Civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, left, and Walter Naegle, right, became partners in the 1970s and were together until Rustin's death. Decades before gay marriage was an option, Rustin adopted Naegle to lend legal protection to their relationship. StoryCorps hide caption
Gwen Moten remembers her childhood friend, Denise McNair, who died with three other girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963. StoryCorps hide caption
Mario Loiseau and his daughter Mabou during a recent visit to StoryCorps. StoryCorps hide caption
Sean Fitzpatrick (right) with John Gately, at StoryCorps. StoryCorps hide caption
Patrick Kreifels and Michelle Kreifels grew up on a farm in Omaha, Neb., with their five other siblings. StoryCorps hide caption
Len Berk slicing salmon at Zabar's food emporium in New York City. Cosima Amelang/StoryCorps hide caption
Santiago Arredondo with his wife, Aimee, at StoryCorps. StoryCorps hide caption
Leslie Hurd, a casualty assistance calls officer with the U.S. Navy, says her job of delivering news of loved ones' deaths "is not just a duty." StoryCorps hide caption
Sgt. Maj. Lisa Torello and Tony Cistaro, during a visit to StoryCorps. StoryCorps hide caption
Nicholas Heyward Jr. the year before he was killed. "I would give my life today if I could, you know, just have him back," his dad said during a recent visit to StoryCorps. Courtesy of Nicholas Heyward Sr. hide caption
No more questions! StoryCorps via YouTube hide caption
Brent Hendricks visited StoryCorps in Atlanta with his mother, Barbara. StoryCorps hide caption
Pastor David Ned, 64, shared this and another experience with StoryCorps, last fall. StoryCorps hide caption
Scott Skiles, 61, and his son Zach Skiles, 32, had never sat down to talk about Zach's life after his deployment to Iraq --until their recent StoryCorps interview. StoryCorps hide caption
Phuong Nguyen, 55, and her son, Chris, who survived the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. StoryCorps hide caption