James Bost and Doug Bost
James Bost tells his son Doug about the time during the Great Depression when his father withdrew all of his money from the bank, put it into a suitcase, and buried it in their garden. And even though he describes it as “kind of silly in some ways, and kind of stupid,” he discusses how he himself has done something similar during the recent financial crisis.
Originally aired January 30, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Willa Guidi, Tasha Guth and Brad Guidi
Tasha Guth talks with her parents, Willa and Brad Guidi, about how they met, and the reactions of Willa and Brad’s immediate families to their interracial relationship.
Originally aired January 16, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Barbara Esrig
Barbara Esrig remembers the car accident that nearly took her life and broke 164 of her bones, a doctor who provided her comfort, and her recovery.
Originally aired January 9, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Barbara Cooper and Jody Houston
Barbara Cooper (left) and her mother, Jody Houston, talk about Barbara living with a rare genetic condition called progeria, which speeds up her body’s aging process. While most people with progeria do not live past 13, at the time of their interview, Barbara was 31 years old.
Originally aired December 5, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Paul Corbit Brown and John Brown
Paul Corbit Brown (left) was driving to work in 1993 when he came across a local radio station on which he heard the host saying terrible things about homosexuals. Bothered, he pulled off the road, found a payphone, and called the station. He ended up spending hours with the host on the air. Paul tells his brother John (right) about how this was the moment he found his voice.
Originally aired November 14, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Lillian Howell and Thomas Howell
Lillian Howell tells her son Thomas about the three-day trip her family took during the Great Depression from Ohio to Virginia to live with her father’s family after he lost his job.
Originally aired October 31, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Christopher Fraser and Victoria Fraser
When Christopher Fraser was 10 years old, he was left him with his grandparents who then raised him. At StoryCorps he talks with his grandmother, Victoria Fraser, about the adjustments he had to make to a new home, and how grateful he is for the many things she has done for him.
Originally aired October 17, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Andrea St. John and Thomas Broderick
Andrea St. John and Thomas Broderick remember her fiancé and his brother, Kevin. In 2008 Kevin died from Ewing’s sarcoma and she discusses the beginning of their relationship, the time it took for him to ask her out, and how initially him having cancer did not worry her.
Originally aired October 3, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Betty Esper and Mark Fallon
At its height, U.S. Steel’s Homestead Works mill in Pennsylvania was one of the world’s largest producers of steel, but when it shut its doors in the 1980s, thousands lost their jobs. Among them was Betty Esper, a desk clerk at the mill.
Betty was 18 years old when she started working at the mill in 1951, and when it closed she was one of the last workers through the gates. At StoryCorps she tells her friend Mark Fallon what Homestead was like when the mill was operating.
Originally aired August 29, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Ileana Smith and Gustavo Mestas
Gustavo Mestas talk with his daughter Ileana Smith about the decision he made to escape from Cuba with his family in 1963. A doctor in Cuba, Gustavo arrived in Florida not knowing if he would be able to practice medicine in the United States, but after working jobs picking tomatoes and cleaning motels while attending medical school in the evenings, he was eventually able to begin a practice.
Originally aired August 15, 2008, on NPR’s Morning Edition.