Peace Corps worker Poirier missing 2 weeks
By TIM LOGAN
Senior Staff Writer
Walter Poirier, a 2000 Notre Dame graduate serving in the Peace Corps in Bolivia, has been missing for two weeks, U. S. officials and colleagues said Wednesday.
Poirier, 22, was last seen by fellow volunteers on Feb. 22 in LaPaz, Bolivia's capital. He had been working in tourism development in the nearby Zongo Valley since August 2000.
Government officials are trying to find Poirier, an embassy official told the Associated Press. They put out public service announcements on radio and television, and set up a hotline for people with information on his whereabouts. Similar announcements, and a picture of Poirer, will appear in Bolivian newspapers today.
Friends at Notre Dame remembered him as a good kid, with a mischevious streak.
"He was unique. Everyone knew who Wally was," said Joe Priest, a 2000 grad who lived with Poirier in Zahm Hall. "It's obvious what a good person he is."
Poirier was briefly the president of Zahm Hall, before having to leave the dorm, and he ran for student body president twice, in 1998 and 1999. He also encouraged other Zahm residents to run for president, usually on irreverent platforms that gently mocked the typical student government priorities.
But he had a serious side, too. Poirier was heavily involved in community service while at Notre Dame, friends said.
"He was always volunteering," Priest said.
Poirier worked with Habitat for Humanity on campus and spent a semester living in Dismas House — a home where college students and former convicts Live together in community.
He also volunteered at "There Are Children Here," a camp for Chicago inner city youth. Camp director Jim Langford, a core professor, remembers him as a dedicated and energetic.
"Wherever he was, there was a kind of buzz," Langford said. "He's a leader and a person that enjoys life."
Father Jim Lies, who was rector in Zahm when Poirier lived there, said the young man was a model for his dorm.
"He was the quintessential Zahmbie," Lies said. "He has more spirit than any youth I've ever worked with, with more energy than anybody I know. It didn't surprise me at all that he wound up in the Peace Corps and helping others."
Poirier got in his share of trouble with the University, leading fellow Zahm residents in pranks and North Dining Hall antics.
Punishment was usually volunteer work, and that was fine with Poirier.
"It was kind of funny," said Brian Clemency, one of his friends. "They always had him do service, but he was doing it already."
Poirier, from Lowell, Mass., majored in history and government at Notre Dame. His upbeat attitude and playful streak made him a memorable figure to those who know him.
"He got into some difficulties I know at Notre Dame but he has a great spirit," Langford said. "His true spirit came through when he decided to join the Peace Corps and go help other people. He's a great person."
All News Stories for Monday, March 19, 2001
