John Klein tells Bernice Flournoy about falling in love with her mother, Mary Ann Allen, while he was working as a maintenance man at a senior citizen facility in Oakland, CA.
More from StoryCorps
StoryCorps: Harrison Wright and Sean Guess
(00:01:56)
From: StoryCorps
Harrison Wright tells his grandson, Sean Guess, about serving in the Army at the end of World War II.
StoryCorps: Van and Shirley Harris
(00:02:17)
From: StoryCorps
Van Harris and his wife, Shirley, remember being young in Brooklyn during the 1940s.
StoryCorps: Theresa and Dennis McLaughlin
(00:02:16)
From: StoryCorps
Theresa McLaughlin speaks about raising her son, Dennis, who was born with spina bifida, leaving him unable to use his legs.
StoryCorps: Ricardo Isaias Zavala and Ricardo Javier Zavala
(00:02:32)
From: StoryCorps
Ricardo Isais Zavala remembers his grandfather, Vicente Domingo Villa, in an interview with his son, Ricardo Javier Zavala.
StoryCorps NTI: Kate Musick and Harleé Patrick, Jose Catalan and Carlos Vizcarra
(00:02:50)
From: StoryCorps
Two stories about teachers who went beyond the classroom to help their kids.
StoryCorps: Marco Ferreira and Wendy Tucker
(00:01:54)
From: StoryCorps
Marco Ferreira talks to his wife, Wendy Tucker, about surviving a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2008.
StoryCorps: Lisa Combest and James Hanson-Brown
(00:02:25)
From: StoryCorps
Lisa Combest and her ex-husband, James Hanson-Brown, talk about how their marriage ended.
StoryCorps Griot: Karen Slade, Eric "Rico" Reed and Arthur "Sonny" Williams
(00:02:28)
From: StoryCorps
Karen Slade, Eric "Rico" Reed, and Arthur "Sonny" Williams of radio station KJLH remember the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.
StoryCorps: Kenneth and Gaye Honeycutt
(00:02:03)
From: StoryCorps
Kenneth Honeycutt tells his wife Gaye about witnessing the New London School Explosion of 1937.
StoryCorps: David Plant and Frank Lilley
(00:02:34)
From: StoryCorps
Frank Lilley interviews his stepfather, David Plant, about approaching the end of his life.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
John Klein tells Bernice Flournoy about falling in love with her mother, Mary Ann Allen, while he was working as a maintenance man at a senior citizen facility in Oakland, CA.
Broadcast History
NPR Morning Edition 10/14/11
Transcript
Bernice Flournoy (BF): Tell us how you met mom.
John Klein (JK): I had a temporary position at a senior citizen facility in downtown Oakland. Mary moved in there. I was managing the maintenance department, and she need a couple of things done, so I went up there and adjusted the toilet and made sure the doors opened and closed.
At that time she was 59. She had just lost her left foot, but despite her health situation she really liked to go out and do stuff. So I said, "Would you like to go out for a walk sometime?" She was in a wheelchair, so I pushed her down the street, and we just sat there and looked over Lake Merritt, for an hour or so, just talking. And somewhere along the line, we just fell in love with each other. And you know, if you see us coming down the street, certainly didn't make any sense. I'm 17 years her junior, and she is black and I'm white.
BF: And?
JK: And t...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:It is Friday morning, which means it's time again for StoryCorps.
Today -- the story of two people who fell in love.
And today, Mary Ann Allen and John Klein's relationship is the story we'll hear about. That relationship STARTED in an unusual place.
John sat down with Mary Ann's daughter, Bernice ... to explain.
OUTRO:John Klein with Bernice Flournoy (floor-NOY) in Oakland, California.
Their conversation will be archived along with all others at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
And as always, you can get the StoryCorps PODCAST at NPR-dot-ORG.
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flax | Fredrik | Trilogi. | Kora Records | 2010 | 00:21 |
Additional Credits
NPR, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Principal Financial Group
Related Website
Of 1 purchasers of this piece...
- 1 also bought:
Laughing without an Accent (00:18:02) - 1 also bought:
A Cook's Notebook: Cold Soup (00:03:08) - 1 also bought:
The Hula Lesson (00:57:26) - 1 also bought:
Life Stories - Friendship (00:59:05) - 1 also bought:
The '63 March: Going to D.C. (00:07:03)
