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, who was the second African American to enter space. But first, he was a kid with big dreams in Lake City, South Carolina.

“You know, it’s the little things that you do day in and day out that I admired for the last 8 years. I don’t think you can find a better person to be friends with.” Every week, Herman Travis loads up a heavy shopping cart full of groceries from a food bank to bring to elderly neighbors in a low-income housing complex. Over time, he’s become close with the residents, including Robert Cochran. Together they came to StoryCorps to talk about how meaningful this weekly gesture has become to them both.

Allen Hoe was as a combat medic in Vietnam. His oldest son, Nainoa K. Hoe, served as a first lieutenant infantry officer with the Army’s 3rd Battalion in Iraq. In January 2005, while leading his men through Mosul, Iraq, Nainoa was killed by sniper fire. He was 27. On Memorial Day in 2005, Allen traveled from Hawaii to Washington, D.C. for an event honoring Army nurses returning home from the war. He remembers meeting the Army nurse who had cared for his son after he had been shot and killed during combat in Mosul, Iraq.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Director of Microbiology Dr. Roberto Vargas worked long hours running tests at a hospital in Rochester, New York. Because of the risk of exposure, he made the difficult decision to isolate himself from his wife, Susan, and their four young kids. At the time of this conversation, he was living in the basement of their home. Using StoryCorps Connect, Dr. Vargas spoke virtually with his wife Susan and their 10-year-old son Xavier about the toll that this setup has taken on them, and the ways they have come together as a family despite the distance.

Trey Devey, President of Interlochen Center for the Arts, reads the book Gloria's Big Problem. The episode focuses on learning about being a performing arts star and about how "shooting for the stars" means believing you can do anything and then working really hard to achieve it.

The episode discusses some potential careers, including some you may never have thought about, and talks about having the courage to participate in something that others may not like, or worse, may make fun of you for and about how we can grow to our individual, unique and special potential.

The episode explores the subject of plants, while also using plants and how they never sit still as a way to talk about how we keep our communities moving forward and help residents stay active and engaged in making the places they call home even better each and every day.

The co-founder of GoSili, which makes environmentally-friendly cups and straws, Stacey Feeley visits City Opera House to read the book Garbage or Recycling. The episode explores engineering and how engineers figure out how things work and find practical uses for scientific discoveries.

The episode discusses some potential careers, including some you may never have thought about, and talks about having the courage to participate in something that others may not like, or worse, may make fun of you for and about how we can grow to our individual, unique and special potential.

Pediatrician and Chief Medical Officer for Munson Healthcare, Dr. Christine Nefcy, reads the book Community Helpers Then and Now. The episode focuses on learning about how everyday heroes worked in the past and how they continue to make our lives better today.