Members


Austin

PatsyKuentz

Recollections - A Portrait of Life

After over twenty years of interviewing family members while doing personal genealogy research, in 2001 Patsy left her long term career in medical clinic management to create Recollections – A Portrait of a Life. 

Patsy combines her skills in interviewing, writing, genealogy, and preserving photos to help others create heirloom quality books about their life story.  In her personal history work, she often interviews clients who are concerned about the history, stories and significance of their family heirlooms being lost to future generations.  With those concerns in mind, she published a book called Our Family Heirlooms and Their Stories, the ideal place for documenting cherished family treasures.

Based in San Antonio, Patsy is a member of the Association of Personal Historians, an international professional organization for personal historians, and has served on its Board as Treasurer. 
Dallas


Martha Humphries

Forgotten Memories

Martha Humphries is a former magazine editor and freelance writer who now devotes her time and talents to writing personal histories and teaching guided autobiography classes. 

Martha is certified by the Birren Center for Autobiography and Life Review to teach guided autobiography.  Guided Autobiography classes help participants write their life story two pages at a time. Through writing and sharing stories with the others, students gain a growing appreciation of their own lives and the lives of others while documenting their own life stories for their families. 

Martha firmly believes that every one has a story that needs to be shared and preserved for future generations.

Dallas

Elaine Scholly

Remembering When


Safeguarding ones personal history for future generations is powerful. It’s more than listing the special moments and people in your life, it is preserving who you are. Remembering When guides you through the process of finding affective and creative ways to rediscover precious memories filed away and forgotten - preserving your family or personal history for generations to come. An important step in the process is proper organization and archiving of documents and photos, personal interviews, digital recordings, videos and life story books -- created to suit your personal needs. Everyone has a story to tell! Remembering When can assist you in the telling of your story through:

  • Guided Autobiography workshops 
  • Personal interviews and the production of life story books
  • Organization and archiving of photos, documents and memories
  • Restoration of damaged photos
Elaine Scholly is a Certified Autobiography Instructor, certified by the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies. Elaine offers speaking engagements for your organization on the importance of capturing and preserving personal histories. Contact Elaine for a free consultation to review service options available to preserve a particular history.
Dallas


Marlena Villers

Amok Video

Marlena Villers has worked in film and video for more than 30 years, beginning in the editorial department on feature films and documentaries and moving on to produce Telly award-winning commercials, issue-­oriented talk shows, and corporate/educational videos. Marlena also worked briefly as a social worker, which sharpened her listening and interviewing skills and showed her the power of telling one’s story. She now combines these two aspects of her work history by producing video biographies.
DeSoto


Dorothy L. Weir

Much to Tell

My love of stories began as a small child in rural Grenada County, Mississippi. I reveled in the life stories told over and over among grandparents, aunts and uncles. The Sunday afternoon porch settings still vivid: old folks leaning back in chairs, laughing and talking, and spitting snuff juice, while the children played in the big yard -- the ultimate “oral tradition” experience.

Mine was probably the last generation to experience the rich oral flow of cultural and biographical information from the source, and without the interruption of commercial media. The desire to tell our story, I believe, is still with us. I can be the ears to listen. I will help create a way to share. Allow me to help you tell your story - from a few pages to a complete history. Start with a series of conversations, end with an heirloom, complete with your chosen pictures and historical research providing context.


Houston

Jessie Campbell

Historie de Vous

As the family historian and genealogist for several years, I knew that if someone did not capture the essence of my family members, it would be lost to future generations. Then I had an “ah-ha” moment when I realized that my passion is to preserve individual and family legacies – after all, each person and her experiences, memories, and lessons are her greatest legacy. With my passion defined, I launched Historie de Vous with the focus of capturing life greatest moments as they happen. Having been blessed with the opportunity to travel, I split my time between the Houston, Texas area and the Orange County, California area. 

 I am a member of the Association of Personal Historians and the Association of Personal Photo Organizers. Before launching Historie de Vous, I worked as a Managing Editor in a Texas-based publishing company, and I continue to work as an independent contractor editor. I hold a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. in History from Tufts University.
Houston

Stefani Twyford

Legacy Multimedia

Legacy Multimedia is a women-owned company established in 2003 with a creative vision and keen interest in preserving personal legacies for posterity. Legacy Multimedia’s mission is to help families, individuals, companies and organizations chronicle history, share life stories, connect generations and preserve their legacies in timeless, high-quality multimedia presentations. Pooling well-developed talents in the fields of visual art, writing, directing, production and editing, Legacy has gained a reputation for offering quality tribute videos and biographies, artful DVD video presentations, photo restoration and archival photo services for a discerning clientele that appreciates the lasting value of fine craftsmanship. Their work has earned industry honors from the highly-coveted Videographer Awards and the international Hermes Creative Awards. Legacy Multimedia’s commitment to the arts, to the technology community, and to women in business has helped many others and serves as inspiration for the next generation of talented professionals.
Irving

Carol Kern

Your Personal Historian

My Passion? Capturing and preserving family histories.

My Goal? Capture as many as possible, one story at a time!

My lifelong passion for genealogy and capturing family stories developed out of an early-age curiosity surrounding the disappearance of my grandfather. In the late 1990’s, my work transitioned from family researcher to that of professional family history researcher and life story writer. I am a board member and serve as the Communications Director for the Association of Personal Historians. The APH vision: a world in which the story of every person, family, community, and organization is recorded and preserved. 

I own and operate Digital Warehouse, a web design and editing company offering graphic design, writing, editing, and hosting services to smaller businesses.  Previously, I owned and operated Word Designs, focusing on the design, writing and editing of newsletters and marketing materials. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Management from the University of San Francisco.