Conway, SC
Born 1920
Ida Mae Harris passed away last week, only days before I was to meet her again at a signing event in her city. This is a special podcast edition to honor her life. She speaks about the Depression, and gives very good advice for enjoying the richness of life.
New Brighton, PA
Born 1932
I grew up with Dolly. She took care of us when we visited my grandmother. She was a life-long nurse, still caring for others even after her mother passed away. In this interview, she describes teaching her elders who were immigrants to read in English, and shares her concern for younger generations.
Birmingham, AL
Born 1931
“Politics has changed… we never saw them.”
I met Ann through a stranger at a coffee shop. That stranger, Barbara, has now become a friend. Ann Veren was one of the first I interviewed to make the point about politics having changed due to television and radio. Imagine voting for someone you had never seen before, whose voice you may have heard on the radio once or twice. Today’s political landscape is very different, and we are saturated with our candidates rhetoric.
Wilmington, NC
Born 1936
“Family was just closer.”
Barbara Blake is also the grandmother of one of my friends. I am very lucky to know people spread across America, and to have their trust to connect me to their family elders. Barbara describes a way of life that the Pew Research Center is concerned about — family dinner. She feels that family was closer, and that family dinner was an important part of that. Not only does Pew agree, but I have noticed this in my own life. We explain in this interview.
Here is the article about healthier eating due to family dinner: https://news.uoguelph.ca/2018/11/family-dinners-improve-teens-eating-habits-no-matter-how-well-family-functions-new-u-of-g-study-finds/
Freeville, NY
Born 1935
“She said, ‘I don’t know if that’s legal or not,’ [about the wringer washer]… I don’t know if she’d ever seen one.”
Adrienne is the grandmother of my friend, and that is how we got connected. During her interview, she showed great concern for our diminishing communities. Is it because of technology?
