MASTERSTORYTELLER PROFILE

Be Inspired--Profiles and tips from other GreatLifeStories Historians and MasterStoryTellers

1. Why did you become a MasterStoryTeller?
   I've got fascinating family and friends. My dad, the son of Polish immigrants, grew to become a doctor and surgeon. My mom was one of the first people in television, before videotape, when it was "all live, all the time." They're now in their mid-80s. They are part of the "Greatest Generation." GreatLifeStories is one way to honor and thank them for all they've been to me. To see a profile of my dad.
   
   I have friends who run charter sailing cruises in the Virgin Islands, do supersonic air-to-air photography and other unbelievably cool stuff. Check out this chapter from the life story of one of my best friends.
   
   
2. What is your favorite GreatLifeStory?
   

   Emilia Gallegos, Age 100

   I think my all-time favorite is a 100 year-old lady named Emilia Gallegos. Sprightly, funny, razor sharp. She grew up in a wealthy family in Mexico. During the Mexican Revolution, Pancho Villa rode in, took their ranch and sent the family fleeing for the coast. Emilia escaped while her friends were being gunned down around her. She and her family furiously pumped a railroad handcar across a wooden trestle moments before it collapsed in flames. I was on the edge of my seat!
   
   
3. How do you capture a GreatLifeStory?
   I've talked with more than a dozen people, including my immediate family, my aunts, uncles and cousins, and several friends.
   
   Our chats typically last about 20 to 30 minutes to start. But I've had some conversations go on for two hours or more. I find that people enjoy being asked about their lives and accomplishments.
   
   I use the GreatLifeStories list of interview questions, which is quite handy. When I started interviewing people, I just listened and took notes with pen and paper, which works great.
   
   A couple of months ago I decided to dust off an old standard-sized cassette tape recorder as an experiment. At first, I thought people might be put off by the technology, but just the opposite...it seemed to make them feel like a star.
   
   I'd take the tape and transcribe it. I found taped stories were more complete, with richer detail. And it has the added advantage of having a permanent audio recording of the individual.
   
   I got so excited by the good results I was getting on the tape recorder I decided to move into the 21st century. Recently I bought a Marantz digital recorder. It records on a compact flash card. I've seen good quality digital recorders for as little as $40 to $50, though mine cost a bit more than that. Files download to your PC thru a USB cable. My next step will be video, no doubt.
   
   


4. Any more tips?
   Yes! The most onerous task in the whole process was typing up the recorded audio file. To save my hands and wrists from all that typing, I wanted a program that could convert my speech into text. (I type a blazing 43 words a minute. Ugh!)
   
   I spent weeks researching the best speech-to-text program. Some of them cost up to $800. In the end, my FREE solution was already installed on my PC.
   
   Microsoft Word has excellent speech-to-text capabilities. Just go under the "TOOLS" tab and click on "SPEECH." Get an inexpensive set of headphones ($5) and a good microphone ($9), and you're in business. And you feel like a test pilot sitting in front of your PC wearing all this cool stuff.
   
   Microsoft Word will take you through a 30 minute series of exercises that "teaches" the PC how to recognize your voice accurately. When you start off, it gets only about 25% of what you say. Within 45 minutes, it was getting 90+ percent. Today it gets about 99%. Cool.
   
   To transcribe, I listen to the digital deck, and simultaneously speak back what I hear into the PC. It's a bit out-of-body at first, but it's cool watching words appear on the screen. Macs also have speech-to-text capability, but my wife won't let me touch her PowerBook to see how it works.
   
   I edit the transcripts as little as possible, mostly just for punctuation and spelling.



5. Parting Words
   
   
   • Find a quiet, uninterrupted place to chat
   • Have your list of questions handy
   • Brief the person on what the interview is all about
   • Offer to share the end result either in hard copy or on-screen
   • Remind people that they can edit their story at any time, or mark it PRIVATE or RESTRICTED
   • Have fun, and be prepared to be amazed