Power of the Human Voice: Philadelphia's Personal Historian Bob Leedom Records the Story of Your Life

PENNSYLVANIA - When you sit down with Bob Leedom, something about him makes you want to share your story. Like a homemade quilt of comfort, Bob makes you feel as though anything you share about your life will be fine. In fact, the details of your life are welcome because Bob is a Personal Historian. As a former radioman, he knows how to listen to the human voice.

"There have been several times in my life when people would say to me... 'I don't know why I'm telling you this...I hardly know you,'" Bob explained. "I provide a safe space for people to share their important and intimate life memories. I allow people to relax as they speak their once in a lifetime audio-biography. I listen proactively. I help people communicate as they revisit their lives."

After working as an assistant producer for the award-winning radio program series, "Notes from Philadelphia," which aired on WFLN-FM and WRTI-FM, he also assisted in the production of the National Public Radio documentary series "Leonard Bernstein: An American Life." The 11-hour documentary won the George Foster Peabody Award in 2005.

He officially started his journey as a Personal Historian as a contributing producer and interviewer. "Several years ago, at the urging of Dr. Charles Hardy, I volunteered to record interviews for the Veterans Life History Project at the Library of Congress and get one-on-one interviewing experience. So far I have recorded sixteen 90-minute interviews with mostly World War II and Korean war vets. I solicited Vietnam veterans along the way but none were forthcoming. This included a doctor, nurse, a woman from the Red Cross, Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. The real history exists in these testimonies, not in the textbooks I read in school. It's more important to know the eye-witness accounts than the third-hand rewritten headlines."

Since working on that project, Bob thinks everyone should record their life story. "It's the best way to avoid 'disappearing.' I ask people what they know about their grandparents. Answers will range from 'nothing' to a decent amount. Almost no one knows anything about their great grandparents. Most people would be hard pressed to know what they looked like or put their hands on a photograph. Personal Historians make it possible for children to be left with more than a partially complete photo album or a shoebox full of pictures with no names or dates. A personal audio life history interview can encapsulate the background, stories and experiences of a narrators life in one universally listenable, portable and robust medium in one place."

The process is simple. "I pre-interview the narrator by phone or in person. I encourage them to do some homework to prepare for the interview. I give them a list of 25 topics covering family history, life relationships, special events, and Ethical Will type questions so they can pass along their wisdom, thoughts, advice, opinions, etc... They can change the scope of the interview as they see fit. I schedule one or two-hour sessions netting up to 90 minutes of recorded audio in each session. I then edit and produce archival quality CD-Rs to give to their family and friends."

With Bob listening, interviewees tend to share a true reflection of their lives. "I always ask for the good, the bad and the ugly!" Bob laughed. "Of course, if they go too much in either extreme I'll look to balance the scales. However, some lead tragic lives so that is what I record. I urge them to reveal as much as possible, but I'll understand when enough is enough. I am not a reporter. I am not interested in gossip. I warn against potential regrets for going too far in bad-mouthing their family and friends. But, we do include the challenges and tragedies that they've faced in life, because how they deal with those make them who they are. Most of our clients are older and have led a well-rounded life. In fact, 50 to 60% of the interviews are ordered by boomers for their parents."

People are most interested in recording a life story first, then special events and ethical wills. "I have yet to do an Ethical Will. As a concept, it is even more shrouded in mystery, although I understand that certain religions are more aware of its practices in very traditional families. I will continue to push Special Events for an anniversary or special birthday as a supplement or an incomplete alternative to a full life history."

Most of Bob's interviews are done in person. "I can record over the phone but prefer not to. Over the phone, there's a reduced rapport with the narrator and lower quality audio. If possible, I'll suggest that we wait for a visit from 'Uncle Marvin.' I serve the greater Philly metro area, which includes Central and Southern New Jersey and Northern Delaware. I'll go further if I can charge for additional time and expenses."

Bob has heard some incredible stories because of his work as a Personal Historian. "I've heard of amazing affairs of the heart that do or don't come to fruition. In one story, a World War II veteran proposes to his girlfriend before going off to war. She considers carefully but says 'no.' After the war, he gets in touch with her again but she is married. He moves on and marries. They communicate by letter off and on as friends. His wife has met her. She is just a friend. His former girlfriend loses her husband due to illness, but he is still married. She moves on and marries again. He divorces and marries a second time. They meet once. His former girlfriend's third husband is dying of cancer. His second wife is also dying of cancer. They communicate by mail and sometimes by phone to help each other through their ordeals. They are so tied down in caring for their spouses they cannot meet. However, they each remain faithful to their dying spouses. He is a man of faith and the girlfriend is a good person. This affair of the heart has lasted nearly 60 years! They agree to get together after each of their spouses dies. This was about 5 years ago. I don't know what happened after that. He teared during the interview. Imagine. You say no to a proposal one day, then spend 60 years trying to get back to that person while putting your commitments first. I don't know about the children of either person. Love waits! Could this be a movie? Maybe a saga or just an epic. I'm not sure. I know how I would finish it. At his request, this story was told with the tape recorder off! I know it's best to keep it running for these gems but he waited until I was packing things up. Obviously, he needed to communicate this to someone. He chose me. It was a privilege. I'll never forget it. Truth is stranger than fiction."

From his interviews, Bob has learned that we are all different, yet the same. "In spite of potentially major differences in DNA, environment, personalities, dispositions, socioeconomics, attitudes and beliefs there are fundamental human feelings. Those we most closely identify are those we love. Then there are our close friends, acquaintances and family. I usually develop a good relationship with my narrators, even if it is only for a short time. I know that I had an important part as a catalyst in the telling of their story. I'm proud to take partial credit."

When it comes to the human voice, Bob knows its power. "Much has been written about the science of hearing in humans. Pregnant mothers talk to their babies. They play music for them. The first thing a newborn focuses on is the sound of their mother's voice. We are essentially blind at birth and hearing is the first sense to be used. I've also read that it is the last we lose. Even in death. The human voice puts the speaker 'there.' It rekindles the mind's eye. Still photographs do not evoke the three-dimensional memories as does the voice."

Bob advises people who are toying with the idea of recording their life story not to wait. "I'd say - Do it! You'll never regret it. Your family will appreciate it. Your history will be preserved. You will not disappear. It is the best way to affirm privately to yourself and publicly to your current family and future generations, that you are a part of history. You did live a life and affected the lives of all who came after you. You deserve to be remembered."

In his work, he knows when he's had a perfect recording. "The narrator feels complete. They experience closure. A sense of accomplishment. A release they didn't know they had coming. They experience more than jubilation, but a sense of introspection and fulfilled joy. Their families cry and learn something they never knew before. All of a sudden, the narrator becomes more significant. Not just mom or dad or aunt or uncle. They learn he or she has a 'personal' history beyond their experiences!"

Families are very appreciative of the end result. "The wife of one of the vets was especially touched when I gave her her husband's CD. He had just started cancer treatments when I interviewed him and he never got to hear it. He died quickly. People who are not visibly touched are usually somewhat unattached to the narrator or are crazily trying to manage family squabbles, differences, fears in what they might say, etc... I'm more interested in what the narrator experiences in the end."

For more information about Bob Leedom's work as a Personal Historian visit Sound Memories on CD.