San Francisco Archives - Page 2 of 3 - StoryCorps

Kevin Briggs and Kevin Berthia

In March of 2005, Kevin Berthia (pictured above right) was going through a tough time.

His daughter was born premature the year before and medical costs for her care climbed to nearly $250,000.

He couldn’t see a way out of debt, so he fell into a deep depression and decided to end his life at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Screen Shot 2016-05-12 at 2.35.20 PMThat’s where he met retired California Highway Patrol Officer Kevin Briggs, who intervened and talked him down.

They spoke about that day at StoryCorps in San Francisco.

Originally aired March 6, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Photo courtesy of Jon Storey, San Francisco Chronicle.

Stu Maddux and Bill Jones

In the late 1960s, Bill Jones (right) saw a newspaper article that caught his eye. jonesb2The state of California was having trouble placing hundreds of children, especially older boys, in homes. At the time, most kids were adopted into two-parent households. But Bill, a gay man who had always wanted to be a father, decided to apply.

In 1969, he became the first single man in California to successfully adopt a child.

Bill spoke about adopting his son, Aaron (pictured above left), with his friend, Stu Maddux (left).

Originally aired February 20, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Top photo courtesy of Bill Jones.

Herman Travis and Robert Cochran

Herman Travis (left) lives in Holly Courts, a low-income housing complex in San Francisco.

Every Tuesday, Herman fills a shopping cart with groceries from a local food bank and makes home deliveries to his elderly neighbors.

He came to StoryCorps with Robert Cochran (right), one of the people he delivers to each week.

Originally aired December 26, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Cedar Lay and Patty Woods

In the late 1970s, Patty Woods (pictured above right) was a waitress at a restaurant in New York City when a customer caught her eye. They became friends and soon after, struck up a relationship.

Now, decades later, Patty lives in San Francisco. At StoryCorps, Patty told her friend Cedar Lay (pictured above left) about the lasting impact this partner left on her.

This conversation was recorded at the San Francisco StoryBooth. For more information or to make an appointment click here.

Originally aired July 2, 2014, on NPR’s Tell Me More.

Chris Ondaatje and Cristina Peña

Cristina Peña was born HIV positive in 1984. Her father died from AIDS. Her mother is still living with HIV today.

Cristina was told she was HIV positive when she was nine years old, but she and her family kept it a secret from her schoolmates and friends.

In high school, she met and started dating Chris Ondaatje. One day after school Chris decided to tell Cristina that he was in love with her.

That’s when Cristina sat him down for a revelation of her own.

At the time of this recording, Chris and Cristina have been together for 13 years.

Learn how Cristina works to provide healthcare to HIV-positive children in Africa.

Originally aired April 18, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Chuck Lampert and Josh Lampert

Josh Lampert started having psychotic episodes in college when he was 19 years old and living in Seattle, Washington. Today, Josh, 32, is a line cook at a Mediterranean restaurant in San Francisco.

At StoryCorps, he talks with his father, Chuck, about his illness and thanks him and his mother for saving his life.

Originally aired September 27, 2013, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Faith Marr and Jerris Marr

In 2007, when Faith Marr was 4 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer on her spine and had what was to become the first of eight surgeries replacing her vertebrae with titanium rods.

At StoryCorps, Faith, 10, talk with her father, Jerris, about the tremendous pain she dealt with and shares some of the lessons battling cancer has taught her.

Faith’s cancer is now in remission and when she turns 18, Jerris plans to get a tattoo in her honor that says, “Keep the Faith.”

Originally aired July 12, 2013, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Above: Faith in 2008, on her 5th birthday. Photo courtesy of Jerris Marr.

Diane Tells His Name and Bonnie Buchanan

Diane Tells His Name is Lakota and her family is of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, but Diane didn’t know any of this until she was an adult and learned that she had been adopted.

She spoke with her daughter Bonnie Buchanan at StoryCorps.

tellshisname_extra1

This conversation was recorded at the San Francisco StoryBooth. For more information or to make an appointment click here.

Originally aired January 11, 2013, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Above: The photograph Tells His Name received of Buchanan when she was looking to adopt. Courtesy of Diane Tells His Name

Surinder and Rupinder Singh

Surinder Singh left India in the mid-1960s to pursue a career in education. He raised his family in Canada and the U.S., but as practicing Sikhs, they faced a number of challenges.

At StoryCorps in San Francisco, he sat down to speak with his eldest son, Rupinder Singh.

Broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition on August 10, 2012.

Scott Wall and Isabel Sobozinsky-Wall

Scott Wall and his wife, Isabel Sobozinsky-Wall, got their love story down on tape — 20 years before they came to StoryCorps.

It started on New Year’s Eve 1991. Isabel was living in San Francisco but decided to celebrate with some friends in New York City. That’s where she met Scott.

Scott and Isabel hit it off and started dating despite living on different coasts. They eased the distance with a novel type of love letter — the couple would record their everyday lives on cassette tapes and mail the recordings back and forth.

Within a year, Scott moved to California to live with Isabel. At StoryCorps, they sat down to remember how it all began.