Lynette Bates and her brother, Larnell Bates Jr., grew up in New Orleans. They celebrate the close bond they have with each other and others in their family, as well as the friends and neighbors they consider part of the family.
In this recording, made March 23, Larnell and Lynette discuss the people who have had a major influence on their lives, and though they lost their mother to cancer, her influence is remembered and passed on to the grandchildren who followed. Lynette recalls how important her family was during her own battle with cancer, and how sharing their recollections in the StoryCorps project was a fitting tribute to their family experience.
ALSO: In this extended conversation, Lynette Bates and her brother, Larnell Bates Jr., discuss the fond memories they have of family vacations across the country in the 1960s and 1970s. She says the travels enriched her life not only by what she saw - but what she now passes on in field trips with New Orleans schoolchildren today.
StoryCorps New Orleans interviews were recorded by StoryCorps, a national project to record and collect stories of everyday people. This excerpt was selected and produced by WWNO producer Eileen Fleming, with support from the WWNO Productions Fund and from Villere & Co., managing the investments of New Orleans' families for almost 100 years. Listen again at wwno.org or at nola.com.
