• Featured Business
    • Around the House
    • Health Care
    • Retail Shops
    • Services
  • Everyday
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Adna High School
    • Centralia High School
    • Morton/White Pass High School
    • Mossyrock High School
    • Napavine High School
    • Onalaska High School
    • Pe Ell High School
    • Toledo High School
    • W.F. West High School
    • Winlock High School
    • Rec League
  • Food
    • Restaurants
  • Art
  • History
  • Community Channels
    • Home Construction and Remodel
    • Home Inspection Services
    • Law Office
    • Media Partners
      • NorthAmericaTalk
    • Non Profit
    • Physical Therapy
    • Health
  • LocalTalk
  • Activities
    • Adult
    • Family
    • Indoor
    • Outdoor
    • Kids
  • Calendar
    • Calendar
    • Add An Event
    • Event Articles
  • Travel
    • Day Trips
    • Overnight Trips
Search
Monday, June 5, 2023
  • About
    • Team
    • Company News
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Marketing Insights
    • Company News
LewisTalkWA
  • Featured Business
    • AllAround the HouseHealth CareRetail ShopsServices
      Northwest Paws & More

      Skip A Trip to The Groomers and Let Northwest Paws &…

      Inspire Physical & Hand Therapy

      Inspire Physical & Hand Therapy Provides Low-Impact Rehab for Lower Body…

      Wagner Orthodontics

      Service Through Three Generations With Wagner Orthodontics

      Providence Centralia Hospital Providence St. Peter

      Providence Swedish South Puget Sound Facilities to Continue Masking Mandate

  • Everyday
    • Onalaska graduate Sierra Griffith

      Onalaska Graduate Sierra Griffith Blazes the Way for Women Firefighters

      Veteran’s Journey Forward Chehalis

      Veteran’s Journey Forward With Veteran’s Memorial Museum in Chehalis

      Evergreen State College

      Antisemitism Revisited at The Evergreen State College

      Arbor Health

      Rebecca Will Take Arbor Health Over a Skilled Nursing Facility Any…

      Timberland Regional Library

      Timberland Regional Library Building Updates Focus on Accessibility and Comfort

  • Sports
    • AllHigh SchoolAdna High SchoolCentralia High SchoolMorton/White Pass High SchoolMossyrock High SchoolNapavine High SchoolOnalaska High SchoolPe Ell High SchoolToledo High SchoolW.F. West High SchoolWinlock High SchoolRec League
      Foot and Ankle Surgical Associates

      Pro Soccer Hits Thurston County With Oly Town FC Thanks To…

      The Evergreen State College Women’s Basketball Team

      The Evergreen State College Women’s Basketball Team Is Gaining Momentum, Looking…

      The Evergreen State College

      The Evergreen State College Men’s Basketball Welcomes a Season of Growth…

      Nate Conkey Onalaska Logger Football

      Nathan Conkey is the Heart of Onalaska Logger Football

  • Food
    • AllRestaurants
      Chehalis Centralia Lewis County Farmers Markets

      2023 Farmers Markets Are Abound With Goodness in Chehalis, Centralia and…

      Mossyrock Garden Tulips

      Restaurants for a Romantic Date Night in Centralia, Chehalis and Lewis…

      Thai Food West Olympia

      Where to Find Thai Food in West Olympia

      Vics Pizzeria

      Fresh and Innovative, Vic’s Pizzeria in Olympia is a Local Favorite…

  • Art
    • Evergreen State College

      The Evergreen State College Longhouse Celebrates its 25+1 Anniversary of Supporting…

      Chehalis Community Renascence Team

      Color Welcomes Visitors in Downtown Chehalis with Chehalis Community Renaissance Team

      Return Home Inspires Chehalis Woman to Write First Children’s Book

      Evergreen State College

      Celebrate Art, Culture and History at The Evergreen State College’s Digital…

      Irisa Kennedy

      Lewis County Artist Spotlight: Irisa Kennedy

  • History
  • Community Channels
    • Home Construction and Remodel
    • Home Inspection Services
    • Law Office
    • Media Partners
      • NorthAmericaTalk
    • Non Profit
    • Physical Therapy
    • Health
  • LocalTalk
    • The Washington Acoustic Music Association Hosts a Concert and Guitar Workshop…

      Comcast

      Washington is Among Top Five States for Broadband Access

      Barbara Feigin

      Chehalis Foundation Welcomes the Public To Meet Author, Bearcat Alum, and…

      Lewis County Branch of the American Association of University Women Hosts…

      Daytime Delays and Overnight Closures of SR 6 in Lewis County…

  • Activities
    • AllAdultFamilyIndoorOutdoorKids
      Resort at Port Ludlow Olympic Peninsula

      Experience the Resort at Port Ludlow on the Olympic Peninsula

      Grays Harbor beaches

      How to Practice Responsible Tourism When Visiting Grays Harbor’s Beaches

      The Hive Centralia

      Find Empowerment at The Hive Art and Movement Studio in Centralia

      Dana Marie Kiser Ballroom Dance

      Turn Your Left Feet Into Smooth Ballroom Technique With Dance Lessons…

  • Calendar
    • Calendar
    • Add An Event
    • Event Articles
  • Travel
    • Day Trips
    • Overnight Trips
Home Everyday Julie McDonald Zander’s Mission in Life is to Record Your History

Julie McDonald Zander’s Mission in Life is to Record Your History

By
Kristina Lotz

Share via:

164 Shares
  • More
FacebookTweetPin

Julie McDonald Zander has always loved hearing the stories of her elders. When she was little, she learned about her grandparents (three of which had passed the year she was born) through the stories of her parents. “I loved hearing my mother and father talk about their childhoods,” Julie says. “I cherished those stories about my grandparents, since that’s the only way I ever knew anything about them.”

home carpet warehouseAs a teenager she would listen with rapt attention to her neighbor, Florence Gibb, who had wonderful stories about her childhood in Montana, being a nurse, and marrying a much older doctor. It’s no surprise that, as an adult, Julie has made it her life’s work to record personal histories.

While working as a reporter and an editor, Julie recorded her first personal history in 1992 of her own family. Julie interviewed her father and mother about their lives. She recorded those onto VHS tapes. Then, for her mother’s 60th birthday, she made booklets sharing their adventures during a trip to Europe the two took in 1993.

When her father passed away, she gave each of the grandchildren a book of her parents’ stories, titling it “Their Story Is My Story.” And that’s how she got started with books.

“I interviewed my sister’s father-in-law and my sister-in-law’s grandparents and created books, what I called ‘family freebies,’” Julie says. “Those showed me how I could capture and preserve life stories.”

Julie McDonald Zander
Julie McDonald Zander has created a business by following her passion for the past. Photo courtesy: Julie McDonald Zander

The Rest, as They Say, is History

In 1999, Julie left reporting and started her business, Chapters of Life. Since then, she has spent her life collecting personal histories and turning them into books. The one problem with doing what you love? Sometimes you forget to charge for your work.

“My first ‘real’ client was June Squires, a woman I worked with to serve coffee and doughnuts after Mass at St. Francis Xavier Mission in Toledo,” Julie recalls. “She was such a gem. She told me she’d hire me ‘only if you charge me the full price.’ She helped me because I loved what I did and tended to do it for free, but I also needed to earn a living.” June’s story titled June and Gordon Squires: 55 Years, One Month, One Day…And All Eternity was published in 2002.

To create these amazing memory books, Julie starts by interviewing the subject. She says it’s helpful to have an outsider interview family members because people tend to go into more detail than they would if they were speaking with someone they assume already knows the tale. How long it takes really depends on the subject and the family members who are editing the book. Some edit and respond quickly, Julie explains, while others take a long time. Then Julie takes the draft and corrects it based on the family’s notes. After that, photos and other memorabilia are added. When the book is exactly the way the client wants it, Julie sends it to Gorham Printing in Centralia for publishing.

Community History

In addition to helping families record their personal history, Julie has worked on many projects that record the histories of Lewis County. Titles include These Walls Talk: Lewis County’s 1927 Historic Courthouse, Chehalis: A ‘Can-Do’ Community, A History of Industrial Development in Lewis County, A History of the Chehalis Industrial Commission: A Community-Owned Not-for-Profit 501(c)3 Group of Friends!, Chapters of Life in Chehalis 1915, Chapters of Life in Bucoda and Bucoda: The Little Town With a Million Memories, to name a few. Julie also did a volunteer project recording the history of the Southwest Washington Fair, which took many years to complete. Links to purchase these books are on her website.

Southwest Washington Fair Book
The manager of the Southwest Washington Fair kept the draft of this book for two years, three different times, making this one of the longest projects Julie has worked on. Photo courtesy: Julie McDonald Zander.

Currently, she is working on the history of Centralia College. She started this in 2011 she says, when they interviewed former faculty members of the college. “I did a lot of research through other books, publications and newspaper articles to ground the stories in fact,” Julie says. “The book melds the memories of people who helped shape the college with the factual history.”

Tips for the Budding Historian

Julie is a priceless trove of help and support for anyone hoping to record their own histories – or just to write in general. She believes everyone’s story should be recorded, for the good of future generations.

“It’s important to record the family history because the stories of our parents and grandparents help shape who we are today,” she explains. “Recording the stories links the past to the present and the future. We can learn from the mistakes of others, build on their successes, and ground ourselves in the rich pasts of people who laid the groundwork for our lives. I’m not a professional genealogist, but I admire those who dig through all those old records to find the facts. I have one colleague who says the stories provide leaves to the family tree.”

So how to start? Julie says the first thing is to get a good recorder. She says the ones that capture voice in .wav format are much clearer than the others – they can be found online for around $20. Also, she recommends having two and using both for every interview, in case one doesn’t record. Finally, she recommends placing one of the recorders around the neck of the interviewee, so it picks everything up.

If you plan on writing the histories yourself instead of hiring a personal historian like Julie, she recommends joining local writing groups for critique and feedback.  For example, the Southwest Washington Writers group meets every Thursday at the Unity Church in Centralia. While this may sound intimidating if you’re just starting out, Julie says the members are very supportive.

Life on the Home Front
Life on the Home Front is one of many collaborative historical projects Julie has worked one. It tells the stories of the Rosie the Riveters from World War II. Photo courtesy: Julie McDonald Zander

“We follow the Toastmasters’ sandwich technique in providing feedback—we say what we liked, we offer suggestions for improvements, and we end with what we liked,” she explains. “It’s important to attend a critique group with the goal of improving what you’ve written and a willingness to accept constructive feedback. But it’s a terrific way to learn from others without investing a lot of money.”

Lastly, she recommends going to writer’s conferences, where you can learn about everything from writing and editing techniques to self-publishing and marketing. The ones Julie recommends are the Oregon Christian Writers Conferences (one in February and one in August) and the Willamette Writers Conference. Finally, the Southwest Washington Writers has their own conference at Centralia College in September.

Above all, she says to just write. “Nobody writes it perfectly the first time. That’s why people attend group meetings and hire editors. If you’re called to write, though, that’s what you do-write.” And if you are recording your family’s history, it doesn’t have to be on the New York Time’s Best Seller List. The important thing is to get the stories written down so they are not forgotten.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
FacebookTweetPin

Share via:

164 Shares
  • More
Previous articleTAP into Your Inner Athlete at Thorbeckes
Next articleLocal Auto-Care Ministry Fixes Cars for Those in Need
Kristina Lotz

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Onalaska graduate Sierra Griffith

Onalaska Graduate Sierra Griffith Blazes the Way for Women Firefighters

Veteran’s Journey Forward Chehalis

Veteran’s Journey Forward With Veteran’s Memorial Museum in Chehalis

Evergreen State College

Antisemitism Revisited at The Evergreen State College

Upcoming Events

Jun
6
Tue
11:00 am The Community Farmers Market of ...
The Community Farmers Market of ...
Jun 6 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Join us at the market every Tuesday from 11 am until 4 pm, June through October, for produce, plants, herbs, body care, artisanal goods, and more! Kids Club is back! Stop by with the kids[...]
Jun
13
Tue
11:00 am The Community Farmers Market of ...
The Community Farmers Market of ...
Jun 13 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Community Farmers Market of Chehalis
Join us at The Community Farmers Market of Chehalis every Tuesday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., June through October, for produce, plants, herbs, body care, artisanal goods, and more! Kids Club is back! Stop[...]
Jun
17
Sat
all-day Centralia Gun Show @ Southwest Washington Fairgrounds
Centralia Gun Show @ Southwest Washington Fairgrounds
Jun 17 – Jun 18 all-day
Centralia Gun Show @ Southwest Washington Fairgrounds
SHOW HOURS Sat. 9 AM – 5 PM Sun. 9 AM – 3 PM **ADMISSION TO GUN SHOW ** General Admission – $10 per day Military/Veterans – $8 per day 2-Day Passes: $16 (12 and[...]
10:00 am 2nd Summer Market at The Loft @ The Loft
2nd Summer Market at The Loft @ The Loft
Jun 17 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Come Join Wilde Soul & The Loft in presenting our 2nd Summer Market at The Loft! When: Saturday June 17th from 10~ 4 pm & Sunday June 18th from 10 ~ 4 pm Where: The[...]
1:30 pm Borst Museum OPEN HOUSE @ Historic Borst Home Museum
Borst Museum OPEN HOUSE @ Historic Borst Home Museum
Jun 17 @ 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Borst Museum OPEN HOUSE @ Historic Borst Home Museum
Jean Bluhm has a collection of ties to talk about in time for Father’s Day! 2 PM for her talk … Open House 1:30 to 3:30 pm. The Heirloom Gardens are beautiful. Reenactors are our[...]
View Calendar

Local Community Sponsors

Local Community Sponsors

STAY CONNECTED

8,450FansLike
361FollowersFollow

Business

Northwest Paws & More

Skip A Trip to The Groomers and Let Northwest Paws &...

Your pet can avoid many health conditions with regular grooming, but when a car ride means a stressful trip to the...
Inspire Physical & Hand Therapy

Inspire Physical & Hand Therapy Provides Low-Impact Rehab for Lower Body...

Wagner Orthodontics

Service Through Three Generations With Wagner Orthodontics

Providence Centralia Hospital Providence St. Peter

Providence Swedish South Puget Sound Facilities to Continue Masking Mandate

Foot & Ankle Surgical Associates

Foot & Ankle Surgical Associates Reflects on a Banner Year of...

Trending Now

Riffe General Store

Remembering the Town of Riffe, Washington

Rockhounding Lewis County

Rockhounding in Lewis County – The Treasure Beneath Your Feet

Borst Blockhouse

The Borst Blockhouse: Centralia’s Matchless Treasure

Editor Picks

Onalaska graduate Sierra Griffith

Onalaska Graduate Sierra Griffith Blazes the Way for Women Firefighters

Veteran’s Journey Forward Chehalis

Veteran’s Journey Forward With Veteran’s Memorial Museum in Chehalis

Chehalis Centralia Lewis County Farmers Markets

2023 Farmers Markets Are Abound With Goodness in Chehalis, Centralia and...

Recent Posts

  • Skip A Trip to The Groomers and Let Northwest Paws & More Come to You and Your Pet
  • The Washington Acoustic Music Association Hosts a Concert and Guitar Workshop on June 3
  • Make It (Purple) Rain With Marshall Charloff & Purple Xperience at the Washington Center’s Gala and Fundraiser
  • Experience the Resort at Port Ludlow on the Olympic Peninsula
  • How to Practice Responsible Tourism When Visiting Grays Harbor’s Beaches
ABOUT US
LewisTalk is a community social network delivering positive stories about what it’s like to live, work and play in Lewis County. Advertise with LewisTalk. Brand your business and tell your story to your target market.
Contact us: info@lewistalk.com
FOLLOW US
  • About
    • Team
    • Company News
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Marketing Insights
    • Company News
© LewisTalk, Inc.
 

Loading Comments...
 

    Share via
    Facebook
    Twitter
    LinkedIn
    Mix
    Email
    Print
    Copy Link
    Powered by Social Snap
    Copy link
    CopyCopied
    Powered by Social Snap
    Edit with Live CSS
    Save
    Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete.