Reflections on a Rich Career

I am entering one of my stories about "working" in the Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition for 2014.

About a month ago I had submitted the story, A Rich Career, to the Working Now Project.

2014 marks the fortieth anniversary of the nonfiction book "Working" by oral historian and radio broadcaster Studs Terkel. In it, Terkel asks a number of men and women to describe their working lives. Their dreams, hopes, fears and stark emotions are revealed.

To mark the anniversary I talked with writer Susan Mitchell who works for the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida near Orlando. Mitchell's been in the workplace for many years and has held many jobs. Here she reflects on a long and rich working life...

 Click to listen to Reflections on a Rich Career.

Carbon and Climate Change in Florida

Climate change is already having an impact on Florida. On Monday the EPA announced new rules that aim to reduce carbon emissions. The goal is to reduce emissions 30% by 2030 compared to 2005 emissions.

U.S. Representative Ted Deutch from Florida's 21st district says we can't afford to ignore the problems caused by climate change. The nonprofit Environment Florida conducted this interview with Representative Deutch.

This is Radio - Roman Mars

Here is a short video produced by Andrew Norton on Roman Mars. Roman Mars has a big podcast and public radio hit called 99% Invisible.

99% Invisible does great in-depth storytelling about design, architecture and all those small things you see that makes up our modern world. Like stories about who invented the barcode or what is the deep story behind the invention of elevators.




Thanks also to Transom.

Springs History Story

I had so much fun producing this 5 minute story about the history surrounding DeLeon Springs State Park in Volusia County. I produced it for the radio program "Florida Frontiers".

I have been to the park many times and enjoyed the historical markers and other educational displays about the park's history. The park is probably best known for the Old Spanish Sugar Mill restaurant where you can make your own pancakes at griddles in each table. The spring has a very long history dating back to prehistoric times but this piece details a raid conducted by Union forces during the Civil War.

Thanks to Park Manager, Brian Polk and author and historian Rick Tonyan.  Also, thanks to the Florida Historical Society and it's Executive Director Dr. Ben Brotemarkle for giving me this opportunity.

Click to listen to Conflict and Calm at the Springs.

Philly Soul Radio

Black radio in America was born in the 1950s and was a hotbed of radio innovation, discovery and entertainment.

I was lucky to be able to contribute to this groundbreaking radio documentary about Black radio called Going Black: The Legacy of Philly Soul Radio.

This documentary is filled with interesting characters and compelling stories. It is informative and entertaining.

The Dixie Cups

On April 2nd I helped record an interview with Barbara and Rosa Hawkins of the legendary 1960s girl group "The Dixie Cups" for New Orleans public radio station WWNO. The Dixie Cups biggest hit was the million-seller "Chapel of Love".

They were kind, delightful and had many great stories from the heyday of rock and roll. They let me take a photo of this 1960s promotional picture of the group hanging on their wall. The third member of the original group was their cousin, Joan.

Here is the story produced by Eve Abrams.

Grenada Invasion Story

Today, the invasion of the Caribbean island nation of Grenada is a minor event in history but in 1983 it was big news . It represented the return of American military adventures after a few years of pullback and the embarrassment of the Iran hostage crisis.

I had an opportunity to help with the production of  a radio story about one medical school student who was there. Using a ham radio he had repaired and with the help of a friend, Mark Baratella broke the news of the invasion to the U.S. media and to rest of the world.

Here's how The Story with Dick Gordon told the tale of  A Student's Account of the Invasion of Grenada.

The Rev Limit Report Episode 2