John Vigiano Sr. is a retired New York City firefighter whose two sons followed him into service—John Jr. was a firefighter, too, and Joe was a police detective.  On September 11, 2001, both Vigiano brothers responded to the call from the World Trade Center, and both were killed while saving others.  Here, John Sr. remembers his sons and reflects on coping with his tremendous loss.

John and Joe

In 1955, John L. Black, Sr. started his job as a janitor for the Cincinnati public school system. He regularly put in 16-hour days to provide for his wife and eleven children. At StoryCorps, his son Samuel talks with his wife, Edda Fields-Black, about his father’s lasting legacy and the power of a look.

A Family Man

On January 28, 1986, NASA Challenger mission STS-51-L ended in tragedy when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after takeoff.  On board was physicist Ronald E. McNair, the second African American to enter space. But first, he was a kid with big dreams in Lake City, South Carolina.

Storycorps: Eyes on the Stars

Jackie Miller adopted her son, Scott, in the early 1970s. In 2008, Scott brought his mom to StoryCorps to ask her about that decision.

Me & You

The daughter of two Mexican immigrants reveals how much she saw of her parents' lives as a child - and the inspiration she drew from their struggles.