JONATHAN CORMUR: Hello Dork Squad. I'm Jonathan Cormur and you're listening to Dorktales Storytime, the podcast for kids and their pop culture-loving grown-ups, and this is an inspiring story about a hidden hero of history.
THEME SONG: It's a beautiful day for a story, adventure and glory, new friends and old ones too. It's an excellent day to get swept away in a tail, so let us regale you.
Hey listeners! A quick message before you hear the story of this incredible hero of history: this episode includes brief discussions about heavier topics including war and loss.
We hear the wind in the trees. It’s a very peaceful day.
REDGE
(Takes a big breath in.) You’re right, Jonathan. There’s nothing like a little stroll through nature to revitalize my spirits. Look at these tall and majestic pine trees!
JONATHAN
Aren’t they incredible? There’s something about The Folktale Forest. It’s so peaceful. Just listen to that breeze in the trees.
A breeze for them to take it all in.
REDGE
Delightful.
REDGE
Who-who is making that sound? Could that be an owl? But it’s daytime. You specifically told me owls were nocturnal.
JONATHAN
Oh, look! Up in that pine tree. It’s our dear friend Dr. Featherman the owl. (To Doctor Featherman) Hello, Doc!
REDGE:
Oh, thank goodness. Hey, what’s up doc?
DR. FEATHERMAN
Why, hello there Jonathan and Mr. Redge. How are you two?
REDGE
Just fine. Enjoying this beautiful day. What are you doing up, this time of day?
DR. FEATHERMAN
I have been busy, busy, busy. There’s no time for rest. I’m flying from appointment to appointment taking care of all the animals of the forest.
REDGE
What’s happening, Dr. Featherman?
DR. FEATHERMAN
You know that dragon that lives nearby?
JONATHAN
Smogg the Dragon, yes.
DR. FEATHERMAN
He’s lovely but when he takes his naps in the forest he breathes out a hot fiery gas.
REDGE
That doesn’t sound good.
DR. FEATHERMAN
It’s not. The trees here in the forest work really hard to keep the ecosystem happy. With all the dragon’s breath, they have to work overtime and that makes them unhappy. If the trees are unhappy, it creates a glitch in the ecosystem.
JONATHAN
What sort of glitch?
DR. FEATHERMAN
The Dragon’s Breath Glitch. Instead of sunny days and gentle breezes, there are sudden rainstorms. It snows when it’s meant to be warm. The flowers aren't sure when to bloom and the animals don’t know which way is up or down. The rabbits sneeze and the bears have rumbly tummies. The Folktale Forest doctors cannot keep up with everyone who is flocking to see them.
REDGE
Heh. Good joke. Flocking. Because you’re an owl. I get it. I’m very good at humor.
JONATHAN
Yes but that all sounds terrible. Certainly Smogg should nap somewhere else and this will all be solved.
DR. FEATHERMAN
But doesn’t Smogg deserve a place to nap? If we asked him to go somewhere else, his dragon’s breath would just affect another ecosystem.
JONATHAN
I guess that’s true. You know I think there might be someone who knows a solution to this problem we have. Can I tell you about her?
DR. FEATHERMAN
Please do. I love listening to stories and I could use a break.
REDGE
I feel another Hidden Heroes of History coming on!
JONATHAN
You betcha, Redge.
REDGE
Marvelous. Allow me to get comfortable, my good man.
JONATHAN
(clears throat) Our next Hidden Hero of History is–
Trumpet sound
Maya Lin! She is an architect, designer, environmentalist, and artist. She was born in Athens, Ohio and grew up in a beautiful little house surrounded by trees, a lot like these.
DR. FEATHERMAN
How lovely.
JONATHAN
As a kid, she’d spend her days exploring the woods and its inhabitants.
REDGE
Who were the inhabitants?
JONATHAN
Deer, rabbits, raccoons. None of them could talk like they can here, of course, but she loved them just the same. She loved all of nature, actually. A love that has stayed with her her whole life.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Well, I love a person who has a love for nature.
REDGE
Here, here, Dr. Featherman.
JONATHAN
Maya is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Her father Henry was a ceramicist, that’s someone who makes ceramics and pottery. Her mother Julia was a poet.
REDGE
Well I know it! That’s someone who makes poems.
JONATHAN
Well done, Redge. They were the only Chinese family in all of Athens, Ohio. While Maya did experience a bit of bullying because of this, her parents were always very encouraging of her and her brother growing up. They motivated them to follow their pursuits and do what they loved doing. It made Maya believe she could do anything, as long as she was passionate about it.
DR. FEATHERMAN
And she was passionate about nature!
JONATHAN
She was but her parents also passed down a love for art. So she found another true passion– architecture!
REDGE
Jonathan, could you remind us of what architecture is, please? (Exaggerated) I mean I know what it is, of course, but let’s give Dr. Featherman a chance to understand.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Well I kn–
JONATHAN
(Exaggerated) –Oh uh – sure. Of course, Redge. I’m happy to inform … Doctor … Featherman.
An architect is someone who designs buildings, structures, and spaces. They have to be whip smart to know the proper measurements for the structure that will be built, and super talented so they know how to make it look beautiful.
DR. FEATHERMAN
I imagine Maya is both whip smart and super talented.
JONATHAN
She is! Maya attended Yale University, a top-notch school in the United States. While she was at school, she saw a poster to enter a competition to design the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. The memorial was going to be built in honor of the many soldiers who had lost their lives in the Vietnam War.
REDGE
The Vietnam War?
JONATHAN
Yes, Redge. The Vietnam War was a conflict that happened in a country called Vietnam in the continent of Asia from 1955-1975. The United States of America fought in that war.
DR. FEATHERMAN
That’s twenty years of fighting!
JONATHAN
Yes, Doctor. It was a very long time and it affected a lot of people. Many people were lost, including over 58,000 United States soldiers.
REDGE
Oh my goodness. That makes me feel quite sad.
DR. FEATHERMAN
I’m feeling sad myself.
JONATHAN
It’s okay to be sad about that. War is a sad-making thing. It’s important to remember that we don’t need to hurt each other to peacefully resolve a problem. We can be angry and still take the time to listen to the person we disagree with.
REDGE
War or violence should never be the answer!
JONATHAN
I agree with you wholeheartedly, Redge. The Veterans War Memorial was a way to honor the lives of the American soldiers. Maya submitted her design to the contest. And at the young age of twenty-one, she was chosen.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Incredible! What did her design look like?
JONATHAN
Oh, it’s beautiful.
REDGE
Have you seen it?
JONATHAN
Yes, I’ve actually gone to Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, to see it myself. It’s a 493 foot long wall in the shape of a V.
DR.FEATHERMAN
493 feet. That’s about five very tall pine trees. Like the one I’m perched in right now.
REDGE
That’s quite long, I’d say.
JONATHAN
It is. The wall is made of black granite and you can see your reflection as you walk up to it. Engraved all along the wall are the names of each U.S. soldier who was lost in the war. To this day, it is one of the most visited memorials in the United States of America.
REDGE
Incredible.
JONATHAN
When we think of war, we think of something big, and loud, and scary. Maya designed something that brings quiet and calm. It allows for anyone who walks up to it to have a peaceful moment to reflect.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Jonathan, Maya was so young when she designed that memorial. What did she do after that?
JONATHAN
After the memorial was dedicated, Maya went back to Yale and one of her professors told her, “Maya, you have to make a choice. You can’t do both art and architecture. You have to choose one.”
REDGE
That hardly seems fair. I’ve studied many things at once! Hedgehogian History, The Evolution of the Hedgehog, Quill-osophy–
JONATHAN
Don’t worry, Redge. She chose both and more.
REDGE
Well done, Maya.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Don’t let anyone limit you!
JONATHAN
After getting her Masters degree, she started her own studio where she designed many other projects. One of those projects was the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama.
REDGE
We’ve learned about the Civil Rights movement before! It’s when people came together to speak out about how everyone, regardless of their skin color, deserves equal rights!
JONATHAN
That’s right, Redge! And that’s what Maya’s memorial was commemorating!
DR. FEATHERMAN
That sounds like a rather noble movement.
REDGE
What does that memorial look like?
JONATHAN
It’s a black granite table that has water flowing over it. There are engravings on it, including the important events that took place during the Civil Rights Movement in America, and a list of 40 people who lost their lives during that time.
DR. FEATHERMAN
I must say, as a member of the (hooting like an owl) Hoo Hoo Knows What Happened Historical Club, I appreciate that so much of Maya’s work honors historical events or people that were lost.
REDGE
You’re in the Folktale Forest’s historical club?! I’ve always wanted to join!
DR. FEATHERMAN
We can make this happen, Redge!
REDGE
Delightful, I can’t wait to talk to people who know what happened in our history, and honor it just like Maya Lin!
JONATHAN
Sounds wonderful!
Maya really did make a lot of memorials in honor of historical events and important figures. Like the Women's Table at Yale University.
REDGE
Another table!
JONATHAN
Yes and this piece is a large circular shape made of bronze. On the big circle, there's a line of numbers that go around like a spiral. It shows how many women went to Yale University each
year, starting from when they weren't allowed to enroll all the way up to when Maya designed the piece.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Weren’t allowed to enroll?
JONATHAN
Women in America didn’t always have the same access to a college education as men did. This table was Maya’s way of acknowledging how far we’ve come in giving women the opportunities they deserve.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Marvelous.
JONATHAN
But beyond designing memorials, Maya uses her art as a way to express her love and concern for nature.
REDGE
That’s right. You mentioned she loves nature like we do.
JONATHAN
Yes, very much so. She’s started science-based art projects like Ghost Forest and What is Missing? to spread the word about the changing climate and deforestation. Redge, I’m sure you already know what climate change is, but just in case you forgot … climate change is what happens when our planet’s temperature gets hotter and this causes problems for people, plants, and animals. There’s a lot of reasons why this happens, but one of the most concerning is pollution.
REDGE
Oh my!
DR. FEATHERMAN
And it reminds me of our problem here in Folktale Forest.
JONATHAN
Exactly. That’s why this all reminded me of Maya Lin and her work to help save planet Earth.
DR. FEATHERMAN
So in other words, with these science-based artworks, Maya is memorializing in a different way. Not necessarily events that took place or friends that we’ve lost, but a time when the Earth was different. Just like when the Folktale Forest was different before the Dragon Breath Glitch.
JONATHAN
Yes, that’s a good way of looking at it. But she’s not just looking back. She’s also looking forward and giving us hope that things can be better and that we have the power to make change.
REDGE
But what can we do to make a change?
JONATHAN
Well, to counteract the dragon’s breath, we could make sure to send any plastic or paper to the raccoons.
REDGE
You mean the Raccoon Recyclers Guild, reusers of all our old parchment and cans and glass bottles and the like?
JONATHAN: Yes! We recycle where I’m from too!
REDGE
I am an excellent recycler. Reuse, reduce, recycle, I say.
DR. FEATHERMAN
That’s a very good thing to say, Reginald.
REDGE
Thank you, my good owl.
JONATHAN
Yes and reusing is great! Like having a reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic ones at the grocery store. Where I’m from, you can also take the bus, ride your bike, or walk instead of taking your car when it’s safe.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Here in the forest, we could plant more trees! The more trees we have, the less work each tree has to do to keep everything balanced.
JONATHAN
Absolutely! Trees produce oxygen which we breathe in to survive. Trees also absorb carbon dioxide or in this case, dragon’s breath. Too much carbon dioxide or dragon’s breath in the air is not good. So the more trees, the less dragon’s breath.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Trees also make a fine home for animals in the Folktale Forest.
JONATHAN
Yes, they do!
REDGE
Plus, they’re simply beautiful to look at.
JONATHAN
They really are the best to look at.
Another breezy moment.
JONATHAN
I know we talked a lot about big things today but that’s what Maya Lin’s work is about. She takes really big ideas and feelings and puts them into her art. She’s very good at it and many, many people all over the world have connected with her through the things she has created.
REDGE
I say we start planting some new trees today, Jonathan.
JONATHAN
I’m totally on board with that, Redge.
DR. FEATHERMAN
Here, Reginald. This pinecone has seeds in it. Let’s plant those.
Flying sounds of Dr. Featherman flying down to the ground.
JONATHAN
Now, we’ll just need a shovel and some water.
DR. FEATHERMAN
And we’ll need to find a spot with sunlight!
REDGE
The sun is shining over there! I’ll race you!
DR. FEATHERMAN
My wings work faster than your paws!
JONATHAN
I think my long legs and huge feet are the fastest!
JONATHAN CORMUR: Dorktales’ Hidden Heroes of History is a Jonincharacter production. This story was written by Rebecca Cunningham, edited by Molly Murphy, and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Hamilton Studio Recordings. Reach out to us on Instagram or email us at dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com. Find links in the show notes or go to dorktalesstorytime.com. Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!
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