Summary:

Jim Woodard, resident storyteller at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, recounts how a seemingly insignificant incident can sometimes lead to his lifetime career as a storyteller.

While on a fishing trip with a group of kids from the Des Moines Children's Home, Jim started telling stories, usually made up on the spot. He recalls,

"The boys seemed to really enjoy the stories. At one point, a boy had a bite on his line but refused to check it before he heard the end of a story being told."

Woodard was recently presented with an award from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge -- the George Washington Award for Excellence in Public Communications. This was presented primarily for his series of historic and patriotic storytelling programs. It's the only Freedoms Foundation award given to an oral storyteller.

Subjects Covered: education

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