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GCC Professor Teams with Wright Community Center for the "Remembering Akron/Newstead Project"

Collection of Podcasts to be Shared with the Public

Batavia, NY (07/03/2019) — Akron, NY- Do you remember those stories your granddad used to tell? Or the tales of World War II that Uncle Bob shared? Maybe you still treasure memories of your grandma spinning yarns about her childhood on the prairie, or the old country or Ellis Island in New York City. Unfortunately, all too often those stories are lost and denied to future generations unless they are down written down or recorded.

This summer, the C. Dee Wright Community Center intends to capture some of these stories before they are lost. Through a series of interviews that will begin to be conducted on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, the Remembering Akron/Newstead Project intends to create a collection of podcasts to record historical highlights that will subsequently be made available to the public.

Through the auspices of the C. Dee Wright Community Center located at 11 Church Street in Akron, NY, and with support made by a generous grant from an anonymous donor, the project will feature interviews conducted by Genesee Community College history professor Derek Maxfield. Each interview will be recorded, turned into a podcast and then uploaded to a website hosted by the Wright Center for the public to access and enjoy. The podcasts will also be archived for future generations.

While many of the interviews will be scheduled in advance, the community center will host a project Open House on Saturday, July 27, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On that day, community members are invited to bring in their parent, grandparent or anyone with stories they would like captured. Interviews will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. Each person interviewed will receive a copy of the recording as a keepsake as well as a photo of the interview with Professor Maxfield.

Over the course of the summer, the Remember Akron/Newstead Project hopes to collect 15 to 20 interviews and subsequently have the podcasts edited and available by the end of August. Anyone interested in being interviewed or anyone that knows someone that they would like interviewed, should email Walt Rosonowski at roso6085@aol.com at the C. Dee Wright Community Center or Derek Maxfield at ddmaxfield@genesee.edu.

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