When Hillery Rink booked a StoryCorps appointment to talk with his partner Sean Rindge about how they met, little did he know that the two would help StoryCorps Atlanta mark an important occasion, also: the 1,000^th interview in our booth at WABE.

Hillery had two strong reasons for wanting to visit StoryCorps. “I wanted to document some of our stories for us to have when we got older and our memories started getting foggy. I also felt it was important for people to hear that how two gay men met and started their life-long relationship isn’t that different from how millions of straight people do the same thing.”

Sean, his partner, told us, “I was intrigued, albeit a bit hesitant, by Hillery’s suggestion to do the interview. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to talk for the full length of the time, but we know how that turned out.” The pair talked for 40 minutes and covered events from just their first few years together.

Hillery Rink and partner Sean Rindge have been together for more than 20 years.

Sean had made personal recordings of his grandmother several years ago, and “the response from the family who got recorded copies of our talk was overwhelming.” This time, too, family and friends have requested copies of their StoryCorps CD, which Hillery and Sean plan to share. Says Sean, “It really is true that everyone has something to say, and it isn’t just our established writers who should have a lock on it.” Hillery adds, “In this sometimes contentious culture we live in now, I think it is important to remind each other of how we all are much more alike than we are different. StoryCorps is a great way for us to spread that word.”