I went to the StoryCorps booth at the Milwaukee Public Library today with my dad. He was a little antsy, wondering what kind of questions I’d ask him. When the facilitator held up her hand to signal 5 minutes left in the 40 minute session – we were both surprised. Because Dad’s an only child, I didn’t grow up with lots of uncles, aunts, or cousins sharing stories about Dad’s childhood (like I did with my mom). So I always felt a veil of mystery about my Dad’s childhood. He told some great stories, and asked me for stories of my visits with his parents as well. It felt refreshing to be able to distinguish memories from photographs. I told him I remembered the bumpy textured taupe colored chair my grandpa used to sit in (right in front of the tv), and their collection of swizzle sticks in the pantry. I’d forgotten that I remembered those… He told of his days working as a window dresser at Schuster’s Department Store in high school, something I didn’t know he’d done. He also told me he was the broadcaster at Bayview High School’s football games and for the morning announcements every day at school. You never know until you ask–and of course until to you really listen.
