Gathered around the campfire, or rocking on the front porch, people often told humorous anecdotes from their childhood, heroic war stories, or tales of daring escapades from as far back as they could remember.  Years ago, oral history, or history that is told verbally, was the primary method of passing down and preserving the traditions, the culture, and the history of a group.  Recitations were colorful, entertaining, and insightful.  More importantly, in the telling, and retelling, from generation to generation, history was preserved, and legends created. This verbal recounting is the essence of oral history, and Maurice Gandy, an Alabama Humanities Foundation Road Scholar will explain how best to capture and preserve these memorable moments in our own family histories at the Pell City Library on Wednesday, October 19th at noon.

Storytelling is an important part of Southern heritage.  Unfortunately, those memorable accounts of personal and family history are often lost when family members pass on.  They tell the “human side” of international, national, or local events that cannot be adequately captured in the scant paragraph of a history book.  In his presentation, “Famous Lost Words:  Recording and Preserving Oral History,” Maurice Gandy will encourage and instruct the audience on  how to employ basic techniques of interviewing and recording to preserve the human element of their family and community legacy.  Expect an interactive session, complete with research tips from archivists that Gandy himself utilized in his own research as a university English instructor and feature correspondent for the Mobile Press-Register.  Handouts from oral history internet sites will be shared at the close of the session.

Maurice Gandy is an adjunct English instructor, teaching American literature and creative writing, at the University of South Alabama.  For the last sixteen years, he has been an oral history feature correspondent with the Mobile Press-Register. In this position, he has had the opportunity to interview and preserve the stories of military veterans and long-time residents, capturing anecdotes that might otherwise be lost.  He has thirty years of experience as a speaker for various organizations, conferences, and civic groups.   Gandy recently retired from Bishop State College in Mobile after three decades as a journalism, literature, and creative writing instructor.  However, he continues to serve as an Alabama Humanities Foundation Road Scholar and Speaker, sharing his expertise and imparting the challenge of oral history—to “preserve it or lose it”—and to begin today!  

This program is made possible by the Alabama Humanities Foundation’s Speakers Bureau and Road Scholars program.  The Alabama Humanities Foundation (AHF) is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).  It is a private, non-profit organization, and as such, its programs are funded by the NEH, the State of Alabama, foundations, corporations, and individuals.

Mr. Gandy will be the guest speaker for the Pell City Library’s Wild and Wonderful Wednesday series, scheduled for Wednesday, October 19th at noon.  The program is free and open to the public.  Mr. Gandy will entertain questions from the audience following his presentation, and light refreshments will be served afterwards.