True stories of everyday people
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John William Sauffer
Born in the 1930’s, John Sauffer reflects on growing up in Richmond, Indiana and coming to the big city of Indianapolis. He describes simpler times when more was left to your imagination.
Sally Jane Perkins
Reflecting on her path to professional storytelling, Sally Perkins tells of preparing to tell a flannel graph story at church, before she knew how to read, at the age of five! She has been telling stories in public ever since.
Leonard Stephen Scott
Leonard studied dentistry to please his father, but he was personally drawn to music. He tells the story of a three day fast that led to creating a string of original gospel songs and ultimately TyScott Records.
Dennis Paul Strickland
Beth, the babysitter, is nice but she does not know what four-year-old Paul wants for lunch when he asks for “Foffy.” So begins the quest for food and understanding.
Sherril Lyn Adkins
In the Summer of 1966 Sherril Adkins got a job as a waitress at Catfish King in Birmingham, Alabama. Having grown up on integrated military bases she had not yet experienced the racism of ordinary white folks of the South. When the restaurant would not serve an...
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.
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.
Gwendolyn Julia (Judy) Kelley
Gwendolyn Kelley tells about seeing the change in Indianapolis during the civil rights movement and the legacy of her poem about Martin Luther King Jr., “The Dream In You.”
Diane Lee Richards
Diane grew up admiring her Aunt Helen who, with her husband Don, ran a flight school. It took years to find out that Helen had flown bombers and pursuit planes back during WWII. Diane reflects on the life of her remarkable and yet modest Aunt.