José Rodriguez and Charles Zelinsky
When he was a teenager, José Rodriguez was kicked out of public school.
He was diagnosed with a learning disability and sent to a school for students with special needs.
This qualified him to participate in the New Jersey Special Olympics – any child or adult with an intellectual disability can take part.
At StoryCorps, José told his former coach, Charles Zelinsky, what his life was like before he found the games.
José is now a Special Olympics basketball coach–and will be coaching during the 2012 New Jersey Summer Games.
Originally aired June 8, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Robert Holmes
When Robert Holmes was a kid, his family moved to a white section of Edison, New Jersey.
It was 1956, and they were one of the first African American families to integrate the neighborhood.
Today, Robert Holmes is a professor at Rutgers Law School.
Van and Shirley Harris
Van Harris and his wife, Shirley, grew up a block away from each other in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.
They met in the late 1930s, and at StoryCorps, they looked back on their old neighborhood and the characters who congregated at Dubrow’s Cafeteria on Eastern Parkway.
Theresa and Dennis McLaughlin
Dennis McLaughlin was born in 1948 with spina bifida, a birth defect that left him unable to use his legs.
But his mother, Theresa McLaughlin — a single mom who worked at a local paper mill– knew that “from the neck up, he’s just fine.” So she treated Dennis just like any other kid.
At a StoryCorps mobile booth, Dennis payed tribute to the way Theresa raised him.
Originally aired May 11, 2012 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Ricardo Isaias Zavala and Ricardo Javier Zavala
When Ricardo Isaias Zavala came to StoryCorps, his son, Ricardo Javier, asked who the most important person in his life was.
The answer came without a moment’s hesitation — it was Vicente Domingo Villa, Ricardo Isaias’ grandfather.
He told a story that began in the 1920s, when Vicente was a young boy enamored with the vaqueros, or cowboys, who worked on the South Texas ranches where he lived.
Kate Musick and Harleé Patrick, Jose Catalan and Carlos Vizcarra
For students who are struggling, sometimes the difference between success and failure can start when a teacher takes the time to listen.
In these two stories from our National Teacher’s Initiative, teachers go beyond the classroom to help their students.
In 2004, Kate Musick (top left) was teaching third grade at T.C. Walker Elementary school in Gloucester, Virginia. When Harleé Patrick (top right) walked into the room Musick saw a troubled child.
Harleé is now a teenager, and the two came to StoryCorps to talk about how she made it through that year.
The second story comes from Los Angeles, where 19-year-old Jose Catalan (above right), who is studying to become a math teacher, sat down with his former high school teacher Carlos Vizcarra (above left) to talk about how they became friends.
Originally aired April 29, 2012 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.
Kenneth and Gaye Honeycutt
On March 18, 1937, a gas leak at The Consolidated School of New London, Texas, led to an explosion that claimed the lives of nearly 300 students and teachers.
It remains one of the worst school disasters in US history.
Kenneth Honeycutt was playing near the school when the explosion happened. At StoryCorps, he shared memories of the tragedy with his wife, Gaye.
David Plant and Frank Lilley
This is a story about reaching the end of life.
It was recorded as part of our Legacy Initiative–an effort to collect interviews with people who have life-threatening conditions.
In 2010, David Plant was diagnosed with skin cancer. Since then, the cancer has metastasized in other parts of his body.
David sat down for a StoryCorps Legacy interview with his stepson, Frank Lilley.
Nathan Hoskins and Sally Evans
Nathan Hoskins knew from an early age that he was gay, but growing up in rural Kentucky in a family that did not tolerate homosexuality, he learned to keep it a secret.
At StoryCorps, he tells his friend Sally Evans a harrowing story of just how dangerous life was for him.
Originally aired January 13, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
John Hunter, Julianne Swope and Irene Newman
When John Hunter started teaching more than 30 years ago, he wanted to get his students to think about major world issues.
So he invented the World Peace Game. Students are divided into countries, then Hunter gives them a series of global crises — natural disasters, political conflicts — that they solve by collaborating with each other.
Hunter’s classes are remarkably successful at resolving the crises peacefully, a fact made all the more remarkable because his students are in 4th grade.
Hunter recently sat down for StoryCorps with a two former World Peace Game players: 11-year-old Julianne Swope (top photo) and 20-year-old Irene Newman (bottom photo).
Originally aired December 25, 2011 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.