Making Data Simple
What will I say about technology when I'm 97? A "storycorp" style interview with my buddy's grandmother, 97 year old Nannie Ryals.
Wed Jun 14 2023Description
The episode features an interview with Nanny Riles, a 97-year-old woman born in 1925. She shares her experiences growing up, her marriage, work, and challenges faced over the last hundred years. The interview also touches on major world events, technological advancements, personal reflections, and life lessons. Nanny reflects on changes in politics, women's lives, dress codes, transportation, and technology. She discusses her favorite sports teams, family importance, and offers advice for young people. The episode concludes with insights on aging and the speaker's perspective on a good life.
Insights
Longevity and Simple Living
Nanny Riles attributes her longevity to living a simple life without smoking or drinking. She emphasizes the importance of not dwelling on regrets and finding contentment in being pain-free.
Major World Events and Changing Politics
Nanny Riles reflects on significant world events over the last hundred years, including wars, moon landing, and September 11. She expresses disappointment in the current state of politics, citing a lack of honesty and consistency among politicians.
Women's Lives and Independence
Nanny Riles discusses how women's lives have changed significantly over a hundred years, with more independence and opportunities for travel. She highlights the stricter dress codes in the past, where women had to wear dresses or skirts that covered their knees.
Technological Advancements and Personal Reflections
Nanny Riles reminisces about the introduction of television as a communication vehicle and considers the microwave as the number one invention for its convenience in cooking. She shares personal experiences with older technology like washing machines with gasoline motors.
Sports, Family, and Life Lessons
Nanny Riles enjoys watching football and has been disappointed with the performance of the Kansas City Royals baseball team. Family is important to her, and she offers advice for young people to learn everything possible while in college and always be true to oneself.
Chapters
- Introduction and Early Life
- Love, Work, and Challenges
- World Events and Personal Experiences
- Technological Advancements and Personal Reflections
- Life Lessons and Reflections on Aging
Introduction and Early Life
00:00 - 07:59
- Al Martin introduces his special guest, Nanny Riles
- Nanny Riles attended electronic school after the war to learn about technology
- Nanny shares her experience of having a TV in the 1950s with only a test pattern
- Nanny is currently 97 years old and was born in 1925
- Al Martin's grandmother was born in 1918 and passed away in 2012
- Nanny didn't expect to live this long but takes each day as it comes
- Nanny has a large family with four grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and two children
- She only knew one set of grandparents on her dad's side
- Nanny describes her childhood playing games like 'over the house'
- She had eight siblings and was the second oldest
- Nanny's craziest memory is swimming in a stream near their house against their mother's wishes
- She wasn't boy crazy and would turn down offers to go out with boys
- Charlie, Nanny's husband, asked her out before he had to report to camp during his army service
Love, Work, and Challenges
07:32 - 16:22
- Met a man on the way to a football game and ended up going to the show with him
- Corresponded through letters during the war
- Got engaged after knowing each other for a couple of weeks
- No secret to longevity, just living a simple life without smoking or drinking
- Used to walk a lot for exercise but can't anymore
- Best decade was when they moved to LaNexa, Kansas in 1946 and helped build the town
- First job was as a hairdresser for 55 years
- Had financial struggles throughout life due to low wages and limited spending
- Bought first home for $9,500 with no credit history
- Experienced significant changes over the last hundred years including wars, moon landing, and September 11
World Events and Personal Experiences
15:52 - 24:30
- The world has changed significantly over the last hundred years, with major events like World War II, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, moon landing, September 11, Iraq and Afghanistan.
- The interviewee describes the current world as mixed up and filled with fake information and news.
- Politics is seen as worse than ever before due to a lack of honesty and consistency among politicians.
- Despite politics always being present, there was an attempt to do good in the past.
- The future of politics depends on who gets elected.
- The interviewee lost a family member in World War I and experienced the polio epidemic in the early '50s.
- Women's lives have changed significantly over a hundred years, with more independence and opportunities for travel.
- Dress codes were stricter in the past, with women having to wear dresses or skirts that covered their knees.
- Air travel has become more prevalent over time compared to driving everywhere in earlier decades.
- Cars became more common after the Model T was manufactured in 1919.
- Gas stations had limited availability in small towns during earlier times.
- The interviewee remembers getting a car when they were young but doesn't recall the exact year.
Technological Advancements and Personal Reflections
24:03 - 31:42
- Television programs are not as good as they used to be.
- The introduction of the TV as a communication vehicle was a cool invention.
- The microwave is considered the number one invention by the speaker because it allows for easy warming up and cooking of food.
- The speaker recalls using a washing machine with a gasoline motor during their high school years.
- The speaker does not have much knowledge or interest in current technology like phones, but they are satisfied with their house phone and hearing aids.
- The speaker's mother has been the most influential person in their life, teaching them to always do the right thing and be themselves.
- Football is an activity that the speaker has found most enjoyable, likely due to growing up in Oklahoma where football was popular.
- The speaker used to go to movies every Friday night when they were growing up, costing only 10 cents per ticket.
- While the speaker used to enjoy baseball, they have become less interested after the performance of the Kansas City Royals team.
- The speaker expresses frustration with the Royals' lackluster performance and mentions that none of their players seem to know how to field properly.
- Despite being disappointed with their performance, the speaker still watches Royals games for a while before getting disgusted if they start losing early on.
- The Chiefs are another sports team that the speaker enjoys watching, particularly because of quarterback Patrick Mahomes who they had followed since his high school days at Texas Tech University.
- Family is important to the speaker, and as long as their family is alright, they consider themselves happy.
- For young people, the advice given by the speaker is to learn everything possible while in college and always be true to oneself.
- If given advice for their younger self at age twenty, the speaker would suggest staying indoors and eating well as important factors for a good life.
Life Lessons and Reflections on Aging
31:37 - 35:25
- The speaker suggests growing your own food instead of buying it at the grocery store.
- The speaker believes that dwelling on regrets is not productive and it's better to move on.
- There are many things that the speaker is fearful of, including politics.
- The speaker believes a good life is as long as you're here and not in pain.
- Family is the most important thing to the speaker.
- Having more wealth can lead to more worries, so the speaker doesn't desire to be rich.
- On their 100th birthday, the speaker wants to sit in their driveway and have people weigh their lives.
- The speaker feels good every day and looks great according to others.