Mark and Jessie Edens

Mark Edens is a retired state trooper who worked for the Michigan State Police for 25 years.

During that time, he was often tasked with investigating fatal car accidents on Michigan’s highways.

At StoryCorps, he sat down with his daughter, Jessie, to talk about his work.

Originally aired August 31, 2012 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Winslow and Dorothy Jackson

Winslow Jackson met his wife, Dorothy, in 2006. He was divorced. She was widowed. And they both had Multiple Sclerosis. While receiving rehabilitative care at an Atlanta hospital, they connected. And at StoryCorps, the couple remembered what drew them to each other.

This story is also included in All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps.

Originally aired March 23, 2012 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Jim Fletcher and his wife MaryAnn

Jim Fletcher remembers meeting his wife, MaryAnn, in first grade.

Originally aired December 9, 2011 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Left: MaryAnn and Jim Fletcher at their junior prom in 1978. (photo courtesy of the Fletchers).

Joel Healy and Kelli Healy Salazar

Joel Healy joined the Army when he was 17 years old to help pay for college. He never imagined that he would witness the detonation of more than 20 atomic bombs.

Joel was a private first class when he was assigned to Camp Desert Rock, north of Las Vegas in 1957.

That’s where he took part in Operation Plumbbob, one of the largest nuclear tests series ever conducted on U.S. soil.

At StoryCorps, Joel told his daughter, Kelli Healy Salazar, about his time at the Nevada test site.

It’s hard to determine just how many became ill because they were present at these tests, but Joel and thousands of others have received compensation from the federal government as part of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990.

Originally aired October 12, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Martin Levin and his granddaughters

92-year-old Martin Levin tells his granddaughters Jennifer Goebel (L) and Zoe Crowe (R) about a college classmate he didn’t like.

Carl McNair

On the morning of January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lifting off. All seven crew members were killed.

Ronald McNair was one of the astronauts aboard Challenger that day (Challenger crew is pictured at left; Carl is in the front row, far right). A graduate of MIT who grew up in the small farming community of Lake City, South Carolina, McNair was only the second African American to visit space.

His older brother, Carl (pictured above), talked about how Ronald’s journey from the rural South to outer space began with an act of courage at the local public library.

Click here to watch “Eyes on the Stars,” a StoryCorps animation of Carl’s remembrance.

 Originally aired January 28, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Laura Greenberg and Rebecca Greenberg

Growing up in her parents’ home in Queens, New York, in the 1950s, Laura Greenberg says she didn’t know what normal behavior was. At StoryCorps, she shares with her daughter Rebecca stories of some of her family experiences, and recalls meeting and marrying her husband.

Originally aired January 21, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Jim Crane and his daughter Missy Worden

Jim Crane tells his daughter Missy Worden what he liked best about college.

Originally aired December 17, 2010 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Judge Berryl Anderson and Virginia Anderson

Judge Berryl Anderson and her mother, Virginia Anderson, came to StoryCorps in Atlanta to talk about what Berryl was like as a child. As it turns out, she was the family troublemaker.

The day they recorded this conversation, Berryl was sworn in as the Chief Magistrate Judge in DeKalb County, Georgia.

Originally aired September 17, 2010 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Frank Lynch and Antonio Douglas

Frank Lynch, owner of the Cactus Car Wash, talks with his friend and regional manager, Antonio Douglas, about Frank’s concerns over Antonio’s high weight. Eventually Frank, 70, challenged the younger man to a foot race beating him the first time they ran, but following a year of training, Antonio, 45, emerged victorious the next time they ran.

Originally aired January 1, 2010, on NPR’s Morning Edition.