren't very advanced either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You have an outhouse kind of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have running water in your house?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.979944561461352, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. Yes. And so the bathroom facilities weren't very advanced either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You have an outhouse kind of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have running water in your house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. And I did have electricity. I had a cistern and then as I say did have electricity. But it did not have running water. No. Although Parakou was developed, you know, a developed city, but not, not in the homes pretty much though. David did have running water and everything, but the lycee apartments were this was where, as I say, people who were doing volunteer work from Germany and France would come to live and work with some of the living facilities were very nice. So we go and hang out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So why did you move out?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 26.64438284606817, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have running water in your house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. And I did have electricity. I had a cistern and then as I say did have electricity. But it did not have running water. No. Although Parakou was developed, you know, a developed city, but not, not in the homes pretty much though. David did have running water and everything, but the lycee apartments were this was where, as I say, people who were doing volunteer work from Germany and France would come to live and work with some of the living facilities were very nice. So we go and hang out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So why did you move out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it's because I wasn't teaching at the lycee, I was teaching at another high school. And so I had to move out, that wasn't that wasn't an option for me to stay there, basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you moved close to the lycee?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.160425384520188, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. And I did have electricity. I had a cistern and then as I say did have electricity. But it did not have running water. No. Although Parakou was developed, you know, a developed city, but not, not in the homes pretty much though. David did have running water and everything, but the lycee apartments were this was where, as I say, people who were doing volunteer work from Germany and France would come to live and work with some of the living facilities were very nice. So we go and hang out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So why did you move out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it's because I wasn't teaching at the lycee, I was teaching at another high school. And so I had to move out, that wasn't that wasn't an option for me to stay there, basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you moved close to the lycee?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I moved closer to the CEMG job. I was bicycling, you know, back and forth to school. I would go to school in the morning and then at lunchtime at noon, go home and have lunch and then go back at three because of the heat, you know, in the middle of the day. So it was kind of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you travel during, before you went to your second year?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 27.95602820502243, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it's because I wasn't teaching at the lycee, I was teaching at another high school. And so I had to move out, that wasn't that wasn't an option for me to stay there, basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you moved close to the lycee?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I moved closer to the CEMG job. I was bicycling, you know, back and forth to school. I would go to school in the morning and then at lunchtime at noon, go home and have lunch and then go back at three because of the heat, you know, in the middle of the day. So it was kind of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you travel during, before you went to your second year?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 25.50669800558048, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I moved closer to the CEMG job. I was bicycling, you know, back and forth to school. I would go to school in the morning and then at lunchtime at noon, go home and have lunch and then go back at three because of the heat, you know, in the middle of the day. So it was kind of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Did you travel during, before you went to your second year?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Well in November of 1981 I was up and I was traveling around visiting other volunteers in the north. And I also did, I proctored exams, you know, traveled in November at another school, basically not where I taught, but at another school. One thing that I remember, of course, is the going and meeting the headmaster of the school on Monday morning before going into proctor an exam. And he, in order to be hospitable, he pulled out his bottle of gin and colonaut. The colonaut was the traditional way to be hospitable. But basically it's heavy and caffeine and the bottle of gin at nine a.m. and five"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s a little early."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.674108895089418, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Well in November of 1981 I was up and I was traveling around visiting other volunteers in the north. And I also did, I proctored exams, you know, traveled in November at another school, basically not where I taught, but at another school. One thing that I remember, of course, is the going and meeting the headmaster of the school on Monday morning before going into proctor an exam. And he, in order to be hospitable, he pulled out his bottle of gin and colonaut. The colonaut was the traditional way to be hospitable. But basically it's heavy and caffeine and the bottle of gin at nine a.m. and five"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s a little early."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, a little early, yeah. Oh that that came. Didn't drink very much. Yeah. No, but that was their way of being a welcoming hospitable and I did that and then up and then in late November, I guess it was around Thanksgiving, I was traveling to visit a friend and other volunteer in Natitingou, another northern city in Benin and was found there in Natitingou by the Peace Corps chauffeur whose name was Osene. And the reason that he had come to, uh, to pick me up was because the Peace Corps had gotten word that my father was in the hospital on intensive care and was very ill. That so had come up to get me and I went home. But it was during that time of, actually this was in December, it wasn't. But I heard the story about at Thanksgiving meal, which we had celebrated the previous year with embassy staff, basically because there weren't other people around. And then in 1981 there an embassy contractor who had gotten drunk and had driven on to the military base where the president of Benin at the time had been staying and was shot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A Peace Corps contractor?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:121", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.64704801862891, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, a little early, yeah. Oh that that came. Didn't drink very much. Yeah. No, but that was their way of being a welcoming hospitable and I did that and then up and then in late November, I guess it was around Thanksgiving, I was traveling to visit a friend and other volunteer in Natitingou, another northern city in Benin and was found there in Natitingou by the Peace Corps chauffeur whose name was Osene. And the reason that he had come to, uh, to pick me up was because the Peace Corps had gotten word that my father was in the hospital on intensive care and was very ill. That so had come up to get me and I went home. But it was during that time of, actually this was in December, it wasn't. But I heard the story about at Thanksgiving meal, which we had celebrated the previous year with embassy staff, basically because there weren't other people around. And then in 1981 there an embassy contractor who had gotten drunk and had driven on to the military base where the president of Benin at the time had been staying and was shot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A Peace Corps contractor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this was actually the embassy contractor, a contractor working for the embassy, was shot and was jailed. And things were very uncomfortable at Benin. And the Peace Corps was making plans to evacuate the volunteers because it was a very tense time. This was then, as I say, right after Thanksgiving and this man was drunk, had been onto the military base and things became very, very complicated. And where they were, as I said, I learned in my drive down with Osene in December about all of this because we up north hadn't even heard about, you know, what had happened. And Peace Corps was making plans to evacuate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were going home anyway?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I was going home anyway because of my father. And so it was this was mid-December that I was and that got word that the father was very ill. And fortunately, he recovered, but was in intensive care for quite a long time. And so they evacuated me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they evacuate everybody else?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 28.496720020698792, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this was actually the embassy contractor, a contractor working for the embassy, was shot and was jailed. And things were very uncomfortable at Benin. And the Peace Corps was making plans to evacuate the volunteers because it was a very tense time. This was then, as I say, right after Thanksgiving and this man was drunk, had been onto the military base and things became very, very complicated. And where they were, as I said, I learned in my drive down with Osene in December about all of this because we up north hadn't even heard about, you know, what had happened. And Peace Corps was making plans to evacuate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you were going home anyway?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I was going home anyway because of my father. And so it was this was mid-December that I was and that got word that the father was very ill. And fortunately, he recovered, but was in intensive care for quite a long time. And so they evacuated me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they evacuate everybody else?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They were just thinking about it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 28.329688911887544, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I was going home anyway because of my father. And so it was this was mid-December that I was and that got word that the father was very ill. And fortunately, he recovered, but was in intensive care for quite a long time. And so they evacuated me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they evacuate everybody else?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They were just thinking about it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they were thinking about it. They were making preparations that basically. I believe this was at a time when, you know, volunteers had their own passports and everything. But there were some new volunteers that are new trainees who were just, you know, come in and their passports were with the Beninese government for their visa. So it was quite tense up. But fortunately, things deescalated and as I say, mid-December, I arrived home just before Christmas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then how long did you go back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 27.03298767987505, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They were just thinking about it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they were thinking about it. They were making preparations that basically. I believe this was at a time when, you know, volunteers had their own passports and everything. But there were some new volunteers that are new trainees who were just, you know, come in and their passports were with the Beninese government for their visa. So it was quite tense up. But fortunately, things deescalated and as I say, mid-December, I arrived home just before Christmas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then how long did you go back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Into January basically that I had planned. We had been planning, my parents and I and my sister had been planning to go on and photograph a safari in Kenya. And then my parents were going to come back with me to Benin. But of course, they didn't do that but since Daddy, and since this was going to be in January of 1982 and since my father was doing better, my sister and I actually went off on a photo safari."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But this was after Peace Corps then or this was during the break?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 28.92554186652783, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they were thinking about it. They were making preparations that basically. I believe this was at a time when, you know, volunteers had their own passports and everything. But there were some new volunteers that are new trainees who were just, you know, come in and their passports were with the Beninese government for their visa. So it was quite tense up. But fortunately, things deescalated and as I say, mid-December, I arrived home just before Christmas."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then how long did you go back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Into January basically that I had planned. We had been planning, my parents and I and my sister had been planning to go on and photograph a safari in Kenya. And then my parents were going to come back with me to Benin. But of course, they didn't do that but since Daddy, and since this was going to be in January of 1982 and since my father was doing better, my sister and I actually went off on a photo safari."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But this was after Peace Corps then or this was during the break?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, this was right during the break, basically during the break, basically. And that I went through rather than rather than flying from Cotonou to Kenya, I flew from Boston, because my parents were living outside of Boston, and to Kenya and then came back to Benin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did she come with you to Benin?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 32.1394909628087, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Into January basically that I had planned. We had been planning, my parents and I and my sister had been planning to go on and photograph a safari in Kenya. And then my parents were going to come back with me to Benin. But of course, they didn't do that but since Daddy, and since this was going to be in January of 1982 and since my father was doing better, my sister and I actually went off on a photo safari."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But this was after Peace Corps then or this was during the break?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, this was right during the break, basically during the break, basically. And that I went through rather than rather than flying from Cotonou to Kenya, I flew from Boston, because my parents were living outside of Boston, and to Kenya and then came back to Benin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did she come with you to Benin?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, no. Unfortunately, none of my family have been to have been there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was a great vacation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 30.154989958676335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, this was right during the break, basically during the break, basically. And that I went through rather than rather than flying from Cotonou to Kenya, I flew from Boston, because my parents were living outside of Boston, and to Kenya and then came back to Benin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did she come with you to Benin?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, no, no. Unfortunately, none of my family have been to have been there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was a great vacation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes. It was a nice vacation. It was nice being home at Christmas time of the year. And then fortunately, as I say, my father got better. And so they decided that my sister and I would stay, you know. Oh, but it was something that. They thought when they sent me home that, as I say, in intensive care, in critical condition, that we think he was mugged and suffered severe hypothermia and he was in intensive care, but was conscious about the time I got home, but was in intensive care for about two months. You know. Peace Corps was wonderful, you know, that this was something that I appreciated, them doing that. In the fall I had been talking with the TEFL coordinator, Peace Corps TEFL coordinator, who was a Beninese gentleman about changing posts. And so happened when I came back, I went to my new post in Allada, which was much closer to Cotonou and about oh, 30, 40 miles, and, you know, that they needed an English teacher and I and so I went back to Allada and changed posts basically there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you teach in high school as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 19.730208746648888, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Training of trainers and so that was another reason why I decided that I wanted to stay. I had also become involved with the Beninese teacher at the time and so was interested in in staying. So in August, September, because I was extending for a third year, the Peace Corps sent me home for six weeks, basically in between. I came back to the States, saw this friend who was a volunteer in Jamaica. Saw the tremendous difference between Peace Corps posts."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And went to Jamaica?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That I had a friend who was a Peace Corps volunteer rent a car and a nice house and everything and electricity. It was quite, it's quite a difference to Jamaica. Visited him then also went to and then was traveling around with my family in the States and went back to Benin in October."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said you made friends in the school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the difference? Just the people?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.811343051832097, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. That I had a friend who was a Peace Corps volunteer rent a car and a nice house and everything and electricity. It was quite, it's quite a difference to Jamaica. Visited him then also went to and then was traveling around with my family in the States and went back to Benin in October."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said you made friends in the school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the difference? Just the people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "People were friendly. A lot of people wanted to wanted to speak English. No, I wanted to practice my French and speak English. That was a Ghanaian teacher there. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you meet your boyfriend?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.12371450203566, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the difference? Just the people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "People were friendly. A lot of people wanted to wanted to speak English. No, I wanted to practice my French and speak English. That was a Ghanaian teacher there. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you meet your boyfriend?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was a teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, he was a teacher there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.693016113372956, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "People were friendly. A lot of people wanted to wanted to speak English. No, I wanted to practice my French and speak English. That was a Ghanaian teacher there. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you meet your boyfriend?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was a teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, he was a teacher there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, he was a fellow teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was good that you stayed."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 28.547795681525507, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was a teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, he was a teacher there."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, he was a fellow teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was good that you stayed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yes, yes. This was something that he was another was he an English teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it culturally different in the north, in the south or was it because it was a big city?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 28.38643964613945, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, he was a fellow teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was good that you stayed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yes, yes. This was something that he was another was he an English teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it culturally different in the north, in the south or was it because it was a big city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just to think it's probably the small-town nature. I was the only yovo, the white, yovo was their word for white stranger. I was the only yovo woman there and the other volunteer, Tom, was a physics teacher as a matter of fact. He's a doctor now. So a different kind of atmosphere, though. It was also one of the interesting things I know of. This was where I had seen for the first time of the, oh, corporal punishment at the school, you know, of beating students, um, which came as quite a quite a shock. I never seen anything like that in the United States. Of course, I had never been to a Third World country before. I had traveled in Europe when I was, you know, growing up. But I mean, it was my first world kind of experience and so was not used to seeing that. Also, of course, my fancy shortwave radio was stolen at one point and I had gone to report it to the police and saw things in the jail. Certainly don't want to, would not want to see again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was all basically all a shock to you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 31.540488495710502, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yes, yes. This was something that he was another was he an English teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it culturally different in the north, in the south or was it because it was a big city?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just to think it's probably the small-town nature. I was the only yovo, the white, yovo was their word for white stranger. I was the only yovo woman there and the other volunteer, Tom, was a physics teacher as a matter of fact. He's a doctor now. So a different kind of atmosphere, though. It was also one of the interesting things I know of. This was where I had seen for the first time of the, oh, corporal punishment at the school, you know, of beating students, um, which came as quite a quite a shock. I never seen anything like that in the United States. Of course, I had never been to a Third World country before. I had traveled in Europe when I was, you know, growing up. But I mean, it was my first world kind of experience and so was not used to seeing that. Also, of course, my fancy shortwave radio was stolen at one point and I had gone to report it to the police and saw things in the jail. Certainly don't want to, would not want to see again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was all basically all a shock to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, quite a shock."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you talk to anybody about that while you were there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 35.04498721745611, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just to think it's probably the small-town nature. I was the only yovo, the white, yovo was their word for white stranger. I was the only yovo woman there and the other volunteer, Tom, was a physics teacher as a matter of fact. He's a doctor now. So a different kind of atmosphere, though. It was also one of the interesting things I know of. This was where I had seen for the first time of the, oh, corporal punishment at the school, you know, of beating students, um, which came as quite a quite a shock. I never seen anything like that in the United States. Of course, I had never been to a Third World country before. I had traveled in Europe when I was, you know, growing up. But I mean, it was my first world kind of experience and so was not used to seeing that. Also, of course, my fancy shortwave radio was stolen at one point and I had gone to report it to the police and saw things in the jail. Certainly don't want to, would not want to see again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was all basically all a shock to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, quite a shock."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you talk to anybody about that while you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, well, other volunteers, basically, that was something, but no, there really wasn't the support. They had done the peer to peer counseling and training, and there were volunteers who had been trained. And I remember speaking to at least one of them, you know, about what I had seen. But it was something that happened that now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, so what was this peer to peer training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.208145810082613, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because I was part of the Peace Corps staff, basically, that it was that country desk unit that I had been interacting with and everything. And it was very exciting. To be involved in that. It's something that I'll always remember. And, uh, because I also worked during the furlough time, there were about 20 people on the Peace Corps staff who were considered to be essential during the furlough. I'm not sure when exactly that was. And this was with President Clinton and Newt Gingrich precipitated this. And it was just a terrible time that they were making plans to shut the program and bring all the volunteers home. It was awful. They needed, there were two of us who were in the personnel office, who were needed for furlough letters and things like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so all the volunteers were threatened by that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. As it went on, they were starting to make plans, you know, to bring all of the volunteers home. It was terrible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it never happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, in the end, they worked something out. And so it was but it was a very bad time. I was working, not being paid, you know, the quite a job. And then also at that time, one of the problems with Peace Corps with these time limited deployments is that you had people who would come and work and perhaps be promoted and get pay increases because we're on the foreign service pay scale. But it was a lot of turnover in the personnel office and so in 1995 and into 1996, for a significant period of time, I was the acting personnel deputy director of the office and then acting personnel office or the director of HRM for a period of about nine months when they were in between, um, you know, permanent well, “permanent,” you know, hired staff basically. And so interacted with the Peace Corps director, Mark Gearan, at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long were you there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.120162011202902, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yes. As it went on, they were starting to make plans, you know, to bring all of the volunteers home. It was terrible."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it never happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, in the end, they worked something out. And so it was but it was a very bad time. I was working, not being paid, you know, the quite a job. And then also at that time, one of the problems with Peace Corps with these time limited deployments is that you had people who would come and work and perhaps be promoted and get pay increases because we're on the foreign service pay scale. But it was a lot of turnover in the personnel office and so in 1995 and into 1996, for a significant period of time, I was the acting personnel deputy director of the office and then acting personnel office or the director of HRM for a period of about nine months when they were in between, um, you know, permanent well, “permanent,” you know, hired staff basically. And so interacted with the Peace Corps director, Mark Gearan, at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how long were you there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was there almost seven years until I was also extended by the, to go beyond five years, you have to be extended by the Peace Corps director. And so that happened a couple of times. And they were very pleased with the work I was doing and everything and wanted the continuity. And so that was really good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve had two lives. One is a volunteer and one of the staff. Do you think differently about Peace Corps having been both?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.259459273090002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was there almost seven years until I was also extended by the, to go beyond five years, you have to be extended by the Peace Corps director. And so that happened a couple of times. And they were very pleased with the work I was doing and everything and wanted the continuity. And so that was really good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You’ve had two lives. One is a volunteer and one of the staff. Do you think differently about Peace Corps having been both?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, Peace Corps is a bureaucracy. Hearing about some of the things. It was after I left the Peace Corps that we heard about of, you know, a volunteer who was killed in Benin. And it was something that the Peace Corps director in Benin had inadvertently. This volunteer, not someone that I knew, someone who had uncovered something at her at her high school. And the teacher that was sexually harassing students, female students, and so she complained about it to the Peace Corps director in country. And unfortunately, her identity became known to someone else working in the Peace Corps office who had some kind of link, I don't think was a relative, but had some kind of link to the teacher back in the school. And her name was not kept confidential basically, it was something that, and was killed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, by the teacher. Yeah. The Peace Corps volunteer was killed by the teacher basically. So you had things like this that I didn't hear anything about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was because the staff person told the teacher?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.177176970100001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you know, Peace Corps is a bureaucracy. Hearing about some of the things. It was after I left the Peace Corps that we heard about of, you know, a volunteer who was killed in Benin. And it was something that the Peace Corps director in Benin had inadvertently. This volunteer, not someone that I knew, someone who had uncovered something at her at her high school. And the teacher that was sexually harassing students, female students, and so she complained about it to the Peace Corps director in country. And unfortunately, her identity became known to someone else working in the Peace Corps office who had some kind of link, I don't think was a relative, but had some kind of link to the teacher back in the school. And her name was not kept confidential basically, it was something that, and was killed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, by the teacher. Yeah. The Peace Corps volunteer was killed by the teacher basically. So you had things like this that I didn't hear anything about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was because the staff person told the teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think that that was some kind of a written record or something. And perhaps the Peace Corps staffer had seen the volunteer’s name. And it had not been kept confidential. And it was like, oh, this was very bad. I understand there have been sexual assaults also over there that you didn't learn about these things until after, in the time that I was not on the staff, but it was the kind of thing that. Someone interviewed me once when I was working at NIH, interviewed me about my Peace Corps experience and they asked about, you know, had you received any training in kind of sexual assaults and things like this. And there had been nothing, nothing that I remembered and stuff. So it when I was working there, I wasn't really hearing about stuff, you know, but it was certainly things going on that I don't think started after I left in February of 1997, was when I started working at the National Cancer Institute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you left in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.085752189, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, by the teacher. Yeah. The Peace Corps volunteer was killed by the teacher basically. So you had things like this that I didn't hear anything about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was because the staff person told the teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think that that was some kind of a written record or something. And perhaps the Peace Corps staffer had seen the volunteer’s name. And it had not been kept confidential. And it was like, oh, this was very bad. I understand there have been sexual assaults also over there that you didn't learn about these things until after, in the time that I was not on the staff, but it was the kind of thing that. Someone interviewed me once when I was working at NIH, interviewed me about my Peace Corps experience and they asked about, you know, had you received any training in kind of sexual assaults and things like this. And there had been nothing, nothing that I remembered and stuff. So it when I was working there, I wasn't really hearing about stuff, you know, but it was certainly things going on that I don't think started after I left in February of 1997, was when I started working at the National Cancer Institute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you left in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I left in February of ‘97."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this incident was after you had left?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.09528021, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I think that that was some kind of a written record or something. And perhaps the Peace Corps staffer had seen the volunteer’s name. And it had not been kept confidential. And it was like, oh, this was very bad. I understand there have been sexual assaults also over there that you didn't learn about these things until after, in the time that I was not on the staff, but it was the kind of thing that. Someone interviewed me once when I was working at NIH, interviewed me about my Peace Corps experience and they asked about, you know, had you received any training in kind of sexual assaults and things like this. And there had been nothing, nothing that I remembered and stuff. So it when I was working there, I wasn't really hearing about stuff, you know, but it was certainly things going on that I don't think started after I left in February of 1997, was when I started working at the National Cancer Institute."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you left in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I left in February of ‘97."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this incident was after you had left?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was after I had left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you encounter any of those kinds of problems when you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.1058669, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I left in February of ‘97."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this incident was after you had left?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it was after I had left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you encounter any of those kinds of problems when you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. But, uh, you know, I know training has gotten, it's gotten better, but it was something that I’ve always stayed kind of interested in, you know, in what was going on Peace Corps and being familiar with the organization and how it was organized and everything. It was something that I think there were changes that were made basically in terms of training of staff as well as for volunteers since then, but yeah. So it was the thing I didn't have a problem with. You know, the local staff were wonderful. And this was really it was a pleasure working with them. There were some people and as I say on the Peace Corps staff. When I first arrived, I was doing staffing work for the volunteer recruitment and selection, the Peace Corps staff basically, and I and the current deputy director of their personnel had issues with them. And so was a lot of record keeping. It was like, so what did they give you and what was the condition of the information that they gave you and what did you have to send back to them? And all of this that was kind of it was real hostility, you know, between the woman I was working for in personnel and the staff in volunteer recruitment and selection, it was kind of uncomfortable. But fortunately, things seemed to kind of moved along and and things got better over time. One of the interesting things was that it was unfortunately, my father passed away in 1990 when I was working in the Peace Corps and a lot of the volunteer recruitment and selection staff were very kind of, you know, when I was when I came back and so things and because I had realized at that point that some of the staff that I was working with in personnel that there were some issues and so tried to forge my own way. Yeah, it's going my own way, basically."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you said there were issues, what kind of issues?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00062:197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not a tremendous amount of you know, it's funny. People often aren't really interested in what's going on in, you know, an obscure country. I mean, we don't have any real strategic interests over there. I have talked to new incoming volunteers or people that are going over to Benin for training. But, uh, it's something that it's not. Yeah, I don't see a tremendous amount of impact. My group has also contributed to Ed partnership projects that Peace Corps has over there. You know, so that that helps. It's something that I don't see a lot of interest in, although someone that I worked with, an African- American woman, has recently discovered that some of her ancestors came from Benin and Togo. And so she's very interested. I had shown my slides of where I was working and she was very interested in learning more about this. So I'll be happy to do that. So that's kind of neat. I’m excited about that. I have a, no, unfortunately, I'm not sure that, you know, the impact is really the end in this. But I feel good about, you know, that what I did. That this was something that I had 35 years in government service, including Peace Corps time. And that feels good to have done that. Anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So I think that's probably a good way to end."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great, thank you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you, Evelyn. And it's been really interesting talking with you. Do you know if anyone else from Benin who has?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who has been interviewed? We’ll talk about that off line, OK?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00398:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 96.82169627502101, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that what they referred to you guys as?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had our own patches. I had one here somewhere. We had our own patch we put on our flight suits. They called us the Chase Air Force or the Chase something or other. Kathy got to fly with us a little bit, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did she?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometimes our backseaters couldn’t make it, so we’d fill it in with some of my classmates to give them experience of what it looked like to fly that rendezvous and what it would look like coming out of space.\\n\\n Kathy and I flew a lot together. Kathy and Sally and I flew a lot together during our training for the STS-41G flight. I don’t know how many hours, but I know Sally and I flew long enough to where I really felt like she could probably fly that T-38 herself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you still flying chase flights for the rest of the orbital test flights?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00398:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 28, "return_to_go": 100.91299586113445, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had our own patches. I had one here somewhere. We had our own patch we put on our flight suits. They called us the Chase Air Force or the Chase something or other. Kathy got to fly with us a little bit, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did she?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometimes our backseaters couldn’t make it, so we’d fill it in with some of my classmates to give them experience of what it looked like to fly that rendezvous and what it would look like coming out of space.\\n\\n Kathy and I flew a lot together. Kathy and Sally and I flew a lot together during our training for the STS-41G flight. I don’t know how many hours, but I know Sally and I flew long enough to where I really felt like she could probably fly that T-38 herself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you still flying chase flights for the rest of the orbital test flights?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I just did it the first flight. After the first flight, I got assigned to the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory, SAIL we called it, for a couple of years. You know about SAIL probably, where all the components are set up in the same area in the same lineup and everything. We were flying, and I flew a lot of the ascents and entries out of the cockpit there at the Shuttle lab. Then I was assigned to be a CapCom on flights 5, 6, and 7, capsule communicator, and then I got assigned to my mission in August of ’83, the same week that [Hurricane] Alicia came through the Houston area and just about decimated things there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about hearing about that assignment. How did you find out?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00398:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 111.28744852527441, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s really [demonstrates]. I’ve gotten four or five of those, but, you know, there’s probably more that I’ve touched some way or another, but those are really special things and that makes it all worthwhile."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was it like being a pilot and helping to land the Space Shuttle as you were coming back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s easy. I’m not trying to diminish the entry and the landing, but if you can fly airplanes on and off of aircraft carriers and do all the things that we do and you follow the procedures, flying the Space Shuttle is pretty easy after a few thousand hours of practice in it and simulators and the Shuttle training airplanes. Golly, it was nice to be back on Earth and have a perfect landing and rollout on time and everybody’s happy. We did all of our mission objectives. But flying the Space Shuttle is probably one of the easier airplanes I’ve ever flown, performs well.\\n\\n The biggest difference between flying a Shuttle and flying other airplanes obviously is that our control stick only moves about an inch and a half. So I’m flying this big lumbering 200,000-pound DC-9-size airplane just thinking left or thinking right. If you feel your hand moving a whole lot, then you’re probably over-controlling. One of the things you learn is just be as smooth as you possibly can. That’s the reason, I guess, the Shuttle has lasted and did so well is because we really baby them. We take care of them. We fly a nice soft, gentle entry profile and try to be as soft as you can for the touchdowns. You know you’ve made a good landing when the guys downstairs say, “Are we here yet? Are we landed? Are we on the ground?”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been a very good landing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. most of them are. I think Eileen [M.] Collins maybe made one of the best ones. It was just about as perfect as you could get."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about the media interest in this flight. Sally had just flown and she had been assigned to this flight, and then Kathy, of course, was going to fly. Tell us about that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00396:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 70.09750280962393, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You can shut it off. [Tape recorder turned off.] So here's the picture that I took with this cheap little camera, Polaroid camera, as a matter of fact, and there's my dad and there's my son and there's my mother and there's Alan Shepard. Look at the look of adoration in her eyes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "She's having the best time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely loved this guy, you know. And here's her soldier boy from World War I …, standing at attention, and her grandson just getting his picture taken. But her feeling about him was immense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, anyway, after he landed on the moon in Apollo 14, he sent us a thing that was half the size of that, with a big \"deal\" on it, and the Canadian flag, which changed from that Union Jack to the maple leaf in 1965. So by this time it was the maple leaf thing. So he sent this piece of paper with this flag glued to it. \"This flag was taken to the moon and brought back on Apollo 14 by Alan Shepard and crew,\" and all this, and gave it to my mother. [Actually] he gave it to me, and I gave it to my mother. I had a [conference where I displayed a lot of artifacts] one time that was a little bit like this, where I [had] stuff all spread out, and somebody stole it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's unbelievable."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00396:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 77.88611423291547, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely loved this guy, you know. And here's her soldier boy from World War I …, standing at attention, and her grandson just getting his picture taken. But her feeling about him was immense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, anyway, after he landed on the moon in Apollo 14, he sent us a thing that was half the size of that, with a big \"deal\" on it, and the Canadian flag, which changed from that Union Jack to the maple leaf in 1965. So by this time it was the maple leaf thing. So he sent this piece of paper with this flag glued to it. \"This flag was taken to the moon and brought back on Apollo 14 by Alan Shepard and crew,\" and all this, and gave it to my mother. [Actually] he gave it to me, and I gave it to my mother. I had a [conference where I displayed a lot of artifacts] one time that was a little bit like this, where I [had] stuff all spread out, and somebody stole it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's unbelievable."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I guess people would view that as being a pretty valuable thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can't believe someone would do that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00396:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 102.32956607687709, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn't actually personally have a lot to do with Dick, but I did know him at AVRO and during the Apollo Program. He was off working the computers on the Gemini Program that I really wasn't involved with. He was sort of the world's leading expert in a lot of the features of digital computers and initiation of the use of a digital computer. He had an awful lot to do with that, a very responsible guy and worked very closely with Jim Chamberlin on that subject.\\n\\n Chuck Mathews. Did we mention him before? Did you say you had interviewed him?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We have interviewed him, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. I gave you a note about, if you're talking with him again, tell him my kids were asking about his kids."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Tell him my kids are all fine and they've all got kids except Ross. He doesn't have any kids, but he loves his nieces and nephews."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, good. Good."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00396:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.8, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I guess that's about it. I don't know if you want to reserve coming back here tomorrow or—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think probably I should take this back to Houston, get it all transcribed, let you review it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Are you actually going to get it typed?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh. That would be good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And I think we've pretty much covered it. We've covered a great deal of information, and I'm honored that you shared so much with me."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00249:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 12, "return_to_go": 55.69906670602437, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of course they’re experiencing that now again, not so much on the parts that we tested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We talked about the OGSE [Optical Ground Support Equipment] tests and the thermal test. We didn’t talk about your role in the actual cryo vacuum test. Do you want to talk about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. For the cryo vacuum test, leading up to it—I had been the project manager before then, and I was the project manager for the overall JSC JWST operation. We did have dedicated test directors who helped write the procedures for the facility operations and worked with the program on their profiles and what they wanted to do.\\n\\n Of course the program had their own test team because they actually had individual large procedures for each of the science instruments, each of the different parts of the optics that they wanted to control and test, and then for all the GSE [ground support equipment] that would be supporting it and all the analysis that they would be doing. So they had a lot of huge procedures that worked off a master procedure, and our procedure at Johnson tied in with their master procedure.\\n\\n Really it was managing and leading the group. Of course we had the team here at Johnson that was actually executing everything, and I was interfacing with the program management on cost, budget, schedule-type things. Then of course any technical problems they had, really tried to understand it and see if we could provide the solution, if it was something related to using facility-type resources. Does that answer the question?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did take roles during the test of actually sitting shifts either as a test director, or sometimes rarely as a cryogenic engineer, but I did that at times just for coverage. It ran for 100-some days, and we had to fill in three shifts a day. The cryo guys had to fill in for about 130 days. It was a long time that they were on-call and operating the facility."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You want to talk about those two different roles and the difference between them, and what you would be monitoring and doing during those shifts?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 25, "return_to_go": 88.4016576866722, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There's not much left actually. There's dinner tonight. I've seen everybody, I think, and said most everything. I saw four of my old secretaries, and I recognized all four of them. One of them has stayed very slender, but the other two were considerably more obese than they used to be. It was fun seeing them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's good. They recognized you too, I bet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. I'm 94 years old. So what you see is what you get."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that's impressive by itself. Well, it was quite a while ago when you first started at NACA. How did your interest in aeronautics start?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess with the sight of [my] first biplane. It was in 1919, and it landed on a horse-racing track, at Chatham, New York. They pulled it off the track, and it was sitting there on the grass, and wind was blowing, and the wings were moving. It looked like it was ready to go. Ever since then I was hooked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's when you were about six years old. How did you learn more about airplane development as you grew older?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 36.22785537185164, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was '78—that was from '28—that was 50 years after my first [flights]. It got to be a little too much for me. You had to carry the thing. The thing weighed 80 pounds, and you had all your gear to carry. Slogging up through the sand was a real effort. I sold it in '83."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm glad you had some good landings with it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, the landings were always easy for me, because in my early flights—they were fairly short—I was always landing. You get up about 20 feet, and then I would let the rope go and glide down. I would practice turns. My brother was two years younger. He wasn't interested in flying, but he was interested in driving the tow car. He could do that legally out on the hayfield."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounded like a good partnership."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Except he never contributed anything to the flight part of it. In the end we had an accident that I always felt was partly his fault. But it really wasn't. We had a slight crosswind, and the glider was just about ready to take off. It would bounce up and come down. With a crosswind you'd come down with a slight drift. It came down with a pretty good drift, and it jerked me sideways so that I fell out of my seat. My safety belt was only a converted skate strap. The strap broke, and I fell out. He kept on going with the car. I figured he should have seen that and stopped. But anyway, he kept going. The glider went up [without me] to about 75 feet, I guess. It looked way up there. Finally he had to stop the car at the end of the field, and it fell off and stalled, and came down on one wing. It just telescoped, it was a complete wreck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your parents thinking about your thoughts about flying?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 40.25317263539071, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, the landings were always easy for me, because in my early flights—they were fairly short—I was always landing. You get up about 20 feet, and then I would let the rope go and glide down. I would practice turns. My brother was two years younger. He wasn't interested in flying, but he was interested in driving the tow car. He could do that legally out on the hayfield."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sounded like a good partnership."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Except he never contributed anything to the flight part of it. In the end we had an accident that I always felt was partly his fault. But it really wasn't. We had a slight crosswind, and the glider was just about ready to take off. It would bounce up and come down. With a crosswind you'd come down with a slight drift. It came down with a pretty good drift, and it jerked me sideways so that I fell out of my seat. My safety belt was only a converted skate strap. The strap broke, and I fell out. He kept on going with the car. I figured he should have seen that and stopped. But anyway, he kept going. The glider went up [without me] to about 75 feet, I guess. It looked way up there. Finally he had to stop the car at the end of the field, and it fell off and stalled, and came down on one wing. It just telescoped, it was a complete wreck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your parents thinking about your thoughts about flying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My father helped me right in the beginning. Most of the [later] flying I did was during workdays [while he was at work]. My grandmother was visiting one day that we had a good fly, and she took some pictures. Those are the only pictures I have of the glider or the flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's pretty exciting."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 44.72574737265634, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Except he never contributed anything to the flight part of it. In the end we had an accident that I always felt was partly his fault. But it really wasn't. We had a slight crosswind, and the glider was just about ready to take off. It would bounce up and come down. With a crosswind you'd come down with a slight drift. It came down with a pretty good drift, and it jerked me sideways so that I fell out of my seat. My safety belt was only a converted skate strap. The strap broke, and I fell out. He kept on going with the car. I figured he should have seen that and stopped. But anyway, he kept going. The glider went up [without me] to about 75 feet, I guess. It looked way up there. Finally he had to stop the car at the end of the field, and it fell off and stalled, and came down on one wing. It just telescoped, it was a complete wreck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were your parents thinking about your thoughts about flying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My father helped me right in the beginning. Most of the [later] flying I did was during workdays [while he was at work]. My grandmother was visiting one day that we had a good fly, and she took some pictures. Those are the only pictures I have of the glider or the flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's pretty exciting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. My father was very tolerant of everything I wanted to do. I used to use his watch to time my model airplane flights, and I lost it. One flight went fairly far down the flats, and in chasing after it, I lost his watch, and was never able to find it. But he accepted that without getting too mad about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a pretty good move from New York to Virginia when you moved to Langley. Had you been down to this part before?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 44.13971930295149, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My father helped me right in the beginning. Most of the [later] flying I did was during workdays [while he was at work]. My grandmother was visiting one day that we had a good fly, and she took some pictures. Those are the only pictures I have of the glider or the flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's pretty exciting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. My father was very tolerant of everything I wanted to do. I used to use his watch to time my model airplane flights, and I lost it. One flight went fairly far down the flats, and in chasing after it, I lost his watch, and was never able to find it. But he accepted that without getting too mad about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a pretty good move from New York to Virginia when you moved to Langley. Had you been down to this part before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. I went down on the train and boat. The streetcar turned around at the Chamberlin Hotel at Old Point. I asked the driver if he would let me off at the Langley Hotel. There was one hotel in [Hampton]. There were no motels. It was an old broken-down thing. It was terrible. I was depressed. But the next morning I took another streetcar out to Langley [Field] and checked in, and I mentioned that in the book. [The High-Speed Frontier: Case Histories of Four NACA Programs, 1920-1950]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I remember you mentioned that, and started to work on the eight-foot-high tunnel, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 43.48857700327943, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. My father was very tolerant of everything I wanted to do. I used to use his watch to time my model airplane flights, and I lost it. One flight went fairly far down the flats, and in chasing after it, I lost his watch, and was never able to find it. But he accepted that without getting too mad about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a pretty good move from New York to Virginia when you moved to Langley. Had you been down to this part before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. I went down on the train and boat. The streetcar turned around at the Chamberlin Hotel at Old Point. I asked the driver if he would let me off at the Langley Hotel. There was one hotel in [Hampton]. There were no motels. It was an old broken-down thing. It was terrible. I was depressed. But the next morning I took another streetcar out to Langley [Field] and checked in, and I mentioned that in the book. [The High-Speed Frontier: Case Histories of Four NACA Programs, 1920-1950]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I remember you mentioned that, and started to work on the eight-foot-high tunnel, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had written my thesis on a towing basin in New York University. I was interested in flying boats and the aerodynamics and aquadynamics of hulls. Langley had a beautiful towing basin. It was almost [half] a mile long. In New York University our basin was only—I think it was 75 feet long. So you had to do everything [very quickly]. You had to get the carriage up to high speed and take your data and then slow it down. It was almost impossible. It was too short. So I looked forward to working in the towing basin, which was managed by Starr Truscott. He's one of the old Langley pioneers. But Mr. [Elton W.] Miller put me in the high-speed tunnel, which was the best thing that ever happened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Could you spend a few minutes and talk to us about that tunnel, working in that tunnel, and then how the experiences that you got from those days moved you on to the next ones?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 46.37994508152979, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was a lot of competition between Langley and Ames. Not so much with Lewis [NACA Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory, currently Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio], because they were on the engines. But we had helpful competition. They would try to outdo us. The conferences were the showdowns where we were all sitting there together, and we could criticize each other."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were those held annually, or were they more often than once a year?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they were at least once a year. More often twice a year, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they held at different locations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. First Langley and then Ames."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got an opportunity to travel out to the west coast."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 49.31105009058865, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they were at least once a year. More often twice a year, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they held at different locations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. First Langley and then Ames."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got an opportunity to travel out to the west coast."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The first time I went out there was 1948. Then after that I went quite frequently. I went in '49, and after that it was fairly frequent."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you find their facilities to be like Langley's?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 48.049253697000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, there was a huge increase. Basically what we did was take everybody. Then on the job you would find some of them that were so miserable that you had to get rid of them. But we took everybody and then filtered out the impossible cases. We had one guy from Louisiana. Walt [Walter C.] Williams' school [Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana]. All he wanted to do was operate the boat that plied between Langley and Wallops. He applied. He said, \"I would like to captain this boat.\" He was a junior engineer.\\n\\n Well, probably you didn't want to know this, but Walt Williams did not make a good impression when he first came in. He was in the Flight Division. They debated whether or not they were going to keep him. But they finally decided to keep him, and he began to show some talents. Floyd [L.] Thompson was his boss. They finally decided to keep him. But I remember it was discussed in one of the [promotion] committees. Shows how wrong you can be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He was out at the Flight Research Center in California. Did you have an opportunity to go to the other Centers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, if you needed to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But as far as working? Or you preferred to stay at Langley?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I used to go out to Ames every now and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At one point you had an opportunity to represent the Center at a meeting where the X-1 was first being discussed. Can you share with us about that meeting and your impressions of what you were learning?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 50.05472633, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, if you needed to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But as far as working? Or you preferred to stay at Langley?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I used to go out to Ames every now and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At one point you had an opportunity to represent the Center at a meeting where the X-1 was first being discussed. Can you share with us about that meeting and your impressions of what you were learning?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Stack had gone to Europe. He'd made his first European trip, and he was a member of the High-Speed Panel. He normally would have gone. But because he was in Europe, I went. I substituted for him. I mentioned that in the [book]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did. I thought it was an interesting meeting."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00933:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 46.7274737, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I used to go out to Ames every now and then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At one point you had an opportunity to represent the Center at a meeting where the X-1 was first being discussed. Can you share with us about that meeting and your impressions of what you were learning?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Stack had gone to Europe. He'd made his first European trip, and he was a member of the High-Speed Panel. He normally would have gone. But because he was in Europe, I went. I substituted for him. I mentioned that in the [book]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did. I thought it was an interesting meeting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was where [Melvin N.] Gough made his unfortunate remark about never letting NASA pilots fly in rockets. I think he wished he'd never [said] that. But that happens all the time. One other thing [that] happened. He and another Langley pilot were about to take off from National Airport, it's now named after [President Ronald] Reagan. They got down to the end of the runway to take off—and maybe you've heard this—but they were going back to Langley, and Mel told the copilot—he claims he said, \"Lower the flap 20 degrees.\" For takeoff they sometimes use a little flap. It was the Lockheed Electra, which is a ten-passenger twin-engine. According to Mel, the copilot, instead of lowering the flap, pulled the handle that retracted the landing gear. The landing gear came up, and the airplane squashed down on the runway, broke the propellers. Mel thoroughly, totally blamed it on the copilot not doing what he said. The copilot had a slightly different story—was that the instruction that he got was not all that clear, and he without thinking pulled up the landing gear."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Goodness, that's pretty memorable. Tell us how you got involved working on the X-15."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:22", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 26.708954455642715, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I'm not quite sure how—I think there were seven of us that jointly hold the patents. I could probably tell you their names now. I know Jerry was one, Allen [B.] Kehlet, Max. There's got to be more, but I don't know. I don't know who selected those names. Now, some of them were obvious, certainly Faget and some of the others, but I don't really know how we picked those names out, but I'm glad they picked my name as one of them. [Laughter] Like I told you, you could take a dollar and that patent and buy a Coca-cola, but it's nice to have my name written on that thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm rattling on like I know what I'm talking about."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. That's okay. We want to hear whatever you have to say. I was also then going to ask you a little bit about the automatic control systems, and you may not have delved into it so much, being that you were more the theoretical side of development, but did you debate whether or not it should be completely automatic—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, there was—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "—or whether it should have some manual controls for the astronauts to maneuver the Mercury spacecraft?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:34", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.214720835695243, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. I kind of jumped Gemini mostly at the beginning. Well, see, Apollo had started by the time Gemini was going, and what Gemini was, was really exploiting the Mercury. It was with McDonnell, and there were some things that had been learned on Mercury that they decided, \"Well, we'd better do it different,\" if you had to do it over again, and decided it was very necessary to explore this business of rendezvous to see whether that concept would work. You couldn't do it with Mercury, so they decided to do it with Gemini. But at the same time, there was a group of us working on Apollo, in the early stages of Apollo.\\n\\n I saw something here that I might say something. It says, \"NACA-2 Space Task Group.\""}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You may have heard this story before, but they wanted X number of people there [Space Task Group], and Robert Gilruth went to Floyd [L. \"Tommy] Thompson, who was the chief engineer of Langley, and he said, \"I need,\" whatever it was, \"fifty people.\"\\n\\n Floyd Thompson said, \"Well, that's fair enough.\"\\n\\n Gilruth said, \"Well, I'd like to go around to pick them.\"\\n\\n Floyd said, \"Well, I can't quite agree to that.\" He said, \"You want fifty, you pick twenty-five and I'll pick twenty-five.\"\\n\\n And to this day, no one knows which side of that twenty-five they were on, whether Floyd wanted to get rid of us or— [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[Laughter] Did you ever find the story of how you got chosen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I decided not to ask. I decided not to inquire. Besides, Floyd Thompson is now passed away, and Gilruth is not in good shape, so I wouldn't know anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the American space program, we're very fortunate."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:36", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.794134261883602, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You may have heard this story before, but they wanted X number of people there [Space Task Group], and Robert Gilruth went to Floyd [L. \"Tommy] Thompson, who was the chief engineer of Langley, and he said, \"I need,\" whatever it was, \"fifty people.\"\\n\\n Floyd Thompson said, \"Well, that's fair enough.\"\\n\\n Gilruth said, \"Well, I'd like to go around to pick them.\"\\n\\n Floyd said, \"Well, I can't quite agree to that.\" He said, \"You want fifty, you pick twenty-five and I'll pick twenty-five.\"\\n\\n And to this day, no one knows which side of that twenty-five they were on, whether Floyd wanted to get rid of us or— [Laughter]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[Laughter] Did you ever find the story of how you got chosen?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I decided not to ask. I decided not to inquire. Besides, Floyd Thompson is now passed away, and Gilruth is not in good shape, so I wouldn't know anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the American space program, we're very fortunate."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, whatever it was, I sure like the way it came out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the Gemini program, were you involved with the rendezvous and docking mechanisms at all?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:38", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 28.66014917987067, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I decided not to ask. I decided not to inquire. Besides, Floyd Thompson is now passed away, and Gilruth is not in good shape, so I wouldn't know anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "For the American space program, we're very fortunate."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, whatever it was, I sure like the way it came out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the Gemini program, were you involved with the rendezvous and docking mechanisms at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It seems kind of strange now, but I wasn't. Well, it was really, like I said, by that time I was busy with Apollo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get started on Apollo?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:40", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 30.733499088745187, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, whatever it was, I sure like the way it came out."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In the Gemini program, were you involved with the rendezvous and docking mechanisms at all?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. It seems kind of strange now, but I wasn't. Well, it was really, like I said, by that time I was busy with Apollo."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get started on Apollo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Same way with Mercury. I know people were speculating, once you see that you can orbit—it really hadn't been done, but everybody had convinced ourselves that it was a piece of cake. So then we were speculating about the moon, and it was the next place to go. It was out of the question to go to any of the planets, but the moon seemed reachable. I must admit, I didn't have a lot of confidence in the whole thing, but somehow it struck me that how in God's world are you going to ever hit the moon in the right place that far away to go, you know? But after a while I became convinced, too, with a lot of other people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you know that it wasn't made out of green cheese?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:68", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.81, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were interesting incidents that would occur, though. One time we made a trip to Leningrad while we were there over a weekend. When we all came back, we all have dysentery. Oh man, some guys just damned near died, you know, and we protested like mad all about this, and they said, \"Nonsense. Nothing wrong with the water in Leningrad. You just brought this [problem] with you.\" So that was that.\\n\\n Well, it was not long after that that they rented some rooms in a little motel in Webster, and they were kind of living there, and they were walking around barefoot and taking showers in the stalls, and they all came down with absolutely the worst cases of athlete's foot you've ever seen. We've got a whole bunch of little viruses that the Russians don't have any protection against, and they may not bother you and me, but it just ate their feet up alive. And they protested like mad, and we said, \"Nonsense. You brought it with you.\" [Laughter] The doctors at JSC developed some sort of ointment for them, and it apparently was fairly effective, but the trouble is, it just smelled awful, and you could tell those guys a mile away. [Laughter] But it was a very interesting and nice."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's good. Well, I don't want to keep Mr. Faget waiting for you too long, so we can stop it here if you like."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would like, at some point, to maybe talk to you again and see if we can briefly cover some of these things and then go back and research a little bit more on what we've talked about so we can—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We should get involved with Skylab somewhere along the line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. I'd like to do that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:70", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would like, at some point, to maybe talk to you again and see if we can briefly cover some of these things and then go back and research a little bit more on what we've talked about so we can—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We should get involved with Skylab somewhere along the line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. I'd like to do that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because Skylab had some very interesting things that went on. For the most part, JSC does not know much about Skylab, because JSC didn't participate much in Skylab. There were just a few of us in the Skylab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'd like to do Skylab and also shuttle as well. Shuttle is very important. So at some point, if you don't mind, I'd like to maybe arrange another time, if that's okay with you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:72", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We should get involved with Skylab somewhere along the line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely. I'd like to do that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because Skylab had some very interesting things that went on. For the most part, JSC does not know much about Skylab, because JSC didn't participate much in Skylab. There were just a few of us in the Skylab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'd like to do Skylab and also shuttle as well. Shuttle is very important. So at some point, if you don't mind, I'd like to maybe arrange another time, if that's okay with you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we don't have to do it now."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:74", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because Skylab had some very interesting things that went on. For the most part, JSC does not know much about Skylab, because JSC didn't participate much in Skylab. There were just a few of us in the Skylab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'd like to do Skylab and also shuttle as well. Shuttle is very important. So at some point, if you don't mind, I'd like to maybe arrange another time, if that's okay with you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we don't have to do it now."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's do it later. We're going to have to leave this building in a week or so. Otherwise, this is a very convenient place. So if we can do something in a week or so, this would be a good place to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. And if it's convenient for you, we can do it over at NASA and do it in our offices, whatever works best for you. You're really helping us out, and we want to make it as accommodating as possible. I really appreciate it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:76", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And we don't have to do it now."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's do it later. We're going to have to leave this building in a week or so. Otherwise, this is a very convenient place. So if we can do something in a week or so, this would be a good place to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. And if it's convenient for you, we can do it over at NASA and do it in our offices, whatever works best for you. You're really helping us out, and we want to make it as accommodating as possible. I really appreciate it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. What do you want to do about such things as these documents and sketches and things like that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know. I mean, I would love to look through them, but I don't know how you are with them. Obviously I wouldn't want to take them."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00292:78", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let's do it later. We're going to have to leave this building in a week or so. Otherwise, this is a very convenient place. So if we can do something in a week or so, this would be a good place to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Great. And if it's convenient for you, we can do it over at NASA and do it in our offices, whatever works best for you. You're really helping us out, and we want to make it as accommodating as possible. I really appreciate it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Okay. What do you want to do about such things as these documents and sketches and things like that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know. I mean, I would love to look through them, but I don't know how you are with them. Obviously I wouldn't want to take them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I would be reluctant to just have them all disappear."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, no. Absolutely. Those are treasures."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.114489334758487, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in college at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. I was aware of Peace Corps probably through news media. I had a fraternity brother who had gone into the Peace Corps. I was well aware that I didn't want to go into military service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were you studying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I have a degree in agriculture. I think that I was also going to be the idealism of the early ‘60s which I think was the kind of idealism that was probably rampant among young people and very hopeful among the middle aged and older. It really was an exciting time. And I thought the Peace Corps offered an incredible opportunity to be someplace else and do something significant. At the end of the Peace Corps, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we can come to that, but let's talk about when you got to training, for example. Let's talk about that experience a little bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was kind of exciting. It was an incredible mixed bag."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of people, you mean?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.682765927509429, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I have a degree in agriculture. I think that I was also going to be the idealism of the early ‘60s which I think was the kind of idealism that was probably rampant among young people and very hopeful among the middle aged and older. It really was an exciting time. And I thought the Peace Corps offered an incredible opportunity to be someplace else and do something significant. At the end of the Peace Corps, I."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, we can come to that, but let's talk about when you got to training, for example. Let's talk about that experience a little bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was kind of exciting. It was an incredible mixed bag."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of people, you mean?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, because I think there were about 60. My initial impact was, what are we all doing here? I found it in some way scary because there was this variety of people there. And I guess in some way, a variety of in the range of stability, I think that would be putting it kindly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So talk about what your reaction was when you got there and, you know, were doing the activities that they."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 16.314184363899365, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was kind of exciting. It was an incredible mixed bag."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Of people, you mean?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, because I think there were about 60. My initial impact was, what are we all doing here? I found it in some way scary because there was this variety of people there. And I guess in some way, a variety of in the range of stability, I think that would be putting it kindly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So talk about what your reaction was when you got there and, you know, were doing the activities that they."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some of it seemed rather trite to me because of some of the agricultural training was pretty much things that I'd had in high school. Or maybe college. Not a lot of the agricultural stuff with new other than the subtropical perhaps, but the agricultural training wasn't overly useful for me. The language training, for me personally, was not good. In part because I'd never studied a language. In subsequent years in the Peace Corps, I realized that that I’m visual learner and our training was auditory, to repeat and repeat and repeat. Well, that's not how I learn. And no one told me that and I didn't know. That began to settle in when I came back and went to graduate school. So I think that the training was good in terms of an endurance test. I think that some of the things that they put us through. I think the selection process was at times scary. I thought the whole selection process was probably initially poor. They could have done a much better job of screening people before they got there. I think the Peace Corps has changed significantly since then. To start out with about 60 people and wind up with 32 does not suggest that the institution has a good working model or theory on which to do the programming."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't think they did at that time, do you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.542091034155508, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. But that's how institutions learn, and I'm not sure that the institution got better. I think it was not necessarily to our advantage to have gotten moved around as much as we did. Because we started out as at Arizona State, then went on to the Indian reservation, then we went to the physical training camp at Arecibo, and then we went to Mayaguez, then we came home, then we take off from Miami and we were held up and so we went to Brattleboro, Vermont."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so of the experiences in that time, is there anything that really stands out in your mind? In that training period?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that one of the things that, what I would think of generally as a certain level of disorganization, I think it made us resilient. While that was not the intent to make it seem that way. I think it did in some other ways that they didn't recognize. They wanted us to be prepared. I think, yeah, they did, but I'm not sure that it in the way they had planned. I think the kind of bonding that happened, I really wasn't aware of the depth of bonding within the group until I came to first end year. Because we were a very mixed group and we did not have what I would have thought of it as harmony at all times. Give us a chance. And we could be argumentative."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think it was probably the training process that further developed that bonded, that esprit de corps, or whatever?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I have to say, I think it's probably one of the more unusual training."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.713434482395009, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that one of the things that, what I would think of generally as a certain level of disorganization, I think it made us resilient. While that was not the intent to make it seem that way. I think it did in some other ways that they didn't recognize. They wanted us to be prepared. I think, yeah, they did, but I'm not sure that it in the way they had planned. I think the kind of bonding that happened, I really wasn't aware of the depth of bonding within the group until I came to first end year. Because we were a very mixed group and we did not have what I would have thought of it as harmony at all times. Give us a chance. And we could be argumentative."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think it was probably the training process that further developed that bonded, that esprit de corps, or whatever?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I have to say, I think it's probably one of the more unusual training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably. I think that that there were for me, the Peace Corps really became a growing up experience in terms of young adulthood. College really didn't do it because I never really had to leave home, well I did leave home and lived in Madison, but I was back to the family farm often."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How old were you when you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 13.01492720266112, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I have to say, I think it's probably one of the more unusual training."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably. I think that that there were for me, the Peace Corps really became a growing up experience in terms of young adulthood. College really didn't do it because I never really had to leave home, well I did leave home and lived in Madison, but I was back to the family farm often."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How old were you when you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "22, 23. But the other people in the group really hadn't been away from home either, for the most part. They may have traveled some, but for the most part, it was our major cross cultural experience, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, going on from that. When was there anything that really stands out in your mind about the Puerto Rican experience? All the different kinds of activities that we did there at the physical training and the various?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.127696891845689, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably. I think that that there were for me, the Peace Corps really became a growing up experience in terms of young adulthood. College really didn't do it because I never really had to leave home, well I did leave home and lived in Madison, but I was back to the family farm often."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How old were you when you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "22, 23. But the other people in the group really hadn't been away from home either, for the most part. They may have traveled some, but for the most part, it was our major cross cultural experience, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, going on from that. When was there anything that really stands out in your mind about the Puerto Rican experience? All the different kinds of activities that we did there at the physical training and the various?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, fortunately or unfortunately, I missed it. Because playing baseball out on the Indian reservation in Arizona, I got hit with a baseball bat, and it split the skin on my chin and it didn't heal. So they sutured it in Arizona and then it didn't heal right. And it had to be resewn. So I couldn't get in the swimming pool and in Puerto Rico, I couldn't go out in the tracks, I didn't go out on the overnight camping."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you not do the 40 mile?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.36410765760632, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "22, 23. But the other people in the group really hadn't been away from home either, for the most part. They may have traveled some, but for the most part, it was our major cross cultural experience, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, going on from that. When was there anything that really stands out in your mind about the Puerto Rican experience? All the different kinds of activities that we did there at the physical training and the various?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, fortunately or unfortunately, I missed it. Because playing baseball out on the Indian reservation in Arizona, I got hit with a baseball bat, and it split the skin on my chin and it didn't heal. So they sutured it in Arizona and then it didn't heal right. And it had to be resewn. So I couldn't get in the swimming pool and in Puerto Rico, I couldn't go out in the tracks, I didn't go out on the overnight camping."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you not do the 40 mile?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. I missed all of that. Oh, I missed drown proofing. Yeah, I missed the panic. Well, I witnessed the panic of some of the people getting into the pool with their hands tied. And I also witnessed their fear and resulting anger. And so I stood by the poolside and tried to be consoling and supportive of those who were being thrown into the pool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you not do any of the mountain climbing or the rappelling?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.737897397340356, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, fortunately or unfortunately, I missed it. Because playing baseball out on the Indian reservation in Arizona, I got hit with a baseball bat, and it split the skin on my chin and it didn't heal. So they sutured it in Arizona and then it didn't heal right. And it had to be resewn. So I couldn't get in the swimming pool and in Puerto Rico, I couldn't go out in the tracks, I didn't go out on the overnight camping."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you not do the 40 mile?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. I missed all of that. Oh, I missed drown proofing. Yeah, I missed the panic. Well, I witnessed the panic of some of the people getting into the pool with their hands tied. And I also witnessed their fear and resulting anger. And so I stood by the poolside and tried to be consoling and supportive of those who were being thrown into the pool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you not do any of the mountain climbing or the rappelling?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Rappelling, I got to do. And I thought, oh, this is wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No fear of heights for you."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.264330441489285, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. I missed all of that. Oh, I missed drown proofing. Yeah, I missed the panic. Well, I witnessed the panic of some of the people getting into the pool with their hands tied. And I also witnessed their fear and resulting anger. And so I stood by the poolside and tried to be consoling and supportive of those who were being thrown into the pool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you not do any of the mountain climbing or the rappelling?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Rappelling, I got to do. And I thought, oh, this is wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No fear of heights for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, that's probably quite a bit. But said, I'm probably competitive and there are a lot of things that I would do on a dare, which I wouldn’t volunteer to do otherwise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, after when you decided to go in the Peace Corps, what your family and friends think about that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 15.849256046099205, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Rappelling, I got to do. And I thought, oh, this is wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No fear of heights for you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, that's probably quite a bit. But said, I'm probably competitive and there are a lot of things that I would do on a dare, which I wouldn’t volunteer to do otherwise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, after when you decided to go in the Peace Corps, what your family and friends think about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think probably my parents would have had some anxiety about where and where I was going, what was going to happen, what I knew about it, but my older brother had been in military service and I think whatever anxiety they might have had would have been pretty normal. As I recall, they were supportive. I think, probably excited about that when one of the kids, was first of all, finishing college, and secondly, going to do something kind of special because Peace Corps was something special then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, now what can you tell us what project you were part of and what, you know, you were assigned to do in Bolivia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.832506717888005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, that's probably quite a bit. But said, I'm probably competitive and there are a lot of things that I would do on a dare, which I wouldn’t volunteer to do otherwise."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, after when you decided to go in the Peace Corps, what your family and friends think about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think probably my parents would have had some anxiety about where and where I was going, what was going to happen, what I knew about it, but my older brother had been in military service and I think whatever anxiety they might have had would have been pretty normal. As I recall, they were supportive. I think, probably excited about that when one of the kids, was first of all, finishing college, and secondly, going to do something kind of special because Peace Corps was something special then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, now what can you tell us what project you were part of and what, you know, you were assigned to do in Bolivia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I thought I was going to Bolivia to work at an agricultural experiment station, which was true. That's where I went, at General Saavedra, and I thought I was going to work on a dairy project and they were going to develop a dairy herd, which I thought, well, that's kind of exciting. I grew up on a dairy farm. I'll be OK there. And to work on the pastures or forages, which I thought, well, I don't know much about subtropical pastures. But I'll survive that. Well, as the months moved past, the cows never came. And after I was there several months, somebody from U.S. AID came and said, oh no, we’re not sending cows here. I thought, don't aid programs tell the Bolivian institutions what's going on? Because AID did support this experiment station and experiment station director didn't know. So I didn't have a real positive view of USAID. I thought they spent a lot of money. And I thought they probably not necessarily very happy with Peace Corps volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, a lot of Peace Corps volunteers were not happy with the status quo."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.925007464320005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think probably my parents would have had some anxiety about where and where I was going, what was going to happen, what I knew about it, but my older brother had been in military service and I think whatever anxiety they might have had would have been pretty normal. As I recall, they were supportive. I think, probably excited about that when one of the kids, was first of all, finishing college, and secondly, going to do something kind of special because Peace Corps was something special then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, now what can you tell us what project you were part of and what, you know, you were assigned to do in Bolivia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I thought I was going to Bolivia to work at an agricultural experiment station, which was true. That's where I went, at General Saavedra, and I thought I was going to work on a dairy project and they were going to develop a dairy herd, which I thought, well, that's kind of exciting. I grew up on a dairy farm. I'll be OK there. And to work on the pastures or forages, which I thought, well, I don't know much about subtropical pastures. But I'll survive that. Well, as the months moved past, the cows never came. And after I was there several months, somebody from U.S. AID came and said, oh no, we’re not sending cows here. I thought, don't aid programs tell the Bolivian institutions what's going on? Because AID did support this experiment station and experiment station director didn't know. So I didn't have a real positive view of USAID. I thought they spent a lot of money. And I thought they probably not necessarily very happy with Peace Corps volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, a lot of Peace Corps volunteers were not happy with the status quo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "True. So I worked on these little pasture plots the whole time that I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you say worked on pasture plots, what do you mean?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.138897182577784, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I thought I was going to Bolivia to work at an agricultural experiment station, which was true. That's where I went, at General Saavedra, and I thought I was going to work on a dairy project and they were going to develop a dairy herd, which I thought, well, that's kind of exciting. I grew up on a dairy farm. I'll be OK there. And to work on the pastures or forages, which I thought, well, I don't know much about subtropical pastures. But I'll survive that. Well, as the months moved past, the cows never came. And after I was there several months, somebody from U.S. AID came and said, oh no, we’re not sending cows here. I thought, don't aid programs tell the Bolivian institutions what's going on? Because AID did support this experiment station and experiment station director didn't know. So I didn't have a real positive view of USAID. I thought they spent a lot of money. And I thought they probably not necessarily very happy with Peace Corps volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, well, a lot of Peace Corps volunteers were not happy with the status quo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "True. So I worked on these little pasture plots the whole time that I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you say worked on pasture plots, what do you mean?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I planted a variety of grass seeds. So we have these little forage plots and check them to see what the growth was, whether they might adapt to the area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you find any that worked?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 13.487663536197537, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "True. So I worked on these little pasture plots the whole time that I was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you say worked on pasture plots, what do you mean?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I planted a variety of grass seeds. So we have these little forage plots and check them to see what the growth was, whether they might adapt to the area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you find any that worked?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, after I'd been there for while and we had. We did plant a field or two after we had grown enough cuttings to plant. But yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the job was a little bit too slow and not real defined?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.764070595775042, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I planted a variety of grass seeds. So we have these little forage plots and check them to see what the growth was, whether they might adapt to the area."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you find any that worked?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, after I'd been there for while and we had. We did plant a field or two after we had grown enough cuttings to plant. But yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the job was a little bit too slow and not real defined?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I'm not sure that they really knew what to do with me at times, and I'm not sure I knew what to do with them. But I think other volunteers found that also. And so I did work with extension for a few months also. Before I got hepatitis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get hepatitis? Hepatitis A?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.182300661972269, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, after I'd been there for while and we had. We did plant a field or two after we had grown enough cuttings to plant. But yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the job was a little bit too slow and not real defined?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I'm not sure that they really knew what to do with me at times, and I'm not sure I knew what to do with them. But I think other volunteers found that also. And so I did work with extension for a few months also. Before I got hepatitis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get hepatitis? Hepatitis A?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But when was that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 14.647000735524744, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Um, I'm not sure that they really knew what to do with me at times, and I'm not sure I knew what to do with them. But I think other volunteers found that also. And so I did work with extension for a few months also. Before I got hepatitis."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get hepatitis? Hepatitis A?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But when was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "March of ’64."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were almost ready to go home."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.830000817249715, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But when was that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "March of ’64."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were almost ready to go home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, maybe this was even before March. It must have been before much because I spent my 25th birthday at the clinic of Santa Isabel in La Paz."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, all the way to La Paz?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.033334241388571, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "March of ’64."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, you were almost ready to go home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, maybe this was even before March. It must have been before much because I spent my 25th birthday at the clinic of Santa Isabel in La Paz."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, all the way to La Paz?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and I think the president's wife was at the same clinic at that time. He would come to visit in the morning. He’d come in with his escort in the morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, OK, so you, I have to ask you, Pete, you know, we all the rumor going around was that you had saved up so much money you had to hang out to dry."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 13.370371379320634, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, maybe this was even before March. It must have been before much because I spent my 25th birthday at the clinic of Santa Isabel in La Paz."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, all the way to La Paz?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and I think the president's wife was at the same clinic at that time. He would come to visit in the morning. He’d come in with his escort in the morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, OK, so you, I have to ask you, Pete, you know, we all the rumor going around was that you had saved up so much money you had to hang out to dry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cause we got paid in all those."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.522634865911815, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and I think the president's wife was at the same clinic at that time. He would come to visit in the morning. He’d come in with his escort in the morning."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So, OK, so you, I have to ask you, Pete, you know, we all the rumor going around was that you had saved up so much money you had to hang out to dry."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cause we got paid in all those."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Yeah. Well, I never had to hang it up to dry, but I did have a large stock and I kept it in a suitcase and I remember one month the money will slow coming from Washington and Harold needed to pay the volunteers, so, I gave them gave him the money."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bankrolled the volunteers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.691816517679795, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Cause we got paid in all those."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Yeah. Well, I never had to hang it up to dry, but I did have a large stock and I kept it in a suitcase and I remember one month the money will slow coming from Washington and Harold needed to pay the volunteers, so, I gave them gave him the money."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bankrolled the volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah, but you know, money, money. And so those days and subsequent years and I mean, you get this huge pile of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And didn’t really mean anything."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.99090724186644, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. Yeah. Well, I never had to hang it up to dry, but I did have a large stock and I kept it in a suitcase and I remember one month the money will slow coming from Washington and Harold needed to pay the volunteers, so, I gave them gave him the money."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bankrolled the volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yeah, but you know, money, money. And so those days and subsequent years and I mean, you get this huge pile of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And didn’t really mean anything."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it didn’t. And actually, whatever amount that we got, I think it may be 90 or 100 a month."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think it was 80 dollars or something."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.038157088724, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it didn’t. And actually, whatever amount that we got, I think it may be 90 or 100 a month."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think it was 80 dollars or something."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I didn't have any place to spend that. So I did save. I've always been frugal and saved anyway. So, yeah, so to the best of my recollection, the stories that I would hang up my money to dry it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A fabrication?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, somewhat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't have to guard against mildew."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.820174543026663, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I didn't have any place to spend that. So I did save. I've always been frugal and saved anyway. So, yeah, so to the best of my recollection, the stories that I would hang up my money to dry it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "A fabrication?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, somewhat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't have to guard against mildew."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, actually, I think it did mildew. Like everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it probably did. OK, so you're down in Santa Cruz and after like the first midway through your time there, what were you feeling and how what kind of things were happening after the first day?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.68908282558518, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, somewhat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Didn't have to guard against mildew."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, actually, I think it did mildew. Like everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it probably did. OK, so you're down in Santa Cruz and after like the first midway through your time there, what were you feeling and how what kind of things were happening after the first day?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember the feeling of not being real productive. And I think that the expectation that I was going to make the world kind of contribution and the fact that that didn't happen. I think that was tough. I think that one of the experiences as a young adult, that we're not going to change the world, and that was that was not only the feeling at the end of the first year, but certainly when I came home, I had that feeling and I still do. I can't say I did anything wonderful for poor Bolivia, but I didn't do them any damage, I'm reasonably sure of that. And it wasn't particularly what we did for Bolivia, it was what they did for us. Because when I look around the group, it changed our lives and our life, and for the most part, I think that it left an impact on most of us in terms of what we can do. I'm impressed with what people have done in terms of service to other people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Lot of people involved in service kinds of work."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.765647583983533, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, actually, I think it did mildew. Like everything."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it probably did. OK, so you're down in Santa Cruz and after like the first midway through your time there, what were you feeling and how what kind of things were happening after the first day?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember the feeling of not being real productive. And I think that the expectation that I was going to make the world kind of contribution and the fact that that didn't happen. I think that was tough. I think that one of the experiences as a young adult, that we're not going to change the world, and that was that was not only the feeling at the end of the first year, but certainly when I came home, I had that feeling and I still do. I can't say I did anything wonderful for poor Bolivia, but I didn't do them any damage, I'm reasonably sure of that. And it wasn't particularly what we did for Bolivia, it was what they did for us. Because when I look around the group, it changed our lives and our life, and for the most part, I think that it left an impact on most of us in terms of what we can do. I'm impressed with what people have done in terms of service to other people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Lot of people involved in service kinds of work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and I'm not sure that that would have been true in the same. But I don't think it would have been true in the same way for me personally.\n\nAnd I'm appreciative that that experience changed my life. And I think that that really was the significance of the Peace Corps. It what it did to a whole generation of people. A generation of U.S. citizens without damaging, without doing a whole lot of damage to other countries. And granted, some volunteers did do some damage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me when you weren't working. What did you do for fun or entertainment or recreation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 23.072941759981703, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember the feeling of not being real productive. And I think that the expectation that I was going to make the world kind of contribution and the fact that that didn't happen. I think that was tough. I think that one of the experiences as a young adult, that we're not going to change the world, and that was that was not only the feeling at the end of the first year, but certainly when I came home, I had that feeling and I still do. I can't say I did anything wonderful for poor Bolivia, but I didn't do them any damage, I'm reasonably sure of that. And it wasn't particularly what we did for Bolivia, it was what they did for us. Because when I look around the group, it changed our lives and our life, and for the most part, I think that it left an impact on most of us in terms of what we can do. I'm impressed with what people have done in terms of service to other people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Lot of people involved in service kinds of work."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and I'm not sure that that would have been true in the same. But I don't think it would have been true in the same way for me personally.\n\nAnd I'm appreciative that that experience changed my life. And I think that that really was the significance of the Peace Corps. It what it did to a whole generation of people. A generation of U.S. citizens without damaging, without doing a whole lot of damage to other countries. And granted, some volunteers did do some damage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me when you weren't working. What did you do for fun or entertainment or recreation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, initially I spent some time with the people and they were readily available, you know, tried to play soccer and realized that I really was too old to play the game and not in as good a physical shape as they were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do take any trips, vacations?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.30326862220189, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, and I'm not sure that that would have been true in the same. But I don't think it would have been true in the same way for me personally.\n\nAnd I'm appreciative that that experience changed my life. And I think that that really was the significance of the Peace Corps. It what it did to a whole generation of people. A generation of U.S. citizens without damaging, without doing a whole lot of damage to other countries. And granted, some volunteers did do some damage."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell me when you weren't working. What did you do for fun or entertainment or recreation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, initially I spent some time with the people and they were readily available, you know, tried to play soccer and realized that I really was too old to play the game and not in as good a physical shape as they were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do take any trips, vacations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bill and I went to Asuncion and then Chile. Took the train back to Bolivia. So I only took the one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How was that trip? Pretty good? Interesting?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 24.781409580224324, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, initially I spent some time with the people and they were readily available, you know, tried to play soccer and realized that I really was too old to play the game and not in as good a physical shape as they were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do take any trips, vacations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bill and I went to Asuncion and then Chile. Took the train back to Bolivia. So I only took the one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How was that trip? Pretty good? Interesting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought so, yeah. Um. Yeah, it was a good adventure for me and I think gave me some motivation or courage to go back to Bolivia by myself and travel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when did you go back to Bolivia?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 26.42378842247147, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bill and I went to Asuncion and then Chile. Took the train back to Bolivia. So I only took the one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How was that trip? Pretty good? Interesting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought so, yeah. Um. Yeah, it was a good adventure for me and I think gave me some motivation or courage to go back to Bolivia by myself and travel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when did you go back to Bolivia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "‘69, ‘70."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So various times."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 27.137542691634966, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I thought so, yeah. Um. Yeah, it was a good adventure for me and I think gave me some motivation or courage to go back to Bolivia by myself and travel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And when did you go back to Bolivia?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "‘69, ‘70."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So various times."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've been back by five times. The last of which was 1984, with Brian Bennett."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so what did you do when you went back? Do you have any projects going on?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 24.597269657372184, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "‘69, ‘70."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So various times."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've been back by five times. The last of which was 1984, with Brian Bennett."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so what did you do when you went back? Do you have any projects going on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t have any projects. Met a woman from Bolivia at University of Wisconsin when I was going to graduate school in the ‘60s. And I was aware that she had gone back to take care of a parent. I looked her up and when I went back, I would stay with her and her family, that would be my launching site to travel around the country, so I actually wound up seeing a whole lot more of Bolivia after that. Like going to Copensee and Sucre, Poderon. I’ve spent a fair amount of time there. Part of what I did was collected art."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Bolivian art. You know, I still have some stuff that's hanging in my house and I framed it with prints that I got there. They’re really nice when you get them framed."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 26.219188508191316, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've been back by five times. The last of which was 1984, with Brian Bennett."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so what did you do when you went back? Do you have any projects going on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t have any projects. Met a woman from Bolivia at University of Wisconsin when I was going to graduate school in the ‘60s. And I was aware that she had gone back to take care of a parent. I looked her up and when I went back, I would stay with her and her family, that would be my launching site to travel around the country, so I actually wound up seeing a whole lot more of Bolivia after that. Like going to Copensee and Sucre, Poderon. I’ve spent a fair amount of time there. Part of what I did was collected art."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Bolivian art. You know, I still have some stuff that's hanging in my house and I framed it with prints that I got there. They’re really nice when you get them framed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I probably collected at least 50 paintings and prints from 12 of 15 different artists. Collected some from a Bolivian artist after I came back. Also collected an assortment of other things, like hand spun and hand woven things, ponchos, little coca purses. Incredible detail where they’ll have like a dozen horses fighting. Wonderful pieces. But collected a whole variety of other hand spun kinds of things too. Collected silver spoons, the one time that that yeah, that that I was there. Tupu. They were spoon shaped thing with a stick pin end and the woman wore them to hold their shawls. I have a few of those. We just collected a whole variety of stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to keep in contact with any of the people that you had worked with before when you went back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.799098342434796, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t have any projects. Met a woman from Bolivia at University of Wisconsin when I was going to graduate school in the ‘60s. And I was aware that she had gone back to take care of a parent. I looked her up and when I went back, I would stay with her and her family, that would be my launching site to travel around the country, so I actually wound up seeing a whole lot more of Bolivia after that. Like going to Copensee and Sucre, Poderon. I’ve spent a fair amount of time there. Part of what I did was collected art."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, Bolivian art. You know, I still have some stuff that's hanging in my house and I framed it with prints that I got there. They’re really nice when you get them framed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I probably collected at least 50 paintings and prints from 12 of 15 different artists. Collected some from a Bolivian artist after I came back. Also collected an assortment of other things, like hand spun and hand woven things, ponchos, little coca purses. Incredible detail where they’ll have like a dozen horses fighting. Wonderful pieces. But collected a whole variety of other hand spun kinds of things too. Collected silver spoons, the one time that that yeah, that that I was there. Tupu. They were spoon shaped thing with a stick pin end and the woman wore them to hold their shawls. I have a few of those. We just collected a whole variety of stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to keep in contact with any of the people that you had worked with before when you went back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did briefly with my counterpart because they came to the States eventually and [inaudible] went to the University of Utah. I went out to see them I think in December of ’71. And I used to stop and see them. Correspondence, you know, but I don't correspond well with anybody. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bolivians are not known noted for their correspondences."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 28.66566482492755, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I probably collected at least 50 paintings and prints from 12 of 15 different artists. Collected some from a Bolivian artist after I came back. Also collected an assortment of other things, like hand spun and hand woven things, ponchos, little coca purses. Incredible detail where they’ll have like a dozen horses fighting. Wonderful pieces. But collected a whole variety of other hand spun kinds of things too. Collected silver spoons, the one time that that yeah, that that I was there. Tupu. They were spoon shaped thing with a stick pin end and the woman wore them to hold their shawls. I have a few of those. We just collected a whole variety of stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you able to keep in contact with any of the people that you had worked with before when you went back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did briefly with my counterpart because they came to the States eventually and [inaudible] went to the University of Utah. I went out to see them I think in December of ’71. And I used to stop and see them. Correspondence, you know, but I don't correspond well with anybody. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bolivians are not known noted for their correspondences."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, well, well, I reciprocated that type of relationship very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So can you think of. Tell me about any of the things that you remember that happened that we haven't talked about that were impressive or the good or bad or whatever. Any kinds of things that happened. Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 28.51740536103061, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did briefly with my counterpart because they came to the States eventually and [inaudible] went to the University of Utah. I went out to see them I think in December of ’71. And I used to stop and see them. Correspondence, you know, but I don't correspond well with anybody. So."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Bolivians are not known noted for their correspondences."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, well, well, I reciprocated that type of relationship very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So can you think of. Tell me about any of the things that you remember that happened that we haven't talked about that were impressive or the good or bad or whatever. Any kinds of things that happened. Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was at Saavedra. And I remember that one of the other, one of the technicians came and said that he had been shot. I was impressed with what kind of a moment that was and how that affected the Bolivians, that they expressed sympathy. There was some expression that, you know, that maybe Lyndon Johnson had had him shot. Because that would have been a normal Bolivian kind of a thought. I mean, do your enemy in. But yeah, Kennedy's death, that was the one time that I would like to have been back in the States in a certain sense. It wouldn't have made any difference, but. We also had a kind of meeting in Cochabamba at that time, I think that was good for us."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So tell me, looking back over your time there, what you did. I think you already addressed this when you said you thought the major thing that happened was what you got from the Bolivians rather than any contribution you made."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.86190821, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, the county at that time, we would have I think at that time we were probably doing some food stamps, aid to families with dependent children. I think we even had had disabled and some of those programs shifted to other but shifted around. But so it was a mixed bag caseload. Well, I lasted there about a year and a half, couldn’t cope with the director. He was just a sleaze. And I was still a purist and in terms of working standards. So the phrase probation in that county did leave and so I replaced him. And within the first week, I knew I didn't belong as a probation. So here's my whole educational background, which is in agriculture and extensions, six, seven years of it. And I don't want to do.\n\nActually. Actually, I knew when I finished that. Once I finished or graduated, I didn't have any need to do that anymore. I mean, I'd got my satisfaction out of it. So I wound up working for the Green Bay Diocese for 18 years, and that was wonderful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did you do for them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was a social worker with a mixed bag of some kinds of cases from adoption, depressed, family counseling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that who you do the janitorial work for?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I left there, I left there as I was finishing a master's in pastoral studies with Loyola. And in the process of that of the program with Loyola, I really became aware that there's more to life than tying all of your security to where you're at mid-life. I thought I really more of a survivor than what I ever thought I was, maybe, maybe I don't need that security that I can survive. So I became aware of the fact that I trusted some higher power that I was going to be all right. And so I made a decision that I would leave and did. Took my time in leaving and eventually did artwork for 10 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand you did the craft fair circuit and that kind of thing."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.0687869, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was a social worker with a mixed bag of some kinds of cases from adoption, depressed, family counseling."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that who you do the janitorial work for?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I left there, I left there as I was finishing a master's in pastoral studies with Loyola. And in the process of that of the program with Loyola, I really became aware that there's more to life than tying all of your security to where you're at mid-life. I thought I really more of a survivor than what I ever thought I was, maybe, maybe I don't need that security that I can survive. So I became aware of the fact that I trusted some higher power that I was going to be all right. And so I made a decision that I would leave and did. Took my time in leaving and eventually did artwork for 10 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand you did the craft fair circuit and that kind of thing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About nine years ago, the cost of health insurance was. It was at a point where it literally was going to take all of my income. It took more than what my net income was. Took half of what my gross income was, and I thought, well, I either go without or else I do something else. And it was time to consider other options, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said in the beginning that you thought that your time in the Peace Corps really contributed to the general place you ended up with and probably made you, it sounds like made you realize that you are a survivor. When you think of that and all the other things, do you think you would have done the things that you did subsequently without having initial Peace Corps experience?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.1875410000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And then I left there, I left there as I was finishing a master's in pastoral studies with Loyola. And in the process of that of the program with Loyola, I really became aware that there's more to life than tying all of your security to where you're at mid-life. I thought I really more of a survivor than what I ever thought I was, maybe, maybe I don't need that security that I can survive. So I became aware of the fact that I trusted some higher power that I was going to be all right. And so I made a decision that I would leave and did. Took my time in leaving and eventually did artwork for 10 years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I understand you did the craft fair circuit and that kind of thing."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About nine years ago, the cost of health insurance was. It was at a point where it literally was going to take all of my income. It took more than what my net income was. Took half of what my gross income was, and I thought, well, I either go without or else I do something else. And it was time to consider other options, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said in the beginning that you thought that your time in the Peace Corps really contributed to the general place you ended up with and probably made you, it sounds like made you realize that you are a survivor. When you think of that and all the other things, do you think you would have done the things that you did subsequently without having initial Peace Corps experience?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. I can only say that nobody else in my family has. I think part of it being the third born child, you know, I guess I've always looked up to older siblings in terms of or they're smarter and they're more competent. Well, someplace along that line, I really began to have to take stock of my own competency. And it's not that I believe that I'm super competent, not at all. I think that life is a very humbling process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it is."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.31949, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "About nine years ago, the cost of health insurance was. It was at a point where it literally was going to take all of my income. It took more than what my net income was. Took half of what my gross income was, and I thought, well, I either go without or else I do something else. And it was time to consider other options, so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you said in the beginning that you thought that your time in the Peace Corps really contributed to the general place you ended up with and probably made you, it sounds like made you realize that you are a survivor. When you think of that and all the other things, do you think you would have done the things that you did subsequently without having initial Peace Corps experience?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. I can only say that nobody else in my family has. I think part of it being the third born child, you know, I guess I've always looked up to older siblings in terms of or they're smarter and they're more competent. Well, someplace along that line, I really began to have to take stock of my own competency. And it's not that I believe that I'm super competent, not at all. I think that life is a very humbling process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And when we think we’re somebody then we really need a need a reality check. And I think that that was a major contribution from the Peace Corps. It was a reality check that I wasn't going to change the world. Actually, that was hard coming home to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You need to realize that the idealism was."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.4661, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. I can only say that nobody else in my family has. I think part of it being the third born child, you know, I guess I've always looked up to older siblings in terms of or they're smarter and they're more competent. Well, someplace along that line, I really began to have to take stock of my own competency. And it's not that I believe that I'm super competent, not at all. I think that life is a very humbling process."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, it is."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And when we think we’re somebody then we really need a need a reality check. And I think that that was a major contribution from the Peace Corps. It was a reality check that I wasn't going to change the world. Actually, that was hard coming home to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You need to realize that the idealism was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The idealism was OK, but we're not always everything that we hope that we're going to become. But that's the reality of young adulthood is realizing that we're not going to be everything that we think that we might possibly be, and we're going to have to settle for what we got."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And if there's nothing wrong with that."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.629, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And when we think we’re somebody then we really need a need a reality check. And I think that that was a major contribution from the Peace Corps. It was a reality check that I wasn't going to change the world. Actually, that was hard coming home to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You need to realize that the idealism was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The idealism was OK, but we're not always everything that we hope that we're going to become. But that's the reality of young adulthood is realizing that we're not going to be everything that we think that we might possibly be, and we're going to have to settle for what we got."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And if there's nothing wrong with that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, because once you accept that, you can get on to living life and it's going to be full if you let it be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, Pete, it sounds like you've had quite an interesting life experience."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.81, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The idealism was OK, but we're not always everything that we hope that we're going to become. But that's the reality of young adulthood is realizing that we're not going to be everything that we think that we might possibly be, and we're going to have to settle for what we got."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And if there's nothing wrong with that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, because once you accept that, you can get on to living life and it's going to be full if you let it be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, Pete, it sounds like you've had quite an interesting life experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since you got out of the Peace Corps and including your time in the Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, because once you accept that, you can get on to living life and it's going to be full if you let it be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, Pete, it sounds like you've had quite an interesting life experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since you got out of the Peace Corps and including your time in the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I would like to go back to Bolivia. I don't want to travel by myself. Just a lot of uncertainties and just language skills. Twenty five years ago, I would have risked not having the language skills."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think it gets a little more difficult to spend a long time. I was a Fulbright scholar in Jamaica, which, you know, I mean, it’s English, but they have that dialect. But it's time away from the family and all that. It gets harder I think the older you get."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Since you got out of the Peace Corps and including your time in the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I would like to go back to Bolivia. I don't want to travel by myself. Just a lot of uncertainties and just language skills. Twenty five years ago, I would have risked not having the language skills."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think it gets a little more difficult to spend a long time. I was a Fulbright scholar in Jamaica, which, you know, I mean, it’s English, but they have that dialect. But it's time away from the family and all that. It gets harder I think the older you get."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I don't know what the next chapter is. But I'm reasonably sure there is another. I went through a chapter of contemplating religious life. But. But passed through that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Decided you didn't really want to do the ministry? At least not in a formal way."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I would like to go back to Bolivia. I don't want to travel by myself. Just a lot of uncertainties and just language skills. Twenty five years ago, I would have risked not having the language skills."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think it gets a little more difficult to spend a long time. I was a Fulbright scholar in Jamaica, which, you know, I mean, it’s English, but they have that dialect. But it's time away from the family and all that. It gets harder I think the older you get."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I don't know what the next chapter is. But I'm reasonably sure there is another. I went through a chapter of contemplating religious life. But. But passed through that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Decided you didn't really want to do the ministry? At least not in a formal way."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not in a contemplative lifestyle. Although that would have been OK, too, because I'm reasonably sure that as a survivor, I would have found great forms of personal expression, and that was one of the things that I saw in that Trappist monastery that I spent a little time, that was. I marveled. That's such a diverse population could tolerate each other under one one roof."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the Trappist monastery. Silence."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So I don't know what the next chapter is. But I'm reasonably sure there is another. I went through a chapter of contemplating religious life. But. But passed through that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Decided you didn't really want to do the ministry? At least not in a formal way."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not in a contemplative lifestyle. Although that would have been OK, too, because I'm reasonably sure that as a survivor, I would have found great forms of personal expression, and that was one of the things that I saw in that Trappist monastery that I spent a little time, that was. I marveled. That's such a diverse population could tolerate each other under one one roof."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the Trappist monastery. Silence."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they were at times. But they were bright, mentally healthy people who managed to survive one another. And I look at the Peace Corps experience that we also managed to survive one another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which wasn't always easy, was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00249:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, not in a contemplative lifestyle. Although that would have been OK, too, because I'm reasonably sure that as a survivor, I would have found great forms of personal expression, and that was one of the things that I saw in that Trappist monastery that I spent a little time, that was. I marveled. That's such a diverse population could tolerate each other under one one roof."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At the Trappist monastery. Silence."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they were at times. But they were bright, mentally healthy people who managed to survive one another. And I look at the Peace Corps experience that we also managed to survive one another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Which wasn't always easy, was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. So that coming to gather is a very nostalgic thing for me, but it's also kind of like, it is kind of like getting a shot then that makes you feel different and it rekindles something. I get the same kind of rush from looking at artwork, if it's decent. It's exciting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I guess we've probably come to the end of this, so thank you Pete."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.718499832919056, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had met, in 1960 I had met John Kennedy. I was 11 years old."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I stood for hours in the rain in a little gas station in southern West Virginia, waiting for him to come through on a campaign stop. And he had become at 11 my hero to the point that I became somewhat obsessed and aggravated everyone with all the Kennedy stories, even at that age that I would tell. So it was really, I guess, natural. An interest in the world. I grew up in southern West Virginia coal mining town. We didn't travel a lot. And I dreamed of being places all around the world. So it was a combination of the two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. Did you pursue international issues in school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Somewhat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 10.79833314768784, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I stood for hours in the rain in a little gas station in southern West Virginia, waiting for him to come through on a campaign stop. And he had become at 11 my hero to the point that I became somewhat obsessed and aggravated everyone with all the Kennedy stories, even at that age that I would tell. So it was really, I guess, natural. An interest in the world. I grew up in southern West Virginia coal mining town. We didn't travel a lot. And I dreamed of being places all around the world. So it was a combination of the two."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. Did you pursue international issues in school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Somewhat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My history, my background was history and then the geography."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go to college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.553703497430933, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Somewhat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My history, my background was history and then the geography."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go to college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Graduated West Virginia University with a degree in history, minor in geography, sociology and something else I don't remember. But yeah, then I did two years of graduate work at University of Akron in geography, and that was post Peace Corps. And I was there on a fellowship that I received because of my Peace Corps experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You might as well, so just talk about that. What kind of a fellowship did you get?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.281892774923259, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My history, my background was history and then the geography."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go to college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Graduated West Virginia University with a degree in history, minor in geography, sociology and something else I don't remember. But yeah, then I did two years of graduate work at University of Akron in geography, and that was post Peace Corps. And I was there on a fellowship that I received because of my Peace Corps experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You might as well, so just talk about that. What kind of a fellowship did you get?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was a graduate assistantship in the geography department at the University of Akron, and it paid everything, all my expenses for two years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really? Wow."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.8687697499147315, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Graduated West Virginia University with a degree in history, minor in geography, sociology and something else I don't remember. But yeah, then I did two years of graduate work at University of Akron in geography, and that was post Peace Corps. And I was there on a fellowship that I received because of my Peace Corps experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You might as well, so just talk about that. What kind of a fellowship did you get?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was a graduate assistantship in the geography department at the University of Akron, and it paid everything, all my expenses for two years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really? Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the reason I received it was they had a professor who was interested in African studies and needed a graduate student with some experience in Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we'll circle back to that afterwards. So from age 11, you wanted to join the Peace Corps."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.520855277683035, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it was a graduate assistantship in the geography department at the University of Akron, and it paid everything, all my expenses for two years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really? Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the reason I received it was they had a professor who was interested in African studies and needed a graduate student with some experience in Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we'll circle back to that afterwards. So from age 11, you wanted to join the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it wasn't. No, I receptive to. And I was wanting to before it was even there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you find out about the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.2453947529811495, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And the reason I received it was they had a professor who was interested in African studies and needed a graduate student with some experience in Africa."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we'll circle back to that afterwards. So from age 11, you wanted to join the Peace Corps."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it wasn't. No, I receptive to. And I was wanting to before it was even there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you find out about the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was no recruiter in West Virginia. Surprise, surprise. There was a tear off coupon, maybe, or a sheet or something on a bulletin board. And that was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was after college?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.939327503312389, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it wasn't. No, I receptive to. And I was wanting to before it was even there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you find out about the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was no recruiter in West Virginia. Surprise, surprise. There was a tear off coupon, maybe, or a sheet or something on a bulletin board. And that was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was after college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In college, in college, my senior year, I'm thinking, what am I going to do? And it appears on the bulletin board and actually I did not meet anyone connected with Peace Corps until my orientation. My interviews were done by phone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just saw on an ad on the bulletin board?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.710363892569321, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was no recruiter in West Virginia. Surprise, surprise. There was a tear off coupon, maybe, or a sheet or something on a bulletin board. And that was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was after college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In college, in college, my senior year, I'm thinking, what am I going to do? And it appears on the bulletin board and actually I did not meet anyone connected with Peace Corps until my orientation. My interviews were done by phone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just saw on an ad on the bulletin board?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the bulletin board, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Kind of passive outreach, one could say. What did your friends think about you joining the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.56707099174369, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In college, in college, my senior year, I'm thinking, what am I going to do? And it appears on the bulletin board and actually I did not meet anyone connected with Peace Corps until my orientation. My interviews were done by phone."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you just saw on an ad on the bulletin board?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the bulletin board, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Kind of passive outreach, one could say. What did your friends think about you joining the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember anyone thinking it was a bad idea. No one really wanted to try it themselves."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they think you were crazy?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.5189677686041, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "On the bulletin board, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Kind of passive outreach, one could say. What did your friends think about you joining the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember anyone thinking it was a bad idea. No one really wanted to try it themselves."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they think you were crazy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My mother did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was my next question. What your parents thought about this?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.576630854004554, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't remember anyone thinking it was a bad idea. No one really wanted to try it themselves."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they think you were crazy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My mother did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was my next question. What your parents thought about this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, my mother tried to bribe me. She said they would, my parents would pay for grad school if I would just go and not go to Africa. A lot of tears on her part."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were they afraid of?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.75181206000506, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My mother did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was my next question. What your parents thought about this?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, my mother tried to bribe me. She said they would, my parents would pay for grad school if I would just go and not go to Africa. A lot of tears on her part."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were they afraid of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. Just the fact that I was so far away from home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So are you an only child?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.057568955561177, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, my mother tried to bribe me. She said they would, my parents would pay for grad school if I would just go and not go to Africa. A lot of tears on her part."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were they afraid of?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. Just the fact that I was so far away from home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So are you an only child?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, the oldest of five. So there are plenty of others to occupy her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the oldest."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.397298839512418, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. Just the fact that I was so far away from home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So are you an only child?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, the oldest of five. So there are plenty of others to occupy her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the oldest."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first to leave."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you, you saw this ad, you applied and how long was it before you heard from Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:31", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.77477648834713, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, the oldest of five. So there are plenty of others to occupy her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the oldest."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first to leave."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you, you saw this ad, you applied and how long was it before you heard from Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'm not sure. I know I probably before Christmas applied and I'd almost forgotten about it, and I get a phone call or a letter saying someone will be calling you. I don't remember. It may have been a letter or a postcard that says, we like to do an interview with you on the phone. Just so they knew, I knew that somebody would be calling me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any recollection of what the interview covered?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.30530720927459, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The first to leave."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you, you saw this ad, you applied and how long was it before you heard from Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'm not sure. I know I probably before Christmas applied and I'd almost forgotten about it, and I get a phone call or a letter saying someone will be calling you. I don't remember. It may have been a letter or a postcard that says, we like to do an interview with you on the phone. Just so they knew, I knew that somebody would be calling me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any recollection of what the interview covered?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So you were selected?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 17.00589689919399, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'm not sure. I know I probably before Christmas applied and I'd almost forgotten about it, and I get a phone call or a letter saying someone will be calling you. I don't remember. It may have been a letter or a postcard that says, we like to do an interview with you on the phone. Just so they knew, I knew that somebody would be calling me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have any recollection of what the interview covered?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So you were selected?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was selected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they immediately assign you to Chad?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.78432988799332, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK. So you were selected?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was selected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they immediately assign you to Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had asked for something in the Pacific, which is why they put me in the middle of Africa as far from the ocean as you could be. I was a little disappointed. But then I got excited about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever heard about Chad?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 19.7603665422148, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was selected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they immediately assign you to Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had asked for something in the Pacific, which is why they put me in the middle of Africa as far from the ocean as you could be. I was a little disappointed. But then I got excited about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever heard about Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had to go and look at an atlas, but you were a geographer, so."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 20.844851713572, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had asked for something in the Pacific, which is why they put me in the middle of Africa as far from the ocean as you could be. I was a little disappointed. But then I got excited about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had you ever heard about Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had to go and look at an atlas, but you were a geographer, so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, well, I knew a little bit about African geography and had had a at least one African history course, but no mention of Chad in it. Lake Chad, maybe because of the caravans pass through, but no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you got the letter assigned to Chad. Where did you meet with the rest of the group? This was 1970."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 20.93872412619111, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had to go and look at an atlas, but you were a geographer, so."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, well, I knew a little bit about African geography and had had a at least one African history course, but no mention of Chad in it. Lake Chad, maybe because of the caravans pass through, but no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you got the letter assigned to Chad. Where did you meet with the rest of the group? This was 1970."}, {"role": "user", "content": "1970. We had a training orientation in Philadelphia for a week. Yeah, that's when they checked if your eyes were, if you needed new glasses, you got glasses. We were told to have all of our fillings replaced before we arrived and they were checked by a dentist and redone if they needed to be. And one of the dentists they sent people to required everyone to have their wisdom teeth pulled. So I was very lucky I didn't get that dentist. And we started our inoculations. Of course there was, there were sessions we went to and there's still plenty of time to enjoy Philadelphia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how many people came to training? How big was your group?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 19.931915695767902, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, well, I knew a little bit about African geography and had had a at least one African history course, but no mention of Chad in it. Lake Chad, maybe because of the caravans pass through, but no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you got the letter assigned to Chad. Where did you meet with the rest of the group? This was 1970."}, {"role": "user", "content": "1970. We had a training orientation in Philadelphia for a week. Yeah, that's when they checked if your eyes were, if you needed new glasses, you got glasses. We were told to have all of our fillings replaced before we arrived and they were checked by a dentist and redone if they needed to be. And one of the dentists they sent people to required everyone to have their wisdom teeth pulled. So I was very lucky I didn't get that dentist. And we started our inoculations. Of course there was, there were sessions we went to and there's still plenty of time to enjoy Philadelphia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how many people came to training? How big was your group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A hundred and something. It was Francophone Africa, everything from Senegal to Chad and Cameroon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so it was not just for Chad."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.25768410640878, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "1970. We had a training orientation in Philadelphia for a week. Yeah, that's when they checked if your eyes were, if you needed new glasses, you got glasses. We were told to have all of our fillings replaced before we arrived and they were checked by a dentist and redone if they needed to be. And one of the dentists they sent people to required everyone to have their wisdom teeth pulled. So I was very lucky I didn't get that dentist. And we started our inoculations. Of course there was, there were sessions we went to and there's still plenty of time to enjoy Philadelphia."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how many people came to training? How big was your group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A hundred and something. It was Francophone Africa, everything from Senegal to Chad and Cameroon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so it was not just for Chad."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we went after a week. We took the buses. We took buses up to northern New York and to Quebec, arriving on the twenty fourth of June, John the Baptist Day, which is a holiday in Quebec. And we went to a little town east of Quebec City on the St. Lawrence, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere. And we occupied their school there, boarding school of some type, up on the hill, looking out onto the river. Beautiful little town. No one would speak English. They knew English. They being classic che ve qu'à. You had to twist their arms to get an English word out of some of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you went up to Quebec to learn French."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.730760118231977, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A hundred and something. It was Francophone Africa, everything from Senegal to Chad and Cameroon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so it was not just for Chad."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we went after a week. We took the buses. We took buses up to northern New York and to Quebec, arriving on the twenty fourth of June, John the Baptist Day, which is a holiday in Quebec. And we went to a little town east of Quebec City on the St. Lawrence, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere. And we occupied their school there, boarding school of some type, up on the hill, looking out onto the river. Beautiful little town. No one would speak English. They knew English. They being classic che ve qu'à. You had to twist their arms to get an English word out of some of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you went up to Quebec to learn French."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To learn French, we did a little African culture and we had a teacher education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you did all of your training all up in Quebec?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.367511242479974, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we went after a week. We took the buses. We took buses up to northern New York and to Quebec, arriving on the twenty fourth of June, John the Baptist Day, which is a holiday in Quebec. And we went to a little town east of Quebec City on the St. Lawrence, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere. And we occupied their school there, boarding school of some type, up on the hill, looking out onto the river. Beautiful little town. No one would speak English. They knew English. They being classic che ve qu'à. You had to twist their arms to get an English word out of some of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you went up to Quebec to learn French."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To learn French, we did a little African culture and we had a teacher education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you did all of your training all up in Quebec?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost all. We were there until sometime in August. Then we flew to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "March. So April, May, June."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:53", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 18.186123602755526, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To learn French, we did a little African culture and we had a teacher education."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so you did all of your training all up in Quebec?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost all. We were there until sometime in August. Then we flew to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "March. So April, May, June."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this is June."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, June. So it's three months."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.429026225283918, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Almost all. We were there until sometime in August. Then we flew to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "March. So April, May, June."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this is June."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, June. So it's three months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "June, all July and the first of August. Part of June. Two months. Then we went from Quebec to different destinations in West Africa. There were 13 of us went to Chad and I don't know how many went to Niger, but we went to the capital of Niger, Niamey, and did a three week training session. Therefore, we were doing teaching the little summer school with the students there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's spend a little more time on training. Did you think the language training was good? Did you learn French?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.587806916982132, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this is June."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, June. So it's three months."}, {"role": "user", "content": "June, all July and the first of August. Part of June. Two months. Then we went from Quebec to different destinations in West Africa. There were 13 of us went to Chad and I don't know how many went to Niger, but we went to the capital of Niger, Niamey, and did a three week training session. Therefore, we were doing teaching the little summer school with the students there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's spend a little more time on training. Did you think the language training was good? Did you learn French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I struggled. I struggled with my French. Although I'd had it in high school and in college, it was still difficult. However, when I got to Chad, I found that my level of French was about the same as most of the Chadians. We could communicate a whole lot better than either of us could communicate with the French that were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So because you were at the very basic level."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.875341018869035, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "June, all July and the first of August. Part of June. Two months. Then we went from Quebec to different destinations in West Africa. There were 13 of us went to Chad and I don't know how many went to Niger, but we went to the capital of Niger, Niamey, and did a three week training session. Therefore, we were doing teaching the little summer school with the students there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's spend a little more time on training. Did you think the language training was good? Did you learn French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I struggled. I struggled with my French. Although I'd had it in high school and in college, it was still difficult. However, when I got to Chad, I found that my level of French was about the same as most of the Chadians. We could communicate a whole lot better than either of us could communicate with the French that were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So because you were at the very basic level."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we knew, we understood each other. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's interesting. And what was the teacher training program like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 13.194823354298927, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I struggled. I struggled with my French. Although I'd had it in high school and in college, it was still difficult. However, when I got to Chad, I found that my level of French was about the same as most of the Chadians. We could communicate a whole lot better than either of us could communicate with the French that were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So because you were at the very basic level."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we knew, we understood each other. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's interesting. And what was the teacher training program like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very effective. It was very effective. And I had almost done my education program as an undergraduate. So I'd had the basics, everything except teacher student teaching. And they brought in these really cute little kids from the town. Delightful, charming Quebecois. And we were supposed to be really militant with them. Real stern, make them march in stand until everyone was ready to be seated, and they would have to stand to ask you a question. And of course, we had. Once we started doing our presentations, there would be a committee in the back of the other people who were in that training group who would critique, along with the instructor, the other potential volunteers. But the other candidates were back to critiquing us. And then after class, they would go through it. So it was it was really very good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But why? Why did you have to be so strict? Was that preparing you for West Africa?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.438692615887698, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we knew, we understood each other. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's interesting. And what was the teacher training program like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very effective. It was very effective. And I had almost done my education program as an undergraduate. So I'd had the basics, everything except teacher student teaching. And they brought in these really cute little kids from the town. Delightful, charming Quebecois. And we were supposed to be really militant with them. Real stern, make them march in stand until everyone was ready to be seated, and they would have to stand to ask you a question. And of course, we had. Once we started doing our presentations, there would be a committee in the back of the other people who were in that training group who would critique, along with the instructor, the other potential volunteers. But the other candidates were back to critiquing us. And then after class, they would go through it. So it was it was really very good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But why? Why did you have to be so strict? Was that preparing you for West Africa?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'm not real sure exactly why the strictness, except when we get to the school, they're college students in and around. In Chad, where I was, the middle school, most of the teachers there were ex-pat French. I think there are one or two militaire who are doing the teaching in lieu of military service in France. There were two African teachers, although they weren't Chadians, and me. And I quickly learned that the less I had to do with the French teachers, a happier I would be. I thought of them as the scum of French society. These were people who, the director of the school carried a metal pipe. And if you thought a student was misbehaving in your classroom, he had them stand and beat them. He also beat his wife. You know, these weren't really nice people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow.\n\nThey could come there, the former colony, and they were literally the big fish in a small pond.\n\nYeah, and they had been there from colonial time on?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.709658462097442, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was very effective. It was very effective. And I had almost done my education program as an undergraduate. So I'd had the basics, everything except teacher student teaching. And they brought in these really cute little kids from the town. Delightful, charming Quebecois. And we were supposed to be really militant with them. Real stern, make them march in stand until everyone was ready to be seated, and they would have to stand to ask you a question. And of course, we had. Once we started doing our presentations, there would be a committee in the back of the other people who were in that training group who would critique, along with the instructor, the other potential volunteers. But the other candidates were back to critiquing us. And then after class, they would go through it. So it was it was really very good."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But why? Why did you have to be so strict? Was that preparing you for West Africa?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'm not real sure exactly why the strictness, except when we get to the school, they're college students in and around. In Chad, where I was, the middle school, most of the teachers there were ex-pat French. I think there are one or two militaire who are doing the teaching in lieu of military service in France. There were two African teachers, although they weren't Chadians, and me. And I quickly learned that the less I had to do with the French teachers, a happier I would be. I thought of them as the scum of French society. These were people who, the director of the school carried a metal pipe. And if you thought a student was misbehaving in your classroom, he had them stand and beat them. He also beat his wife. You know, these weren't really nice people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow.\n\nThey could come there, the former colony, and they were literally the big fish in a small pond.\n\nYeah, and they had been there from colonial time on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quite possibly, yeah. You know, this is only the first decade of independence there in Chad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask, so it's soon after independence?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.121842735663824, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, I'm not real sure exactly why the strictness, except when we get to the school, they're college students in and around. In Chad, where I was, the middle school, most of the teachers there were ex-pat French. I think there are one or two militaire who are doing the teaching in lieu of military service in France. There were two African teachers, although they weren't Chadians, and me. And I quickly learned that the less I had to do with the French teachers, a happier I would be. I thought of them as the scum of French society. These were people who, the director of the school carried a metal pipe. And if you thought a student was misbehaving in your classroom, he had them stand and beat them. He also beat his wife. You know, these weren't really nice people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow.\n\nThey could come there, the former colony, and they were literally the big fish in a small pond.\n\nYeah, and they had been there from colonial time on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quite possibly, yeah. You know, this is only the first decade of independence there in Chad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask, so it's soon after independence?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Soon after independence."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "'64 or '65, maybe. Now you were there in '70."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.35760303962647, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quite possibly, yeah. You know, this is only the first decade of independence there in Chad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask, so it's soon after independence?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Soon after independence."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "'64 or '65, maybe. Now you were there in '70."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was there in 1970. Independence, I think, was '61 or '62. I don't remember right now, but I do recall going to the post office and you could see where the clock had hung on the wall when the French ran the country and when they pulled out, they took the clock off the wall and you could see where it had been because they had painted around it instead of taking it off to paint."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just let's go back to training for a moment. What was the cross-cultural training like?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.730670044029411, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Soon after independence."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "'64 or '65, maybe. Now you were there in '70."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was there in 1970. Independence, I think, was '61 or '62. I don't remember right now, but I do recall going to the post office and you could see where the clock had hung on the wall when the French ran the country and when they pulled out, they took the clock off the wall and you could see where it had been because they had painted around it instead of taking it off to paint."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just let's go back to training for a moment. What was the cross-cultural training like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some of it was taught by our PCVs. They brought a few host country nationals over to talk with us, just trying to get us acquainted or accustomed to some of the things that we would be confronted with or confronted this not really confrontation that we would encounter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it prepare you for Chad?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.256300048921569, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was there in 1970. Independence, I think, was '61 or '62. I don't remember right now, but I do recall going to the post office and you could see where the clock had hung on the wall when the French ran the country and when they pulled out, they took the clock off the wall and you could see where it had been because they had painted around it instead of taking it off to paint."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just let's go back to training for a moment. What was the cross-cultural training like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some of it was taught by our PCVs. They brought a few host country nationals over to talk with us, just trying to get us acquainted or accustomed to some of the things that we would be confronted with or confronted this not really confrontation that we would encounter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it prepare you for Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. Although it takes a little while to get used to some of the nudity, even though you may be very open minded, it's kind of hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what kind of nudity?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 16.95144449880174, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some of it was taught by our PCVs. They brought a few host country nationals over to talk with us, just trying to get us acquainted or accustomed to some of the things that we would be confronted with or confronted this not really confrontation that we would encounter."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did it prepare you for Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. Although it takes a little while to get used to some of the nudity, even though you may be very open minded, it's kind of hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what kind of nudity?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Women would most of the time be topless. There were still villages I passed through them on a little moped where they would wear grass skirts and one or two villages I went through where all they wore was one string of beads, and I was trying to figure out the difference between the male and female beads. That's my sociology background, I guess. So we still encountered that at that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Huh. And the men, what did the men wear?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 16.61271610977971, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. Although it takes a little while to get used to some of the nudity, even though you may be very open minded, it's kind of hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, what kind of nudity?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Women would most of the time be topless. There were still villages I passed through them on a little moped where they would wear grass skirts and one or two villages I went through where all they wore was one string of beads, and I was trying to figure out the difference between the male and female beads. That's my sociology background, I guess. So we still encountered that at that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Huh. And the men, what did the men wear?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The men wore, in most of the villages, would wear the shorts and a western shirt. A lot of clothing that came out of. Apparently, when clothes were donated, I don't know if it still happens, but when clothes were donated, they were shipped to the West Coast. A trucker would go and pick up a load and bring it back and sell it at very low cost, but to cover his cost inland. So a lot of the clothing we saw was the stuff that came from the U.S."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I think that's still going on in lots of countries. Yeah. There's a famous book called The Life of a T-shirt. Something like that. So you finished your training up in Quebec, and did you then fly directly from there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 12.903017899755236, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Women would most of the time be topless. There were still villages I passed through them on a little moped where they would wear grass skirts and one or two villages I went through where all they wore was one string of beads, and I was trying to figure out the difference between the male and female beads. That's my sociology background, I guess. So we still encountered that at that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Huh. And the men, what did the men wear?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The men wore, in most of the villages, would wear the shorts and a western shirt. A lot of clothing that came out of. Apparently, when clothes were donated, I don't know if it still happens, but when clothes were donated, they were shipped to the West Coast. A trucker would go and pick up a load and bring it back and sell it at very low cost, but to cover his cost inland. So a lot of the clothing we saw was the stuff that came from the U.S."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I think that's still going on in lots of countries. Yeah. There's a famous book called The Life of a T-shirt. Something like that. So you finished your training up in Quebec, and did you then fly directly from there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We flew from Montreal to New York City, had a weekend off, which was an experience for someone who'd never been to New York before. One of the guys in the group said he knew an inexpensive hotel just happened to be somewhere between Chinatown and Harlem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it's a long distance from Chinatown to Harlem."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.89224211083915, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The men wore, in most of the villages, would wear the shorts and a western shirt. A lot of clothing that came out of. Apparently, when clothes were donated, I don't know if it still happens, but when clothes were donated, they were shipped to the West Coast. A trucker would go and pick up a load and bring it back and sell it at very low cost, but to cover his cost inland. So a lot of the clothing we saw was the stuff that came from the U.S."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I think that's still going on in lots of countries. Yeah. There's a famous book called The Life of a T-shirt. Something like that. So you finished your training up in Quebec, and did you then fly directly from there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We flew from Montreal to New York City, had a weekend off, which was an experience for someone who'd never been to New York before. One of the guys in the group said he knew an inexpensive hotel just happened to be somewhere between Chinatown and Harlem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it's a long distance from Chinatown to Harlem."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a transition area. You had a large black American community and you still had some Chinese shops. But I do remember is the noise scared me so much. Glass breaking and the shouting, whatever. At some point during the night, I got up and moved the dresser over in front of the hotel room door. And the next morning I got the phone book out and started looking for anyone I had known in college who lived in New York to come and get me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was that bad?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.991380123154611, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We flew from Montreal to New York City, had a weekend off, which was an experience for someone who'd never been to New York before. One of the guys in the group said he knew an inexpensive hotel just happened to be somewhere between Chinatown and Harlem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And it's a long distance from Chinatown to Harlem."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a transition area. You had a large black American community and you still had some Chinese shops. But I do remember is the noise scared me so much. Glass breaking and the shouting, whatever. At some point during the night, I got up and moved the dresser over in front of the hotel room door. And the next morning I got the phone book out and started looking for anyone I had known in college who lived in New York to come and get me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was that bad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was that bad. Of course, you're talking about a guy who lived a very sheltered existence in this small town in West Virginia, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was your first cross-cultural experience."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.212644581282902, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a transition area. You had a large black American community and you still had some Chinese shops. But I do remember is the noise scared me so much. Glass breaking and the shouting, whatever. At some point during the night, I got up and moved the dresser over in front of the hotel room door. And the next morning I got the phone book out and started looking for anyone I had known in college who lived in New York to come and get me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was that bad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was that bad. Of course, you're talking about a guy who lived a very sheltered existence in this small town in West Virginia, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was your first cross-cultural experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was, oh, that was a big cross-cultural experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More so than Canada and French?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.569605090314335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was that bad. Of course, you're talking about a guy who lived a very sheltered existence in this small town in West Virginia, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that was your first cross-cultural experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was, oh, that was a big cross-cultural experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More so than Canada and French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I felt safe in Canada. I didn't feel so safe there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the other volunteers feel that way as well, or was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 15.07733898923815, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was, oh, that was a big cross-cultural experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More so than Canada and French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I felt safe in Canada. I didn't feel so safe there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the other volunteers feel that way as well, or was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That stayed there in the hotel? I'm the one that left. I'm the one that left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. So then you hopped on a plane and how did you get to Chad?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.641487765820166, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I felt safe in Canada. I didn't feel so safe there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the other volunteers feel that way as well, or was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That stayed there in the hotel? I'm the one that left. I'm the one that left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. So then you hopped on a plane and how did you get to Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, we hopped on several planes before we could actually leave the airport. This was when the jumbo jets were just coming out and I've lost track. We were supposed to have left at 6:30 in the evening on a Sunday, and I think it was like 3:00 or 4:00 Monday morning. It was a whole series of problems. Something was wrong. They were waiting for a part to come. They sent the wrong part. They put us on a plane at least twice. At one point it was they had to wait on a new flight crew to come because the other crew had been on too long. They took us off, put us on, took us off, gave everyone free drinks. We got a dinner and we got another dinner on the plane. Free drinks across the ocean. And we were late arriving in Brussels. And the next flight from Brussels to Niamey was a week later. So the airline sent us to Paris for the night, and that was a nice experience. We boarded Air Afrique the next day and started our flight across the Mediterranean and the Sahara to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So instead of staying in Brussels, you then."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.268319739800185, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That stayed there in the hotel? I'm the one that left. I'm the one that left."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good. So then you hopped on a plane and how did you get to Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, we hopped on several planes before we could actually leave the airport. This was when the jumbo jets were just coming out and I've lost track. We were supposed to have left at 6:30 in the evening on a Sunday, and I think it was like 3:00 or 4:00 Monday morning. It was a whole series of problems. Something was wrong. They were waiting for a part to come. They sent the wrong part. They put us on a plane at least twice. At one point it was they had to wait on a new flight crew to come because the other crew had been on too long. They took us off, put us on, took us off, gave everyone free drinks. We got a dinner and we got another dinner on the plane. Free drinks across the ocean. And we were late arriving in Brussels. And the next flight from Brussels to Niamey was a week later. So the airline sent us to Paris for the night, and that was a nice experience. We boarded Air Afrique the next day and started our flight across the Mediterranean and the Sahara to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So instead of staying in Brussels, you then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We weren't to stay in Brussels. We were supposed to be flying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you flew to."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.9647997108890936, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually, we hopped on several planes before we could actually leave the airport. This was when the jumbo jets were just coming out and I've lost track. We were supposed to have left at 6:30 in the evening on a Sunday, and I think it was like 3:00 or 4:00 Monday morning. It was a whole series of problems. Something was wrong. They were waiting for a part to come. They sent the wrong part. They put us on a plane at least twice. At one point it was they had to wait on a new flight crew to come because the other crew had been on too long. They took us off, put us on, took us off, gave everyone free drinks. We got a dinner and we got another dinner on the plane. Free drinks across the ocean. And we were late arriving in Brussels. And the next flight from Brussels to Niamey was a week later. So the airline sent us to Paris for the night, and that was a nice experience. We boarded Air Afrique the next day and started our flight across the Mediterranean and the Sahara to."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So instead of staying in Brussels, you then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We weren't to stay in Brussels. We were supposed to be flying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you flew to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, instead of spending a week in Brussels for another plane to come. It was much cheaper just to send us to Paris."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got New York, so you got from West Virginia to Canada to New York to Paris."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.738666345432326, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We weren't to stay in Brussels. We were supposed to be flying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But you flew to."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, instead of spending a week in Brussels for another plane to come. It was much cheaper just to send us to Paris."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got New York, so you got from West Virginia to Canada to New York to Paris."}, {"role": "user", "content": "By way of Brussels."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By way of Brussels."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.598518161591473, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, instead of spending a week in Brussels for another plane to come. It was much cheaper just to send us to Paris."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got New York, so you got from West Virginia to Canada to New York to Paris."}, {"role": "user", "content": "By way of Brussels."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By way of Brussels."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Next stop was Niamey, Niger. Yes. Beautiful flying over. Niger in French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, but you are going to Chad. Why did you fly into Niger?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.55390906843497, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "By way of Brussels."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "By way of Brussels."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Next stop was Niamey, Niger. Yes. Beautiful flying over. Niger in French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, but you are going to Chad. Why did you fly into Niger?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were doing combined through training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I see."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.50434340937219, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Next stop was Niamey, Niger. Yes. Beautiful flying over. Niger in French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ah, but you are going to Chad. Why did you fly into Niger?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were doing combined through training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I see."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. At the lycée national in Niamey, the national high school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so that was still combined training for Chad and the group that was going to Niger."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.5603815659691, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were doing combined through training."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I see."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. At the lycée national in Niamey, the national high school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so that was still combined training for Chad and the group that was going to Niger."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That state of Niger. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And how long did that training last?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 10.622646184410112, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. At the lycée national in Niamey, the national high school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so that was still combined training for Chad and the group that was going to Niger."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That state of Niger. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And how long did that training last?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three weeks. I remember that one, three weeks. So we had gone from one hundred and some people down to roughly 26 to 30. And after three weeks, we were down to 13 and then the next step was down to two going on the same plane together. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So wait, 13 ended up going to Chad."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.46960687156679, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That state of Niger. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. And how long did that training last?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Three weeks. I remember that one, three weeks. So we had gone from one hundred and some people down to roughly 26 to 30. And after three weeks, we were down to 13 and then the next step was down to two going on the same plane together. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So wait, 13 ended up going to Chad."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To Chad. We spent a few days at Fort Lamy, which is in N'Djamena, the capital. And then they started putting us on flights out to our destinations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's just go back to Niger for the moment. So you've been exposed to all kinds of new things. What was your impression of Niger?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.833572430371572, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a great, oh yes, my first 36 hours were really a challenge."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're ready to hop back on the plane."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, at that point, I don't know how long I would have waited for a flight. So no, I survived it. I survived it. The teaching was good. I enjoyed that three weeks there. We were starting to feel like we knew what we were doing. The staff was very supportive. I did a little business venture there. We had, the embassy had sent over, the American embassy had sent over a refrigerator for us to use. And we were a little distance out from the bars and anything else. So getting even soft drinks was a little bit of a task to get there and back. And I decided we would form a co-op. And each person put in one hundred francs or whatever, it was, maybe two hundred. And we hired the custodian to walk in and get the fuel for the refrigerator and buy the soft drinks by the case and we set it up as an honor system. So you had the cold drinks there. You put your money in. We ended up making like 700 percent profit after three weeks. We had the convenience of the drinks, so everyone got their initial investment back, plus the profit and the convenience of having the drinks there. I'm always good at making money for other people, never for myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So why did you charge so much for the drinks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, we were competitive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, other people, it wasn't just for yourself."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.703969367079525, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, at that point, I don't know how long I would have waited for a flight. So no, I survived it. I survived it. The teaching was good. I enjoyed that three weeks there. We were starting to feel like we knew what we were doing. The staff was very supportive. I did a little business venture there. We had, the embassy had sent over, the American embassy had sent over a refrigerator for us to use. And we were a little distance out from the bars and anything else. So getting even soft drinks was a little bit of a task to get there and back. And I decided we would form a co-op. And each person put in one hundred francs or whatever, it was, maybe two hundred. And we hired the custodian to walk in and get the fuel for the refrigerator and buy the soft drinks by the case and we set it up as an honor system. So you had the cold drinks there. You put your money in. We ended up making like 700 percent profit after three weeks. We had the convenience of the drinks, so everyone got their initial investment back, plus the profit and the convenience of having the drinks there. I'm always good at making money for other people, never for myself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So why did you charge so much for the drinks?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, we were competitive."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, other people, it wasn't just for yourself."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, no, no. Everyone, even including the investors, had to pay for their drinks when they bought them. Yeah. And we priced them the same as if you're going into town. We didn't charge you any extra for the convenience, no. And still made money on it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's a good way to start."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:123", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.745641193925339, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, no, no. Everyone, even including the investors, had to pay for their drinks when they bought them. Yeah. And we priced them the same as if you're going into town. We didn't charge you any extra for the convenience, no. And still made money on it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that's a good way to start."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember the breakfast there more than any meal. We had long tables out under the trees there at the school, and the kitchen staff would bring out the coffee. The two pitchers of the hot milk and the coffee pouring them simultaneously into the cup and the bread it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very French, very French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you understand their French in Niger?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.717379104361488, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember the breakfast there more than any meal. We had long tables out under the trees there at the school, and the kitchen staff would bring out the coffee. The two pitchers of the hot milk and the coffee pouring them simultaneously into the cup and the bread it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Very French?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very French, very French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you understand their French in Niger?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As well as you would in Chad, yes, it was acceptable. Niamey was an interesting city. They have had maybe still have a very nice outdoor museum kind of patterned a little bit like Williamsburg, Virginia. And they had sample villages from each of the tribes brought there. They had music exhibits, they had other exhibits, and I took one of my classes on a field trip and took them down to the museum. They had to speak English the whole time, but it was fun and there were some nice restaurants there. It was a nice. I can't remember anything after the first night there with no mosquito net. I can't remember anything that was negative about being there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's great. Presumably you got a mosquito net?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 10.797087893734986, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Very French, very French."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you understand their French in Niger?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As well as you would in Chad, yes, it was acceptable. Niamey was an interesting city. They have had maybe still have a very nice outdoor museum kind of patterned a little bit like Williamsburg, Virginia. And they had sample villages from each of the tribes brought there. They had music exhibits, they had other exhibits, and I took one of my classes on a field trip and took them down to the museum. They had to speak English the whole time, but it was fun and there were some nice restaurants there. It was a nice. I can't remember anything after the first night there with no mosquito net. I can't remember anything that was negative about being there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's great. Presumably you got a mosquito net?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after three weeks, the 13 of you then?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.330097659705539, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As well as you would in Chad, yes, it was acceptable. Niamey was an interesting city. They have had maybe still have a very nice outdoor museum kind of patterned a little bit like Williamsburg, Virginia. And they had sample villages from each of the tribes brought there. They had music exhibits, they had other exhibits, and I took one of my classes on a field trip and took them down to the museum. They had to speak English the whole time, but it was fun and there were some nice restaurants there. It was a nice. I can't remember anything after the first night there with no mosquito net. I can't remember anything that was negative about being there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's great. Presumably you got a mosquito net?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after three weeks, the 13 of you then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We got on a plane. We flew to Douala, Cameroon, on the coast, spent the night there, had a hotel with a balcony facing the Atlantic Ocean, just a block or two from the water and had a nice evening there. Then we started. We flew from Douala to Yaoundé, the capital on the interior, and then two more flights going north in Cameroon to Marawa Garoua. The airport at Garoua, the last place in Cameroon we landed at, was a grass runway and the terminal was a sheet of metal, four poles holding it up, and a wooden bench. And that was an international airport. I remember that one, particularly because I was having stomach issues and was in the restroom in the back of the plane when we landed. And I felt like it was the end of the world. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But so from Nigeria, you went to Cameroon before Chad. Why is that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.922330733006155, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So after three weeks, the 13 of you then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We got on a plane. We flew to Douala, Cameroon, on the coast, spent the night there, had a hotel with a balcony facing the Atlantic Ocean, just a block or two from the water and had a nice evening there. Then we started. We flew from Douala to Yaoundé, the capital on the interior, and then two more flights going north in Cameroon to Marawa Garoua. The airport at Garoua, the last place in Cameroon we landed at, was a grass runway and the terminal was a sheet of metal, four poles holding it up, and a wooden bench. And that was an international airport. I remember that one, particularly because I was having stomach issues and was in the restroom in the back of the plane when we landed. And I felt like it was the end of the world. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But so from Nigeria, you went to Cameroon before Chad. Why is that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were no direct flights from Niger to Chad although they are adjoining countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that, was that because of bad political relations?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.58036748111795, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We got on a plane. We flew to Douala, Cameroon, on the coast, spent the night there, had a hotel with a balcony facing the Atlantic Ocean, just a block or two from the water and had a nice evening there. Then we started. We flew from Douala to Yaoundé, the capital on the interior, and then two more flights going north in Cameroon to Marawa Garoua. The airport at Garoua, the last place in Cameroon we landed at, was a grass runway and the terminal was a sheet of metal, four poles holding it up, and a wooden bench. And that was an international airport. I remember that one, particularly because I was having stomach issues and was in the restroom in the back of the plane when we landed. And I felt like it was the end of the world. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But so from Nigeria, you went to Cameroon before Chad. Why is that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were no direct flights from Niger to Chad although they are adjoining countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that, was that because of bad political relations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Just economics, I guess. There weren't that many people wanting to go from Chad to Niger."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you went to Cameroon for one night basically."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.200408312353277, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were no direct flights from Niger to Chad although they are adjoining countries."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that, was that because of bad political relations?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Just economics, I guess. There weren't that many people wanting to go from Chad to Niger."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you went to Cameroon for one night basically."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We spent a night there on the coast and then the next day, traveling from airport to airport to airport to finally to Chad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what is? I should know this, but what is the capital of Chad?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.8893425692814185, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. Just economics, I guess. There weren't that many people wanting to go from Chad to Niger."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, so you went to Cameroon for one night basically."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We spent a night there on the coast and then the next day, traveling from airport to airport to airport to finally to Chad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what is? I should know this, but what is the capital of Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It used to be Fort Lamy, L-A-M-Y, and now it's N'Djamena N-D-J-A-M-E-N-A if I'm spelling it correctly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So you get to Fort Lamy?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.654825076979353, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We spent a night there on the coast and then the next day, traveling from airport to airport to airport to finally to Chad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what is? I should know this, but what is the capital of Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It used to be Fort Lamy, L-A-M-Y, and now it's N'Djamena N-D-J-A-M-E-N-A if I'm spelling it correctly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So you get to Fort Lamy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then what happens by this time? Have you gotten used to the heat?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.505361196643726, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It used to be Fort Lamy, L-A-M-Y, and now it's N'Djamena N-D-J-A-M-E-N-A if I'm spelling it correctly."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So you get to Fort Lamy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then what happens by this time? Have you gotten used to the heat?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Somewhat, somewhat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what happened when you got to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.33929021849303, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then what happens by this time? Have you gotten used to the heat?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Somewhat, somewhat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what happened when you got to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a couple of days in the capital and I don't really there's nothing that stands out. Probably more shots. We met with the Peace Corps staff. Maybe talk to some people from the embassy that kind of just the administrative things, and then they started getting travel arrangements for us and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you assigned?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.043655798325588, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Somewhat, somewhat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what happened when you got to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a couple of days in the capital and I don't really there's nothing that stands out. Probably more shots. We met with the Peace Corps staff. Maybe talk to some people from the embassy that kind of just the administrative things, and then they started getting travel arrangements for us and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you assigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was assigned to the village of Doba, D-O-B-A, in the southern part of the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you the only one going to that post or was there somebody else?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.826284220361765, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had a couple of days in the capital and I don't really there's nothing that stands out. Probably more shots. We met with the Peace Corps staff. Maybe talk to some people from the embassy that kind of just the administrative things, and then they started getting travel arrangements for us and."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where were you assigned?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was assigned to the village of Doba, D-O-B-A, in the southern part of the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you the only one going to that post or was there somebody else?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the only one going to that post, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were other people going single singly as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.695871355957516, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was assigned to the village of Doba, D-O-B-A, in the southern part of the country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you the only one going to that post or was there somebody else?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the only one going to that post, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were other people going single singly as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There weren't. I didn't know very many people who were in a city with another volunteer, whether it was teaching or anything. Yeah, the norm was single."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we still had the 13 who came to the capital."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.328745951063906, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was the only one going to that post, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were other people going single singly as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There weren't. I didn't know very many people who were in a city with another volunteer, whether it was teaching or anything. Yeah, the norm was single."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we still had the 13 who came to the capital."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and when we got on the plane, there were two of us. No, I think there were three or four that went to Mondou, which I think is still Mondou, M-O-U-N-D-O-U [sic], the airport closest to Doba. One was staying there and he had a housemate that was already there. We were able to stay with him until transportation can be arranged. This is end of August. And in the rainy season and at that time, Chad had no paved highways outside the capital city. So it was all sand and dirt, and there are barriers set up at the end of the city that you couldn't leave. They had one grader for the whole country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it was too muddy?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.80971772340434, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There weren't. I didn't know very many people who were in a city with another volunteer, whether it was teaching or anything. Yeah, the norm was single."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So we still had the 13 who came to the capital."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and when we got on the plane, there were two of us. No, I think there were three or four that went to Mondou, which I think is still Mondou, M-O-U-N-D-O-U [sic], the airport closest to Doba. One was staying there and he had a housemate that was already there. We were able to stay with him until transportation can be arranged. This is end of August. And in the rainy season and at that time, Chad had no paved highways outside the capital city. So it was all sand and dirt, and there are barriers set up at the end of the city that you couldn't leave. They had one grader for the whole country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it was too muddy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Too muddy. Yeah, and I would go down. I and one other volunteer would go down together and check out the situation each day until we could finally get on a truck and go. And finally, that happened. He made it to Doba with me and had to wait another day or two before he could get to his."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So he went even further."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.344130803782599, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, and when we got on the plane, there were two of us. No, I think there were three or four that went to Mondou, which I think is still Mondou, M-O-U-N-D-O-U [sic], the airport closest to Doba. One was staying there and he had a housemate that was already there. We were able to stay with him until transportation can be arranged. This is end of August. And in the rainy season and at that time, Chad had no paved highways outside the capital city. So it was all sand and dirt, and there are barriers set up at the end of the city that you couldn't leave. They had one grader for the whole country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it was too muddy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Too muddy. Yeah, and I would go down. I and one other volunteer would go down together and check out the situation each day until we could finally get on a truck and go. And finally, that happened. He made it to Doba with me and had to wait another day or two before he could get to his."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So he went even further."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He went even further. So I'd gone from a hundred and something down to the roughly 30 to the 13 to five of us. Now it's two. And it was I was a little anxious when my friend left finally because I was on my own for the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about what happened then."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.715700893091777, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Too muddy. Yeah, and I would go down. I and one other volunteer would go down together and check out the situation each day until we could finally get on a truck and go. And finally, that happened. He made it to Doba with me and had to wait another day or two before he could get to his."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So he went even further."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He went even further. So I'd gone from a hundred and something down to the roughly 30 to the 13 to five of us. Now it's two. And it was I was a little anxious when my friend left finally because I was on my own for the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about what happened then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No one spoke English. They were two missionaries that I found out about who were maybe 10 kilometers out of town, one from Canada and one from Australia, and they had the goodies for my house. My predecessor had been evicted, kicked out. He had committed broken a social taboo, and besides teaching, he had gotten involved with chicken raising and was trying to convince the men to fence the chickens and to feed them. And the governor got very upset about it because raising chickens is women's work. So while my predecessor was on vacation, the police were sent in and took all of his possessions, dumped them in the road and padlocked the house. And the missionaries happened to hear about it and went and picked up what they could to salvage for him. We were left with a list of, I guess, is fairly standard. There was a list of what was left for us. A house supplies, books, things like that on the inventory. So we knew what to expect when we got there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he just never went back to his post?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.128556547879752, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He went even further. So I'd gone from a hundred and something down to the roughly 30 to the 13 to five of us. Now it's two. And it was I was a little anxious when my friend left finally because I was on my own for the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk about what happened then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No one spoke English. They were two missionaries that I found out about who were maybe 10 kilometers out of town, one from Canada and one from Australia, and they had the goodies for my house. My predecessor had been evicted, kicked out. He had committed broken a social taboo, and besides teaching, he had gotten involved with chicken raising and was trying to convince the men to fence the chickens and to feed them. And the governor got very upset about it because raising chickens is women's work. So while my predecessor was on vacation, the police were sent in and took all of his possessions, dumped them in the road and padlocked the house. And the missionaries happened to hear about it and went and picked up what they could to salvage for him. We were left with a list of, I guess, is fairly standard. There was a list of what was left for us. A house supplies, books, things like that on the inventory. So we knew what to expect when we got there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he just never went back to his post?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know exactly what happened to him. He wasn't permitted to go back. I don't know if they reassigned him or they sent him back? But there had been a gap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So you went and retrieved whatever it was and you moved back into the same house."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.587285053199724, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No one spoke English. They were two missionaries that I found out about who were maybe 10 kilometers out of town, one from Canada and one from Australia, and they had the goodies for my house. My predecessor had been evicted, kicked out. He had committed broken a social taboo, and besides teaching, he had gotten involved with chicken raising and was trying to convince the men to fence the chickens and to feed them. And the governor got very upset about it because raising chickens is women's work. So while my predecessor was on vacation, the police were sent in and took all of his possessions, dumped them in the road and padlocked the house. And the missionaries happened to hear about it and went and picked up what they could to salvage for him. We were left with a list of, I guess, is fairly standard. There was a list of what was left for us. A house supplies, books, things like that on the inventory. So we knew what to expect when we got there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And he just never went back to his post?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know exactly what happened to him. He wasn't permitted to go back. I don't know if they reassigned him or they sent him back? But there had been a gap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So you went and retrieved whatever it was and you moved back into the same house."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know if it's the same house or not. But French teachers lived in the compound with a fence around it and a generator, and the rest of us were. Not all the French, the militaire there were outside the compound. The two African teachers who I think were from Cameroon and I had houses outside, but within easy walking distance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have electricity?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.096983392444138, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know exactly what happened to him. He wasn't permitted to go back. I don't know if they reassigned him or they sent him back? But there had been a gap."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All right. So you went and retrieved whatever it was and you moved back into the same house."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know if it's the same house or not. But French teachers lived in the compound with a fence around it and a generator, and the rest of us were. Not all the French, the militaire there were outside the compound. The two African teachers who I think were from Cameroon and I had houses outside, but within easy walking distance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have electricity?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have water in the house?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.663314880493487, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know if it's the same house or not. But French teachers lived in the compound with a fence around it and a generator, and the rest of us were. Not all the French, the militaire there were outside the compound. The two African teachers who I think were from Cameroon and I had houses outside, but within easy walking distance."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have electricity?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have water in the house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When the guards brought prisoners to fill the water tank, yes. Twice a week, the police would bring prisoners with their rifles and had them haul water from the well. And I had a tank on top of a column to the back of the house and they would pour the water in there. Ladder, sitting them up, and no one was ever shot. But no running water. My refrigerator operated to some extent. It was kerosene powered, or gasoline powered, maybe gasoline. I have been told that sometimes when they start to not cool, the best thing to do is put them in the back of the truck and have someone drive them up and down the dirt roads to bounce them. I hired a houseboy, which was fairly easy to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The houseboy went shopping for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.070349867214985, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you have water in the house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When the guards brought prisoners to fill the water tank, yes. Twice a week, the police would bring prisoners with their rifles and had them haul water from the well. And I had a tank on top of a column to the back of the house and they would pour the water in there. Ladder, sitting them up, and no one was ever shot. But no running water. My refrigerator operated to some extent. It was kerosene powered, or gasoline powered, maybe gasoline. I have been told that sometimes when they start to not cool, the best thing to do is put them in the back of the truck and have someone drive them up and down the dirt roads to bounce them. I hired a houseboy, which was fairly easy to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The houseboy went shopping for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He went shopping because he'd get better prices that I could in the market. Europeans would have to pay more. He took care of my laundry for me, came in the morning to fix me an egg and bread or whatever and clean the house, did cooking for lunch. And would come back in the evening to light my lanterns for me and any small meal, salad or an egg or whatever. I fixed that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you get there, you're set, and then when does school start or had school started already?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.025123292858007, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He went shopping because he'd get better prices that I could in the market. Europeans would have to pay more. He took care of my laundry for me, came in the morning to fix me an egg and bread or whatever and clean the house, did cooking for lunch. And would come back in the evening to light my lanterns for me and any small meal, salad or an egg or whatever. I fixed that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you get there, you're set, and then when does school start or had school started already?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, no. Soon after. I didn't have much time to explore the town. I knew how to get from my house into the market. I have a little moped, which I guess was fairly standard at that point. And you actually get pump gas in town, which meant you actually pumped. You would pump a handle to get the gas up into a glass cylinder. They would check it and make sure it was full. You had a release in lower right into your drain, into your fuel tank and charge you by how many cylinders you pumped up. Yeah, interesting. My houseboy used an iron that was fueled with charcoal. You open the bottom of it and put the charcoal in, which was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It works."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk a little bit about the school. I know you didn't like the French teachers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.969288015874083, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, it worked."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Talk a little bit about the school. I know you didn't like the French teachers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. There were roughly 240 or 250 students. This is the middle school right after primary and before we went, there was only one lycee that operated, I think, at least in the whole country that had the final year. Chad had a population of two or three million at that time, and they graduated 15 high school students a year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They took 30 students. It was very competitive. They took 30 students, routinely graduated 15 of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the students in your school have to pay?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.521431128748981, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. There were roughly 240 or 250 students. This is the middle school right after primary and before we went, there was only one lycee that operated, I think, at least in the whole country that had the final year. Chad had a population of two or three million at that time, and they graduated 15 high school students a year."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They took 30 students. It was very competitive. They took 30 students, routinely graduated 15 of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the students in your school have to pay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so it was free. It was free education."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.9127012541655337, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They took 30 students. It was very competitive. They took 30 students, routinely graduated 15 of them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the students in your school have to pay?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so it was free. It was free education."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a free education except a lot of the students were two or three days away from home, and they would leave in end of August and start walking. If they were lucky, they came with a bag of grain, one, maybe two pair of shorts and a shirt or two. And you're talking about 12, 13, 14 year old kids who had to support themselves, find a place to sleep at night and food. To be able to go to school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there weren't dorms at school?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.347445837961704, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, so it was free. It was free education."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a free education except a lot of the students were two or three days away from home, and they would leave in end of August and start walking. If they were lucky, they came with a bag of grain, one, maybe two pair of shorts and a shirt or two. And you're talking about 12, 13, 14 year old kids who had to support themselves, find a place to sleep at night and food. To be able to go to school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there weren't dorms at school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And paying somebody to stay at their house costs money, so were these sons of rich people?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.830495375513005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was a free education except a lot of the students were two or three days away from home, and they would leave in end of August and start walking. If they were lucky, they came with a bag of grain, one, maybe two pair of shorts and a shirt or two. And you're talking about 12, 13, 14 year old kids who had to support themselves, find a place to sleep at night and food. To be able to go to school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there weren't dorms at school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And paying somebody to stay at their house costs money, so were these sons of rich people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like I said most, if they're lucky, came with a bag of grain and that was it. I quite often would go out and scatter garbage around my house so I could pay someone to come in. Several times I had a dog, several times my dog disappeared and mysteriously someone would bring it back, asking for a reward which I always paid. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you really helped the kids."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.367217083903339, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And paying somebody to stay at their house costs money, so were these sons of rich people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like I said most, if they're lucky, came with a bag of grain and that was it. I quite often would go out and scatter garbage around my house so I could pay someone to come in. Several times I had a dog, several times my dog disappeared and mysteriously someone would bring it back, asking for a reward which I always paid. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you really helped the kids."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Without being obvious. One of our students stole from the pork butcher in town. Stole meat. And the butcher caught him and cut his throat. Which was somewhat disturbing, but even more disturbing was when his family found out about his death after he had been buried and the father comes to town and felt like he was entitled to kill a student to compensate for his loss or the faculty was also and that would apply to us. So until he was persuaded by the police to leave, it was a little, little scary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was, this an anomaly or do you think this is just the way it was? An eye for an eye?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.963574537670376, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Like I said most, if they're lucky, came with a bag of grain and that was it. I quite often would go out and scatter garbage around my house so I could pay someone to come in. Several times I had a dog, several times my dog disappeared and mysteriously someone would bring it back, asking for a reward which I always paid. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you really helped the kids."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Without being obvious. One of our students stole from the pork butcher in town. Stole meat. And the butcher caught him and cut his throat. Which was somewhat disturbing, but even more disturbing was when his family found out about his death after he had been buried and the father comes to town and felt like he was entitled to kill a student to compensate for his loss or the faculty was also and that would apply to us. So until he was persuaded by the police to leave, it was a little, little scary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was, this an anomaly or do you think this is just the way it was? An eye for an eye?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, an eye for an eye."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So. You were in the school, you showed up. Classes started. Did you just go in and start teaching your classes?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.626193930744862, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Without being obvious. One of our students stole from the pork butcher in town. Stole meat. And the butcher caught him and cut his throat. Which was somewhat disturbing, but even more disturbing was when his family found out about his death after he had been buried and the father comes to town and felt like he was entitled to kill a student to compensate for his loss or the faculty was also and that would apply to us. So until he was persuaded by the police to leave, it was a little, little scary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was, this an anomaly or do you think this is just the way it was? An eye for an eye?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, an eye for an eye."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So. You were in the school, you showed up. Classes started. Did you just go in and start teaching your classes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get any support?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.251326589716514, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, an eye for an eye."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So. You were in the school, you showed up. Classes started. Did you just go in and start teaching your classes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get any support?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, we taught. You know, instead of doing lesson planning American style, where you plan your lessons out for a week. There you had a carnet de text, carnet de note, a notebook or your textbook on each class you taught. You were to sit and write what you had covered that day before you left the room and that stayed in a classroom. The students stayed in the room and the teachers rotated around. So teaching a language class, using color, things, items or whatever. I would have to prepare three or four classrooms with things that I would be using for the one lesson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it stayed in their classroom."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:193", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.834807321907237, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get any support?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, we taught. You know, instead of doing lesson planning American style, where you plan your lessons out for a week. There you had a carnet de text, carnet de note, a notebook or your textbook on each class you taught. You were to sit and write what you had covered that day before you left the room and that stayed in a classroom. The students stayed in the room and the teachers rotated around. So teaching a language class, using color, things, items or whatever. I would have to prepare three or four classrooms with things that I would be using for the one lesson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it stayed in their classroom."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And hope that the instructors wouldn't take it down or erase whatever I'd put up. Or, yeah, the black blackboards were an experience. They were very old, very pitied. And every classroom would have a bucket of water each morning, fresh water and a sponge. And you learn to splash water on the board to erase it. And I would go home each day with chalk dust from my knees down that had splashed back onto my pants. Yes. It's just part of the job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the students prepared for middle school? What was the education level?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.483119246563597, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I, we taught. You know, instead of doing lesson planning American style, where you plan your lessons out for a week. There you had a carnet de text, carnet de note, a notebook or your textbook on each class you taught. You were to sit and write what you had covered that day before you left the room and that stayed in a classroom. The students stayed in the room and the teachers rotated around. So teaching a language class, using color, things, items or whatever. I would have to prepare three or four classrooms with things that I would be using for the one lesson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because it stayed in their classroom."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And hope that the instructors wouldn't take it down or erase whatever I'd put up. Or, yeah, the black blackboards were an experience. They were very old, very pitied. And every classroom would have a bucket of water each morning, fresh water and a sponge. And you learn to splash water on the board to erase it. And I would go home each day with chalk dust from my knees down that had splashed back onto my pants. Yes. It's just part of the job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the students prepared for middle school? What was the education level?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were, in most cases, very conscientious. Forty-five in a classroom. There were 12 girls in the whole school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was a coed school."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.203465829515108, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And hope that the instructors wouldn't take it down or erase whatever I'd put up. Or, yeah, the black blackboards were an experience. They were very old, very pitied. And every classroom would have a bucket of water each morning, fresh water and a sponge. And you learn to splash water on the board to erase it. And I would go home each day with chalk dust from my knees down that had splashed back onto my pants. Yes. It's just part of the job."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the students prepared for middle school? What was the education level?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were, in most cases, very conscientious. Forty-five in a classroom. There were 12 girls in the whole school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was a coed school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was coed. And the reason that the 12 were there, the missionaries explained to me was that the parents could get a better price for them if they had a middle school education over just the primary school. I remember the first faculty meeting there, and there was a big debate over what part of the fence around the school we were to direct the kids to for urinating."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was just the way things were."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 8.003850921683453, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were, in most cases, very conscientious. Forty-five in a classroom. There were 12 girls in the whole school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was a coed school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was coed. And the reason that the 12 were there, the missionaries explained to me was that the parents could get a better price for them if they had a middle school education over just the primary school. I remember the first faculty meeting there, and there was a big debate over what part of the fence around the school we were to direct the kids to for urinating."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was just the way things were."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was the way things were, yeah. You know, of course, no meals, no sanitation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when did the kids eat, just before they left wherever they were living and came in?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.448723246314947, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was coed. And the reason that the 12 were there, the missionaries explained to me was that the parents could get a better price for them if they had a middle school education over just the primary school. I remember the first faculty meeting there, and there was a big debate over what part of the fence around the school we were to direct the kids to for urinating."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was just the way things were."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was the way things were, yeah. You know, of course, no meals, no sanitation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when did the kids eat, just before they left wherever they were living and came in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we would stop school classes around noon because of the heat and the older students came back in the evening. The younger students didn't. There'd be an evening session four to six. I never taught that. School was six days a week. Teachers had a floating day off. You had Sunday plus one other day, so your schedule from day to day was never the same."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get along with the other, the other teachers, I mean, who did you interact with?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:203", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.94302582923883, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was the way things were, yeah. You know, of course, no meals, no sanitation."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when did the kids eat, just before they left wherever they were living and came in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we would stop school classes around noon because of the heat and the older students came back in the evening. The younger students didn't. There'd be an evening session four to six. I never taught that. School was six days a week. Teachers had a floating day off. You had Sunday plus one other day, so your schedule from day to day was never the same."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get along with the other, the other teachers, I mean, who did you interact with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The African teachers primarily. I was polite with the French, but I didn't go there to spend time with French people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you spoke French with the Africans?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.492250921376478, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, we would stop school classes around noon because of the heat and the older students came back in the evening. The younger students didn't. There'd be an evening session four to six. I never taught that. School was six days a week. Teachers had a floating day off. You had Sunday plus one other day, so your schedule from day to day was never the same."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you get along with the other, the other teachers, I mean, who did you interact with?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The African teachers primarily. I was polite with the French, but I didn't go there to spend time with French people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you spoke French with the Africans?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you think they were well prepared teachers?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.102501023751642, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The African teachers primarily. I was polite with the French, but I didn't go there to spend time with French people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you spoke French with the Africans?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you think they were well prepared teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They had all, where had they gone to training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.780556693057379, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you think they were well prepared teachers?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They had all, where had they gone to training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had been college educated in Cameroon, I think. So the militaire, the ones who were there, were not as bad as the older, more established inside the compound French, but they were still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you say the militaire they were?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.533951881174866, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They had all, where had they gone to training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had been college educated in Cameroon, I think. So the militaire, the ones who were there, were not as bad as the older, more established inside the compound French, but they were still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you say the militaire they were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were teaching. It was part of the military service. Alternate service. It was the alternative to being in the foreign legion or whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, and they were called militaire."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:213", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.37105764574985, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had been college educated in Cameroon, I think. So the militaire, the ones who were there, were not as bad as the older, more established inside the compound French, but they were still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When you say the militaire they were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were teaching. It was part of the military service. Alternate service. It was the alternative to being in the foreign legion or whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, and they were called militaire."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did you do on days off?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:215", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.301175161944277, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were teaching. It was part of the military service. Alternate service. It was the alternative to being in the foreign legion or whatever."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, and they were called militaire."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did you do on days off?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Explore. Explore. Wearing my African shirt and my shorts and my pith helmet. That was one of my best gifts, one the missionaries had given me, was the old traditional pith helmet made out of cork. So in case you fell into quicksand, the pith helmet would float, they would know where to find the body."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that was great."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:217", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.334639068826975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did you do on days off?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Explore. Explore. Wearing my African shirt and my shorts and my pith helmet. That was one of my best gifts, one the missionaries had given me, was the old traditional pith helmet made out of cork. So in case you fell into quicksand, the pith helmet would float, they would know where to find the body."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that was great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, but it did extend on the back to cover your neck and I would love to go out running in the in the desert. I remember going into one pothole that I called the mother of all potholes because you couldn't see me from the road until I drove out the other end. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds very primitive at that point. How did you feel about all of this? Did you feel isolated? Or just tired maybe."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:219", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.260710076474417, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Explore. Explore. Wearing my African shirt and my shorts and my pith helmet. That was one of my best gifts, one the missionaries had given me, was the old traditional pith helmet made out of cork. So in case you fell into quicksand, the pith helmet would float, they would know where to find the body."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, that was great."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, but it did extend on the back to cover your neck and I would love to go out running in the in the desert. I remember going into one pothole that I called the mother of all potholes because you couldn't see me from the road until I drove out the other end. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds very primitive at that point. How did you feel about all of this? Did you feel isolated? Or just tired maybe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Somewhat isolated. It was great having Voice of America to listen to the BBC. I would correct papers, do my planning at night."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had electricity."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:221", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.178566751638241, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, but it did extend on the back to cover your neck and I would love to go out running in the in the desert. I remember going into one pothole that I called the mother of all potholes because you couldn't see me from the road until I drove out the other end. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It sounds very primitive at that point. How did you feel about all of this? Did you feel isolated? Or just tired maybe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Somewhat isolated. It was great having Voice of America to listen to the BBC. I would correct papers, do my planning at night."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had electricity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had battery powered radios, battery powered radio. Write letters. I made the mistake of not numbering my letters when I mailed them to people. Because it was quite common for the employees of the post office, once they sold you the stamp, you put it on the envelope and dropped it in the slot, to take your envelope, peel the stamp off to sell it again and throw the letter away. Chad, at that point, had no scheduled mail delivery system. Someone would stop at the post office, sign for the pouch and take it to the next city. So mail delivery was very slow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did it take to get a letter from home?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:223", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.087296390709156, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Somewhat isolated. It was great having Voice of America to listen to the BBC. I would correct papers, do my planning at night."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you had electricity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had battery powered radios, battery powered radio. Write letters. I made the mistake of not numbering my letters when I mailed them to people. Because it was quite common for the employees of the post office, once they sold you the stamp, you put it on the envelope and dropped it in the slot, to take your envelope, peel the stamp off to sell it again and throw the letter away. Chad, at that point, had no scheduled mail delivery system. Someone would stop at the post office, sign for the pouch and take it to the next city. So mail delivery was very slow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did it take to get a letter from home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two to three weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's not too bad."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:225", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.09699598967684, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had battery powered radios, battery powered radio. Write letters. I made the mistake of not numbering my letters when I mailed them to people. Because it was quite common for the employees of the post office, once they sold you the stamp, you put it on the envelope and dropped it in the slot, to take your envelope, peel the stamp off to sell it again and throw the letter away. Chad, at that point, had no scheduled mail delivery system. Someone would stop at the post office, sign for the pouch and take it to the next city. So mail delivery was very slow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long did it take to get a letter from home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two to three weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's not too bad."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. There was one phone at the post office. You could schedule international calls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever do that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:227", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.218884432974265, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Two to three weeks."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's not too bad."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. There was one phone at the post office. You could schedule international calls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever do that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you see other Peace Corps volunteers periodically, or were you alone?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:229", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.13209381441585, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. There was one phone at the post office. You could schedule international calls."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever do that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you see other Peace Corps volunteers periodically, or were you alone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the 1st of September until Thanksgiving, I think I was on my own. We had, in southern Chad, we had a group that got together after our Thanksgiving weekend and had a nice meal together. I remember taking, riding in the back of a truck from Doba to, I don't even remember the name of the town right now, but it's changed anyway. And having to shower when I got there and the water that flowed off of me was red from the sand that covered me in the back of the truck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm just wondering, so you read, you listened to the radio."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:231", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.1467709049065, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So did you see other Peace Corps volunteers periodically, or were you alone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the 1st of September until Thanksgiving, I think I was on my own. We had, in southern Chad, we had a group that got together after our Thanksgiving weekend and had a nice meal together. I remember taking, riding in the back of a truck from Doba to, I don't even remember the name of the town right now, but it's changed anyway. And having to shower when I got there and the water that flowed off of me was red from the sand that covered me in the back of the truck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm just wondering, so you read, you listened to the radio."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wrote letters, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you felt you felt good about your work? Did you feel good about it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:233", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.051967672118334, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "From the 1st of September until Thanksgiving, I think I was on my own. We had, in southern Chad, we had a group that got together after our Thanksgiving weekend and had a nice meal together. I remember taking, riding in the back of a truck from Doba to, I don't even remember the name of the town right now, but it's changed anyway. And having to shower when I got there and the water that flowed off of me was red from the sand that covered me in the back of the truck."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm just wondering, so you read, you listened to the radio."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wrote letters, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you felt you felt good about your work? Did you feel good about it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As good as you could feel, as good as you could feel, those of us who were in the TEFL program teaching English as a foreign language felt somewhat frustrated. Because here we are with students teaching them English, knowing that the odds of them going on to finish high school are very slim, much less leaving the country. And there are so many more practical things we could have been teaching, but it was explained to us that we were the deal sweetener for the Chadian government. The Chadian government wanted English teachers because they wanted to be as much like France as possible. So if they would take us, the Peace Corps said you really need to take the health people and the well digging people, and I think there were forestry volunteers at that time. But the big focus from the government was on the English teachers. The governor introduced me to people one time in a restaurant in town as his English teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As a prize."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:235", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.05774185790926, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Wrote letters, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you felt you felt good about your work? Did you feel good about it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As good as you could feel, as good as you could feel, those of us who were in the TEFL program teaching English as a foreign language felt somewhat frustrated. Because here we are with students teaching them English, knowing that the odds of them going on to finish high school are very slim, much less leaving the country. And there are so many more practical things we could have been teaching, but it was explained to us that we were the deal sweetener for the Chadian government. The Chadian government wanted English teachers because they wanted to be as much like France as possible. So if they would take us, the Peace Corps said you really need to take the health people and the well digging people, and I think there were forestry volunteers at that time. But the big focus from the government was on the English teachers. The governor introduced me to people one time in a restaurant in town as his English teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As a prize."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you travel around very much?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:237", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.17526873101029, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As good as you could feel, as good as you could feel, those of us who were in the TEFL program teaching English as a foreign language felt somewhat frustrated. Because here we are with students teaching them English, knowing that the odds of them going on to finish high school are very slim, much less leaving the country. And there are so many more practical things we could have been teaching, but it was explained to us that we were the deal sweetener for the Chadian government. The Chadian government wanted English teachers because they wanted to be as much like France as possible. So if they would take us, the Peace Corps said you really need to take the health people and the well digging people, and I think there were forestry volunteers at that time. But the big focus from the government was on the English teachers. The governor introduced me to people one time in a restaurant in town as his English teacher."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As a prize."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you travel around very much?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not very much. No. Travel was really, really difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there? Were there vacations, Christmas vacation?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:239", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.305854145566988, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you travel around very much?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not very much. No. Travel was really, really difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there? Were there vacations, Christmas vacation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some vacations, yes. I didn't finish. By the time I left, I left early. I had problems with the water. And ended up losing 60 or 70 pounds and was having trouble holding an item. You know, my water was filtered. It was boiled and treated with iodine tablets and I still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you basically went to the capital or did you go back home?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:241", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.562060161741098, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not very much. No. Travel was really, really difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there? Were there vacations, Christmas vacation?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some vacations, yes. I didn't finish. By the time I left, I left early. I had problems with the water. And ended up losing 60 or 70 pounds and was having trouble holding an item. You know, my water was filtered. It was boiled and treated with iodine tablets and I still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you basically went to the capital or did you go back home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I ended up coming back home, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And because you were so sick."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:243", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.735622401934553, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some vacations, yes. I didn't finish. By the time I left, I left early. I had problems with the water. And ended up losing 60 or 70 pounds and was having trouble holding an item. You know, my water was filtered. It was boiled and treated with iodine tablets and I still."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you basically went to the capital or did you go back home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I ended up coming back home, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And because you were so sick."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Chad was a difficult assignment. They had a very low rate of just finishing the two years. Physical problems. Emotional problems adjusting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a welcoming community?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:245", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 13.039580446593947, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I ended up coming back home, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And because you were so sick."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Chad was a difficult assignment. They had a very low rate of just finishing the two years. Physical problems. Emotional problems adjusting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a welcoming community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm sorry?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a welcoming community? Beyond the French teachers? Did you feel that people wanted you there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:247", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.155089385104384, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Chad was a difficult assignment. They had a very low rate of just finishing the two years. Physical problems. Emotional problems adjusting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a welcoming community?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm sorry?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a welcoming community? Beyond the French teachers? Did you feel that people wanted you there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It took a while for them, I think, to figure out why I was different. I remember one evening walking from town. Two stories about coming in from the market. I'll do the first one. Don't let me forget to do the second, because it's a better one. And I was walking through the district, the African district, as opposed to the Muslim district. And this guy comes out of a little bar and drops to his knees. Because he thought being white in that part of town, I must be a priest, so I did the sign of the cross and blessed him and went on. He was happy and I was, yeah. My next-door neighbors lived on a porch of a house that had been left by a doctor. And the children, when they knew I was, I never figured out how they knew that I was coming into town, but when I had gone out anywhere and came into town on the truck, they would end up in the town square to greet me and carry anything that I had with me on top of their heads. It was like a little procession through back to my house, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they lived out on a porch, they didn't live in the house?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:249", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.394543761227093, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I'm sorry?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was it a welcoming community? Beyond the French teachers? Did you feel that people wanted you there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It took a while for them, I think, to figure out why I was different. I remember one evening walking from town. Two stories about coming in from the market. I'll do the first one. Don't let me forget to do the second, because it's a better one. And I was walking through the district, the African district, as opposed to the Muslim district. And this guy comes out of a little bar and drops to his knees. Because he thought being white in that part of town, I must be a priest, so I did the sign of the cross and blessed him and went on. He was happy and I was, yeah. My next-door neighbors lived on a porch of a house that had been left by a doctor. And the children, when they knew I was, I never figured out how they knew that I was coming into town, but when I had gone out anywhere and came into town on the truck, they would end up in the town square to greet me and carry anything that I had with me on top of their heads. It was like a little procession through back to my house, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they lived out on a porch, they didn't live in the house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they lived on the porch next door. Everything was done on the porch, in the yard. I had a little grass fence around the back of the house and they knew exactly where to stand to watch me through the window of the bathroom when I brush my teeth, which they thought was hilarious. It was that and rubbing the hair on my arms that they enjoyed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So those were the two stories and you said in passing the African versus the Muslim part of town, but what was the setup there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:251", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 13.771715290252324, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It took a while for them, I think, to figure out why I was different. I remember one evening walking from town. Two stories about coming in from the market. I'll do the first one. Don't let me forget to do the second, because it's a better one. And I was walking through the district, the African district, as opposed to the Muslim district. And this guy comes out of a little bar and drops to his knees. Because he thought being white in that part of town, I must be a priest, so I did the sign of the cross and blessed him and went on. He was happy and I was, yeah. My next-door neighbors lived on a porch of a house that had been left by a doctor. And the children, when they knew I was, I never figured out how they knew that I was coming into town, but when I had gone out anywhere and came into town on the truck, they would end up in the town square to greet me and carry anything that I had with me on top of their heads. It was like a little procession through back to my house, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But they lived out on a porch, they didn't live in the house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they lived on the porch next door. Everything was done on the porch, in the yard. I had a little grass fence around the back of the house and they knew exactly where to stand to watch me through the window of the bathroom when I brush my teeth, which they thought was hilarious. It was that and rubbing the hair on my arms that they enjoyed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So those were the two stories and you said in passing the African versus the Muslim part of town, but what was the setup there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A large part of Chad, still is, Muslim and you have the native African population."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the Muslims are not native Africans?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:253", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 8.63523921139147, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, they lived on the porch next door. Everything was done on the porch, in the yard. I had a little grass fence around the back of the house and they knew exactly where to stand to watch me through the window of the bathroom when I brush my teeth, which they thought was hilarious. It was that and rubbing the hair on my arms that they enjoyed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So those were the two stories and you said in passing the African versus the Muslim part of town, but what was the setup there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A large part of Chad, still is, Muslim and you have the native African population."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the Muslims are not native Africans?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They are native Africans, but there are more North African background. And then you've got the religious difference. Three or four years in the mid-seventies, I remember picking up Newsweek magazine and reading about Doba in an article about Africa. And there had been a massacre there and all the Muslims were killed and the mosque destroyed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you sense that animosity when you were there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:255", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.261376901546078, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A large part of Chad, still is, Muslim and you have the native African population."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So the Muslims are not native Africans?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They are native Africans, but there are more North African background. And then you've got the religious difference. Three or four years in the mid-seventies, I remember picking up Newsweek magazine and reading about Doba in an article about Africa. And there had been a massacre there and all the Muslims were killed and the mosque destroyed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you sense that animosity when you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I may just not have been able to pick up on it. When we were there, there were two civil wars going on, in the north and in the east, closer to Sudan. And some of the fighting that's going back and forth has been between the sub-Saharan Africans and the Muslim Africans with the power struggle between them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel affected by that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:257", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.957085446162309, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They are native Africans, but there are more North African background. And then you've got the religious difference. Three or four years in the mid-seventies, I remember picking up Newsweek magazine and reading about Doba in an article about Africa. And there had been a massacre there and all the Muslims were killed and the mosque destroyed."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you sense that animosity when you were there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I may just not have been able to pick up on it. When we were there, there were two civil wars going on, in the north and in the east, closer to Sudan. And some of the fighting that's going back and forth has been between the sub-Saharan Africans and the Muslim Africans with the power struggle between them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel affected by that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The massacre?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, uh, yes. I mean, just the ongoing wars."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:259", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.730094940180344, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I may just not have been able to pick up on it. When we were there, there were two civil wars going on, in the north and in the east, closer to Sudan. And some of the fighting that's going back and forth has been between the sub-Saharan Africans and the Muslim Africans with the power struggle between them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel affected by that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The massacre?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, uh, yes. I mean, just the ongoing wars."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, although I do remember, I was really very good with my French in case I was picked up or stopped and taken hostage. I can explain in French without failure that I was worth more alive than dead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's pretty funny."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:261", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.366772155755937, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The massacre?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, uh, yes. I mean, just the ongoing wars."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, although I do remember, I was really very good with my French in case I was picked up or stopped and taken hostage. I can explain in French without failure that I was worth more alive than dead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's pretty funny."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, one of one of our group, one of our 13 teachers. Fort Archambault, in the northern part of Chad, I don't know what it's called now. There was a French military base there, and they evacuated her. Picked her up at her house and took her into the fort for a couple of nights at least once while I was there because of the threat of violence."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because she was a woman or because she was American or what?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:263", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.0741912841732635, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, although I do remember, I was really very good with my French in case I was picked up or stopped and taken hostage. I can explain in French without failure that I was worth more alive than dead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's pretty funny."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, one of one of our group, one of our 13 teachers. Fort Archambault, in the northern part of Chad, I don't know what it's called now. There was a French military base there, and they evacuated her. Picked her up at her house and took her into the fort for a couple of nights at least once while I was there because of the threat of violence."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because she was a woman or because she was American or what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because the rebels might attack the town. One of my volunteers who lived in the next town east of me was attacked one night by a teacher from her school after they've been to a bar."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was a woman teacher?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:265", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.860212537970293, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, one of one of our group, one of our 13 teachers. Fort Archambault, in the northern part of Chad, I don't know what it's called now. There was a French military base there, and they evacuated her. Picked her up at her house and took her into the fort for a couple of nights at least once while I was there because of the threat of violence."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because she was a woman or because she was American or what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because the rebels might attack the town. One of my volunteers who lived in the next town east of me was attacked one night by a teacher from her school after they've been to a bar."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was a woman teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A female teacher, and she had to be evacuated. They were able to get a helicopter in and evacuate her. She had some, she was badly hurt."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you did feel, did you feel threatened?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:267", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.733569486633659, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because the rebels might attack the town. One of my volunteers who lived in the next town east of me was attacked one night by a teacher from her school after they've been to a bar."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This was a woman teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A female teacher, and she had to be evacuated. They were able to get a helicopter in and evacuate her. She had some, she was badly hurt."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you did feel, did you feel threatened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't feel threatened, but you had your spiel for if you were kidnapped."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:269", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.70396609625962, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A female teacher, and she had to be evacuated. They were able to get a helicopter in and evacuate her. She had some, she was badly hurt."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you did feel, did you feel threatened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't feel threatened, but you had your spiel for if you were kidnapped."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just in case, I was worth more as a hostage, live hostage than I was dead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that that made a lot of sense."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:271", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.671073440288467, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn't feel threatened, but you had your spiel for if you were kidnapped."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just in case, I was worth more as a hostage, live hostage than I was dead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that that made a lot of sense."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we weren't really close to any of the disturbances. They were the eastern part over near Sudan and up near Libya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how were those? When were those resolved or are they still ongoing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:273", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.412303822542741, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just in case, I was worth more as a hostage, live hostage than I was dead."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that that made a lot of sense."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we weren't really close to any of the disturbances. They were the eastern part over near Sudan and up near Libya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how were those? When were those resolved or are they still ongoing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it's fairly well resolved. Of course, the focus now is more toward ISIS and Boko Haram, which when they did the kidnappings in Nigeria, that's awful close to Lake Chad and the Chadian Army has been involved in hunting them down. You know, getting news from Chad is very difficult. We just don't. It's a struggle to keep up on things there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And why is it so isolated?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.12478202504749, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, we weren't really close to any of the disturbances. They were the eastern part over near Sudan and up near Libya."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how were those? When were those resolved or are they still ongoing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it's fairly well resolved. Of course, the focus now is more toward ISIS and Boko Haram, which when they did the kidnappings in Nigeria, that's awful close to Lake Chad and the Chadian Army has been involved in hunting them down. You know, getting news from Chad is very difficult. We just don't. It's a struggle to keep up on things there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And why is it so isolated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's in the middle, it's in the middle. When I was there, it was one of the few countries in the world where you could not buy a Coca- Cola."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's really then and maybe now still."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:277", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.694202250052767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it's fairly well resolved. Of course, the focus now is more toward ISIS and Boko Haram, which when they did the kidnappings in Nigeria, that's awful close to Lake Chad and the Chadian Army has been involved in hunting them down. You know, getting news from Chad is very difficult. We just don't. It's a struggle to keep up on things there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And why is it so isolated?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's in the middle, it's in the middle. When I was there, it was one of the few countries in the world where you could not buy a Coca- Cola."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's really then and maybe now still."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bad infrastructure. You know, if you try to drive anywhere. Dirt roads then, I can't imagine it being a whole lot better. No railroad to Chad. No, it was isolated. One of the 10 poorest countries in the world of that time, and not much better now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got sick. Where did you get medical treatment there? But was there a doctor nearby?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:279", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.3268913889475185, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's in the middle, it's in the middle. When I was there, it was one of the few countries in the world where you could not buy a Coca- Cola."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's really then and maybe now still."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bad infrastructure. You know, if you try to drive anywhere. Dirt roads then, I can't imagine it being a whole lot better. No railroad to Chad. No, it was isolated. One of the 10 poorest countries in the world of that time, and not much better now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got sick. Where did you get medical treatment there? But was there a doctor nearby?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The doctor, there was a doctor who flew in once a month."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps doctor?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:281", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.029879321052798, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Bad infrastructure. You know, if you try to drive anywhere. Dirt roads then, I can't imagine it being a whole lot better. No railroad to Chad. No, it was isolated. One of the 10 poorest countries in the world of that time, and not much better now."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you got sick. Where did you get medical treatment there? But was there a doctor nearby?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The doctor, there was a doctor who flew in once a month."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Civilian. The missionaries, the missionaries, yeah, the missionaries had a baby clinic, and they were some help to me. I survived malaria. But it was systemic issues that got to me. Malaria, I just felt like if I could die, I would feel much better. It was, it was an experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you gotten over malaria?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:283", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.810977023391998, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. The doctor, there was a doctor who flew in once a month."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps doctor?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Civilian. The missionaries, the missionaries, yeah, the missionaries had a baby clinic, and they were some help to me. I survived malaria. But it was systemic issues that got to me. Malaria, I just felt like if I could die, I would feel much better. It was, it was an experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you gotten over malaria?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I haven't had it reoccur."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've never had it reoccur?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:285", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.678863359324442, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. Civilian. The missionaries, the missionaries, yeah, the missionaries had a baby clinic, and they were some help to me. I survived malaria. But it was systemic issues that got to me. Malaria, I just felt like if I could die, I would feel much better. It was, it was an experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have you gotten over malaria?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I haven't had it reoccur."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've never had it reoccur?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So many people I know who've had malaria have it for their lifetime. So you're lucky."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:287", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.64318151036049, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I haven't had it reoccur."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've never had it reoccur?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So many people I know who've had malaria have it for their lifetime. So you're lucky."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. When I talk with a doctor and we go through my physical and mental health history. I throw in the malaria and gives them a little, you know, along with the stomach issues."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you end up leaving? I mean, who decided you were sick enough to leave?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:289", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.714646122622767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So many people I know who've had malaria have it for their lifetime. So you're lucky."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. When I talk with a doctor and we go through my physical and mental health history. I throw in the malaria and gives them a little, you know, along with the stomach issues."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you end up leaving? I mean, who decided you were sick enough to leave?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was consultation with the doctors in the capital, the Peace Corps doctor there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then the Peace Corps decided that you were too sick."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:291", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.905162358469742, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. When I talk with a doctor and we go through my physical and mental health history. I throw in the malaria and gives them a little, you know, along with the stomach issues."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So how did you end up leaving? I mean, who decided you were sick enough to leave?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was consultation with the doctors in the capital, the Peace Corps doctor there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then the Peace Corps decided that you were too sick."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They didn't resist. When I told them that, you know, there was no effort to persuade me to stay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You decided you needed to go to the capital?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.227958176077491, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was consultation with the doctors in the capital, the Peace Corps doctor there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then the Peace Corps decided that you were too sick."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They didn't resist. When I told them that, you know, there was no effort to persuade me to stay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You decided you needed to go to the capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the capital for a conference and had made them aware of my health issues anyway. Of course, I thought I made them aware. You never knew if a letter had gotten there or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anybody come out from Peace Corps to?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 14.697731306752768, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They didn't resist. When I told them that, you know, there was no effort to persuade me to stay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You decided you needed to go to the capital?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the capital for a conference and had made them aware of my health issues anyway. Of course, I thought I made them aware. You never knew if a letter had gotten there or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anybody come out from Peace Corps to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To check on me because my health?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, no, just teaching or anything?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:297", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.21970145194752, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was in the capital for a conference and had made them aware of my health issues anyway. Of course, I thought I made them aware. You never knew if a letter had gotten there or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anybody come out from Peace Corps to?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "To check on me because my health?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, no, just teaching or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we had the country director. The teacher supervisor visited once. We were on our own. You know, this is in the days before host families and country counterparts, and, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think we had more support. I wasn't out in the countryside, but I think we had staff visiting more often than in Somalia than you're talking about."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:299", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 16.9107793910528, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To check on me because my health?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, no, just teaching or anything?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we had the country director. The teacher supervisor visited once. We were on our own. You know, this is in the days before host families and country counterparts, and, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think we had more support. I wasn't out in the countryside, but I think we had staff visiting more often than in Somalia than you're talking about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Transportation. Transportation in Chad was difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, how did you feel about leaving, were you? You were ready to go?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:301", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.45642154561422, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we had the country director. The teacher supervisor visited once. We were on our own. You know, this is in the days before host families and country counterparts, and, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I think we had more support. I wasn't out in the countryside, but I think we had staff visiting more often than in Somalia than you're talking about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Transportation. Transportation in Chad was difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, how did you feel about leaving, were you? You were ready to go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was mixed. It was mixed, mixed feelings. I still I still wish I could have stayed. Wish I could have gone back. It's not been safe for decades to go back to Chad. Peace Corps pulled out so many years back. I think it still shows up on one of the places the State Department says stay away from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you think about your whole experience? Impact on your life, was it a good thing?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:303", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 17.173801717349132, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Transportation. Transportation in Chad was difficult."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, how did you feel about leaving, were you? You were ready to go?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was mixed. It was mixed, mixed feelings. I still I still wish I could have stayed. Wish I could have gone back. It's not been safe for decades to go back to Chad. Peace Corps pulled out so many years back. I think it still shows up on one of the places the State Department says stay away from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you think about your whole experience? Impact on your life, was it a good thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It changed. It changed my life. It gave me a different perspective. Totally different perspective."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk what how did it change your perspective?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:305", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 16.85977968594348, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was mixed. It was mixed, mixed feelings. I still I still wish I could have stayed. Wish I could have gone back. It's not been safe for decades to go back to Chad. Peace Corps pulled out so many years back. I think it still shows up on one of the places the State Department says stay away from."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How do you think about your whole experience? Impact on your life, was it a good thing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It changed. It changed my life. It gave me a different perspective. Totally different perspective."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk what how did it change your perspective?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got a much, you know, I thought of myself as being very open minded, very liberal, but living in another country like that. It just changed your, it solidified some of those ideas and expanded others. Later in life, I went back to I went to Panama for 10 months to try to regain some of that. I've traveled on five continents visiting. But I wanted to try that living abroad again and even 10 months in Panama refreshed some of that. You get a better, healthier perspective about the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think you had any impact in Chad?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:307", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.84419965104831, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It changed. It changed my life. It gave me a different perspective. Totally different perspective."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk what how did it change your perspective?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got a much, you know, I thought of myself as being very open minded, very liberal, but living in another country like that. It just changed your, it solidified some of those ideas and expanded others. Later in life, I went back to I went to Panama for 10 months to try to regain some of that. I've traveled on five continents visiting. But I wanted to try that living abroad again and even 10 months in Panama refreshed some of that. You get a better, healthier perspective about the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think you had any impact in Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You never know. Or you're lucky if you do while you're there. You know, we heard this morning the story from Nepal about someone who's in the seventh grade when he meets his first Americans, and years later, he becomes one of the top diplomats at the U.N. There are people in our group in West Virginia who were taught Spanish by a guy in Peru who had met Peace Corps volunteers when he was little, talked his mother into to renting rooms to them. He ended up becoming the president of Peru. You just don't know. You just don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But for you, despite the illness, you feel good about your experience."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:309", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 10.9379996122759, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got a much, you know, I thought of myself as being very open minded, very liberal, but living in another country like that. It just changed your, it solidified some of those ideas and expanded others. Later in life, I went back to I went to Panama for 10 months to try to regain some of that. I've traveled on five continents visiting. But I wanted to try that living abroad again and even 10 months in Panama refreshed some of that. You get a better, healthier perspective about the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think you had any impact in Chad?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You never know. Or you're lucky if you do while you're there. You know, we heard this morning the story from Nepal about someone who's in the seventh grade when he meets his first Americans, and years later, he becomes one of the top diplomats at the U.N. There are people in our group in West Virginia who were taught Spanish by a guy in Peru who had met Peace Corps volunteers when he was little, talked his mother into to renting rooms to them. He ended up becoming the president of Peru. You just don't know. You just don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But for you, despite the illness, you feel good about your experience."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. When I go out and talk to potential recruits, I'm very enthusiastic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, talk a little bit about what you've continued to do with Peace Corps. What's your what's your involvement now?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:313", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.8617279163900005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. When I go out and talk to potential recruits, I'm very enthusiastic."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, talk a little bit about what you've continued to do with Peace Corps. What's your what's your involvement now?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We've had several attempts in West Virginia to set up a returned Peace Corps volunteer group. The first attempt was back in the 1990s, and it managed to survive for a year or two. And then they gave up the ghost. Shortly after the 50 year anniversary, there was a group in West Virginia that started meeting in Charleston, the capital city. And up until three or four years ago, they had a mailing list of maybe 70 names. And the president resigned. She wanted to work on a Ph.D., and it was just too much for her. And I had already become advocacy director because no one else wanted to do it, and I thought there was a need for it. I have a lot of political background activity and political campaigning, so I understood a lot of the process. And when the president said she was leaving, no one else would take it. And at that time, I was the youngest of the officers. Which is sad considering that I'm 70 now and just a few years back. One of the first things I did was start looking for volunteers. We've grown our mailing list from 70 to about 240. Peace Corps says they think there may have been as many as 700 volunteers from West Virginia at some point and possibly 400 there now, which means we've got a ways to go to find all of them or even most of them. I do recruiting. I'm trying to get our group more decentralized, get people in other parts of the state to be a little more active and part of our state organization, part of the national organization. It's a part time job. With great pay. Just like being the volunteer, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Same level of pay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To me, it's a continuation of my initial service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. I forgot we kind of skipped over. So you were evacuated. I assume you came home pretty sick."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:315", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.401919907100001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We've had several attempts in West Virginia to set up a returned Peace Corps volunteer group. The first attempt was back in the 1990s, and it managed to survive for a year or two. And then they gave up the ghost. Shortly after the 50 year anniversary, there was a group in West Virginia that started meeting in Charleston, the capital city. And up until three or four years ago, they had a mailing list of maybe 70 names. And the president resigned. She wanted to work on a Ph.D., and it was just too much for her. And I had already become advocacy director because no one else wanted to do it, and I thought there was a need for it. I have a lot of political background activity and political campaigning, so I understood a lot of the process. And when the president said she was leaving, no one else would take it. And at that time, I was the youngest of the officers. Which is sad considering that I'm 70 now and just a few years back. One of the first things I did was start looking for volunteers. We've grown our mailing list from 70 to about 240. Peace Corps says they think there may have been as many as 700 volunteers from West Virginia at some point and possibly 400 there now, which means we've got a ways to go to find all of them or even most of them. I do recruiting. I'm trying to get our group more decentralized, get people in other parts of the state to be a little more active and part of our state organization, part of the national organization. It's a part time job. With great pay. Just like being the volunteer, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Same level of pay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To me, it's a continuation of my initial service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. I forgot we kind of skipped over. So you were evacuated. I assume you came home pretty sick."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what happened?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:317", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.8910221190000005, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "To me, it's a continuation of my initial service."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. I forgot we kind of skipped over. So you were evacuated. I assume you came home pretty sick."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got, the flight back was interesting. I flew from Paris to Boston and customs pulled me out of the line at the airport in Boston and had me strip down to my underwear because my clothes were so baggy from the weight loss that they thought I was smuggling. I told them, no, I just had gone through a really rough time. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so did you went to the doctor and got what antibiotics?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:319", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.32335791, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Then what happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got, the flight back was interesting. I flew from Paris to Boston and customs pulled me out of the line at the airport in Boston and had me strip down to my underwear because my clothes were so baggy from the weight loss that they thought I was smuggling. I told them, no, I just had gone through a really rough time. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so did you went to the doctor and got what antibiotics?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had several doctor visits and gradually, you know, my mother was sure that if I would just keep eating, I'd gain all the weight back then. Yeah, it took a little more than that. Then I went to grad school, came back to West Virginia, started teaching, worked in schools for 20 some years, then switched careers, worked with the post office and finally retired."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were history, were you were a history teacher?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:321", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.692619900000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got, the flight back was interesting. I flew from Paris to Boston and customs pulled me out of the line at the airport in Boston and had me strip down to my underwear because my clothes were so baggy from the weight loss that they thought I was smuggling. I told them, no, I just had gone through a really rough time. Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And so did you went to the doctor and got what antibiotics?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had several doctor visits and gradually, you know, my mother was sure that if I would just keep eating, I'd gain all the weight back then. Yeah, it took a little more than that. Then I went to grad school, came back to West Virginia, started teaching, worked in schools for 20 some years, then switched careers, worked with the post office and finally retired."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were history, were you were a history teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Social studies, history, geography. Spent a few years as a principal. Very frustrating. I'm very sympathetic to any administrators anymore. But after I retired, I started traveling and working with the Peace Corps group, and that's been. Anytime we get people together, it's like a family reunion and it doesn't matter when they served or how old they are or how young they are. The conversation always flows and everyone feels so comfortable. Like I said, it's like a family reunion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why do you think that is?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:323", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.102911000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had several doctor visits and gradually, you know, my mother was sure that if I would just keep eating, I'd gain all the weight back then. Yeah, it took a little more than that. Then I went to grad school, came back to West Virginia, started teaching, worked in schools for 20 some years, then switched careers, worked with the post office and finally retired."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you were history, were you were a history teacher?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Social studies, history, geography. Spent a few years as a principal. Very frustrating. I'm very sympathetic to any administrators anymore. But after I retired, I started traveling and working with the Peace Corps group, and that's been. Anytime we get people together, it's like a family reunion and it doesn't matter when they served or how old they are or how young they are. The conversation always flows and everyone feels so comfortable. Like I said, it's like a family reunion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why do you think that is?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think our experience is just so different from the mainstream here. It binds us together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did we start out being the same and then have the experience or did the experience create that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:325", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.55879, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Social studies, history, geography. Spent a few years as a principal. Very frustrating. I'm very sympathetic to any administrators anymore. But after I retired, I started traveling and working with the Peace Corps group, and that's been. Anytime we get people together, it's like a family reunion and it doesn't matter when they served or how old they are or how young they are. The conversation always flows and everyone feels so comfortable. Like I said, it's like a family reunion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why do you think that is?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think our experience is just so different from the mainstream here. It binds us together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did we start out being the same and then have the experience or did the experience create that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's like the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. And I think somebody may have said this before. It may be a combination of both. It may be a combination of both."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it is true. When you meet Peace Corps, former Peace Corps volunteers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:327", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.8430999999999997, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think our experience is just so different from the mainstream here. It binds us together."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did we start out being the same and then have the experience or did the experience create that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's like the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. And I think somebody may have said this before. It may be a combination of both. It may be a combination of both."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it is true. When you meet Peace Corps, former Peace Corps volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Coming to Peace Corps Connect, I have met Jonathan, who's our advocacy director, a couple of times. We talk, we're on the conference calls. I talk with you on the phone. I had seen you. You hadn't seen me. But to actually know any of the people here and you just start talking. It just it flows. Once you start, it just goes and goes and goes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's really brought the world back to the United States."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:329", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.159, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's like the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. And I think somebody may have said this before. It may be a combination of both. It may be a combination of both."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it is true. When you meet Peace Corps, former Peace Corps volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Coming to Peace Corps Connect, I have met Jonathan, who's our advocacy director, a couple of times. We talk, we're on the conference calls. I talk with you on the phone. I had seen you. You hadn't seen me. But to actually know any of the people here and you just start talking. It just it flows. Once you start, it just goes and goes and goes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's really brought the world back to the United States."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think the volunteers overall are more socially active, international or internationally active?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:331", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.51, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Coming to Peace Corps Connect, I have met Jonathan, who's our advocacy director, a couple of times. We talk, we're on the conference calls. I talk with you on the phone. I had seen you. You hadn't seen me. But to actually know any of the people here and you just start talking. It just it flows. Once you start, it just goes and goes and goes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it's really brought the world back to the United States."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think the volunteers overall are more socially active, international or internationally active?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes and yes. One of the reasons we had trouble getting RPCVs to come to our events is they're so busy with other things that are volunteering for. You know, we're the ones that do all these community service projects. We're the ones that are involved in community organizations. We're the ones who volunteer for political organizations, we're, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Once a volunteer, always volunteer."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:333", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 3.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think the volunteers overall are more socially active, international or internationally active?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes and yes. One of the reasons we had trouble getting RPCVs to come to our events is they're so busy with other things that are volunteering for. You know, we're the ones that do all these community service projects. We're the ones that are involved in community organizations. We're the ones who volunteer for political organizations, we're, you know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Once a volunteer, always volunteer."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Once a volunteer, always a volunteer. There ought to be a pill to give you a break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. Do you have any other thoughts you'd like to share? For posterity."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:337", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Once a volunteer, always a volunteer. There ought to be a pill to give you a break."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. Do you have any other thoughts you'd like to share? For posterity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For posterity. We have survived. We have survived. We survived the crises with Peace Corps, we survived the political struggles. We survived the people that thought we were a disaster that should be eliminated. And it's nice when you see the new volunteers, whether they're 22 or as in the case of one from West Virginia who starts teaching class in roughly 10 days, who's 78."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's nice to see the enthusiasm, the excitement. It's and now it's even better because instead of waiting for two or three weeks to hear from them, I can get text messages and pictures online from them and see what and share it with everyone else. There's such an interest in seeing what our volunteers are doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a very valuable experience, that that I'm glad I have had, and I hear you as well."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00051:339", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For posterity. We have survived. We have survived. We survived the crises with Peace Corps, we survived the political struggles. We survived the people that thought we were a disaster that should be eliminated. And it's nice when you see the new volunteers, whether they're 22 or as in the case of one from West Virginia who starts teaching class in roughly 10 days, who's 78."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's nice to see the enthusiasm, the excitement. It's and now it's even better because instead of waiting for two or three weeks to hear from them, I can get text messages and pictures online from them and see what and share it with everyone else. There's such an interest in seeing what our volunteers are doing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It's a very valuable experience, that that I'm glad I have had, and I hear you as well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And glad to pass on. I mean, there are days I don't always feel like going up to work a job fair or a picnic or some other social event and sit at the table. But once I'm able to start talking with people, the energy just flows."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's great. So thank you for the interview."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 44.46710888185621, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I guess, like all of these things, it's probably ill-defined, but my first memory of awareness of airplanes and things like that was when I was about seven years old. At the time we lived in a small town in southern Nebraska, along the Republican River. I heard this thing flying overhead. My mother was not well at the time, so I pretty much had the freedom to roam this small town. The motor stopped as I was watching it, and it crashed into a tree about two blocks from where I lived, so I hustled down to watch and, of course, got in everyone's way, I sure. The guy was not seriously hurt. But at that point it seemed to me that airplanes are something that had some excitement associated with them, and I think that a lot of times it's the potential for excitement that causes people to originally get interested in things.\\n\\n Then as I got older, we moved around. My father worked for a railroad company. So I'd build model airplanes and hung around airports and did all the usual things. So I decided probably that I'd like to be an engineer, and if I was going to be an engineer, I might as well be an aeronautical engineer. So that's the size of it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever have an interest in flying yourself or just studying about what made them fly?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had some interest in flying. At one point I knew how to steer. Also, one of the things we've done here is over the years have had a number of student projects associated with man-powered airplane. I was involved in starting about six others, six students the first attempt, and finally after about eight or nine years we got good enough, so I actually have peddled myself into the air three times, flown 100 yards or so each time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ever think about that gentleman in the airplane when you saw when you were a young boy when you are up there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That's his problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You, of course, grew from a young boy to a young man and went to school, I believe at the University of Minnesota."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 49.407898757618014, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had some interest in flying. At one point I knew how to steer. Also, one of the things we've done here is over the years have had a number of student projects associated with man-powered airplane. I was involved in starting about six others, six students the first attempt, and finally after about eight or nine years we got good enough, so I actually have peddled myself into the air three times, flown 100 yards or so each time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ever think about that gentleman in the airplane when you saw when you were a young boy when you are up there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That's his problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You, of course, grew from a young boy to a young man and went to school, I believe at the University of Minnesota."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you came here to study at MIT."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 49.34210973068668, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. That's his problem."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You, of course, grew from a young boy to a young man and went to school, I believe at the University of Minnesota."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you came here to study at MIT."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was an interim period when I was in the Navy. At that time I was involved partly as a flight test engineer and partly in project engineering. Of course, flight test engineering was exciting and fun and so forth. I had been away from school for some time before I came here, and I originally came here for a short period of time. At the time I believe it's correct to say we had moved six times in seven years, and my wife was getting a little tired of this. She liked Cambridge and announced to me that she didn't know what my plans were, but when I was through being educated, she was going to stay here. Seemed like a rational thing to do.\\n\\n I originally was going to just stay for a couple of years. Then I decided that maybe I ought to get a doctor's degree. Then I worked for an aerodynamics laboratory down the street, which MIT ran. I was the associate director of that. Then I got invited to be on the faculty here. I've had several other places where I could have gone. We agreed, my wife and I, that we'd stay in Cambridge. So I got on the faculty and got promoted a couple of times, ultimately got to be department head, and gave that up after five years, and retired a couple of years ago, and I'm still here. It's a rut that I got into. It seems difficult to get out of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But at least you're pleasing your wife because you're still in Cambridge, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 54.82456636742964, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's correct."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you came here to study at MIT."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was an interim period when I was in the Navy. At that time I was involved partly as a flight test engineer and partly in project engineering. Of course, flight test engineering was exciting and fun and so forth. I had been away from school for some time before I came here, and I originally came here for a short period of time. At the time I believe it's correct to say we had moved six times in seven years, and my wife was getting a little tired of this. She liked Cambridge and announced to me that she didn't know what my plans were, but when I was through being educated, she was going to stay here. Seemed like a rational thing to do.\\n\\n I originally was going to just stay for a couple of years. Then I decided that maybe I ought to get a doctor's degree. Then I worked for an aerodynamics laboratory down the street, which MIT ran. I was the associate director of that. Then I got invited to be on the faculty here. I've had several other places where I could have gone. We agreed, my wife and I, that we'd stay in Cambridge. So I got on the faculty and got promoted a couple of times, ultimately got to be department head, and gave that up after five years, and retired a couple of years ago, and I'm still here. It's a rut that I got into. It seems difficult to get out of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But at least you're pleasing your wife because you're still in Cambridge, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe so, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's good."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 60.9161848526996, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was an interim period when I was in the Navy. At that time I was involved partly as a flight test engineer and partly in project engineering. Of course, flight test engineering was exciting and fun and so forth. I had been away from school for some time before I came here, and I originally came here for a short period of time. At the time I believe it's correct to say we had moved six times in seven years, and my wife was getting a little tired of this. She liked Cambridge and announced to me that she didn't know what my plans were, but when I was through being educated, she was going to stay here. Seemed like a rational thing to do.\\n\\n I originally was going to just stay for a couple of years. Then I decided that maybe I ought to get a doctor's degree. Then I worked for an aerodynamics laboratory down the street, which MIT ran. I was the associate director of that. Then I got invited to be on the faculty here. I've had several other places where I could have gone. We agreed, my wife and I, that we'd stay in Cambridge. So I got on the faculty and got promoted a couple of times, ultimately got to be department head, and gave that up after five years, and retired a couple of years ago, and I'm still here. It's a rut that I got into. It seems difficult to get out of."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But at least you're pleasing your wife because you're still in Cambridge, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe so, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the time that you were associate director, NASA formed. Did that have a bearing on what you were doing at the time, or anything that you were doing, did that start becoming an involvement? Could you tell us how you got involved with those aspects?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 55.462427614110666, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe so, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So that's good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the time that you were associate director, NASA formed. Did that have a bearing on what you were doing at the time, or anything that you were doing, did that start becoming an involvement? Could you tell us how you got involved with those aspects?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As always, there's always been some interrelationship between NASA and the university community in terms of research and interests. Sometimes it's collegial and sometimes it's competitive, but the interest has been there. At the time that NASA was formed, I was, of course, quite familiar with the old NACA [National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics]. In fact, Dr. [Jerome B.] Hunsaker, who was one of the early founders of that, was still alive, still had an office here, and came in every day, so there was that kind of an awareness.\\n\\n We were doing some classified work on heat transfer for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory; Naval Weapons Center, I guess it was called, at China Lake at that time. It involves some infrared sensors. So, among other things we did, we tried to see if we could see a hot Sputnik against a cold sky, which turned out to be more of a challenge than we had anticipated, but it worked out. To answer your question, that's what we were doing about the time that the Space Act was passed by Congress. That was about 1958, if I recall."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your reaction to Sputnik?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 68.11032594528211, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had done some studies in 1947, I guess it was, which suggested that it was not impossible. This was early in the ballistic missile program. So it was not unreasonable. Of course, about that time or a little earlier, I don't remember the sequence, but NRL [Naval Research Laboratory] had a program to put an artificial satellite in space. It was called Vanguard. To create some interest in this, they had a technical essay contest, so I entered it. You know, what the hell. I'm a student at that time, married, had four kids. Why not? And so that's how I got the money to purchase my first television set, was the prize money from that essay contest.\\n\\n So, you know, it's not like it was a big shock or anything, but I guess, like everyone else, I was a little bit surprised by it. We were very fortunate, we were able to go out and see it quite early on, and we listened to all the people say, \"Why don't we shoot it down?\" The answer is, of course, with technology available at that time, you couldn't do that. In fact, you may not be able to do it yet. Anyway, that's my first reaction to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "From that interest, of course, as you already mentioned, in '58 we had the Space Act and NASA was formed. You were here, and then your career moved, though. You were no longer associate director."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I became a faculty member."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you still involved in research at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes. It's a question of how you divide your effort. MIT encourages faculty to be involved in research, because I think it makes for better teaching. You're not just isolated and rereading last year's notes; you're doing something. And engineers have to do something, in my view. It's very character-forming to do something, because often it doesn't work right the first time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Some of the research you were doing, were you working on some of the early stages of NASA work?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.098654079246021, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You can live on adrenaline for a certain period of time, and I think that was the way that happened. Fortunately, the end of the 120 days corresponded with the middle of June or something like that, and so summer was here. But there was no formal decompression-type activities that anybody provided."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was there a time during that span which was more difficult than others, or almost every day equally as taxing as the one before?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was a long time ago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess that's the good news."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go into another advisory position soon after that one, or did you give yourself a break?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 16.776282310273356, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that was a long time ago."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess that's the good news."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go into another advisory position soon after that one, or did you give yourself a break?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, it seems to me that I just sort of let things keep doing it as they had been done. I think the answer to that is probably yes. When you get out of the—don't do so much technical work, this other stuff is a way of keeping current. I suppose that was the case."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What's the most difficult part of being on a group with so many of your maybe colleagues or peers or counterparts or from people that you may not have met before that time period? What were the difficulties of getting so many people of your expertise and caliber together to come to a result?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.256367271712229, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think that they are probably useful, because people tend to get inbred in their thinking, and I think this tends to stretch their minds a little bit. Industry has their own kinds of problems. They have to make an airplane that is reasonably cheap and that lives up to the buyers' expectations, and they have to make money on it. So they tend to have a relatively short time perspective.\\n\\n NASA, on the other hand—and this is more evident, probably, in the space program—has to have a long-time perspective, and so there is a disjoint between what the industry thinks it wants and what they probably need in order, ten years from now, to be more effective. This is part of the give and take of it. I think it's even more evident in the space program because some of these space probes launched might take ten years to get to their target and do what they're supposed to do. It requires a difference in thinking about things and what kind of a perspective you have. So you have to kind of weld this together. I think advisory groups often can make a useful function that way, too, not only stretching people's minds and getting them to look outside their own playpen, but also to keep in mind there are these cultural differences that exist. I think that's probably the two important aspects of advisory work."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the future? Have you worked on councils that are looking to the future of aeronautics and space industry?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The answer is yes. In fact, we're in the middle of one now. That's what that phone call I was making, the guy's beeper number, was all about when you arrived."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you share any information with us?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's premature."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're looking ahead, and all that past knowledge, I'm sure, plays a big effort in making sure everything is in line for what we're all looking into."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.395963635235809, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The answer is yes. In fact, we're in the middle of one now. That's what that phone call I was making, the guy's beeper number, was all about when you arrived."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you share any information with us?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's premature."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're looking ahead, and all that past knowledge, I'm sure, plays a big effort in making sure everything is in line for what we're all looking into."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't know. That's a hard—actually, that's a sentence, not a question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Is the technology changing, though, so quickly in this field that it's hard to predict or hard to plan for the future?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.662181816928676, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's premature."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you're looking ahead, and all that past knowledge, I'm sure, plays a big effort in making sure everything is in line for what we're all looking into."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't know. That's a hard—actually, that's a sentence, not a question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Is the technology changing, though, so quickly in this field that it's hard to predict or hard to plan for the future?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we know what the important problems are. I am not sure that we necessarily know how to solve them at this point. You have to look at a variety of approaches and hope that one will work and not be disappointed that the others don't. This is a very important thing. The other thing that it's important to realize is your own tendency to focus too narrowly, because in engineering you can have multiple solutions to the same design problem. They're all equally effective. So you have to make sure that you don't select yours just because it's yours. There is a little bit of \"not invented here\" feeling about that. I think, for the most part, we can define the problem areas broadly, and that's all you really need, that and I guess it's an act of faith, you know. You think it's going to work, and you have to work on it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're definitely challenging the future, and your past years have been full. Has there been a time that you can remember that was probably the most challenging milestone that you had to deal with before you could move on to the next step?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.069090907698529, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I don't know. That's a hard—actually, that's a sentence, not a question."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right. Is the technology changing, though, so quickly in this field that it's hard to predict or hard to plan for the future?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we know what the important problems are. I am not sure that we necessarily know how to solve them at this point. You have to look at a variety of approaches and hope that one will work and not be disappointed that the others don't. This is a very important thing. The other thing that it's important to realize is your own tendency to focus too narrowly, because in engineering you can have multiple solutions to the same design problem. They're all equally effective. So you have to make sure that you don't select yours just because it's yours. There is a little bit of \"not invented here\" feeling about that. I think, for the most part, we can define the problem areas broadly, and that's all you really need, that and I guess it's an act of faith, you know. You think it's going to work, and you have to work on it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're definitely challenging the future, and your past years have been full. Has there been a time that you can remember that was probably the most challenging milestone that you had to deal with before you could move on to the next step?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think it's possible—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To find one?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.632323230776143, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we know what the important problems are. I am not sure that we necessarily know how to solve them at this point. You have to look at a variety of approaches and hope that one will work and not be disappointed that the others don't. This is a very important thing. The other thing that it's important to realize is your own tendency to focus too narrowly, because in engineering you can have multiple solutions to the same design problem. They're all equally effective. So you have to make sure that you don't select yours just because it's yours. There is a little bit of \"not invented here\" feeling about that. I think, for the most part, we can define the problem areas broadly, and that's all you really need, that and I guess it's an act of faith, you know. You think it's going to work, and you have to work on it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're definitely challenging the future, and your past years have been full. Has there been a time that you can remember that was probably the most challenging milestone that you had to deal with before you could move on to the next step?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think it's possible—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To find one?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "—to define it in those terms."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is it also difficult for you to find the most significant one that you might have accomplished, or is there something that you feel very glad you were able to participate in?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 16.258136923084603, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't think it's possible—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "To find one?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "—to define it in those terms."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is it also difficult for you to find the most significant one that you might have accomplished, or is there something that you feel very glad you were able to participate in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The answer, I think, is it's hard to grade your own paper, and it's hard to know what you've done that twenty-five years from now will turn out to be important. Often what people think is important in the short term turns out to be unimportant in the long term, and often the thing since you don't think much about it in the short term leads somebody to think about something else, and so it's sort of suddenly your technical grandson or great-grandson, or at least the technical idea that's traced back like that, turns out to be very important.\\n\\n I suppose from the public's standpoint, the investigation of the Challenger accident was probably something that was very interesting and probably turned out to save some lives in the long run. I don't know. It's a hard question to ask. It's actually an easy question to ask.\\n\\n I think that the other thing is that there are people with different personalities will react to these things, these kind of questions, differently, I think. Some people are more lacking in humility than others and they're inclined to put their own efforts in a somewhat inflated package, and others are less likely to do so, perhaps because they're aware of the frailties of human nature. I can't answer that any further. I'm not a philosopher either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You've worked with so many people through all these years. Those that you met, were there some that you remember of having such a significant impact on how you thought or helped formulate what you thought later?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 8, "return_to_go": 15.924610460424633, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right. But I think that whenever you work with people, you learn something from them, even from the students. So I would prefer not to name any specific names, but I want you to understand I am beholden to probably thousands of people who helped teach me things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All those students that you have and had, were they aware of all your involvement in all these different areas when they'd take your classes?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Some were and some weren't. I tried to arrange things so I never missed a class. However, I often would arrange things so that I would be out of town while they had the examination. Once in a while you couldn't do that. Of course, when I was department head during Challenger investigation, I decided I couldn't teach anyway. It takes me too long to write lectures. So at that time I was not teaching at all anyway, so it didn't make any difference. I had good people working for me in the department, so I could wander off and they probably would never miss me until a signature was needed or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Sometimes an important signature."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Possibly, yes. Payrolls are important."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That's what I was thinking of, yes. [Laughter] So many firsts have happened in the space industry while you have been alive, and so many of those you've touched one way or the other, especially in those last twenty, thirty years.\n\nWhen you first started, did you have any idea that the short time you were going to spend at MIT would develop into this long career with those—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.870521893586602, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. At the time I was working as a designer, and I figured that supersonic flight was going to be important, that I'd come here for a year or so and learn something about supersonic flight, then go back and be a designer and see what happened, but it didn't work out that way. It's been very interesting. One of the things, of course, is that the young people are interested in new things, so that you can't help but be forced to think about new things in a much more continuous way than if you didn't have students around. They help keep your mind open about things. So that's a great plus for being in the university environment.\\n\\n As far as—well, I've seen some very interesting—I don't know. In the question you ask, one of the early wind tunnel tests I did was associated, when I first came to MIT, was with McDonnell Company-sponsored twin jet airplane, and then later on that turned out to be the F-4 [Phantom], which was one of the most—I think more of those have been built than any other fighter plane in the world, probably, around 5,000 or more. So it's kind of interesting to see that. It's always fun to see something you've worked on fly. I don't care whether it's a Space Shuttle or the Apollo or the B-1 [Lancer] or the B-2 [Spirit] or the F-15 [Eagle], it's always fun. You say, \"You know, I've got a thumbprint on that.\" But I think if you haven't done it, you can't appreciate it, I suppose. Maybe you can. It's hard to know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In all those travels, were you able to go to the launches to see?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have been to launches, yes. I can arrange that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I haven't been to one recently. I was at the first Space Shuttle launch, then the second."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been a special thrill for you to see those engines."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 12.07835765954067, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have been to launches, yes. I can arrange that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I haven't been to one recently. I was at the first Space Shuttle launch, then the second."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It must have been a special thrill for you to see those engines."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think in one sense it was more of a relief, because you sit around the table and Lovelace would say, \"Is it safe to go?\" And you'd say, \"Yes, let's go.\" Then you thought about all the things that go wrong, and hope that none of them do. So it's exciting, but also it's a little bit of a relief. I mean, there are people in there, after all. That goes with the territory."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was from the first time you saw a Shuttle launch to the first time that you saw—or the only time when you watched Sputnik that night, so much had happened in between that time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.264376862582944, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. I think so. Maybe we accomplished something; we don't know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask Carol if she had any questions for you.\n\nI do. I have a few."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's a—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is mostly notes. Going back—and my questions will probably jump around a little bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's all right. I jumped around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Going back, you mentioned that you worked on an essay tied in with the Vanguard."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:100", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.437502299485114, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's all right. I jumped around."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Going back, you mentioned that you worked on an essay tied in with the Vanguard."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What was your essay specifically about, if you remember details of that?\n\nIt seemed to me it was something relatively elementary. I think that what I was doing was comparing the energy that something had in orbit, when you work it against gravity, to the energy that if you dug a hole straight down to the center of the earth, would you accumulate the same amount of energy going inward, falling, as you had to put into it to get out, to get into orbit. Something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was worth a television set."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:102", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.708335888316794, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What was your essay specifically about, if you remember details of that?\n\nIt seemed to me it was something relatively elementary. I think that what I was doing was comparing the energy that something had in orbit, when you work it against gravity, to the energy that if you dug a hole straight down to the center of the earth, would you accumulate the same amount of energy going inward, falling, as you had to put into it to get out, to get into orbit. Something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was worth a television set."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was worth a television set."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You talked about your work on the Space Shuttle main engines and that it was a relief to see them go up and that everything was okay. Were you involved at all when there was the one flight that ended up having the abort to orbit after some problems?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:104", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.120373209240883, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, yes. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was worth a television set."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was worth a television set."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You talked about your work on the Space Shuttle main engines and that it was a relief to see them go up and that everything was okay. Were you involved at all when there was the one flight that ended up having the abort to orbit after some problems?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was involved in the investigation after that, yes. That was a gutsy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had that been something that in your early studies on the main engines that you had looked at? When you then looked at the problem after the flight, did you—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:108", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.432559517581335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was involved in the investigation after that, yes. That was a gutsy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had that been something that in your early studies on the main engines that you had looked at? When you then looked at the problem after the flight, did you—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you sort of try to think about all these things. The real problems you have are not the problems you anticipate. The real problems you have are something dumb that you don't anticipate, that leaps up and bites you in the arm or someplace. So we worried about these various things. If I recall correctly, that was a decision was whether a sensor was working correctly or not. That was the basis of this. The reason that finally the controller on the ground decided, based on several other pieces of information, that it was possibly the sensor and therefore let's go for it, as opposed to the fact that if all the other information had been negative, why, then they would have had to not do that. But most of these things you work out.\\n\\n The other thing you have to do is, you have to practice all kinds of terrorizing situations, shall I say, and the reason you have to practice all these things is not so much that the ones you're practicing will come up, they may, but it's the idea of problem-solving on the fly. Don't be paralyzed by these things. So that's a very important thing, is to have these rehearsals and these rehearsals and have somebody intentionally screw something up. Then you have to work your way through it. So sooner or later, somebody has to make a decision that is a difficult one to make, but if you had enough practice at this, at least you understand the risks that are involved, and you have a lot of help from a lot of people, some of which is real help and some of which is not much help at all. But the practicing is important. I don't know if that's clear or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think it's proved out in the flights, in that most of them have been so successful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Practice pays off."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:114", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 11, "return_to_go": 23.91297601863009, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think so. In fact, that's one of the reasons it's so expensive, because you have all these people. The question is, how can you do this without all these people? Of course, the computer wizards say that's easy; you just have a computer. If you have a computer at home, you're not sure it's that easy after all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, the computer's only as smart as the person who tells it—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And therefore, but only as smart as the person who tells it really is and not as smart as they think they are. In my experience, the computer is great as long as everything is going just exactly the way—you checked in to come in here on the airline and everything was fine. But there have been times you got on an airplane to go somewhere and things weren't fine. Then things really screwed up. That's the difficultly with the smart person making the codes. They've got to anticipate some of these other things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And they don't always do it well. Grumble, grumble. What's your next question, Carol?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned hearing about the Challenger accident and then going up and watching it on television. But when were you actually invited to be on the commission? How did that come about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.6241620999999995, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I've done this on occasion, yes, whenever asked. I don't make a point of going down there and asking to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the most recent times, I guess, was '93, you spoke to a House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this an invitation as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was the outcome of the study that I was talking about, \"Aeronautics in the 21st Century.\" They invited me down there, so I went down and talked to them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how were your plans and your ideas received?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.2490689999999995, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was this an invitation as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was the outcome of the study that I was talking about, \"Aeronautics in the 21st Century.\" They invited me down there, so I went down and talked to them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how were your plans and your ideas received?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that, by and large, they were receptive. As I said, Mr. Goldin was receptive. The aeronautics budget was increased as a consequence of that, so you can't knock that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. They may be inviting you more often. Or maybe you'll be suggested to go down and talk more often, anyway."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.943409999999999, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was the outcome of the study that I was talking about, \"Aeronautics in the 21st Century.\" They invited me down there, so I went down and talked to them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how were your plans and your ideas received?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that, by and large, they were receptive. As I said, Mr. Goldin was receptive. The aeronautics budget was increased as a consequence of that, so you can't knock that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. They may be inviting you more often. Or maybe you'll be suggested to go down and talk more often, anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If they do, they do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your work here is officially—you're officially retired, but, of course, you spend your time at MIT. Do you have lots of projects that you'll be working on in the future or do you just take them as they come?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.714899999999999, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that, by and large, they were receptive. As I said, Mr. Goldin was receptive. The aeronautics budget was increased as a consequence of that, so you can't knock that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No. They may be inviting you more often. Or maybe you'll be suggested to go down and talk more often, anyway."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If they do, they do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your work here is officially—you're officially retired, but, of course, you spend your time at MIT. Do you have lots of projects that you'll be working on in the future or do you just take them as they come?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I have one doctoral student that I am still working with closely, and then I am in charge of the wind tunnel. You can look out the window and see that rusting thing over there. And I'm in charge of that. So we get a number of interesting things to do that are related to that. My experience—let me put it this way. I've often encountered people who said, \"Gee, I've never been so busy in my life since I retired.\" I don't know whether that's true or not, but I know in my own case I'm slower now, I make more mistakes, it takes longer to do things right. So it just seems like I'm busier, actually. I don't know that I am or not. I probably am not, actually, but it seems that way. That's probably the natural way that it is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So much of what you've been able to accomplish seemed to result from so many talents that meshed together—your teaching skills and your research skills, your advisory talents. Was there one area more than others that you enjoyed doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00118:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 9, "return_to_go": 9.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's important in engineering design, it's important in space, it's important in life. So, okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We certainly thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you'd like to add before we close?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but I'll think of it at two o'clock in the morning and I'll call you up."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You do that. You do that, and we'll turn the recorder on if we can find it. [Laughter] We thank you again."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You're quite welcome. I hope you find it helpful or interesting or whatever—"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All the above.\\n\\n ["}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 29.50193346786402, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s M-A-R-Y middle name: L-Y-N-N last name: R-I-T-Z-E-N-T-H-A-L-E-R. And I’m the chief of the conservation lab at the National Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, well, first, congratulations on your retirement next week."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm so happy to be able to get this in before you left. We’re going to start with some general questions and we’ll ease into your National Archives career. But first can you give me a little brief bio—where were you born, where did you go to school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ok, I grew up in Michigan, near Detroit, and I went to Michigan State University, Wayne State University and at Wayne State, I got a degree in Library Science as well as a specialty in Archives Administration. I moved to Chicago and worked in the manuscript department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, which is where I really got my interest in conservation and bookbinding. I studied for over 12 years with a local well-known binder, Bill Anthony, who came to Chicago from Ireland and studied with him for quite a long time. And then I went to the Society of American Archivists, where I ran a couple of NEH-funded programs, one on conservation of archival materials. And the next project was on caring for photographic materials. So, that included workshops and doing site visits and assessments and developing a couple of manuals that were published. And then I came to the National Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you explain how you got your job at the National Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 26.1132594087378, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I'm so happy to be able to get this in before you left. We’re going to start with some general questions and we’ll ease into your National Archives career. But first can you give me a little brief bio—where were you born, where did you go to school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ok, I grew up in Michigan, near Detroit, and I went to Michigan State University, Wayne State University and at Wayne State, I got a degree in Library Science as well as a specialty in Archives Administration. I moved to Chicago and worked in the manuscript department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, which is where I really got my interest in conservation and bookbinding. I studied for over 12 years with a local well-known binder, Bill Anthony, who came to Chicago from Ireland and studied with him for quite a long time. And then I went to the Society of American Archivists, where I ran a couple of NEH-funded programs, one on conservation of archival materials. And the next project was on caring for photographic materials. So, that included workshops and doing site visits and assessments and developing a couple of manuals that were published. And then I came to the National Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you explain how you got your job at the National Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was an opening of the lab and given the work that I had been doing for a number of years and my focus on book conservation and the training that I had done, it seemed like a natural and like a wonderful place to come. I contacted all the people who were currently working in the lab and in preservation, Ken Harris and Norvell Jones. I was interviewed by Norvell at an American Institute for Conservation meeting that I think was in L.A. and we really hit it off. And then I came to Washington for my interview and here I was for a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was 1985."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 23.459177120819778, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Ok, I grew up in Michigan, near Detroit, and I went to Michigan State University, Wayne State University and at Wayne State, I got a degree in Library Science as well as a specialty in Archives Administration. I moved to Chicago and worked in the manuscript department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, which is where I really got my interest in conservation and bookbinding. I studied for over 12 years with a local well-known binder, Bill Anthony, who came to Chicago from Ireland and studied with him for quite a long time. And then I went to the Society of American Archivists, where I ran a couple of NEH-funded programs, one on conservation of archival materials. And the next project was on caring for photographic materials. So, that included workshops and doing site visits and assessments and developing a couple of manuals that were published. And then I came to the National Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you explain how you got your job at the National Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was an opening of the lab and given the work that I had been doing for a number of years and my focus on book conservation and the training that I had done, it seemed like a natural and like a wonderful place to come. I contacted all the people who were currently working in the lab and in preservation, Ken Harris and Norvell Jones. I was interviewed by Norvell at an American Institute for Conservation meeting that I think was in L.A. and we really hit it off. And then I came to Washington for my interview and here I was for a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was 1985."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I started in January of 1985. Right. That was Reagan's second term and there was a lot of concern about job freezes. And so I was basically brought in and signed in and sworn in and spent a week here and then went back to Chicago for about a month so I could pack and make arrangements to move."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You started right around the time that the National Archives was gaining independence from GSA. What was the atmosphere like around here?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.732419023133087, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there was an opening of the lab and given the work that I had been doing for a number of years and my focus on book conservation and the training that I had done, it seemed like a natural and like a wonderful place to come. I contacted all the people who were currently working in the lab and in preservation, Ken Harris and Norvell Jones. I was interviewed by Norvell at an American Institute for Conservation meeting that I think was in L.A. and we really hit it off. And then I came to Washington for my interview and here I was for a long time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And this was 1985."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I started in January of 1985. Right. That was Reagan's second term and there was a lot of concern about job freezes. And so I was basically brought in and signed in and sworn in and spent a week here and then went back to Chicago for about a month so I could pack and make arrangements to move."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You started right around the time that the National Archives was gaining independence from GSA. What was the atmosphere like around here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was an exciting time and people were really happy. And I wasn't here for all of the years of people working towards it. But it certainly was a wonderful thing. And to have an agency that was independent and focused on the mission and goals of the archives and not part of another organization that had many other responsibilities, I think people were excited. Bob Warner was the Archivist and it just was a pretty exciting time. I still like to see that one photograph out of the steps on the Constitution Avenue side of the staff, the massive numbers of people representing freedom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you in that photo?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 25.25824335903676, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I started in January of 1985. Right. That was Reagan's second term and there was a lot of concern about job freezes. And so I was basically brought in and signed in and sworn in and spent a week here and then went back to Chicago for about a month so I could pack and make arrangements to move."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You started right around the time that the National Archives was gaining independence from GSA. What was the atmosphere like around here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was an exciting time and people were really happy. And I wasn't here for all of the years of people working towards it. But it certainly was a wonderful thing. And to have an agency that was independent and focused on the mission and goals of the archives and not part of another organization that had many other responsibilities, I think people were excited. Bob Warner was the Archivist and it just was a pretty exciting time. I still like to see that one photograph out of the steps on the Constitution Avenue side of the staff, the massive numbers of people representing freedom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you in that photo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your job like when you first began at the National Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 26.95360373226307, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it was an exciting time and people were really happy. And I wasn't here for all of the years of people working towards it. But it certainly was a wonderful thing. And to have an agency that was independent and focused on the mission and goals of the archives and not part of another organization that had many other responsibilities, I think people were excited. Bob Warner was the Archivist and it just was a pretty exciting time. I still like to see that one photograph out of the steps on the Constitution Avenue side of the staff, the massive numbers of people representing freedom."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you in that photo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your job like when you first began at the National Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My job was as a senior conservator, so I did some treatment on paper-based materials as well as bond records. But since I had done so much training through the SAA job, I also began to establish a lot of basic training programs for archival staff and technicians in terms of records handling. We started to get into a more formal approach to holding’s maintenance. So, developing that part of the program and doing training all became part of what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how has your job changed over the years? I guess you've been here over thirty years, so yes, I'm sure it's changed quite a bit."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 26.615115258070077, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yeah. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was your job like when you first began at the National Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My job was as a senior conservator, so I did some treatment on paper-based materials as well as bond records. But since I had done so much training through the SAA job, I also began to establish a lot of basic training programs for archival staff and technicians in terms of records handling. We started to get into a more formal approach to holding’s maintenance. So, developing that part of the program and doing training all became part of what was going on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And how has your job changed over the years? I guess you've been here over thirty years, so yes, I'm sure it's changed quite a bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "After being hired as a senior conservator, I was promoted to supervisory conservator and then in 2002 I was promoted to chief of conservation. So, over the years my responsibilities got progressively greater and I certainly gained more knowledge and experience. As you know, working here is a lifetime of learning just in terms of the records and the people and the programs. So, a lot of things you kind of had to learn as he went because it hadn't been done before. I came to the Archives also at a time when the conservation lab was really expanding. Norvell was the second conservator that had been hired. The very first one was a man named Timothy Vitale. So, I was amongst the very few conservators that were brought on and then that just expanded over the years. So the lab was growing, the preservation program was growing, and everybody was really excited. It was a great place to be."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were here during the move to College Park and you yourself moved. Can you talk a little bit about what it was like working downtown versus working in College Park?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.58910475282373, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It looks amazing. Yeah, that really does."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you little about the history of the Constitution, but also the Bill of Rights which doesn't look quite as good as the Constitution. And can you talk about any knowledge you have about the history of that document and why it's not quite as crisp as the Constitution?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I don't know when the Bill of Rights came to NARA"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "1938."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. OK, OK. And who had it before then?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The State Department. I think it was in a bound volume."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 15.171734262745344, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. OK, OK. And who had it before then?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The State Department. I think it was in a bound volume."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK, so it's probably one of those really big GPO bindings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, it was really protected, probably not accessed and handled. The skin of the Bill of Rights doesn't seem like the very best quality and there is some modeling on the surface that you can see kind of little, not spatters, but little orangey areas. We don't know what that is; we were never able to figure that out. But I think the quality of the skin is probably not as good. The Constitution looks really great. It was, you know, in the custody of the Department of State, transferred, I think that it was in 1921, to the Library of Congress. So, the Constitution and Declaration were both exhibited at the library. And I think the conditions of the library really led them to start talking to NBS about doing something, just because of the really major changes in our age that would happen kind of seasonally. That had a big impact on the Declaration and the tear in the upper right corner. There were insects that were feeding on the Constitution. Luckily, the insects didn't get to the Declaration. But, you know, some of the bad things that happened were really under the care of the Library of Congress, so we always have to be kind of careful of not maligning one of our sister institutions. But, you know, then they started the discussions to figure out what they could do to improve conditions and started those conversations before World War II. And then the war interrupted everything and the documents were removed to Fort Knox. And there had been an examination by a conservator, George Stout, at the library before they went to Fort Knox. And then while they were in residence there, the Declaration was treated and they repaired that corner that had torn because of the skin and the changing RH. And then they were encased after the war."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I saw that the Declaration was on display at the Jefferson Memorial during the anniversary. Was that outside? [Laughter]"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.857482514161493, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK, so it's probably one of those really big GPO bindings."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, it was really protected, probably not accessed and handled. The skin of the Bill of Rights doesn't seem like the very best quality and there is some modeling on the surface that you can see kind of little, not spatters, but little orangey areas. We don't know what that is; we were never able to figure that out. But I think the quality of the skin is probably not as good. The Constitution looks really great. It was, you know, in the custody of the Department of State, transferred, I think that it was in 1921, to the Library of Congress. So, the Constitution and Declaration were both exhibited at the library. And I think the conditions of the library really led them to start talking to NBS about doing something, just because of the really major changes in our age that would happen kind of seasonally. That had a big impact on the Declaration and the tear in the upper right corner. There were insects that were feeding on the Constitution. Luckily, the insects didn't get to the Declaration. But, you know, some of the bad things that happened were really under the care of the Library of Congress, so we always have to be kind of careful of not maligning one of our sister institutions. But, you know, then they started the discussions to figure out what they could do to improve conditions and started those conversations before World War II. And then the war interrupted everything and the documents were removed to Fort Knox. And there had been an examination by a conservator, George Stout, at the library before they went to Fort Knox. And then while they were in residence there, the Declaration was treated and they repaired that corner that had torn because of the skin and the changing RH. And then they were encased after the war."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I saw that the Declaration was on display at the Jefferson Memorial during the anniversary. Was that outside? [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was before they were sealed."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 18.730536126846104, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "So, it was really protected, probably not accessed and handled. The skin of the Bill of Rights doesn't seem like the very best quality and there is some modeling on the surface that you can see kind of little, not spatters, but little orangey areas. We don't know what that is; we were never able to figure that out. But I think the quality of the skin is probably not as good. The Constitution looks really great. It was, you know, in the custody of the Department of State, transferred, I think that it was in 1921, to the Library of Congress. So, the Constitution and Declaration were both exhibited at the library. And I think the conditions of the library really led them to start talking to NBS about doing something, just because of the really major changes in our age that would happen kind of seasonally. That had a big impact on the Declaration and the tear in the upper right corner. There were insects that were feeding on the Constitution. Luckily, the insects didn't get to the Declaration. But, you know, some of the bad things that happened were really under the care of the Library of Congress, so we always have to be kind of careful of not maligning one of our sister institutions. But, you know, then they started the discussions to figure out what they could do to improve conditions and started those conversations before World War II. And then the war interrupted everything and the documents were removed to Fort Knox. And there had been an examination by a conservator, George Stout, at the library before they went to Fort Knox. And then while they were in residence there, the Declaration was treated and they repaired that corner that had torn because of the skin and the changing RH. And then they were encased after the war."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I saw that the Declaration was on display at the Jefferson Memorial during the anniversary. Was that outside? [Laughter]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was before they were sealed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can't imagine that."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 20.811706807606782, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I think it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And that was before they were sealed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can't imagine that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, things have changed so much in terms of people's understanding."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I know it's hard to speculate, but could you speculate how long these documents could last? I know you said earlier they'll be in this case for 100 years and I’m sure new technology will come along."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 19.790785341785313, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can't imagine that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, things have changed so much in terms of people's understanding."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I know it's hard to speculate, but could you speculate how long these documents could last? I know you said earlier they'll be in this case for 100 years and I’m sure new technology will come along."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Theoretically, I mean, and that's kind of extrapolating the numbers that were achieved when the seal was made. I think the seal could last many, many decades. You know, things keep changing in terms of knowledge and new technology. We do look at the documents and the encasements quarterly, so we observe any changes that are taking place, any shifting. The other thing that's going on is we have been working with a man who had been involved at NIST, Charles Tilford, who I think he's a physicist, but he's retired now. But he also worked with the Library of Congress on their encasements and has developed technology to create an oxygen sensor so we can use a probe and figure out what the interior conditions of the encasement are. So, we're just getting started on that and we'll start with the transmittal page. And so I think readings over time will help to determine whether or not there needs to be some kind of intervention."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you said the entire Rotunda was renovated. So did you have a role in the renovation and the restoration of the Faulkner murals?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 19.767539268650346, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I mean, things have changed so much in terms of people's understanding."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I know it's hard to speculate, but could you speculate how long these documents could last? I know you said earlier they'll be in this case for 100 years and I’m sure new technology will come along."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Theoretically, I mean, and that's kind of extrapolating the numbers that were achieved when the seal was made. I think the seal could last many, many decades. You know, things keep changing in terms of knowledge and new technology. We do look at the documents and the encasements quarterly, so we observe any changes that are taking place, any shifting. The other thing that's going on is we have been working with a man who had been involved at NIST, Charles Tilford, who I think he's a physicist, but he's retired now. But he also worked with the Library of Congress on their encasements and has developed technology to create an oxygen sensor so we can use a probe and figure out what the interior conditions of the encasement are. So, we're just getting started on that and we'll start with the transmittal page. And so I think readings over time will help to determine whether or not there needs to be some kind of intervention."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you said the entire Rotunda was renovated. So did you have a role in the renovation and the restoration of the Faulkner murals?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kitty Nicholson was the lead, the contact for the firm that did the conservation. Olin Conservation did that treatment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve been trying to bug her."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.852821409611494, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Theoretically, I mean, and that's kind of extrapolating the numbers that were achieved when the seal was made. I think the seal could last many, many decades. You know, things keep changing in terms of knowledge and new technology. We do look at the documents and the encasements quarterly, so we observe any changes that are taking place, any shifting. The other thing that's going on is we have been working with a man who had been involved at NIST, Charles Tilford, who I think he's a physicist, but he's retired now. But he also worked with the Library of Congress on their encasements and has developed technology to create an oxygen sensor so we can use a probe and figure out what the interior conditions of the encasement are. So, we're just getting started on that and we'll start with the transmittal page. And so I think readings over time will help to determine whether or not there needs to be some kind of intervention."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you said the entire Rotunda was renovated. So did you have a role in the renovation and the restoration of the Faulkner murals?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kitty Nicholson was the lead, the contact for the firm that did the conservation. Olin Conservation did that treatment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve been trying to bug her."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I will give you her home email address so you can reach her. But we have a lot of documentation on that project. And that was also a pretty amazing project. There are lots of photographs, slides, actually, but even taking the murals off of the walls was just an amazing feat given their size. And so, you know, the AI renovation team helped to get that contract going. But Kitty was the conservation liaison and they really worked closely with her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I’ll try to contact her again,"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:51", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 14, "return_to_go": 23.16980156623499, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kitty Nicholson was the lead, the contact for the firm that did the conservation. Olin Conservation did that treatment."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve been trying to bug her."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I will give you her home email address so you can reach her. But we have a lot of documentation on that project. And that was also a pretty amazing project. There are lots of photographs, slides, actually, but even taking the murals off of the walls was just an amazing feat given their size. And so, you know, the AI renovation team helped to get that contract going. But Kitty was the conservation liaison and they really worked closely with her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I’ll try to contact her again,"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, that would be cool."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not Charters related but can you tell me about the work you did in Baghdad with the Iraqi Jewish Archives and how that came about?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.025806375938232, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, there have been a lot of different Archivists. I remember some key things, I guess, about different Archivists. I remember Bob Warner was always very enthusiastic about the work of the Archives. And I think he made a point of coming around and just interacting with staff, including staff in the labs. So, that was always a pleasure. He seemed really interested in the work that was going on. I'm sure not just the conservation work, but the archival work as well. Since I grew up in Michigan and he was from Michigan, there was also this little kind of kismet thing going on, I'm sure as well. Frank Burke was just an Acting Archivist. He wasn't an official Archivist, but I remember him as just really being an amazing presence and being a great spokesperson for the National Archives. And again, just interested in everything that was going on. I remember John Carlin because he was the Archivist under whom we went to Baghdad and I guess he had to sign off on that [laughter], and he was also very supportive with the Charters project. And, one of the nice things about David Ferriero is that he has a long history of being actively involved and interested in conservation. So, it always makes you feel good when the person at the top of the agency is supportive and interested."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you talk about any particular challenges you have faced over the course of your career?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hmm. Oh, gosh. I mean, we all have our ups and downs. I'm not really thinking of any great negative challenges. I feel like I've always been given a lot of support and a lot of opportunities. The staff has been great. I'm really going to miss the place and the people and the records."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask what you were going to miss most? Sounds like all of it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there's another aspect for me, and that's I met my husband at the National Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask that because you're one of the many Archives couples!"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:65", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.695340417709146, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hmm. Oh, gosh. I mean, we all have our ups and downs. I'm not really thinking of any great negative challenges. I feel like I've always been given a lot of support and a lot of opportunities. The staff has been great. I'm really going to miss the place and the people and the records."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask what you were going to miss most? Sounds like all of it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there's another aspect for me, and that's I met my husband at the National Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask that because you're one of the many Archives couples!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's always kind of confusing when you don't share the same last name because people just don't know how you're connected. I would say one of the good things is that Greg Bradsher, my husband, and I have never actually worked too closely together. And I think that's probably a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you meet him here?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.4392671307879406, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, there's another aspect for me, and that's I met my husband at the National Archives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was going to ask that because you're one of the many Archives couples!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's always kind of confusing when you don't share the same last name because people just don't know how you're connected. I would say one of the good things is that Greg Bradsher, my husband, and I have never actually worked too closely together. And I think that's probably a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you meet him here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did that happen? Can you talk a little bit about that?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.265852367542156, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And it's always kind of confusing when you don't share the same last name because people just don't know how you're connected. I would say one of the good things is that Greg Bradsher, my husband, and I have never actually worked too closely together. And I think that's probably a good thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And did you meet him here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did that happen? Can you talk a little bit about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, it's hard to remember...oh, he was editing a book on managing archives. And he came and talked to Norvell Jones and me about writing a chapter on preservation and conservation. So, that was when I first knew that he existed and began to kind of interact with him a bit on that book project. So, the rest is history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you say he's not retiring?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.184280408380172, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did that happen? Can you talk a little bit about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, it's hard to remember...oh, he was editing a book on managing archives. And he came and talked to Norvell Jones and me about writing a chapter on preservation and conservation. So, that was when I first knew that he existed and began to kind of interact with him a bit on that book project. So, the rest is history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you say he's not retiring?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, he doesn't have any plans to retire."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You talked a little bit about some challenges that you went through. What do you think your biggest success would be here?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.204756009311302, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, it's hard to remember...oh, he was editing a book on managing archives. And he came and talked to Norvell Jones and me about writing a chapter on preservation and conservation. So, that was when I first knew that he existed and began to kind of interact with him a bit on that book project. So, the rest is history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you say he's not retiring?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, he doesn't have any plans to retire."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You talked a little bit about some challenges that you went through. What do you think your biggest success would be here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, gosh. I would say kind of a capstone in terms of my career is the ability to work on the Charters project. I mean, that's pretty amazing. Not that many conservators get to work on such fabulous documents. And the team of people that worked on that. I mean, I learned a lot. I was given a lot of trust, and that's always a pleasure to do so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you think that you will have a career post Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:75", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.338617788123669, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, he doesn't have any plans to retire."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You talked a little bit about some challenges that you went through. What do you think your biggest success would be here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, gosh. I would say kind of a capstone in terms of my career is the ability to work on the Charters project. I mean, that's pretty amazing. Not that many conservators get to work on such fabulous documents. And the team of people that worked on that. I mean, I learned a lot. I was given a lot of trust, and that's always a pleasure to do so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you think that you will have a career post Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have so many things I'm interested in. I do a lot of dog rescue work and we have three dogs at home, so that could expand. That's one thing. I love to write. I like writing. And so I've got some projects that I might start to think about a little bit. There's always the possibility that I could do some private conservation work, but for a little while I want to just kind of figure things out and lie low and see what happens next."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, you did mention that you worked for the SAA. I just want to ask a little bit about your relationship with SAA and your work with them. Did you continue to work with them after you joined the National Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:77", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.598464209026298, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, gosh. I would say kind of a capstone in terms of my career is the ability to work on the Charters project. I mean, that's pretty amazing. Not that many conservators get to work on such fabulous documents. And the team of people that worked on that. I mean, I learned a lot. I was given a lot of trust, and that's always a pleasure to do so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And do you think that you will have a career post Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have so many things I'm interested in. I do a lot of dog rescue work and we have three dogs at home, so that could expand. That's one thing. I love to write. I like writing. And so I've got some projects that I might start to think about a little bit. There's always the possibility that I could do some private conservation work, but for a little while I want to just kind of figure things out and lie low and see what happens next."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, you did mention that you worked for the SAA. I just want to ask a little bit about your relationship with SAA and your work with them. Did you continue to work with them after you joined the National Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, when I came to the Archives, I had completed my tenure as director of two NEH funded projects, and each of those had a book as part of the product that was completed. So, since I came to the Archives and I had authored those publications, I was given permission on my own time to do the revisions. So, the conservation book has gone through three and the managing photo collections has gone through a couple of revisions. So, at this point those projects are done. And I don't think that I will continue doing anything for SAA. But that was nice, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And can you talk a little bit about the publications that you have?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:79", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.887182454473665, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I have so many things I'm interested in. I do a lot of dog rescue work and we have three dogs at home, so that could expand. That's one thing. I love to write. I like writing. And so I've got some projects that I might start to think about a little bit. There's always the possibility that I could do some private conservation work, but for a little while I want to just kind of figure things out and lie low and see what happens next."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "OK, you did mention that you worked for the SAA. I just want to ask a little bit about your relationship with SAA and your work with them. Did you continue to work with them after you joined the National Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, when I came to the Archives, I had completed my tenure as director of two NEH funded projects, and each of those had a book as part of the product that was completed. So, since I came to the Archives and I had authored those publications, I was given permission on my own time to do the revisions. So, the conservation book has gone through three and the managing photo collections has gone through a couple of revisions. So, at this point those projects are done. And I don't think that I will continue doing anything for SAA. But that was nice, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And can you talk a little bit about the publications that you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The two books are probably the biggest things. One is Preserving Archives and Manuscripts, I’m muddling up the titles. You have my resume."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I do. Do you want to consult it?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:81", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 14.31909161608185, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, well, when I came to the Archives, I had completed my tenure as director of two NEH funded projects, and each of those had a book as part of the product that was completed. So, since I came to the Archives and I had authored those publications, I was given permission on my own time to do the revisions. So, the conservation book has gone through three and the managing photo collections has gone through a couple of revisions. So, at this point those projects are done. And I don't think that I will continue doing anything for SAA. But that was nice, too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And can you talk a little bit about the publications that you have?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The two books are probably the biggest things. One is Preserving Archives and Manuscripts, I’m muddling up the titles. You have my resume."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I do. Do you want to consult it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "What does it say? All these names kind of run together?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I can imagine. Preserving archives and Manuscripts."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.243435128979835, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The two books are probably the biggest things. One is Preserving Archives and Manuscripts, I’m muddling up the titles. You have my resume."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I do. Do you want to consult it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "What does it say? All these names kind of run together?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I can imagine. Preserving archives and Manuscripts."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was the first book, the first NEH project, and I was the solo author for that. And that was revised in 1993, I think. And then in 2006? Maybe 2010? Something like that. Yeah. And then the photo book, the first set of co-authors that I worked with Gerry Munoff and Margery Long, and then it was basically redone with Diane Vogt-o'connor and some other authors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you able to work on those publications alongside your official duties at the Archives?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.27048347664426, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What does it say? All these names kind of run together?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I can imagine. Preserving archives and Manuscripts."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was the first book, the first NEH project, and I was the solo author for that. And that was revised in 1993, I think. And then in 2006? Maybe 2010? Something like that. Yeah. And then the photo book, the first set of co-authors that I worked with Gerry Munoff and Margery Long, and then it was basically redone with Diane Vogt-o'connor and some other authors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you able to work on those publications alongside your official duties at the Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did them as a separate project. So, I had to go through the process of getting permission to do that outside work. And I don't know how I did it because it was crazy. You know, tight deadlines and a busy job. So, it was hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that you don't work on the bench any longer. Do you miss handling documents?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.411648307382512, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was the first book, the first NEH project, and I was the solo author for that. And that was revised in 1993, I think. And then in 2006? Maybe 2010? Something like that. Yeah. And then the photo book, the first set of co-authors that I worked with Gerry Munoff and Margery Long, and then it was basically redone with Diane Vogt-o'connor and some other authors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were you able to work on those publications alongside your official duties at the Archives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did them as a separate project. So, I had to go through the process of getting permission to do that outside work. And I don't know how I did it because it was crazy. You know, tight deadlines and a busy job. So, it was hard."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that you don't work on the bench any longer. Do you miss handling documents?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I do. But, you know, I'm still involved in discussing approaches and projects. And we're doing a lot to continue to support exhibition programs and loans, and also the great expansion of digitization initiatives. So, we're always thinking about new ways of doing things in ways that are efficient and fit for purpose, and are good for the records. So there's a lot of collaboration that covers those kinds of topics."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you know, the digitization effort is part of the strategic plan. A big focus for us. Do you think that Conservation is going to have a bigger role in having to digitize everything? How do you see Conservation's role in that?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.437887699, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you untouched during the various reorganizations that came with every Archivist, or were you basically thrown into a different unit? I know I'm asking you to reach very far back into your memory, since 1985. But can you talk a little bit about how things have changed with regard to the various transformations you've been through?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "You know, the lab pretty much stayed the same. I mean, I think our reporting maybe changed over the years, but we were always part of—at least while I was here—part of what was a major holdings unit, NN, NW, R, so as the archival side of those offices changed, I think our relationships probably changed a little bit with the archival units in terms of what they were part of and, you know, who they were evolving with. So, I don't know that they ultimately had that big of a change or impact on us other than there are big, big shifts in terms of different times when overall priorities are altered for everybody and that affects what you're doing. So, I would say getting ready for the move was probably one of the big, big changes. We essentially stopped doing treatment for a couple of years to prepare records. Probably another big game changer is the emphasis on digitization and the fact that that's a really big driver and just juggling resources, making sure that you can meet those goals, get things to the camera in the timetable that they need. Meet exhibit and loan goals, meet the needs of people who come on site to work in the research rooms, and support processing. So, there are a lot of streams to work with."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You mentioned that the Conservation staff has grown over the years that you've been here. Do you feel like the staff is adequately staffed now or do you think that we can devote more resources?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think given the size of our holdings and some of the goals, there certainly could be more staff. We have been getting a lot of support in the last few years, so that's really great. We have two new conservators coming on in the summer. Actually, next week is the first one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just in time!"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 3.0097379, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think given the size of our holdings and some of the goals, there certainly could be more staff. We have been getting a lot of support in the last few years, so that's really great. We have two new conservators coming on in the summer. Actually, next week is the first one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just in time!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really! But, you know, there's always more that could be done. And we get pulled in a lot of other directions in terms of doing training, and tons and tons of tours, and things that make the Archives show well, which we want to do. But, you know, they are a drain from people working at the bench and working with records. We also do a lot of custom housing for units across NARA. So, dealing with archival stuff all over what they're boxing needs are and shipping out boxes, box blanks that are made."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, I know you want to catch the shuttle, so I'm just going to ask if there's anything you want to add before we wrap up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it's really fabulous that you're doing this oral history project. And I hope that you get a lot of my buddies that have really also played key roles in the work that the Archives has done over the years. There's no other place like it. It's pretty amazing. When I first came to the Archives my mom was so excited. So, that's kind of a nice little link to my past."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you have lived history. You were, as we mentioned this morning, the last person to touch the Declaration."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.24659, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think it's really fabulous that you're doing this oral history project. And I hope that you get a lot of my buddies that have really also played key roles in the work that the Archives has done over the years. There's no other place like it. It's pretty amazing. When I first came to the Archives my mom was so excited. So, that's kind of a nice little link to my past."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, you have lived history. You were, as we mentioned this morning, the last person to touch the Declaration."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Kitty Nicholson and I, I don't know, you know, we didn't time it, but the two of us were the last two people to actually handle it. So, yeah. And before that it had been the 1940s, 1942."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Pretty exciting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is an honor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Probably the crowning moment. Yes, it's always impressive to be at the National Archives and be able to say, oh, I've touched a Jefferson message. Right?"}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.3851, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, Kitty Nicholson and I, I don't know, you know, we didn't time it, but the two of us were the last two people to actually handle it. So, yeah. And before that it had been the 1940s, 1942."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Pretty exciting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is an honor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Probably the crowning moment. Yes, it's always impressive to be at the National Archives and be able to say, oh, I've touched a Jefferson message. Right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you have touched some amazing things—all of the imaging that you were doing in the legislative vault. That made a really big difference. And you also have special insights into digitizing, and the time it takes and all of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I am very aware."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.539, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it is an honor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Probably the crowning moment. Yes, it's always impressive to be at the National Archives and be able to say, oh, I've touched a Jefferson message. Right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you have touched some amazing things—all of the imaging that you were doing in the legislative vault. That made a really big difference. And you also have special insights into digitizing, and the time it takes and all of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I am very aware."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Is that going on still?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I believe so. I'm not there anymore so I don't really know."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.71, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, you have touched some amazing things—all of the imaging that you were doing in the legislative vault. That made a really big difference. And you also have special insights into digitizing, and the time it takes and all of that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I am very aware."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Is that going on still?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I believe so. I'm not there anymore so I don't really know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I hope so too. I know that they are short-staffed."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Yeah. Is that going on still?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I believe so. I'm not there anymore so I don't really know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I hope so too. I know that they are short-staffed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know what time it is. Oh, you still have a few minutes but we can just wrap up."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I hope so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I hope so too. I know that they are short-staffed."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know what time it is. Oh, you still have a few minutes but we can just wrap up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK. OK. Well, if you think of anything else that you want to ask I will be around, or you can go through Greg, and you've got my home email."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Great! Thank you so much."}]}
{"block_id": "oral-history-at-the-national-archives-00034:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know what time it is. Oh, you still have a few minutes but we can just wrap up."}, {"role": "user", "content": "OK. OK. Well, if you think of anything else that you want to ask I will be around, or you can go through Greg, and you've got my home email."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Great! Thank you so much."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Thank you, Jessie."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can’t wait to see the piece that's coming out on Prologue about the Declaration."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:1", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 25.47599352423724, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. I was an undergraduate at Harvard studying history, but sort of creating my own major in Latin American studies. So my whole interest was surrounded in terms of getting back to Latin America, to be involved in Latin America one way or another. I'd spent two summers traveling about Latin America."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "While you were in college?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "While I was in college and discovering Brazil, which for me, I was. I really had only known Mexico and Guatemala before that. And then I took a tour around Latin America, went to Brazil for three days and just loved the place and ended up spending three weeks that particular first summer I went down, of '66. Summer of '67, I arranged for an internship with a Brazilian politician who was running for president at the time. So I spent three months with him as he was traveling around on his still undeclared unofficial campaign. His name was Carlos Lacerda, and he's a very, very well-known political figure in Brazil from those years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back up to where had the initial interest in Latin America come from?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, good question. I had been raised as a child in Mexico in the summers. My father is an anthropologist, and so most summers from when I was about age of 10 on, we would spend in Chiapas, Mexico, in the highlands, where he was doing a long term project studying the Mayan Indians there, the Tzotzil and Tzeltal Indians. And so as a kid, I was raised essentially in between the Indian villages and then in or the main town there, San Cristobal de la Casas. So when I got to college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let me again. Did you learn Spanish at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:3", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 21.639992804708044, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "While I was in college and discovering Brazil, which for me, I was. I really had only known Mexico and Guatemala before that. And then I took a tour around Latin America, went to Brazil for three days and just loved the place and ended up spending three weeks that particular first summer I went down, of '66. Summer of '67, I arranged for an internship with a Brazilian politician who was running for president at the time. So I spent three months with him as he was traveling around on his still undeclared unofficial campaign. His name was Carlos Lacerda, and he's a very, very well-known political figure in Brazil from those years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Back up to where had the initial interest in Latin America come from?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, good question. I had been raised as a child in Mexico in the summers. My father is an anthropologist, and so most summers from when I was about age of 10 on, we would spend in Chiapas, Mexico, in the highlands, where he was doing a long term project studying the Mayan Indians there, the Tzotzil and Tzeltal Indians. And so as a kid, I was raised essentially in between the Indian villages and then in or the main town there, San Cristobal de la Casas. So when I got to college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let me again. Did you learn Spanish at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I started learning Spanish when I was about six. It got fairly fluent by the time I was in high school because we were spending every summer in Mexico. And then while I was at Harvard before I went down, I guess it must have been after that first summer when I discovered Brazil. I'm trying remember exactly the case. Coming back, I started taking Portuguese, so I already spoke Portuguese by the summer of '67 when I went down to work for this Carlos Lacerda, the Brazilian politician."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. And that was just a summer internship?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:5", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 22.933325338564494, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, good question. I had been raised as a child in Mexico in the summers. My father is an anthropologist, and so most summers from when I was about age of 10 on, we would spend in Chiapas, Mexico, in the highlands, where he was doing a long term project studying the Mayan Indians there, the Tzotzil and Tzeltal Indians. And so as a kid, I was raised essentially in between the Indian villages and then in or the main town there, San Cristobal de la Casas. So when I got to college."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, let me again. Did you learn Spanish at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I started learning Spanish when I was about six. It got fairly fluent by the time I was in high school because we were spending every summer in Mexico. And then while I was at Harvard before I went down, I guess it must have been after that first summer when I discovered Brazil. I'm trying remember exactly the case. Coming back, I started taking Portuguese, so I already spoke Portuguese by the summer of '67 when I went down to work for this Carlos Lacerda, the Brazilian politician."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. And that was just a summer internship?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, just a summer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were still an undergraduate at Harvard."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 22.14813926507166, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. I started learning Spanish when I was about six. It got fairly fluent by the time I was in high school because we were spending every summer in Mexico. And then while I was at Harvard before I went down, I guess it must have been after that first summer when I discovered Brazil. I'm trying remember exactly the case. Coming back, I started taking Portuguese, so I already spoke Portuguese by the summer of '67 when I went down to work for this Carlos Lacerda, the Brazilian politician."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. And that was just a summer internship?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, just a summer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were still an undergraduate at Harvard."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And then my senior year was '67-'68. A wonderful year for the annals of student unrest and for all sorts of. I did everything that everyone was supposed to do at that age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, where had you grown up?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.83126585007962, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, just a summer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were still an undergraduate at Harvard."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And then my senior year was '67-'68. A wonderful year for the annals of student unrest and for all sorts of. I did everything that everyone was supposed to do at that age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, where had you grown up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My parents, as I say in the winters, would be in in the Boston area. My parents at that point lived, we had a home in Weston, Massachusetts, which is about 12 miles outside of Boston. And in summers in between southern Mexico and New Mexico, where my father is from. We have a family ranch, so we would spend time on the family ranch every summer as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any particular recollection starting in '61 and going forward of Kennedy?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 18.701406500088467, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. And then my senior year was '67-'68. A wonderful year for the annals of student unrest and for all sorts of. I did everything that everyone was supposed to do at that age."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok, where had you grown up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "My parents, as I say in the winters, would be in in the Boston area. My parents at that point lived, we had a home in Weston, Massachusetts, which is about 12 miles outside of Boston. And in summers in between southern Mexico and New Mexico, where my father is from. We have a family ranch, so we would spend time on the family ranch every summer as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any particular recollection starting in '61 and going forward of Kennedy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, certainly. I mean, we were from his state. And clearly he was an actor in our lives, perhaps a different way that than from people in other states."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How old were you when the Peace Corps first started, '61?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.66822944454274, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "My parents, as I say in the winters, would be in in the Boston area. My parents at that point lived, we had a home in Weston, Massachusetts, which is about 12 miles outside of Boston. And in summers in between southern Mexico and New Mexico, where my father is from. We have a family ranch, so we would spend time on the family ranch every summer as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any particular recollection starting in '61 and going forward of Kennedy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, certainly. I mean, we were from his state. And clearly he was an actor in our lives, perhaps a different way that than from people in other states."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How old were you when the Peace Corps first started, '61?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In '61, I would have been fifteen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point did you become aware of the Peace Corps?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.503986968571283, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In '61, I would have been fifteen."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "At what point did you become aware of the Peace Corps?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I really became aware of it when the headmaster at my prep school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Who was Bill Saltonstall, announced. It must have been my junior year, which would have been '62-'63 in high school, that he was leaving his whole career teaching at Exeter and being the headmaster. And he and his wife were going to Nigeria to be country director. So it really, you know, clearly we paid more attention to it. I paid more attention to it then. My decision process regarding Peace Corps had relatively little to do, I think, with any sense of public service and much more was sort of there were two parts to this. Three, actually. First is I really wanted to get back to Brazil. I'd essentially fallen in love with the people in the country by my senior year in college. Secondly, I knew I had to do something that would keep me somewhat insulated from the draft. And in any case, although there was no deferment for Peace Corps, it was something that was certainly a public service. And, you know, I figured I'd rather do that than hang around and go to graduate school and get drafted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It went board by board."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 18.337763298412536, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I really became aware of it when the headmaster at my prep school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Who was Bill Saltonstall, announced. It must have been my junior year, which would have been '62-'63 in high school, that he was leaving his whole career teaching at Exeter and being the headmaster. And he and his wife were going to Nigeria to be country director. So it really, you know, clearly we paid more attention to it. I paid more attention to it then. My decision process regarding Peace Corps had relatively little to do, I think, with any sense of public service and much more was sort of there were two parts to this. Three, actually. First is I really wanted to get back to Brazil. I'd essentially fallen in love with the people in the country by my senior year in college. Secondly, I knew I had to do something that would keep me somewhat insulated from the draft. And in any case, although there was no deferment for Peace Corps, it was something that was certainly a public service. And, you know, I figured I'd rather do that than hang around and go to graduate school and get drafted."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It went board by board."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If they offered. It was in a sense a deferment, but it wasn't automatic."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 12.72788187534299, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Correct. But I'm trying to remember what the number were there. There are about 10, 10 or 12 of us, maybe 10 of us. We were all Harvard undergraduates, with the exception of one spouse who was graduating from Tufts. And she and her husband, her husband was a Harvard undergraduate. They had gotten married either that spring or just before they got on the plane to go down to Brazil."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So this was going to be the first unit of the Harvard Peace Corps commandos."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It may have been, I believe it was first. I don't know if it was ever duplicated. But it'd be interesting to know if there was a strategy at that time to try to see if they could cherry pick in this way and work this way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when did you complete your degree?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "June of 1968. And I believe we left, I probably got on a plane a week later and we all met at Boston airport, essentially, and flew all flew down to Rio."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, the whatever training you were going to get had already occurred, and it was primarily language and area studies."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.03097986149221, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It may have been, I believe it was first. I don't know if it was ever duplicated. But it'd be interesting to know if there was a strategy at that time to try to see if they could cherry pick in this way and work this way."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So when did you complete your degree?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "June of 1968. And I believe we left, I probably got on a plane a week later and we all met at Boston airport, essentially, and flew all flew down to Rio."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now, the whatever training you were going to get had already occurred, and it was primarily language and area studies."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this was sort of a taking advantage of the fact that we were all together, I think. And they wouldn't have to pay for the training or they wouldn't have to. How was the training during that time? We did, in fact, have another, I'm going to say, perhaps eight weeks of training in country, which is interesting because I think this is one of the first in-country training groups as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's stay on the period while you were still at Harvard. You must have had to fill out the application and do the recommendations. And was there any kind of selection process screening by psychologists?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:33", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 16.087629458632357, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this was sort of a taking advantage of the fact that we were all together, I think. And they wouldn't have to pay for the training or they wouldn't have to. How was the training during that time? We did, in fact, have another, I'm going to say, perhaps eight weeks of training in country, which is interesting because I think this is one of the first in-country training groups as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's stay on the period while you were still at Harvard. You must have had to fill out the application and do the recommendations. And was there any kind of selection process screening by psychologists?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And I know there was some vetting as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Background checks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A background check. My roommates were, and I don't know how much was tongue-in-cheek. They kept on saying these guys in suits with black shoes and white socks that kept on lurking around our entry, asking people about did this guy vote and whether he, you know, smoked dope or whether he was a, you know, you know, did good things or bad things or all this sort of stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were any of the group, that you know, publicly known political activists?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:35", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.76403273181373, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. And I know there was some vetting as well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Background checks."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A background check. My roommates were, and I don't know how much was tongue-in-cheek. They kept on saying these guys in suits with black shoes and white socks that kept on lurking around our entry, asking people about did this guy vote and whether he, you know, smoked dope or whether he was a, you know, you know, did good things or bad things or all this sort of stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were any of the group, that you know, publicly known political activists?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. None of us, I think we were all anti-war. Stridently anti-war, but not in the sense of being great actors. I know I certainly turned in my bursar's card and sympathy to one particular event on campus. And I think because I was at one of the protests, I was actually on some form of probation during my senior year for a month or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was no bar to your going."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:37", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 18.62670303534859, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A background check. My roommates were, and I don't know how much was tongue-in-cheek. They kept on saying these guys in suits with black shoes and white socks that kept on lurking around our entry, asking people about did this guy vote and whether he, you know, smoked dope or whether he was a, you know, you know, did good things or bad things or all this sort of stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were any of the group, that you know, publicly known political activists?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. None of us, I think we were all anti-war. Stridently anti-war, but not in the sense of being great actors. I know I certainly turned in my bursar's card and sympathy to one particular event on campus. And I think because I was at one of the protests, I was actually on some form of probation during my senior year for a month or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was no bar to your going."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was. It was one where I sort of volunteered myself for probation rather than. It wasn't really. It was the fact that I had turned in my bursar's, my identification card, and announced that I'd been at this protest that that put me on a list rather than anything else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you characterize the others in the group with motivation? Background?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:39", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.585225594831766, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. None of us, I think we were all anti-war. Stridently anti-war, but not in the sense of being great actors. I know I certainly turned in my bursar's card and sympathy to one particular event on campus. And I think because I was at one of the protests, I was actually on some form of probation during my senior year for a month or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But that was no bar to your going."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was. It was one where I sort of volunteered myself for probation rather than. It wasn't really. It was the fact that I had turned in my bursar's, my identification card, and announced that I'd been at this protest that that put me on a list rather than anything else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you characterize the others in the group with motivation? Background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think most of us had a very similar motivation from the standpoint of trying to do something to insulate ourselves from the draft. A couple of, there were two couples that I remember and both the guys in the couples. Actually those marriages didn't last much longer, much beyond Peace Corps is my memory. But anyway, those guys were both very interested in rural development and agricultural development. And certainly, I believe I'm right in saying that one of the couples, one of the guys, Frank Hansen, I believe, did in fact move back and have a farm and, you know, essentially be a real working farmer and a schoolteacher. And the other person, I believe, got advanced degrees in forestry development or something of that nature and I believe is still active in Latin American resource questions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Going in, was there a sense that this would be, even though you may not have defined a career goal, that this would help in your lifetime career, whatever that would be?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:41", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 21.761361772035293, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no, it was. It was one where I sort of volunteered myself for probation rather than. It wasn't really. It was the fact that I had turned in my bursar's, my identification card, and announced that I'd been at this protest that that put me on a list rather than anything else."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you characterize the others in the group with motivation? Background?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think most of us had a very similar motivation from the standpoint of trying to do something to insulate ourselves from the draft. A couple of, there were two couples that I remember and both the guys in the couples. Actually those marriages didn't last much longer, much beyond Peace Corps is my memory. But anyway, those guys were both very interested in rural development and agricultural development. And certainly, I believe I'm right in saying that one of the couples, one of the guys, Frank Hansen, I believe, did in fact move back and have a farm and, you know, essentially be a real working farmer and a schoolteacher. And the other person, I believe, got advanced degrees in forestry development or something of that nature and I believe is still active in Latin American resource questions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Going in, was there a sense that this would be, even though you may not have defined a career goal, that this would help in your lifetime career, whatever that would be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was completely pushed by any question of that. Turns out it ended up being a wonderful preparation for me. It gave me the language and cultural skills. And actually, Peace Corps, interestingly enough, really gave me an appreciation for developmental economics in the sense of that things, things can progress. And I was lucky to be in a program where we were bringing electricity to the farms and we could rapidly see the difference there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you compare the language skills of the others in the group to your own? I assume you were pretty well, pretty fluent."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:43", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 21.95706863559477, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think most of us had a very similar motivation from the standpoint of trying to do something to insulate ourselves from the draft. A couple of, there were two couples that I remember and both the guys in the couples. Actually those marriages didn't last much longer, much beyond Peace Corps is my memory. But anyway, those guys were both very interested in rural development and agricultural development. And certainly, I believe I'm right in saying that one of the couples, one of the guys, Frank Hansen, I believe, did in fact move back and have a farm and, you know, essentially be a real working farmer and a schoolteacher. And the other person, I believe, got advanced degrees in forestry development or something of that nature and I believe is still active in Latin American resource questions."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Going in, was there a sense that this would be, even though you may not have defined a career goal, that this would help in your lifetime career, whatever that would be?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was completely pushed by any question of that. Turns out it ended up being a wonderful preparation for me. It gave me the language and cultural skills. And actually, Peace Corps, interestingly enough, really gave me an appreciation for developmental economics in the sense of that things, things can progress. And I was lucky to be in a program where we were bringing electricity to the farms and we could rapidly see the difference there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you compare the language skills of the others in the group to your own? I assume you were pretty well, pretty fluent."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I remember. When we flew down to Brazil, went to spend a couple of days in Rio, and I guess we were probably a sort of a special group because I know we were sort of feted by the ambassador for a day or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You remember who the ambassador was?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:45", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 23.28563181732752, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was completely pushed by any question of that. Turns out it ended up being a wonderful preparation for me. It gave me the language and cultural skills. And actually, Peace Corps, interestingly enough, really gave me an appreciation for developmental economics in the sense of that things, things can progress. And I was lucky to be in a program where we were bringing electricity to the farms and we could rapidly see the difference there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How would you compare the language skills of the others in the group to your own? I assume you were pretty well, pretty fluent."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I remember. When we flew down to Brazil, went to spend a couple of days in Rio, and I guess we were probably a sort of a special group because I know we were sort of feted by the ambassador for a day or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You remember who the ambassador was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I should because I dated his daughter the year before, but it may come back. I just don't remember. I do remember that was a difficult time politically in Brazil. It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you characterize it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:47", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 19.206257574808355, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I remember. When we flew down to Brazil, went to spend a couple of days in Rio, and I guess we were probably a sort of a special group because I know we were sort of feted by the ambassador for a day or so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You remember who the ambassador was?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I should because I dated his daughter the year before, but it may come back. I just don't remember. I do remember that was a difficult time politically in Brazil. It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you characterize it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. In 1964, there was a counterrevolution of the military, essentially throwing out a central leftist president, and the military had been begun beginning to figure out how to govern. And there was a lot of student protests and a lot of, more student protests than worker protests of any sort, that was going on, a lot of activity. Some peasant leftist groups up in the area that I was being sent in the Northeast were very active also. So it was one of these interesting combinations where you had student and some peasant revolt. And at the same time, a military government and anti-American sentiment all throughout. So in fact, I believe it was. It may have been that week that we arrived in. I'm getting things mixed up. I do know at one point there was an office, a Peace Corps office in Rio that had a bomb that went off and subsequently years later, in fact, I did, four or five years later, I did go to a, um, Peace Corps party in Rio, and I met one of the workers who, in fact, had lost his arm in that particular explosion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember who had developed the program and who was staff at that point?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:49", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 18.00695286089817, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I should because I dated his daughter the year before, but it may come back. I just don't remember. I do remember that was a difficult time politically in Brazil. It was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can you characterize it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sure. In 1964, there was a counterrevolution of the military, essentially throwing out a central leftist president, and the military had been begun beginning to figure out how to govern. And there was a lot of student protests and a lot of, more student protests than worker protests of any sort, that was going on, a lot of activity. Some peasant leftist groups up in the area that I was being sent in the Northeast were very active also. So it was one of these interesting combinations where you had student and some peasant revolt. And at the same time, a military government and anti-American sentiment all throughout. So in fact, I believe it was. It may have been that week that we arrived in. I'm getting things mixed up. I do know at one point there was an office, a Peace Corps office in Rio that had a bomb that went off and subsequently years later, in fact, I did, four or five years later, I did go to a, um, Peace Corps party in Rio, and I met one of the workers who, in fact, had lost his arm in that particular explosion."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you remember who had developed the program and who was staff at that point?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know who the real architects, who really developed the program in terms of bringing these this group of students down, keeping us together, training us partially during the spring. We had an intense eight-week session in Recife in the northeast of Brazil. I don't know who it was. I remember some of the names of the people we dealt with once we got in country."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah. Well, I'm curious as to the when you got to Recife, to whom did you relate? Was it a Brazilian official or was an American official or one of each?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:55", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 16.88196551563535, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were American officials who were in charge of the training. And I think there was two or three Brazilian women who were the language teachers, and at least I remember one of them was in fact married to the head of our program, the head of our training program. His name was, was Jim LaFleur. And I can't remember. He had a very bright and attractive wife who did most of the language training. She, in fact, had been the personal assistant to a to don elder comida, who was the cardinal for Northeast Brazil and was sort of a controversial figure."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now with these three AID people?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this LaFleur was a former Peace Corps volunteer who was either on staff of Peace Corps because I believe it was in-house Peace Corps training. I don't believe it was one of these where they had farmed out the training yet to third party company. So I believe he was in charge of the training program. And there were maybe, I think, four language teachers. There was Jim LaFleur. And then Recife was really a very large center for Peace Corps activity. It had an office that covered the whole northeast of Brazil, which was maybe eight or 10 states. And so it had a superstructure of it, had a program officer for the Northeast. It had a head of the Pernambuco program, which was the state Recife was in, and it had the head of the whole Northeast region. I'm guessing there were probably eight to 10 staff people in that office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All Americans?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, at that point, all Americans, there was some support staff of that eight or nine, there are probably three support staff secretaries, et cetera, who were who were, and maybe a driver, who were Brazilian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did you do during the 10 weeks or eight weeks of training?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:57", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.31329501737261, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, this LaFleur was a former Peace Corps volunteer who was either on staff of Peace Corps because I believe it was in-house Peace Corps training. I don't believe it was one of these where they had farmed out the training yet to third party company. So I believe he was in charge of the training program. And there were maybe, I think, four language teachers. There was Jim LaFleur. And then Recife was really a very large center for Peace Corps activity. It had an office that covered the whole northeast of Brazil, which was maybe eight or 10 states. And so it had a superstructure of it, had a program officer for the Northeast. It had a head of the Pernambuco program, which was the state Recife was in, and it had the head of the whole Northeast region. I'm guessing there were probably eight to 10 staff people in that office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "All Americans?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, at that point, all Americans, there was some support staff of that eight or nine, there are probably three support staff secretaries, et cetera, who were who were, and maybe a driver, who were Brazilian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did you do during the 10 weeks or eight weeks of training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was pretty. It was one of these, you know, you remember what it was when you're trying to really work on a language, it's absolutely tiring. You just so. The language is paramount. Language was paramount. We on a couple of occasions, we were sort of given weekend field trips where we would go off with other volunteers and just see what their life was like. So we'd probably go out for to spend all day Friday and Saturday with them, was my memory, because I remember being part of the deal was working with them out there at their projects."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were they doing what ultimately you were expected to do or?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:59", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.570327797080678, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, at that point, all Americans, there was some support staff of that eight or nine, there are probably three support staff secretaries, et cetera, who were who were, and maybe a driver, who were Brazilian."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what did you do during the 10 weeks or eight weeks of training?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was pretty. It was one of these, you know, you remember what it was when you're trying to really work on a language, it's absolutely tiring. You just so. The language is paramount. Language was paramount. We on a couple of occasions, we were sort of given weekend field trips where we would go off with other volunteers and just see what their life was like. So we'd probably go out for to spend all day Friday and Saturday with them, was my memory, because I remember being part of the deal was working with them out there at their projects."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were they doing what ultimately you were expected to do or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sort of. The particular group that I remember being associated with during training was an interesting group. Most of them were either MBA students or MBA graduates or lawyers or people sort of somewhere in the legal process. And it was a group that was designed to develop co- op agricultural cooperatives in mainly in the sugar cane growing area and in the other agricultural areas within one hundred or two hundred miles of Recife. So they tended to be volunteers, most of them male, with one step above of training than the rest of us. I mean, they really, the business people, knew a little bit about business, much more than us liberal arts graduates, and the legal types clearly had a different viewpoint and had training in the legal structures, et cetera."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they working for a Brazilian ministry or agency?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:61", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.967030885645197, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was pretty. It was one of these, you know, you remember what it was when you're trying to really work on a language, it's absolutely tiring. You just so. The language is paramount. Language was paramount. We on a couple of occasions, we were sort of given weekend field trips where we would go off with other volunteers and just see what their life was like. So we'd probably go out for to spend all day Friday and Saturday with them, was my memory, because I remember being part of the deal was working with them out there at their projects."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And were they doing what ultimately you were expected to do or?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sort of. The particular group that I remember being associated with during training was an interesting group. Most of them were either MBA students or MBA graduates or lawyers or people sort of somewhere in the legal process. And it was a group that was designed to develop co- op agricultural cooperatives in mainly in the sugar cane growing area and in the other agricultural areas within one hundred or two hundred miles of Recife. So they tended to be volunteers, most of them male, with one step above of training than the rest of us. I mean, they really, the business people, knew a little bit about business, much more than us liberal arts graduates, and the legal types clearly had a different viewpoint and had training in the legal structures, et cetera."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they working for a Brazilian ministry or agency?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. What I'm going to guess that it was probably a state secretariat of agriculture and the cooperative program that was within that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have this thinking back in your program and the other did it operate autonomously? I mean, sometimes, you know, with. One criticism of aid programs is they come in with their own package and they get validated by a ministry, but they don't really."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:63", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 15.518923206272442, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sort of. The particular group that I remember being associated with during training was an interesting group. Most of them were either MBA students or MBA graduates or lawyers or people sort of somewhere in the legal process. And it was a group that was designed to develop co- op agricultural cooperatives in mainly in the sugar cane growing area and in the other agricultural areas within one hundred or two hundred miles of Recife. So they tended to be volunteers, most of them male, with one step above of training than the rest of us. I mean, they really, the business people, knew a little bit about business, much more than us liberal arts graduates, and the legal types clearly had a different viewpoint and had training in the legal structures, et cetera."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they working for a Brazilian ministry or agency?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. What I'm going to guess that it was probably a state secretariat of agriculture and the cooperative program that was within that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have this thinking back in your program and the other did it operate autonomously? I mean, sometimes, you know, with. One criticism of aid programs is they come in with their own package and they get validated by a ministry, but they don't really."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This cooperative program, it would be interesting. I mean, there are there are people who can talk more about it. I never really knew how to measure it, never know what they do. But from the outside, it seemed to me that these volunteers had a relatively clear mission and objectives, and they seemed to have pretty good support from their government counterparts. Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're concentrating on language eight weeks. But where we are staying?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.690028649719064, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This cooperative program, it would be interesting. I mean, there are there are people who can talk more about it. I never really knew how to measure it, never know what they do. But from the outside, it seemed to me that these volunteers had a relatively clear mission and objectives, and they seemed to have pretty good support from their government counterparts. Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You're concentrating on language eight weeks. But where we are staying?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had us staying in a little sort of residence hotel, which was, you know, like most Peace Corps hotels around the world, I suppose, you know, bathroom down the hall. Clean, nothing sumptuous. It was fine. You know, we'd have a few nights, maybe in the weekends we'd get to go out and have dinner and carouse together a little bit. But it was we were fairly, you know, we did a bunch of study and we were fairly dedicated trainees. I think of that because in fact, I believe there was the possibility of being, as they used to say, deselected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Still?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Still. We were still sort of on probation from that sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what would it be, LaFleur who would call the shots?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:69", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 18.544476277465627, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They had us staying in a little sort of residence hotel, which was, you know, like most Peace Corps hotels around the world, I suppose, you know, bathroom down the hall. Clean, nothing sumptuous. It was fine. You know, we'd have a few nights, maybe in the weekends we'd get to go out and have dinner and carouse together a little bit. But it was we were fairly, you know, we did a bunch of study and we were fairly dedicated trainees. I think of that because in fact, I believe there was the possibility of being, as they used to say, deselected."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Still?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Still. We were still sort of on probation from that sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what would it be, LaFleur who would call the shots?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably, probably. Yeah, he would certainly be the main filter there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the eight weeks, did you begin to get a definition of what it is your job would be as you went out in the field?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:71", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 19.49386253051736, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Still. We were still sort of on probation from that sense."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And what would it be, LaFleur who would call the shots?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably, probably. Yeah, he would certainly be the main filter there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the eight weeks, did you begin to get a definition of what it is your job would be as you went out in the field?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew that it was highly likely from very early on that I'd be going up to the next state north named Paraiba, and it would be doing something in rural development."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you know that?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:73", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 16.104291700574848, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably, probably. Yeah, he would certainly be the main filter there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "During the eight weeks, did you begin to get a definition of what it is your job would be as you went out in the field?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I knew that it was highly likely from very early on that I'd be going up to the next state north named Paraiba, and it would be doing something in rural development."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you know that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think I've been told this is what we think you're going to be doing. And in fact, that's in those days. It was interesting. What they started working on actually was almost questions of succession when you think about it. Many of the volunteers who had arrived in '66, which was probably the, you know, essentially the equivalent of the third or so program in many of those areas, had really take their programs had taken root and they knew what they were doing and they needed successors. And so there was as though it was a little fiefdom that you passed along. I was designated to go out to Hank and Marilyn Atha's town, which was a town called Sao Bento, about four hundred kilometers from the capital of the state of Paraiba. And I think a lot of these assignments were, in some in retrospect, unfair in the sense that. We spent most of our time in defining what we're doing, floundering."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is after you're out there."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 14.83944915912555, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, they told me, well, you know, go up to João Pessoa, the capital of Paraiba, the next state up. Meet the people in the office there and they'll put you on a bus to Sao Bento. And that's essentially what they did. Or actually, it's possible that I actually met this couple in in either Recife or João Pessoa. They took me out with them and I had a stay of about, I'm going to say, two weeks overlapping with them at this point."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you move into the house that they had?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I did, in fact move into their house, took it over from them and it was, you know, a nice, easy transition from that point of view."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps was paying all the allowances and all the rents and everything, you didn't do it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It all came out of what they gave me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a lump sum."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.1549435101395, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And I did, in fact move into their house, took it over from them and it was, you know, a nice, easy transition from that point of view."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Peace Corps was paying all the allowances and all the rents and everything, you didn't do it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It all came out of what they gave me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a lump sum."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, lump sum. My memory is they paid us in those days, maybe a little bit over a hundred bucks a month. And to get that, in fact, I had to designate a bank where it would be sent and that was actually sort of nice. It meant every month I had to figure out how to get to this town about 50 kilometers away that I wouldn't have gotten to otherwise, where there are other volunteers as well. And some of them, some of my fellows from this group were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what'd you do, get a basket full of money and take it back?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.505492789043888, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It all came out of what they gave me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a lump sum."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, lump sum. My memory is they paid us in those days, maybe a little bit over a hundred bucks a month. And to get that, in fact, I had to designate a bank where it would be sent and that was actually sort of nice. It meant every month I had to figure out how to get to this town about 50 kilometers away that I wouldn't have gotten to otherwise, where there are other volunteers as well. And some of them, some of my fellows from this group were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what'd you do, get a basket full of money and take it back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. You'd cash it. You'd come back with your hundred dollars worth of local currency and you just actually sometimes, you know, depending where I was, sometimes I'd leave it with the. Clearly very early on as a bachelor, I was not about to do my own cooking on a wholesale scale, so I figured out, well, unless I'm not going to starve. And so I made a deal with a hotel where I had rights to bath and soap and towel and three meals a day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's an interesting."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 13.894991987826542, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, lump sum. My memory is they paid us in those days, maybe a little bit over a hundred bucks a month. And to get that, in fact, I had to designate a bank where it would be sent and that was actually sort of nice. It meant every month I had to figure out how to get to this town about 50 kilometers away that I wouldn't have gotten to otherwise, where there are other volunteers as well. And some of them, some of my fellows from this group were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So what'd you do, get a basket full of money and take it back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. You'd cash it. You'd come back with your hundred dollars worth of local currency and you just actually sometimes, you know, depending where I was, sometimes I'd leave it with the. Clearly very early on as a bachelor, I was not about to do my own cooking on a wholesale scale, so I figured out, well, unless I'm not going to starve. And so I made a deal with a hotel where I had rights to bath and soap and towel and three meals a day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's an interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's good. It sort of gave me a bit of a community too, of Brazilians, the Portuguese speaking community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got up to the town. You're in your position. Your job has shifted not to the ag co-ops, but toward rural electricity."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 15.438879986473935, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, absolutely. You'd cash it. You'd come back with your hundred dollars worth of local currency and you just actually sometimes, you know, depending where I was, sometimes I'd leave it with the. Clearly very early on as a bachelor, I was not about to do my own cooking on a wholesale scale, so I figured out, well, unless I'm not going to starve. And so I made a deal with a hotel where I had rights to bath and soap and towel and three meals a day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that's an interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's good. It sort of gave me a bit of a community too, of Brazilians, the Portuguese speaking community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got up to the town. You're in your position. Your job has shifted not to the ag co-ops, but toward rural electricity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right. And then I end up, as I say, a teacher, and that's really took up most of my."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Take me from, how did you get to being a teacher? I mean, what were the steps? You want to stop?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.598755540526595, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It's good. It sort of gave me a bit of a community too, of Brazilians, the Portuguese speaking community."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So you got up to the town. You're in your position. Your job has shifted not to the ag co-ops, but toward rural electricity."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right. And then I end up, as I say, a teacher, and that's really took up most of my."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Take me from, how did you get to being a teacher? I mean, what were the steps? You want to stop?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it's OK. I don't know exactly. I can't remember, that's a good question. How did how did it turn out that they recruited me? I think I went out of my way to go meet the people and say, hey, look, you know, I can teach English, I can teach French, I can teach history. And they said, great, we'll have you do all three. And they said, oh by the way, here's a fourth course that we need teaching, which is called, uh, what was it called? Social and political organization. Which in retrospect, about a year later, I found out that it was illegal for a non-Brazilian to be teaching that course in Brazil at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now what level was it?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:97", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.88750615614066, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's right. And then I end up, as I say, a teacher, and that's really took up most of my."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Take me from, how did you get to being a teacher? I mean, what were the steps? You want to stop?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it's OK. I don't know exactly. I can't remember, that's a good question. How did how did it turn out that they recruited me? I think I went out of my way to go meet the people and say, hey, look, you know, I can teach English, I can teach French, I can teach history. And they said, great, we'll have you do all three. And they said, oh by the way, here's a fourth course that we need teaching, which is called, uh, what was it called? Social and political organization. Which in retrospect, about a year later, I found out that it was illegal for a non-Brazilian to be teaching that course in Brazil at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now what level was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is equivalent to junior high school, so it was actually the beginning English, beginning French and, you know, history. I don't know. I mean, we had just a standard history textbook."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It may have been world history."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:99", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 14.319451284600733, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it's OK. I don't know exactly. I can't remember, that's a good question. How did how did it turn out that they recruited me? I think I went out of my way to go meet the people and say, hey, look, you know, I can teach English, I can teach French, I can teach history. And they said, great, we'll have you do all three. And they said, oh by the way, here's a fourth course that we need teaching, which is called, uh, what was it called? Social and political organization. Which in retrospect, about a year later, I found out that it was illegal for a non-Brazilian to be teaching that course in Brazil at the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now what level was it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is equivalent to junior high school, so it was actually the beginning English, beginning French and, you know, history. I don't know. I mean, we had just a standard history textbook."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It may have been world history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was. It was world history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in your own mind, you were doing this as part of the process of community development, it's a way of getting to know the community."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:101", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 15.910501427334147, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is equivalent to junior high school, so it was actually the beginning English, beginning French and, you know, history. I don't know. I mean, we had just a standard history textbook."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It may have been world history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was. It was world history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in your own mind, you were doing this as part of the process of community development, it's a way of getting to know the community."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In retrospect, it's sort of interesting to think about because there was clearly no obligation for me to do this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you paid?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:103", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 16.567223808149052, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, it was. It was world history."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And in your own mind, you were doing this as part of the process of community development, it's a way of getting to know the community."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In retrospect, it's sort of interesting to think about because there was clearly no obligation for me to do this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you paid?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did pay me the equivalent of about 12 bucks a month. So it was it wasn't a question of needing the extra money. I mean, that paid for a beer every once in a while."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, but what about the rural electrification project?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:105", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 16.185804231276723, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In retrospect, it's sort of interesting to think about because there was clearly no obligation for me to do this."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you paid?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did pay me the equivalent of about 12 bucks a month. So it was it wasn't a question of needing the extra money. I mean, that paid for a beer every once in a while."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, but what about the rural electrification project?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that that that that really wasn't going to even start at all until the following June, when the volunteers, the next crop was coming down from the States. So I knew that that was going to happen and I was basically given the leeway. So well do what you can on these other areas of, but we really want you to save your powder essentially for this next program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So in effect, what Peace Corps staff sort of gave you a blank check."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:107", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 17.984226923640804, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They did pay me the equivalent of about 12 bucks a month. So it was it wasn't a question of needing the extra money. I mean, that paid for a beer every once in a while."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, but what about the rural electrification project?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that that that that really wasn't going to even start at all until the following June, when the volunteers, the next crop was coming down from the States. So I knew that that was going to happen and I was basically given the leeway. So well do what you can on these other areas of, but we really want you to save your powder essentially for this next program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So in effect, what Peace Corps staff sort of gave you a blank check."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was go and do something, do something good. And that didn't disturb you or didn't disturb them."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:109", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 19.982474359600893, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, that that that that really wasn't going to even start at all until the following June, when the volunteers, the next crop was coming down from the States. So I knew that that was going to happen and I was basically given the leeway. So well do what you can on these other areas of, but we really want you to save your powder essentially for this next program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So in effect, what Peace Corps staff sort of gave you a blank check."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was go and do something, do something good. And that didn't disturb you or didn't disturb them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Apparently not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there must have been large numbers of volunteers."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.980527066223214, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was go and do something, do something good. And that didn't disturb you or didn't disturb them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Apparently not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And there must have been large numbers of volunteers."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, my sense is that in, my memory is the following, that the state of Paraiba at that point, I remember doing the count. I think there were 152 townships in the state. And the year I arrived there were probably 120 volunteers, and it fell that year. I think that by the time my group came in and others had left, there were like only 60. So for one reason or another, that state had maybe they changed the direction of how they were doing programing. I wasn't really involved in understanding how this occurred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But then it seems to me that the whole Harvard project."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 24.66731736570767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, my sense is that in, my memory is the following, that the state of Paraiba at that point, I remember doing the count. I think there were 152 townships in the state. And the year I arrived there were probably 120 volunteers, and it fell that year. I think that by the time my group came in and others had left, there were like only 60. So for one reason or another, that state had maybe they changed the direction of how they were doing programing. I wasn't really involved in understanding how this occurred."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But then it seems to me that the whole Harvard project."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it never had a singular focus at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, in-country. As far as I know, I think it was taken. Here's great raw material."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're talking about the Harvard group."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:117", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 20.74146373967519, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, it never had a singular focus at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In country."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, in-country. As far as I know, I think it was taken. Here's great raw material."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're talking about the Harvard group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. We ended up, I believe, in being in three different states. There was no single program. A lot of I think all of us ended up initially substituting for people who had been in the particular communities before. I know that the Redwoods took over from another volunteer. The Antonsons, who were in Catolé do Rocha, took over Joyce, Joyce and Frank. Joyce actually went to substitute her sister, who had been in that community. So talk about some nepotism. And then there were three other guys. Is that our number one two three four five six seven eight. I can't remember, maybe there were only eight of us, I should make a list at some point. Then three guys ended up all in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, just north of us all doing agricultural related types of activities. All, I believe, sort of co-op development was the main thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the idea of handing over then, I mean, what the Athas had built must have been dissipated then because."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:119", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 21.93495971075021, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, in-country. As far as I know, I think it was taken. Here's great raw material."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We're talking about the Harvard group."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. We ended up, I believe, in being in three different states. There was no single program. A lot of I think all of us ended up initially substituting for people who had been in the particular communities before. I know that the Redwoods took over from another volunteer. The Antonsons, who were in Catolé do Rocha, took over Joyce, Joyce and Frank. Joyce actually went to substitute her sister, who had been in that community. So talk about some nepotism. And then there were three other guys. Is that our number one two three four five six seven eight. I can't remember, maybe there were only eight of us, I should make a list at some point. Then three guys ended up all in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, just north of us all doing agricultural related types of activities. All, I believe, sort of co-op development was the main thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But the idea of handing over then, I mean, what the Athas had built must have been dissipated then because."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah, I tried to continue to work with the main. Hank Atha had identified this really nice farmer who was really helping him meet other people and doing the soy projects. But that was clearly not my bag. I mean, I had none of the technical background, nor quite frankly, the interest in working on it. So I continued to work with this particular Brazilian farmer named Mondico, but more with the eye of the fact that his farm was on the river and therefore would be somewhere that would be electrified in the future. So I knew that that would be something to work on, upcoming."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you report back to Peace Corps on any regular basis or did they just assume?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 19.663867915981083, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Hugh Smith would come around every few months. We would get into Recife and Joao Pessoa again, probably every month or two as well, for some form of some reason it was norm. We usually just didn't get off, you know, take a long weekend because it would take you about two days to get there anyway. So my memory is there were either specialized training programs in irrigation, for example, which we many of us took, that sort of thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Within the community where you finally were teaching, what kind of acceptance was, what kind of reaction was there to you? How did people, who were you as far as they knew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think I think we learned to sort of get along pretty well. It was a bit lonely for the first five months because after about five months, or less than that, four months. Another project appeared out of nowhere and one guy was sort of slotted to come work with me. And he actually ended up doing a lot more work in irrigation. He was a guy who actually had knew something about irrigation and industrial design, and so he was. He moved in with me, essentially, and that was nice. But it was a bit lonely at the beginning. But as I, you know, I'm a very social animal and I got to know the people very well, and I started having no problem whatsoever fitting in. But, you know, it took a while. There's a period of just understanding who's who and what's what. Teaching was very important to get me into the community, though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you figure out how to teach?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess it's just in my blood. Again, here, think about this, what a great opportunity to teach people how to do a lesson plan, how to approach things. Since this wasn't my program, none of these were available to me, but I basically winged it. And I, you know, I come from my father, a teacher. So I guess maybe it's osmosis or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, in fact, learning to teach may be simpler than some people make it. Was there any suspicion of you, resistance to your being there?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 20.737631017756758, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, I think I think we learned to sort of get along pretty well. It was a bit lonely for the first five months because after about five months, or less than that, four months. Another project appeared out of nowhere and one guy was sort of slotted to come work with me. And he actually ended up doing a lot more work in irrigation. He was a guy who actually had knew something about irrigation and industrial design, and so he was. He moved in with me, essentially, and that was nice. But it was a bit lonely at the beginning. But as I, you know, I'm a very social animal and I got to know the people very well, and I started having no problem whatsoever fitting in. But, you know, it took a while. There's a period of just understanding who's who and what's what. Teaching was very important to get me into the community, though."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How did you figure out how to teach?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess it's just in my blood. Again, here, think about this, what a great opportunity to teach people how to do a lesson plan, how to approach things. Since this wasn't my program, none of these were available to me, but I basically winged it. And I, you know, I come from my father, a teacher. So I guess maybe it's osmosis or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, in fact, learning to teach may be simpler than some people make it. Was there any suspicion of you, resistance to your being there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a little bit of suspicion, only from the standpoint that the cooperative movement was seen as some parts of northeastern Brazil as a sort of a Worker's Party leftist idea. But in fact, we were, most of the work that we were doing was in conjunction with a state sponsored group, and there was clearly sort of an agricultural and development approach that was being supported by the state government and the federal government. So we didn't, you know, we had to basically prove ourselves in the sense that we weren't out there trying to be actors of a leftist politics."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there weren't the accusations of being CIA."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 23.041812241951952, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess it's just in my blood. Again, here, think about this, what a great opportunity to teach people how to do a lesson plan, how to approach things. Since this wasn't my program, none of these were available to me, but I basically winged it. And I, you know, I come from my father, a teacher. So I guess maybe it's osmosis or something."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Well, in fact, learning to teach may be simpler than some people make it. Was there any suspicion of you, resistance to your being there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "There was a little bit of suspicion, only from the standpoint that the cooperative movement was seen as some parts of northeastern Brazil as a sort of a Worker's Party leftist idea. But in fact, we were, most of the work that we were doing was in conjunction with a state sponsored group, and there was clearly sort of an agricultural and development approach that was being supported by the state government and the federal government. So we didn't, you know, we had to basically prove ourselves in the sense that we weren't out there trying to be actors of a leftist politics."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So there weren't the accusations of being CIA."}, {"role": "user", "content": "And no, I mean, there were students coming back from the capital who, you know, would want to do that. But then the friends would tell them that didn't work with me and I was sort of a member of the community already."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because the Vietnam thing was blowing up more and more to what extent people in that community were informed about it."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:135", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 26.25762996152531, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don't know. Well, actually, it was. We were fairly way out. I mean, one of my better stories is about going to Fair Market Day in a neighboring community. And a little kid walked up to me and said in Portuguese, mister, are you Chinese? And I said, no, why do you ask? He said, well, I've heard that that the Chinese are very different from people. And the word people is the same as us, but it's where this is people. Rather, instead of using the word for us, he said, than us people. And he said, you're the most different guy I've ever seen in my life. It was about that time I developed my James Bond theory. And that was that people expected me to be different in some respects. And so it was OK to be different. It really was helpful for me psychologically to make that realization that, to the extent that I felt more comfortable and people felt more comfortable when I was able to have the stimulus and response be something they expected, that was very good. But when it wasn't, it was OK because they didn't expect it always to be the same. So that was a very, very helpful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you must have had a clear sense that no matter what, you were not going to become a Brazilian."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Except that nowadays people think I'm Brazilian. In fact, I became a Brazilian over time. I mean, I speak perfect Portuguese, and when I'm in Brazil, they can't tell. They know I'm not from their state, so they think I'm either from further north or further south. And I can sustain that maybe for five or 10 minutes. It's not a, I couldn't blend in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Within the community and while you were teaching, this is still just the first four months of your service."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there Brazilians who became closer friends, mentors? Sometimes you meet someone who sort of becomes a bridge into the culture."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:137", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 28.064033290583676, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right. Except that nowadays people think I'm Brazilian. In fact, I became a Brazilian over time. I mean, I speak perfect Portuguese, and when I'm in Brazil, they can't tell. They know I'm not from their state, so they think I'm either from further north or further south. And I can sustain that maybe for five or 10 minutes. It's not a, I couldn't blend in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Within the community and while you were teaching, this is still just the first four months of your service."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there Brazilians who became closer friends, mentors? Sometimes you meet someone who sort of becomes a bridge into the culture."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, this this farmer who'd been introduced to me by Hank Atha was one of my closer contacts. His name was Mondico. A very, very nice gentleman. He was sort of, he was not in the center of things, clearly he wasn't a part of the local superstructure. He had a group of people who would listen to him as he tried to be helpful with the ideas that Hank had been doing with respect to introducing soy and other things like that. But no, I think I think where I built my contacts was really with the students, more with the students and with my fellow professors. I was I always felt I was a little bit. They were, the professors tended to be, or the professional people in town, and this is a small town. Probably two thousand people living actually in the community and another three thousand within, oh, 10 kilometer radius who were in the same township."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It wasn't a boarding school."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:139", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 25.626703656204086, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there Brazilians who became closer friends, mentors? Sometimes you meet someone who sort of becomes a bridge into the culture."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, this this farmer who'd been introduced to me by Hank Atha was one of my closer contacts. His name was Mondico. A very, very nice gentleman. He was sort of, he was not in the center of things, clearly he wasn't a part of the local superstructure. He had a group of people who would listen to him as he tried to be helpful with the ideas that Hank had been doing with respect to introducing soy and other things like that. But no, I think I think where I built my contacts was really with the students, more with the students and with my fellow professors. I was I always felt I was a little bit. They were, the professors tended to be, or the professional people in town, and this is a small town. Probably two thousand people living actually in the community and another three thousand within, oh, 10 kilometer radius who were in the same township."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It wasn't a boarding school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, no. But it was an it was an evening school. Classes started at around 6:00. So it was a six o'clock, seven o'clock, nine o'clock. There were four classes a night, usually 6:00 through 10:00, so the kids could work during the day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a public school, not church run?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:141", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 28.474115173560094, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, this this farmer who'd been introduced to me by Hank Atha was one of my closer contacts. His name was Mondico. A very, very nice gentleman. He was sort of, he was not in the center of things, clearly he wasn't a part of the local superstructure. He had a group of people who would listen to him as he tried to be helpful with the ideas that Hank had been doing with respect to introducing soy and other things like that. But no, I think I think where I built my contacts was really with the students, more with the students and with my fellow professors. I was I always felt I was a little bit. They were, the professors tended to be, or the professional people in town, and this is a small town. Probably two thousand people living actually in the community and another three thousand within, oh, 10 kilometer radius who were in the same township."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It wasn't a boarding school."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, no. But it was an it was an evening school. Classes started at around 6:00. So it was a six o'clock, seven o'clock, nine o'clock. There were four classes a night, usually 6:00 through 10:00, so the kids could work during the day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a public school, not church run?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was the local state-owned school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So who would you go to if you observed or heard of local customs, observations, celebrations that you didn't, you couldn't quite figure out?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:143", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 27.193461303955658, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh no, no. But it was an it was an evening school. Classes started at around 6:00. So it was a six o'clock, seven o'clock, nine o'clock. There were four classes a night, usually 6:00 through 10:00, so the kids could work during the day."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was a public school, not church run?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was the local state-owned school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So who would you go to if you observed or heard of local customs, observations, celebrations that you didn't, you couldn't quite figure out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. Having been brought up a son of a of an anthropologist, I did have some investigatory techniques that I learned, just asking. But quite frankly, the other person who helped me the most was another the closest volunteer who was about 15 kilometers away in a town called Brejo do Cruz. A guy named Bob Krasnow, who in fact today lives just across the river from where I was living in Sao Bento. He still, he stayed on, married a Brazilian, and continued to turn himself into a farmer, essentially. And I've traded phone calls with him the last few years, but never quite. In fact, I should just call him up again, try to reach him. He was one of these guys who had all of the things that you needed to be an actor of and make things happen. He was one of the ones that you know by himself, and working with this lower class of poor farmers put together a very successful buying cooperative. And he ran into a lot of entrenched interests, against a lot of entrenched interests, in the little town he was in, particularly the merchants, because essentially what they were doing was radically reducing the cost of basic foodstuffs for this group of people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If school didn't start until the evening, what did you do for the whole day?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:145", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 29.103845893284063, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. It was the local state-owned school."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So who would you go to if you observed or heard of local customs, observations, celebrations that you didn't, you couldn't quite figure out?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. Having been brought up a son of a of an anthropologist, I did have some investigatory techniques that I learned, just asking. But quite frankly, the other person who helped me the most was another the closest volunteer who was about 15 kilometers away in a town called Brejo do Cruz. A guy named Bob Krasnow, who in fact today lives just across the river from where I was living in Sao Bento. He still, he stayed on, married a Brazilian, and continued to turn himself into a farmer, essentially. And I've traded phone calls with him the last few years, but never quite. In fact, I should just call him up again, try to reach him. He was one of these guys who had all of the things that you needed to be an actor of and make things happen. He was one of the ones that you know by himself, and working with this lower class of poor farmers put together a very successful buying cooperative. And he ran into a lot of entrenched interests, against a lot of entrenched interests, in the little town he was in, particularly the merchants, because essentially what they were doing was radically reducing the cost of basic foodstuffs for this group of people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If school didn't start until the evening, what did you do for the whole day?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's when I would be about two days a week. I'd probably be with Mondico or working with him on figuring out what of Hank's programs, what to do about the soy program, the next planting season. Otherwise, you know, basically I hung around, I did lesson plans, I graded papers and I was a bit of loose ends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Learning to teach."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:147", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 32.337606548093405, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well. Having been brought up a son of a of an anthropologist, I did have some investigatory techniques that I learned, just asking. But quite frankly, the other person who helped me the most was another the closest volunteer who was about 15 kilometers away in a town called Brejo do Cruz. A guy named Bob Krasnow, who in fact today lives just across the river from where I was living in Sao Bento. He still, he stayed on, married a Brazilian, and continued to turn himself into a farmer, essentially. And I've traded phone calls with him the last few years, but never quite. In fact, I should just call him up again, try to reach him. He was one of these guys who had all of the things that you needed to be an actor of and make things happen. He was one of the ones that you know by himself, and working with this lower class of poor farmers put together a very successful buying cooperative. And he ran into a lot of entrenched interests, against a lot of entrenched interests, in the little town he was in, particularly the merchants, because essentially what they were doing was radically reducing the cost of basic foodstuffs for this group of people."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "If school didn't start until the evening, what did you do for the whole day?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's when I would be about two days a week. I'd probably be with Mondico or working with him on figuring out what of Hank's programs, what to do about the soy program, the next planting season. Otherwise, you know, basically I hung around, I did lesson plans, I graded papers and I was a bit of loose ends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Learning to teach."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, teaching myself how to teach."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You knew another group of volunteers was due in. You remember approximately when?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:149", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 32.59734060899267, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That's when I would be about two days a week. I'd probably be with Mondico or working with him on figuring out what of Hank's programs, what to do about the soy program, the next planting season. Otherwise, you know, basically I hung around, I did lesson plans, I graded papers and I was a bit of loose ends."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Learning to teach."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, teaching myself how to teach."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You knew another group of volunteers was due in. You remember approximately when?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I learned about that, I was probably in the fall of that year. So probably September or October."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was still in '68?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:151", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 33.997045121102964, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Well, teaching myself how to teach."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You knew another group of volunteers was due in. You remember approximately when?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I learned about that, I was probably in the fall of that year. So probably September or October."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was still in '68?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Still in '68. I said, Look, in June of '69, we've got 11 to 15. something like 15 volunteers coming in. They're going to be kids with business background and engineering backgrounds. And we've developed this program with the State Department of Rural Electrification and we're going to do a pilot program. And you know, that's the idea. What it developed into was part of the program was doing economic slash agricultural feasibility studies of the areas that were earmarked for electrification. And then actually working with the engineers to plant to plot the lines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was all this development driven by the Brazilian government officials at some level or other?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:153", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 36.66338346789218, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I learned about that, I was probably in the fall of that year. So probably September or October."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It was still in '68?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Still in '68. I said, Look, in June of '69, we've got 11 to 15. something like 15 volunteers coming in. They're going to be kids with business background and engineering backgrounds. And we've developed this program with the State Department of Rural Electrification and we're going to do a pilot program. And you know, that's the idea. What it developed into was part of the program was doing economic slash agricultural feasibility studies of the areas that were earmarked for electrification. And then actually working with the engineers to plant to plot the lines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was all this development driven by the Brazilian government officials at some level or other?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, there this was a program where at some level I'm sure there was some U.S. aid money, but at the level that we saw it, we were essentially free, specialized labor for the states run."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But there was no sense, no idea of having counterparts?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:155", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 38.5148705198802, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Still in '68. I said, Look, in June of '69, we've got 11 to 15. something like 15 volunteers coming in. They're going to be kids with business background and engineering backgrounds. And we've developed this program with the State Department of Rural Electrification and we're going to do a pilot program. And you know, that's the idea. What it developed into was part of the program was doing economic slash agricultural feasibility studies of the areas that were earmarked for electrification. And then actually working with the engineers to plant to plot the lines."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was all this development driven by the Brazilian government officials at some level or other?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, there this was a program where at some level I'm sure there was some U.S. aid money, but at the level that we saw it, we were essentially free, specialized labor for the states run."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But there was no sense, no idea of having counterparts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did have. We did have a few counterparts. For example, in this whole area of the rural electrification. When that started the next year, essentially we spent something like, it was almost like going through training again. We spent about, I'm going to say, two months working in the state capital with the directorship of rural electrification and in that there were two main counterparts, an engineer and an economist who basically formed our teams and got us ready to go out in the field again to work on this rural electrification program. I was slated to go back and be in charge of the efforts out in that same town that I'd started out in, Sao Bento."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So by then, you'd given up your teaching."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:157", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 37.238745022089105, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yeah, there this was a program where at some level I'm sure there was some U.S. aid money, but at the level that we saw it, we were essentially free, specialized labor for the states run."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But there was no sense, no idea of having counterparts?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did have. We did have a few counterparts. For example, in this whole area of the rural electrification. When that started the next year, essentially we spent something like, it was almost like going through training again. We spent about, I'm going to say, two months working in the state capital with the directorship of rural electrification and in that there were two main counterparts, an engineer and an economist who basically formed our teams and got us ready to go out in the field again to work on this rural electrification program. I was slated to go back and be in charge of the efforts out in that same town that I'd started out in, Sao Bento."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So by then, you'd given up your teaching."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was actually during the summer. So there was there was. Let me think about this. I remember there being a problem in that I was able to finish the year with teaching through June, somehow give the exams and then there was at least a month off. And I think it may be I was back in time to start working on that. I remember that last semester I taught, which would have been, I believe during the second half of '69, there was a problem of both getting the exams to the kids and having them taken without me there and then grading them and get the grades back. I remember that was a problem because at that point I had, I was spending a lot of time our time in the capital city."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. Yeah, so you really taught about almost a year."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:159", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 41.37638335787678, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We did have. We did have a few counterparts. For example, in this whole area of the rural electrification. When that started the next year, essentially we spent something like, it was almost like going through training again. We spent about, I'm going to say, two months working in the state capital with the directorship of rural electrification and in that there were two main counterparts, an engineer and an economist who basically formed our teams and got us ready to go out in the field again to work on this rural electrification program. I was slated to go back and be in charge of the efforts out in that same town that I'd started out in, Sao Bento."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So by then, you'd given up your teaching."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was actually during the summer. So there was there was. Let me think about this. I remember there being a problem in that I was able to finish the year with teaching through June, somehow give the exams and then there was at least a month off. And I think it may be I was back in time to start working on that. I remember that last semester I taught, which would have been, I believe during the second half of '69, there was a problem of both getting the exams to the kids and having them taken without me there and then grading them and get the grades back. I remember that was a problem because at that point I had, I was spending a lot of time our time in the capital city."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, OK. Yeah, so you really taught about almost a year."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you were making the shift into the quote the real project, did you have any sense of time or question, you know, what am I doing here? Where am I going? What do I project as a successful Peace Corps career?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 16, "return_to_go": 47.7486214294775, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "As you were making the shift into the quote the real project, did you have any sense of time or question, you know, what am I doing here? Where am I going? What do I project as a successful Peace Corps career?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not really, I sort of kept on falling into things. I mean, I unofficially sort of became one of the semi managers of that program."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Now what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "The rural electrification project, probably this probably by the end of 1969, which was about six months after it, because at that point, then I moved in. Well, maybe I'm a year off, maybe was a little bit later. I think my sense is then I know that. Well, the main thing that started happening in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's move ahead to savagery."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:177", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.758821831121003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The director was Steve Daichi. Fascinating guy. Multiculturalist. I believe he was ethnically slash culturally Czech and had an American citizen. He was a, either a periodontist, I mean, essentially someone who had a."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Let's continue with your story."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but he was a fascinating guy, fascinating guy, who, in fact, after this Peace Corps experience, he was a really great hard charging director, very controversial, just because he bruised a lot of skins on the way, but he got what he wanted. He ended up joining the State Department, and at one point he in fact, he was the consul of the United States in Sao Paulo, Brazil, later. But he clearly responded well to this being international. So I worked for him for a period of time. Then I ended up moving to the city of Belem at the mouth of the Amazon, and was charged with helping develop new Peace Corps programs throughout the Amazon region."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were considered still a volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was still a volunteer. I was sort of a super volunteer. My memory at that point is they upped my monthly pay to about three hundred a month, which was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think they had a category called volunteer leader."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:179", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.620913145690004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but he was a fascinating guy, fascinating guy, who, in fact, after this Peace Corps experience, he was a really great hard charging director, very controversial, just because he bruised a lot of skins on the way, but he got what he wanted. He ended up joining the State Department, and at one point he in fact, he was the consul of the United States in Sao Paulo, Brazil, later. But he clearly responded well to this being international. So I worked for him for a period of time. Then I ended up moving to the city of Belem at the mouth of the Amazon, and was charged with helping develop new Peace Corps programs throughout the Amazon region."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were considered still a volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was still a volunteer. I was sort of a super volunteer. My memory at that point is they upped my monthly pay to about three hundred a month, which was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think they had a category called volunteer leader."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And that was I think that's the rubric that they put me under. But that allowed us actually to for the first time, not have to, you know, take money out of my readjustment allowance to pay for food. And it was exciting to be in a different part of Brazil. The Amazon is always a great place. So, so personally, we really enjoyed that ability of that experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were doing program development, which is kind of a fun thing to do because you go in and, you know, learn as much as you can about the place."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.643102649000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. And that was I think that's the rubric that they put me under. But that allowed us actually to for the first time, not have to, you know, take money out of my readjustment allowance to pay for food. And it was exciting to be in a different part of Brazil. The Amazon is always a great place. So, so personally, we really enjoyed that ability of that experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And you were doing program development, which is kind of a fun thing to do because you go in and, you know, learn as much as you can about the place."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, and again, there were strong government agricultural extension programs that we could lever off of, and part of what I ended up doing was I did about 15 site visits to in every little town we would go to, we'd meet, we'd go with a volunteer who had actually been there before, probably not living there. We would meet the government agricultural extension person, if he were in that town. We'd meet the local banker, we'd meet the local mayor. We just sort of get a feel and do it a writeup about the site as to whether we thought it would be a productive place to put volunteers and we were looking at that point. Peace Corps had shifted gears at that point. They were really bringing in much more people with more dedicated skill level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Specific skills."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was your last position as a volunteer?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.825669610000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right, and again, there were strong government agricultural extension programs that we could lever off of, and part of what I ended up doing was I did about 15 site visits to in every little town we would go to, we'd meet, we'd go with a volunteer who had actually been there before, probably not living there. We would meet the government agricultural extension person, if he were in that town. We'd meet the local banker, we'd meet the local mayor. We just sort of get a feel and do it a writeup about the site as to whether we thought it would be a productive place to put volunteers and we were looking at that point. Peace Corps had shifted gears at that point. They were really bringing in much more people with more dedicated skill level."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Specific skills."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was your last position as a volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you find finally?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.139632900000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was your last position as a volunteer?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you find finally?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then I finally left and we decided we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After how much service?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 13.488481000000002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And then you find finally?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then I finally left and we decided we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After how much service?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This would have been October of '71. I finally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. All right. Yeah."}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:191", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 7, "return_to_go": 13.876090000000001, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Then I finally left and we decided we."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "After how much service?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This would have been October of '71. I finally."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Ok. All right. Yeah."}, {"role": "user", "content": "September, October '71."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any intent at that point to try to work for Peace Corps in Washington?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.489, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "September, October '71."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Any intent at that point to try to work for Peace Corps in Washington?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I'm trying to remember the way, something's coming through here. I believe I may have spent a month or so at that point. I was sort of asked to go spend some time with a training program. By this time, training programs were being done by third party companies. And it was a Colorado based company whose name I could probably come up with if I, creative something or cognitive learning or something like that. Bunch of good people and I don't really remember why I was called down there, whether it was to be a give some aspects of talks for a period of time on the Peace Corps process. That's what my memory was. So we spent a short period time, which is great for us because it got us sort of halfway down Brazil and to Belo Horizonte, and we wanted basically to travel home by land at that point. But because of that relationship, about a year and a half later, I got a call. The people that were able to track me down somewhere. At that point, no, it wasn't a year and a half later, it was a little under a year later we got a call. We were working on a dude ranch in Wyoming at that point, and they needed a cross cultural trainer. And so I went back and worked one program with them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Brazil?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "In Brazil, and Mary was sort of the administrative assistant to the director of the training program. So we went back to Brazil. You know, it was something we wanted to do, so was good. That was my last Peace Corps experience."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just a quick. Maybe we can. How did the Peace Corps experience then sort of change the career paths, your life?"}]}
{"block_id": "returned-peace-corps-volunteers-00176:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely, definitely. The program that we went back to do the training on, just so the antithesis of the types of programs that I came in under. We had a program in Belo Horizonte. This would have been in 1972, I think, where, um. It's about 30 people, and of which about 25 were people from the U.S. postal system and most of their wives. Many of them from of the postmaster level at very small places or the assistant postmaster at big places. I remember we had the former assistant postmaster from Oklahoma City and we had the postmaster from Coos Bay, Oregon. Most of them, I think, the oldest may have been 60, which meant, you know, there was a lot of experience, I think the youngest of the postal types was probably mid-30s. Preponderance there was sort of around probably median age was around 50 of that group, so it's a very different group. But it was a group that I hear, in retrospect, they were difficult to train. I mean, they were. It was hard having them get the language. It was harder to work with them on my side, which is a cross cultural line. But I understand, and it'd be interesting to see how tracking has been done. That you know, that program was very positive for Brazil as well. I mean, you can't say that for a lot of Peace Corps programs, but it certainly helped modernize their post office."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I mean, you were the generalists who branched out and these were the those who came in with very specific skills."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The old Nixon volunteers."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yeah, I assume that this room in Peace Corps for both."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But it seems to have the higher level of motivation."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:7", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.182522307365026, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He’s already on Social Security. I told him, “Don’t take it so soon because then you won’t get as much money,” but he said, “I need it now.” Anyway, Christmas, he will be on Medicare, yay. Now I’m talking too much, ask me another."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, you’re not talking too much at all. It’s good information. Tell us about being a Navy wife. You mentioned how scared that you were when people would come from the squadron, [thinking Pete had crashed.]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. I remember one time the rector of our church came to the door, and I just didn’t even want to let him in. I just knew he was going to tell me that Pete had been in a crash, because there’d been so many of them. I guess that’s what test pilot is, because they put them in planes that have not been tested. I guess I’ve always been kind of nervous about the flying ever since. I think my mother taught me to worry; she was a great worrier."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that’s what most women do. We actually think ahead about some of those things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we have to do all the worrying for the family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right, all the repercussions. Am I correct you met the Lovells at Pax River?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:9", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 21.313913674850028, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. I remember one time the rector of our church came to the door, and I just didn’t even want to let him in. I just knew he was going to tell me that Pete had been in a crash, because there’d been so many of them. I guess that’s what test pilot is, because they put them in planes that have not been tested. I guess I’ve always been kind of nervous about the flying ever since. I think my mother taught me to worry; she was a great worrier."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think that’s what most women do. We actually think ahead about some of those things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we have to do all the worrying for the family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right, all the repercussions. Am I correct you met the Lovells at Pax River?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At test pilot school, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Jo Schirra as well?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:11", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 19.237681860944473, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we have to do all the worrying for the family."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right, all the repercussions. Am I correct you met the Lovells at Pax River?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "At test pilot school, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Jo Schirra as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Wally [Walter M. Schirra] and Jim [James A. Lovell] were in the same class with Pete."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You developed close relationships with a lot of these other families?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:13", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 21.37520206771608, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "At test pilot school, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "And Jo Schirra as well?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Wally [Walter M. Schirra] and Jim [James A. Lovell] were in the same class with Pete."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You developed close relationships with a lot of these other families?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much, yes. We did, because it was a small class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people were in the class, do you recall?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:15", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 23.750224519684533, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, Wally [Walter M. Schirra] and Jim [James A. Lovell] were in the same class with Pete."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You developed close relationships with a lot of these other families?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much, yes. We did, because it was a small class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people were in the class, do you recall?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe 20. I think so. I can’t remember so long ago, wow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a wives’ club meeting [at test pilot school]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:17", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 23.055805021871702, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Pretty much, yes. We did, because it was a small class."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many people were in the class, do you recall?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe 20. I think so. I can’t remember so long ago, wow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a wives’ club meeting [at test pilot school]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No we didn’t, not until we were with NASA. I think Marge [Marjorie] Slayton was the one that got the idea that we should have a wives’ club. Actually it wasn’t a club. I think Lily put that club on the end of it for some reason. It was not a club. We just got together maybe once a month or every six weeks or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think Jan [Janet Evans] had mentioned that to us, that it wasn’t a club, and that you didn’t support anything other than I think she mentioned POWs [prisoners of war] at one point. That it was just an opportunity to get together and have some fellowship."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:19", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 25.617561135413002, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe 20. I think so. I can’t remember so long ago, wow."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have a wives’ club meeting [at test pilot school]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No we didn’t, not until we were with NASA. I think Marge [Marjorie] Slayton was the one that got the idea that we should have a wives’ club. Actually it wasn’t a club. I think Lily put that club on the end of it for some reason. It was not a club. We just got together maybe once a month or every six weeks or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think Jan [Janet Evans] had mentioned that to us, that it wasn’t a club, and that you didn’t support anything other than I think she mentioned POWs [prisoners of war] at one point. That it was just an opportunity to get together and have some fellowship."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about Pete’s decision to apply to become an astronaut. What did you think when he told you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:21", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 26.241734594903335, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No we didn’t, not until we were with NASA. I think Marge [Marjorie] Slayton was the one that got the idea that we should have a wives’ club. Actually it wasn’t a club. I think Lily put that club on the end of it for some reason. It was not a club. We just got together maybe once a month or every six weeks or something like that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think Jan [Janet Evans] had mentioned that to us, that it wasn’t a club, and that you didn’t support anything other than I think she mentioned POWs [prisoners of war] at one point. That it was just an opportunity to get together and have some fellowship."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about Pete’s decision to apply to become an astronaut. What did you think when he told you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I heard it first because it was on the television, the news, they said, “A class has been picked,” this is while we were in Pax River—“a group have been picked to be astronauts.” I don’t know why I thought I knew that Pete was going to be one of them. He was in the shower. I raced in the shower, and I said, “Guess what, you’re going to the Moon.” How was I so prescient? I don’t know. But anyway that was very exciting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did he think of the idea?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:23", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 29.157482883225928, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about Pete’s decision to apply to become an astronaut. What did you think when he told you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I heard it first because it was on the television, the news, they said, “A class has been picked,” this is while we were in Pax River—“a group have been picked to be astronauts.” I don’t know why I thought I knew that Pete was going to be one of them. He was in the shower. I raced in the shower, and I said, “Guess what, you’re going to the Moon.” How was I so prescient? I don’t know. But anyway that was very exciting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did he think of the idea?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was not picked in the first group. Then we went out to California, and he was in a squadron out there. When the second group was picked, I’m trying to think what was my reaction. I don’t even remember. I guess I thought, “Well, it’s about time!”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He should have been picked the first time, right?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:25", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 21.286092092473254, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I heard it first because it was on the television, the news, they said, “A class has been picked,” this is while we were in Pax River—“a group have been picked to be astronauts.” I don’t know why I thought I knew that Pete was going to be one of them. He was in the shower. I raced in the shower, and I said, “Guess what, you’re going to the Moon.” How was I so prescient? I don’t know. But anyway that was very exciting."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did he think of the idea?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was not picked in the first group. Then we went out to California, and he was in a squadron out there. When the second group was picked, I’m trying to think what was my reaction. I don’t even remember. I guess I thought, “Well, it’s about time!”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He should have been picked the first time, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had people coming out to interview me. Pete went of course to Houston right away. It took me a while before I sold our house and joined him down at Clear Lake. I remember the kids were all pretty small then. Christopher was just a little baby. Trying to think if I can remember how old were they when we went to Houston. I think they were like one, three, five, and seven, something like that.\\n\\n We bought a house in Timber Cove, which is where the Schirras and the Grissoms and the Carpenters and the Glenns all bought houses. Then a bunch of them did in El Lago. Then when the third group came along they went into another different neighborhood. What was the name of that? You probably know better than I do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nassau Bay I think."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:27", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 22.54010232497028, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was not picked in the first group. Then we went out to California, and he was in a squadron out there. When the second group was picked, I’m trying to think what was my reaction. I don’t even remember. I guess I thought, “Well, it’s about time!”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He should have been picked the first time, right?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had people coming out to interview me. Pete went of course to Houston right away. It took me a while before I sold our house and joined him down at Clear Lake. I remember the kids were all pretty small then. Christopher was just a little baby. Trying to think if I can remember how old were they when we went to Houston. I think they were like one, three, five, and seven, something like that.\\n\\n We bought a house in Timber Cove, which is where the Schirras and the Grissoms and the Carpenters and the Glenns all bought houses. Then a bunch of them did in El Lago. Then when the third group came along they went into another different neighborhood. What was the name of that? You probably know better than I do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nassau Bay I think."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. When you get to be 87, you don’t remember things very well, particularly names."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think you’re doing a great job. Tell us about the idea of moving to Houston. What did you know of Houston? You were from Texas, but had you spent much time in the Houston area?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:29", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 25.044558138855866, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, we had people coming out to interview me. Pete went of course to Houston right away. It took me a while before I sold our house and joined him down at Clear Lake. I remember the kids were all pretty small then. Christopher was just a little baby. Trying to think if I can remember how old were they when we went to Houston. I think they were like one, three, five, and seven, something like that.\\n\\n We bought a house in Timber Cove, which is where the Schirras and the Grissoms and the Carpenters and the Glenns all bought houses. Then a bunch of them did in El Lago. Then when the third group came along they went into another different neighborhood. What was the name of that? You probably know better than I do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Nassau Bay I think."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. When you get to be 87, you don’t remember things very well, particularly names."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think you’re doing a great job. Tell us about the idea of moving to Houston. What did you know of Houston? You were from Texas, but had you spent much time in the Houston area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I had never spent any time in Houston at all, no."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you think of coming back to Texas?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:44", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 16.07072121700113, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We had so many things to talk about, yes. We just stayed up all night every night talking. It was really fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You had done an interview, I think, for the Timber Cove anniversary."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You talked about how people living in that community were like a family. I wonder if you could elaborate on that a little bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. When people went out of town, we babysat. We just took their kids to our house whenever they wanted, to try to save on babysitting, although we only paid 50 cents an hour in those days. Can you believe it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would love that. It’s now like $10 or $15 an hour. It’s crazy."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:46", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 11.189690241112366, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I believe so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You talked about how people living in that community were like a family. I wonder if you could elaborate on that a little bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. When people went out of town, we babysat. We just took their kids to our house whenever they wanted, to try to save on babysitting, although we only paid 50 cents an hour in those days. Can you believe it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I would love that. It’s now like $10 or $15 an hour. It’s crazy."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know it. I remember in Patuxent River I paid my maid $5 and now I pay my maid $80 for three hours, and the other maid stayed eight hours. Isn’t that something? Times change. [Like Bob Dylan sang], “Times, they are a-changing.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you do other things besides babysit?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:52", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.234142991923681, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh gosh, we shopped together. We took food over to everybody’s house when they were sick. We just did everything together. Went to parties, had parties. [We] had progressive parties, have drinks in one place and hors d’oeuvres and then a main meal and then a dessert in somebody else’s house. It was just like one big family.\\n\\n That included all the people that were not with NASA too, everybody. A lot of them were contractors from other companies that were building parts of the spacecraft. Let’s see what [other] kind of people were there. I guess it was mostly people that had something [to do with NASA]. A lot of them were engineers with NASA. Some of them were public relations people.\\n\\n When we went on those world tours we always had a doctor with us, a NASA doctor. Oh, and we had the most wonderful nurse, Dee [Delores B.] O’Hara, I guess you heard her name. She was just great. Everybody loved her. We didn’t have to go to doctors in those days, because Dee would make an appointment for us. We’d come in, and we’d see a NASA doctor. The only time people didn’t go to a NASA doctor was when the wives thought they were too nervous. They had to see a shrink, or they had to get some Valium or something to calm their nerves. Maybe they’d go to another doctor and say, “I don’t know whether I can face this flight without some kind of thing to [calm] my nerves.” But we all survived."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that common for the wives to feel that nervous?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know because they wouldn’t tell each other really. A couple people that you were really close to would admit that they had to take a pill or two, but I don’t think they wanted NASA to know it. They certainly didn’t."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Lily’s book she talks about how your group came in and you had a meeting with a protocol officer who laid out the expectations for the wives. Do you remember that meeting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was curious about that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:54", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 5, "return_to_go": 12.482381102137424, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know because they wouldn’t tell each other really. A couple people that you were really close to would admit that they had to take a pill or two, but I don’t think they wanted NASA to know it. They certainly didn’t."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In Lily’s book she talks about how your group came in and you had a meeting with a protocol officer who laid out the expectations for the wives. Do you remember that meeting?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was curious about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were supposed to be very circumspect, I think, and be very loyal and not talk. I can’t remember exactly what they said, but I think we knew our roles, which would probably be what a role would even still be today. We don’t rock the boat. We’re very loyal and backing them up in every endeavor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone question that, do you think?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:56", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.313756780152694, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was curious about that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We were supposed to be very circumspect, I think, and be very loyal and not talk. I can’t remember exactly what they said, but I think we knew our roles, which would probably be what a role would even still be today. We don’t rock the boat. We’re very loyal and backing them up in every endeavor."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did anyone question that, do you think?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m not sure that they would say so, but maybe they would today. They probably would say that today. I know Beth Williams would. What a person she is, a personality. She has done so many things. Her husband was killed just, I think, when her [second] child was born. She picked herself up. She got busy, and she started a whole [business] with the Russians. I think they were getting ready to have that [Apollo]-Soyuz [flight], that one with Deke [Donald K. Slayton] going on a Russian mission. She got together all these translators so that they could talk back and forth with the Russians, and that was very interesting. She made a lot of money. I think she never remarried. She had a lot of people wanting to marry her, but she had a lot of people working for her too. We all admire her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet. Going back to Timber Cove, one of the things that I’ve learned interviewing some of the folks is that some of the homes that would face each other had gates in the back so that you could go to another house. Was that common in Timber Cove?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:60", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 10.26389725944777, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m not sure that they would say so, but maybe they would today. They probably would say that today. I know Beth Williams would. What a person she is, a personality. She has done so many things. Her husband was killed just, I think, when her [second] child was born. She picked herself up. She got busy, and she started a whole [business] with the Russians. I think they were getting ready to have that [Apollo]-Soyuz [flight], that one with Deke [Donald K. Slayton] going on a Russian mission. She got together all these translators so that they could talk back and forth with the Russians, and that was very interesting. She made a lot of money. I think she never remarried. She had a lot of people wanting to marry her, but she had a lot of people working for her too. We all admire her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet. Going back to Timber Cove, one of the things that I’ve learned interviewing some of the folks is that some of the homes that would face each other had gates in the back so that you could go to another house. Was that common in Timber Cove?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh [not in Timber Cove], I think that was over in Nassau Bay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because we didn’t have any gates."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn’t have any of those. I was curious about that, with the kids, having them go back and forth."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:62", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.293219177164188, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh [not in Timber Cove], I think that was over in Nassau Bay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Because we didn’t have any gates."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You didn’t have any of those. I was curious about that, with the kids, having them go back and forth."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we had a bicycle brigade. A bunch of us would ride bicycles around Timber Cove every day. I guess we had car pools to school, except for the school bus. Then when the reporters were there, I forget which flight, but my kids used to try to entertain them. They would get up on the roof and do all sort of frightening things so they’d get their pictures taken. Jump off the roof into the pool. [Cringes] Ooh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I heard that story. I was wondering if it was true.\n\nI think Jack had told us that.\n\nYes, Jack Kinzler told us that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:66", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 12.707677996498997, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, we had a bicycle brigade. A bunch of us would ride bicycles around Timber Cove every day. I guess we had car pools to school, except for the school bus. Then when the reporters were there, I forget which flight, but my kids used to try to entertain them. They would get up on the roof and do all sort of frightening things so they’d get their pictures taken. Jump off the roof into the pool. [Cringes] Ooh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I heard that story. I was wondering if it was true.\n\nI think Jack had told us that.\n\nYes, Jack Kinzler told us that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You talked to Jack?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Many years ago."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:70", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 14.119642218332219, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You talked to Jack?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Many years ago."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really? Gosh, what a neat guy he was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We had a couple interviews. He was.\n\nHe was.\n\nHe helped us. We had a couple interviews with him when we were writing some articles and he helped us with that and with the flag, because he had done the flag."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:72", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 9.021824687035798, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You talked to Jack?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Many years ago."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really? Gosh, what a neat guy he was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We had a couple interviews. He was.\n\nHe was.\n\nHe helped us. We had a couple interviews with him when we were writing some articles and he helped us with that and with the flag, because he had done the flag."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, he just was a fine person, and so was Sylvia his wife. I think my kids still keep up with their kids, which has been a nice thing for them too. In fact my oldest son is going with Amy Bean to some function this weekend [for] Alan [L.] Bean, maybe in his hometown. Something’s going to happen. Anyway, he’s going with Amy. Peter Conrad is going with Amy Bean, which is kind of a fun thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s nice to have those connections, it really is.\n\nJennifer has talked to her, so hopefully we’re going to talk to her and do an interview."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:74", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.690916318928664, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Really? Gosh, what a neat guy he was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We had a couple interviews. He was.\n\nHe was.\n\nHe helped us. We had a couple interviews with him when we were writing some articles and he helped us with that and with the flag, because he had done the flag."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, he just was a fine person, and so was Sylvia his wife. I think my kids still keep up with their kids, which has been a nice thing for them too. In fact my oldest son is going with Amy Bean to some function this weekend [for] Alan [L.] Bean, maybe in his hometown. Something’s going to happen. Anyway, he’s going with Amy. Peter Conrad is going with Amy Bean, which is kind of a fun thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s nice to have those connections, it really is.\n\nJennifer has talked to her, so hopefully we’re going to talk to her and do an interview."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She’s an awful cute girl. She’s having a bit of trouble with her stepmother. She won’t mention that, maybe she will. Peter and Amy commiserate about how they can’t stand their stepmothers. They call them the “stepmonsters.” That better not be in the history. Oh, no, it wouldn’t hurt them to know that. Would not hurt them to know that. Because apparently Leslie Bean didn’t want Amy to say anything at Alan’s funeral. She told her not to, but she did anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I’m glad to hear that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:78", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.4343514654762926, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, yes, he just was a fine person, and so was Sylvia his wife. I think my kids still keep up with their kids, which has been a nice thing for them too. In fact my oldest son is going with Amy Bean to some function this weekend [for] Alan [L.] Bean, maybe in his hometown. Something’s going to happen. Anyway, he’s going with Amy. Peter Conrad is going with Amy Bean, which is kind of a fun thing."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s nice to have those connections, it really is.\n\nJennifer has talked to her, so hopefully we’re going to talk to her and do an interview."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She’s an awful cute girl. She’s having a bit of trouble with her stepmother. She won’t mention that, maybe she will. Peter and Amy commiserate about how they can’t stand their stepmothers. They call them the “stepmonsters.” That better not be in the history. Oh, no, it wouldn’t hurt them to know that. Would not hurt them to know that. Because apparently Leslie Bean didn’t want Amy to say anything at Alan’s funeral. She told her not to, but she did anyway."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I’m glad to hear that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She’ll tell you that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I wanted to ask some about the community, because obviously we’re very interested in how NASA shaped the community while you were there. I noticed that you went to an Episcopalian church. I wanted to know how NASA influenced that church. Do you think it had any impact on it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:83", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.1782116857732, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She’ll tell you that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I wanted to ask some about the community, because obviously we’re very interested in how NASA shaped the community while you were there. I noticed that you went to an Episcopalian church. I wanted to know how NASA influenced that church. Do you think it had any impact on it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They never mentioned that where we would go to church at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No sermons?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We just had to behave ourselves and not get drunk and disorderly, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was hoping maybe it reflected some of the excitement over the space program, and maybe there were some sermons or anything like that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:85", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 10.198012984192443, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They never mentioned that where we would go to church at all."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No sermons?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We just had to behave ourselves and not get drunk and disorderly, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was hoping maybe it reflected some of the excitement over the space program, and maybe there were some sermons or anything like that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so, not really. The Lovells went to the same church we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had found some material on the Methodist church. The Methodist minister was very interested in Al Bean. Al Bean went to that church."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:87", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.108903315769382, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We just had to behave ourselves and not get drunk and disorderly, I think."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was hoping maybe it reflected some of the excitement over the space program, and maybe there were some sermons or anything like that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so, not really. The Lovells went to the same church we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had found some material on the Methodist church. The Methodist minister was very interested in Al Bean. Al Bean went to that church."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the Kinzlers did too. No, they went to the Presbyterian church."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, there are quite a few churches around."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:89", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.00989257307709, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so, not really. The Lovells went to the same church we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had found some material on the Methodist church. The Methodist minister was very interested in Al Bean. Al Bean went to that church."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the Kinzlers did too. No, they went to the Presbyterian church."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, there are quite a few churches around."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Oh, and there was a little theater that we started down there too which was very popular. Joan Aldrin was a wonderful actress, and she helped get it started and another neighbor of mine that was quite an actress too. We all participated in these plays. It was an old movie theater. I did everything from cleaning the toilets to being the president of the board. I just did everything. Acted in a couple plays. My neighbors all acted in the plays. It was so much fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where was that theater?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:91", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.899880636752323, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think the Kinzlers did too. No, they went to the Presbyterian church."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, there are quite a few churches around."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Oh, and there was a little theater that we started down there too which was very popular. Joan Aldrin was a wonderful actress, and she helped get it started and another neighbor of mine that was quite an actress too. We all participated in these plays. It was an old movie theater. I did everything from cleaning the toilets to being the president of the board. I just did everything. Acted in a couple plays. My neighbors all acted in the plays. It was so much fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where was that theater?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Dickinson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dickinson.\n\nIn the movie theater, yes."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:93", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.888756263058136, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Oh, and there was a little theater that we started down there too which was very popular. Joan Aldrin was a wonderful actress, and she helped get it started and another neighbor of mine that was quite an actress too. We all participated in these plays. It was an old movie theater. I did everything from cleaning the toilets to being the president of the board. I just did everything. Acted in a couple plays. My neighbors all acted in the plays. It was so much fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where was that theater?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Dickinson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dickinson.\n\nIn the movie theater, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the old movie theater."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The theater is still going."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:95", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.987506958953484, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was in Dickinson."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Dickinson.\n\nIn the movie theater, yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the old movie theater."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The theater is still going."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it really?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it is. It’s still a community theater."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:98", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 12.20834106550387, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "In the old movie theater."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "The theater is still going."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it really?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it is. It’s still a community theater."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I’m glad to hear that. How fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were some of the productions that you starred in?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:100", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 11.342601183893189, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Is it really?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, it is. It’s still a community theater."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I’m glad to hear that. How fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What were some of the productions that you starred in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, let’s see. I was in The Women that Clare Boothe Luce wrote. Let’s see what else was I in."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What part did you play?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:111", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.239870588652117, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s called A Shooting in Missouri, and it was a double entendre with shooting a movie and then of course there’s a real shooting in it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We’ll have to look for it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know whether it’s still on Amazon or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You can find things everywhere."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, hey, I can even give it to you, because Thomas or somebody ordered me a whole bunch of them, and I’ve never tried to put them online or tried to advertise them.\\n\\n [Break in interview]\n\n[The book] is young adult. If either of you have any young adult children, they would like it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes she has a granddaughter, and I have a son that are about the same age.\n\nThey’re just a couple weeks apart."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:113", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.710967320724574, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know whether it’s still on Amazon or not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You can find things everywhere."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, hey, I can even give it to you, because Thomas or somebody ordered me a whole bunch of them, and I’ve never tried to put them online or tried to advertise them.\\n\\n [Break in interview]\n\n[The book] is young adult. If either of you have any young adult children, they would like it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes she has a granddaughter, and I have a son that are about the same age.\n\nThey’re just a couple weeks apart."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, really. They would like that book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was actually out there looking when I saw that you had been an author. I was looking for your book."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:115", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.234408134138415, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, hey, I can even give it to you, because Thomas or somebody ordered me a whole bunch of them, and I’ve never tried to put them online or tried to advertise them.\\n\\n [Break in interview]\n\n[The book] is young adult. If either of you have any young adult children, they would like it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes she has a granddaughter, and I have a son that are about the same age.\n\nThey’re just a couple weeks apart."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, really. They would like that book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was actually out there looking when I saw that you had been an author. I was looking for your book."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was on Amazon, but they didn’t ever sell anything, I think it’s because I didn’t ever try to promote it in any way. You have to do that if you’re going to sell a book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Especially nowadays. There’s so much competition.\n\nThere really is.\n\nThank you.\n\nWe look forward to reading it. One of the questions that we’re always intrigued by is the difference between being a naval aviator wife and an astronaut wife. Were there major differences in your opinion?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:118", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.816009037931572, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, really. They would like that book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was actually out there looking when I saw that you had been an author. I was looking for your book."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was on Amazon, but they didn’t ever sell anything, I think it’s because I didn’t ever try to promote it in any way. You have to do that if you’re going to sell a book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Especially nowadays. There’s so much competition.\n\nThere really is.\n\nThank you.\n\nWe look forward to reading it. One of the questions that we’re always intrigued by is the difference between being a naval aviator wife and an astronaut wife. Were there major differences in your opinion?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As far as being worried about them, it’s about the same. But as far as social life, we went up a lot when we became astronaut wives. We were much sought-after."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I definitely got that feeling. Like you mentioned, you got to meet a lot of celebrities. The media was definitely around quite a bit."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:120", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.462232264368413, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was on Amazon, but they didn’t ever sell anything, I think it’s because I didn’t ever try to promote it in any way. You have to do that if you’re going to sell a book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Especially nowadays. There’s so much competition.\n\nThere really is.\n\nThank you.\n\nWe look forward to reading it. One of the questions that we’re always intrigued by is the difference between being a naval aviator wife and an astronaut wife. Were there major differences in your opinion?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "As far as being worried about them, it’s about the same. But as far as social life, we went up a lot when we became astronaut wives. We were much sought-after."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I definitely got that feeling. Like you mentioned, you got to meet a lot of celebrities. The media was definitely around quite a bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you think of all that media interest and exposure at the time?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:125", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.180258071520458, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "As far as being worried about them, it’s about the same. But as far as social life, we went up a lot when we became astronaut wives. We were much sought-after."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I definitely got that feeling. Like you mentioned, you got to meet a lot of celebrities. The media was definitely around quite a bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you think of all that media interest and exposure at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of people hated it, but I really enjoyed it because they were interesting people. I didn’t mind having them in the house and entertaining them and feeding them, because they were just neat people. I didn’t have anybody that asked any embarrassing questions, and nobody was rude. They were all very polite, so why would I be mad? A lot of people griped and griped about it.\\n\\n I think Jan Evans was a very private person, and she did not like to have any kind of publicity. She would never talk about her husband being an astronaut. In fact, none of us did very much because we thought it was sort of like bragging. Unless it came up in the conversation you never went up and said, “Well, I am the wife of.” Nobody ever ever ever said that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you just tell people, “My husband works for NASA,” leave it at that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:127", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 7.978064523911621, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did you think of all that media interest and exposure at the time?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of people hated it, but I really enjoyed it because they were interesting people. I didn’t mind having them in the house and entertaining them and feeding them, because they were just neat people. I didn’t have anybody that asked any embarrassing questions, and nobody was rude. They were all very polite, so why would I be mad? A lot of people griped and griped about it.\\n\\n I think Jan Evans was a very private person, and she did not like to have any kind of publicity. She would never talk about her husband being an astronaut. In fact, none of us did very much because we thought it was sort of like bragging. Unless it came up in the conversation you never went up and said, “Well, I am the wife of.” Nobody ever ever ever said that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you just tell people, “My husband works for NASA,” leave it at that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were some of the journalists that you talked with? Obviously you had the contract with Life. But were there other journalists that came over to the house?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:129", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.531182804346245, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of people hated it, but I really enjoyed it because they were interesting people. I didn’t mind having them in the house and entertaining them and feeding them, because they were just neat people. I didn’t have anybody that asked any embarrassing questions, and nobody was rude. They were all very polite, so why would I be mad? A lot of people griped and griped about it.\\n\\n I think Jan Evans was a very private person, and she did not like to have any kind of publicity. She would never talk about her husband being an astronaut. In fact, none of us did very much because we thought it was sort of like bragging. Unless it came up in the conversation you never went up and said, “Well, I am the wife of.” Nobody ever ever ever said that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you just tell people, “My husband works for NASA,” leave it at that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were some of the journalists that you talked with? Obviously you had the contract with Life. But were there other journalists that came over to the house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wish my brain was better. There was one that went to the ranch with us during Skylab, because they were up there for a month. We wanted to go to the ranch, which we often did, so one of them went to the ranch with us. He kind of enjoyed that. What was his name? There was one really funny thing, and I think it was in Lily’s book.\\n\\n The pool guy came and asked if Mr. Conrad was home. The security guy that was in our house said, “He’s,” like this. [Points up to the sky] The guy said, “Oh, I’m sorry.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that’s funny.\n\nThat’s hilarious."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:131", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.145758671495828, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who were some of the journalists that you talked with? Obviously you had the contract with Life. But were there other journalists that came over to the house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wish my brain was better. There was one that went to the ranch with us during Skylab, because they were up there for a month. We wanted to go to the ranch, which we often did, so one of them went to the ranch with us. He kind of enjoyed that. What was his name? There was one really funny thing, and I think it was in Lily’s book.\\n\\n The pool guy came and asked if Mr. Conrad was home. The security guy that was in our house said, “He’s,” like this. [Points up to the sky] The guy said, “Oh, I’m sorry.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that’s funny.\n\nThat’s hilarious."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that Pete was ever going to get up there. No, that’s as far as he got, to the Moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about that Life magazine contract. Were you briefed on it or was that something that Pete handled for your family?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:133", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.828620746106475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I wish my brain was better. There was one that went to the ranch with us during Skylab, because they were up there for a month. We wanted to go to the ranch, which we often did, so one of them went to the ranch with us. He kind of enjoyed that. What was his name? There was one really funny thing, and I think it was in Lily’s book.\\n\\n The pool guy came and asked if Mr. Conrad was home. The security guy that was in our house said, “He’s,” like this. [Points up to the sky] The guy said, “Oh, I’m sorry.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that’s funny.\n\nThat’s hilarious."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that Pete was ever going to get up there. No, that’s as far as he got, to the Moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about that Life magazine contract. Were you briefed on it or was that something that Pete handled for your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually my uncle got us the lawyer from his firm to write our contract. Yes, we did. We knew about it, and we were happy to get it, because we were going to use it for our kids’ education, which we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been a nice extra."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:136", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.58735638456275, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not that Pete was ever going to get up there. No, that’s as far as he got, to the Moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about that Life magazine contract. Were you briefed on it or was that something that Pete handled for your family?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually my uncle got us the lawyer from his firm to write our contract. Yes, we did. We knew about it, and we were happy to get it, because we were going to use it for our kids’ education, which we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been a nice extra."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely, we deserved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did have to deal with a lot of media, a lot of attention. There were a lot of tour buses as I understand it that came through your neighborhood."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:138", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.4303959828475, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually my uncle got us the lawyer from his firm to write our contract. Yes, we did. We knew about it, and we were happy to get it, because we were going to use it for our kids’ education, which we did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been a nice extra."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely, we deserved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did have to deal with a lot of media, a lot of attention. There were a lot of tour buses as I understand it that came through your neighborhood."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Pete loved to put them off track when he was out there mowing the lawn. They would stop and say, “Do you know where the Conrad house is?” He’d say, “Oh, it’s about five houses down there.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But nobody recognized him?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:140", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 9.367106647608333, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely, we deserved it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You did have to deal with a lot of media, a lot of attention. There were a lot of tour buses as I understand it that came through your neighborhood."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Pete loved to put them off track when he was out there mowing the lawn. They would stop and say, “Do you know where the Conrad house is?” He’d say, “Oh, it’s about five houses down there.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But nobody recognized him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny. You would think that they would recognize an astronaut."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:142", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 10.40789627512037, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. Pete loved to put them off track when he was out there mowing the lawn. They would stop and say, “Do you know where the Conrad house is?” He’d say, “Oh, it’s about five houses down there.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "But nobody recognized him?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny. You would think that they would recognize an astronaut."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If he had a cap on and sunglasses they might not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, maybe.\n\nThey were the days before the Internet too where everybody knew what everybody looked like.\n\nRight, and I think the neighborhood kids, I think Jack mentioned, liked to throw people off about who lived where."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:144", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 11.564329194578189, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny. You would think that they would recognize an astronaut."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If he had a cap on and sunglasses they might not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, maybe.\n\nThey were the days before the Internet too where everybody knew what everybody looked like.\n\nRight, and I think the neighborhood kids, I think Jack mentioned, liked to throw people off about who lived where."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That brings up another question. You talked about going down to downtown Houston and going to those places to find the dresses. I was curious about military pay. Were you still getting the military pay that Pete had received?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:146", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 12.849254660642432, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "If he had a cap on and sunglasses they might not."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, yes, maybe.\n\nThey were the days before the Internet too where everybody knew what everybody looked like.\n\nRight, and I think the neighborhood kids, I think Jack mentioned, liked to throw people off about who lived where."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That brings up another question. You talked about going down to downtown Houston and going to those places to find the dresses. I was curious about military pay. Were you still getting the military pay that Pete had received?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you concerned when you found out that you were going to be an astronaut wife based on the articles you had read about the Mercury Seven wives going to the White House and some of these black-tie events, about how you might handle those sort of things?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:150", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 9.83250517849159, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That brings up another question. You talked about going down to downtown Houston and going to those places to find the dresses. I was curious about military pay. Were you still getting the military pay that Pete had received?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you concerned when you found out that you were going to be an astronaut wife based on the articles you had read about the Mercury Seven wives going to the White House and some of these black-tie events, about how you might handle those sort of things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so. Maybe they had gone, but nobody had gone to the White House [yet] except maybe John [H.] Glenn at that time, because that was so early. That’s of course when JFK [John F. Kennedy] was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel like you got to spend much time with Pete, when he was an astronaut?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:152", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.4805613094351, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you concerned when you found out that you were going to be an astronaut wife based on the articles you had read about the Mercury Seven wives going to the White House and some of these black-tie events, about how you might handle those sort of things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so. Maybe they had gone, but nobody had gone to the White House [yet] except maybe John [H.] Glenn at that time, because that was so early. That’s of course when JFK [John F. Kennedy] was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel like you got to spend much time with Pete, when he was an astronaut?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not a lot, no. Being on four flights, he was training most of the time. Even when he was not, he was over in Australia at Carnarvon, at the CapComs [Capsule Communicator console] over there. He was gone an awful lot, yes. I don’t necessarily think that had to do with people getting so many divorces. I think more it was the fact that maybe the women chased them. I don’t think it was the fact that we were apart a lot. They just had lots of people, women, after them all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you aware of that at the time, that that was happening?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:154", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.089512566039, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so. Maybe they had gone, but nobody had gone to the White House [yet] except maybe John [H.] Glenn at that time, because that was so early. That’s of course when JFK [John F. Kennedy] was there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel like you got to spend much time with Pete, when he was an astronaut?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not a lot, no. Being on four flights, he was training most of the time. Even when he was not, he was over in Australia at Carnarvon, at the CapComs [Capsule Communicator console] over there. He was gone an awful lot, yes. I don’t necessarily think that had to do with people getting so many divorces. I think more it was the fact that maybe the women chased them. I don’t think it was the fact that we were apart a lot. They just had lots of people, women, after them all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you aware of that at the time, that that was happening?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When they started getting divorces, I did, yes, I realized. I’m trying to think. We didn’t get a divorce right away. We were married for 37 years. I began to get a little suspicious when Pete had so many meetings out of town. Then one time I found—what was it? Oh, I know, I found another garage door opener in his car, and I thought, “Hmm.” I went, and I said, “Why do you have two garage door openers?” He said, “I asked if I could keep my car in my friend’s garage sometime.” I thought, “Oh yes, sure.” I said, “Well, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to take it out and throw it in the driveway and drive over it,” and I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow.\n\nProbably didn’t go over very well."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:156", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.655013962265555, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not a lot, no. Being on four flights, he was training most of the time. Even when he was not, he was over in Australia at Carnarvon, at the CapComs [Capsule Communicator console] over there. He was gone an awful lot, yes. I don’t necessarily think that had to do with people getting so many divorces. I think more it was the fact that maybe the women chased them. I don’t think it was the fact that we were apart a lot. They just had lots of people, women, after them all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you aware of that at the time, that that was happening?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When they started getting divorces, I did, yes, I realized. I’m trying to think. We didn’t get a divorce right away. We were married for 37 years. I began to get a little suspicious when Pete had so many meetings out of town. Then one time I found—what was it? Oh, I know, I found another garage door opener in his car, and I thought, “Hmm.” I went, and I said, “Why do you have two garage door openers?” He said, “I asked if I could keep my car in my friend’s garage sometime.” I thought, “Oh yes, sure.” I said, “Well, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to take it out and throw it in the driveway and drive over it,” and I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow.\n\nProbably didn’t go over very well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He could get another one if he wants to, but that gave him the clue that I was onto him. Now that’s the kind of thing that Jackie Kennedy wanted, but it wasn’t going on then when I wrote that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. Maybe you didn’t necessarily want to talk about it, even if it had been going on."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:158", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.283348846961728, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When they started getting divorces, I did, yes, I realized. I’m trying to think. We didn’t get a divorce right away. We were married for 37 years. I began to get a little suspicious when Pete had so many meetings out of town. Then one time I found—what was it? Oh, I know, I found another garage door opener in his car, and I thought, “Hmm.” I went, and I said, “Why do you have two garage door openers?” He said, “I asked if I could keep my car in my friend’s garage sometime.” I thought, “Oh yes, sure.” I said, “Well, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to take it out and throw it in the driveway and drive over it,” and I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wow.\n\nProbably didn’t go over very well."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He could get another one if he wants to, but that gave him the clue that I was onto him. Now that’s the kind of thing that Jackie Kennedy wanted, but it wasn’t going on then when I wrote that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. Maybe you didn’t necessarily want to talk about it, even if it had been going on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. I don’t mind talking about it now, because I can laugh about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the wives talk about it amongst yourselves?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:161", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.6481653855130305, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He could get another one if he wants to, but that gave him the clue that I was onto him. Now that’s the kind of thing that Jackie Kennedy wanted, but it wasn’t going on then when I wrote that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, right. Maybe you didn’t necessarily want to talk about it, even if it had been going on."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. I don’t mind talking about it now, because I can laugh about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the wives talk about it amongst yourselves?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember Barbara Gordon calling me up and crying and crying on the phone, because Dick [Richard F. Gordon] had—this was much earlier—asked her for a divorce. She had six children all at home. Can you imagine? Oh. It was hard enough on me when my kids were all grown and out of the nest, but for her to have all those children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was that big brouhaha about Donn [F.] Eisele and that first divorce."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:163", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.053517095014478, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, no. I don’t mind talking about it now, because I can laugh about it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did the wives talk about it amongst yourselves?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember Barbara Gordon calling me up and crying and crying on the phone, because Dick [Richard F. Gordon] had—this was much earlier—asked her for a divorce. She had six children all at home. Can you imagine? Oh. It was hard enough on me when my kids were all grown and out of the nest, but for her to have all those children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was that big brouhaha about Donn [F.] Eisele and that first divorce."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. That was really sad, because with her child dying. Oh, that was really awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that something that you discussed behind closed doors?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:165", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.50390788334942, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember Barbara Gordon calling me up and crying and crying on the phone, because Dick [Richard F. Gordon] had—this was much earlier—asked her for a divorce. She had six children all at home. Can you imagine? Oh. It was hard enough on me when my kids were all grown and out of the nest, but for her to have all those children."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was that big brouhaha about Donn [F.] Eisele and that first divorce."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. That was really sad, because with her child dying. Oh, that was really awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that something that you discussed behind closed doors?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, we thought that was the most egregious thing that ever happened. We just couldn’t believe it could happen, and then boom boom boom. [The divorces started like dominos falling.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think in Lily’s book she talks about how you closed ranks in opening your meetings to the second wives. Do you remember much about that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:167", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.893230981499356, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. That was really sad, because with her child dying. Oh, that was really awful."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that something that you discussed behind closed doors?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, we thought that was the most egregious thing that ever happened. We just couldn’t believe it could happen, and then boom boom boom. [The divorces started like dominos falling.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think in Lily’s book she talks about how you closed ranks in opening your meetings to the second wives. Do you remember much about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we finally did have—[L.] Gordon Cooper’s second wife came to some of our meetings. I don’t remember why. I wasn’t even there. Where was I? It must have been that third group was still there maybe, and they had her. The first two wives’ groups didn’t ever welcome the second wives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever get together just as the second wives and do things together as a group?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:169", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.21470109055484, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, we thought that was the most egregious thing that ever happened. We just couldn’t believe it could happen, and then boom boom boom. [The divorces started like dominos falling.]"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think in Lily’s book she talks about how you closed ranks in opening your meetings to the second wives. Do you remember much about that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we finally did have—[L.] Gordon Cooper’s second wife came to some of our meetings. I don’t remember why. I wasn’t even there. Where was I? It must have been that third group was still there maybe, and they had her. The first two wives’ groups didn’t ever welcome the second wives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever get together just as the second wives and do things together as a group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that there were times. Going for launches, they would be there and we would be there. We would be at the parties together, but we never got to know them. I don’t think. I think I kind of got to know Gordon Cooper’s wife a little bit when we were in California, but that was many years later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things I noticed that was missing from Lily’s book was the selection of the scientist astronauts. It included the pilots that were selected but kind of overlooked those two groups of scientist-astronaut wives."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:171", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.5718901006164887, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think we finally did have—[L.] Gordon Cooper’s second wife came to some of our meetings. I don’t remember why. I wasn’t even there. Where was I? It must have been that third group was still there maybe, and they had her. The first two wives’ groups didn’t ever welcome the second wives."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever get together just as the second wives and do things together as a group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that there were times. Going for launches, they would be there and we would be there. We would be at the parties together, but we never got to know them. I don’t think. I think I kind of got to know Gordon Cooper’s wife a little bit when we were in California, but that was many years later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things I noticed that was missing from Lily’s book was the selection of the scientist astronauts. It included the pilots that were selected but kind of overlooked those two groups of scientist-astronaut wives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s true."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was curious. Were they ever a part of your group?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:173", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.968766778462765, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think that there were times. Going for launches, they would be there and we would be there. We would be at the parties together, but we never got to know them. I don’t think. I think I kind of got to know Gordon Cooper’s wife a little bit when we were in California, but that was many years later."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things I noticed that was missing from Lily’s book was the selection of the scientist astronauts. It included the pilots that were selected but kind of overlooked those two groups of scientist-astronaut wives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s true."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was curious. Were they ever a part of your group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because they were so different, were they—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:175", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.409740864958628, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that’s true."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was curious. Were they ever a part of your group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because they were so different, were they—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they did come, of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the MOL [Manned Orbiting Laboratory] wives, when they came? They were selected in what, 1969? They were kind of latecomers."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:181", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.703348237254632, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When were they selected?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "In ’69."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I should have met them. I guess I did. But I don’t remember much about it. Because we left there right after Skylab, after we got back from trips that we made. Those trips were really fabulous that we made, round the world trips. They were great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Meeting all the heads of state everywhere we went and gave them a little piece of the Moon, a little crumb in a Lucite case."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many world tours did you go on?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:183", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.114831374727369, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I should have met them. I guess I did. But I don’t remember much about it. Because we left there right after Skylab, after we got back from trips that we made. Those trips were really fabulous that we made, round the world trips. They were great."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Meeting all the heads of state everywhere we went and gave them a little piece of the Moon, a little crumb in a Lucite case."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many world tours did you go on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually I went on two world tours and then after that just more little jaunts here and there, not round the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You went after Gemini V, is that correct?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:185", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.572034860808188, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Meeting all the heads of state everywhere we went and gave them a little piece of the Moon, a little crumb in a Lucite case."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How many world tours did you go on?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually I went on two world tours and then after that just more little jaunts here and there, not round the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You went after Gemini V, is that correct?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[President] Lyndon [B.] Johnson sent Pete and Cooper on that tour and you went with them?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:187", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.080038734231319, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Actually I went on two world tours and then after that just more little jaunts here and there, not round the world."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You went after Gemini V, is that correct?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[President] Lyndon [B.] Johnson sent Pete and Cooper on that tour and you went with them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go? I think Lily talked about you going to Africa in one of the stories, but I was curious where else you visited."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:189", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4222652602570207, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "[President] Lyndon [B.] Johnson sent Pete and Cooper on that tour and you went with them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Where did you go? I think Lily talked about you going to Africa in one of the stories, but I was curious where else you visited."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I get those two long trips kind of mixed up. I know we went to some of the same places. We went twice to the Canary Islands but maybe that was because it was where they needed to refuel. I don’t know. Let me see if I can find that book. One of the books got lost when we moved here, which I’m so sorry about, because it was a party before the Apollo 12 launch. Jimmy Stewart and his wife were there and a lot of other celebrity people were there. I don’t know how it got lost. Let’s see. I think this was my memoir that I wrote, but I’ve never done anything with it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Have your sons read your memoir?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:195", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.472243155359425, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. No, I guess they haven’t read it. I’m thinking about the first book that was published. My son self-published it for me for a Christmas present. I was so surprised, because here comes this big box with my book in it. He found a picture of my dad to put on the cover. It was really neat."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Wonderful."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A wonderful present."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let’s see. Jerry, the Moon [Men, and Me]. What was he? NASA man. I don’t know what all this is. This was another Timber Cove neighbor that had a quite important [career]. I don’t know what he did there, but he was somebody at NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think we interviewed [him]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:197", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.74693683928825, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A wonderful present."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let’s see. Jerry, the Moon [Men, and Me]. What was he? NASA man. I don’t know what all this is. This was another Timber Cove neighbor that had a quite important [career]. I don’t know what he did there, but he was somebody at NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think we interviewed [him]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m trying to find some of those pictures but I don’t know where I’ve put all my [stuff]. I had to give away 400 books when we moved, because there were no bookcases."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I understand that. Is it Jerry Hammack?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:199", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.052152043653611, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let’s see. Jerry, the Moon [Men, and Me]. What was he? NASA man. I don’t know what all this is. This was another Timber Cove neighbor that had a quite important [career]. I don’t know what he did there, but he was somebody at NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think we interviewed [him]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m trying to find some of those pictures but I don’t know where I’ve put all my [stuff]. I had to give away 400 books when we moved, because there were no bookcases."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I understand that. Is it Jerry Hammack?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Friendship. What is this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can I help you, Jane?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:201", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.391280048504012, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’m trying to find some of those pictures but I don’t know where I’ve put all my [stuff]. I had to give away 400 books when we moved, because there were no bookcases."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I understand that. Is it Jerry Hammack?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Friendship. What is this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Can I help you, Jane?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I got it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You got it. Okay."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:205", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.0756543808691506, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I got it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You got it. Okay."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let me see what is this. It says friendships. Does this one say friendship?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Friendship 81."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What was that? Oh no, that was with McDonnell Douglas. This has to be it. This one is Life magazine pictures."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I love looking at these old pictures. [Flips through Life photos]"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:207", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 3.417393756521278, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Let me see what is this. It says friendships. Does this one say friendship?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Friendship 81."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What was that? Oh no, that was with McDonnell Douglas. This has to be it. This one is Life magazine pictures."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I love looking at these old pictures. [Flips through Life photos]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Isn’t that fun? I love to too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is that from?\n\nThese are some of the Life photos, right?\n\nOh yes.\n\nYou look so young to have four kids. How old were you here?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:209", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.6859930628014204, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What was that? Oh no, that was with McDonnell Douglas. This has to be it. This one is Life magazine pictures."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I love looking at these old pictures. [Flips through Life photos]"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Isn’t that fun? I love to too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is that from?\n\nThese are some of the Life photos, right?\n\nOh yes.\n\nYou look so young to have four kids. How old were you here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably 35, I don’t know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You don’t look 35. You look so young."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:211", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.9844367364460225, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Isn’t that fun? I love to too."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What is that from?\n\nThese are some of the Life photos, right?\n\nOh yes.\n\nYou look so young to have four kids. How old were you here?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably 35, I don’t know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You don’t look 35. You look so young."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Here’s the guy, the 65."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my gosh. Wow. Your Hi-C in the back.\n\nThose are wonderful.\n\nI know. You had four boys. How hard was it to find somebody who would watch them? I really have to ask. I have one, and I can’t find anybody to watch him."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:216", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.316040818273358, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably 35, I don’t know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You don’t look 35. You look so young."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Here’s the guy, the 65."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my gosh. Wow. Your Hi-C in the back.\n\nThose are wonderful.\n\nI know. You had four boys. How hard was it to find somebody who would watch them? I really have to ask. I have one, and I can’t find anybody to watch him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. When we went on the longest world trip my cousin came, and before we got back she went into labor so they had to farm the kids out with other people in the neighborhood."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my gosh, [Pete] cut their hair."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:218", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.684489798081509, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Here’s the guy, the 65."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my gosh. Wow. Your Hi-C in the back.\n\nThose are wonderful.\n\nI know. You had four boys. How hard was it to find somebody who would watch them? I really have to ask. I have one, and I can’t find anybody to watch him."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. When we went on the longest world trip my cousin came, and before we got back she went into labor so they had to farm the kids out with other people in the neighborhood."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my gosh, [Pete] cut their hair."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny.\n\nThose are wonderful.\n\nThese are great. That’s nice that they shared them."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:222", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.093877553423899, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. When we went on the longest world trip my cousin came, and before we got back she went into labor so they had to farm the kids out with other people in the neighborhood."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh my gosh, [Pete] cut their hair."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny.\n\nThose are wonderful.\n\nThese are great. That’s nice that they shared them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s my dad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that out at the ranch or is that at your place?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:224", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.548752837137665, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny.\n\nThose are wonderful.\n\nThese are great. That’s nice that they shared them."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s my dad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that out at the ranch or is that at your place?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that’s our place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You must have had your hands full, seriously, with all those kids. It’s a great picture of you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:228", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.05416981904185, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s my dad."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that out at the ranch or is that at your place?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, that’s our place."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You must have had your hands full, seriously, with all those kids. It’s a great picture of you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is where we watch the launch and see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You went out for the Apollo 12 launch, correct?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:232", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.239715825977593, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This is where we watch the launch and see."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You went out for the Apollo 12 launch, correct?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I haven’t looked at these pictures for years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s why I’m hanging over your shoulder."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that’s cute."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:234", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.821906473308437, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I haven’t looked at these pictures for years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s why I’m hanging over your shoulder."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that’s cute."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This guy, [my son], is a United Airlines pilot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, followed in his dad’s footsteps, huh?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:236", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.468784970342708, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s why I’m hanging over your shoulder."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that’s cute."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This guy, [my son], is a United Airlines pilot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, followed in his dad’s footsteps, huh?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he also go into the Navy?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:238", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.96531663371412, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This guy, [my son], is a United Airlines pilot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, followed in his dad’s footsteps, huh?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he also go into the Navy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, he went to Embry-Riddle, where they teach you to fly to become an airline pilot. It’s a four-year college but it’s with emphasis on [flying]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is this part of the world tour?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:240", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.517018481904578, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did he also go into the Navy?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, he went to Embry-Riddle, where they teach you to fly to become an airline pilot. It’s a four-year college but it’s with emphasis on [flying]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is this part of the world tour?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, that was the first one of our trips that we made. This was an ambassador."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s quite a difference. Nobody wearing shoes."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:242", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.130020535449531, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, he went to Embry-Riddle, where they teach you to fly to become an airline pilot. It’s a four-year college but it’s with emphasis on [flying]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is this part of the world tour?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, that was the first one of our trips that we made. This was an ambassador."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s quite a difference. Nobody wearing shoes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, they’re all barefoot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, are these those cats that you were talking about?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:244", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.700022817166145, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, that was the first one of our trips that we made. This was an ambassador."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s quite a difference. Nobody wearing shoes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, they’re all barefoot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, are these those cats that you were talking about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was Haile Selassie’s palace. He gave me a purse, which has real leopard skin on it. Which now is very fashionable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet. Do you still have it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:246", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.22224757462905, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, they’re all barefoot."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, are these those cats that you were talking about?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was Haile Selassie’s palace. He gave me a purse, which has real leopard skin on it. Which now is very fashionable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet. Do you still have it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. This was our doctor. That’s Jomo Kenyatta."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who’s the physician? Do you remember?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:248", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.691386194032278, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That was Haile Selassie’s palace. He gave me a purse, which has real leopard skin on it. Which now is very fashionable."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet. Do you still have it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. This was our doctor. That’s Jomo Kenyatta."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who’s the physician? Do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was Chuck Berry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Chuck Berry, okay, didn’t recognize him.\n\nIt’s because he’s young there.\n\nThat’s probably why. I’ve seen older photos of Chuck."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:250", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.212651326702531, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. This was our doctor. That’s Jomo Kenyatta."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Who’s the physician? Do you remember?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was Chuck Berry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Chuck Berry, okay, didn’t recognize him.\n\nIt’s because he’s young there.\n\nThat’s probably why. I’ve seen older photos of Chuck."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, everybody’s [older]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Everybody was young then."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:252", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.791834807447256, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was Chuck Berry."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Chuck Berry, okay, didn’t recognize him.\n\nIt’s because he’s young there.\n\nThat’s probably why. I’ve seen older photos of Chuck."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, everybody’s [older]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Everybody was young then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you receive any sort of cultural training before you went on the world tour?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:256", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.213149786052507, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, everybody’s [older]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Everybody was young then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you receive any sort of cultural training before you went on the world tour?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. We spent two days in the State Department learning about the countries we would go to, and what things to do and not do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet there was quite a few things. Certain hand signals and things."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:258", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.681277540058341, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you receive any sort of cultural training before you went on the world tour?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. We spent two days in the State Department learning about the countries we would go to, and what things to do and not do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet there was quite a few things. Certain hand signals and things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go the same places that the guys went, or did the wives do other things?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:260", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.090308377842601, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. We spent two days in the State Department learning about the countries we would go to, and what things to do and not do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet there was quite a few things. Certain hand signals and things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go the same places that the guys went, or did the wives do other things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometimes they had separate press conferences, but otherwise we were always together. There’s Haile Selassie and Jomo Kenyatta."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the swords given to the crew?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:262", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.5447870864917785, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go the same places that the guys went, or did the wives do other things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometimes they had separate press conferences, but otherwise we were always together. There’s Haile Selassie and Jomo Kenyatta."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the swords given to the crew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but somebody, I forget who it was, maybe Haile Selassie gave him a beautiful—it was more like a dagger with lots of jewels in it. Of course we had to give it back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, yes, those were state gifts, right? Not personal gifts."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:264", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.938652318324198, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Sometimes they had separate press conferences, but otherwise we were always together. There’s Haile Selassie and Jomo Kenyatta."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were the swords given to the crew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but somebody, I forget who it was, maybe Haile Selassie gave him a beautiful—it was more like a dagger with lots of jewels in it. Of course we had to give it back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, yes, those were state gifts, right? Not personal gifts."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Anything that’s over $50 you have to give back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that it? Is that a lion? That is a lion."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:266", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.376280353693553, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, but somebody, I forget who it was, maybe Haile Selassie gave him a beautiful—it was more like a dagger with lots of jewels in it. Of course we had to give it back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, yes, those were state gifts, right? Not personal gifts."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Anything that’s over $50 you have to give back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that it? Is that a lion? That is a lion."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You walked past this lion?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:268", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.86253372632617, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Anything that’s over $50 you have to give back."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that it? Is that a lion? That is a lion."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You walked past this lion?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s crazy.\n\nThat’s amazing. I think I would have been shaking a little bit in my shoes. This must have been Skylab, much later."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:270", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.402815251473522, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You walked past this lion?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s crazy.\n\nThat’s amazing. I think I would have been shaking a little bit in my shoes. This must have been Skylab, much later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t remember when that was taken."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I’ve seen the pictures of you. You had long hair."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:272", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.003128057192803, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s crazy.\n\nThat’s amazing. I think I would have been shaking a little bit in my shoes. This must have been Skylab, much later."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t remember when that was taken."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I’ve seen the pictures of you. You had long hair."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The kids are bigger. I don’t know what all that stuff is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I love these dresses.\n\nVery Jackie O.\n\nYes.\n\nOr Jackie Kennedy at that time. We’re talking about the styles of those dresses."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:275", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.55903117465867, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t remember when that was taken."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I’ve seen the pictures of you. You had long hair."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The kids are bigger. I don’t know what all that stuff is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I love these dresses.\n\nVery Jackie O.\n\nYes.\n\nOr Jackie Kennedy at that time. We’re talking about the styles of those dresses."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was the king and queen of Greece. Wonder what this thing is, something I wrote obviously, and it’s also about, “They were taken to the LRL [Lunar Receiving Lab]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe that was your memories after the Apollo 12 mission."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:277", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.065590194065188, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "The kids are bigger. I don’t know what all that stuff is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I love these dresses.\n\nVery Jackie O.\n\nYes.\n\nOr Jackie Kennedy at that time. We’re talking about the styles of those dresses."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was the king and queen of Greece. Wonder what this thing is, something I wrote obviously, and it’s also about, “They were taken to the LRL [Lunar Receiving Lab]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe that was your memories after the Apollo 12 mission."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Must be. I said, “Pete had a ball bounding nearly weightless on the Moon. He weighed 15 pounds. He was singing, ‘I was walking on the Moon one day.’”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve seen the video of that.\n\nI love that bikini. That is so iconic of the ’60s. That type of bikini.\n\nAfter four kids.\n\nYes, that’s impressive, four children and still looking like that and being able to wear a bikini.\n\nNo kidding.\n\nI don’t think I would wear one today. It’s funny how they just label everything “astronaut wives.” There’s not much detail there, “astronaut wives.”\n\nI guess Life magazine.\n\nYes, on the back [they just labeled them] “astronaut wives.”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:282", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.62843354896132, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This was the king and queen of Greece. Wonder what this thing is, something I wrote obviously, and it’s also about, “They were taken to the LRL [Lunar Receiving Lab]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe that was your memories after the Apollo 12 mission."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Must be. I said, “Pete had a ball bounding nearly weightless on the Moon. He weighed 15 pounds. He was singing, ‘I was walking on the Moon one day.’”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve seen the video of that.\n\nI love that bikini. That is so iconic of the ’60s. That type of bikini.\n\nAfter four kids.\n\nYes, that’s impressive, four children and still looking like that and being able to wear a bikini.\n\nNo kidding.\n\nI don’t think I would wear one today. It’s funny how they just label everything “astronaut wives.” There’s not much detail there, “astronaut wives.”\n\nI guess Life magazine.\n\nYes, on the back [they just labeled them] “astronaut wives.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There’s other people in the photo."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:284", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.253815054401467, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Must be. I said, “Pete had a ball bounding nearly weightless on the Moon. He weighed 15 pounds. He was singing, ‘I was walking on the Moon one day.’”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve seen the video of that.\n\nI love that bikini. That is so iconic of the ’60s. That type of bikini.\n\nAfter four kids.\n\nYes, that’s impressive, four children and still looking like that and being able to wear a bikini.\n\nNo kidding.\n\nI don’t think I would wear one today. It’s funny how they just label everything “astronaut wives.” There’s not much detail there, “astronaut wives.”\n\nI guess Life magazine.\n\nYes, on the back [they just labeled them] “astronaut wives.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There’s other people in the photo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This must be something that I wrote that I didn’t ever do anything with. What is this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You can tell it’s one of those homes [in Clear Lake] because of those rafters."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:293", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.726461171557185, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There’s other people in the photo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This must be something that I wrote that I didn’t ever do anything with. What is this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You can tell it’s one of those homes [in Clear Lake] because of those rafters."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I wrote this to my mother, and she saved it. It says, “This summer has been really busy. Luckily, because I haven’t had time to brood about the fear for Pete’s flight which is just two weeks away.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet you had to have nerves of steel during that time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:295", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.251623523952428, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "This must be something that I wrote that I didn’t ever do anything with. What is this?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You can tell it’s one of those homes [in Clear Lake] because of those rafters."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I wrote this to my mother, and she saved it. It says, “This summer has been really busy. Luckily, because I haven’t had time to brood about the fear for Pete’s flight which is just two weeks away.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet you had to have nerves of steel during that time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Luckily I was young. I couldn’t take it today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s a lot different when we’re younger. We don’t worry as much.\n\nYou don’t think through all the ramifications of something happening. But with four kids."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:297", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.8351372488360305, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think I wrote this to my mother, and she saved it. It says, “This summer has been really busy. Luckily, because I haven’t had time to brood about the fear for Pete’s flight which is just two weeks away.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I bet you had to have nerves of steel during that time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Luckily I was young. I couldn’t take it today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s a lot different when we’re younger. We don’t worry as much.\n\nYou don’t think through all the ramifications of something happening. But with four kids."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kept me busy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you active at all in their school?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:299", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.261263609817811, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Luckily I was young. I couldn’t take it today."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s a lot different when we’re younger. We don’t worry as much.\n\nYou don’t think through all the ramifications of something happening. But with four kids."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kept me busy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you active at all in their school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, pretty much. More so after we left Houston and went to Denver. The kids were in Denver Country Day School, and I just practically lived at that school. I just got so interested in everything to do there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a great one."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:302", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.734737344242012, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Kept me busy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you active at all in their school?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, pretty much. More so after we left Houston and went to Denver. The kids were in Denver Country Day School, and I just practically lived at that school. I just got so interested in everything to do there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a great one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I was in Houston I did some volunteer work for the junior league though, so that was one day a week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I noticed that you were quite active in that group. Were you active in any other local groups, maybe in the Clear Lake area?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:304", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.260819271380013, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, pretty much. More so after we left Houston and went to Denver. The kids were in Denver Country Day School, and I just practically lived at that school. I just got so interested in everything to do there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "This is a great one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I was in Houston I did some volunteer work for the junior league though, so that was one day a week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I noticed that you were quite active in that group. Were you active in any other local groups, maybe in the Clear Lake area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just the theater group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just the theater group?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:306", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.845354745977793, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I was in Houston I did some volunteer work for the junior league though, so that was one day a week."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I noticed that you were quite active in that group. Were you active in any other local groups, maybe in the Clear Lake area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just the theater group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just the theater group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have to ask. Did the boys draw on the back of these chairs? It almost looks like it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:308", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.494838606641992, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Just the theater group."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Just the theater group?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have to ask. Did the boys draw on the back of these chairs? It almost looks like it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t tell."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can’t tell if the chairs are—see?\n\nOh yes. It may be a design.\n\nMaybe."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:310", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.216487340713325, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I have to ask. Did the boys draw on the back of these chairs? It almost looks like it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t tell."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can’t tell if the chairs are—see?\n\nOh yes. It may be a design.\n\nMaybe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know what that is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think it’s a design in the chair."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:312", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.01831926745925, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t tell."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I can’t tell if the chairs are—see?\n\nOh yes. It may be a design.\n\nMaybe."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know what that is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think it’s a design in the chair."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never knew there was a design on them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe they drew on them. You didn’t know."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:316", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 8.909243630510277, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know what that is."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think it’s a design in the chair."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never knew there was a design on them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe they drew on them. You didn’t know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe they did, because they’re not the same. I bet they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know how kids do that. They just pick up a pencil.\n\nI had some furniture with crayon on it, so I know.\n\nWhere did your kids go to school when they were in Clear Lake?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:318", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.454715145011418, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I never knew there was a design on them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe they drew on them. You didn’t know."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe they did, because they’re not the same. I bet they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know how kids do that. They just pick up a pencil.\n\nI had some furniture with crayon on it, so I know.\n\nWhere did your kids go to school when they were in Clear Lake?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They went to Seabrook Elementary School and then we went to Denver after that. I think maybe Peter had one year in the high school there. Oh, no, he went to TMI here, Texas Military Institute [San Antonio, Texas]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you making ice cream?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:320", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.060794605568242, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe they did, because they’re not the same. I bet they did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You know how kids do that. They just pick up a pencil.\n\nI had some furniture with crayon on it, so I know.\n\nWhere did your kids go to school when they were in Clear Lake?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They went to Seabrook Elementary School and then we went to Denver after that. I think maybe Peter had one year in the high school there. Oh, no, he went to TMI here, Texas Military Institute [San Antonio, Texas]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you making ice cream?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that it? It looks like it. What did you think of the schools in Clear Lake? Were you happy with the quality of education?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:324", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.734216228409158, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They went to Seabrook Elementary School and then we went to Denver after that. I think maybe Peter had one year in the high school there. Oh, no, he went to TMI here, Texas Military Institute [San Antonio, Texas]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you making ice cream?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that it? It looks like it. What did you think of the schools in Clear Lake? Were you happy with the quality of education?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I assumed they were okay. I don’t know. When we left there they went in private schools, and they all managed to get through, so I guess they were good enough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did a lot of the wives spend time at the schools?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:326", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.482462476010175, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Is that it? It looks like it. What did you think of the schools in Clear Lake? Were you happy with the quality of education?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I assumed they were okay. I don’t know. When we left there they went in private schools, and they all managed to get through, so I guess they were good enough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did a lot of the wives spend time at the schools?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t know, really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was reading that Marilyn Lovell said living in that area was really the best time of her life. Do you think that was the case for you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:328", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.091624973344639, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I assumed they were okay. I don’t know. When we left there they went in private schools, and they all managed to get through, so I guess they were good enough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did a lot of the wives spend time at the schools?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t know, really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was reading that Marilyn Lovell said living in that area was really the best time of her life. Do you think that was the case for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was exciting and fun and scary, and it was everything, but I don’t know whether it was the best time. I can’t say. I know that the last few years before I was divorced was not my best time. Since I’ve been married to Seymour has been my best time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long have you two been married?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:330", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.657361081494043, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t know, really."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was reading that Marilyn Lovell said living in that area was really the best time of her life. Do you think that was the case for you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was exciting and fun and scary, and it was everything, but I don’t know whether it was the best time. I can’t say. I know that the last few years before I was divorced was not my best time. Since I’ve been married to Seymour has been my best time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long have you two been married?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty-seven years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Twenty-seven years.\n\nIt’s a long time.\n\nThat is a long time. Definitely up there with your first marriage. You might surpass that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:332", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.174845646104492, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was exciting and fun and scary, and it was everything, but I don’t know whether it was the best time. I can’t say. I know that the last few years before I was divorced was not my best time. Since I’ve been married to Seymour has been my best time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How long have you two been married?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty-seven years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Twenty-seven years.\n\nIt’s a long time.\n\nThat is a long time. Definitely up there with your first marriage. You might surpass that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. He’s 92."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He’s 92.\n\nNeither one of you look your age.\n\nNo, you don’t.\n\nYou may surpass all of us."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:334", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.749828495671657, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Twenty-seven years."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Twenty-seven years.\n\nIt’s a long time.\n\nThat is a long time. Definitely up there with your first marriage. You might surpass that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. He’s 92."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He’s 92.\n\nNeither one of you look your age.\n\nNo, you don’t.\n\nYou may surpass all of us."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s my mother and father. He’s putting her necklace on or something, I don’t know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they come out to your house quite often since you were nearby?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:338", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 6.388698328524064, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. He’s 92."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He’s 92.\n\nNeither one of you look your age.\n\nNo, you don’t.\n\nYou may surpass all of us."}, {"role": "user", "content": "That’s my mother and father. He’s putting her necklace on or something, I don’t know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did they come out to your house quite often since you were nearby?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, they went to the launch, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did they think of you marrying an astronaut?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:345", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.418146084597609, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, they went to the launch, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did they think of you marrying an astronaut?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They knew Pete before he was an astronaut for quite a long time. In fact, he came out two summers before we were married. He came to the ranch and spent part of the summer at the ranch. That was a whole bunch of other stories because Daddy played tricks on him and he played tricks on Daddy and on my brother and everybody, so they all had a great time. They got to know him really well before we were married even. Oh, I forgot I had that picture. That’s a funny one, one of the neighbors took that picture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I like that one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I thought that was a NASA photo for a long time.\n\nDidn’t they do some of those funny—NASA took some photos. It was the crew photos that were a little funny.\n\nI think in one of the books I read about Pete he came out to your ranch and had on new clothes for the first time he went out to the ranch."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:347", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.020162316219565, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They knew Pete before he was an astronaut for quite a long time. In fact, he came out two summers before we were married. He came to the ranch and spent part of the summer at the ranch. That was a whole bunch of other stories because Daddy played tricks on him and he played tricks on Daddy and on my brother and everybody, so they all had a great time. They got to know him really well before we were married even. Oh, I forgot I had that picture. That’s a funny one, one of the neighbors took that picture."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, really?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I like that one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I thought that was a NASA photo for a long time.\n\nDidn’t they do some of those funny—NASA took some photos. It was the crew photos that were a little funny.\n\nI think in one of the books I read about Pete he came out to your ranch and had on new clothes for the first time he went out to the ranch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, for the first time he came out, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He made some comment about needing to roll around and—"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:349", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.6890692402439615, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I like that one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, I thought that was a NASA photo for a long time.\n\nDidn’t they do some of those funny—NASA took some photos. It was the crew photos that were a little funny.\n\nI think in one of the books I read about Pete he came out to your ranch and had on new clothes for the first time he went out to the ranch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, for the first time he came out, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He made some comment about needing to roll around and—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Get it looking like—yes, making his hat look like it was well-worn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was Clear Lake like in the ’60s? Where would you shop?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:353", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.09896582249329, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, for the first time he came out, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He made some comment about needing to roll around and—"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Get it looking like—yes, making his hat look like it was well-worn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was Clear Lake like in the ’60s? Where would you shop?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, when we first got there there was just this little country store there, it was the only place. We could go out to Ellington [Air Force Base] if we were military. We could go out to Ellington and buy at their exchange and their PX. There was a tiny little store, and that was all there was in Seabrook, practically dirt floor. It was just the most rustic place. Could barely buy anything but the bare essentials."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve heard some folks talk about how rural that area was, that there were a lot of wild animals still in the area. Did you encounter that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:355", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.554406469436989, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Get it looking like—yes, making his hat look like it was well-worn."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was Clear Lake like in the ’60s? Where would you shop?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, when we first got there there was just this little country store there, it was the only place. We could go out to Ellington [Air Force Base] if we were military. We could go out to Ellington and buy at their exchange and their PX. There was a tiny little store, and that was all there was in Seabrook, practically dirt floor. It was just the most rustic place. Could barely buy anything but the bare essentials."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve heard some folks talk about how rural that area was, that there were a lot of wild animals still in the area. Did you encounter that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember seeing any wild animals, but I guess there were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were talking about the store. Do you remember the Henke & Pillot store in Seabrook?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:357", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.060451632707766, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, when we first got there there was just this little country store there, it was the only place. We could go out to Ellington [Air Force Base] if we were military. We could go out to Ellington and buy at their exchange and their PX. There was a tiny little store, and that was all there was in Seabrook, practically dirt floor. It was just the most rustic place. Could barely buy anything but the bare essentials."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’ve heard some folks talk about how rural that area was, that there were a lot of wild animals still in the area. Did you encounter that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember seeing any wild animals, but I guess there were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were talking about the store. Do you remember the Henke & Pillot store in Seabrook?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because that’s where we shopped. I grew up in that area."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:359", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.622724036341962, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t remember seeing any wild animals, but I guess there were."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were talking about the store. Do you remember the Henke & Pillot store in Seabrook?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because that’s where we shopped. I grew up in that area."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, really? That’s the store, I guess. I’d forgotten the name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. It was the only one."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:361", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.247471151491069, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Because that’s where we shopped. I grew up in that area."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, really? That’s the store, I guess. I’d forgotten the name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. It was the only one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When you said it I remembered it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering if that’s the one you were talking about."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:363", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.830523501656742, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, really? That’s the store, I guess. I’d forgotten the name."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. It was the only one."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When you said it I remembered it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering if that’s the one you were talking about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was no Walmart."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, basic groceries.\n\nNot back then. How did things evolve over time? Do you think things changed during the years that you were in Clear Lake? Or did it take a lot longer for that area?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:365", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.478359446285269, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When you said it I remembered it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering if that’s the one you were talking about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was no Walmart."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, basic groceries.\n\nNot back then. How did things evolve over time? Do you think things changed during the years that you were in Clear Lake? Or did it take a lot longer for that area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It built up pretty fast. I’m sure it did. They started putting hotels in and lots of restaurants, and people moved there for different reasons. It built up. You all will remember probably if you were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes.\n\nDid your kids have an opportunity to go out to the Space Center much and spend time with their dad out there? Or did you get a chance to go out there?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:367", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.087066051428077, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It was no Walmart."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, basic groceries.\n\nNot back then. How did things evolve over time? Do you think things changed during the years that you were in Clear Lake? Or did it take a lot longer for that area?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It built up pretty fast. I’m sure it did. They started putting hotels in and lots of restaurants, and people moved there for different reasons. It built up. You all will remember probably if you were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes.\n\nDid your kids have an opportunity to go out to the Space Center much and spend time with their dad out there? Or did you get a chance to go out there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They didn’t go out there much. I took them out there when they were in the LRL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, the LRL, the Lunar Receiving Lab."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:370", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.652295612697864, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It built up pretty fast. I’m sure it did. They started putting hotels in and lots of restaurants, and people moved there for different reasons. It built up. You all will remember probably if you were there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes.\n\nDid your kids have an opportunity to go out to the Space Center much and spend time with their dad out there? Or did you get a chance to go out there?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They didn’t go out there much. I took them out there when they were in the LRL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, the LRL, the Lunar Receiving Lab."}, {"role": "user", "content": "LRL, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been fun with four kids."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:373", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.05810623633096, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They didn’t go out there much. I took them out there when they were in the LRL."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, the LRL, the Lunar Receiving Lab."}, {"role": "user", "content": "LRL, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been fun with four kids."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were out there in the CapCom [console] in the mission control. We could hear. We went there every day, [but] not every day during Skylab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When there were missions going on were your kids in school, or did they get special dispensation to stay home?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:375", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.509006929256621, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "LRL, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That must have been fun with four kids."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were out there in the CapCom [console] in the mission control. We could hear. We went there every day, [but] not every day during Skylab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When there were missions going on were your kids in school, or did they get special dispensation to stay home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they were in school. I remember one day Christopher, he was in kindergarten, and he would not get in the car pool. I was carrying him out to the car trying to make him go, and it was reported that I was forcing him to go to school. I got the worst letters from people. “You’re just a cruel horrible mother. How could you do such a terrible thing?” There were a lot of people. Oh, and then one person said something about why was I wearing sunglasses. There are such crazies out there really. I probably didn’t get as many crazy letters as some people did, but there are people that don’t have anything better to do than write some dumb thing. I think a lot of them maybe went to NASA and then they threw them away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get fan mail? Did NASA handle mail for the wives?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:377", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.010007699174023, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were out there in the CapCom [console] in the mission control. We could hear. We went there every day, [but] not every day during Skylab."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "When there were missions going on were your kids in school, or did they get special dispensation to stay home?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they were in school. I remember one day Christopher, he was in kindergarten, and he would not get in the car pool. I was carrying him out to the car trying to make him go, and it was reported that I was forcing him to go to school. I got the worst letters from people. “You’re just a cruel horrible mother. How could you do such a terrible thing?” There were a lot of people. Oh, and then one person said something about why was I wearing sunglasses. There are such crazies out there really. I probably didn’t get as many crazy letters as some people did, but there are people that don’t have anything better to do than write some dumb thing. I think a lot of them maybe went to NASA and then they threw them away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get fan mail? Did NASA handle mail for the wives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they handled the mail that came there, because people didn’t know us. They didn’t know where we lived, so they just sent letters to us in care of NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How odd. What did you think when you got that first bundle of mail?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:379", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.56667522130447, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they were in school. I remember one day Christopher, he was in kindergarten, and he would not get in the car pool. I was carrying him out to the car trying to make him go, and it was reported that I was forcing him to go to school. I got the worst letters from people. “You’re just a cruel horrible mother. How could you do such a terrible thing?” There were a lot of people. Oh, and then one person said something about why was I wearing sunglasses. There are such crazies out there really. I probably didn’t get as many crazy letters as some people did, but there are people that don’t have anything better to do than write some dumb thing. I think a lot of them maybe went to NASA and then they threw them away."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get fan mail? Did NASA handle mail for the wives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they handled the mail that came there, because people didn’t know us. They didn’t know where we lived, so they just sent letters to us in care of NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How odd. What did you think when you got that first bundle of mail?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was kind of hurt that they said mean things, because they didn’t know me. “How dare you say mean things about me? You don’t know me.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They didn’t know the circumstances either."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:381", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.1851946903382995, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, they handled the mail that came there, because people didn’t know us. They didn’t know where we lived, so they just sent letters to us in care of NASA."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How odd. What did you think when you got that first bundle of mail?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was kind of hurt that they said mean things, because they didn’t know me. “How dare you say mean things about me? You don’t know me.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They didn’t know the circumstances either."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did notice in some of the press coverage that I’ve seen, because there were clippings from the Apollo 12 mission over at the Methodist church, that they all seem to be about your boys, and the fact that they weren’t behaving, that they were doing things."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:383", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.872438544820333, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I was kind of hurt that they said mean things, because they didn’t know me. “How dare you say mean things about me? You don’t know me.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They didn’t know the circumstances either."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did notice in some of the press coverage that I’ve seen, because there were clippings from the Apollo 12 mission over at the Methodist church, that they all seem to be about your boys, and the fact that they weren’t behaving, that they were doing things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were doing it to entertain, and they were being egged on too, believe me. The reporters were trying to make them do it too, because they’d get some better pictures. It’s not that they were really bad boys so much as they were being egged on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I just figured it’s kind of hard for kids to sit still for long periods of time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:385", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.636042827578147, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did notice in some of the press coverage that I’ve seen, because there were clippings from the Apollo 12 mission over at the Methodist church, that they all seem to be about your boys, and the fact that they weren’t behaving, that they were doing things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were doing it to entertain, and they were being egged on too, believe me. The reporters were trying to make them do it too, because they’d get some better pictures. It’s not that they were really bad boys so much as they were being egged on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I just figured it’s kind of hard for kids to sit still for long periods of time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Boys will be boys."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:387", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 8.484492030642386, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were doing it to entertain, and they were being egged on too, believe me. The reporters were trying to make them do it too, because they’d get some better pictures. It’s not that they were really bad boys so much as they were being egged on."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I just figured it’s kind of hard for kids to sit still for long periods of time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Boys will be boys."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Especially boys, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s very challenging. I did want to ask about the Apollo 1 fire and the loss of the other [astronauts], if you would talk about some of those [events]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:389", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 8.316102256269318, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Of course."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Boys will be boys."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Especially boys, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s very challenging. I did want to ask about the Apollo 1 fire and the loss of the other [astronauts], if you would talk about some of those [events]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, gosh. That was so terrible. I remember I was babysitting for a neighbor’s baby, and I got the phone call about the fire. I was crying so much and she was crying, the baby was crying. I was in the rocking chair crying. She was crying, and I was crying. It was awful.\\n\\n Then I remember when Elliot [M.] See died. They called me to go over, because I was across the street. I ran over there and they said, “Don’t say anything until someone comes to tell her officially. Don’t tell her what you’re over there for.” I had to try to pretend like nothing had happened. I can’t remember who came over, Deke or somebody came over to tell her. Oh, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Just to go over and, “Hi.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Make polite conversation."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:391", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.0178913958547975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Especially boys, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It’s very challenging. I did want to ask about the Apollo 1 fire and the loss of the other [astronauts], if you would talk about some of those [events]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, gosh. That was so terrible. I remember I was babysitting for a neighbor’s baby, and I got the phone call about the fire. I was crying so much and she was crying, the baby was crying. I was in the rocking chair crying. She was crying, and I was crying. It was awful.\\n\\n Then I remember when Elliot [M.] See died. They called me to go over, because I was across the street. I ran over there and they said, “Don’t say anything until someone comes to tell her officially. Don’t tell her what you’re over there for.” I had to try to pretend like nothing had happened. I can’t remember who came over, Deke or somebody came over to tell her. Oh, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Just to go over and, “Hi.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Make polite conversation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. After he died I went over every night about five o’clock just to talk to her while she was cooking dinner, because I thought, “This is the worst part of the day, when you expect him to come home.” I thought maybe that would be a good time to distract her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was really nice.\\n\\n [Break in interview]\n\nWhat sort of support did NASA provide the wives?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:393", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.797657106505331, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, gosh. That was so terrible. I remember I was babysitting for a neighbor’s baby, and I got the phone call about the fire. I was crying so much and she was crying, the baby was crying. I was in the rocking chair crying. She was crying, and I was crying. It was awful.\\n\\n Then I remember when Elliot [M.] See died. They called me to go over, because I was across the street. I ran over there and they said, “Don’t say anything until someone comes to tell her officially. Don’t tell her what you’re over there for.” I had to try to pretend like nothing had happened. I can’t remember who came over, Deke or somebody came over to tell her. Oh, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Just to go over and, “Hi.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Make polite conversation."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. After he died I went over every night about five o’clock just to talk to her while she was cooking dinner, because I thought, “This is the worst part of the day, when you expect him to come home.” I thought maybe that would be a good time to distract her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was really nice.\\n\\n [Break in interview]\n\nWhat sort of support did NASA provide the wives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They always [sent] a security guy in your house all during the flights, so if there’s any problem [you had assistance]. Of course we had the free doctors and nurses, that was a wonderful thing. I even took my niece one time out to their dentist, and they gave her a filling. Nobody said anything wrong with that. She was staying with me, and I thought well, I’ll just take her out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to fly out on the Gulfstream when you went out for launches?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:395", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.441841229450367, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. After he died I went over every night about five o’clock just to talk to her while she was cooking dinner, because I thought, “This is the worst part of the day, when you expect him to come home.” I thought maybe that would be a good time to distract her."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was really nice.\\n\\n [Break in interview]\n\nWhat sort of support did NASA provide the wives?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They always [sent] a security guy in your house all during the flights, so if there’s any problem [you had assistance]. Of course we had the free doctors and nurses, that was a wonderful thing. I even took my niece one time out to their dentist, and they gave her a filling. Nobody said anything wrong with that. She was staying with me, and I thought well, I’ll just take her out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to fly out on the Gulfstream when you went out for launches?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Quite a lot of times. I think it was the Gulfstream that I went to Ed [Edward H.] White’s funeral. We went a lot of times to the White House; we were in the Gulfstream, yes. Of course I get that mixed up with all those McDonnell Douglas planes that we flew all kinds of places with. I really went to a lot of countries, with McDonnell Douglas, because Pete worked for them after he left NASA. Those were a lot of fun trips too, almost the same idea, because we were well wined and dined and taken on tours."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the pictures that we saw in here was a picture of your family with Lyndon B. Johnson."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:397", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 7.157601366055964, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They always [sent] a security guy in your house all during the flights, so if there’s any problem [you had assistance]. Of course we had the free doctors and nurses, that was a wonderful thing. I even took my niece one time out to their dentist, and they gave her a filling. Nobody said anything wrong with that. She was staying with me, and I thought well, I’ll just take her out there."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to fly out on the Gulfstream when you went out for launches?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Quite a lot of times. I think it was the Gulfstream that I went to Ed [Edward H.] White’s funeral. We went a lot of times to the White House; we were in the Gulfstream, yes. Of course I get that mixed up with all those McDonnell Douglas planes that we flew all kinds of places with. I really went to a lot of countries, with McDonnell Douglas, because Pete worked for them after he left NASA. Those were a lot of fun trips too, almost the same idea, because we were well wined and dined and taken on tours."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the pictures that we saw in here was a picture of your family with Lyndon B. Johnson."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was he like?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:399", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.841779295617737, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. Quite a lot of times. I think it was the Gulfstream that I went to Ed [Edward H.] White’s funeral. We went a lot of times to the White House; we were in the Gulfstream, yes. Of course I get that mixed up with all those McDonnell Douglas planes that we flew all kinds of places with. I really went to a lot of countries, with McDonnell Douglas, because Pete worked for them after he left NASA. Those were a lot of fun trips too, almost the same idea, because we were well wined and dined and taken on tours."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the pictures that we saw in here was a picture of your family with Lyndon B. Johnson."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was he like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got to know him better one time we went out to their ranch and had lunch with him. This was just an official thing, and we didn’t really do much talking on that. He was trying to keep [the boys] from picking up the phone that went to the [Soviet Union]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, the red line?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:401", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 7.601976995130819, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was he like?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got to know him better one time we went out to their ranch and had lunch with him. This was just an official thing, and we didn’t really do much talking on that. He was trying to keep [the boys] from picking up the phone that went to the [Soviet Union]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, the red line?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the red line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why did you get invited out to the ranch?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:403", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.002196661256466, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got to know him better one time we went out to their ranch and had lunch with him. This was just an official thing, and we didn’t really do much talking on that. He was trying to keep [the boys] from picking up the phone that went to the [Soviet Union]."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, the red line?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the red line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why did you get invited out to the ranch?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was fun, that was when we had the film that they took of landing on the Moon. We showed that out in their garage. I guess we were in the Gulfstream. We landed there and LBJ took the men on a tour of the ranch, and Lady Bird took us back to their house. She was just a lovely person. She took us all around, every room in the house. We sat on her bed and looked at pictures like you’re looking at our pictures. We had lunch there, and it was very nice. When [the men] came back from looking at the ranch, LBJ sat on the hearth. Everybody was around [him]. I was sitting in his chair, which was one of those big leather BarcaLoungers. It had the presidential seal embossed on the back. When he came in I thought, “Do I get up and give him his chair, or do I sit here?” I sat.\\n\\n He was talking to us, and everybody’s sitting around him staring at him. All of a sudden he reaches in his pocket, and he takes out a handkerchief (hawking noise). He opens it up and inspects it in front of us. He was rather a diamond in the rough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think he was who he was."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:405", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.446885179173851, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, the red line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Why did you get invited out to the ranch?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was fun, that was when we had the film that they took of landing on the Moon. We showed that out in their garage. I guess we were in the Gulfstream. We landed there and LBJ took the men on a tour of the ranch, and Lady Bird took us back to their house. She was just a lovely person. She took us all around, every room in the house. We sat on her bed and looked at pictures like you’re looking at our pictures. We had lunch there, and it was very nice. When [the men] came back from looking at the ranch, LBJ sat on the hearth. Everybody was around [him]. I was sitting in his chair, which was one of those big leather BarcaLoungers. It had the presidential seal embossed on the back. When he came in I thought, “Do I get up and give him his chair, or do I sit here?” I sat.\\n\\n He was talking to us, and everybody’s sitting around him staring at him. All of a sudden he reaches in his pocket, and he takes out a handkerchief (hawking noise). He opens it up and inspects it in front of us. He was rather a diamond in the rough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think he was who he was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was who he was, yes.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nGetting to the salacious part?\n\nYes. All the parts that Jackie Kennedy didn’t get in on so she couldn’t publish my book.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nWhat’s the purpose of the—\n\nInterview?\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nInterview, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We have an Oral History Project at the Space Center that has been ongoing since 1997."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:407", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.940983532415389, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, that was fun, that was when we had the film that they took of landing on the Moon. We showed that out in their garage. I guess we were in the Gulfstream. We landed there and LBJ took the men on a tour of the ranch, and Lady Bird took us back to their house. She was just a lovely person. She took us all around, every room in the house. We sat on her bed and looked at pictures like you’re looking at our pictures. We had lunch there, and it was very nice. When [the men] came back from looking at the ranch, LBJ sat on the hearth. Everybody was around [him]. I was sitting in his chair, which was one of those big leather BarcaLoungers. It had the presidential seal embossed on the back. When he came in I thought, “Do I get up and give him his chair, or do I sit here?” I sat.\\n\\n He was talking to us, and everybody’s sitting around him staring at him. All of a sudden he reaches in his pocket, and he takes out a handkerchief (hawking noise). He opens it up and inspects it in front of us. He was rather a diamond in the rough."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think he was who he was."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was who he was, yes.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nGetting to the salacious part?\n\nYes. All the parts that Jackie Kennedy didn’t get in on so she couldn’t publish my book.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nWhat’s the purpose of the—\n\nInterview?\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nInterview, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We have an Oral History Project at the Space Center that has been ongoing since 1997."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They knew Jack Kinzler. They interviewed Jack Kinzler, and they knew all of the people.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nJack Kinzler.\n\nYes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. We’ve interviewed a lot of folks, but we have not interviewed the wives. We are trying now to capture some of that history before we lose any more of it because we’ve lost so many wives."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:409", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.378870591572654, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He was who he was, yes.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nGetting to the salacious part?\n\nYes. All the parts that Jackie Kennedy didn’t get in on so she couldn’t publish my book.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nWhat’s the purpose of the—\n\nInterview?\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nInterview, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We have an Oral History Project at the Space Center that has been ongoing since 1997."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They knew Jack Kinzler. They interviewed Jack Kinzler, and they knew all of the people.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nJack Kinzler.\n\nYes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. We’ve interviewed a lot of folks, but we have not interviewed the wives. We are trying now to capture some of that history before we lose any more of it because we’ve lost so many wives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh I know, 28."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s a lot. That’s what we’re trying to capture before we can’t anymore. There’s only, unfortunately, two of us.\n\nThere’s two of us.\n\nTrying to capture all this history."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:411", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.86541176841406, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They knew Jack Kinzler. They interviewed Jack Kinzler, and they knew all of the people.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nJack Kinzler.\n\nYes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. We’ve interviewed a lot of folks, but we have not interviewed the wives. We are trying now to capture some of that history before we lose any more of it because we’ve lost so many wives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh I know, 28."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s a lot. That’s what we’re trying to capture before we can’t anymore. There’s only, unfortunately, two of us.\n\nThere’s two of us.\n\nTrying to capture all this history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s going to be a big book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe one day.\n\nWe have over 1,400 interviews on our portal.\n\nYes. Since ’97."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:413", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.406013076015622, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh I know, 28."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, that’s a lot. That’s what we’re trying to capture before we can’t anymore. There’s only, unfortunately, two of us.\n\nThere’s two of us.\n\nTrying to capture all this history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s going to be a big book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe one day.\n\nWe have over 1,400 interviews on our portal.\n\nYes. Since ’97."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You can condense it down though to 1,400 pages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, no.\n\nNo. Whatever you approve of in the final process, that’s what will go online. Then yes, people can use it for research, for writing books, and doing what they want to do. It’s interesting.\n\nIt is.\n\nThe wives are a side of the story that people don’t always get to hear. It’s what was going on day to day, normal life.\n\nA lot of those memories you don’t really think about. They’re just the day-to-day [activities]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:417", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.006681195572913, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s going to be a big book."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Maybe one day.\n\nWe have over 1,400 interviews on our portal.\n\nYes. Since ’97."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You can condense it down though to 1,400 pages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, no.\n\nNo. Whatever you approve of in the final process, that’s what will go online. Then yes, people can use it for research, for writing books, and doing what they want to do. It’s interesting.\n\nIt is.\n\nThe wives are a side of the story that people don’t always get to hear. It’s what was going on day to day, normal life.\n\nA lot of those memories you don’t really think about. They’re just the day-to-day [activities]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of people can’t even remember. Like I can’t remember much anymore."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought we’d talk about a few of the missions though, because I figured some of those might have made an impact. We talked about the worldwide tours. I wanted to ask about the Gemini V mission because that was Pete’s first mission."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:421", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.674090217303236, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You can condense it down though to 1,400 pages."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, no.\n\nNo. Whatever you approve of in the final process, that’s what will go online. Then yes, people can use it for research, for writing books, and doing what they want to do. It’s interesting.\n\nIt is.\n\nThe wives are a side of the story that people don’t always get to hear. It’s what was going on day to day, normal life.\n\nA lot of those memories you don’t really think about. They’re just the day-to-day [activities]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of people can’t even remember. Like I can’t remember much anymore."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought we’d talk about a few of the missions though, because I figured some of those might have made an impact. We talked about the worldwide tours. I wanted to ask about the Gemini V mission because that was Pete’s first mission."}, {"role": "user", "content": "First one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were with Trudy Cooper, and I was wondering if Trudy gave you any suggestions or insight before that mission happened."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:427", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.082322463670263, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of people can’t even remember. Like I can’t remember much anymore."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought we’d talk about a few of the missions though, because I figured some of those might have made an impact. We talked about the worldwide tours. I wanted to ask about the Gemini V mission because that was Pete’s first mission."}, {"role": "user", "content": "First one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were with Trudy Cooper, and I was wondering if Trudy gave you any suggestions or insight before that mission happened."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so. In fact I didn’t know her very well until we went on that trip together. She took her two girls, because they were old enough to travel at that time. Mine were all little. I’m trying to think. Oh, there was one thing that was funny. Her girls went out with one of the security people when they were in—what country was it? I can’t remember. Some country that this guy took them, I think it was in Greece, so that Trudy and Gordo could go to a dinner party with the king and queen. The girls were not invited.\\n\\n When they got back, the girls said the guy got lost. It was dark, and he was driving along the street, and all of a sudden there was a whole stone staircase. He drove right down the staircase. They said every time the car hit a step he would say, “Shit, shit, shit, shit,” all the way down. That entertained us for a while. The girls were like 15 and 16. They must have been kind of scared by that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "“Where is he taking us?”\n\nThat would be my concern. “What’s at the bottom of this? When’s it going to end?” Tell us about that mission and watching it in your living room, watching the launch."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:429", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.424802737411403, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "First one."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were with Trudy Cooper, and I was wondering if Trudy gave you any suggestions or insight before that mission happened."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so. In fact I didn’t know her very well until we went on that trip together. She took her two girls, because they were old enough to travel at that time. Mine were all little. I’m trying to think. Oh, there was one thing that was funny. Her girls went out with one of the security people when they were in—what country was it? I can’t remember. Some country that this guy took them, I think it was in Greece, so that Trudy and Gordo could go to a dinner party with the king and queen. The girls were not invited.\\n\\n When they got back, the girls said the guy got lost. It was dark, and he was driving along the street, and all of a sudden there was a whole stone staircase. He drove right down the staircase. They said every time the car hit a step he would say, “Shit, shit, shit, shit,” all the way down. That entertained us for a while. The girls were like 15 and 16. They must have been kind of scared by that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "“Where is he taking us?”\n\nThat would be my concern. “What’s at the bottom of this? When’s it going to end?” Tell us about that mission and watching it in your living room, watching the launch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. People came over. All the neighbors came over and sat around, sat on the floor, brought pillows and blankets and spent the night. The neighbors really kept me company."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have squawk boxes back then?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:431", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.805336374901559, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think so. In fact I didn’t know her very well until we went on that trip together. She took her two girls, because they were old enough to travel at that time. Mine were all little. I’m trying to think. Oh, there was one thing that was funny. Her girls went out with one of the security people when they were in—what country was it? I can’t remember. Some country that this guy took them, I think it was in Greece, so that Trudy and Gordo could go to a dinner party with the king and queen. The girls were not invited.\\n\\n When they got back, the girls said the guy got lost. It was dark, and he was driving along the street, and all of a sudden there was a whole stone staircase. He drove right down the staircase. They said every time the car hit a step he would say, “Shit, shit, shit, shit,” all the way down. That entertained us for a while. The girls were like 15 and 16. They must have been kind of scared by that time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "“Where is he taking us?”\n\nThat would be my concern. “What’s at the bottom of this? When’s it going to end?” Tell us about that mission and watching it in your living room, watching the launch."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. People came over. All the neighbors came over and sat around, sat on the floor, brought pillows and blankets and spent the night. The neighbors really kept me company."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have squawk boxes back then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How closely were you following the mission, with four boys?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:434", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.228151527668399, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. People came over. All the neighbors came over and sat around, sat on the floor, brought pillows and blankets and spent the night. The neighbors really kept me company."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have squawk boxes back then?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How closely were you following the mission, with four boys?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I listened to it all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was looking at one of the transcripts, and you actually wrote a poem for Pete, which I thought was [sweet]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:436", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.697946141853777, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "How closely were you following the mission, with four boys?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I listened to it all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was looking at one of the transcripts, and you actually wrote a poem for Pete, which I thought was [sweet]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve forgotten how that went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I actually wrote it down, so I can read it to you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:438", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.219940157615307, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I listened to it all the time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was looking at one of the transcripts, and you actually wrote a poem for Pete, which I thought was [sweet]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve forgotten how that went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I actually wrote it down, so I can read it to you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You can read it to me. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. It’s, “Twinkle twinkle Gemini V. How I want you back alive. Up above the world so high, I saw you today as you went by. Twinkle twinkle Gemini V. Tomorrow you take a great big dive. Leaning toward the ocean blue. And I send my love to you.”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:440", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.799933508461452, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I’ve forgotten how that went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I actually wrote it down, so I can read it to you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You can read it to me. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. It’s, “Twinkle twinkle Gemini V. How I want you back alive. Up above the world so high, I saw you today as you went by. Twinkle twinkle Gemini V. Tomorrow you take a great big dive. Leaning toward the ocean blue. And I send my love to you.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Good for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes.\n\nIt’s sweet."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:442", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.444370564957168, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "You can read it to me. Thank you."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. It’s, “Twinkle twinkle Gemini V. How I want you back alive. Up above the world so high, I saw you today as you went by. Twinkle twinkle Gemini V. Tomorrow you take a great big dive. Leaning toward the ocean blue. And I send my love to you.”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Good for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes.\n\nIt’s sweet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit of doggerel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought that was very sweet. Were you writing much poetry? Or you were just moved by the flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:444", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.160411738841298, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Good for me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes.\n\nIt’s sweet."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit of doggerel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought that was very sweet. Were you writing much poetry? Or you were just moved by the flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I guess my muse flew in and flew out again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I also thought it was amusing because you had told the CapCom that you had read the Gemini horoscope for the day, and you passed that along to him as well. You said that you should get your house in order and the evening was good for dining out."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:447", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.9560130431569975, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A little bit of doggerel."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I thought that was very sweet. Were you writing much poetry? Or you were just moved by the flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I guess my muse flew in and flew out again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I also thought it was amusing because you had told the CapCom that you had read the Gemini horoscope for the day, and you passed that along to him as well. You said that you should get your house in order and the evening was good for dining out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess you were going out for dinner that night."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:449", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 6, "return_to_go": 8.840014492396664, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I guess my muse flew in and flew out again."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I also thought it was amusing because you had told the CapCom that you had read the Gemini horoscope for the day, and you passed that along to him as well. You said that you should get your house in order and the evening was good for dining out."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess you were going out for dinner that night."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Pete take up any items for the family in that first flight?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:451", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.1555716582185154, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess you were going out for dinner that night."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Pete take up any items for the family in that first flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, he did. I can’t remember which he took on which flights, but he did. They made a whole lot of those coins out of some silver. Pete had it because they were silver bars that had been on a sunken ship hundreds of years ago. He got them from Teddy Tucker, who was a treasure diver in Bermuda. He gave him one to have those things struck into coins.\\n\\n I designed a pin for the Apollo flight of the Moon with a little clipper ship flying around it, the Yankee Clipper. James Avery made the pins."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you still have that pin?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:453", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.506190731353906, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe so."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Pete take up any items for the family in that first flight?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, he did. I can’t remember which he took on which flights, but he did. They made a whole lot of those coins out of some silver. Pete had it because they were silver bars that had been on a sunken ship hundreds of years ago. He got them from Teddy Tucker, who was a treasure diver in Bermuda. He gave him one to have those things struck into coins.\\n\\n I designed a pin for the Apollo flight of the Moon with a little clipper ship flying around it, the Yankee Clipper. James Avery made the pins."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you still have that pin?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You wear it?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:455", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8957674792821178, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, he did. I can’t remember which he took on which flights, but he did. They made a whole lot of those coins out of some silver. Pete had it because they were silver bars that had been on a sunken ship hundreds of years ago. He got them from Teddy Tucker, who was a treasure diver in Bermuda. He gave him one to have those things struck into coins.\\n\\n I designed a pin for the Apollo flight of the Moon with a little clipper ship flying around it, the Yankee Clipper. James Avery made the pins."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you still have that pin?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You wear it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Never wear it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Never wear it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:457", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.328630532535686, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You wear it?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Never wear it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Never wear it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I sent it to the cleaner’s one time, and I’m afraid to ever since. But they got it back [to me]. They found it at the bottom of a great big bin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I had read that you had that pin made for the other two wives for that mission."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:459", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.809589480595207, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Never wear it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Never wear it."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I sent it to the cleaner’s one time, and I’m afraid to ever since. But they got it back [to me]. They found it at the bottom of a great big bin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I had read that you had that pin made for the other two wives for that mission."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was really nice of you."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:461", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.343988311772452, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I sent it to the cleaner’s one time, and I’m afraid to ever since. But they got it back [to me]. They found it at the bottom of a great big bin."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think I had read that you had that pin made for the other two wives for that mission."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was really nice of you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nobody had ever heard of James Avery. I don’t know how I heard of him, because at that time he was working in a little tiny studio in Kerrville [Texas], and now he has international stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were actually planning on visiting the store when we go up to Kerrville."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:463", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.826653679747168, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was really nice of you."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nobody had ever heard of James Avery. I don’t know how I heard of him, because at that time he was working in a little tiny studio in Kerrville [Texas], and now he has international stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were actually planning on visiting the store when we go up to Kerrville."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, Kerrville is a fun place. We visited there when we were on that last reunion we had last spring. It’s really fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the media interest like in that first flight? What did you think of all of that coverage?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:465", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.362948533052409, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Nobody had ever heard of James Avery. I don’t know how I heard of him, because at that time he was working in a little tiny studio in Kerrville [Texas], and now he has international stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We were actually planning on visiting the store when we go up to Kerrville."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, Kerrville is a fun place. We visited there when we were on that last reunion we had last spring. It’s really fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the media interest like in that first flight? What did you think of all of that coverage?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were camped out in our yard the whole time, and of course they had television cameras all the time and other cameras. As I said, the kids always were out there, ready to do anything that they told them to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you go out and do interviews during key parts of the mission?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:467", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.958831703391565, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, Kerrville is a fun place. We visited there when we were on that last reunion we had last spring. It’s really fun."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What was the media interest like in that first flight? What did you think of all of that coverage?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were camped out in our yard the whole time, and of course they had television cameras all the time and other cameras. As I said, the kids always were out there, ready to do anything that they told them to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you go out and do interviews during key parts of the mission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get any media training from NASA? Was that something [NASA offered]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:469", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.398701892657295, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They were camped out in our yard the whole time, and of course they had television cameras all the time and other cameras. As I said, the kids always were out there, ready to do anything that they told them to do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you go out and do interviews during key parts of the mission?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get any media training from NASA? Was that something [NASA offered]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I guess they figured we could do it okay.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nCamped out literally? Or just as a figure of speech?\n\nThey stayed there all day, and I don’t know how late into the night, because I didn’t [check]. They did have some tents, but I don’t know that they slept in them. They just had them because it was hot in August. What flight was that?\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nThey cooked hot dogs.\n\nNo, I fed them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You fed them?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:471", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.887446547396994, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get any media training from NASA? Was that something [NASA offered]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I guess they figured we could do it okay.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nCamped out literally? Or just as a figure of speech?\n\nThey stayed there all day, and I don’t know how late into the night, because I didn’t [check]. They did have some tents, but I don’t know that they slept in them. They just had them because it was hot in August. What flight was that?\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nThey cooked hot dogs.\n\nNo, I fed them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You fed them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did take them food sometimes, cookies and lemonade and stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s nice. Obviously you did like the media."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:473", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.430496163774437, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No. I guess they figured we could do it okay.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nCamped out literally? Or just as a figure of speech?\n\nThey stayed there all day, and I don’t know how late into the night, because I didn’t [check]. They did have some tents, but I don’t know that they slept in them. They just had them because it was hot in August. What flight was that?\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nThey cooked hot dogs.\n\nNo, I fed them."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You fed them?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did take them food sometimes, cookies and lemonade and stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s nice. Obviously you did like the media."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They probably liked coming to your house."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:475", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.922773515304931, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I did take them food sometimes, cookies and lemonade and stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s nice. Obviously you did like the media."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They probably liked coming to your house."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The Life magazine and World Book people were allowed to come in our house. They were very nice people.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nYou were under contract, right?\n\nYes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the Apollo 12 mission? So much has been made of that crew, the fact that there were three best friends flying into space."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:477", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.469748350338811, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They probably liked coming to your house."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The Life magazine and World Book people were allowed to come in our house. They were very nice people.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nYou were under contract, right?\n\nYes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the Apollo 12 mission? So much has been made of that crew, the fact that there were three best friends flying into space."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were three Navy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Was that the same for the wives? Were you close with Sue [Bean] and Barbara [Gordon]?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:479", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 6.077498167043124, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. The Life magazine and World Book people were allowed to come in our house. They were very nice people.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nYou were under contract, right?\n\nYes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What about the Apollo 12 mission? So much has been made of that crew, the fact that there were three best friends flying into space."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were three Navy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Was that the same for the wives? Were you close with Sue [Bean] and Barbara [Gordon]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remembered Barbara and Sue, because their husbands went through test pilot school, but not in our class, so I knew them but slightly, but not very well. When we got on that crew, of course we got to know each other a lot better. Then on that trip we did very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Apollo any different from Gemini? Were there major differences that you noticed?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:481", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.419442407825693, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "There were three Navy."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes. Was that the same for the wives? Were you close with Sue [Bean] and Barbara [Gordon]?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remembered Barbara and Sue, because their husbands went through test pilot school, but not in our class, so I knew them but slightly, but not very well. When we got on that crew, of course we got to know each other a lot better. Then on that trip we did very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Apollo any different from Gemini? Were there major differences that you noticed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think there was more to [Apollo], a whole lot more going on during it.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nWhat was the question?\n\nDifference between the Gemini flights and the Apollo flight. Of course the Gemini flights were just orbital flights. I guess it was more interesting. What do they call that period of high activity? Something like that. They have an acronym for it. They had a lot more of those on 12. I guess the only big one on [Gemini] 11 was when Dick Gordon got out of the spacecraft, and he got terribly winded, or his heartbeat got up to like 400 or some astronomical thing. Pete kept saying, “You better come back in; you better come back in.” “No, I don’t want to come back in.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was a quote that Lily had in her book that I thought was very interesting. I wanted to ask you about this. She said that you felt a change coming over you as Pete was getting ready for Apollo 12, that it was your own personal countdown."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:483", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.799380453139659, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remembered Barbara and Sue, because their husbands went through test pilot school, but not in our class, so I knew them but slightly, but not very well. When we got on that crew, of course we got to know each other a lot better. Then on that trip we did very well."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was Apollo any different from Gemini? Were there major differences that you noticed?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think there was more to [Apollo], a whole lot more going on during it.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nWhat was the question?\n\nDifference between the Gemini flights and the Apollo flight. Of course the Gemini flights were just orbital flights. I guess it was more interesting. What do they call that period of high activity? Something like that. They have an acronym for it. They had a lot more of those on 12. I guess the only big one on [Gemini] 11 was when Dick Gordon got out of the spacecraft, and he got terribly winded, or his heartbeat got up to like 400 or some astronomical thing. Pete kept saying, “You better come back in; you better come back in.” “No, I don’t want to come back in.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was a quote that Lily had in her book that I thought was very interesting. I wanted to ask you about this. She said that you felt a change coming over you as Pete was getting ready for Apollo 12, that it was your own personal countdown."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I wonder what you meant by that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:485", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.221533836821843, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think there was more to [Apollo], a whole lot more going on during it.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nWhat was the question?\n\nDifference between the Gemini flights and the Apollo flight. Of course the Gemini flights were just orbital flights. I guess it was more interesting. What do they call that period of high activity? Something like that. They have an acronym for it. They had a lot more of those on 12. I guess the only big one on [Gemini] 11 was when Dick Gordon got out of the spacecraft, and he got terribly winded, or his heartbeat got up to like 400 or some astronomical thing. Pete kept saying, “You better come back in; you better come back in.” “No, I don’t want to come back in.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "There was a quote that Lily had in her book that I thought was very interesting. I wanted to ask you about this. She said that you felt a change coming over you as Pete was getting ready for Apollo 12, that it was your own personal countdown."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I wonder what you meant by that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What did I think? What did I feel like? I guess I just knew each day it was like when you’re a kid and you’re crossing off the days till Christmas. I was just thinking it’s getting closer and closer and closer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were finally going to achieve that goal of the Moon landing, when you ran in and told Pete when he was in the shower."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:487", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.690593152024269, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I wonder what you meant by that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What did I think? What did I feel like? I guess I just knew each day it was like when you’re a kid and you’re crossing off the days till Christmas. I was just thinking it’s getting closer and closer and closer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were finally going to achieve that goal of the Moon landing, when you ran in and told Pete when he was in the shower."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was curious if feminism had any role in that. If you were thinking that you wanted to take on a new role for yourself."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:489", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 5.211770168915855, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What did I think? What did I feel like? I guess I just knew each day it was like when you’re a kid and you’re crossing off the days till Christmas. I was just thinking it’s getting closer and closer and closer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You were finally going to achieve that goal of the Moon landing, when you ran in and told Pete when he was in the shower."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was curious if feminism had any role in that. If you were thinking that you wanted to take on a new role for yourself."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think women did very much. Very few women did in those days. Nowadays they do, right off the bat, but not then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about that launch and hearing about the lightning that hit the Saturn rocket."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:491", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.568633521017617, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was curious if feminism had any role in that. If you were thinking that you wanted to take on a new role for yourself."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think women did very much. Very few women did in those days. Nowadays they do, right off the bat, but not then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about that launch and hearing about the lightning that hit the Saturn rocket."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. That was exciting. We were in a boat on the Banana River. My parents were on board, and Dodie [Dora J.] Hamblin was with us. We were up on deck for the countdown. We could see the spacecraft off in the distance. We saw the launch. Of course we could hear it too because we had the radio.\\n\\n Then we saw the lightning. [Makes lightning noise] I didn’t know it hit [the spacecraft]. I just saw it looked like it was close. Then we heard Pete talking about all the buses dropped out. I guess they did have communication because I heard him say that. I don’t know what they didn’t have. A lot of their telemetry they didn’t have.\\n\\n Finally they kept doing like you do with a fuse. You just do it on and off until it comes back on again. Finally they got them all back on again and said, “You’re go for the mission.” That was a very exciting time.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nAnd we can’t make the television work.\n\nI know or the computer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did your kids think of their father’s role in the space program? Did they have a real understanding of what he was doing?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:493", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.965148356686241, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I don’t think women did very much. Very few women did in those days. Nowadays they do, right off the bat, but not then."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Tell us about that launch and hearing about the lightning that hit the Saturn rocket."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. That was exciting. We were in a boat on the Banana River. My parents were on board, and Dodie [Dora J.] Hamblin was with us. We were up on deck for the countdown. We could see the spacecraft off in the distance. We saw the launch. Of course we could hear it too because we had the radio.\\n\\n Then we saw the lightning. [Makes lightning noise] I didn’t know it hit [the spacecraft]. I just saw it looked like it was close. Then we heard Pete talking about all the buses dropped out. I guess they did have communication because I heard him say that. I don’t know what they didn’t have. A lot of their telemetry they didn’t have.\\n\\n Finally they kept doing like you do with a fuse. You just do it on and off until it comes back on again. Finally they got them all back on again and said, “You’re go for the mission.” That was a very exciting time.\\n\\n SEYMOUR\n\nAnd we can’t make the television work.\n\nI know or the computer."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "What did your kids think of their father’s role in the space program? Did they have a real understanding of what he was doing?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. It didn’t seem like it was so unique to them as it did to the older people that realized it. They just thought, not that everybody’s dad did it, but that all the other dads that worked on it were all in the same boat. I guess they just didn’t realize what was going on in the first [flight]. Maybe by Skylab they probably realized that that’s a unique thing. But the first couple flights, I don’t think they thought it was any different than what other people did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have folks over at your house for the Moon landing and all those activities?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:497", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.7841337736867167, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know. It didn’t seem like it was so unique to them as it did to the older people that realized it. They just thought, not that everybody’s dad did it, but that all the other dads that worked on it were all in the same boat. I guess they just didn’t realize what was going on in the first [flight]. Maybe by Skylab they probably realized that that’s a unique thing. But the first couple flights, I don’t think they thought it was any different than what other people did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have folks over at your house for the Moon landing and all those activities?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, of course, they were there at the house for everything. All the periods of high activity—I forget what that acronym is that they used. That’s when different people would come over, like some of the other astronauts that were not doing anything would come over to the house too and hold my hand and explain to me what was going on so I wouldn’t be so frightened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had Pete given you a heads-up as to what was happening, what to expect?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I debriefed him after he came back. I had so many questions. I made him stay up till midnight answering questions the whole time, but he didn’t have that much to say about it. He said he wasn’t afraid to go, and he said he was well trained. Of course didn’t keep me from worrying. He didn’t really try to make me feel better about it. I was just as scared when he was doing those test pilot flights. I guess I decided I would go along with that. That’s what I had signed up for, and I’m going to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Pete tell you what he was going to say when he first set foot on the Moon?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:499", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.20459308187413, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, of course, they were there at the house for everything. All the periods of high activity—I forget what that acronym is that they used. That’s when different people would come over, like some of the other astronauts that were not doing anything would come over to the house too and hold my hand and explain to me what was going on so I wouldn’t be so frightened."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had Pete given you a heads-up as to what was happening, what to expect?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I debriefed him after he came back. I had so many questions. I made him stay up till midnight answering questions the whole time, but he didn’t have that much to say about it. He said he wasn’t afraid to go, and he said he was well trained. Of course didn’t keep me from worrying. He didn’t really try to make me feel better about it. I was just as scared when he was doing those test pilot flights. I guess I decided I would go along with that. That’s what I had signed up for, and I’m going to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Pete tell you what he was going to say when he first set foot on the Moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was a surprise to you?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:501", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.671770090971255, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I debriefed him after he came back. I had so many questions. I made him stay up till midnight answering questions the whole time, but he didn’t have that much to say about it. He said he wasn’t afraid to go, and he said he was well trained. Of course didn’t keep me from worrying. He didn’t really try to make me feel better about it. I was just as scared when he was doing those test pilot flights. I guess I decided I would go along with that. That’s what I had signed up for, and I’m going to do it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Pete tell you what he was going to say when he first set foot on the Moon?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was a surprise to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, “a little guy like me.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that get a big laugh from the group in your house?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:503", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.079744545523616, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That was a surprise to you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, “a little guy like me.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that get a big laugh from the group in your house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, everybody liked that. Oh, and then the rector’s wife, Father Raish’s wife, told me that she had a dream the night before they landed on the Moon, that they couldn’t come back. That they were not able to take off the Moon and come back. I thought that wasn’t a very nice thing to tell me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, I would not have said that."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:505", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.5330494950262405, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, “a little guy like me.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did that get a big laugh from the group in your house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, everybody liked that. Oh, and then the rector’s wife, Father Raish’s wife, told me that she had a dream the night before they landed on the Moon, that they couldn’t come back. That they were not able to take off the Moon and come back. I thought that wasn’t a very nice thing to tell me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, I would not have said that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She could have kept that to herself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, or said something afterwards."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:507", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 5.036721661140267, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, everybody liked that. Oh, and then the rector’s wife, Father Raish’s wife, told me that she had a dream the night before they landed on the Moon, that they couldn’t come back. That they were not able to take off the Moon and come back. I thought that wasn’t a very nice thing to tell me."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No, I would not have said that."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She could have kept that to herself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, or said something afterwards."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Afterwards that’s okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go to church during the mission, or did your minister come to your house?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:509", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.485246290155852, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "She could have kept that to herself."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, or said something afterwards."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Afterwards that’s okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go to church during the mission, or did your minister come to your house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did I guess during some of those missions. The first one I don’t think was over Sunday, but I went on Sunday. I have a picture somewhere of myself and my parents going to church. [The press] did follow you anywhere you went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would they follow you into the church? Or would they stand outside?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:511", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.983606989062058, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Afterwards that’s okay."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you go to church during the mission, or did your minister come to your house?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did I guess during some of those missions. The first one I don’t think was over Sunday, but I went on Sunday. I have a picture somewhere of myself and my parents going to church. [The press] did follow you anywhere you went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would they follow you into the church? Or would they stand outside?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not into, just up to the front door."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any special prayers at the services for the crew?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:513", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.537341098957842, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I did I guess during some of those missions. The first one I don’t think was over Sunday, but I went on Sunday. I have a picture somewhere of myself and my parents going to church. [The press] did follow you anywhere you went."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would they follow you into the church? Or would they stand outside?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not into, just up to the front door."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any special prayers at the services for the crew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t think if there was, maybe so. Maybe Father Raish must have said something, because why wouldn’t he? But I don’t remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any concerns about Pete bringing home Moon bugs? There was that whole discussion."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:515", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.152601221064269, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not into, just up to the front door."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were there any special prayers at the services for the crew?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t think if there was, maybe so. Maybe Father Raish must have said something, because why wouldn’t he? But I don’t remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any concerns about Pete bringing home Moon bugs? There was that whole discussion."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not at all. I wasn’t the least bit of afraid of that, I didn’t think there were any bugs on the Moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More concerned about him coming home I guess."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:517", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.836223578960299, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t think if there was, maybe so. Maybe Father Raish must have said something, because why wouldn’t he? But I don’t remember."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you have any concerns about Pete bringing home Moon bugs? There was that whole discussion."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not at all. I wasn’t the least bit of afraid of that, I didn’t think there were any bugs on the Moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More concerned about him coming home I guess."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So many of the people we’ve talked to talked about how Apollo really unified that Clear Lake community, that they felt like everyone was behind Apollo, that everyone was like a family. I wonder do you think that was the case and why."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:519", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 7.5958039766225545, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not at all. I wasn’t the least bit of afraid of that, I didn’t think there were any bugs on the Moon."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "More concerned about him coming home I guess."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So many of the people we’ve talked to talked about how Apollo really unified that Clear Lake community, that they felt like everyone was behind Apollo, that everyone was like a family. I wonder do you think that was the case and why."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I really felt it. Practically everybody I knew in Timber Cove was in my house all during all the flights. Everybody was so supportive, and they brought all this food. That was the other reason why that pool guy thought Pete had died, because he saw all this food spread out all over the place, and flowers everywhere. He said, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He thought it was a wake."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:521", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 8.439782196247283, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Right."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So many of the people we’ve talked to talked about how Apollo really unified that Clear Lake community, that they felt like everyone was behind Apollo, that everyone was like a family. I wonder do you think that was the case and why."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I really felt it. Practically everybody I knew in Timber Cove was in my house all during all the flights. Everybody was so supportive, and they brought all this food. That was the other reason why that pool guy thought Pete had died, because he saw all this food spread out all over the place, and flowers everywhere. He said, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He thought it was a wake."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He thought it was a wake."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s hilarious. Why do you think people in the Clear Lake area supported Apollo so much? Was it because they worked at NASA, or were there other reasons?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:523", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.377535773608091, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, I really felt it. Practically everybody I knew in Timber Cove was in my house all during all the flights. Everybody was so supportive, and they brought all this food. That was the other reason why that pool guy thought Pete had died, because he saw all this food spread out all over the place, and flowers everywhere. He said, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "He thought it was a wake."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He thought it was a wake."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s hilarious. Why do you think people in the Clear Lake area supported Apollo so much? Was it because they worked at NASA, or were there other reasons?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of them worked at NASA, sure. Also I think everybody in the world was interested in what was going on. This is something they’d never done before, so of course they were, and they probably felt they were even a little special because they were closer to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did want to ask you. We have just a few more minutes."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:525", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.308373081786767, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "He thought it was a wake."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s hilarious. Why do you think people in the Clear Lake area supported Apollo so much? Was it because they worked at NASA, or were there other reasons?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of them worked at NASA, sure. Also I think everybody in the world was interested in what was going on. This is something they’d never done before, so of course they were, and they probably felt they were even a little special because they were closer to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did want to ask you. We have just a few more minutes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, is it time to go? Oh, you have 15 more minutes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, exactly. Like I said, we like to keep to time. Talk about Skylab. That was a very different mission, because that was much longer. He was going to be in space for a longer period of time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:527", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 9.231525646429741, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of them worked at NASA, sure. Also I think everybody in the world was interested in what was going on. This is something they’d never done before, so of course they were, and they probably felt they were even a little special because they were closer to it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did want to ask you. We have just a few more minutes."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, is it time to go? Oh, you have 15 more minutes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, exactly. Like I said, we like to keep to time. Talk about Skylab. That was a very different mission, because that was much longer. He was going to be in space for a longer period of time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Much longer, yes. I think Pete developed a little bit of a—it wasn’t a heart murmur. It was like you skip a beat or something in his heart. They were worried about that. Let’s see. Was one of those guys a doctor? Yes. [Joseph P.] Kerwin was a doctor. He didn’t think it was really very dangerous. He didn’t really feel as though it was anything to stop the mission for. I think that can happen anytime, have a skip of a beat. There’s a song about it, “My heart skipped a beat when I saw you.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had things changed since Apollo had started to wind down with Apollo 17? Was there as much interest in Skylab as there was for Gemini and Apollo?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:529", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 9.146139607144157, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, is it time to go? Oh, you have 15 more minutes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, exactly. Like I said, we like to keep to time. Talk about Skylab. That was a very different mission, because that was much longer. He was going to be in space for a longer period of time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Much longer, yes. I think Pete developed a little bit of a—it wasn’t a heart murmur. It was like you skip a beat or something in his heart. They were worried about that. Let’s see. Was one of those guys a doctor? Yes. [Joseph P.] Kerwin was a doctor. He didn’t think it was really very dangerous. He didn’t really feel as though it was anything to stop the mission for. I think that can happen anytime, have a skip of a beat. There’s a song about it, “My heart skipped a beat when I saw you.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Had things changed since Apollo had started to wind down with Apollo 17? Was there as much interest in Skylab as there was for Gemini and Apollo?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It seemed to me that it was pretty much [similar], but of course it would fade off during the long days. For the launch and for the recovery they were all back again. Then there was a little blurb every night on the news if there was anything that they were doing. They reported on that. It wasn’t as intense as it was on Apollo flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you following much in terms of what was happening to save Skylab? Was your husband ever concerned that he wasn’t going to fly that last mission because of what had happened?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:533", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 7.71128346561007, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It seemed to me that it was pretty much [similar], but of course it would fade off during the long days. For the launch and for the recovery they were all back again. Then there was a little blurb every night on the news if there was anything that they were doing. They reported on that. It wasn’t as intense as it was on Apollo flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were you following much in terms of what was happening to save Skylab? Was your husband ever concerned that he wasn’t going to fly that last mission because of what had happened?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t get to talk to him because he was over in quarantine. I guess maybe they were so they wouldn’t catch anything before they went. They were over in whatever—I can’t remember these names anymore. You know where they were.\\n\\n I guess it was before we left the Cape [Canaveral, Florida] that they knew that the solar panel didn’t come out. I guess we were kind of worried. What did they do? They had an EVA [extravehicular activity] that went out and pulled on it. I think attached something to it and pulled it out. It wasn’t very long before they did that, and then Jack Kinzler had that parasol that he invented. You can probably remember better than I do because you interviewed him. Believe me, my memory has gotten really bad recently."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Jack ever come over and tell you about his solution and share those details with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he did after they deployed it. Yes, he did. He told us exactly. He went down to a sporting goods store. He bought some fishing rods and put them together, and they would fold up like that. He just told us how he dreamed it up. He said he even dreamed it the night before. He was thinking about it so hard that he dreamed to go get some fishing rods and Mylar and put it together, and he did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your kids were older now. Did they have a better understanding?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:535", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.3458705173445225, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t get to talk to him because he was over in quarantine. I guess maybe they were so they wouldn’t catch anything before they went. They were over in whatever—I can’t remember these names anymore. You know where they were.\\n\\n I guess it was before we left the Cape [Canaveral, Florida] that they knew that the solar panel didn’t come out. I guess we were kind of worried. What did they do? They had an EVA [extravehicular activity] that went out and pulled on it. I think attached something to it and pulled it out. It wasn’t very long before they did that, and then Jack Kinzler had that parasol that he invented. You can probably remember better than I do because you interviewed him. Believe me, my memory has gotten really bad recently."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did Jack ever come over and tell you about his solution and share those details with you?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he did after they deployed it. Yes, he did. He told us exactly. He went down to a sporting goods store. He bought some fishing rods and put them together, and they would fold up like that. He just told us how he dreamed it up. He said he even dreamed it the night before. He was thinking about it so hard that he dreamed to go get some fishing rods and Mylar and put it together, and he did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your kids were older now. Did they have a better understanding?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For Skylab, yes. I had a terrible cold too, as I remember. We were on our way home. Can’t remember [if] they [took] us on a Gulfstream or not. I remember Peter going up to where they had the flight attendant and telling, “Bring Mom a Bloody Mary, she’s just so nervous.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They definitely were older if they knew to ask for a Bloody Mary."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:537", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 5.939856130382802, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I think he did after they deployed it. Yes, he did. He told us exactly. He went down to a sporting goods store. He bought some fishing rods and put them together, and they would fold up like that. He just told us how he dreamed it up. He said he even dreamed it the night before. He was thinking about it so hard that he dreamed to go get some fishing rods and Mylar and put it together, and he did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Your kids were older now. Did they have a better understanding?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "For Skylab, yes. I had a terrible cold too, as I remember. We were on our way home. Can’t remember [if] they [took] us on a Gulfstream or not. I remember Peter going up to where they had the flight attendant and telling, “Bring Mom a Bloody Mary, she’s just so nervous.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They definitely were older if they knew to ask for a Bloody Mary."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, they knew. He knew that I liked Bloody Marys. I still do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they following the mission along the same way that you were?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:539", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.2665068115364466, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For Skylab, yes. I had a terrible cold too, as I remember. We were on our way home. Can’t remember [if] they [took] us on a Gulfstream or not. I remember Peter going up to where they had the flight attendant and telling, “Bring Mom a Bloody Mary, she’s just so nervous.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "They definitely were older if they knew to ask for a Bloody Mary."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, they knew. He knew that I liked Bloody Marys. I still do."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Were they following the mission along the same way that you were?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, they were old enough then definitely to understand all that. I had a little boy come over here the other day, a little Latin American boy about five years old. He was so smart. He knew all the planets, how far they are, how long it would take to get to each one. He named them off like this. I couldn’t believe it. He came over here because I was looking for someone to take my sister’s dogs. She just didn’t want to part with them. She has to go into a retirement place, and they won’t let her keep the dogs. My friend told me about this Latin American family that had six kids. She said, “I’m going to ask them if they’ll take the dogs,” and they did.\\n\\n They came over here first because she said, “I’ll tell them that maybe I could find some space stuff for the little boy.” I found a few little things. I should have given him some of those—well, maybe not the matches that had the emblems on them. I found a few things, a couple pictures. He came over, and I knew that he was smart, because my friend that made the transaction, she said, “I bet you if I tell them that they’ll get some space stuff they’ll take the dogs.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quid pro quo."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:543", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.032724458686971, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, they were old enough then definitely to understand all that. I had a little boy come over here the other day, a little Latin American boy about five years old. He was so smart. He knew all the planets, how far they are, how long it would take to get to each one. He named them off like this. I couldn’t believe it. He came over here because I was looking for someone to take my sister’s dogs. She just didn’t want to part with them. She has to go into a retirement place, and they won’t let her keep the dogs. My friend told me about this Latin American family that had six kids. She said, “I’m going to ask them if they’ll take the dogs,” and they did.\\n\\n They came over here first because she said, “I’ll tell them that maybe I could find some space stuff for the little boy.” I found a few little things. I should have given him some of those—well, maybe not the matches that had the emblems on them. I found a few things, a couple pictures. He came over, and I knew that he was smart, because my friend that made the transaction, she said, “I bet you if I tell them that they’ll get some space stuff they’ll take the dogs.”"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quid pro quo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What is it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quid pro quo."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:545", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.480804954096635, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What is it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quid pro quo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quid pro quo, I always get that mixed up. That was it. He came and he was so cute. He was so excited about getting the space stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I noticed during that Skylab mission that there were three big anniversaries, one being your twentieth wedding anniversary."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:547", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 4.9786721712184825, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What is it?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Quid pro quo."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quid pro quo, I always get that mixed up. That was it. He came and he was so cute. He was so excited about getting the space stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I noticed during that Skylab mission that there were three big anniversaries, one being your twentieth wedding anniversary."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I didn’t remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, and Pete’s birthday and Father’s Day. I thought there were a lot of things that happened then."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:549", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.420746856909425, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Quid pro quo, I always get that mixed up. That was it. He came and he was so cute. He was so excited about getting the space stuff."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I noticed during that Skylab mission that there were three big anniversaries, one being your twentieth wedding anniversary."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I didn’t remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, and Pete’s birthday and Father’s Day. I thought there were a lot of things that happened then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, that’s right. All in June."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you celebrate those moments when he was in space or did you wait for him to come back?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:551", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.911940952121583, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I didn’t remember that."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, and Pete’s birthday and Father’s Day. I thought there were a lot of things that happened then."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, that’s right. All in June."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you celebrate those moments when he was in space or did you wait for him to come back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We probably did the birthdays, yes, but not the anniversary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to talk with Pete for these missions over the phone?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:553", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 5.4577121690239805, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, that’s right. All in June."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you celebrate those moments when he was in space or did you wait for him to come back?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "We probably did the birthdays, yes, but not the anniversary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to talk with Pete for these missions over the phone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I was in mission control. I didn’t really say very much, but we each got a chance to say, “Hi, how you doing?” Just to hear their—well, we hear the voice on the squawk boxes—just wish them luck and so forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you continue to have the security detail at the house for Skylab?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:555", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.064124632248867, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "We probably did the birthdays, yes, but not the anniversary."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you get to talk with Pete for these missions over the phone?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I was in mission control. I didn’t really say very much, but we each got a chance to say, “Hi, how you doing?” Just to hear their—well, we hear the voice on the squawk boxes—just wish them luck and so forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you continue to have the security detail at the house for Skylab?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. The whole time. All the flights, for the whole time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever need the guard for any reason?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:557", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 6.737916258054296, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "When I was in mission control. I didn’t really say very much, but we each got a chance to say, “Hi, how you doing?” Just to hear their—well, we hear the voice on the squawk boxes—just wish them luck and so forth."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you continue to have the security detail at the house for Skylab?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. The whole time. All the flights, for the whole time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever need the guard for any reason?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m going to ask Sandra if she has any questions for you, because we have a little bit of time.\n\nYes, I was just curious. You said you were at Bryn Mawr when you met Pete. What were you majoring in?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:559", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 6.375462508949218, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes. The whole time. All the flights, for the whole time."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you ever need the guard for any reason?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m going to ask Sandra if she has any questions for you, because we have a little bit of time.\n\nYes, I was just curious. You said you were at Bryn Mawr when you met Pete. What were you majoring in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "English. Did you plan on doing anything with that?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:561", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 4, "return_to_go": 7.083847232165797, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I’m going to ask Sandra if she has any questions for you, because we have a little bit of time.\n\nYes, I was just curious. You said you were at Bryn Mawr when you met Pete. What were you majoring in?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "English. Did you plan on doing anything with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it just was my favorite subject when I was in high school, so I figured I’ll go with that. Never knowing that I would be writing two books."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, and a memoir."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:564", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.4264969246286636, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "English."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "English. Did you plan on doing anything with that?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it just was my favorite subject when I was in high school, so I figured I’ll go with that. Never knowing that I would be writing two books."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, and a memoir."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I did, because I started taking this class that they have here. It’s called ALIR, Academy of Learning in Retirement, and if you’re over 55 you can take all these courses. They have about 75 courses. I got in this writing class and had a wonderful teacher. I’m still going to it. I think it’s been 12 years I’ve been going and during that time I wrote the two books. Once a week we meet in that class, and I took a lot of other classes too. Everybody takes turns reading what they’ve written last week. It’s a critique group. That was a real impetus for me to write."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding, I imagine."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:566", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8072188051429596, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, it just was my favorite subject when I was in high school, so I figured I’ll go with that. Never knowing that I would be writing two books."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Right, and a memoir."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I did, because I started taking this class that they have here. It’s called ALIR, Academy of Learning in Retirement, and if you’re over 55 you can take all these courses. They have about 75 courses. I got in this writing class and had a wonderful teacher. I’m still going to it. I think it’s been 12 years I’ve been going and during that time I wrote the two books. Once a week we meet in that class, and I took a lot of other classes too. Everybody takes turns reading what they’ve written last week. It’s a critique group. That was a real impetus for me to write."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding, I imagine."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s fun, still fun. Except I’ve written everything I know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that’s funny. The only other thing I was thinking. You said you went into Houston to the secondhand shops. They still have a lot of those in Houston. Do you remember going into Houston for other things?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:568", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 2, "return_to_go": 4.230243116825511, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "But I did, because I started taking this class that they have here. It’s called ALIR, Academy of Learning in Retirement, and if you’re over 55 you can take all these courses. They have about 75 courses. I got in this writing class and had a wonderful teacher. I’m still going to it. I think it’s been 12 years I’ve been going and during that time I wrote the two books. Once a week we meet in that class, and I took a lot of other classes too. Everybody takes turns reading what they’ve written last week. It’s a critique group. That was a real impetus for me to write."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "No kidding, I imagine."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s fun, still fun. Except I’ve written everything I know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that’s funny. The only other thing I was thinking. You said you went into Houston to the secondhand shops. They still have a lot of those in Houston. Do you remember going into Houston for other things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do most of your shopping in the Clear Lake area, or did you go into Houston?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:570", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 2.4780479075839006, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It’s fun, still fun. Except I’ve written everything I know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Oh, that’s funny. The only other thing I was thinking. You said you went into Houston to the secondhand shops. They still have a lot of those in Houston. Do you remember going into Houston for other things?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do most of your shopping in the Clear Lake area, or did you go into Houston?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember there was a store called Walling’s that we all went to because it had really neat things. That’s where we bought our evening gowns, if we could afford them. Otherwise we got secondhand ones. I remember they had some sunglasses that I bought for $7. I thought, “How can anybody spend $7 on a pair of sunglasses? I can’t believe I did that!” But I wanted them so much that I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny. Did you-all do any cultural things? Because Houston had the ballet and the symphony."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:572", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 1.6422754528710004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you do most of your shopping in the Clear Lake area, or did you go into Houston?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I remember there was a store called Walling’s that we all went to because it had really neat things. That’s where we bought our evening gowns, if we could afford them. Otherwise we got secondhand ones. I remember they had some sunglasses that I bought for $7. I thought, “How can anybody spend $7 on a pair of sunglasses? I can’t believe I did that!” But I wanted them so much that I did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s funny. Did you-all do any cultural things? Because Houston had the ballet and the symphony."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, oh, sure, we went to the Alley Theatre and went to lots of different things, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did have a couple of other questions that I was looking at. Do you feel like you made any sacrifice for the Apollo Program that your family, you personally or your sons, had to give up?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:576", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.0275005591000004, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh yes, oh, sure, we went to the Alley Theatre and went to lots of different things, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I did have a couple of other questions that I was looking at. Do you feel like you made any sacrifice for the Apollo Program that your family, you personally or your sons, had to give up?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t have to give up anything. I gained a lot of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got all those trips and meeting all these celebrities and lots of fun things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was a positive event in your life."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:578", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.2527783990000003, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t have to give up anything. I gained a lot of things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Like what?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got all those trips and meeting all these celebrities and lots of fun things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was a positive event in your life."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely. That’s not to say that I didn’t cry and scream and carry on and tear my hair out either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things that I’m approaching the Apollo and Clear Lake community from is the women, the wives, who were at home taking care of things while their husbands were off traveling, working on the spacecraft, the lunar module, that they really helped to create that Clear Lake community. I wonder if you agree with that and could talk about that a little bit."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:580", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.50308711, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I got all those trips and meeting all these celebrities and lots of fun things."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "So it was a positive event in your life."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely. That’s not to say that I didn’t cry and scream and carry on and tear my hair out either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things that I’m approaching the Apollo and Clear Lake community from is the women, the wives, who were at home taking care of things while their husbands were off traveling, working on the spacecraft, the lunar module, that they really helped to create that Clear Lake community. I wonder if you agree with that and could talk about that a little bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably so, because everybody was very close in that community and everybody helped everybody else. Everything they did. That part of it was a magical time, to have such wonderful neighbors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems like a very unique community at a unique time."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:582", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 2.7812079, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, definitely. That’s not to say that I didn’t cry and scream and carry on and tear my hair out either."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "One of the things that I’m approaching the Apollo and Clear Lake community from is the women, the wives, who were at home taking care of things while their husbands were off traveling, working on the spacecraft, the lunar module, that they really helped to create that Clear Lake community. I wonder if you agree with that and could talk about that a little bit."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably so, because everybody was very close in that community and everybody helped everybody else. Everything they did. That part of it was a magical time, to have such wonderful neighbors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems like a very unique community at a unique time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I saw an interview with you right after the book came out, Lily’s book, and you said that the wives wanted their husbands to be first. I was wondering how did you balance that with your friendships with the other wives."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:584", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.090231, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Probably so, because everybody was very close in that community and everybody helped everybody else. Everything they did. That part of it was a magical time, to have such wonderful neighbors."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It seems like a very unique community at a unique time."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I saw an interview with you right after the book came out, Lily’s book, and you said that the wives wanted their husbands to be first. I was wondering how did you balance that with your friendships with the other wives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess we felt competitive but nothing like [the men] did. They were very competitive. We just didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize their place in line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You always felt like eyes were on you and what you did?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:586", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.43359, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Absolutely it was."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I saw an interview with you right after the book came out, Lily’s book, and you said that the wives wanted their husbands to be first. I was wondering how did you balance that with your friendships with the other wives."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess we felt competitive but nothing like [the men] did. They were very competitive. We just didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize their place in line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You always felt like eyes were on you and what you did?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, or afraid that something might happen that would make them lose their place in line of a flight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did your husband ever talk with you about any of the other husbands? Did you ever hear through the grapevine that husbands had talked to their wives about, “Hey, you really probably shouldn’t do this because that could jeopardize [my flight]?”"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:588", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 3.8151, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess we felt competitive but nothing like [the men] did. They were very competitive. We just didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize their place in line."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "You always felt like eyes were on you and what you did?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, or afraid that something might happen that would make them lose their place in line of a flight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did your husband ever talk with you about any of the other husbands? Did you ever hear through the grapevine that husbands had talked to their wives about, “Hey, you really probably shouldn’t do this because that could jeopardize [my flight]?”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t remember anything like that. I think probably they must have trusted us, that we would do the right thing. We’re not going to let ourselves do anything that would jeopardize their flights. We’d be on our best behavior. We certainly wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of those flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel that that was confining, having to meet those goals as a wife and a mother?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:590", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 4.239, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, or afraid that something might happen that would make them lose their place in line of a flight."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did your husband ever talk with you about any of the other husbands? Did you ever hear through the grapevine that husbands had talked to their wives about, “Hey, you really probably shouldn’t do this because that could jeopardize [my flight]?”"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t remember anything like that. I think probably they must have trusted us, that we would do the right thing. We’re not going to let ourselves do anything that would jeopardize their flights. We’d be on our best behavior. We certainly wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of those flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel that that was confining, having to meet those goals as a wife and a mother?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think so, because I wasn’t doing anything that would be confined. I was able to do what I wanted to do. I could go into Houston and do my charity work. I could do anything I wanted when they were away. I was ruling the roost at home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. You were in charge of the home."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:592", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 3, "return_to_go": 4.71, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I can’t remember anything like that. I think probably they must have trusted us, that we would do the right thing. We’re not going to let ourselves do anything that would jeopardize their flights. We’d be on our best behavior. We certainly wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of those flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Did you feel that that was confining, having to meet those goals as a wife and a mother?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think so, because I wasn’t doing anything that would be confined. I was able to do what I wanted to do. I could go into Houston and do my charity work. I could do anything I wanted when they were away. I was ruling the roost at home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. You were in charge of the home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t feel really confined."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had one other question. It’s another quote that Lily put in her book. It’s a quote that Marge Slayton had said. “You don’t share your personal life. Everyone was happily married. Everything was lovely.” We talked earlier about the number of divorces and how you thought it was related to what the guys were doing at the Cape and other locations."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:594", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.9, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t think so, because I wasn’t doing anything that would be confined. I was able to do what I wanted to do. I could go into Houston and do my charity work. I could do anything I wanted when they were away. I was ruling the roost at home."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s right. You were in charge of the home."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t feel really confined."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had one other question. It’s another quote that Lily put in her book. It’s a quote that Marge Slayton had said. “You don’t share your personal life. Everyone was happily married. Everything was lovely.” We talked earlier about the number of divorces and how you thought it was related to what the guys were doing at the Cape and other locations."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I don’t know whether Louise Shepard—I think there was something, maybe it was in Lily’s book or somewhere I read, that she just would not believe what people were even telling her was happening with Alan [B. Shepard]. She wouldn’t believe it. She just died about two weeks after he did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering if that quote, if you thought it was part of the NASA culture where you don’t talk about those things, or if it was part of the generation that you were from. Nowadays people share everything. They put everything online. My grandparents, you didn’t share a lot of those private details."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:596", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 1, "return_to_go": 1.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I didn’t feel really confined."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I had one other question. It’s another quote that Lily put in her book. It’s a quote that Marge Slayton had said. “You don’t share your personal life. Everyone was happily married. Everything was lovely.” We talked earlier about the number of divorces and how you thought it was related to what the guys were doing at the Cape and other locations."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I don’t know whether Louise Shepard—I think there was something, maybe it was in Lily’s book or somewhere I read, that she just would not believe what people were even telling her was happening with Alan [B. Shepard]. She wouldn’t believe it. She just died about two weeks after he did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering if that quote, if you thought it was part of the NASA culture where you don’t talk about those things, or if it was part of the generation that you were from. Nowadays people share everything. They put everything online. My grandparents, you didn’t share a lot of those private details."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, a lot of people in World War II would never talk about their experience overseas or during the war."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Exactly. I was curious what you thought about that. If that was a combination."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:598", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes. I don’t know whether Louise Shepard—I think there was something, maybe it was in Lily’s book or somewhere I read, that she just would not believe what people were even telling her was happening with Alan [B. Shepard]. She wouldn’t believe it. She just died about two weeks after he did."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I was wondering if that quote, if you thought it was part of the NASA culture where you don’t talk about those things, or if it was part of the generation that you were from. Nowadays people share everything. They put everything online. My grandparents, you didn’t share a lot of those private details."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, a lot of people in World War II would never talk about their experience overseas or during the war."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Exactly. I was curious what you thought about that. If that was a combination."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know why, it was just sort of a tacit thing. Just not going to talk about it. You’d answer questions but you wouldn’t just volunteer a lot of stuff. That was probably all in line with trying to make, just like Marge said, everything’s wonderful. Just trying to make people think everything’s wonderful because we don’t want to jeopardize their flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think we’ve touched on the questions that I’ve thought of. Was there anything that you would like to talk about about the wives or your experience that we haven’t covered? I’m trying to look at my notes here to see if there’s other things that we would talk about."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:600", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes, a lot of people in World War II would never talk about their experience overseas or during the war."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Exactly. I was curious what you thought about that. If that was a combination."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know why, it was just sort of a tacit thing. Just not going to talk about it. You’d answer questions but you wouldn’t just volunteer a lot of stuff. That was probably all in line with trying to make, just like Marge said, everything’s wonderful. Just trying to make people think everything’s wonderful because we don’t want to jeopardize their flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think we’ve touched on the questions that I’ve thought of. Was there anything that you would like to talk about about the wives or your experience that we haven’t covered? I’m trying to look at my notes here to see if there’s other things that we would talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know that we all went over to each other’s houses while different flights were going on. We were all supportive of each other."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you talk about that in terms of the friendships and how those relationships were important?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:602", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I don’t know why, it was just sort of a tacit thing. Just not going to talk about it. You’d answer questions but you wouldn’t just volunteer a lot of stuff. That was probably all in line with trying to make, just like Marge said, everything’s wonderful. Just trying to make people think everything’s wonderful because we don’t want to jeopardize their flights."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I think we’ve touched on the questions that I’ve thought of. Was there anything that you would like to talk about about the wives or your experience that we haven’t covered? I’m trying to look at my notes here to see if there’s other things that we would talk about."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know that we all went over to each other’s houses while different flights were going on. We were all supportive of each other."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you talk about that in terms of the friendships and how those relationships were important?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It just went without saying that we would all go over and sit with the wives whose husbands were on a mission. We all brought food over and did whatever we could do. It was just like we were relations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that from the military traditions?"}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:604", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I know that we all went over to each other’s houses while different flights were going on. We were all supportive of each other."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Would you talk about that in terms of the friendships and how those relationships were important?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "It just went without saying that we would all go over and sit with the wives whose husbands were on a mission. We all brought food over and did whatever we could do. It was just like we were relations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that from the military traditions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Part of it was military. That would carry over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think that was also generational? Again people don’t spend a lot of time [together]."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:606", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "It just went without saying that we would all go over and sit with the wives whose husbands were on a mission. We all brought food over and did whatever we could do. It was just like we were relations."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Was that from the military traditions?"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Part of it was military. That would carry over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think that was also generational? Again people don’t spend a lot of time [together]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think people still do that. Don’t you think they do?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not as much."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:608", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Part of it was military. That would carry over."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Do you think that was also generational? Again people don’t spend a lot of time [together]."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think people still do that. Don’t you think they do?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not as much."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe not as much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We don’t have a lot of people who come over to our house. It’s almost like you go out with friends now instead of inviting people over."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:610", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "No, I think people still do that. Don’t you think they do?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Not as much."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe not as much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We don’t have a lot of people who come over to our house. It’s almost like you go out with friends now instead of inviting people over."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I see what you mean, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, we’ve tried. At least in our place, we’ve tried to invite people over, and we’ve had them over. But there’s not a reciprocal relationship."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:612", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Maybe not as much."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "We don’t have a lot of people who come over to our house. It’s almost like you go out with friends now instead of inviting people over."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I see what you mean, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, we’ve tried. At least in our place, we’ve tried to invite people over, and we’ve had them over. But there’s not a reciprocal relationship."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They don’t reciprocate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s why I think it’s very interesting."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:614", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Oh, I see what you mean, yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, we’ve tried. At least in our place, we’ve tried to invite people over, and we’ve had them over. But there’s not a reciprocal relationship."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They don’t reciprocate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s why I think it’s very interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of wives work though, and that’s why they don’t want to have dinner parties and have people over, because they’re tired by the time they get home. That’s probably the reason for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, and the house is always a mess. Yes, there’s a lot of reasons not to do things."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00126:616", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 0, "return_to_go": 0.0, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "They don’t reciprocate."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "That’s why I think it’s very interesting."}, {"role": "user", "content": "A lot of wives work though, and that’s why they don’t want to have dinner parties and have people over, because they’re tired by the time they get home. That’s probably the reason for it."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes, and the house is always a mess. Yes, there’s a lot of reasons not to do things."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yes."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Thank you very much for your time today, we really appreciate it."}]}
{"block_id": "jsc-oral-history-00515:67", "domain": "oral_history", "factual_novelty_score": 10, "return_to_go": 16.3, "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I did. I learned that there’s a lot I don’t know."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Explain to me the reference to the -4 and the -5 configurations."}, {"role": "user", "content": "For any hardware at NASA you start with a particular part number, and as improvements are made, there’s a dash number that comes after it. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning but I can remember the part number. It was SV706100. That was the base part number for the Apollo life support system.\\n\\n The dash number that we flew on Apollo 9 was -5. The dash number we flew on Apollo 11 was -6. The dash number that we flew on Apollo 15 was -7 when we put those improvements in. The basic design is the same, but there are particular improvements that are made. So like as I said -4, all the switches were in the back. The -5 had the switches up front."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Big difference."}, {"role": "user", "content": "Yeah. Big difference. Then when we went to the Moon in the J mission series, Apollo 15, 16, 17, it went to a seven-hour system from the four-hour system. To differentiate one system from another, although they had the same basic part number, the dash number changes. That lets you know okay, if it says -7, the -7 has the extended duration time for the Moon. Configuration control, not just in our systems, but in all systems, is really really important, so you know that if you’ve had a failed part and it’s some design flaw and the design is changed, you want to make sure you never fly that particular part again. So they have all these configuration records. The quality assurance people will verify that a particular piece of hardware meets all these configurations so that you don’t unintentionally fly something that you don’t want to be flying."}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Good thing to know. One of the other memories you were going to share with me has to do with Apollo 9 and steak and eggs."}]}