FROM THE EDITOR'S PEN
/Unbroken Chain/
Editorial List
I had been
working as a video producer for the past ten years, when my
dad passed in 1991, so you would think that it would have
been second nature for me to pick up a camera and record his
thoughts and memories for posterity. I actually thought
about it a few times, but could not get past the notion that
he would have seen the action as my acknowledgement that he
would not be with us for much longer. This is a case of
over-thinking an issue that I regret to this day. I am
reminded of this event (or non-event) because of an article
I saw in the local paper about the StoryCorps project
rolling into town at the end of the month (www.storycorps.net).
This is a project in which a mobile sound studio travels the
country seeking interviews with people across the nation for
archiving at the Library of Congress. The thing I like the
most about this project is that they ask family members to
interview one another. In this way, the folklore of a family
does not pass with the generations. Even if the studio does
not roll into your town, this is an opportunity that I think
we all must take to keep our families’ oral histories alive
for future generations. And if your loved one is not able to
be interviewed, talk with other family members from their
generation. Take it from me, if you do not do this, you may
come to regret it for a long time, and besides, your
great-great-grandchildren will thank you for your efforts.
Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com
