StoryCorps Griot: Fred Davie and Robert Sanchez
From StoryCorps | Part of the StoryCorps series | 03:06
A social worker who now helps others who are making the transition from prison talks with his mentor about their first meeting inside Sing Sing prison.
Robert Sanchez is a social worker who helps people coming out of prison find work and get the support they need. He has a unique understanding of his client’s struggles because in 2001, Robert was released from New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility after serving 15 years for a nonviolent drug offense.
Robert has also recorded StoryCorps interviews with those who have helped him over the years, and in March 2010, his conversation with Felix Aponte was broadcast on NPR. More recently, he sat down with Fred Davie, a long-time mentor and friend to thank him for the spiritual support he has provided.
A Presbyterian minister who heads the Union Theological Seminary, Fred met Robert in 1998 when he was visiting Sing Sing and Robert was working towards his master’s degree in theology. They struck up a conversation and made an instant connection, and after Robert’s release, Fred helped him navigate the difficult process of finding work, interpersonal relationships, and fatherhood.
They have both remained outspoken about the importance of providing guidance and support to individuals following their incarceration, and together they developed the Ready4Work reentry program which provides mentoring and job counseling to former prisoners to help with their transition and avoid returning to prison.
At StoryCorps Robert and Fred remember their first meeting, and discuss how their relationship has grown since.
StoryCorps OutLoud: Leslye Huff and Mary Ostendorf
From StoryCorps | Part of the StoryCorps series | 02:14
When they met in 1983, Leslye was open about her sexuality while Mary kept hers private. With a family Thanksgiving approaching, that all changed.
Leslye Huff (left) and her partner, Mary Ostendorf (right), met in 1983. Leslye was open about her feelings for Mary and wasn’t shy about publicly showing her affection--even on their first date. Mary felt less comfortable with public displays of affection and had not told many people in her life about her sexuality, including her family.
When Mary introduced Leslye to her mother, Agnes, they did not immediately reveal to her the nature of their relationship, but during that meeting Leslye felt a connection with Agnes. “I liked her. She was short like me, and pretty vivacious. She and I sat and talked and I thought the makings of a pretty good friendship was beginning.”
Later that year, days before they gathered for Thanksgiving, Leslye picked up the phone and told Agnes the truth about her relationship with Mary.
At StoryCorps, Mary and Leslye discuss what happened after the phone call and how their relationship with Agnes changed in the years that followed.
Originally aired November 27, 2016, on NPR’s Weekend Edition.
StoryCorps: Rita Fischer and Jay Fischer
From StoryCorps | Part of the StoryCorps series | 02:29
Rita Fischer (90) and Jay Fischer (65) recall the moment that Jay came out as gay.
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90-year-old Rita Fischer and her son Jay interviewed each another at a StoryCorps booth in New York City.
They recalled a conversation they had back in the 1980s, when Jay first told Rita he was gay.
Warning: This clip features senior citizens dropping ‘f’ bombs.
Rita Fischer has walked in New York’s AIDS Walk since 1986. She has raised more than $800,000 in that time.