This is Us
Northern California is known for stunning redwoods, mountains, and ocean views. It is also home to some of the most fascinating people in the country. This is Us profiles remarkable people who live in Northern California - barrier-breaking individuals who have made our area the special place it is while influencing the world beyond.
Upcoming Broadcasts:
Local World War II Veterans (#413H) Duration: 26:55 STEREO
This week we tell some World War II stories. You'll meet Bob Keive, owner of local radio station KLIV and a speech-writer for President Dwight Eisenhower. Then, we share a romantic a love story with you about a WWII pilot who bailed out over enemy territory and was rescued by the French Underground.
Upcoming Broadcasts:
- KQED Plus: Sat, May 25, 2013 -- 2:30pm email reminder
- KQED Plus: Tue, May 28, 2013 -- 12:30am email reminder
Soldier's Stories (#313) Duration: 24:38 STEREO
This is Us introduces Jeb Ridgeway, a soldier turned photgrapher who documented his harrowing journey through Afghanistan. We also meet Anthony Powell who shares the history of the Buffalo Soldiers that he learned at his grandfather's knee.
Upcoming Broadcasts:
- KQED Plus: Sun, May 26, 2013 -- 11:30pm email reminder
- KQED Plus: Mon, May 27, 2013 -- 5:30am email reminder
Asian Heritage (#206) Duration: 28:56 STEREO
* Norman Mineta, former Secretary of Transportation - Former San Jose mayor, US congressman, presidential cabinet member and San Jose's favorite son.
* Dr. Masako Miura, Physician at Manzanar - Dr. Masako Miura gives a first person account of life in Manzanar, the Japanese interment camp which is now a National Historic site. Dr. Miura was one of only two women in her class at USC medical school. Shortly after graduation, she joined her family at Manzanar where she and 4 other doctors provided medical care to 10,000 people. Now more than 90 years old, she is sharing her compelling story.
* P.J. and Roy Hirabayoshi - The couple met in a computer punch card class and went on to lead San Jose Taiko. They have been keeping the beat in The Valley for 35 years.
Upcoming Broadcasts:
- KQED Plus: Wed, May 29, 2013 -- 7:00pm email reminder
- KQED Plus: Thu, May 30, 2013 -- 1:00am email reminder
- KQED Plus: Tue, Jun 4, 2013 -- 12:30am email reminder
Episode #302 Duration: 24:45 STEREO
This Is Up takes a trip to the Vision Quest Ranch in Monterey County, which serves as a retirement home for actors - animal actors. Becca gets to spend some time with big cats, monkeys and Butch, a 10,000 pound male African elephant.
This Is Us also profiles some very remarkable people, including the "King of Whimsy," toothpick artist Scott Weaver, who has spent the last 35 years recreating the city of San Francisco using - you guessed it - toothpicks. Also meet acclaimed landscape painter Richard Mayhew.
In the cover story, This Is Us profiles Salinas' Ray Diaz. The 96-year-old Diaz is a survivor of one of the most infamous and tragic episodes of World War II, the Bataan Death March. A sergeant in the US Army in the Philippines at the outset of the war, Diaz survived more than 3 years under the most brutal conditions imaginable as a POW.
Upcoming Broadcasts:
- KQED Plus: Tue, Jun 11, 2013 -- 12:30am email reminder
- KQED Plus: Sat, Jun 15, 2013 -- 2:30pm email reminder
Episode #303 Duration: 29:29 STEREO
First, a profile of citizen scientist Roger Castillo. A safety-repair mechanic who spends his time working on large fork lifts, Castillo volunteers to monitor fish and the water quality of the Guadalupe River in his spare time. While walking the river bank with his dog in 2005, Castillo made a remarkable discover - the bones of a mammoth that caused a major stir among paleontologists and geologists. Join us to unlock the mystery of "Lupe," the baby mammoth.
Then visit Moffet Field, the NASA Ames Research Center, and Dr. Natalie Batalha. Her job isn't your average 9-to-5 gig: She's the deputy science team director of the Kepler Mission, a search for inhabitable planets in our galaxy. We bet her findings will surprise you.
Upcoming Broadcasts:
- KQED Plus: Tue, Jun 18, 2013 -- 12:30am email reminder
- KQED Plus: Sat, Jun 22, 2013 -- 2:30pm email reminder
Black History (#205) Duration: 29:58 STEREO
* Les Williams - Les Williams was one of the very first Black Americans to become a bomber pilot. During World War II, when the military was segregated, a small group of African American men were trained to be combat pilots at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Army Air Corp called this effort The Tuskegee Experiment. Those soldiers will forever be known as the Tuskegee Airmen of the 332nd Fighter Group. These men battled the Axis Powers abroad and racism everywhere. Les Williams is one of the few surviving Tuskegee Airmen.
* Betty Soskin - The oldest ranger in the National Park Service, 87 year-old Betty Soskin is stationed at Home Front National Park. Betty gives tours of the shipyards where the "victory ships" were built during WWII and speaks about the experiences of Black women during that era.
* Lost Boys, refugees from Sudan - When Simon Deng and Peter Nyok were children, they walked hundreds of miles across Sudan, fleeing killers who intended to wipe out their generation. They dodged lions, alligators and bullets on their journey to the US. Today both young men attend college in Silicon Valley. Simon is studying to be a nurse. He also speaks to school age children about water conservation for the Santa Clara Water District. Peter raises funds and facilitates the relocation of groups of Sudanese orphans so they can attend school in Kenya.
Upcoming Broadcasts:
- KQED Plus: Tue, Jun 25, 2013 -- 12:30am email reminder
Winchester Mystery House (#310) Duration: 28:04 STEREO
This is Us visits the Winchester Mystery House and profiles Charlie Sammut, a former police officer who is now one of the top animal trainers in show business. Charlie's best four-legged pal Josef was the MGM lion, the Dreyfus lion, and the model for Disney's Lion King. Also profiled are Greg Kihn, the Bay Area's top disc jockey, and artist Scott Weaver who has re-created the city of San Francisco in toothpicks.
Upcoming Broadcasts:
- KQED Plus: Wed, Jun 26, 2013 -- 7:00pm email reminder
- KQED Plus: Thu, Jun 27, 2013 -- 1:00am email reminder
- KQED Plus: Sat, Jun 29, 2013 -- 2:30pm email reminder









