StoryCorps
Gathers Local Tales The StoryCorps Airstream trailer was parked on ENMU’s campus for a month this past spring, inviting local students and residents to sign up to have a 40-minute, one-on-one interview with another person, disussing Photo by: Times Remembered Photography
Alex, now 20 years old, recently earned his GED – a tough task after coming to the U.S. knowing no English – and he is taking steps to pursue a college degree. Of course, ENMU is on his list of potential choices. Isaac, Clay and Elijah are in high school and the family enjoys traveling and playing tennis together. A Portales native, Dr. Powell works a urologist specializing in female urology, splitting his time between St. John Medical Center and Oklahoma Surgical
anything they want, in any language they want. Morgan Feigal-Stickles, site manager for the StoryCorps mobile tour, explained that the organization works with communities to “gather stories of people who aren’t normally in the history books, because we recognize that everybody has a story, and every story is important.” After the audio interviews were completed, the involved parties received a copy and could choose to archive the conversation in the American Folk Life Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Hospital in Tulsa, as well as at Mercy Hospital in Fort
Since 2003, StoryCorps has given a quarter of a million
Smith, Oklahoma. Jocelyn, who earned her degree from
Americans the chance to record interviews about their
Eastern in speech pathology, spent time at a private
lives, to pass wisdom from one generation to the next,
practice before working as a very full-time mom.
and to leave a legacy for the future. It is the largest single
Curt’s parents Clyde (MED 69, BS 62) and Glenda Powell (MS 68, BS 63) are longtime Portales residents and owners of the local Sport Lab trophy
collection of human voices ever gathered. Pictured below: Alumna Shonnie Standefer (MED 83, BS 79) and Katherine Smith recorded their conversation with StoryCorps in April.
and engraving shop. Spend a few minutes with Clyde and it’s clear that he and Glenda couldn’t be more proud of their family and greatly enjoy spending time with their grandchildren. If you’d like to read more from the Powell family’s blog (PowellUkraineAdoption.BlogSpot.com), you’ll find your heart aching and celebrating right along with them. Pictured: Dr. Curt Powell (seated) currently lives with his wife Jocelyn and their five children in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From L-R: Clay (16), Isaac (15), Jocelyn, Curt, Alex (20), Cassandra (18) and Elijah (17).
Green & Silver | August 2018
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