In 1967, while working for the Head Start program, Dr. John Arnold wrote a grant proposal and submitted it to the Tucson War on Poverty Program, which was funded by grants initiated by the Kennedy/Johnson administration. The grant was funded at $19,000 and PPEP was born. Dr. Arnold purchased a 1957, 48-passenger school bus and equipped it with educational books and supplies. He painted it green and named it “La Tortuga.” He was the driver, mechanic and school teacher, all rolled into one. Having lived in Mexico, he knew first-hand what it was like to live in an unfamiliar society with a different language and culture. So, he began teaching English and basic education, in his portable classroom, to the same Bracero farm-workers he had ministered to in the past, helping them prepare for life in America, by gaining a practical education. Hence, “Portable, Practical Educational Preparation.”
