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Life Story Anthology

About Our Project: Students in this Life Story Writing class have written about their experiences of important historical events such as World War II, the Depression, the changing role of women, racism, the rise of Communism, immigration, and the styles, culture and technologies of yesteryear-from a truly multicultural perspective. Then there are the timeless themes about childhood play, teenage crushes, marriage, and death of loved ones, which have universal appeal, and at the same time reveal the individual characters and the unique context of time and place.

These stories also impart a great deal of wisdom gleaned from students' long and full lives. This is a generation that knows how to "make something from nothing" whether it's keeping family traditions alive on a less-than-shoestring-budget, summoning the grit to survive in wartime, escaping a repressive country and starting anew in America, or building a life again after the death of a beloved spouse. These involved and caring seniors serve as a potent example of how to use continuing education to enhance the quality of their own lives while also benefiting the community at large.

(The Reseda ECC website holding the stories is temporarily unavailable)

Contact US: Please share your thoughts and experiences with reading and making use of this material at jeanette@jeanetteshelburne.com

• NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY
  • "World War 2" by E. Mouradian
• ENGLAND
  • "The Bombing of London" by Gerald Keston
  • "The Bombing of Raids on London, 1939-1945" by Elizabeth Emanuel
• SERVING IN THE U.S. ARMED FORCES
  • "Start of Army Life" and "Experience at Fairfield 1 - San Francisco" by Don Berkus
  • "Squadron Life - The South Pacific" by Don Berkus
  • "1944" by Harold Cohen
  • "Now Japan Awaits Us-1945" by Harold Cohen
• DAILY LIFE IN THE US
  • "Coming of Age During World War II" by Z. Gluskin
  • "World War II Remembrance" by Z. Gluskin
• ITALY
  • "A July to Remember" by Angela Fontanili

• "Feed the Hungry" by E. Swain
• "Fishing Through Ice" by E. Swain
• "The Stock Market Crash of 1929" by E. Swain
• "We Become Entrepreneurs - 1930" by Joseph Grodsky
• "Leaving Home - 1934" by Joseph Grodsky
• "Joe - 1932" by Sam Rubenstein
• "A Piece of String" by Rose Mary Pritchard
• "The Great Depression" by Phyllis Gray

• KARL LITTNER'S STORIES
  • "Whats in a Name?" by K. Littner
  • "My Birth?" by K. Littner
  • "My Grandparent's House in Oswiecin, Auschwitz" by K. Littner
  • "Daily Life in Oswiecim, Poland - 1930's" by K. Littner
  • "Grandfather Akiba,the Expert Broken Bone Fixer" by K. Littner
  • "Liquidation of the Ghetto Sosnowiec Srodula, Poland, 1943" by K. Littner
  • "Childhood Memories in Poland" by K. Littner
  • "Strange Coincidences" by K. Littner
  • "Uncle Elek" by K. Littner
  • "Arrival at Birkenau" by K. Littner
  • "The Death March into Oblivion" by K. Littner
  • "The Brown Picture" by K. Littner
  • "My Trip to Poland and Austria in 2003" by K. Littner
• HARRY LANGSAM'S STORIES
  • "Strzyzow, My Birthplace" by Harry Langsam
  • "My Favorite Willow Tree" by Harry Langsam
  • "Laundry Day in the Olden Days" by Harry Langsam
  • "Preparations for the Passover Holiday in my Shtetl" by Harry Langsam
  • "Farewell to my Beloved Shtetl, and Escape to the Soviet Union - 1939" by Harry Langsam
  • "Lost in the Wilderness - Siberia" by Harry Langsam
  • "My Second Everlasting Romance" by Harry Langsam
  • "My Wedding Story, December 1945" by Harry Langsam
  • "Exodus from the Soviet 'Paradise'" by Harry Langsam
  • "Evil Eye" by Harry Langsam
  • "A Conversation with my Wall Unit" by Harry Langsam
• D.K. COLEMAN'S STORIES
  • "Once in a Lifetime" by D.K. Coleman
  • "Remembrance and a Priceless Garment" by D.K. Coleman
  • "Israeli Memories" by D.K. Coleman
  • "Hands" by D.K. Coleman
  • "Life's Twists and Turns" by D.K. Coleman
• FREDA ISAKSEN'S STORIES
  • "There is a Secret Corner in my Heart" by Freda Isaksen
  • "In Memory" by Freda Isaksen
  • "What Happened to my Blackberry Jam" by Freda Isaksen
  • "Fit for a Prince" by Freda Isaksen
• HENRY FARBER'S STORIES
  • "The Pickle Story, Poland - 1937?" by Henry Farber

• "The Children's Toys" by Manny Morris

• ARMENIAN
  • "My Mother" by E. Mouradian
• CUBAN
  • "Erev (eve of) Departure Day" by F.B.
• MEXICAN
  • "Nepantla" by Alma Angelina Loera
  • "Dia de Los Muertos" by Alma Angelina Loera
• NICARAGUAN
  • "What Impressed me when I Came to the United States" by Rose Carpenter

• "Memories of London in the 1910s" by Elizabeth Emanuel

• NEW YORK
  • "The 1920s" by Rose Moskowitz
  • "Winter Sports - 1926" by Sam Rubenstein
  • "The Blue Flash" by Sam Rubenstein
  • "Gloves" by Sam Rubenstein

• LOS ANGELES
  • "Our New Model T" by Roy Epstein
  • "Go Fly a Kite" by Roy Epstein
  • "My First Barbershop Haircut" by Roy Epstein

• LOUISIANA
  • "Aunt Adolphine and the Baby Chicks" by Levonia George
  • "A Special Secret" by Levonia George

• NEW YORK
  • "Incident on a Sunday Afternoon" by A. Meisner
  • "My Sister" by Z. Gluskin
  • "The Teen Years" by Sylvia Radiloff
  • "1935" by Mary Gilvarry
  • "Early Memories" by Manny Morris
• LOS ANGELES
  • "The Old Neighborhood" by M. Stowsky
  • "Friday Night at Aunt Tillie's" by M. Stowsky
  • "Leona" by M. Stowsky
  • "A Little Mystery Never Hurt" by J. Branch
  • "Carrying the Torch - the 1932 Olympics" by Roy Epstein
• ISRAEL
  • "Teenage Angst" by S. Yucht
• CUBA
  • "Good Frog, Bad Frog" by Art Carpenter
• KANSAS
  • "When I First Started School" by Betty Whitman Bross
  • "Life on the Farm" by Betty Whitman Bross
  • "The Family Vacation" by Betty Whitman Bross
  • "Life on the Ranch" by Betty Whitman Bross
  • "The Day Rain Turned to Tears" by Betty Whitman Bross
  • "Looking Forward to a New Life" by Betty Whitman Bross
  • "Life with Uncle Scrooge" by Betty Whitman Bross
  • "Happy Times Come and Go" by Betty Whitman Bross
• OHIO
  • "The Old Movie Theater" by Phyllis Fockler Gray
  • "Old Fashioned Remedies" by Phyllis Fockler Gray
  • "The Day the Circus Came to Town" by Phyllis Fockler Gray
  • "Spring" by Phyllis Fockler Gray
  • "Winter" by Phyllis Fockler Gray
  
  
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• CHILDHOOD
  • "Spontaneous Things My Father Said" by E. Mouradian
  • "The Horsey" by Stan Zalesny
• RECREATION
  • BASEBALL
    • "My Dad" by E. Mouradian
  • MUSIC - BIG BANDS
    • "And Away We Go" by Natalie Gewertz
  • BEACH
    • "My Love Affair with the Beach" by Natalie Gabrielson
• ROMANCE
  • "The Blind Date that Opened my Eyes" by J. Branch
  • "Yesterday I Saw Her" by Sam Rubenstein
• SCHOOL
  • "Music" by E. Mouradian
  • "High School R.O.T.C." by E. Mouradian
  • "History Contest" by E. Mouradian
  • "The Kiss" by Phyllis Fockler Gray
• FAMILY LIFE
  • "Dresser Drawers" by B. Ludwig
  • "The Thunderstorm" by Lucille M. Duffy
  • Los Angeles
    • "A Special Adventure" by Stan Zalesny
  • Texas
    • "On the Road Again" by Pat McNeely
    • "Sunday Dinner" by Pat McNeely
    • "The Sewing Machine" by Pat McNeely
• CUBA
  • "Mamma at the Movies" by F.B.
  • "Gefilte Fish" by F.B.

• LOS ANGELES
  • "Suburbia" by S. Yucht
  • "A Party to Remember" by Jerry Solomon

• TEXAS
  • "A Dog Named Peter" by Pat McNeely
  • "The Girl That I Marry" by Pat McNeely

• SCHOOL
  • "My Slide Rule" by Manny Morris
  • "Dedicated to Manny Morris" by Ed Mouradian
  • "The Separatrix Method Torpedo" by Ed Mouradian
  • "Ovid Eshbach, Dean of Northwestern University's Engineering School" by Ed Mouradian

• ROMANCE
  • "It Takes One to Know One" by Manny Morris

• FAMILY LIFE
  • LOS ANGELES
    • "Our First House (A Miracle, I Call It) in 1958" by Rose Carpenter
    • "The Flower Man" by Norma Jean Ponce
    • "Mother Cabrini's Convent and Day Care Center" by Norma Jean Ponce
    • "Simple Pleasures" by Norma Jean Ponce
    • "Teen Memories" by Stan Zalesny
    • "My Introduction to the 'Family'" by Ed Cress
  • EUROPE & AFRICA
    • "How I Met My Husband" by Eva Perlman
    • "Student Life at Oxford" by Eva Perlman
    • "Our Life in Paris and Mel's Fellowship to Africa" by Eva Perlman

• FAMILY LIFE
  • "Having a Child in Africa" by Eva Perlman

• PETS
  • "My Cat and the Car" by Ed Cress

• WORK
  • "First Job" by Stan R. Zalesny

• RECREATION
  • "El Mariachi" ("The Musician") by Norma Jean Ponce

• WORK
  • "Fighting the System" by Sylvia Voegele
  • "You Never Know Till You Ask" by Pat McNeely

• FAMILY LIFE
  • "Requiem" by A. Meisner
  • "The Piano" by Lee Cole
  • "Small Things Can Mean A Lot" by Lee Cole

• WORK
  • "To the Farthest Corner of the World - Mongolia" by S. Morrison
  • "The Decorator" by Lee Cole

• WORK
  • "I'm a CAD" by Janet Gordon

• FAMILY LIFE
  • "Getting, Giving and Sharing" by Bernice Martinez

• RECREATION
  • "Rescue" by Sarah Morrison

• RECREATION
  • "Art - My Purple Distraction" by A. Meisner
  • "Learning to Use my New IPOD" by S. Radiloff
  • "Public Transportation" by Freda Isaksen

• TRAVEL
  • "My Hero" by Lee Cole

• HEALTH
  • "Mammogram - 27 Days of Depression, Butterflies and the Unknown" by Lee Cole

• FAMILY LIFE
  • "The Day My Granddauthers were Born" by Rose Carpenter
  • "Death of My Sister" by Janet Gordon
  • "Dry Leaves" by Alma Angelina Loera
  • "My Old Shoes" by Margaret Carpenter
  • "Katrina" by Margaret Carpenter
  • "I'm Having a Birthday" by Rose Carpenter

• ROMANCE
  • "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" by Manny Morris

• RELIGION
  • "Who Goest There In The Name of Catholicism?" by Mary Gilvarry

• "My Father" by Julia Shulman
• "My Mother" by Z. Gluskin
• "A Mother Stood Straight and Proud" by Freda Isaksen
• "Outline of my Father's Life" by Edward Mouradian
• "My Father's Writings" by Edward Mouradian
• "A Visit With Cousin Armen Haroutunian" by Edward Mouradian
• "My Father's Family, the Warshaws" by Sylvia Radiloff
• "The Confession" by Sam Rubenstein
• "The Story of the Amsterdam Haggadah" by Eva Perlman

• "How did I get into this English class?" by E. Mouradian
• "The Magic Number" by Julia Shulman
• "The Past and the Future" by Julia Shulman
• "My Grandmother, Zita" by M. Winard
• "New Year's Resolutions" by Sylvia Voegele
• "My Life Story Writing Class" by Rose Carpenter
• "Hey, What is Your Right Birthday, Anyhow?" by Edward Mouradian
• "Unbound" by Sam Rubenstein
• "What I Know So Clearly" by Sam Rubenstein
• "Turn of a Chair" by Sam Rubenstein
• "The Yiddish Guide to Down Home Texas Talk" by Pat McNeely