Legacy Stories

• What do you remember about your great-grandparents? Where did your great-grandparents come from?
• Why did they leave their homeland?
• Where did they live?
• What did they do for a living?
• How many brothers and sisters did they have?
• How many children did they have?
• What did their children do for a living?
• What do you remember about your grandparents? Where did they live?
• What did they do for a living?
• How many sisters and brothers did they have?
• How many children did they have?
• Did their sisters and brothers have any children? What type of education did your grandparents have? Did anyone from these generations serve in the military? What stories did your parents tell you about them? Where did your parents live while they were growing up? What type of education did they have? What schools? How did they meet?
• When and where did they get married?
• Any customs or traditions that have been passed down?

• Where and when were you born?
• What was your neighborhood like?
• What was your house like while growing up?
• Were there more homes? What were they like?
• What do you remember about your parents early on? What are your favorite memories of them?
• What important things did they teach you as a child? Did you have any brothers or sisters?
• What kinds of things did you enjoy doing together? Who in your family were you closest to?
• What things did you two love to do most?
• What were you like as a child?
• Did you have any pets? Their names?
• Who were your best friends as a child?
• What was your school like early on?
• What were your best and worst subjects?
• What was your favorite food and favorite thing to do? Did you have chores to do around the house?
• When you misbehaved, what was your punishment? What did you want to be when you grew up?

• What were your teenage years like?
• Who were your best friends as a teenager?
• What was your school like as a teenager?
• Did you participate in sports, scouts, clubs or church?
• What were your family vacations like?
• How did you celebrate holidays?
• What is your most memorable holiday experience?
• What was your most memorable birthday experience?
• What was the best present you ever received?
• What was the most memorable present you ever gave?
• What do you remember most about high school?
• What was the first paying job you ever had?
• Did you have any jobs while in high school?
• When did you get your drivers license?
• When did you get your first car?  What was it?
• Do you remember how it felt to drive your own car?
• What did you like most about your childhood?

• Where did you live when you first left home?
• Did you further your education?  What degrees?
• What was your first job like as an adult?
• What were the best and worst jobs you ever had?
• What is your present job? Your job before retiring?
• Have you belonged to any clubs or organizations?
• What was your favorite activity/sport?
• Do you still enjoy playing or watching these sports?
• Did you play in high school or professionally?
• When did you buy your first house?
• How did it feel to finally own your own home?
• What was the neighborhood like?
• What was your favorite car?
• Have you done any traveling?  Where and when?
• What world-changing events do you remember in life?
• Where were you and what did you think about them?
• What was the most embarrassing thing you ever did?

• Who was the first love of your life?
• How and where did you meet?
• What did you mostly talk about?
• What special present did you buy or receive from them?
• Did you have a favorite place together?
• Did you have a favorite song?
• Do you have a special memory of that person?
• Are you still together or if not, why did you part?

• Did you marry?  If not, was there a specific reason?
• If you married, how did you meet your spouse?
• How old were you when you got married?  Your spouse?
• What was it like when you were dating?
• What was popular at the time? (Music, movies, clothes...)
• Did you marry for love, or another reason?
• What was your wedding like?
• Where did you get married?  Was it a big wedding?
• Who was Best Man?  Maid of Honor?
• What made you choose them?
• Did you have a honeymoon?  Where did you go?
• Which wedding anniversary was the most memorable?
• Do you have any children?
• What feelings did you have when your children were born?
• How do your children’s lives differ from yours?
• What were your children’s kids like?
• What were they like as teenagers?
• When your kids misbehaved, how did you punish them?
• When they excelled, how did you reward them?
• What were holidays like in your family?
• What traditions did you observe?
• Where did you live when newly married?
• What was your home and neighborhood like?
• Why did you choose to live where you did?
• What are the happiest days you can remember?
• What were your proudest accomplishments?
• What made you the most proud of each child and why?
• Do you have any grandchildren or great-grandchildren?
• How would you describe them?

• What is the date (year) of this photo?
• Who is in the photo?
• Who took the photo?
• Where was the photo taken?
• What brought you there?
• What is happening in the photo?
• Why is this photo important to you?

• If I could go back and re-live any part of my life, it would be…
• The proudest moment of my life was…
• The main things that guided my decisions were…
• At times of stress in my life ____ is what got me through it.
• My greatest fear of growing up was…
• How I dealt with it was…
• Who was the one person you admired most and why?
• I am most sorry about…
• The one cause with which I was most concerned was…
• The hardest thing I ever had to do was…
• ____ was the greatest influence in my life.
• One thing my Mom always said was…
• One thing my Dad always said was…
• The book or movie that impacted the way I lived my life was…
• What is your most treasured possession and why?
• As you look back, what are the three most fantastic changes you witnessed?
• What are some of the principles that you have lived by?  What guides you?
• How well have you been able to live by those principles?

• Have you been in your own business?  Tell me more.
• What do (or did) you do for a living?
• What do (or did) you like most about your profession?
• What was your typical workday like?
• Was your work stressful?  If so, how did you deal with it?
• Do you have any special thoughts on dealing with bosses, subordinates, co-workers, or customers?
• What accomplishments, awards and/or recognition have you received over the years?
• How did they make you feel?
• What did you do that led to those accomplishments?
• How did you manage your money?
• How you ever gotten in over your head?  How did you manage to get out?
• What have been your experiences with professionals like attorneys, CPA’s brokers, read estate agents, lenders, etc.?
• How do you define SUCCESS?
• What gave you the most satisfaction in your career?
• Does someone you mentored stand out in your mind?
• What were the main ingredients of your success?
• If you could, what would you have done differently in your business life, if you had it to do over?
• A great deal of success in business is the quality of people you hire.  What special traits did you  like for when considering a new hire?
• Were you ever fired?  If so, what happened?
• Did you ever fire someone?  If so, for what reasons(s)?

• What is a memorable experience from that time?
• How has your faith helped guide you through life?
• Was there a special time in your life when your faith sustained you in a time crisis?
• What is your favorite scripture and why?
• Share a story about a prayer that was answered.
• Do you believe in miracles?
• If so, did you ever witness one?
• In what ways have you been blessed by your faith?
• What would you like to share in regard to your faith?
• How well have you been able to live by those principles?

• Were you drafted or did you enlist?
• Where were you living at the time?
• If you joined, what was your motivation?
• Why did you pick the branch you joined?
• Do you recall your first days in the service?
• What did it feel like? How did it feel to leave home?
• Talk about your boot camp/training experience(s).
• What do you remember about your instructors?
• How did you get through it?

EXPERIENCES

• Which war(s) did you serve in?
• Where exactly did you go?
• Do you remember your arrival and what is was like?
• What was your assignment?
• Did you see combat?
• Were there any casualties in your unit?
• Talk about a couple of your most memorable experiences.
• Were you a prisoner of war?  What was that like?
• Were you awarded any medals or citations?

LIFE IN THE SERVICE

• How dis you stay in touch with your family?
• What was the food like?
• Did you have enough supplies?
• Did you feel pressure or stress?
• Was there something special you did for “good luck”?
• How did people entertain themselves?
• Were there any entertainers?
• What did you do when on leave?
• Where did you travel while in the service?
• Do you recall any particularly humorous or unusual event?
• Did you an others pull pranks, and if so, describe some.
• Do you have photographs?
• Who are the people in the photographs?
• What did you think of officers or fellow soldiers?
• Did you keep a personal diary?
• Did you bring home any souvenirs?

• Do you recall the day your service ended?
• How did it feel?
• Here were you?
• What did you do in the days and weeks that followed?
• Did you work or go back to school?
• Was your education supported by the G.I. Bill?
• Did you make any close friendships while in the service?
• Did you continue any of those relationships?  For how long?
• Did you join a veteran’s organization?

LATER YEARS AND CLOSING

• What did you go on to do as a career after your service?
• Did your experiences influence your thinking about war?
• If you’re in a veteran’s organization, what kind of activities does your post or association have?
• Do you attend reunions?
• How did your service and experiences affect your life?
• Is there anything you would like to add that we did not cover in this interview?