For Old Friends, Hospital Work Brings New Challenges During COVID-19
Josh Belser and Sam Dow have always had a way of looking out for each other. The longtime friends first met in the early 80s, when they were young kids growing up in a suburb outside Tampa, Florida.
As adults, they each pursued a career in medicine: Josh as a nurse in Syracuse, New York, and Sam as a health technician in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
When COVID-19 hit, they both found their work lives dramatically altered by one of the most deadly global pandemics in a century.
With almost 400 miles between them, Josh and Sam used StoryCorps’ new remote recording platform, StoryCorps Connect, to talk about their decades-long friendship, and how they continue to support each other, especially during this difficult time.
Top photo: Sam Dow at his job in Ann Arbor, Michigan and his friend Josh Belser at work in Syracuse, NY in 2020. Courtesy of Josh Belser.
Second photo: Josh Belser in 1985 with his best friend, Sam Dow, in Brandon, FL where they grew up together. Courtesy of Josh Belser.
Originally aired April 17, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Surprise Mail Brings Love to a Soldier in Remote Afghanistan
StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative records the stories of veterans and their families.
Private First Class Roman Coley Davis grew up in a small town in South Georgia. After graduating from high school in 2004, he joined the military.
By the time he was 20 years old, Roman found himself 7000 miles away from home, in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan — one of the most remote outposts in the U.S. war there.
At StoryCorps, he told his friend Dan Marek about his family and his time in Afghanistan.
After the military, Roman enrolled in culinary school. He used his GI Bill to attend Le Cordon Bleu. He’s now a chef, based in Arkansas.
Top photo: Roman Coley Davis and his mema, Laverne Tanner, in her South Georgia kitchen. Courtesy of Roman Coley Davis.
Middle photo: Roman during his deployment to Afghanistan. Courtesy of Roman Coley Davis.
Bottom photo: Roman in his chef’s whites with his meemaw, Laverne Tanner. Photo by Dailey Hubbard.
This interview was recorded in partnership with the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
This story originally aired April 07, 2018 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. It was rebroadcast April 10, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
When The Mail Stopped: A Letter Carrier Remembers Striking For Wages, And Dignity, In The Great Postal Strike Of 1970
In March of 1970, postal workers across the country walked out in one of the largest strikes against the federal government in U.S. history. It lasted 8 days, spanned over 30 cities, and won postal workers a living wage.
Tom Germano was one of them. He grew up in a working class neighborhood in New York City, and found his calling as a letter carrier, delivering mail on those same streets he grew up on.
He came to StoryCorps with his son, Thomas, to talk about those early days, and why he was willing to put his livelihood on the line during the historic strike.
Top photo: Thomas Germano and Tom Germano at their StoryCorps interview in North Babylon, NY, on February 7, 2020. By Camila Kerwin for StoryCorps.
Middle photo: Postal Workers strike outside the main Post Office on 8th Avenue in New York, NY, in March, 1970. Tom Germano pictured second from left (between two picketers). Photo courtesy of the New York Times.
Originally aired March 13, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“Sometimes It Doesn’t Feel So Good And You Just Keep Stepping”: A Father Teaches His Daughter To Be Bold And Embrace The Unexpected
Kevin Craw has always encouraged his children to embrace the unexpected.
Especially his daughter, Kate, who grew up with a love for singing. As a teenager, she starred in several high school musicals.
But she was also interested in singing the blues. One night, Kate’s father took her to see his friend’s band play at a local bar.
At StoryCorps, they sat down to remember what happened next.
Top Photo: Kate Quarfordt and Kevin Craw at their StoryCorps interview in New York, NY on January 10, 2020. By Nicolas Cadena for StoryCorps.
Middle Photo: Kate Quarfordt in her high school production of Brigadoon in Wilton, CT in 1992. Courtesy of Kate Quarfordt.
Originally aired February 7, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
‘You Were Walking Rage’: Reclaiming A Broken Brotherhood
Growing up in a troubled home in Florida, the fights between Derrick Storms and his younger brother Raymond were legendary. “There’s still probably a hole where you threw me through the wall, right by the TV, and Dad never fixed years later,” Raymond said to Derrick at StoryCorps in New York.
They would end up taking completely different paths: Derrick joined the military right out of high school, and Raymond sang opera professionally and practiced reiki. At StoryCorps, they talked about how they reclaimed their brotherhood.
Originally aired January 31st, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Top Photo: Raymond Storms and Derrick Storms at their StoryCorps interview in New York on January 10, 2020. By Rochelle Kwan for StoryCorps.
Middle Photo: Raymond and Derrick Storms, with their mother, older sister Gail and younger sister Maryanne. Miami, FL, approximately 1986. Photo courtesy of the Storms family.
All I Had Was Hope And You
Ernesto Rodriguez enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2000. When he deployed to Iraq five years later, his first child, Sebastian, had just been born.
While Ernesto loved his time in the military, being away from home proved challenging — not just for him, but for his entire family. He left the military in 2009 as a result.
A few years later, Ernesto came to StoryCorps with his son Sebastian, who was 11 at the time, to talk about his service, his transition back to civilian life, and the importance of being a father.
For Ernesto and Sebastian, their StoryCorps conversation marked the beginning of an ongoing and open dialogue between father and son. So three years later, during Sebastian’s freshman year of high school, the pair came back to StoryCorps to record a second interview.
Next, we’ll hear from Army Staff Sgt. Papsy Lemus, who first came to StoryCorps in 2009 to talk about her 13-month deployment to Iraq. She sat down to have a conversation with her eldest child, Grizz, who was nine years old at the time.
Ten years later, Grizz, now 20, had more questions for Papsy (who is still in the military). So they came back to StoryCorps to continue the conversation.
Top photo: Artwork by Lindsay Mound.
Middle photo 1: Ernesto and Sebastian Rodriguez at their StoryCorps interview in New York, NY on April 1, 2016. By Morgan Feigal-Stickles for StoryCorps.
Middle photo 2: Sebastian and Ernesto Rodriguez at their StoryCorps interview in Bridgeport, CT on October 5, 2019. By Jud Esty-Kendall for StoryCorps.
Middle photo 2: Grizz and Papsy Lemus at their StoryCorps interview in Salt Lake City, UT on April 30, 2009. By Jeremy Helton for StoryCorps.
Bottom Photo: Papsy & Grizz Lemus at their StoryCorps interview in Salt Lake City, UT on October 29, 2019. By KUER for StoryCorps.
Released on January 14, 2020.
Like the music in this episode? Support the artists:
“Heat and Memory” by Jarrett Floyd
“Surly Bonds” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Aeronaut
“Sage the Hunter” by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Landsman Duets
“NirvanaVEVO” by Chris Zabriskie from the album Undercover Vampire Policeman
“Elegiac” by Bryan Copeland (StoryCorps Commission)
This podcast is brought to you by supporters of StoryCorps, an independently funded nonprofit organization, and is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
This Is Where I Leave You
It’s never easy to say goodbye to the people we love, but in this episode of the podcast, we’ll hear from four families as they navigate some of the most difficult conversations imaginable and, in the process, they remind us that even in death, there is life.
The first story comes from Patricia Mishler who moved to the United States from England in the late 70s with her two daughters, Suzanne and Janette. In 2014, at the age of 72, Patricia was diagnosed with ALS–also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. At StoryCorps, she sat down with her daughters to talk about living with the disease and knowing that it would one day take her life.
Next, you’ll hear from Eva Vega-Olds and how she used the StoryCorps app to record her final conversation with her father, Leonardo Vega, while he was receiving hospice care at home.
You’ll also hear Natalie Colvin interviewing her 88-year-old grandfather, Willy Weeks, who, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, made the decision to end his life on his own terms using a drug prescribed by his doctor.
Our final story comes from 25-year-old Mark Carles, who came to StoryCorps with his older brother, David, to talk about how living with a rare form of liver cancer has impacted both of their lives.
Top photo: Artwork by Lindsay Mound.
Middle Photo: Patricia Mishler with her daughters Suzanne and Janette Lynch on March 28, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. By Erika Romero for StoryCorps
Middle Photo: Eva Vega-Olds with her father, Leonardo Vega, on her wedding day in May of 2009. Courtesy of Eva Vega-Olds.
Bottom Photo: Mark Carles and David Carles at their StoryCorps interview in New York City on November 6, 2019. By Mia Warren for StoryCorps.
Released on December 3, 2019.
Like the music in this episode? Support the artists:
“Heat and Memory” by Jarrett Floyd
“Untitled #2” by Yusuke Tsutsumi
“John Stockton Slow Drag” By Chris Zabriskie
“Siloed” By Matt Stevens
“Photosphere” By Charles Atlas
He Traded Single Life To Be Foster ‘Pop’ To More Than 50 Kids
Guy Bryant grew up surrounded by women who dedicated themselves to caring for children in their Brooklyn community. He then spent years working with foster teens as they made the transition to living on their own.
But after three decades as an administrator in the child welfare system, he felt that he wasn’t doing enough. So one day, he brought his work home with him, and twelve years later, he’s fostered over 50 young people in his New York City apartment.
Guy came to StoryCorps with one of these kids, Romario Vassell, to talk about the early days.
Originally aired October 18, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition
Photo by Jey Born for StoryCorps.
“A Very Good Choice”: How One Woman Lost A Mom and Gained Two More
There are many people you may walk by every day and never know their story. Including people like Kathleen Payne, who’s worked here at StoryCorps for over a decade. Many of her colleagues didn’t know her story — until she brought Corinthia Isom to a StoryBooth in 2015.
Corinthia was only a child when her mom, DeSeane, died from an AIDS-related illness in the mid-90s.
DeSeane had been raising Corinthia alone, but before she passed, she’d arranged for her daughter to be cared for by a couple she’d met in an LGBTQ gospel choir in New York City.
Kathleen was one of the women who took Corinthia in, and they sat down together to remember DeSeane, and the start of their relationship.
Top photo: Kathleen Payne and Corinthia Isom at their StoryCorps interview in New York City, New York on September 29, 2015. By Carolina Escobar for StoryCorps.
This interview was recorded in partnership with the The Recollectors, a storytelling site and community for families left behind by parents who died of AIDS-related illnesses.
Originally aired July 12, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
By the Power Vested in Me
On November 18, 2003, in the case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Supreme Court declared that “…barring an individual from the protections, benefits, and obligations of civil marriage solely because that person would marry a person of the same sex violates the Massachusetts Constitution.” This allowed same-sex couples to be legally married in the state of Massachusetts, the first state in the United States to do so.
In this episode of the StoryCorps podcast, we’ll hear from David Wilson, one of the plaintiffs in that landmark case, who was also one of the first to be married once the law went into effect on May 17th, 2004. He came to StoryCorps several years later to reflect on his difficult path to get to that day and what being part of that historic case meant to him.
Next, we catch up with David and his husband, Robert Compton, as they get ready to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. We’ll also hear from a gay couple married 50 years before David and Rob.
Top photo: Artwork by Michael Caines.
Second photo: David Wilson and his husband, Robert Compton, in 2019 at their StoryCorps interview in Palm Springs, California. Photo by Jud Esty-Kendall.
Third photo: Michael McConnell and his husband, Jack Baker, in 2017 at their StoryCorps interview in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo by Jhaleh Akhavan.
Released on May 14, 2019.