PEACE CORPS MARKS 35 YEARS

In the past 35 years since it was created by President John F. Kennedy's order, the Peace Corps has sent more than 140,000 Americans to more than 90 countries in an effort to educate less-developed countries in everything from reading basics to water and sanitation systems.

Few federal programs have been so widely hailed, both by the program's participants and the recipients of its benefits.

Celebrations of the anniversary are planned around the country. Former Peace Corps volunteers will gather in Cairo, Ill., Saturday for a reunion marked by the spirit of the program: They will do projects in the Southern Illinois town that hearken back to their experiences in foreign lands. They will plant trees and restore and old theater building to be used as a community center.