True stories of everyday people
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Dennis Ray Wheaton Sr
Dennis, a professional chef, talks about the recipe for pound cake he learned from his mother and how, through practice, he learned to measure by eye.
Ben Thomas Asaykwee
Take the classic literature of Edgar Allen Poe and turn it into successful modern musical theatre. Absurd? That is exactly what actor/musician/playwright Ben Asaykwee did. Ben tells the story of why he created Cabaret Poe in Chicago and brought it to Indianapolis...
Don Steffy
May 4, 1970, Kent State University in Ohio: Having passed up a chance to attend The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, Don Steffy switched to Bowling Green State University for a draft exempt status. In this excerpt of Don’s life story he tells about...
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!
George Glenn Bartley
In his youth during the 1960’s George Bartley, a big fan of musicals, got to see Bette Midler in a broadway musical. Years later he got a chance to meet her and experience her good sense of humor.
Michael Lee Hall
HIS STORY: One day Michael Hall walked to his local vintage store to buy a jean jacket and while there he found a woman who would say “I do!”. He explains. Heather Irene Hall tells her story about meeting Michael during her Life Stories Project interview.
Rodney Layman Reid
1968 was a definitive time for Rodney Reid. He started high school at the beginning of the mandate for desegregation. Rodney helped to found the Human Relations Council which brought a better balance to student government.
Karl Lee Manders
In an excerpt of his oral history Dr. Karl Manders describes his early work in Indianapolis finding non-surgical treatments for patients with chronic pain.
Kenneth Oguss
Fresh, tart cherries, a flock of hungry birds, gifts of lemons and seeds for the future. Ken Oguss tells the story of how fathers pass along the legacy of love to their sons and daughters.