True stories of everyday people
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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...
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.
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.
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.
Mary Lou Lofton
Mary Lou Lofton’s son Tim was full of energy and and joyful sound effects but he also feared two things that were designed to delight children. Both were to be found at the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis.
Jacquelyn Adele Cornish
Over the course of her life Jacquelyn Cornish has learned the full story of how the loss of her grandparents farmhouse to a fire changed the lives of her family and the surrounding community in Freeport Pennsylvania.
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.”)
Paul Francis Smith
Paul Smith grew up in a Navy family. In the 1960’s when he was a teenager they moved from Athens, Georgia to Monterey, California. Paul talks about the challenge of fitting in and learning to be true to himself.
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.