Washington Archives - Page 2 of 3 - StoryCorps

Jay Hollingsworth and Rick Williams

On August 30, 2010, Native American woodcarver John T. Williams was crossing the street while carving a piece of wood when he was shot and killed by a Seattle Police Department officer. John, 50, a member of the Nitinaht First Nation was deaf in one ear and didn’t immediately respond to Officer Ian Birk’s calls to put his knife down. Less than five seconds after giving his first command, Officer Birk had shot John four times.

williams1John descends from generations of well-known and respected carvers whose work is part of museum collections and has been sold for more than a century at Seattle’s famous Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. He carved his first totem when he was just 4 years old and knew more than 250 figures by heart.

Even with a long history of alcohol abuse and homelessness, carving in Seattle’s Victor Steinbrueck Park was a near constant activity towards the end of John’s life. He spent the morning of the shooting in the park with his brother, Rick Williams, carving together. Rick was waiting for John to rejoin him when he heard about what had happened.

In February 2011, the Seattle Police Department’s Firearms Review Board found unequivocally that the use of deadly force by Officer Birk was unjustified and recommended that Officer Birk be “stripped of all Seattle Police powers and authority.” Shortly thereafter, Officer Birk resigned. In April of 2011, the city settled all legal claims with the Williams family for $1.5 million.

Rick, who visits his brother’s grave weekly, is teaching his own sons to carve so that they will carry on the family tradition. He also continues to carve in Victor Steinbrueck Park where he last spent time with his brother.

At StoryCorps, Rick (right) and his friend, Jay Westwind Wolf Hollingsworth (left), remember John and the day that he was killed.

Originally aired October 7, 2016, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Top photo of John taken on August 30, 2010, the day he was killed, courtesy of Jay Hollingsworth, John T. Williams Organizing Committee.

Susan Kaphammer and Joshua Myers

Joshua Myers, 29, was born with Down syndrome. Growing up, he often felt overwhelmed by his condition and struggled with depression.

Once, when he was a teenager, Joshua attempted suicide by walking into the middle of a busy intersection, but was saved by a passing motorist.

For his mother, Susan Kaphammer, it was difficult to watch her son suffer and know that there was very little that she could do to make his pain go away.

With those tough times behind them, Joshua and Susan came to StoryCorps to discuss what he now loves about his life, and his dreams for the future.

Originally aired February 19, 2016, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Nick Hodges and Charlotte Wheelock

In 2014, Nick Hodges and his wife, Charlotte Wheelock, were living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with their 4- and 6-year-old sons when Nick developed a condition—spinal stenosis—that caused him to be temporarily paralyzed from the waist down.

Already struggling to make ends meet, Charlotte took a leave of absence from her job to care for their children while Nick was hospitalized, and without any steady income, their family lost their home.

Charlotte heard about a job opportunity in another state, so their family packed up and relocated to Seattle, Washington, hoping for a new start. But before they could establish themselves in their new city, Nick ended up back in the hospital leaving their family once again unable to pay rent.

Homeless for 14 months, Charlotte eventually found steady work—she is now employed at one of the shelters the family once lived in—and in time they also managed to find affordable housing for their family.

At StoryCorps, Charlotte and Nick remember what it was like to be a family without a home.

Originally aired January 1, 2016, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

John Gately and Sean Fitzpatrick

Eleven years ago, Sean Fitzpatrick was a high school junior in Spokane, Washington.

He had developed paranoid schizophrenia and was hearing voices—but he didn’t tell anyone.

One morning, Sean went to school with a gun and a plan: barricade himself in a classroom, pretend he had hostages, and force police to kill him.

Sean’s plan didn’t work—but at the end of the standoff he was shot in the face. He still has difficulty speaking.

John Gately of the Spokane Police Department was the officer assigned to negotiate with Sean.

They recently sat down at StoryCorps to remember that day in 2003. Sean now works to educate law enforcement on handling encounters with people in the midst of a mental health crisis.

Originally aired June 12, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Erika Kalberer and Kris Kalberer

In 2003, Kris Kalberer left her job as a retail manager to raise her kids and care for her elderly mother. The family did well on her husband’s income from Countrywide, but he lost his job during the mortgage crisis.

The family’s finances spiraled out of control and they lost their home in 2011. Since then, they’ve stayed with friends or in motels. Currently they live in their car.

At StoryCorps, Kris sat down with her teenage daughter, Erika Kalberer, to talk about their situation.

Originally aired August 22, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition. 

Patrick Haggerty and Robin Bolland

Patrick Haggerty grew up the son of a dairy farmer in rural Washington during the 1950s.

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As a teenager, Patrick (above) began to understand he was gay—something he thought he was hiding well.

But, as he told his daughter Robin (right), someone was onto him. One day, when he went to perform at a school assembly, his father, Charles Edward Haggerty, decided to have a serious talk with him.

Patrick later formed a band, Lavender Country, whose self-titled 1973 album is the first-known gay-themed album in country music history.

Click here to watch 2016 Sundance Film Festival selection “The Saint of Dry Creek”—Patrick’s story told as a StoryCorps animated short.

Originally aired June 27, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Bottom photo: Patrick Haggery in a 4-H drag show in 1959 courtesy of Paradise of Bachelors.

Storm Reyes and Jeremy Hagquist

Storm Reyes grew up in migrant farm worker camps outside Tacoma, Washington during the early 1960s. Most of the laborers were, like Storm, Native Americans. They were paid less than one dollar per hour for their work in berry patches and apple orchards throughout the state.

Storm started working as a full-time laborer herself when she was 8 years old. Her family lived without electricity or running water. But at StoryCorps Storm (left) told her son, Jeremy Hagquist (right), about the day something arrived in camp that changed the course of her life.

This interview came from a partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Every year, StoryCorps records with all ten IMLS National Medal winners, including Pierce County Library in Washington State, where Storm and Jeremy recorded.

Watch “The Bookmobile,” Storm’s story told as an animated StoryCorps short.

Originally aired May 30, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Jeff Ingram and Penny Ingram

Ingram3Jeff Ingram suffers from Dissociative Fugue, a rare type of amnesia. When he has an attack, his memory is wiped clean.

But each time he has to start his life over, his wife, Penny, is there to help him remember.

At StoryCorps, Penny told Jeff about the early days of their relationship.

One reason the Ingrams wanted to record with StoryCorps was to preserve Jeff’s memories — in case he loses them again.

Listen to the message Jeff recorded for himself:


Originally aired on December 13, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Above: Penny and Jeff got married on New Year’s Eve, 2006, after Jeff proposed to Penny twice. Photo courtesy of Penny and Jeff Ingram.

Sarah Avant and Anand Hernandez

Anand Hernandez doesn’t get much one-on-one time with his mom, Sarah Avant.

Sarah divorced Anand’s father in 2009, and her attention is usually divided among Anand and his younger siblings.

But when they got to spend a special week together, just the two of them, they decided to record an interview at StoryCorps.

Ron Cushman and Jamie Marks

Ron Cushman spent nearly 30 years teaching kindergarten in Bothell, Washington, a suburb outside of Seattle.

But he hadn’t always planned on becoming a teacher.

As Ron told his former student, Jamie Marks, his journey to the kindergarten classroom began when he was wounded in Vietnam.

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Originally aired February 26, 2012 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.

Photo: Ron showing off his prosthetic arm to students. Courtesy of Ron Cushman