Steven and Alexandra Ketcham

This is the story of a set-up.

Alexandra Budny and Steven Ketcham first met in 2002.

But this couple might have never gotten together if it weren’t for a secret plot — by Alexandra’s mom and Steven’s dad.

Peter and Jacqueline Headen

Peter Headen and his wife, Jacqueline, met for the first time in 1958 at a roller-skating rink on the Indian Head naval base in Maryland.

They started dating soon after. But their courtship would continue for four decades, with lots of ups and downs along the way.

At StoryCorps they sat down to tell their love story.

Originally aired February 3, 2012 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Scott Wall and Isabel Sobozinsky-Wall

Scott Wall and his wife, Isabel Sobozinsky-Wall, got their love story down on tape — 20 years before they came to StoryCorps.

It started on New Year’s Eve 1991. Isabel was living in San Francisco but decided to celebrate with some friends in New York City. That’s where she met Scott.

Scott and Isabel hit it off and started dating despite living on different coasts. They eased the distance with a novel type of love letter — the couple would record their everyday lives on cassette tapes and mail the recordings back and forth.

Within a year, Scott moved to California to live with Isabel. At StoryCorps, they sat down to remember how it all began.

Jim Fletcher and his wife MaryAnn

Jim Fletcher remembers meeting his wife, MaryAnn, in first grade.

Originally aired December 9, 2011 on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Left: MaryAnn and Jim Fletcher at their junior prom in 1978. (photo courtesy of the Fletchers).

Chris Whitney and Erin Kuka

Chris Whitney tells his friend Erin Kuka about being diagnosed HIV positive early on in the AIDS crisis.

Gweneviere Mann and Yasir Salem

Gweneviere Mann lost her short-term memory following surgery to remove a brain tumor. With the support of her boyfriend, Yasir Salem, Gweneviere found she could tackle the challenges her condition threw her way—and a few more.

At StoryCorps, Gweneviere and Yasir talked about how they’ve learned to navigate life in a new way, together.

Just a few weeks after their interview—and two days after their story was broadcast— Gweneviere and Yasir ran the 2011 New York City Marathon. They took a photo at the finish line, at left.

Click here to watch “Marking the Distance,” a StoryCorps animation of Gweneviere and Yasir’s story.

Originally aired November 4, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Jay McKnight and Andrea McKnight

This love story started with a song. It was Brooklyn in the late 1950s. Jay McKnight and his friends spent summer evenings outside, singing a cappella. And one night, Jay caught the ear of a girl named Andrea. Jay and Andrea McKnight came to StoryCorps in New York to talk about what happened next.

The music at the end of the story is by Jay’s group from the 50s, Little Nate & the Chryslers.

Originally broadcast August 4, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Martin Levin and his granddaughters

92-year-old Martin Levin tells his granddaughters Jennifer Goebel (L) and Zoe Crowe (R) about a college classmate he didn’t like.

Ruben Salazar and Rachel Salazar

In January 2007, Rachel P. Salazar was living in Bangkok, Thailand. Ruben P. Salazar was in Waco, Texas. They were 9,000 miles apart and completely unaware of each other’s existence. But when an email meant for Rachel accidentally went to Ruben, it wasn’t long before an ordinary mistake began to look like an extraordinary stroke of luck.

At StoryCorps, they remember how an errant keystroke led to an enduring romance. See their first email exchange above.

Watch “To R.P. Salazar, With Love,” the animation of Rachel and Ruben’s story.

Originally aired May 13, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition. 

John Klein and Bernice Flournoy

John Klein remembers meeting the love of his life, Mary Ann Allen, with her daughter Bernice Flournoy.