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Stories, Old Friends, A Good Time 'Til The End
June 29, 2012 Bishop Ricardo Ramirez's grandmother lived a long and full life. But it was the way Francisca Espitia approached her final years that may have impressed her grandson the most. It started with a story about how she'd been enjoying life at 90.
National Teachers Initiative
Former Dropouts Push Others To Reach Finish Line
June 24, 2012 Learning Works charter school in California takes an unorthodox approach to getting young people to graduate. Students who had previously dropped out get mentors who help with everything from getting to class on time to staying up late studying. Now, some of those who graduated are helping others.
Serving In Silence, Before 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
June 22, 2012 This weekend, gay pride celebrations will mark the first year since the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," the law that banned gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. Denny Meyer, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, describes what it was like to be both gay and a sailor.
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.
