Debbie Fisher and Terrence Hicks

Debbie Fisher’s father was a Holocaust survivor.

Throughout her childhood, she would ask him questions about his time in Auschwitz, but wanting to protect his daughter from the horrors he experienced, he would only share a sanitized version of his time in the concentration camp.

At the end of his life, Debbie was finally able to get him to share his painful truth with her.

She came to StoryCorps with her friend, Terrance Hicks, to remember her father and one of their final conversations.

Originally aired January 27, 2005, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Judy Allen and Kelley Edwards

Kelley Edwards asks her mother, Judy Allen, to describe a memory in which she felt independent and empowered, leading Judy to share the story of discovering that her ex-husband was cheating on her.

Originally aired August 5, 2005, on NPR’s Morning Edition

Mike DeMeo and Clarice Brewer

Veteran Grand Central Terminal ticket clerk Mike DeMeo talks to his colleague Clarice Brewer.

Beula and Bix Gabriel

Beula Gabriel, who founded a school for underprivileged children in India, tells her daughter, Bix, about one of her students.

Mary Lou Maher and Brad Skow

Brad Skow talks with his birth mother, Mary Lou Maher, about the day he was born, and whether, knowing what she knows now and having missed 20 years of his life, would she still have given him up for adoption.

Originally aired September 23, 2005, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Vicky Page and Terrence Hicks

Cerebral palsy has changed Vicky Page’s life, and as she tells her friend Terrence Hicks, it was particularly difficult being a teenager who relied on a wheelchair.

Originally aired May 20, 2005, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Red Mike’s Band

For more than 75 years trumpet player Red Mike Acampora has been a staple of New York City’s Little Italy. At one time his band worked a crowded schedule, playing religious festivals, block parties, and funerals. But over the decades, Little Italy shrunk to just over a city block. Most of the old neighborhood is now part of New York’s rapidly expanding Chinatown. Business for Red Mike’s Band would have all but dried up if not for the fact that the Chinese community adopted the tradition of Italian bands playing at their funerals.

Last week Red Mike passed away, at the age of 91. You’re about to hear a recording of the last time the band played together with Red Mike as leader, outside the Chinese Cheung Sang Funeral Home, on Mott Street.

Recorded in New York City. Premiered December 4, 2004, on Weekend Edition Saturday.

This documentary comes from Sound Portraits Productions, a mission-driven independent production company that was created by Dave Isay in 1994. Sound Portraits was the predecessor to StoryCorps and was dedicated to telling stories that brought neglected American voices to a national audience.

Donald Weiss and Ralph Tremonte

Donald Weiss and Ralph Tremonte grew up together, but it wasn’t by choice. As children they were committed to a New York State psychiatric institution.

After their release, they went forty years without seeing each other. Then they were reunited at StoryCorps.

In their conversation, Donald (left) and Ralph (right) remember life in the institution and how the experience affected them.

Originally aired October 21, 2005 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Doris and Lisa Cohen

Doris Cohen to her daughter, Lisa.

Don “Moses” Lerman

Don “Moses” Lerman is a fierce competitor—but he’s not exactly an athlete. He is a competitive eater attending most major events on the IFOCE (International Federation of Competitive Eating) circuit and can still recall the thrill of winning his first competition.

Originally aired June 3, 2005, on NPR’s Morning Edition.