Decades Later: Recent Episodes
Jay Proffitt and Teresa Purkiss
It’s been more than twenty years since we were all in high school. We grew up together and shared a lot of great times. We were in the same class, on the same teams, some of us even fell in love. However, we’ve all lived more years since high school than we had up until graduation. You’ve met a lot of cool people and done a lot of cool things! So we want to catch up. We want to have a conversation and hear your stories—Decades Later!
Biff lets us in on how he came to drama, where the nickname Biff comes from, and what he’d be doing now if he had never stepped on a stage.
Biff lets us in on how he came to drama, where the nickname Biff comes from, and what he’d be doing now if he had never stepped on a stage.
This week Carol Tsai Begnoche joins us to talk about crime podcasts, cookbooks, and which movies we can’t wait to see!
Elizabeth joins us in our first episode in over a year. We talk about raising kids, surviving the pandemic, and just how good nostalgia can taste. We're glad to be back and we can't wait to hear more stories!
This week we are joined by special guests Jared Jones, Kenneth Gilbert, Jeff Ford, and Brandon Evans as they recount their time in the band 7 Day Jr. You’ll learn everything you ever wanted to know. “Where did the name come from?” “Who came up with the ideas for the songs?” Even hear the story behind the recording of their debut self-titled album. We hope you enjoy this look back at 1996’s favorite local band, 7 Day Jr!
Holly Halpin Peck joins us this week to share a little of her story which includes the U.S. Virgin Islands and ends with real estate law. Can you find all of the potential titles along the way?
In our second Heritage Faculty episode, we sit down with Carol Currence. She shares her experiences teaching 11th Grade English, coaching the forensics team, and what it was like being a Heritage when they opened the doors for the very first time.
Canaan Tummond joins us to give us a glimpse into the world of Tattoos. He shares his experiences as a tattoo artist, his work to innovate tattoo machines, and how his art has expanded beyond the body as a canvas.
This week we learn how Lynnette played all the sports in high school and how she manages to keep active and teach group fitness classes on a mom's schedule.
This week we're trying something new. We invited Holly Frazier to join us in what we hope will be the first of many conversations with teachers from Heritage.
We did it! Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of Decades Later, and we want to thank each and every one of you for helping us get here. Teresa and I take a look back at what we've learned this past year, things we didn't expect, and where we're going from here!
Join us this week as we invite back several of our guests from the Class of 1998. Amy Halpin Schwartz, Carole Jones Lucas, Billy Carey, Will Ellis, and PJ Sykes all return to Decades Later for a Happy Hour of their own.
In our first episode of 2022, we talk to Leah Campbell about all of her travels and adventures after leaving Heritage.
Join us in welcoming Thomas Roach to the podcast. He talks to us about how he started his career as an electrician, spending the night in a grocery store, and coaching archery.
Will Ellis drops by to share some great stories from high school, but he also sheds some light on sleep apnea and dance competitions.
Clay Shorter, Bob Shomaker, and Jackie Holton join us as we reflect on late-night meals at the T-Room, garage bands, and growing up in Lynchburg.
Beth Carey Jamerson stops by this week to talk about parenting, playing tennis with celebrities, and her unorthodox journey to law school. And don’t really send her any porcelain dolls.
Kelly Morris Rowan joins us to share her journey as a performer, life with 6-month-old twin boys, and the choices that pointed her in that direction.
Billy Carey stops by to talk marching band, wrestling, NASA, and a few more details about those video projects with PJ.
On this episode of Decades Later, PJ Sykes joins us to talk music, concert photography, and where his love for working with video all began.
Amy Halpin Schwartz joins us to talk about high school shenanigans, the pink house, and sending kids to college.
In this episode of Decades Later, Carol Jones Lucas shares how her love for the arts took her from Lynchburg to Disney World, and eventually Broadway.
This week we are joined by Zane Dickerson. We learn about the golf team, chance encounters at Disney World, and wonder whether we could even get into Virginia Tech today.
This week, we continue our conversation with Keith and Brandon and hear some fun, behind-the-scenes stories from Pioneer Theater.
It's time to bring back some of our previous guests for a little Decades Later Happy Hour reunion. This week, join us for the first part of our conversation with Jackie Holton, Keith Foster, and Brandon Cyrus as we share fun memories and the joys of getting older.
Traci joins to talk about gymnastics, birthday parties, dancing, and Super Mario Bros 2! Maybe you'll even learn a little something about speech therapy.
Greg Hofmann shares about his time as a swimmer and a tennis player, as well as his continuing connection to his core group of friends from high school. His dedication to his alma mater may be the most enduring we've seen yet.
Sarah Davis joins us this week to talk about sign language, Hotlanta, yoga, and to remind us all that, truly, Virginia is for Lovers!
This week we talk to Robert Schomaker about water balloon fights, drum kit adventures, and learning to fly airplanes. "Bob" is yet another resident of the celebrated Village Rd. neighborhood, and he shares some sweet shortcuts through the woods.
This week Kellee Williams Glass joins us to talk about forgotten board games, world travels, and Covid adventures.
This week we talk to Andie Ogden about sleepovers, swimming, and SCA. She also shares some of her journey in becoming a teacher and math specialist. AND, we finally find out what the positive approach club was!
This week we are joined by Clay Shorter. He talks about elementary school plays, middle school band, and balancing sports with theater. He also shares how his college journey took him back and forth across the country, only to end up right back in his hometown. We hope you enjoy your visit to Shorter Ranch.
Tia and Phillip Slaughter join us this week for our very first couple's conversation. They share some of what it was like moving with the military, raising a family, and what's next for the Slaughter family.
Jimmy Camden joins us this week to talk about swimming, making wine, leadership through tabletop games, and why changing your plans is sometimes the best decision you can make.
This week we spend some time with Keith Foster and get to hear about his adventures in acting and knitting! From Virginia to New York to Minnesota, Keith gives us a peek into his journey while recounting forgotten memories. He then shifts gears and decides to ask us the questions. You won't want to miss this conversation!
A few weeks ago we released a Happy Hour episode. Several of our first guests came back to share about their experiences recording Decades Later and what they had remembered after listening to other episodes. Today's bonus episode was recorded that day and recounts an adventure that many of our guests were a part of. It's short, but it's good! I hope you enjoy The Rest of the Story!
Tiffany Driskill Walter joins us to talk about “Life’s Rich Palette”, raising kids early, and going back to school as an adult. She also goes on the record about the nearly-calamitous plot to decorate the city stadium football field before the Glass vs. Heritage game.
If you’ve never spent time with Brandon Cyrus, you’re missing out! Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Brandon joins us to talk about high school and college theater and his adventures being a karaoke and wedding DJ.
Bhamini Shah Palakudy joins us on this week’s episode of Decades Later. Bhamini shares about the lasting friendships she built in middle school, basement parties with all of her friends, and the focus on academics in her household growing up.
In this special episode, we invite several of our guests back for a Happy Hour conversation. Ashley Baer Ferguson, Dave Wright, Peyton Anderson, Stefanie Evans Stewart, Jackie Hudson Holton, and Tiffany Driskill Walter join us to share their experiences on Decades Later. These people helped me bring this idea to life. Hear their favorite stories so far and what they forgot the first time around.
This week we spend some time with Justin Dearing. We talk about marching band trips, baseball teams, garage bands, and his journey through college. Justin fills us in on his passion for bourbon and how he and his wife share their interests on Instagram.
We catch up with Tiffany Lane Oberoi and talk about the neighborhood crew, asking too many questions in art class, Odyssey of the Mind, and how she became a teacher. You won’t want to miss the story of how she got stitches from a marching band performance or when she landed in detention!
This week, Jackie Hudson Holton joins us to talk about fun times in theater, traveling across Europe, and birthday parties around the bonfire. She shares what life is like as a healthcare provider during a pandemic, and the mother of young athletes. You won't want to miss her theme music for 2021!
This week, Stefanie Evens Stewart joins us to talk about G.O. Center plays, show choir trips, and physics with David Templeton. She shares about her time in veterinary school at Virginia Tech and her path to becoming Dr. Stefanie Stewart, DVM. Next time you run into Stefanie, ask her about the fish pond in her living room!
Peyton Anderson stops by to talk theater, crazy outfits, rock bands, and first kisses. Peyton is one of those friends I’ve known so long, that I can’t remember exactly when we met. He shares how he went from a high-school graduate, struggling to find direction, to a position where he’s able to help teachers build engaging learning environments for tomorrow’s high-school grads. Join us for this awesome stroll through Yesteryear.
This week, we're joined by David Wright. After moving to Lynchburg for sixth grade, Dave tried his hand at a lot of new things and got to know a lot of people. We try to jog our memory of several Pioneer Theater productions and see how music played a big part of Dave's life throughout school and beyond. Dave values the time he spends helping and working with others in his life. And if you need someone to work out with, give him a call.
This week we talk with Ashley Ferguson. We reminisce about singing on the school bus, our time in Pioneer Theater, and Friday nights at City Stadium. She shares about her time as a history teacher, sharing her passion for cheering, and her recent foray into the world of furniture restoration. If you happen to run into Ashley, don’t forget to ask her about playing the guitar. We had a blast catching up and hearing her story. You won’t find a more authentic, caring, and truly joyful person.
Welcome to Decades Later, a podcast where we reconnect with old friends and share our stories. In this episode, Teresa and Jay talk about how the idea for the podcast developed and what we’ve been doing for the past twenty years. We hope you enjoy hearing everyone’s stories as much as we enjoy putting them together!