Date: August 2, 2017
Storyteller: Fred Heinz
Interviewer: Blanche Heinz
Relationship: Spouses

Fred was born in Chicago and grew up in Wisconsin.  He and Blanche met while working at the same Chicago printing company, and they have been married for 40 years.

Date: May 23, 2017
Storyteller: Brittany Rauch
Interviewer: Matthew Santana
Relationship: Friends

Matthew and Brittany met and became friends while working in TCPL Downtown Reference.  Matthew grew up in Gary, Indiana and Brittany is from South Carolina.  Brittany shares memories of her family, her hopes for her future, including her dream of becoming a writer and being remembered for her work.  Matthew overcame a host of physical and health challenges as a baby and child through perseverance, and was the “teacher’s pet” and a model student in school.  He discusses his plans for work in business and film and some of the downsides of being a generous friend.

Date: May 2, 2017
Storyteller: Dinah McClure
Interviewer: Jos N. Holman
Relationship: Friends and Colleagues

Dinah grew up in in the small town of Montmorenci, Indiana, and attended  Indiana  University, majoring in French.  Though Dinah didn’t intend to spend her entire working career at Purdue, that’s what she did!  She worked during the tenure of several presidents and in positions in a variety of departments from English to Veterinary Medicine!    She shares some observations about how the Montmorenci area has changed since her childhood, and other important influences in her life.

Date: April 10, 2017
Storyteller: Suzanne Cunningham (pictured)
Interviewer: Sherri McGlothlin
Relationship: Colleagues

Suzanne and Sherri, both longtime Lafayette residents, trade myriad memories of Lafayette and observations on how it has changed since the 1970s.  Learn about their favorite places to shop (Loeb’s, Ayres), to eat  (McCord’s,  Arni’s, Wells-Yeager-Best Pharmacy!), taking the bus to work and being stopped by a train, attending the Christmas parades of yore, and how Lafayette has expanded over the decades.

Date: September 13, 2016
Storyteller: Linda Matthews (left)
Interviewer: Greg Hunt (right)
Relationship: Mother and Son

Linda shares memories of her youth and family, and how different things are in Lafayette from the way they were when she was growing up here.  She worked for the GTE telephone company—as an installer– worked in CTS microchip, and for 10 years at Walmart.  On the culinary end, she talks about her prize-winning pies and famous deviled eggs for picnics, and her hope that she is eventually headed to Florida!

Date: September 8, 2016
Storyteller: Asuncion Barrera Lopez (right)
Interviewer: Kate Kollman (left)
Relationship: Friends

Asuncion was born and grew up in Suchilapan Del Rio Veracruz, a small town in northeastern Mexico, one of 11 children in a close and loving family, Her father was a plumber, and because of her excellent grades, she was able to attend school and community college with a partial scholarship. After earning an accounting degree, she decided to come to the U.S. In this interview she recounts the excitement and anxiety of her journey crossing the border and traveling via Texas to Lafayette. Having decided to settle here, she shares experiences post-arrival, and observations on life as an immigrant in Indiana. Her friend Kate says Asuncion teaches her “all the time about what really matters.”

Date: September 8, 2016
Storyteller: Frederick S. Meesen (left)
Interviewer: Greg Hunt (right)
Relationship: Friends

Frederick Meesen hadn’t planned to join the Army after graduating from IU in the early 60s—he wanted to work for an advertising company writing commercial jingles–but that’s where he found himself. His military career took him to Bangkok, Thailand, and to India. He shares memories from his time there and in India, and and speculates how visiting there would be different today. He concludes by sharing a bit about his career as lawyer post-military and as a student working in a library that a co-worker set on fire!

Date: August 30, 2016
Storyteller: Barbara Penney (left)
Interviewer: Laura Penney Bade (left)
Relationship: Mother and Daughter

After her children were grown and on their own, Barbara Penney, a native of California, decided to pursue a career teaching in China.  Hear how in doing so she discovered her gift for instruction and how her decision to relocate to Asia affected her family and her supportive daughter, Laura.

Date: August 30, 2016
Storyteller: Jos N. Holman (right)
Interviewer: John Young (left)
Relationship: Friends

Jos, County Librarian (TCPL) since 2002, talks about his library career from the beginning to today–growing up in Tyler, Texas and how his interest in libraries and working with kids developed from a young age, his educational background (Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI), his experiences as a storyteller, his family, and what brought him to the Midwest. He also shares observations on libraries, library service, and the best way to ensure success in the field.