Human Services and Gerontology Programs
Professional Development Opportunities
Honoring a Life
Many people have an interest in family history, but don’t know where to begin. Others have collected photos and other materials, but don’t know what to do with them. Here’s your chance to take a bite out of the family history “elephant.”
Through this four-session workshop, personal historian Susan T. Hessel will take participants through the process of creating a bookstore quality-book that honors a loved one or tells a family story. By attending the four sessions and doing some homework, participants will be long on their way to a treasure that will be a family legacy for generations to come.
Session one: Overview of why family history is so important to collect. Participants will identify their goal for their family history and develop a plan for how they will achieve their goal. For fun and experience in this hands-on class, participants will do some writing exercises in class. They’ll also be given assignments, based on their goals.
Session two: We’ll review what had been done in the previous class and in their “homework.” We’ll do more writing assignments and discuss different techniques they can use for gathering information.
Session three: Photos and other memorabilia. Students will bring two or three photos to class that they would like to use in their book. If they are not already scanned, we’ll do so in class and talk about how they can be used. We’ll do more writing exercises as well.
Session four: Putting it together. We’ll take what they have written so far and their photos and start their books at MemoryPress.
Presenter: Susan T. Hessel, a member of the Association of Personal Historians, “saves lives” by helping individuals, families, businesses, organizations and communities preserve their stories. She is the author or co-author of more than two dozen books including memoirs and family histories.
People appreciate Hessel's ability to get inside their histories and retell them with warmth, humor, and sensitivity.
"In every project, someone tells me, 'Oh you don't want to write about that. That was such a bad time.' I always answer, 'That is precisely what future generations need to know about--how you struggled and how you survived.' That's true for families and it's true for businesses."
Hessel enjoys telling the stories--what she calls the true "Lessons From Life" because they make individuals, companies, and families proud, and give insights and make connections between generations. Also, sometimes, there are anecdotes that make people laugh. More...
Feb. 16, 23, March 2 and 9
2-5 p.m.
UW-La Crosse
$135, (additional $50 supply fee)
For more information: 608.785.6508 or langaard.kare@uwlax.edu
