The Peace Corps, Sierra Leone, and Me

Norman Tyler has had significant experience with the Peace Corps by serving a number of roles. He was a Volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa, from 1964 to 1966. After returning to the United States, he was invited as a trainer for a new group of volunteers. He also served with his wife, Ilene, as VISTA Community Development Volunteers in Baltimore from 1970 to 1972. After this service, the two of them worked as specialist recruiters for both the Peace Corps and VISTA programs. Norman now is Professor Emeritus at Eastern Michigan University, where he was director of the Urban and Regional Planning Program from 1990 to 2009. He is a registered architect and certified urban planner who previously had his own architecture/planning firm. With degrees from The University of Michigan (Bachelor of Architecture, Doctor of Architecture) and Michigan State University (Ph.D., Urban and Regional Planning), he also taught at The University of Michigan and Penn State University. He has been honored as a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP), primarily for his career as a community activist and advocate. He has served on the board of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, the Michigan Association of Planning, and the Ann Arbor Historic District Commission. Tyler has given presentations at many national, state, and local professional conferences on architecture, planning, historic preservation, and community revitalization. He is co-author of three other books: Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History, Principles, and Practice (W.W. Norton and Company, 2009), Planning and Community Development: A Guide for the 21st Century (W.W. Norton and Company, 2011), and Greek Revival in America: Tracing its architectural roots to ancient Athens (CreateSpace Self-published, 2014).