Doug Risser

I live in Goshen, Indiana, with my wife, Sharon.  

I have lived in Goshen all my life and attended Goshen Schools (Chandler Elementary, Goshen Junior High and High School), and Goshen College, where I earned by BA in Sociology, graduating in 1972.

I guess I got the travel bug while in college.  I didn't have plans for the summer after my freshman year at Goshen College (1967) and I saw on the registration that they were offering a summer seminar in Colombia.  For whatever reason, I signed up.

The program was offered by Bluffton College and Goshen College could send people on their programs and Bluffton could send students on GC's programs where they were exploring setting up the Study Service Term program (started officially by GC in 1969).  Four of us drove from Bluffton down to Miami where I got on my first flight, an Aviance B-720 to Bogota.  Much of the time was spent in Bogota but I also lived a short time with a Peace Corps volunteer in Ubala, Cundinamarca.  Many weekends were spent taking trips out of the city.  After time in Bogota, we spent several days on the Caribean Coast of Colombia (which influenced us to choose Colombia as our honeymoon destination!).

The late 60s were the time of the Vietnam War.  Faced with possibly getting drafted, I chose alternative service.  Since Spanish was an interest, I participated in the SEA (Service Education Abroad) program from 1969 to 1971 in Cochabamba, Bolivia.  Most of the time was spent running a children's home for kids who otherwise would have lived in the streets.  My first location was north of Quillacollo at Bella Vista where I ran a general store and bakery along with doing all the shoppng for the home.  That area had no running water and no electricity.  Meals wee cooked over an open fire.  My partner, Frank Hartman, worked with the kids in the gardens we had there.  We had from 30 to 70 kids there.

I later later moved closer to Quillacollo where we had electricity and plumbing.  My partner there was John Nice.  I learned to love getting into town (Cochabamba) where I was agai in civilization.  A couple of my close friends were Guy Gwynn from the US State Department and Julian and Suzie Martinez who ran a store where Julian handcarved items and Suzie gilded the.  I prize the large mirror in our front room which Julian carved, along with a clock he carved and Susie painted in Sharon's den.  We have several paintings obtained through them as well which I look at when napping in our sun room!

After graduation in spring 1972, I joined Menno Travel Service in Goshen, Indiana.  I became Manager in 1980, a co-owner in 1995, and retired in May of 2014.

I married Sharon Shenk in May 1975 and together we have a son, Jay, born in 1983.  Jay is married to Amber and together they have a son, Jaxon, born in 2011 and daughter Teagan, born April 2018.

I am now a partner (along with my wife) in MTS Realty, LLC.  Our primary business is leasing out the "Menno Travel" building at 210-212 S Main Street in downtown Goshen.  The second floor space is marketed as The Exchange Business Suites.  Visit our website at www.theexchangegoshen.com for more information.