Spotlight on Listening: Oral History Interview, Dr. Mary Starke Harper

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Story Corps fourth annual National Day of Listening is Nov. 25, 2011. Each year Story Corps invites all Americans to set aside an hour on the day after Thanksgiving, to interview a friend, loved one or community member about their lives.

In honor of the upcoming event, we'll be sharing some of our favorite oral history interviews, and resources for interviewing loved ones.

Today’s Resource:

Interview a Friend or Loved One on the National Day of Listening: from Family Tree Magazine, Diane Haddad has compiled suggested articles from Family Tree Magazine, with resources for choosing who to interview and ideas for interview questions.

Today's Video:

Dr. Mary Starke Harper discusses the challenges and achievements of her long and distinguished career. She was interviewed by The University of Georgia's Institute of Gerontology.

Dr. Harper received a Ph.D. from St. Louis University and was recognized as the nation’s leading authority on mental health and long term care. In the course of her career she served as advisor to four U.S. Presidents. Her tireless efforts helped to establish minimum requirements for long term health care [1].

Sources Cited:

[1] Alabama Health Care Hall of Fame, "Mary Starke Harper, Ph.D., RN, FAAN." http://www.healthcarehof.org/honorees02/harper.html, accessed 14 Nov 2011.

The National Day of Listening: Learn and Preserve Family Stories