The McAfee Story Vault is a dedicated space for residents to tell personal stories and life experiences, said director Jeff Pope.
“Our staff is trained to do the interviews; all you do is talk into a microphone,” he said.
The interviews are free, and the patron gets a recorded copy. It only goes on the air or the station’s website with permission.
“We’ll train anybody to do the interview. There are certain techniques to avoid Dad giving yes and no answers,” Pope said.
The project was inspired by NPR’s popular Story Corps. The KSJD story vault is a studio in the original bank vault that remains from when the building was the Montezuma Valley Bank.
So far, 10 stories have been recorded, with some posted on the KSJD website. Stories can be stored on a CD or other medium. Often they are set to the author’s favorite music.
Pope said the story vault is for anyone – veterans, travelers, adventurers, musicians, teachers, athletes – who wants to share their story.
The life and times of Billy Moffat, a local DJ and Choctaw Ridge legend, is available on the KSJD website.
He tells a story of being in the Army in 1958 and playing saxophone in the band.
They asked, do you want to be in a band, Moffat recalls, “As opposed to artillery or infantry? I said ‘yes.’”
The band played officer clubs, dances, and for the private-lawn parties of generals.
“We had a jazz quintet and used to get the sheet music before it was released on records,” Moffatt said. “We’d fill buckets full of wine, and just jam.”
Recently a troubadour with no family roots was traveling through Cortez. He had a wild tale to tell, Pope said, and left with a free digital copy of his story.
“We’re recording the diversity of our community to hand down to the next generation.”
Call KSJD at (970) 564-9727 or email tom@ksjd.org to schedule some time to record your 20-to-40 minute story.
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com