True stories of everyday people

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Doris Virginia Bond

In 1946 when Doris was eight years old her father had a travel trailer built and took the family on a six month journey from Canada, across the United States and back. Doris recalls the highlights.

Martha Annexton Karatz

After graduating from Northwestern with a teaching degree and working in England for a while Martha Karatz moved to Paris. There she landed a luxurious job as a private teacher for a wealthy family in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. But how long could this last…?

Daisy Elizabeth Borel

In excerpts of her life story, Daisy Borel describes the sheltered self-sufficiency of the African American community along Capital Avenue in down town Indianapolis of the 1930’s and 1940’s. When she returned to Indy from Tennessee with a BS in Nursing and a family...

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...

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.

Walter Andrew Blake

While growing up in a family of 17 children in South Bend, Walter helped his Father in the trash hauling business. During his freshman year at Notre Dame Walter came home to visit and gained a fresh appreciation for what his family had done for him.