WSIU Public Radio, a public media service of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, will broadcast a WSIU Radio Listening Project special featuring select excerpts from first-person interviews with Benton residents.
The pieces will air at 7:44 a.m. and 4:44 p.m. on Wednesdays through Aug. 31 on WSIU 91.9 FM, WUSI 90.3 FM, and WVSI 88.9 FM.
WSIU traveled to the Benton Library on May 21 to record interviews with residents as part of the library’s centennial celebration. With assistance from event organizer Becky Lewis and library director Susan Stickel, Kevin Boucher, WSIU radio's community engagement producer,captured interviews with nearly a dozen Benton residents.
Among the guests are Bob Blondi and his son, Rob, who shared stories about their Italian heritage; retired southern Illinois coal miner Jack McReynolds, who joined journalist Jim Muir for an enlightening discussion about life underground; basketball coach Rich Herrin, and former team members of winning Benton High School boys’ basketball teams, who shared life lessons learned on and off the court; and historian Bob Rea, who talked about pivotal moments in regional history, including the impact of the Orient mine disaster on area families and on mining regulations.
Other guests include retired educator Debbie Clark, who saw the library as a place of safety and exploration when she was the new kid in town; Rose Savko, who recalls the profound impact the library had on her as young child growing up in an immigrant neighborhood during the Great Depression; retired Benton school principal Gene Alexander, affectionately known as “Mr. A.,”who paints large-scale U.S. maps for schools across the country; and Margot McAfoos, who recounts her experiences coming to the U.S. from Germany as a WWII-era bride.
Full interviews will be available online at wsiu.org.
WSIU Radio plans to record more Listening Project features at events across the region in the future. For more information, contact Jeff Williams, WSIU Radio General Manager, at (618) 453-6170 or jeff.williams@wsiu.org.
