A Legacy Video -

 A personal biography? The Oral Tradition?? A legacy video??? Up until a few years ago, I had never thought about these concepts. Then one summer while visiting my wife’s parents, I took notice of the many family pictures posted on their living room walls. My own mother had similar pictures stored in boxes that I discovered after she died. Many of her photos had no meaning to me, because she could no longer serve as my guide to her past… to my past.

Then my son produced a history project on “The Appalachian Oral Tradition.” He interviewed storytellers from North Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio and as he did I learned how, for thousands of years, people have passed history, traditions, and values from generation to generation by word of mouth.

Several years ago, as a result of these insights,  I sat at the kitchen table with my wife’s parents asking them to tell me their tales. They reminisced about growing up on farms during the depression, one room schools, ‘The War’ and how they met and began their family. Because of those recordings, 30 grandchildren and who knows how many great grandchildren (and beyond) will know their heritage in a special way. The resulting 30 minute Legacy Video told their story using news, music, and entertainment clips included to provide context. Here is an abbreviated version of that story…