Darrow Brown and Juan Calvo
Now, a conversation that reminds us how being a father can be about much more than biology.
In 2007, after volunteering to care for infants born to drug-addicted mothers in Baltimore, Juan Calvo knew he wanted to do more. So he and his husband, Darrow Brown, became foster dads. At StoryCorps, they remember the moment they met their first child and talk about the heartbreak and joy of being foster parents.
Two years later, they adopted their, son, Lucas, who is now 7 years old. They continue to open their home to foster children.
Originally aired June 16, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Top Photo: Lucas, Darrow and Juan at their home in 2016. With permission from the Baltimore Sun.
Bottom Photo: From left, Juan, one of Darrow and Juan’s foster children, and Lucas on a post-reunification trip to the Maryland Science Center on May 22, 2016. Courtesy of Darrow Brown and Juan Calvo.
Anthony “Tony Bees” Planakis
When bee season in New York City begins in early spring, retired police detective (and New York City Police Department’s unofficial beekeeper) Anthony “Tony Bees” Planakis gets busy tending to his hives and rescuing swarms.
“Tony Bees” didn’t always love bees. In fact, it took a long time for his beekeeper father to convince him of their beauty. Ultimately, Tony became enamored with honeybees and even has a tattoo dedicated to his affection for them. He says it’s in his blood; he’s a fourth generation beekeeper whose family hails from Crete.
At StoryCorps, Anthony talked about what drew him to working with bees, and what he’s learned from them.
Tony retired from the New York Police Department in 2014. He now works as a private consultant and contractor removing hives and swarms all over the New York City region.
Originally aired June 2, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Top photo: Police Officer Anthony “Tony Bees” Planakis from the 114th Precinct works on the removal of a beehive in a tree on 13th Avenue and 45th Street in Brooklyn, circa 1995. (Photo by Ken Murray/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Bottom Photos: Tony Bees shows off his bee-themed tattoos. The scroll reads in Latin: “Go to the honeybee, thy poet, consider her ways and be wise.”
George Rincon and Yolanda Reyes
At the beginning of the Iraq War, nearly 40,000 members of the United States military were not citizens. Army Private First Class Diego Rincon was one of them. As a child, he had immigrated to the U.S. from Colombia with his family. He had always known he wanted to join the military, and at 19, he enlisted in the Army.
Diego was deployed to Iraq in March 2003, at the beginning of the war. Just 11 days in, he was killed by a suicide bomber. Diego received U.S. citizenship on April 10, 2003 — the day of his funeral.
His parents, George Rincon and Yolanda Reyes, came to StoryCorps to remember him.
Originally aired May 26, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Top photo: Diego Rincon. Courtesy of the Rincon Family.
Bottom photo: Army Pfc. Diego Rincon’s uniform and photograph stand next to his flag-draped casket during a funeral service on April 10, 2003 in Conyers, Georgia. AP Photo/John Bazemore
Roberta Vincent and Robert Howard II
Many people come to StoryCorps to tell the stories that have shaped their lives. Robert Howard’s story starts during the Vietnam war.
Robert grew up in Norwich, Connecticut in the shadow of his father, a larger-than-life character and celebrated athlete in town who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in 1969.
When Robert came to StoryCorps with his mother, Roberta Vincent, he spoke about saying goodbye to his dad.
This interview was recorded in partnership with the Otis Library in Norwich, Connecticut. The Otis Library’s recordings were made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Originally aired May 19, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Bottom photo: A picture from a local newspaper of Robert Howard II accepting the medals awarded to his father posthumously the year of his death, while his mother Roberta Vincent looks on. Courtesy of Roberta Vincent.
Sarah Churchill and Yomi Wrong
Many people come to StoryCorps to honor loved ones — often their parents. Yomi Wrong brought her mother, Sarah Churchill, to a recording booth to say thanks for never giving up on her.
In 1972, Sarah was pregnant with her third daughter. Shortly after giving birth, doctors told her that her baby had a rare genetic disorder that caused her bones to break under the slightest pressure. The doctors told Sarah that she had a choice — she could try to raise a child who might not survive, and, if she did, would be a tremendous burden on their family, or Sarah could leave the child at the hospital since she wouldn’t live long.
That baby was Yomi, who, at the time of this recording, was about to celebrate her 45th birthday. Here, Sarah tells Yomi about the night she was born.
This interview was recorded in partnership with the Disability Visibility Project.
Originally aired May 12, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Bottom photo: Sarah Churchill at a family gathering in the Bronx with her daughter, Yomi, in 1976. Courtesy of Yomi Wrong.
Kevin Fredericks, Isaiah Fredericks, and Josiah Fredericks
StoryCorps gives friends and family the chance to sit down together and ask questions they’ve always wanted to ask. Isaiah Fredericks and his younger brother, Josiah, made the most of that opportunity.
When this interview was recorded, Josiah was seven years old and Isaiah was nine. They came to StoryCorps in Los Angeles with their dad, Kevin, who fielded all sorts of questions from his curious sons — some of which we’ve never heard before.
Originally aired May 5, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Bottom photo: The Fredericks family in Reseda, CA in 2017. Courtesy of Kevin Fredericks.
Asad Kerr-Giles and April Kerr
In 2012, Asad Kerr-Giles was a college-bound high school senior when he was wrongfully imprisoned. After going to a school fundraiser party, Asad heard gunshots. The next day, he was picked up by police and charged with the shooting. He spent the next 28 months on Rikers Island before being acquitted. At StoryCorps, he spoke with his mom April Kerr about his time in jail.
Asad and April’s conversation was recorded through the StoryCorps Justice Project, which preserves and amplifies the stories of people who have been directly impacted by mass incarceration. The Justice Project is made possible, in part, with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge, #RethinkJails, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. This conversation was recorded through our community partnership with Friends of the Island Academy, a non-profit that supports and brings opportunity to youth during and after their time in New York City jails.
Released May 5, 2017.
Jayne Fuentes and Luis Fuentes
Jayne Fuentes has been working to rebuild her life after spending more than 15 years in and out of jail on drug and theft charges. After her last jail sentence ended in 2013, she found that she owed tens of thousands of dollars in court fines and fees. At StoryCorps in Richland, Washington, she sat down with her son, Luis, to talk about the impact of these fines on both of their lives.
Jayne and Luis’s conversation was recorded through the StoryCorps Justice Project, which preserves and amplifies the stories of people who have been directly impacted by mass incarceration. The Justice Project is made possible, in part, with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge, #RethinkJails, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.
Released May 4, 2017.
Calvin Burns and Stepheni Bellamy
Calvin Burns has trouble getting his 15-year-old daughter, Stepheni Bellamy, to talk, which is something parents of teenagers everywhere can understand.
Calvin knew that Stepheni was having a hard time adjusting to being one of the only Black students in her school. Having grown up in a similar situation, Calvin could relate to that, but he had never taken the time to talk to his daughter about it.
He thought that bringing Stepheni to StoryCorps and sharing stories from his teenage years might help Stepheni open up.
Please note that this conversation contains a racial slur.
Originally aired April 21, 2017 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Photo courtesy of the Burns family
Jane Vance and Lucinda Roy
On the morning of April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho—a student at Virginia Tech—shot and killed 32 students and teachers, wounding 17 others. Until the 2016 massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, it was the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history.
Artist Jane Vance and Professor Lucinda Roy were teaching at Virginia Tech that semester, although neither were present on the morning of the shooting.
They returned to campus a week after the shooting when classes resumed for students who wanted to complete the term.
At StoryCorps, Jane Vance describes the inspiring way her class came together after the tragedy.
One of Jane’s former students, Kristen Wickham, was a freshman at the time of the shooting. Her friend Caitlin Hammaren was the only other student at Virginia Tech from Kristen’s home town of Westtown, NY, and was one of the 32 victims.
At StoryCorps, Kristen sat down with her husband Andrew Baginski to remember Caitlin.
Originally aired April 14, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition.