Mom’s Advice to Son With Tough Questions: “To Thine Own Self Be True”
To mark our 20th anniversary, we’re revisiting classic StoryCorps conversations — like this one from 2006, between a young boy and his mother.
When 12-year-old Josh Littman first interviewed his mom, Sarah Darer Littman, he came with a list of his own questions, and they were not easy. As a child, Josh had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder formerly called Asperger’s syndrome.
Josh and Sarah returned five years later, when Josh was depressed and having a hard time in college. In 2017, Joshua and Sarah came back to StoryCorps for a third interview, to reflect on the past decade and look toward the future.
Sarah Darer Littman and Josh Littman at their StoryCorps interview in New Haven, Connecticut on August 3, 2023. By Chapin Montague for StoryCorps.
In the Fall of 2023, Josh started a graduate program in Library Sciences and History. He hopes to someday work at the Library of Congress, where all his StoryCorps interviews are housed.
Top Photo: Sarah Darer Littman and Josh Littman at their StoryCorps interviews in New York City, New York, in 2006, 2011 and 2017. By Emily Janssen and Michael Garofalo for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired March 17, 2006, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
A family’s legacy of service, sacrifice, and fatherhood after 9/11
Top photo: Joseph Vigiano and John Vigiano Jr. with their father, John Vigiano Sr. circa 1994. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary by revisiting classic StoryCorps conversations from our first two decades and sharing updates on participants.
(Left) Detective Joseph Vigiano, Firefighter John Vigiano II circa 1996. (Right) Police Officer Joseph Vigiano, Police Officer James Vigiano in April of 2023. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
John Vigiano Sr. came to StoryCorps in 2007 to talk about his sons, Joseph and John Vigiano Jr., who both died in the line of duty during the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center.
Joseph Vigiano with his father and brother, James Vigiano circa 1998. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
In 2023 his grandson, Joseph Vigiano, came to StoryCorps to reflect on fatherhood and his family’s legacy.
Joseph and Kathleen Vigiano circa 1989. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
Jennifer and Joseph Vigiano with their son and Police Commissioner Edward Caban in March of 2023. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired on September 11, 2009. Rebroadcast with update on September 8, 2023 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
20 Years Later A Couple Reflects On A Tender Moment Captured In The StoryCorps Booth
We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary by revisiting classic StoryCorps conversations from our first two decades – like this one between Debora Brakarz and Mike Wolmetz.
Mike Wolmetz and Debora Brakarz at their wedding celebration in Long Island, NY, on June 19, 2005. Courtesy of Debora and Mike.
Debora was 26 at the time and Mike was 25. They had only been dating for three months when they came to the StoryCorps recording booth in New York’s Grand Central Terminal.
The family at Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, Maryland, on August 8, 2012. Courtesy of Debora and Mike.
Nearly 20 years later, they returned to share an update about love, marriage, and parenthood.
The family during Halloween 2019 (Mike as the anonymous CIA whistleblower, Debora as Sarah Good (one of the first 3 women to be accused in the Salem Witch Trials), Luca as Spiderman Miles Morales, and Iago as DJ Marshmello). Courtesy of Debora and Mike.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired February 14, 2004, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
Helping The Dogs Of Chernobyl
When the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, exploded in 1986, dozens died, and hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from a 1,000 square mile radius.
But people’s pets were impacted as well. Dogs, cats, and other domestic animals were killed or abandoned, and for more than 30 years those that survived have continued to reproduce in this radioactive forest.
Stephen Quandt, an animal welfare worker in New York City, came to StoryCorps to talk about a humanitarian trip he took to Ukraine in 2019, and how the work he does ties back to his childhood.
Top Photo: Stephen Quandt at the Clean Futures Fund clinic in Slavutych, Ukraine—a city built for those evacuated after the nuclear power plant disaster—in June of 2019. Photo courtesy of Stephen Quandt.
Middle Photo: One of an estimated 250 stray dogs living in the forests of Chernobyl, Ukraine. Photo courtesy of Stephen Quandt.
Bottom Photo: Pripyat Amusement Park in Pripyat, Ukraine. Photo by Stephen Quandt.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired July 28, 2023, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Same Train, Different Tracks
When a train ride to work veers into a life or death situation, two strangers become an important part of each other’s lives.
Artwork by Lyne Lucien.
Released on July 25, 2023.
A Family Built On The Dance Floor: Reflections From A Father And Daughter
The first time Carl Levine did contra dance, a type of folk dance similar to square dancing, he was a college freshman in the 1970s. He didn’t realize, then, the pivotal role that contra would play in his life.
It’s where he met his wife, and the couple raised their daughter, Chloe E.W. Levine, to dance from a young age. Carl and Chloe came to StoryCorps to reflect on a life on the dance floor.
Top Photo: Chloe E.W. Levine and Carl Levine at their StoryCorps interview in New York City on May 5, 2023. By Julia Kirschenbaum for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired July 21, 2023, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Twin Mortician Brothers Look Back On A Life Of Caring For The Dead
At 69 years old, twin brothers Melvin and Marvin Morgan have both served as mortuary technicians for New York City morgues.
They’ve worked through some of the city’s most horrific events – moments like 9/11 and the earliest days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Just before Melvin’s retirement in 2023, they came to StoryCorps to look back on a life of caring for the dead.
Melvin Morgan and Marvin Morgan at their StoryCorps interview in New York City on April 22nd, 2023. By Eleanor Vassili for StoryCorps.
Top Photo: Melvin Morgan and Marvin Morgan at their StoryCorps interview in New York City on April 22nd, 2023. By Isabella Gonzalez for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired May 26th, 2023, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Remembering The Mother of the Disability Rights Movement
Judy Heumann was known as the “Mother of the Disability Rights Movement.” Over the course of decades, she worked to have the government recognize the rights of disabled people— first as a protestor, and later as part of the Clinton and Obama administrations.
In 1970, the New York City Board of Education denied her a teaching license because of her quadriplegia— claiming her wheelchair made her a fire hazard. Her subsequent lawsuit was the first ever disability civil rights case brought to federal court, and the springboard to her activism.
Another pivotal moment in her career came in 1977, during the 504 Sit-ins. People with disabilities and their allies occupied federal buildings across the United States to push for a long-delayed anti-discrimination policy. Judy organized the San Francisco contingent, which lasted 25 days, becoming the longest sit-in protest at a federal building in history.
Legislation and programs she helped craft later in her career expanded accessibility to millions of people in the US.
Judy passed away at age 75 on March 4, 2023. To mark her passing, StoryCorps is releasing a conversation she recorded with her friend April Coughlin, about the landmark legal case that would define her career.
Top Photo: April Coughlin and Judy Huemann, in 2018. Courtesy of April Coughlin.
With your support, StoryCorps is able to record more stories that help lift up underrepresented voices, bridge political and social divides, and preserve personal histories for the future.
‘Honey, You Got A Terrific Nose;’ Two Siblings Reflect On Their Father’s Legacy
David Hedison grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, as the son of Armenian immigrants. In 2005 he recorded a conversation with his youngest daughter, Serena, at the flagship StoryCorps booth at Grand Central Terminal. There, he spoke candidly for the first time about how he got cosmetic surgery — a nose job — as a young man in order to achieve his dream of becoming an actor. He went on to have a prolific career as a television, film, and stage actor. Most notably, he starred in the American sci-fi television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea from the 1960s and was cast in two James Bond movies (Live and Let Die, 1973 and License to Kill, 1989).
David Hedison in London, 2019. Courtesy of Alex Hedison.
He died in 2019 at the age of 92.
Recently his daughters, Serena and Alex, came back to StoryCorps to reflect on the secret he shared, and the legacy he left behind.
Alex Hedison and Serena Hedison at their StoryCorps interview in Los Angeles on January 24, 2023. By Garden of Sound studio for StoryCorps.
Top Photo: Alex, David and Serena Hedison in Malibu, CA, circa 1975. Courtesy of Alex Hedison.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Originally aired Feb. 10, 2023, on NPR’s Morning Edition. With your support, StoryCorps is able to record more stories that help lift up underrepresented voices, bridge political and social divides, and preserve personal histories for the future.
‘A Package Deal’: Two Brothers Face Mortality Together
David Carles and his little brother, Mark Carles, were best friends.
David and Mark Carles at a family wedding in 2002. Courtesy of Mark Carles.
Growing up on Staten Island, the two did everything together. But in 2018, at the age of 24, Mark’s life was upended by a rare form of liver cancer called fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma.
David Carles’ Tinder profile. Courtesy of David Carles.
A year after that diagnosis, the brothers sat down at StoryCorps in New York City to talk about the ways Mark’s illness had changed their lives.
Mark died on February 24th, 2022. He was 27. David came back to StoryCorps to remember him, just a few days after his death.
Top photo: Mark Carles and David Carles at their StoryCorps interview in New York City on November 6th, 2019. By Mia Warren for StoryCorps.
Listen to David and Mark’s original 2019 conversation:
Originally aired November 22nd, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition. An edited version was rebroadcast on March 4, 2022 on the same program.