Kurt Schoen, 46, made his first guitar ten years ago for his young daughters by stretching a rubber band across a Kleenex box. The second guitar cost him his fly-fishing line; by the third, he needed some real guitar strings. A decade later, Schoen makes … Read More →
Category Archives: Stories
Gary, a welder
Gary Buttice, 69, left Columbia Basin College in the early 1960s to work as a welder on Ice Harbor Dam. Three dams and fifty years later, Buttice is among a few who remember the recording-breaking 115-degree heat, toil and camaraderie among the workers when building … Read More →
Tim, a former homeless vet
Tim Dewald, 43, spent eight years living on the streets up and down the West Coast after returning from the Gulf War in 1992. Dewald suffered a severe injury to his shoulder while serving in the Army, which sent him to a rehabilitation clinic in … Read More →
Josefina, a grandmother
Josefina Cruz, 77, was born in a small village in the state of Hidalgo, Mex., where her family lived without plumbing or electricity. She fondly recalls fetching water from a well to bring back to the house and grilling insects with peppers and vegetables since … Read More →
Gerry, a Dadaist
Gerald “Gerry” Matthews, 79, left Texas for New York City to pursue life as an actor. He performed as a comic actor in New York supper clubs and cabarets, which eventually landed him the role as the voice of Sugar Bear, a cartoon mascot of … Read More →
Janet, a former Marine
Janet Mallen enlisted in the Marines as a reporter during her senior year of high school. Mallen excelled as a sportswriter and editor, and was promoted to Community Relations Chief and earned the rank of sergeant. At the end of her service, Mallen had received the Navy Commendation … Read More →
David, a heart transplant hopeful
David Chase, 65, has one functioning artery for his heart. Since May of last year, Chase has been on the national heart transplant waiting list. His healthy diet and a lifetime of exercise, however, have an unintended consequence—he looks too healthy to receive a heart. … Read More →
Alan, a 12-stepper
Alan Dawson’s recreational drug use during high school tailspinned into the abuse and addiction of methamphetamine, alcohol, cocaine and heroin. Dawson, 52, was imprisoned several times for incidents of theft and burglary. He lost jobs and places to stay from his drug habit. “I thought … Read More →
Sue & Mike, a Cougar couple
Sue Gillespie, 68, and Mike Gillespie, 69, sadly watched Washington State University lose to rival University of Washington in the last game of the football season this year. “Sue bleeds crimson,” Mike said. Sue has rooted for WSU football from as early as six years … Read More →
Muriel, a great-granddaughter
Stephen Kenyon, Muriel’s father, grew up knowing that his grandfather, James Otis Kenyon, had passed away long before he was born. To his surprise, Stephen found James alive and well nearly 50 years after he had disappeared from the Kenyon family, with a remarkable story … Read More →
Akira, a tea teacher
Akira Takemoto, 62, once counted waves off the southern California coast to find the perfect swell for his surfboard. Now, he looks for different waves: not the aquamarine of the ocean but the frothy green swirls of tea in his tea bowl. Takemoto has practiced … Read More →
Michael, a bike aficionado
You might recognized Michael Jaramillo from his trademark hats, through his work at Valley Vision or from the restored vintage bikes he cruises the streets on. Jaramillo, who first got into bikes when he was a teenager, turned from four-wheel transport to two wheels after … Read More →