“Growing Up in Decatur” featured on Atlanta StoryCorps
Allison | July 26, 2011
This StoryCorps interview caught my attention on WABE this morning: Beth Jordan and her mom, Joy Cooley, reminiscing about Beth’s growing-up years in Decatur in the 1960s and 1970s — “misadventures and close calls, while growing up in a neighborhood full of kids.”
They talk about going to the swimming pool every day (“the neat thing was being able to walk from our house to the swimming pool and crossing the railroad tracks, and playing on the trestle”), metal swing sets (“which were probably covered in lead paint”), no sunscreen (“didn’t need it!”), playing street hockey at night after dinner and going into the sewers to retrieve the ball, no seat belts.
You can hear the interview here.
Great memories and a meaningful project for all to consider.
Beautiful piece. Evidently it’s the Oak Grove area, not City of Decatur but still our general corner of Georgia.
I highly recommend doing a recording with the StoryCorps project. I did one with one of my children and it ended up being more fun and unique than I thought it would be. You get to keep a copy of the recording plus know that your story is archived somewhere official.