Schedule: Friday afternoons, at 5:30 PM, during All Things Considered Produced by: WUSF Public Broadcasting E-mail: Eric Jordan, Production Manager ejordan@wusf.org
This Week on Florida Stories:
Barbara Inman and Donna Niekamp
Donna Niekamp and Barbara Inman Some people can spend years searching, hoping to find the person they'll spend the rest of their lives with. That was not the case for Donna Niekamp. Donna recently had a conversation with her daughter Barbara Inman, where she discussed meeting Don, the love of her life and husband of more than 50 years.
(First aired on January 2, 2009, rebroadcast on July 3, 2009) Listen now.
Music Credits: Lost In A Dream, Wayne Jones, Set The Mood: Elegant Jazz, Compass Productions
More Florida Stories
Pat Spencer and Carolyn Lighty
Pat Spencer When taking into account the sum of her life experiences, Pat Spencer is a woman whose character can be described with many words, among them 'volunteer', 'advocate', and 'survivor'. Born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1936, Pat was a member of the NAACP's Youth Council as early as her elementary school years. Throughout her life, Pat has worked with the NAACP in various parts of the country, eventually settling down in Tampa where she has contributed her service as the area's director. Pat recently sat down with her friend Carolyn Lighty to discuss her involvement with the NAACP as well as some of her personal challenges and successes.
(First aired on June 26, 2009) Listen now.
Music Credits: Our Daily Bread, Saxophone Summit, Seraphic Light, Telarc
Henry 'Mac' McCarthy
Henry "Mac" McCarthy with Dorsay Fischer Henry McCarthy was born in 1927 in Mt. Vernon, New York. After graduating from high school at the end of WWII, Henry moved from one job to another - a stint in the Coast Guard, commercial shrimp fishing, and time spent working as a carpenter - which eventually brought him to Florida where he discovered his love for boat-building. Henry recently talked with one of his canoe-building students, friend Dorsay Fischer, at his home in Sarasota. Henry detailed some of the events that led to his passion for hand-built canoes, and how the hobby-turned-occupation has helped him overcome some of his darker days.
(First aired on January 23, 2009, rebroadcast on June 19, 2009) Listen now.
Dorsay Fischer building her canoe
Dorsay's canoe "Sairy Gamp"
Music Credits: At Last We Meet Again, Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Three Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Warner Bros.
Valerie and
Daryn Kinney
Daryn and Valerie Kinney Daryn and Valerie Kinney were married on March 20, 1999. Shortly after returning home from a church-sponsored trip to Peru in August that year, Valerie quickly became sick. Not knowing the severity of the problem, Daryn rushed Valerie to the hospital where her condition continued to worsen. It was later found that the cause was a small tumor near Valerie's brain stem which led to a series of complications. Valerie recently sat down to talk with her husband about her medical condition at that time, the treatments performed and appreciation of their life together since then.
(First aired on December 5, 2008, rebroadcast on June 12, 2009) Listen now.
Music Credits: A String of Pearls, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, Bluebird Records (taken from the 78rpm release - non-album release)
Brad and Holly Swanson with their father Ted
Ted Swanson Ted Swanson is a man who worked under many titles during his days in the film industry. When he first got started in the business, it was at the bottom - as a page. In time he worked as a stunt man, then as an actor. He later found a foothold behind the camera as an assistant director, working on many film and television projects. Ted recently sat down to talk with his children Holly and Brad about fond memories of working in the film industry, but he also spent a good deal of time reminiscing about his two favorite roles - those of husband and father.
(First aired on June 5, 2009) Listen now.
Check out Ted Swanson's film and television career credits online at IMDB.
EXTENDED AUDIO: Ted talks with Holly and Brad about two notable film projects. Listen now
Welcoming refugees from Burma, escaping the control of a communist dictator, or recounting the details of a former life of crime...all of this might sound like the stuff of Hollywood movies. However, for Larry Elliston this is just the type of inspiration that helps him to create the unique personal portraits that are Florida Stories. Over the past few months Larry has introduced us to many interesting people living in and around the Bay area. In this episode we're revisiting some of Larry's favorite moments as featured during the Florida Matters TV series.
(First aired on May 29, 2009) Listen now.
Marilyn with brother Ernie Garatiex and his children Samantha and Andrew, in the Garatiex home near Tampa
Naing Naing Zaw Tun, his wife Mi Mi Zan and their daughter Su Su meet their host Aung Thein as they arrive in Tampa
Tyrone Summerall, making a social call to Police Chief Art Bodenheimer
Best of 2009 (Week 1 of 2) Whether it be painting rain barrels, discovering new ways to go green, or simply curling up with Tipper the reading dog and a good book, there’s no doubt that producer Larry Elliston has a gift for uncovering a great story. Over the past few months Larry has introduced us to some of the Bay area’s most interesting people and helped them to tell their unique stories. Today we’re revisiting some of Larry’s favorite moments as featured during the Florida Matters TV series.
(First aired on May 22, 2009) Listen now.
Gabriel Tinnaro, commuting to work by bicycle for the past three years
Will Michaels helping to preserve vintage St. Petersburg
By aquiring private funding, Stefani Busansky helps level the playing field for disabled children all over the bay area
Tyrone Summerall
Tyrone Summerall Most of us would probably agree that, as unfortunate as the thought is, crime is a fact of life. But for Floridian Tyrone Summerall, a life of crime proved to be his curse and his blessing. Florida Matters producer Larry Elliston was given a chance to speak with Tyrone about growing up in a life of crime, the experience that forced him to see the error of his ways, and how he reintroduced himself to society as a new man.
(First aired on May 15, 2009) Listen now.
Tyrone as a younger child.
Tyrone making a social call to Police Chief Art Bodenheimer.
About Florida Stories
Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King interviews his friend and financial adviser Malcolm Taaffe.
Florida Stories is a WUSF 89.7 segment featuring the personal memories of Floridians as they were shared with StoryCorps, the national oral history project co-sponsored by NPR and the Library of Congress.
Each week, Florida Stories presents unique and compelling stories told by the people who lived them. These are stories of hope and inspiration, fear and triumph, laughter and tears - personal and intimate conversations with people just like you.
Listen to Florida Stories every Friday afternoon at 5:30 PM during
"All Things Considered" on WUSF 89.7, Your NPR Station.
Eric Jordan joined the WUSF staff in August 2005. The StoryCorps mobile booth arrived in Sarasota in January 2006, and Eric realized the potential for an engaging series of conversations from these interviews. Florida Stories was born out of that initial recording project. Eric is now WUSF’s Production Manager, overseeing many aspects of audio recording at the radio station, assisting Operations Manager Dustin Hapli with broadcasts of live performances, and completing other projects originating from the FM operations department.
