StoryCorps North Dakota

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Bill Butcher Shares His Love of Adventure Apr 08, 2019

Bill and Dina Butcher gave much to their adopted state of North Dakota. Dina served under governors John Hoeven and Ed Schafer, and headed up the North Dakotans for Public Integrity. Bill was a Navy man who rose through the ranks of the FBI. They’re longtime friends and supporters of Prairie Public. Bill passed away April 5 at age 79. In an excerpt from a visit to the StoryCorps MobileBooth in July 2018, Bill talks with his daughter Marnie Piehl about his love of sailing and what it was like working as an FBI agent in Minot in the 1960s, a notorious chapter in magic city history.

Dr. Wayne Sanstead reflects on his career as ND Superintendent of Public Instruction Dec 03, 2018

Dr. Wayne Sanstead served as North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1985-2013. In this segment from his visit to the StoryCorps MobileBooth in Bismarck, he speaks with his son, Jon, about his career, military service, meeting President Truman, and how he'd like to be remembered.

Kelly Suchy receives life advice from her 97-year-old grandfather Nov 30, 2018

Herbert Wilson is 97 years young. After spending a childhood up and down the eastern seaboard, Wilson joined the air corps during World War II. His wife of 73 years served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. They survived many missions, but that all takes a backseat to his family.

'She really showed me what unconditional love was': Tina Dietz remembers her great aunt Shirley Nov 26, 2018

Your childhood shapes you, for better or for worse. Tina Dietz visited the StoryCorps MobileBooth with her partner, Patrick Conteh. In this excerpt, we learn about the lives that shaped hers – most significantly, her great aunt Shirley.

Michael and Jason Tomanek bond over sauerkraut, Grandma's pickles, and their love of gardening Nov 26, 2018

In the north, we have a short growing season. Cousins Michael and Jason Tomanek make the most of it. In this excerpt from Michael and Jason's visit to the StoryCorps MobileBooth, they talk about growing up in the gardens of their grandparents, and how they carry on their family food traditions.

Former North Dakota Ag Commissioner Sarah Vogel reflects on her career Nov 26, 2018

On the political maps of today that show the nation’s urban/rural divide, North Dakota shows up solidly red. And after the drubbing Democrats took here in November, Republicans now hold all major offices in the state, and now exclusively make up North Dakota’s congressional delegation in D.C. But it wasn’t always that way.

Best friends, 40 years apart, discuss their love for Queen, sewing, and each other Nov 26, 2018

Families come in all shapes and forms, whether it’s through blood or circumstance. For two free-spirited North Dakota women, a pairing, a breakup, and a Queen song cemented their ageless friendship, cut through strong political convictions and made them, in essence, family.

Rev. Karen Van Fossan on the #NoDAPL protests, and how they shaped her ministry Nov 26, 2018

Callings work in mysterious ways. Karen Van Fossan is a minister at the Unitarian Universalist church in Bismarck. She visited the StoryCorps mobile recording booth this past summer with her best friend, Peter Huff. In this excerpt, we learn about how the protests to the Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens the water supply of the Standing Rock Reservation and beyond, shaped her ministry.

Loah Clement on a mother's love and worry for her children Nov 26, 2018

Parents have many hopes and fears for their children. Health and happiness are near the top of many lists. For Loah Clement, that health and happiness is not tied to things. She visited the visited the StoryCorps MobileBooth in Bismarck this past July with her son Jason where they shared their fears about the current political climate and the future of the environment.

'Well here we are, and are we glad': News Director Dave Thompson on his lifelong love for radio Aug 22, 2018

You don’t have to listen to Prairie Public for very long before you hear News Director Dave Thompson. He’s known as the dean of the North Dakota press pool and he’s infamous for his puns.

The powerful story of a Native American railroad engineer, and the ancestors who paved the way Aug 08, 2018

They say a rising tide lifts all boats. For Barnie Botone, the great-grandson of a famous Kiowa chief, the Civil Rights Movement and an unlikely change agent helped pave the way for a fulfilling and pioneering career. But why were the tears flowing from his grandmother’s eyes not happy ones?

Lakota father and daughter on working to revitalize their language Jul 25, 2018

Those who work to revitalize Native American languages often find it challenging to reach the hearts of young people. But for one Lakota father and daughter, language has always been at the center of their lives, their bond and their purpose.

Finding a welcoming home, half-way across the globe Jul 25, 2018

Kurdish-American couple Berivan and Abdullah Ali describe their harrowing trip from Iran to Germany, a stepping stone in immigrating to the United States. While they chose to settle in Bismarck, North Dakota, for geographically incorrect reasons, they soon discovered the welcoming nature of its people. After many decades of happy living, Berivan and Abdullah are ready to start a new chapter in their lives, and that means leaving their beloved home, once again.

Lessons learned while raised by a single father Jul 25, 2018

A father raising a daughter on his own might not raise any eyebrows today, but forty-some years ago, it was a bit of a novelty. For Tasha Carvell, she’s glad her single dad Kevin inspired her wanderlust and an affinity for the underdog.

Persuaded by his own kids, he found his birth parents — and nine half siblings Jul 16, 2018

Some adopted kids want to know their birth parents, some don’t.

Overcoming famine and war, and finding happiness together Jul 12, 2018

In a war torn country, life is fraught with hardship. Paul and Lydia Zondo grew up in Liberia during the First Liberian Civil War, a conflict that killed a quarter of a million people from 1989 to 1997.

Accordionist recounts memories of playing across North Dakota Jul 11, 2018

Deep in the heart of the sauerkraut triangle, you know your bratwurst from your bockwurst, and strudel from your streusel. And you know your polka from your two-step.

Lakota storyteller on lessons learned from a good friend and mentor Jul 10, 2018

Kevin Locke tells StoryCorps Facilitator, Madison Mullen, about a promise and gift made by his friend and benefactor, Arlo Good Bear, shortly before his death. He describes Good Bear's lessons and gift of the hoop dance, which Locke has since shared with people all over the world.

Three generations reflect on family history and politics Jul 10, 2018

Dina Butcher talks with her daughter, Marnie Piehl, and grandson, Owen Piehl, about her political leanings, involvement, and concerns, and how they are directly influenced by her family history as Jewish refugees in United States who fled Nazi Germany in 1939. Dina reflects on her parents' history, both in the US and in Germany, and no matter the climate, the importance of speaking up.

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