Utah Families

Charlotte Williams with her daughter Angela Bergeson at their StoryCorps appointment in St. George, May 2025.

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: A love of learning and art at 97 years old

Charlotte Williams relates how she met her husband of seventy-five years, and how her love of learning revealed additional gifts after rearing her family.

Morgan and Micah Barrick pose in a rocky hiking area. Morgan has a grey padded hiking pack on over a strapped tank top. She has one arm around Micah. She smiles with a closed mouth and raised eyebrows. Her hair is pulled back in a pony tail. Micah has dark hair and eyes and wears a thin, trim beard and mustache and a gray tee shirt with the outline of the state of Utah in the upper corner.

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: I believe in heaven on Earth

Mary Heers, Kirsten Swanson

Morgan and Micah Barrick share their own journeys discovering their queer identities, leaving their religion, and finding a safe haven together.

Melissa Julien and Cassie Riding at their St. George StoryCorps appointment on May 10th, 2025.

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: Bringing language

Kirsten Swanson, Mary Heers

Melissa Julien grew up deaf without sign language. Together, she and her friend Cassie Riding share experiences introducing deaf children to the powerful impacts of sign language.

Kay and Arnold Martinez share a sideways hug at their StoryCorps appointment in St. George, Utah. Kay has short white-gray hair and wears glasses with colorful frames, blue and black on the top tan and black on the bottom. She smiles with one arm under her father's arm. She is wearing an army green tank top, and a large green pendant hanging from a dark cord around her neck. Arnold has one hand on Kay's shoulder, and his thumb is holding his index finger. Arnold has white hair and mustache and wears a black pullover with a short zipped placket, a left chest pocket with a button, an da piece of paper slightly extending from the pocket. Arnold looks toward the camera in a matter-of fact way, his dark eyes expressing love, and his mouth in a straight line.

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: I was in military life mode from then on

Kirsten Swanson, Mary Heers

Arnold Martinez tells his daughter, Kay, how he started his military life, how he met his wife, and some key experiences along the way.

Colorado City, Arizona (same as Hildale, Utah) United States Photo by Ricardo630 Ricardo630 03:44, 9 August 2006 (UTC) Image showslandscape with trees telephone poles, a few buildings, and in the foreground is the green "entering Colorado City" highway sign. It also reads "elevation 5,000, founded 1985."

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: Growing up in a polygamous family

Mary Heers, Kirsten Swanson

Wendy Olivia Williams-Dew tells StoryCorps facilitators about growing up in a polygamous family during her interview in Springdale, Utah.

Taylor and Ronin Salazar and Mike Rothwell at their St. George StoryCorps appointment in May 2025. Mike and Taylor stand side by side with Ronin in front between them. All of them smile with teeth. Ronin is a young girl of 8 years old. She has brown eyes and shoulder length black-brown hair with bangs to her eyebrows. She wears an orange tee shirt. Taylor rests her chin on Ronin's head. She wears an orange and white striped tee with orange ribbing around the neckline. She has green eyes and wears four small silver hoop earrings. Mike's hair, visible beneath his black and white baseball cap, is gray. He has a full, trim gray beard. Mike's eyes are green and he wears a dark gray tee shirt with black frame glasses hanging from the neckline.

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: Ronin's grandpa

Kirsten Swanson, Mary Heers

Ronin and Taylor Salazar interview Ronin's grandpa, Mike Rothwell, and share their favorite memories together, along with challenges, and how all of it brought them to a fresh start in Utah.

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: We live in hope

Kirsten Swanson, Mary Heers

In St. George, Gina and Steven Poole talk about how their lives have changed since his diagnosis, and their search for an organ donor.

Janet Meadows and her daughter Elizabeth Wilson pose, leaning together. Both wear black. Janet has long, wavy dark brown hair and wears red star shaped, wire earrings. Her face is paralyzed on her left size, so that her mouth appears fallen. Elizabeth has on a white rounded collar tucked over her black sweater. Her hair is shoulder length, lightly curled and blonde.

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: Family perseveres

Kirsten Swanson, Mary Heers

Elizabeth Wilson and Janet Meadows recount the story of their family persevering and rising above challenges as they came to live in St. George, Utah.

Lanny Langston with his arm around his father Brad Langston. Lanny has a full, trim beard of gray and white and wears a gray baseball cap and gray button up shirt with chest pockets. Brad Langston looks toward the camera. He has bushy gray eyebrows and wears a dark baseball cap and a dark blue button up short sleeved shirt. He has a pair of glasses around his neck.

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: Growing up in Hurricane

Kirsten Swanson, Mary Heers

Lanny Langston brings his dad to StoryCorps to learn a little about where he came from, and the family's roots in Hurricane, Utah.

Teri Guy and Rebecca Oscarson sit leaning against each other and facing the camera. Teri is wearing a light colored cardigan with large buttons that appear to be wooden. She smiles and clasps one arm with the other hand while resting her shoulder and forehead against those of her friend. Teri has long white hair, gathered at the nape. Rebecca Oscarson mirrors Teri's pose. She is taller, and her hair is salt and pepper gray. She wears glasses with medium dark, large frames. Her blouse is printed with florals and she wars a dark cardigan over it. On her left hand, she has a wide wedding band, and on her wrist a silver bracelet made of joined circles.

Programs

St. George StoryCorps: The Long Friendship

Kirsten Swanson, Mary Heers

Teri Guy and Rebecca Oscarson come to StoryCorps to reflect on their over five-decade-long friendship.