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On this episode of Our American Stories, growing up in smalltown Mississippi, all Donna Martin wanted to do was move to a big city and become a famous actress. When the opportunity arose to move to California for the summer, she didn't hesitate. Only one problem... there aren't many acting opportunities in Yosemite National Park.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, growing up in smalltown Mississippi, all Donna Martin wanted to do was move to a big city and become a famous actress. When the opportunity arose to move to California for the summer, she didn't hesitate. Only one problem... there aren't many acting opportunities in Yosemite National Park.
<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate">Support the show</a> (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories tells stories that aren&rsquo;t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we&rsquo;ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

She Wanted to Become a Movie Star, so She Moved to... a National Park?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3fbae232-e1fd-4ea9-8beb-af19013b8dcf/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrea Ludden’s mother was an archaeologist who began collecting salt and pepper shakers after moving to the United States in the 1980s. What started with a search for pepper mills grew into a collection of thousands as she realized that these ordinary household objects could reveal changing fashions, technology, travel, manufacturing, and everyday life.

Andrea shares how the family’s 35-year collecting adventure eventually became the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, home to 20,000 shaker sets and 1,500 pepper mills, and how carrying on the museum after her mother’s death became a way of preserving both American history and her mother’s legacy.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrea Ludden&rsquo;s mother was an archaeologist who began collecting salt and pepper shakers after moving to the United States in the 1980s. What started with a search for pepper mills grew into a collection of thousands as she realized that these ordinary household objects could reveal changing fashions, technology, travel, manufacturing, and everyday life. Andrea shares how the family&rsquo;s 35-year collecting adventure eventually became the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, home to 20,000 shaker sets and 1,500 pepper mills, and how carrying on the museum after her mother&rsquo;s death became a way of preserving both American history and her mother&rsquo;s legacy.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

20,000 Salt and Pepper Shakers and One Remarkable Family Legacy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/af5b8205-9041-4795-bd14-b4de0153b381/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, before Yogi Berra became one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, he was an 18-year-old U.S. Navy sailor headed toward Omaha Beach on D-Day. After World War II, the son of Italian immigrants from St. Louis helped build one of the greatest careers in American sports, winning 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees and becoming one of the most beloved figures in baseball.

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will shares how Berra's remarkable career reflected not only excellence on the field, but also the story of immigration, opportunity, and America itself.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, before Yogi Berra became one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, he was an 18-year-old U.S. Navy sailor headed toward Omaha Beach on D-Day. After World War II, the son of Italian immigrants from St. Louis helped build one of the greatest careers in American sports, winning 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees and becoming one of the most beloved figures in baseball. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will shares how Berra's remarkable career reflected not only excellence on the field, but also the story of immigration, opportunity, and America itself.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

How Yogi Berra Became an American Original

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4c7cbfcd-fb07-4aeb-b98d-b4dd016a6cc4/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, at 17 years old, Pino Lella was helping Jewish families escape Nazi-occupied Italy by guiding them across the Alps into Switzerland. A year later, after being drafted into the German military, he found himself assigned as the personal driver to one of the most powerful Nazi commanders in Italy.

Secretly working for the Italian resistance and the Allies, Pino used his position to gather intelligence on German troop movements and military defenses. Then, in the final days of World War II, he did the unthinkable: he arrested the very general he had been driving. Michael Lella shares the remarkable true story of his father, a teenage resistance fighter whose courage helped save lives and fight tyranny during one of history's darkest chapters.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, at 17 years old, Pino Lella was helping Jewish families escape Nazi-occupied Italy by guiding them across the Alps into Switzerland. A year later, after being drafted into the German military, he found himself assigned as the personal driver to one of the most powerful Nazi commanders in Italy. Secretly working for the Italian resistance and the Allies, Pino used his position to gather intelligence on German troop movements and military defenses. Then, in the final days of World War II, he did the unthinkable: he arrested the very general he had been driving. Michael Lella shares the remarkable true story of his father, a teenage resistance fighter whose courage helped save lives and fight tyranny during one of history's darkest chapters.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

The Teenage Spy Who Arrested His Nazi Boss

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3ebbd8b5-725a-49f3-9442-b4dd016a6cbd/transcript

She Wanted to Become a Movie Star, so She Moved to... a National Park?

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