"Interest in personal histories has increased dramatically in the last five years," observed Lettice Stuart. "There seems to be a sense of urgency as the baby boomers age and watch their parents die. Boomers who rebelled against their parents and rejected their traditions and values now want to close the generation gap. They want to connect to and hold on to their parents. Getting their stories is a way of doing this."

Personal histories don't have to be life histories, either. Al Betz has preserved the stories of even a six-year-old child. He said the child "was a good little storyteller in her own right" regaling him with tales of her rock and marble collections and the fun things she did with her grandparents.

Jazz pianist Eric Byrd of the Eric Byrd Trio chose to document his travels in Latin America as the U.S. State Department's Jazz Ambassador. Byrd likens the process to the old oral traditions. "The idea of the spoken word being recorded and having that passed down" intrigued him. "People don't read anymore, so it's good to have something that encourages reading," he said.

In addition to his work as a jazz ambassador, Byrd has undertaken many civic projects for the City of Westminster, Maryland. June 7th has been declared "Eric Byrd Day" by the Westminster Town Council. Betz was instrumental in securing this honor and hopes their book will get Byrd's message out. "If I could be a model to someone else on sticking to your guns and staying creative and finding opportunities to express your creativity in a positive way, then that's a cool thing," Byrd explained.

Through the efforts of personal historians, other families are given the opportunity to collect precious memories and to afford to preserve them. Innovative ideas make the process less daunting. Interviews are scheduled annually so families can get together and document their memories as an ongoing process.

Wilma Brown is certainly grateful that she had the chance to document her family's history before it was too late. She lost her father just 11 months after presenting him with the book. "If you're considering capturing the history of your loved ones,just do it!" she implores. "You won't regret it, and neither will your loved ones."