The Story of a Life. Because every story deserves to be told. And preserved.
The family stories that are passed down from generation to generation are an important part of our heritage. They connect generations, imparting values, lessons, and experiences that shape who we are. They are a part of us. Now they can be preserved forever.
The Story of a Life is a video service that collects the stories you will want to share with your family for generations to come. Through an hour-long conversation with award-winning journalist Ray Hardman, your loved one’s memories will be recorded on high quality video and audio. The conversations are surprising and moving, and lead to a better understanding of your family’s heritage.
What you will have at the end of the experience is a family keepsake; a video that beautifully captures memories and stories of a life well lived. The conversation is driven by “The Big Five”, five questions submitted by family members (with help from Ray Hardman) that will help unlock those precious family stories.
What is The Story of a Life℠?
Step One
The process starts with a one-hour conversation recorded on high-quality video and audio. The setting of the interview is at the discretion of the client. Ray Hardman will come to your home if you so choose, or the client can select another indoor location. Most of the questions will be formulated by the client.
Step Two
The conversation is then edited and presented to the client via flash drive. The interview becomes the intellectual property of the client, who can share, reproduce and broadcast the conversation as they see fit. The client now has a family keepsake they can share with future generations.
Anne Filion’s Olympic Dreams
“I came this close to the Olympics…I came in 5th in the Olympic trials, but they only took the first 3. After that I went into a depression”.
Richard Chiarappa’s lasting legacy at Kingswood-Oxford School
“So, for the last 44 years now they have sung ‘Hail Kingswood-Oxford’. I wrote the lyrics and the music. It’s the school’s alma mater at this point.”
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Oral histories often become diluted as they are passed on from generation to generation. Certain details of a story may fade away, and sadly the person who could verify the details has long since passed.
Ray Hardman with his family (Ray is the little boy in the front!)
I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that freely shared their stories. As a kid, I would happily spend hours listening as my parents and grandparents regaled me with stories from their past - their childhoods, how they met, their recollections historic national and world events, and of course, all of the funny anecdotes that have become part of our family lore.
These stories were profound to me - from the first time my grandmother ever saw an airplane, to the time my father watched Joe Dimaggio play baseball, these tales helped me better understand my family, and in turn, myself.
But over time memories can become unreliable. Did my grandmother see the plane outside her home in Leavenworth, Kansas, or at her grandmother’s home in nearby Lansing? What kind of plane was it? Did my father see DiMaggio at Griffith Stadium in D.C., or some other ball park?
Oral histories often become diluted as they are passed from generation to generation. Certain details of a story may fade away, or perhaps be replaced with a tidbit from another similar story, and sadly the person who could verify the details has long since passed.
The Story of a Life was designed to capture family stories, folklore, and mythology before they are lost, by recording your loved one’s memories for posterity.