Radio Diaries

Anthony Ruggiero worked as a porter, a baker, a newspaper man and a drunk. As a private investigator in Brooklyn, Ruggiero was hired by companies to root out criminal activity.

Homer Martinez, a gravedigger and caretaker, tells author Studs Terkel about the unexpected joys of his job at Shalom Memorial Cemetery in Illinois.

When he was first interviewed by Studs Terkel in 1971, jockey Eddie Arroyo had been racing for 6 years. He said it was the hardest and most dangerous job he'd ever had.

Hots Michaels was interviewed by Studs Terkel while entertaining guests at the Hotel Sherman, where he worked for decades. This is part of our series Working Then and Now from Radio Diaries.

Taped interviews that Studs Terkel used for his book Working had been packed in boxes for decades. Here are some of those recordings, as part of a new series produced by Radio Diaries and Project&.

Gary Bryner tells Studs Terkel about being a union member and working in an auto factory for General Motors. About 40 years later, he reflects on how factory work and the role of unions have changed.

In 1971, Studs Terkel interviewed Renault Robinson, one of the city's few black officers. Robinson spoke bluntly about the role of race in urban policing.

In the '70s, Studs Terkel talked to an ad executive, who explained how as a "token woman" she had to navigate the male-dominated industry. Radio Diaries and Project& got access to the recording.

Sharon Griggins was 17 and working for Illinois Bell as a telephone operator when she was interviewed by Studs Terkel. This is part of Working Then and Now from Radio Diaries and Project&.

Our partner Radio Diaries, along with Project&, combed through Studs Terkel's tapes, and we're bringing you the best of what they found. Today, Lovin' Al Pommier, a Chicago parking lot attendant.

Iconic journalist Studs Terkel was creating a best-seller, when he interviewed people around the U.S. for his book Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.

For two years, Majd Abdulghani kept a journal during a crossroads in her life: Should she get married or keep studying? Or can she do both?

Claudette Colvin was a 15-year-old student from Montgomery, Ala., when she refused to yield her bus seat to a white passenger. But she has been largely forgotten in civil rights history.