Escaping from the Nazis

“My grandmother didn’t want to leave, and my mother, very bravely at age 24 went back to Prague and got her mother and her younger sister Mimi out of Prague with great difficulty… on the last train before Hitler marched...

A Soldiers Voice

“He was a Soldier in the Irish Civil War” On January 2, 2019 David O’Mara (14) sat down with his father Jason O’Mara (42) to talk about his childhood in liberated Ireland and his grandmother’s stories about the history of...

From nothing to something

"I didn't have a skill so I figured if I went to the military they would teach me a skill which they did." On November 21,2019,in Cerritos,California, 15 year old Isaiah Brewington sat down with his 78 year old grandfather...

“I was drafted into the US army at age 20”

“My tank was severely broken and instead of giving up, I became the cooking sergeant.” On January 6th, 2020 in Los Angeles, California, Caroline Rehder sat down with her grandfather, Greg Palmer, to hear his experiences from being drafted into...

What It Takes to be a Parent

Being nineteen and working as an assistant for Steven Spielberg as your first job isn’t something most teenagers get the opportunity to experience. On January 6th, 2019 in Los Angeles, California, Zoey Rukavina, age 15, sat down in her room...

Josh Werner: Country/Bluegrass Musician

Meet Josh Werner! From finding a guitar is his parent’s closet, to receiving his grandmother’s blessing to pursue music professionally, Josh has come a long way. He is now one of the most talented and respected country musicians in South...

A Twist on a Proposal

In November of 2018, 14 year old Isabella Orlando interviewed her mom, Mandana Orlando in Sherman Oaks, California. The stories all take place in Santa Monica in the 1990’s. Isabella asks about everything, from how she met and fell in...

Paul Tyler & Judy Higgins

A conversation between Paul Tyler and Judy Higgins. This conversation was recorded at the school on May 8th, 2017. Go to www.oldtownschool.org/StoryCorps to hear selected excerpts from interviews collected as part of the StoryCorps-Old Town School partnership.

A Change in Lifestyle

“In Michigan people were super nice, and that's not always the case in LA,” said Linda Branca when her son, Dylan Branca interviewed her. The interview took place on Janurary 6, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. The best part of...

An Interview With My Argentine Grandmother

Estela Fernandez, born on December 6th of 1940, is the daughter of European refugees who came to Buenos Aires, Argentina during World War 1. She talks about her fondest memories, such as hanging out with her families on the weekends,...

Matt Fisher: Saloon Singer

Meet Matt Fisher! From learning how to play guitar from family and friends, to being featured on MTV’s Made, Matt has lived an exciting life. Now, Matt finds the most fulfillment equipping his students with the tools necessary to play...

Judy Hauff & Louise Dimiceli-Mitran

Judy Hauff and Louise Dimiceli-Mitran worked at the Old Town School in the 1970s, at a time when everyone seemed to wear a lot of hats. They reunited to talk about some of the adventures they had together back then,...

Martin’s Music

I interview my classmate about his past and future in music production.

Lance Greening & Rick Veras

A conversation between Lance Greening and Rick Veras. This conversation was recorded at the school on May 8th, 2017. Go to www.oldtownschool.org/StoryCorps to hear selected excerpts from interviews collected as part of the StoryCorps-Old Town School partnership.

9,641 km, 2 continents, 1 lifetime, 0 defeats.

Growing up before WWII and falling in love were the easiest parts of Vera's life, but she encountered more hurdles along her way. On November 21, 2017, in Los Angeles, CA, Vera Volfson shares her story with her great-granddaughter Dara...

The American Dream

At the age of seven, Jesse Marino and his family came to America to seek asylum from communism in Cuba. On December 22nd in Toluca Lake, Mia Phillips sat down with her family friend, Jesse Marino(58 years old), to learn...

MY FREAKING HISTORY PROJECT REEET

This interview will help me rember alot about Dik and how his life ended up.

Crossing the Sea: An Interview with Abel Friedman

I never how much my grandfather’s identity as an immigrant affected his whole life. On December 27th 2019 in Sanibel Island, Florida, my grandpa Abel Friedman (83) and I discussed his childhood immigrating from Poland to the US. Abel talked...

Kathy Cowan & Colby Maddox

A conversation between Kathy Cowan and Colby Maddox, co-workers, teachers at the Old Town School. Kathy talks about a father, a classical singer who worked with Win Stracke, and traces her history from a receptionist job at WFMT to a...

Sarrah Ellen McDonald and Sarah Adams

Interview with Sarrah Ellen McDonald on how she began singing and playing music, her involvement in helping found Georgia Pick & Bow Traditional Appalachian Music School, and other aspects of music in Dahlonega. Interviewed by Sarah Adams on April 5,...

An immigration from Africa to America

Kennedy interviews her dad, Nick Roxborough, on January 5,2020 in Los Angeles California. “You couldn’t imagine two more different places than San Francisco and a little town called Arusha.”-Nick Roxborough. Nick Roxborough spent the first two years of his life...

Steve Doyle & Mike Drassler

In addition to teaching at the Old Town School for over 20 years, Steve Doyle is versatile guitarist who can be found gigging around town several times a week. In this conversation he talks with his coworker and one-time student...

The American Dream we Take for Granted

In the 1980’s Iran was in the middle of a revolution and Persian Jews were looking for political asylum. In this interview Sam Ghalili speaks with his father Jesse Ghalili in Encino California who talks about his courageous journey immigrating...