Family Archives - Page 36 of 47 - 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.

Jenny Carter and Sean Carter

Sean Carter was a college student putting himself through school in Wichita Falls, Texas, when he was in a serious car accident.

He was riding with a friend who had been drinking, and sustained a traumatic brain injury in the crash.

Today, Sean is unable to walk and speaks only with the aid of a computer. At StoryCorps he interviewed his mother, Jenny Carter, who is his full-time caretaker.

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

Stefanie Pelkey and Thomas Hart

Stefanie Pelkey is a former Army Captain. Her husband, Army Captain Michael Pelkey served in Iraq in 2003. He was diagnosed with PTSD a year after he returned.

Army Sergeant Thomas “TJ” Hart is also a veteran and struggles with PTSD. Stefanie and TJ became friends while volunteering at a Veteran’s Center in Houston, TX.

At StoryCorps, they talked about what happened when Stephanie’s husband came home from war.

The 2012 VA Suicide Data Report found that 22 veterans die every day by suicide. Visit the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America website for more info.

Originally aired January 31, 2015, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

Frank Scott and Warrick Scott

scottwendell1Wendell Scott (left) became the first African American driver to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 30, 2015. Scott started racing in 1952 toward the end of the Jim Crow era, and was the first African American to win at NASCAR’s elite major league level.

Scott’s family served as his racing team. They traveled to speedways together from their home in Danville, Virginia, and his sons worked as his pit crew.

Wendell Scott died in 1990. One of his sons, Frank (above left), and his grandson Warrick (above right), sat down to remember him for StoryCorps. Watch “Driven,” Wendell’s story as a StoryCorps animated short.

Originally aired January 30, 2015 and February 3, 2023 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Photo courtesy of the Wendell Scott Foundation.

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Shane Fairchild and Sayer Johnson

blue-and-shaneShane Fairchild (above left), a transgender man, lived with his wife, Blue Bauer, a transgender woman (pictured at left), for almost six years.

Blue transitioned when she was 54 years old. She and Shane met at a bar and were inseparable. But then Blue got lung cancer. She died on April 12, 2013.

Shane sat down with their friend, Sayer Johnson (top right), to remember Blue.

Originally aired January 25, 2015, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.

Photo Courtesy of Shane Fairchild.

Meaghan Starkloff Breitenstein and Colleen Kelly Starkloff

In his early 20s, Max Starkloff was in a near-fatal car accident, which left him quadriplegic and living in a nursing home.

One day he came across a young woman who worked there, named Colleen. At StoryCorps in St. Louis, Colleen Kelly Starkloff (right) sat down with her daughter, Meaghan Starkloff Breitenstein (left), to remember Max.

starkloff-triptych

Originally aired January 16, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Top photo of Max Starkloff courtesy of Colleen Kelly Starkloff.

Megiddëh Goldston, Raphael Hameed and Heidi Hameed

In July 2014, Raphael Hameed was walking with his 5-year-old son, Ish, when they were hit by a speeding car. Raphael lost his leg. Ish, his only son, was killed.

While the driver is awaiting trial for vehicular homicide, her sister, Megiddëh Goldston (above left), is trying to do right by the Hameed family.

They connected after the accident. Now she visits Raphael and his wife, Heidi (above right), to help with their day-to day-life. They sat down for StoryCorps in Colorado Springs.

Originally aired January 2, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Terri Van Keuren, Rick Shoup and Pamela Farrell

sears-santa-adEvery Christmas Eve, people worldwide log on to the official Santa Tracker to follow the man himself (along with his eight reindeer and Rudolph), as they make their way across the globe delivering presents to boys and girls.

It all started in 1955 with a misprint in a Colorado Springs newspaper and a call to Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup’s secret hotline at the Continental Air Defense Command, now known as NORAD.

Here’s the story of how it all began, as told by Colonel Shoup’s three children, Terri Van Keuren (top left), Richard Shoup, and Pamela Farrell (top right).

Originally aired December 19, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Listen to Terri, Richard and Pamela’s story on the StoryCorps Podcast.

Bob Walsh and Gay Talese

New York City’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened in 1964. The graceful span of the Verrazano connects the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island, making it the longest suspension bridge in the country.

Gay Talese was a young reporter at the time, and wrote a book documenting the construction called “The Bridge.”

Talese (right) recently interviewed Bob Walsh (left), whose family boasts five generations of ironworkers. The construction of the Verrazano Bridge was Walsh’s first job in the trade.

At StoryCorps, Talese reads from his book and speaks with Bob about the dangers involved in building one of New York City’s landmarks.

Originally aired December 12, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.