The national oral history project StoryCorps is coming to Brooklyn Heights, and wants your suggestions of who they should talk to next.
The format is simple enough: two people interview each other in the special StoryCorps reporting booths (one is in Lower Manhattan). The tapes are then archived at the Library of Congress, and participants can take a copy home. National Public Radio also occasionally broadcasts portions of some interviews.
A StoryCorps researcher, Eve Claxton, said they are looking for those special Brooklynites with a fascinating story to tell — or just one you could happily listen to for hours.
And, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, Claxton said they are particularly interested in finding the “greatest love story in Brooklyn.”
“We’re looking for larger-than-life local institutions, oldest residents, anyone with a disappearing business or skill, but above all, real talkers,” Claxton said.
Anyone have suggestions for the program? Comment below, or submit nominations to nominate@storycorps.net.
Off the top of our heads, there’s easily Otis Pratt Pearsall, who along with his wife, Nancy, and other preservationists helped landmark Brooklyn Heights in the 1960s. Or Charlie Dolan, who, at 89, still goes to the Eastern Athletic Club six days a week, and has lived in the neighborhood his entire life minus his tour of duty in Japan during WWII. And, who could forget Rocky and Tom at the Cutting Den inside the Clark Street train station — as barbers at the 83-year-old shop, the men have heard more tales about the neighborhood than anyone. (Whether they can retell their stories, however, is a different matter.)
