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A Single Dad And His Unlikely College Roommate
June 15, 2012 In 1996, Wil Smith enrolled as a freshman at Bowdoin College. He was 27 and recently out of the Navy. So he set off for school with his one-year-old daughter, Olivia, in tow. Now that she's a teenager, Olivia sat down with her dad to look back on their "college days" together.
Finding 'A Very Kind Way' To Lead Special Olympians
June 8, 2012 Jose Rodriguez first participated in the New Jersey Special Olympics back in 2003, when he was 13. Jose has trouble learning — mostly with reading and writing. At StoryCorps, Jose tells his former coach, Charles Zelinsky, what his life was like before he found the games.
When Mom Is Right, And Tells Police They're Wrong
June 1, 2012 Robert Holmes' family was one of the first African-American families to move into Edison, N.J., in 1956. At 13, he planned to go for a swim in the local pool. He was told he couldn't enter, so his mom told him to crawl under the turnstile.
National Teachers Initiative
Hard Lessons Follow Rocky Start For Chicago Teacher
May 27, 2012 Tyrese Graham is a second-year science teacher at John Marshall Metropolitan High School on the West Side of Chicago. When he started teaching, Marshall was among the worst public schools in the city.
The Day Taps Echoed Through Belgium's Hills
May 25, 2012 During World War II, Harrison Wright served with the Army in Europe. And as he recalls during a visit to StoryCorps with his grandson, he was sent on a very special assignment to mark the end of the war.
Love At First Punch: Still Going Strong After 75 Years
May 18, 2012 Van Harris and his wife, Shirley, grew up in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, about a block from each other. During a visit to StoryCorps, Van recalled the day he first noticed Shirley: "She was about 10 years old, and she was beating up a couple of guys. ... I said, 'Geez, I'd like to meet a girl like that.' "
A Mother And Son, And 'The Good Side Of Things'
May 11, 2012 Born in 1948 with spina bifida, Dennis McLaughlin was missing several vertebrae and unable to use his legs. His mother, Theresa, was a single mom, working in a paper mill near Portland, Maine. He interviewed her to thank her for how she raised him.
Remembering A Grandfather's 'Best Gift'
May 4, 2012 Ricardo Isaias Zavala comes from a long line of cowboys who worked the ranches of South Texas in the 19th and 20th centuries. His grandfather grew up on those ranches — and late in his life, a story from those days took on special meaning for Ricardo.
National Teachers Initiative
More Than A Teacher: 'One Of The Best Feelings'
April 29, 2012 Two teachers on either end of the country have made lasting impressions on their students. They stepped up to mentor and comfort children with difficult home lives — and they're still there for them today.
Brain Injury Gives Man A Second Chance To Be Kind
April 27, 2012 Before Marco Ferreira had an accident that left him in a coma for six weeks, he was known for his sarcasm and quick wit. Kids bugged him. Now, he says, he has a "second chance to be good."
After Marriage Ends, Exes Become 'Best Friends'
April 20, 2012 After the marriage between James Hanson-Brown and Lisa Combest ended, something unusual happened: Their relationship deepened.
Colleagues Recall L.A. Riots Unfolding Like 'A Movie'
April 13, 2012 Two decades after the Los Angeles riots, three former colleagues from the city's KJLH radio station recall watching the violence unfold from their studio window on Crenshaw Boulevard. The music station switched to an all-talk format for several days, as listeners called in to share what they were witnessing across the city.
75 Years Later: The Day The Town School Exploded
April 6, 2012 One of the worst school disasters in American history occurred 75 years ago, when an explosion killed hundreds of students at a school in East Texas. The traumatic event etched itself into the memory of Kenneth Honeycutt, now 83.
As A Life's End Draws Near, A Father And Son Talk
March 30, 2012 In 2010, David Plant was diagnosed with skin cancer. The cancer has since metastasized to other parts of his body, and David is now contemplating the end of his life. So, just before his 81st birthday, he sat down with his stepson to talk about their life together.
National Teachers Initiative
A Teacher's Ultimatum Drives Student's Success
March 25, 2012 In high school, Raul Bravo asked himself whether it was worth getting a diploma. Friends were making fast money drug dealing, and four years seemed like a long time. But then his automotive teacher told him he had a decision to make.
