True stories of everyday people
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Betty Jo-Ann Montgomery Perry
With tears in her eyes, young Betty Jo-Ann listened to her first youth orchestra in NYC and realized that playing music would be a way to escape a life limited by poverty.
Robert Zalkin
Bob Zalkin graphs a path from school to the Pentagon, to the Synagogue, to the high seas. It is the course of a man who is always growing.
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.
Carol Ann Brown
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.
Phyllis Jo Adair-Ward
Phyllis Adair-Ward tells the story of discovering two truths: discrimination at Riverside Park and the loving acceptance of her life-long friend, Mr. Quiggles. (A written version of this story appears in her book, “Wind-chimes and Promises.”)
Shari Lyn Finnell
How did growing up in Gary, Indiana help Shari Finnell, a journalist with a degree from Northwestern University, to see the world as a place where anything was possible? Shari explains.
Sigal Malka Tavel
17 year-old North Central High School student Sigal Tavel tells about volunteering to be a tutor for young Burmese students who needed help with English at Nora Elementary. Hear her story and advice for young people who may wonder what it takes to help others.
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.