Story Corps in Iowa July 2006

StoryCorps is a national project to instruct and inspire people to record each others' stories in sound. One of StoryCorps' traveling recording studios, called MobileBooths, pulled in to downtwon Ames in July.

WOI Radio edited and aired the following interview excerpts.

Approaching the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Cheryl Davis Cook, a lifetime native of New Orleans shared her memories of the storm. She told her story to friend Shelley Stewart. Cheryl did not evacuate the city before the hurricane because she didn't want to leave her pets behind, but it's a decision she regrets...

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Jack Shelley discussed his work as a Correspondent during World War II, with his granddaughter Kate Shelley. He covered some of the most significant events of the war including, the Battle of the Buldge, the bombing of Hiroshima and the signing of the Japanese surrender. Kate wanted to know if he was ever scared...

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After celebrating their first wedding anniversary, Steven and Dotti Williams went to the MobileBooth to share their story. They met online at a Latter Day Saints website, while he was living in Alaska and she was living in Carlisle, Iowa. After a long-distance courtship by phone and online, Dotti decided it was time to visit Steven, and his four children, to claim a New Year's kiss.

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Dr. George and Arline Montgomery are veterans of World War II. George interviewed his wife about her experiences as an army nurse in the South Pacific. He also asked her to tell the story of how they became engaged.

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Kathy McCabe and Marti Benton, a pair of friends and former employees of United Airlines talked about how the airline industry has changed since their days as stewardesses.

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At the age of 21, everything seemed to be on track in Grace Amemiya's life. She had met her future husband, Min, while working towards a lifelong dream, studying to become a nurse. But, everything changed on December 7TH, 1941... for her and thousands of other Japanese Americans. Grace Amemiya told her story to friend Randi Peters.

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Your memories of childhood are often your own. You and a sibling or parent may remember the same event completely differently. But, sometimes the memories are identical. Carla Seat and Ellen Jansen grew up on a farm in Albany, Missouri and compared notes about their childhoods, including a perfect day as a kid...

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Timothy Leimer interviewed his wife, Lisa, about her career as a registered nurse working in Hospice care. After caring for thousands, he asked if she still remembers her first Hospice patients.

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Steve Sullivan and Victoria Szopinski's lives were changed with a phone call. They had decided to become foster parents, but with Victoria caring for her own elderly parents, the time never seemed right to bring a child into their home. Steve and Victoria came to the StoryCorps MobileBooth in Ames to talk about how they came to adopt their son Harry.

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Growing up on a farm was once a common experience for Iowa children. But as the state becomes more urban, the memories that many once shared are now more precious. That's what brought Vendola Petra and her daughter Susan to the StoryCorps mobile booth in Ames. Susan asked her mother about what it was like
growing up on a farm as the only daughter and youngest child.

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As parents, we try to teach our children to think for themselves and stand up for what they believe. For Terry Pickett, that meant being a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. Daughter Kate brought him to the StoryCorps booth in Ames specifically to hear that story.

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