The Story from American Public Media - Archive

Photographs from Home

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:00

Photographs from Home

Carl Juste

Carl Juste is a photographer with the Miami Herald. He was born in Haiti but grew up in New York and Miami and got to know Haiti as an adult. He talks with Dick Gordon about what he saw in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, and how his personal and family history in Haiti change his perspective.

See some of Carl's photos
Follow the Miami Herald's coverage of Haiti

Contact Us

Remembering the 1952 Olympics

Marjorie Larney

The 2010 Winter Olympics begin on Friday. Marjorie Larney knows all about the excitement of the Olympics. When she was 15, Marjorie was chosen to compete for the U.S. in the 1952 summer games in Finland. She tells Dick about a small treasure she found on a narrow street in Helsinki that changed her approach to the competition. This story originally aired on October 1, 2009.

The Layoff - A Child's Perspective

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:00:00

The Layoff - A Child’s Perspective

Rachael Clark and her daughter Alison Spiller

The latest unemployment numbers show the percentage of those without work has dropped a bit - but employers are still not creating many new jobs.

Nine-year-old Alison Spiller wrote us a letter after listening to an episode of our program. She wrote, "I hope my experiences will help your listeners with children." Turns out, Alison’s father was unemployed for over a year before he found a new job, and that meant big changes in Alison’s lifestyle. Alison Spiller and her mother Rachael Clark join Dick Gordon to talk about their family’s experience with unemployment.

YOUR STORY- A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

When we turn the storytelling over to you, we get all kinds of meaningful stories. Chan Gannaway wrote in to say his story goes into the coincidence category. This all began innocently enough. Chan was job hunting and knew there was a good opening nearby. He drove over to the location, hoping to meet the manager in person. And that’s where the story takes a strange turn. Both men were connected to a tragedy that had occurred many years before. Chan says meeting brought them both some peace.

Recording Friends

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00

Recording Friends

Lee Payne, Jon Biscoe, Frank Cha and Tom O'Halloran played in bands together for years. But as they got older, life drew the four of them in different directions and to different parts of the world. Jon was about to become a father. Lee went to serve in Afghanistan. But then Jon decided to throw out an idea. Each guy was asked to write an original song, then email it, complete with chords and lyrics to the group. Everyone then recorded their own version of each song. The four friends reunited recently to listen to the songs. Lee, Jon and Frank join Dick to talk about their new media music project - and the unexpected impact it had on their friendship.

Learn more about the band.

Escaping from Kashmir

Kevin Merkelz in front of the Taj Mahal

Our Your Story segment is one of the most popular parts of the show. We love to hear the stories that are your favorite, for one reason or another. Kevin Merkelz wrote in to tell his story. He wanted an adventure the first time he left the U.S. on a trip abroad. But when he unexpectedly wound up in Kashmir on the border of Pakistan, it was much more than he bargained for. In fact, his trip became quite frightening. Kevin talks to Dick about learning the benefits of a little mistrust.

Check out Kevin's photos of Srinagar here.Contact Us

Hundreds of Babies

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:00:00

Hundreds of Babies

Roody Joseph and a young girl, Marie

Roody Joseph has become an almost accidental aid worker in Haiti. He was preparing to leave the country when he met two mothers with infants that had no milk. For the past two weeks, Roody has made it his job to find milk, formula and diapers for the youngest survivors of the earthquake. At last count he'd identified 500 infants in need in his area. Roody was able to bus some of them to better care in the Dominican Republic. He tells Dick Gordon why he gave up his chance to return to his family of six in Florida, and what he thinks of Haiti's adoption controversy.

Learn about Roody's work with Haitian infants.
Music in this story: Timoun Yo (Their Baby) by Belo

Looking to China

Melody Wen Zhang

Melody Wen Zhang has been watching Haiti closely - and remembering her own experiences helping children in the aftermath of China's massive earthquake almost two years ago. Melody spent weeks distributing medical supplies and formula to needy babies, and risking her life by transporting food and water to an orphanage in a remote mountain village that was threatened by landslides. She talks with Dick about the challenges of keeping families together in the wake of tragedy, what it meant to her to be part of the relief effort, and what recovery she's seen in China.

Find out more about Melody's organization.

Contact Us

Emergency Green Card

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:00:00

Emergency Green Card

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced last week that thousands of Haitian immigrants living in the U.S. before the earthquake struck on January 12 may apply for temporary green cards. The idea is if they can work legally, they'll send money home to relatives and help rebuild Haiti. Tyo is one of those Haitians now applying for Temporary Protected Status. He was just a boy when he was sent to the U.S. to stay with his mother in Miami. He's now 20 years old, and struggling to pay for community college. Tyo talks to Dick Gordon about his innovative idea to pay for college, and his hope that he will be granted the 18-month protected status.

Music in this story: Istwa Dwol performed by Belo for the album Lakou Trankil

Contact Us

Listener Follow Up: Miracle on Ice

Last week Dick talked with Jerry McGovern. Jerry had been an Olympic chauffeur during the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid and had an experience that gave him a new view of international relations. Janet Eaker heard that conversation and wrote in with her own Miracle on Ice story.

Contact Us

finding a sister

Devy Bruch (top) and Pat Wilks (bottom)

Devy Bruch and Pat Wilks are sisters with much in common, but they didn’t know the other existed until a few months ago. Devy learned that she was taken from her birth mother by the infamous Georgia Tann, a woman who is now known to have stolen babies from their young and poor mothers. When Devy learned the secret of her past, she also learned about her long lost sister, Pat. Devy is now 72 and Pat is 66. Devy was raised on a lush farm in Pennsylvania. Pat grew up poor in rural Tennessee. Pat and Devy join Dick Gordon to talk about their first meeting and how they plan to get to know each other.

Learn more about Devy and Pat's story
See photos of Devy and Pat together.

Contact Us

Van Living

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:00:00

Van Living

Ken Ilgunas

College is more expensive than ever these days, across the country. Ken Ilgunas took on enormous debt as an undergraduate, then worked non-stop to pay it off. When he decided to go to grad school, Ken swore he wouldn't take a penny from anyone, not his parents or the bank. So he's living in a van in a campus parking lot, cooking meals on a camping stove, and bathing at the university gym. Ken talks to Dick Gordon about the very high cost of higher education and his adventures in austere living, past and present.

See pictures of Dick touring Ken's van
Read Ken's article in Salon

Contact Us

Finding the Sweet Spot

Jackie Green

The bad economy has forced many people to take jobs they never thought they'd take - and others into jobs they never knew they wanted. Jackie Green had a college degree and made good money as a manufacturing manager when she was laid off. With no job prospect in sight, she resorted to going to the local food bank. But just when Jackie had sunk as low as she thought she could go, she had a realization: "go back to what you know." Jackie spent her childhood perfecting biscuits and pies under her grandmother's watchful eye. She's now started her own baking business called Sweet Cheeks Bakery. Jackie talks to Dick about this unexpected turn of events, and the secret to her special buttermilk pie.

Learn more about Jackie's bakery

Contact Us

The First Sit-In

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00

The First Sit-In

Jean Howard

Fifty years ago today, on February 1, 1960, a sit-in staged by four local college boys at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C. captured the attention of the country. Jean Howard was in high school when her older brother Jibreel Khazan and his friends decided they'd had enough of white-only establishments. Jean wanted to join in, but organizers didn't allow high school students to skip class or take those kinds of risks. Once she got to college though, Jean took up her brother's cause - protesting, marching, and sitting in for civil rights. Jean talks to Dick Gordon about growing up in segregated Greensboro, witnessing the birth of a movement, and how her brother, and parents, helped her take a stand.

Learn more about the documentary February One
Learn more about The International Civil Rights Center & Museum

Contact Us

The battle for F Street

Trish Geran had just finished her work as a volunteer in the Obama campaign when she realized she had a fight on her hands in her own hometown. Trish grew up on the west side of Las Vegas, a mostly black neighborhood. As part of a larger development, the city had cut off F Street, the major thoroughfare between the west side and downtown. Trish decided to confront the city to re-open the street. As she tells Dick, it looks like she's won that battle.

Contact Us

UPDATE: HEALTH IN HAITI

Delson Merisier's flattened home

In the spring, we spoke with David Walmer, a doctor in North Carolina, and Delson Merisier, a doctor in Haiti, about the work they were doing together to improve women's health. When the earthquake struck, Delson's home in Leogane was flattened. The second-floor of the clinic collapsed. Delson had just delivered a baby. He talks with Dick about the tough decisions he's made about his family, and how he hopes to help his community recover.

See pictures of Delson's house
Learn more about Delson and David's organization, Family Health Ministries

Contact Us

Home Away from Haiti

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:00:00

Home Away From Haiti

Darline Blanchard Williams (top) and her adopted parents, Rebecca and Jerry (bottom)

Last week, Haitian teenager Darline Blanchard Williams arrived in Florida to live with her adoptive parents. Darline says she thinks she survived the quake because she'd attended a funeral instead of school that day - her school collapsed. Also joining the conversation is her adoptive mother Rebecca Williams. Dick Gordon talks to them both about how they managed to get Darline out of Haiti and into the U.S. - and how Darline is adjusting.

Learn more about Rebecca's organization, Promised Provision
See photos of Darline and Rebecca
Follow efforts in Haiti to care for infants
Music in this story: Jou a rive performed by Boukan Ginen for the album Jou a rive

Contact Us

Hot Drums

Kip McCabe

Kip McCabe is the drummer for the Chicago indie rock band Dianogah. A few years back, he and his band mates had just come home from touring. They were too lazy to unload their van, so they left their gear in the back for a couple of weeks. It was all locked up in a big wooden box, so they weren't too worried. Sure enough, thieves broke in and stole Kip's drum set. When he called the Chicago police to report the crime, they refused to investigate. Angry, and needing his drums back for gigs, Kip got on the case, and tracked down the thieves. He talks to Dick about doing the cops' job for them, and meeting the guys who stole his stuff, face-to-face.

Learn more about Dianogah
See Kip playing the drum set in question.

Contact Us

Remembering Salinger

J.D. Salinger

The author J.D. Salinger died this week at 91. Jim Sadwith is one of the lucky few who got to talk to the reclusive author of "The Catcher in the Rye." Jim was taken with the book in high school and wanted permission from the author to perform it as a play. Salinger said no, but as Jim tells Dick, that taught him an important lesson. This story originally aired on July 9, 2009.

Contact Us

Preparing for War

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:00:00

Preparing FOR WAR

Sir Christopher Meyer

Tomorrow, Tony Blair is set to speak to Britain's Iraq Inquiry, which has been set up to review Britain's policies before and after the war. Sir Christopher Meyer will likely be following the hearing intently. He was the U.K.'s Ambassador to the U.S. when planes slammed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. As Ambassador, Sir Christopher played a crucial role during the chaotic events leading to the invasion of Afghanistan. Even more difficult was the behind-the-scenes navigation between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair as America rapidly shifted its focus to Iraq. Sir Christopher shares his unique perspective, and talks about England's current public hearings into the run-up to that war.

Find out more about Sir Christopher Meyer's book
Watch the live feed from The Iraq Inquiry
Learn more about the book Sir Christopher Meyer referenced

Contact Us

Miracle on Ice

Jerry McGovern

The 2010 Winter Olympic games are a couple of weeks away. For Jerry McGovern, it's a chance to look back at one very memorable time - the 1980 games in Lake Placid.

Jerry wasn't an athlete in Lake Placid. He was a chauffeur for the VIPs attending the games. One day Jerry picked up a man who made the staggering prediction of a gold medal for the underdog U.S. hockey team over the dominant Soviets. The prediction was all the more unbelievable because the man was from the USSR.

Jerry talks with Dick about what he saw in the "Miracle on Ice" hockey game, and how that memorable conversation changed the way he looked at the Cold War.

Contact Us

Haiti Partners

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:00:00

Haiti Partners

Kent Annan

When Kent Annan heard about the earthquake in Haiti, he immediately began making plans to go there. As co-director of the organization Haiti Partners, he’s invested years in improving education there. Kent talks with Dick Gordon about what he saw once he landed on the ground. In just one overnight trip, Kent managed to see and interview some of his closest friends and contacts. We’ll listen to some of those interviews. Kent’s Haitian friends say they’re sleeping outside, counting their blessings, worrying about their sick kids, and wondering how Haiti will ever recover.

Learn more about Haiti Partners
Learn about Kent's book - all proceeds benefit Haiti

Contact Us

Auschwitz Forgiven

Eva Kor

Today is the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. It has become known as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Eva Kor is at the camp in Poland today with a group of teachers, students, and others. Eva was one of the twins who survived the experiments of Nazi doctor Joseph Mengele at Auschwitz. For years she was filled with anger and hatred over her ordeal. But meeting a Nazi doctor changed everything. She forgave that man, and even forgave Dr. Mengele. But her decision doesn’t sit well with some Holocaust survivors. Eva talks with Dick about her experiences during the Holocaust and how forgiveness changed her life.

Find out more about Eva and The Forgiveness Project
Music in this story: Schindler's List by John Williams from the album The Ultimate Guitar Collection; I Could Have Done More (Schindler's List) performed by the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic for the album As Time Goes By

Contact Us

Grief and Hope in Haiti

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:00:00

Grief and Hope in Haiti

Yolette Etienne, photo: Carolyn Gluck, Oxfam - larger >>

One of the main worries in Haiti now is health and sanitation. One agency that works directly on those issues is Oxfam. Yolette Etienne is Haiti's country director for Oxfam. She has been working long hours just to make the places around the tents clean. At the same time Yolette is dealing with her own tragedies. Her mother was killed, her house was destroyed, and now she's responsible for two orphans. Yolette joins Dick Gordon to talk about the realities of living and working in Haiti after the quake.

Learn more about Oxfam

Contact US

Out from the Fire

Robert Leffer - larger >>

One year ago today, trucker Robert Leffer was in his big rig carrying cargo down Interstate 40 in North Carolina. In the late evening darkness Robert suddenly saw a disabled car, with no lights on, right in front of him. Robert's truck careened off the road into a fiery crash that left Robert severely burned. Robert talks with Dick about his remarkable recovery, and the cherished moments with his toddler son that give him hope.

Contact Us

Lessons from the Rubble

Claude Jeudy, photo: Habitat for Humanity International

Aid agencies are gathering this week to talk about what's next after the earthquake in Haiti. Claude Jeudy has a few ideas. He's Haiti's director of Habitat for Humanity, an organization that prides itself on providing safe and affordable housing. Claude tells Dick that once he saw all the crumbled homes in Port au Prince, he knew it was time to convince fellow Haitians to change the way they build their homes.

Learn more about Habitat for Humanity

Afghan-American Friendship

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:00:00

Afghan-American Friendship

Col. Patrick McKenzie

Last month, seven employees of the CIA in Afghanistan were killed by a suicide bomber, a Jordanian doctor who worked as a double agent. Since then, some soldiers have been wondering if genuine connections are possible during the war in Afghanistan.

When former US Army medic Col. Patrick McKenzie was sent to Afghanistan, he arrived with great skepticism about the Afghan people he'd be working with. He was assigned an Afghan translator, a young doctor named Dr. Sayed Alam. As the two men tell Dick Gordon, distrust eventually turned into humor, and then friendship. They say it's a story about the kind of trust that has to take root, if Americans and other NATO soldiers are really going to make a lasting difference in Afghanistan.

Music for Quake Victims

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:00:00

Phil Kates

Less than two years ago, the airwaves were filled with reports of another devastating earthquake. In May 2008, the Sichuan quake rocked Central China - almost 70,000 people were killed, and millions were left homeless. Phil Kates had been following the news of the earthquake as the Philadelphia Orchestra made its way from Tokyo to Seoul to Beijing. He wasn’t sure what to do. He wrote in his journal - “what possible use could a violin player be to children suffering from the end of their world?” Yet in his almost 30 years with the orchestra he’s learned the power of music. He went, by himself, to play for children who were living in the tent cities. Dick Gordon talks with Phil about bringing the job of music to people devastated by loss after an earthquake. This story originally aired June 18, 2008.

Learn more about the Philadelphia Orchestra

Music in this show performed by Phil Kates: "The Bird" by Henry Kates; "Gavotte" by Francois Gossec; "Waltz in D (Plink Plunk)" by Carl Maria von Weber. Other music: "Etude in E Major (Op 10 No. 3)" by Frédéric Chopin, performed by Daniel Pollack

POEMS FOR OBAMA

Rachel Zucker was on the phone with a friend the day before President Obama's inauguration, when the two poets had a eureka moment. They decided to find 100 poets who would sign up to write a poem for each of Obama's first 100 days in office. That little project has since been turned in to a book that is on bookshelves now. A longer version of this story aired February 9, 2009.

FAREWELL JACK MULLOWNEY

Jack Mullowney, more >>

Jack Mullowney passed away recently at age 91. Jack was, to his knowledge, the oldest commodities trader who was still going to work each day. He worked until three weeks before his death.

Dick spoke with Jack about the economic crisis last year. At the time, Jack’s thoughts weren‘t all about strategy. He said that simply having a brighter attitude would help all of us - even the markets - get through the crisis. We remember Jack Mullowney today on The Story. A longer version of this story aired on March 19, 2009.

Contact Us

Helping the Neighbors

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:00:00

Helping the neighbors

Many people in Haiti are still without food, water, shelter and medical care as foreign aid makes its way in. In the meantime, many Haitians are doing what they can to help one another.

Christian Surena is a Haitian who was studying in Miami when the earthquake hit. He found out his parents had set up a makeshift clinic and shelter in their home, the only one left standing in the neighborhood. So Christian went down to help. He talks with Dick Gordon as he makes his way across Port au Prince from an unsuccessful trip to the airport, about the challenges of helping people when supplies are hard to get and the need is so great. Christian is also a music producer and one of the people behind the song Tribute to Haiti.

Laura Wagner (left) with friends Marlene and Acephie, 2 days before the earthquake

Laura Wagner was in Haiti during the earthquake. She was trapped in a collapsed doorway and rescued by a local handyman. She ended up in a UN shelter, where she cared for a boy without any family and was, at one time, asked to make tags for unidentified bodies. As she tells Dick, what most frustrates her now that she's back in the U.S., is how Haiti is being portrayed in the media.

Lew Zirkle is an orthopedic surgeon who is now in Haiti. He's invented a way to repair broken limbs without the use of an x-ray or even electricity. Lew talks with Dick about how he came up with the idea and why it's important to him to continue to do his work around the world. A longer version of this story aired on November 29, 2007.

Hard Hits

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:00:00

Hard Hits

Scot Brantley (Photo: GatorCountry.com)

While a handful of NFL teams are still in the hunt to get to the Super Bowl, most players are now resting or nursing injuries they sustained over the long, hard season. And this year, perhaps more than ever, the NFL, and even Congress, have been taking a closer look at the impact of those hard hits that can cause brain injury to players.

Scot Brantley knows all about concussions. The fierce former linebacker took a hit his senior year at Florida that bruised his brain and almost ended his career. After eight seasons in the NFL and almost a dozen surgeries, 51-year-old Scot suffered two strokes that he believes are the result of the hits he delivered. Scot talks with Dick Gordon about his story and the changes he hopes to see implemented in football.

The Story from American Public Media - Archive

Photographs from Home

Photographs from Home

Remembering the 1952 Olympics

The Layoff - A Child's Perspective

The Layoff - A Child’s Perspective

YOUR STORY- A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

Recording Friends

Recording Friends

Escaping from Kashmir

Hundreds of Babies

Hundreds of Babies

Looking to China

Emergency Green Card

Emergency Green Card

Listener Follow Up: Miracle on Ice

finding a sister

Van Living

Van Living

Finding the Sweet Spot

The First Sit-In

The First Sit-In

The battle for F Street

UPDATE: HEALTH IN HAITI

Home Away from Haiti

Home Away From Haiti

Hot Drums

Remembering Salinger

Preparing for War

Preparing FOR WAR

Miracle on Ice

Haiti Partners

Haiti Partners

Auschwitz Forgiven

Grief and Hope in Haiti

Grief and Hope in Haiti

Out from the Fire

Lessons from the Rubble

Afghan-American Friendship

Afghan-American Friendship

Music for Quake Victims

music for quake victims

POEMS FOR OBAMA

FAREWELL JACK MULLOWNEY

Helping the Neighbors

Helping the neighbors

Hard Hits

Hard Hits

More Stories from Haiti