Stefan Lynch Strassfeld and his friend Beth Teper
Stefan Lynch Strassfeld was raised by gay parents in the early eighties. Now 38, he came to StoryCorps to talk with his friend Beth Teper about growing up as AIDS began to spread.
Originally aired December 3, 2010 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Granvilette Kestenbaum
Howard Kestenbaum worked on the 103rd floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. He was killed during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
His wife, Granvilette, came to StoryCorps to talk about how they first met while in graduate school—and how one unusual date led to a 31-year-long marriage.
Recorded July 16, 2010.
Jerald Collman
Jerald Collman, who served in Vietnam, remembers receiving the bodies of fallen soldiers as an Army Graves Registration collection point officer.
Sid Radner
The great illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini died on October 31, 1926 at the age of 52. Famously, he told his wife, Bess, that he would attempt to contact her from “the other side,” and for a decade after his death, she marked the anniversary with a Halloween séance. In 1936 Bess gave up trying to get in touch.
In the 1940s, Sidney Radner picked up the torch eventually christening the yearly event The Official Houdini Séance™, and in 2010 Sid came to StoryCorps to talks about the tradition.
Sid, 91, was a protégé of Houdini’s brother Hardeen, and was once the owner of one of the world’s largest collections of Harry Houdini memorabilia. A few weeks after the story aired on NPR Sid invited producer Jasmyn Belcher Morris to participate in that year’s event (pictured below). Click here to read more about Jasmyn’s attempt to contact Houdini. It turned out to be his last. Sid died in 2011, more than 70 years after taking over the tradition. Click here to read his New York Times obituary.
Originally aired October 29, 2010, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
David Wilson
David Wilson was a plaintiff in the 2004 court decision that legalized same sex marriage in Massachusetts.
Wilson’s journey to that landmark case started 10 years earlier — when he lost his first partner, Ron Loso, to a heart attack. The EMT’s who arrived on the scene were suspicious of David and called the police. Later, when he got to the hospital, officials would not release any information about his partner.
That injustice led to Wilson becoming a plaintiff in the 2004 court decision.
The first weddings, which included David’s own, began taking place on May 17, 2004, after same sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts.
Originally aired October 15, 2010, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
John Romanowich
After September 11, 2001, thousands of men and women came to New York to aid in the recovery effort. As a construction project manager with the city agency in charge of the cleanup, John Romanowich, arrived at the World Trade Center site just days after the attack.
John came to StoryCorps to remember those working long hours—sometimes till midnight—at Ground Zero.
Originally aired September 10, 2010 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Judge Joe Pigott and Lorraine Pigott
Judge Joe Pigott came to StoryCorps in Jackson, Mississippi, with his wife, Lorraine, to record an interview about his life.
In this portion, he tells his Lorraine about his step-grandfather, affectionately known as “The Doctor,” and his panicked reaction to the famous October 30, 1938, “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast.
Originally aired October 30, 2007, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Christine Kraft
After hearing about the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, Red Cross volunteer Christine Kraft headed straight to Ground Zero. There, she was tasked with taking care of first responders on the scene.
Christine came to StoryCorps to talk about how people from across the city came together to help in the rescue effort.
Recorded September 5, 2008.
Ken Hopper and Kerry Davis
Kerry Davis (left) and Ken Hopper (right) are ironworkers who have worked together for 25 years on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. At StoryCorps they talk about working on “the world’s biggest jungle gym,” and the many times they have had to help rescue people contemplating suicide.
Originally aired on September 4, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
James Sargent and Don Sargent
James Sargent (left) enlisted in the Army in 1966 and fought in the Vietnam War, his younger brother Don (right) attempted to join the Air Force but was rejected because he has diabetes. At StoryCorps they discuss their admiration for each other and the separate battles they have each fought.
Originally aired August 14, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.