Margaret P. Halfpenny  (PC Staff)

With great sadness I report the death of Marge Halfpenny, the first Peace Corps/Turkey secretary, on January 1, 1996, in Washington, DC, from complications due to a stroke.

Marge arrived in Ankara in the fall of 1962, to join Ali Yonceova and me, and will long be remembered by volunteers from Turkey 1, 2, and 3 for her indomitable spirit, humor, and hospitality.

"Secretary" was the job label, but Marge represented so much more to those of us who worked closely with her.  When all hell was breaking loose in typical PC fashion, Marge was the glue...unflappable, hardworking, and unafraid of adding to her job description to get the real job done.
She came to the Peace Corps from AID, for whom she had worked in Afghanistan and Sierra Leone. After Turkey she returned to the US and our paths luckily crossed again at the Office of management and Budget, where she worked until the mid-80's, before returning overseas for one last tour, in Geneva with the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

As the saying goes, "they don't make them like that anymore."  Marge was an angel of mercy when she appeared at Esenboğa airport, a rock while she was in Ankara, and one of the best friends you could ever have.

                                                                     -- Dave Weinman, the first Peace Corps Director in Turkey