By Terri Garlick
A few years ago, on impulse, Brenda Chapman purchased David Isay’s Listening Is an Act of Love and was impressed by what she found: a rich and varied portrait of American life told through 49 interviews, each with two people who are important to each other. Immediately, Chapman knew that she wanted to interview her father as part of an oral-history project inspired by Isay’s book. For three years, she pondered the project, then on her father’s 80th birthday, Chapman revealed her plan to him, unsure whether he would accept.
Begun in 2003, Sound Portrait was radio producer Dave Isay’s baby. He traveled the county creating audio profiles of interesting yet voiceless Americans for short segments broadcast on NPR. From Sound Portrait emerged StoryCorps, an independent, nonprofit project with the mission of providing Americans the opportunity to record, share, and preserve their own stories. StoryCorps provides the recording booth and a facilitator for two people to conduct a 40-minute interview session, which is preserved for the participants and in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
To Chapman’s surprise, her dad was willing to do it—to take the ride into Foley Square in New York, where the listening booth was located. “He especially liked that future generations would be able to access the sound of his voice,” explains Chapman.
Setting up a mutually agreed-upon appointment between a retiree and a mother of four took a few months. They finally secured a date this past October. Chapman carefully prepared questions to ask during the interview, and some answers were real surprises. Her dad, Paul Barber, had grown up in Mystic and had a 20-year career in pharmaceuticals, before opening his own business to be able to spend more time with his children. Who influenced you the most? she asked. “A teacher who taught several grades in one room,” he says of Mrs. Tyler, who was his instructor for four years. As a former teacher, hearing the importance her father placed on this grade-school mentor was moving for Chapman. Another poignant moment came when her father offered this advice: “Never be afraid to take a risk, especially if it is to do something you love.” Her father had left his corporate career to start a fish market. It was an all-consuming endeavor, but he was clear about wanting to be there, wanting to make it a success. And it was. Hearing him describe the risks involved, she learned making it successful came right from his heart. By hearing him tell these stories, she gained a deeper understanding of her father.
This story appeared in Ridgefield Magazine.