‘The Older It Gets, the Better It Gets’

Historian Bob McCracken of Pahrump, Nev., wrote an interesting article in the Pahrump Valley Times about the variety of information sources utilized by historians. One of his favorite sources, he says is the oral history, for it collects firsthand information from people who witnessed historical events at close range.

“Most of the time,” he writes, “you can't get closer to an event in the past than by talking to someone who was there. And an oral history never gets old; in fact, the older it gets, the better it gets.”

McCracken particularly values the recollections of ordinary people. “It is my belief,” he contends, “that nearly every human being has an oral history in them. In a better world, a formal oral history would be conducted with every willing older individual. The benefits to society of such a program would be enormous.”