Warner Robbins Archives - StoryCorps

In Clouds and in Dreams, a Family’s Love Lives On

Rayford Junior Miles — a World War II veteran from Alabama — came across as a classic tough guy. But to his granddaughter Melanie Harrison, he was just ‘Papa.’ 

A man in a light shirt and dark pants stands beside a young woman in a floral dress. They are outdoors, smiling under a tree with sunlight filtering through.Melanie Harrison and Rayford Junior Miles in Warner Robins, Georgia, circa 1997. Courtesy of Melanie Harrison.

Melanie first came to StoryCorps in 2011 with her father, Jim Miles, to remember a grandfather with a soft heart and a comical communication style. In 2025, she recorded another conversation, reflecting on her enduring connection with the men in her family who have passed away.

Two black-and-white portraits side-by-side. The left features a bearded man with glasses, while the right shows a man with light hair, resting his chin on his hand. Both appear contemplative.
Jim Miles in 1999 and Rayford Junior Miles in 2000. Courtesy of Melanie Harrison.

Top photo: Jim Miles and Melanie Harrison at their StoryCorps interview in Atlanta, Georgia on February 17, 2011. By Laura Dobson 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 August 8, 2025 on NPR’s Morning Edition.