True stories of everyday people
Listen Now
Choose an Episode or Category:
Lou Ann Homan
All that her three little boys wished for Christmas was a pony. But in order to raise the $75 dollars to pay for it their homesteading mother would have to bake THIRTY PUMPKIN PIES for Thanksgiving … with no electricity, no running water and a wood burning stove! This...
Shirley Anne Charles
One of 13 children growing up in Washington, Indiana in the 1940’s, Shirley Charles tells of shared wardrobes and the time consuming chore of washing clothes.
Lea Jean Kellison
Retired Nurse Lea Jean Kellison, in part of a longer family wedding story, talks about her son Lee who proved himself to be self-reliant and creative as a middle child.
Marcia Louise Baker
Commuting from Tallahassee, Florida to Pelham, Georgia, Marcia Baker taught in an all boys school in the early 1970’s. She tells about bringing a new cassette recorder and tough love to her classroom of underprivileged children.
Carol Bussell
Born in New York, Carol Bussell is a professor at IUPUI who uses stories in her teaching. She came to her Life Stories intervew with family artifacts, journals, diaries, photos, and most importantly books!
Larry George Durkos
Larry Durkos describes the ingenuity and creativity of his Grandfather Rudolph, a man who may have given Larry the genes and the personal inspiration to become an engineer.
Andrew Dale Hamaker
In an excerpt of his story about the life lessons learned from his father, Andrew tells about how his parents encouraged their children to learn to play music. One Christmas evening they found a clever way to channel Andrew’s passion for playing the snare drum.
Ansuyah Naiken
Ansuyah voted for the first time in her life in 1994. She describes the excitement and euphoria of the first democratic election held in South Africa and the rise to power of the African National Congress.
Mary Jo Huff
Storyteller and “50-yard-line-Momma” Mary Jo Huff tells about the different kinds of people and the many ways of expressing team spirit from the bleachers at I.U. Bloomington football games.