Mona Meyer and Keith Cooper

Keith (K) and Mona (M) introduce themselves and read each other's bios.

M shares her life story. She says she grew up as the youngest of ten on a small farm, which is how her parents made their living. M says her parents were all about education. She says she followed in her mother’s footsteps and became an RN, married a farmer, and now lives on a farm in rural Wichita, Kansas. M adds that she has two sons and spends time volunteering with the homeless and the military.

K shares his life story. He says grew up very poor in a rural setting. K adds that his father was a baptist minister, which informed a lot of the conservative values his siblings hold. K says he grew up in a hoarder type environment and that impacted his identity when he was young and his relationship with his family. K says growing up his family was very close but they’ve grown apart as they’ve gotten older. K says he and his brother Gordon ran a point-counterpoint column in a local newspaper but they have not really spoken since the 2016 election. K adds that he's been married to his wife for thirty-seven years and together they have two daughters, one son, and four grandchildren.

M talks about her mother as the kindest person in her life. She shares that her mother passed away unexpectedly in 2017.

K also talks about his mother's kindness. He discloses that his mother also passed away unexpectedly in a car accident around the same time frame.

M says her dad's family used to have family reunions. She recalls one gathering when she was a kid where her uncles and dad started yelling and screaming at each other. M says the experience had a negative impact and now she does not like to discuss politics, religion, or money with family members.

K says his earliest moment of politics was the Watergate scandal when he was eight or nine years old. He says he didn’t understand what was going on but he knew it was a big deal.

M says she wanted to do today’s interview because there is a lot of divisiveness in the United States. K echoes the same sentiment.

K details his military experience. He says he decided to enroll as a senior in high school. K describes himself as a fairly pacifist guy and not a gun person. K says the military was an opportunity to be in a diverse environment with people from different backgrounds. He adds that the military also gave him the opportunity to think for himself away from the influence of family and friends. K says he was in the military for six years and it gave him education opportunities and discipline.

M discloses that she does not drink or do drugs. She says she is a drug and alcohol behavioral nurse and has seen the damage substances can do to someone’s life so she decides not to partake in them.

M shares her thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccine and says it should not be mandated but should be a personal decision.

K says that he is pro-vaccine. He says he is concerned by the politically-motivated resistance to the vaccine.

M and K reflect on how the interview went.