Just over twenty years ago, a group of Peoria, Illinois eighth grade English and History students, under the guidance of their teacher, Tim Pletkovich, embarked on an ambitious project requiring the students to write to the sons and daughter’s of Civil War Union veterans to collect information about the lives of their fathers. It was soon realized that many of the children of the Union soldiers were themselves veterans of WWII.

What began as an interesting and educational school assignment, quickly became an engaging and fascinating journey for the students, their teacher and the Civil War “children” with whom they were corresponding, ultimately resulting in a book titled, “Civil War Fathers: Sons of the Civil War in WWII”.

In this episode of Your History Your Story, we will be speaking with author, teacher and historian, Tim Pletkovich. Tim, who edited the various correspondence from this project, also added his own extensive research about the lives of the soldiers profiled in the book. He will tell us how this project came to be and will share from some of the history and personal stories gleaned from the work accomplished by his dedicated students.

Music: "With Loved Ones" Jay Man

Photo(s): Courtesy of Tim Pletkovich

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"Civil War Fathers" purchase on Amazon:

https://a.co/d/bJQfPQ9

In 1981 President Ronald Reagan appointed New Jersey businessman, Raymond J Donovan to his cabinet as Secretary of Labor, a position he served in until 1985. During his tenure, Donovan carried out Reagan’s policies of advocating for free-market by reducing government regulation in labor issues.

Donovan's tenure as Secretary of Labor was marked by controversy. He was accused of having ties to organized crime and in 1984, he was indicted on charges of larceny and fraud in connection with a construction company he had been involved with before his government service. However, after a lengthy trial, Donovan was acquitted of all charges in 1987.

In this episode of Your History Your Story, we will be speaking with Donovan’s son, Ken, who will give us insight into the life of his father, including his challenging start in life, his success as a businessman, his political prominence in the Reagan campaign and his heart for his family and philanthropic causes.

Music: "With Loved Ones" Jay Man Photo(s): Courtesy of Ken Donovan Support Your History Your Story: Please consider becoming a Patron or making a one time donation via PayPal. - THANK YOU!!! YHYS Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YHYS PayPal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YHYS: Social Links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YHYS: Join our mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #yhys #yourhistoryyourstory #history #storytelling #podcast #njpodcast #youhaveastorytoo #jamesgardner

In October 2024, we will be celebrating the 4th anniversary of Your History Your Story! Over the years, we have received a number of questions from listeners about the podcast, such as:

- What is the host, James Gardner’s background and how did he develop a passion for history?

- What inspired James and his wife, Kelly to launch the podcast?

- Who are some of the guests that have had a significant impact on us and why?

In this episode of Your History Your Story, we will be joined by James and Kelly’s daughter, Katie, who will be asking James these questions and more.

So, sit back, relax and let’s connect on a more personal level with our host, James.

If you have any questions or thoughts about our podcast, please email us at yhyspodcast@gmail.com

Music: "With Loved Ones" Jay Man Photo(s): Courtesy of YHYS Podcast Support Your History Your Story: Please consider becoming a Patron or making a one time donation via PayPal. - THANK YOU!!! YHYS Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YHYS PayPal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YHYS: Social Links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YHYS: Join our mailing list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #yhys #yourhistoryyourstory #history #storytelling #podcast #njpodcast #youhaveastorytoo #jamesgardner

Guest host: Katie DeFrank, LPC, CLPC katiedefrankcounseling@gmail.com