Bud Keith Biography
Bud, who was blinded at age 11 in a school-yard accident, worked as a Peace Corps volunteer at the Helen Keller School for the Blind and with other programs for the blind and visually impaired in Panama City. He was part of Training Group 8, serving from 1965 to 1967. His energy and ability impressed not only the Panamanians but also his fellow Peace Corps volunteers, as you can read in Jack Buege’s remembrance “Bud Keith – The Blind Man Who Opened My Eyes.”
Later, Bud was president of the Peace Corps Panama Friends for 16 years and served on the Board of Directors of the National Peace Corps Association from 1988 to 1991.
When Bud died on June 14, 2008, four of his Group 8 friends – Tom Brew, Jim Hannan, Dave Hughes, and Peter Slattery – were with Bud. Read Bud’s obituary in the Washington Post.
Bud’s love for Panama never ended, as he continued to visit the country throughout his life. At the end, he was still working to accomplish one of his life’s dreams, to establish a scholarship fund for blind Panamanian students. In support of that dream, Peace Corps Panama Friends established the Bud Keith Scholarship Fund for the Blind.