Ann Todd Jealous, Ben Jealous and Mamie Todd
Ben Jealous, head of the NAACP, talks with his mother, Ann Todd Jealous (left), and his grandmother Mamie Todd about some of the racism they have experienced in their lifetimes.
Originally aired July 17, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Bob Heft
For an American history project during his junior year of high school in 1958, Bob Heft created a 50-star flag. The only problem was that at the time there were only 48 states. Bob had a hunch that two more states would be added and in 1959, Alaska and Hawaii became our 49th and 50th states.
Bob created the 50-star flag by cutting up a 48-star flag his parents had received as a wedding present. “I’d watch my mom sew, but I had never sewn…and since making the flag of our country, I’ve never sewn again.” Bob’s teacher was unimpressed and gave him a B- asking if he even knew how many states we had, and telling him, “If you don’t like the grade, get it accepted in Washington then come back and see me.”
Two years later his perseverance paid off when he received a call from President Dwight D. Eisenhower who invited him to Washington, D.C., for a ceremony adopting his 50-star flag. Bob’s teacher also went back and changed his grade to an A.
Bob later became a high school teacher, college professor, and served as mayor of Napoleon, Ohio, before he died in December 2009 at the age of 68.
Originally aired July 3, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Griselda Lemus and Papsy Lemus
Nine-year-old Griselda Lemus asks her mother, Sgt. Papsy Lemus, about the 13 months she spent at war serving in Baghdad, Iraq, and the difficulty of leaving her family in the United States.
Originally aired on May 29, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Allen Hoe
Allen Hoe was as a combat medic in Vietnam. His son, Nainoa K. Hoe, served as a 1st lieutenant infantry officer with the Army’s 3rd Battalion in Mosul, Iraq and died there on January 22, 2005, at the age of 27.
On Memorial Day in 2005, Allen traveled from Hawaii to Washington, D.C., for an event at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honoring Army nurses returning home from the war. At StoryCorps he describes the amazing circumstances around how he met Major Paula Coughlin who was the nurse with his son when he died.
Originally aired May 22, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Johanna Balzer and Willis Cressman
Willis Cressman, 97, talks with his niece Johanna Balzer about surviving the 1927 Bath School disaster in Bath Township, Michigan, in which a local farm owner planted a bomb at his school. Thirty-eight children and six adults died in the explosion, and about 60 others were injured.
Originally aired April 17, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Donald J. Huffman
Donald Huffman, 91, talks about surviving the 1927 Bath School disaster in Bath Township, Michigan, in which a local farm owner planted a bomb at his school. Thirty-eight children and six adults died in the explosion, and about 60 others were injured. Donald, who was 9 years old at the time, lost one eye and part of his cheekbone in the explosion and was left scarred all over.
Originally aired April 17, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Reverend James Seawood
Reverend James Seawood grew up in the 1950s in Sheridan, Arkansas, and attended an all-black school.
The town’s main employer and landlord was a lumber mill. Following the federal mandate to integrate the public schools, the mill forced its African American employees and tenants out of town. As the population diminished, James’ mother became his school’s principal, janitor, and whatever else was needed.
At StoryCorps, he recalls how integration led to African Americans being forced out of his hometown, the human cost of “urban renewal,” and the fate of his beloved school.
Originally aired February 20, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
James Bost and Doug Bost
James Bost tells his son Doug about the time during the Great Depression when his father withdrew all of his money from the bank, put it into a suitcase, and buried it in their garden. And even though he describes it as “kind of silly in some ways, and kind of stupid,” he discusses how he himself has done something similar during the recent financial crisis.
Originally aired January 30, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Ed Miller and EJ Miller
Ed Miller talks with his son EJ about the lessons he learned and the advice he received from his own “Pop,” and offers EJ some of his own advice about becoming a father and raising children.
Originally aired January 23, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Barbara Cooper and Jody Houston
Barbara Cooper (left) and her mother, Jody Houston, talk about Barbara living with a rare genetic condition called progeria, which speeds up her body’s aging process. While most people with progeria do not live past 13, at the time of their interview, Barbara was 31 years old.
Originally aired December 5, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.