A Love Kept Secret for 60 Years, Revealed During Quarantine
Growing up in Kansas the son of a railroad worker, Ken Felts could always be sure of two things: he’d never spend long in any one town before his father had to move on in search of work, and they’d always attend church on Sundays. It was a lonely childhood.
But in the late 1950s, Ken moved to California and found the love of his life, a coworker named Phillip. Both in their 20s, Ken and Phillip were inseparable during the two years they spent together, before the weight of Ken’s religious background became too much for him to bear. He left California — and Phillip — to return to Kansas and lead a straight life.
Kenneth Felts (L) and his first love Phillip (R) in the 1950s. Courtesy of Kenneth Felts.
Ken is now 90 years old, a father and grandfather. But he never forgot Phillip or forgave himself for the decision he made. So, in March 2020, while under quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ken finally told his daughter, Rebecca, the secret he had been keeping for more than 60 years.
Top Photo: Kenneth Felts and Rebecca Mayes after their StoryCorps interview in Arvada, CO in July 2020. Courtesy of Kenneth Felts and Rebecca Mayes for StoryCorps.
Originally aired July 17, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“Untangling The Code”: How Losing Relatives to Cancer Inspired A Life’s Work
By the time Hadiyah-Nicole Green was 4 years old, she had lost her mother and her grandparents. Hadiyah-Nicole and her brothers went to live with her Auntie Ora Lee Smith and Uncle Gen Lee in St Louis, Missouri.
When she was in her early 20s, both Hadiyah-Nicole’s aunt and uncle were diagnosed with different forms of cancer. At 22 years old, she became the primary caregiver to the couple that had raised her.
Photo: “Auntie” Ora Lee Smith and Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green.
Watching these two important people have their lives upended by cancer and its effects inspired Hadiyah-Nicole to dedicate her life to fighting the disease.
She came to StoryCorps with her cousin, Tenika Floyd, to reflect on her aunt and uncle, and the impact that their lives had on her.
Today, Dr. Green has successfully developed technology that has killed cancer in laboratory mice, without the use of chemotherapy and radiation, and without any observable side effects. Her work is in the process of moving forward into human trials.
Dr. Green is an Assistant Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine. She also founded the Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation in honor of her late aunt.
Top Photo: Hadiyah-Nicole Green and Tenika Floyd at their StoryCorps interview in Atlanta, Georgia on January 28, 2017. By Jacqueline Van Meter for StoryCorps.
Balancing Risk: Doctor Makes Tough Calls Between COVID-19 And Family
Dr. Joseph Kras works in hospice and palliative care in St. Louis, Missouri. After long days treating many COVID-19 patients, he goes home to his 18-year-old daughter Sophie, who has a condition that makes her vulnerable to the virus.
They spoke through StoryCorps Connect about the tough choices the coronavirus pandemic demands.
Top Photo: Dr. Joseph Kras and his daughter, Sophie Kras, at their StoryCorps interview in Olivette, Missouri on June 13th, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Kras family.
Originally aired June 26, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
At The End Of High School, A Special Kind Of Thank You
Cole Phillips was like most teenagers heading into their first year of high school, wanting to make friends and fit in. But Cole, unlike his peers, had recently become blind due to complications from glaucoma. And he had the extra burden of an adult following him from class to class.
That was Rugenia Keefe, known as Miss Ru. Rugenia is a paraprofessional who assisted Cole with many of his most difficult subjects — attending class, taking notes, and ultimately becoming a friend and confidant.
Over the four years they worked together, Miss Ru and Cole came to rely on each other’s humor and humility. So, when Cole got an assignment to “record someone who made an impact on your time in high school” for a senior project, there was no question in Cole’s mind whom to interview — it had to be Miss Ru.
Top Photo: Rugenia Keefe (left) and Cole Phillips at Bentonville West High School. Courtesy of Cole Phillips.
Originally aired June 19, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“They Don’t See The Innocence In You”: A Black Father Continues To Answer Tough Questions From His Son
When 9-year-old Aidan Sykes first sat down for StoryCorps to interview his dad, Albert, he had some serious questions. Their conversation touched on Albert’s experience raising three Black sons in Mississippi, why they go to protests together, and what Albert’s hopes are for his son’s future.
Five years later, with Aidan a month away from turning 15, they decided to have another conversation using StoryCorps Connect. This comes at a time when protests are being held worldwide after a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota killed a Black man named George Floyd.
Top Photo: Albert and Aidan Sykes in Jackson, Mississippi, 2020. Photo courtesy of Albert Sykes.
Middle Photo: Albert and Aidan Sykes at their original StoryCorps interview back in 2015. By Vanessa Gonzalez-Block for StoryCorps.
Originally aired June 12, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
‘Why Do You Take Me To Protests So Much?’: A Black Father Answers Tough Questions From His Son
When 9-year-old Aidan Sykes sat down to interview his dad, Albert Sykes, he had some serious questions. Albert, who runs an education nonprofit and mentors kids who are struggling in school, talked to Aidan about Black fatherhood, and his hopes for his son’s future.
Aidan interviewed Albert at StoryCorps in Jackson, Mississippi.
Top Photo: Albert and Aidan Sykes at their StoryCorps interview in Jackson, Mississippi in 2015. By Vanessa Gonzalez-Block for StoryCorps.
Middle Photo: Albert and Aidan Sykes in Jackson, Mississippi, 2020. Photo courtesy of Albert Sykes.
Originally aired March 20, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition. Rebroadcast on June 5, 2020, on the same program.
Together At A Distance: How One Doctor’s Family Is Navigating The Risk Of COVID-19
As the Director of Microbiology at a hospital in Rochester, New York, Dr. Roberto Vargas has been working long hours in the lab running COVID-19 tests.
Because of the risk of exposure, he’s been isolating himself from his wife, Susan, and their four young kids over the past two months. At first, he stayed at a hotel near his job, but more recently, he’s moved into the basement of their home.
That’s where Roberto was when he recorded a remote StoryCorps interview with Susan, and their 10-year-old son, Xavier, to talk about what it’s like having to keep their distance from him, even at home.
Top Photo: Roberto Vargas (left), Xavier Vargas, and Susan Vargas at home in Stafford, New York on May 16, 2020. Courtesy of the Vargas Family.
Originally aired May 29, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
‘I’m Honoring His Life, Not How He Died’: After Losing Her Father to COVID-19, A Daughter Reflects On His WWII Service
Army Staff Sergeant Emilio “Leo” DiPalma was drafted at age 18 to join World War II. He fought on the front lines in Germany until the end of the war, and went on to serve as a guard during the first Nuremberg trials where he guarded infamous Nazi soldiers such as Hermann Göring.
His daughter Emily was close to her dad growing up, but after moving away and starting a family they had started to grow apart. They reconnected around Memorial Day in 2000, after Emily planned a trip to take her father back to Germany for the first time since WWII.
But as Leo aged, he developed dementia and other health issues. Following his wife’s death, his daughters decided it would be best to move him to the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
On April 8, 2020, Leo was the 28th veteran at that home to die of complications due to COVID-19. He was 93 years old. Unable to have a funeral due to the pandemic, Emily recorded this memorial of her father with her daughter, Hannah Sibley-Liddle, using StoryCorps Connect.
Photo: Hannah Sibley-Liddle (left), Staff Sgt. Emilio Di Palma (middle), and Emily Aho (right) on a trip to the White House where Emilio was honored with the Legacy of Nuremberg Award. Courtesy of Emily Aho.
Top Photo: Staff Sgt. Emilio Di Palma, far right, on guard at the Nuremberg Trials in 1945. Courtesy of Emily Aho.
Originally aired May 22, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
A Funeral Director, First Responder And Father: ‘You’re Stronger Than You Feel’
Dan Flynn has a passion for helping people.
As a funeral director in Santa Barbara, California, he’s supported many families during times of loss. But in response to COVID-19, Dan was compelled to help in a different kind of way.
At StoryCorps, he spoke with his daughter Shannon about why he chose to serve at the epicenter of the pandemic, as a member of the national mortuary response team in New York City.
Their interview was recorded using StoryCorps Connect, our new platform that allows loved ones to record interviews while maintaining social distancing.
Top photo: Dan Flynn and his daughter Shannon Doty for StoryCorps. Photos courtesy of Daniel Flynn and Shannon Doty.
Bottom photo: Dan Flynn attends a national mortuary response team training in 2013 in Albuquerque, NM. Photo courtesy of Dan Flynn.
Originally aired May 1, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Surprise Mail Brings Love to a Soldier in Remote Afghanistan
StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative records the stories of veterans and their families.
Private First Class Roman Coley Davis grew up in a small town in South Georgia. After graduating from high school in 2004, he joined the military.
By the time he was 20 years old, Roman found himself 7000 miles away from home, in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan — one of the most remote outposts in the U.S. war there.
At StoryCorps, he told his friend Dan Marek about his family and his time in Afghanistan.
After the military, Roman enrolled in culinary school. He used his GI Bill to attend Le Cordon Bleu. He’s now a chef, based in Arkansas.
Top photo: Roman Coley Davis and his mema, Laverne Tanner, in her South Georgia kitchen. Courtesy of Roman Coley Davis.
Middle photo: Roman during his deployment to Afghanistan. Courtesy of Roman Coley Davis.
Bottom photo: Roman in his chef’s whites with his meemaw, Laverne Tanner. Photo by Dailey Hubbard.
This interview was recorded in partnership with the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
This story originally aired April 07, 2018 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. It was rebroadcast April 10, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.