The Oral History Practice helps families preserve their stories and legacies. Learn more and get our OHP Starter Kit, a DIY family-preservation kit.
Learn more below. Get your Starter Kit today before Christmas. In 2007, The Oral History Practice began helping families look after their ancestor's spoken memories. Their journey started at California State University, Fullerton, where Thomas, owner of Preserving Voices, studied history escalating into public history by 2011. As a graduate student, Thomas learned the art of oral history and tran
sitioned this skill into his local community and throughout Southern California. He captured spoken memories of military veterans for the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station Oral History Project curated by The Center for Oral and Public History (COPH). In addition to this special experience, Thomas had the privilege to interview Japanese American grassroot activists within The National Coalition for Reparations/Redress (NCRR). Lastly, he had the benefit of interviewing his own family. Additional skills Thomas gained was in museum exhibitions. He assisted in The Go for Broke National Education Center's Defining Courage exhibition. This opportunity allowed Thomas to select oral history excerpts of Japanese American military veterans during World War 2. He also helped his fellow graduate students with their own exhibitions that were held on campus. By 2018, Thomas found a treasure trove of family movies, journals, letters, pictures, photograph negatives, and heirlooms. It was during this time when he began learning more about his own family. He converted the family movies and photograph negatives into digital media to share within his own family's future generations. Currently, Thomas helps families in preserving their own spoken memories to share. He offers his talents to families by interviewing them in order to share within their family units. He is also converting photograph negatives into digital images allowing families to share these precious memories. Lastly, he offers courses to individuals who want to interview their own relatives for future family members.
05/24/2026
A new video is out today about something easy to overlook until it matters deeply: teaching kids how to interview their parents.
What begins as a simple exercise becomes a reminder that the questions children ask today may one day become the stories a family treasures most.
Watch now, and maybe let it spark a conversation at home tonight.
What questions do you think your children will ask?
We used a Digital Voice Recorder 16GB during the in class interview - https://amzn.to/43xl1YV
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I had the opportunity to visit a 3rd grade classroom and teach students how to develop interview questions, listen closely to the answers, and capture meaningful stories using nothing more than a smartphone.
They learned how to ask thoughtful questions, follow someone’s story, and understand that preserving family history doesn’t have to be complicated.
This is something every family can do — parents, grandparents, kids, and loved ones all have stories worth saving.
Watch the video and see how their questions did.
05/16/2026
I went to my kid’s school to teach the 2nd and 3rd graders how to interview their parents using a smartphone.
The lesson was supposed to be about asking good questions, listening carefully, and saving family stories before they disappear.
Then, out of nowhere, a 3rd grader yelled:
“You’re short!”
Absolutely roasted before I even got started. 😂
But honestly, the kids understood the bigger point: you do not need fancy equipment to capture someone’s story. You just need curiosity, a phone, and someone willing to talk.
Ask your parents or grandparents one question today.
Press record.
Save the story.
05/15/2026
Teach your kids to become the family storykeepers.
A simple parent or grandparent interview can turn into something priceless: stories, lessons, memories, and voices your family can keep forever.
This Career Day, don’t just ask, “What do you do for work?”
Ask, “What was life like when you were my age?”
Ask, “What lessons shaped you?”
Ask, “What do you want me to remember?”
Family stories don’t save themselves. Start with one conversation.
Parents: Learn how to preserve your family stories with the Family Interview System.
Comment family interview.
05/10/2026
Guys… Mother’s Day is almost over.
If you still don’t have a gift for your mom, don’t panic — and don’t settle for gas station flowers.
Give her something more meaningful:
Ask her about her life.
Record her stories.
Save them for your family.
I created the Family Interview System to make it simple. In just 30 minutes, it guides you step by step through capturing your mom’s story using your iPhone or Android.
And for Mother’s Day, you’ll also get the Mother’s Day Legacy Worksheet as a bonus, with thoughtful questions created especially for this conversation.
One day, you’re going to wish you asked your mom more questions.
This Mother’s Day, don’t wait.
Click the Family Interview link in my Bio.
05/04/2026
What if your family history, legacy, and most important stories were never written down?
Follow and subscribe for more family history, oral history, untold family stories, and powerful storytelling about the legacies that shape who we are ➡ https://www.youtube.com/
Some of the most important history facts are not found in books — they live in family stories, oral history, lost legacy, and the memories that were never told. This short explores the mystery of hidden history, forgotten history, and unknown history, asking what happens when our family legacy, human history, and personal stories disappear before they are written down.
Question - What part of your family history or legacy do you wish had been preserved?
Darth Vader knew the power of "I am your father." Your family's stories are just as powerful — but only if they get recorded. Follow for more bite sized tips: https://www.youtube.com/
In this post, I share how one story from my grandmother reminded me why oral history, family history, and listening to loved ones are so important. When we ask better questions, we preserve family memories, values, wisdom, and legacy for future generations.
Some of the best ones happen right at the dining table — over coffee, dessert, or a “wait, I never told you this?” moment.
In this new video, I show how a simple tool like the Joby Handypod can help you record family stories more easily with your phone: steadier shot, better angle, less awkward setup.
Because the point isn’t fancy gear.
The point is capturing the voice, the laugh, the memory — before the moment passes.
05/04/2026