I was born and raised in Kyle, Texas. My mom was extremely creative and crafty and just loved making pretty things. Photos by Colleen Bies Growing up in the projects and being raised by a single mom for most of my childhood, my siblings and I never felt like we were missing anything. My mom …
I was born in Chicago Heights, a Chicago suburb. When I was six years old, my family and I moved to Middleton, Wisconsin because my dad had a new job. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd This was a huge culture shock and a tough experience for me. In Chicago Heights, I was around a lot …
I was born in Madison in 1970. My mom is Jewish and from Long Island. My dad is Catholic, Mexican, and from Chicago. They met in the VISTA program (Volunteers in Service to America) and settled in Madison. Photos by Gary Porter “In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Madison felt magical to me. At age ten …
From ‘Girl Reporter’ to Wisconsin’s First Female Sports Anchor Read More »
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published ‘Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic’. In this series, we feature five writers who share their experiences as they explore hope in the era of Covid. Jay Gilbertson contributed an essay to the book. I live with my husband in Prairie Farm, it’s a very …
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published ‘Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic’. In this series, we feature five writers who share their experiences as they explore hope in the era of Covid. Louie V. Clark III contributed an essay to the book. My wife and I got married in 1975 and …
I grew up in a small town called Wautoma. Being a small town, it was hard not to run into someone you knew. I felt like everyone was very close and tight-knit and allowed you to form good relationships with your teachers. Photo by Len Borruso I got into welding because Wautoma High School has …
“It feels amazing to me that I can have an impact on someone.” Read More »
I grew up on the far east side of Madison and went to a little grade school called Sunnyside, and then to Madison East High School. At the time, a farm was right across the street. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd We had six kids in the family, and my three brothers and I shared …
I’m in school right now, but I’m doing it remotely because of the pandemic. I’m pursuing my associate’s degree in science at Nicolet College in Rhinelander, and from there I’d like to either go into linguistic anthropology or environmental science. Photo courtesy of Jephrey Valliere I was working for Amazon down in Kenosha for a …
In recent decades, many of Wisconsin’s independent and local newspapers have folded or been absorbed by large media conglomerates that hollow them out and reduce local content. Ron’s story is part of a series that illustrates why local journalism matters and why we need journalists to confront our urgent local issues. I was always a …
“Local news is so important. It’s the glue that connects us.” Read More »
I am the eighth of 12 children. Six boys and six girls. We divide into three groups of four and I am the youngest of the middle group. Photos by Gary Porter My dad was a railroad worker and my mom was home with us. At the time, the regularity and frequency of railroad work …
Nina’s Department Store has been in our family for four generations. My great grandfather, Harris Marcus, started the business. He was an immigrant from Russia. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd Like countless other Russian Jews at the time, he fled religious persecution and in 1886 landed at Castle Garden, which was the forerunner of Ellis …
I was born in Kolkata which is in the eastern part of India. We had to move a lot because my father’s job transferred him to a new city every two years. Photos by Gary Porter I lived in five different places before middle school. My parents decided I needed a more stable school life, …
“The connection to community is a personal search.” Read More »
