I met Bettilew on accident the same day I met Ann Veren. I was sitting in a coffee shop, and Bettilew’s granddaughter complimented my earrings. We got to talking, and after telling her of the work I was doing, she insisted I interview her grandmother. I’m so glad it worked out the way it did. What a pleasure it was to meet both Bettilew and Ann!
Bettilew tells two stories in this episode. One endearing, one about the war. Both are valuable to understanding our past.
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.
https://storiesofelders.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IdaMaeHarris.jpg13332000Veronica Kirinhttps://storiesofelders.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/StoriesOfEldersLogoNEW-1030x249.pngVeronica Kirin2019-02-04 10:18:362019-02-04 10:18:36Episode 26 — Ida Mae Harris
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.
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.
https://storiesofelders.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/AnneVeren.jpg6651000Veronica Kirinhttps://storiesofelders.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/StoriesOfEldersLogoNEW-1030x249.pngVeronica Kirin2018-12-21 10:03:382018-12-21 10:03:38Episode 24 - Virginia Ann House Veren
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.
