PETER JENKINS

JENKINS--Peter M. , died on July 17, 2022 at home in New York City at the age of 86. He devoted his life to building a more peaceful and just society. At American University, Peter organized the National Conference on Youth Service Abroad in 1961. He brought together 500 student delegates from 45 states, urging them to join the newly- created Peace Corps. He said in the Washington Post (March 14, 1961): "We are often told that the destiny of our country is in our hands. But it hasn't been placed in our hands until now." Peter went on to work for the Peace Corps, recruiting volunteers across the country to engage in public service. He founded an organization that successfully advocated in 1971 for representation of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations. In January 1972, Peter was part of an American delegation that visited China and met with Premier Chou En-lai--one month before President Nixon's historic trip that would transform U.S.-China relations. Peter was active in New York City politics, beginning with Riverside Dems in 1968 and was elected president of Park River Independent Democrats in 2008, the year of Obama's victory. Born in London, Peter grew up in India, where he learned to speak Hindi. He loved riding his bicycle, attending concerts at Tanglewood, and driving around the Berkshires, where he lived for many years. Peter is survived by his wife, Margaret, and his sister, Patricia.