Time Flies: A Memoir Podcast

In this episode, journey back to 1930s Denver as Grandpa Bob shares his childhood memories, offering a glimpse into everyday life and family traditions from the era.

Listeners will hear stories about early crystal radios, hauling coal from the Black Diamond Mine, and attending St. John's Parochial School. The episode also recounts a 1937 cross-country road trip to California in a Buick and explores the early careers of Bob's siblings.

Step back into the streets of 1930s Denver with Grandpa Bob (Robert Francis Smith) as he shares a vivid, wandering trip down memory lane. From daredevils over canyon gorges to fleeing midnight floodwaters, this episode captures everyday life, resilience, and transformation during the Great Depression.

In this episode of Time Flies, hosts Ben Kimball, Eric Stearns, and Emily Jackson delve into more of Grandpa Bob's childhood memories, focusing on his family's summer mountain getaways and his later educational pursuits.

The hosts marvel at the modern conveniences that allow them to look up these old radio broadcasts and true-crime details instantly today, before teasing the next episode which will jump into Bob's life in the early 1930s.

In the third episode of Time Flies, hosts Ben, Eric, and Emily bring us another chapter of Grandpa Bob's autobiography, this time focusing on his vibrant and adventurous childhood in Denver, Colorado. Listeners are treated to a collection of nostalgic, humorous, and sometimes harrowing memories from Bob's early years.

Join the hosts as they laugh and marvel at the resilience, freedom, and sheer luck of a 1920s childhood, reflecting on how much transportation, play, and daily life have changed over the last century.

In the second episode of Time Flies, hosts Ben, Eric, and Emily share a memoir written in 1938 by Grandpa Bob's mother, Rose Anna. Though originally rejected by a publisher, her story is brought to life here using a different AI voice.

Titled "From Office Girl to Wife and Mother," the memoir begins with Rose Anna's childhood, detailing her family's 1892 move from Pennsylvania to Denver, Colorado, in search of a better climate for her father's severe asthma. The narrative then focuses on her marriage to Cal Smith and their ambitious move to a 320-acre homestead south of Fort Morgan, Colorado, near a town aptly named Last Chance.

Rose Anna vividly recounts the realities and unpredictable nature of early 20th-century pioneer life:

• Environmental Hardships: The couple faced relentless challenges, including consecutive years of drought, blinding winter blizzards, and a devastating hail storm that completely flattened their wheat and corn crops just before harvest.

• Family Tragedy: Shortly after arriving at the homestead, they suffered the tragic loss of their firstborn baby boy to illness, a severe shock from which she notes her husband never fully recovered.

• Pioneer Discoveries: While plowing the prairie sod, Cal frequently uncovered Native American arrowheads; Rose Anna kept one small arrowhead tied to a letter with string as a cherished keepsake.

After enduring three consecutive years of severe drought and crop failures, the family made the difficult decision to abandon farming in 1921. They returned to Denver, where Cali found steady work caring for horses at the Denver Bread Company, closing the chapter on their arduous pioneer adventure.

The hosts then share their perspective on the story connecting it to present-day life as ancestors of these pioneers.

In the first official chapter of Time Flies, the hosts travel back to the pioneer days of the 1800s to explore the deep roots of Robert Francis Smith's family tree. The episode features Grandpa Bob's AI voice reading a historical letter, written by one of his brothers, which chronicles the family's history from 1848 up to the death of Bob's father in 1944.

Listeners are taken on a journey detailing the lives of Bob's grandparents, Joseph and Esther Smith, who joined the westward expansion in a covered wagon, settled in Kansas, and endured the harsh realities of early pioneer life and Native American raids. The story then follows Bob's father, Cal Smith, tracing his vibrant life from his birth on a pioneer ranch to his time as a prizefighter, and eventually his long career working with horse-drawn and electric streetcars for the Denver Tramway Company. Following the reading, the hosts reflect on their ancestors' incredible resilience, comparing their frontier grit to tales from Little House on the Prairie, and tease the next episode, which will feature a family history written by Bob's mother, Rose Anna.

Welcome to the premier episode of Time Flies, a podcast honoring the life and autobiography of Robert Francis Smith, affectionately known to his family as "Grandpa Bob". Hosted by his grandchildren—Eric Stearns, Emily Ruth Jackson, and Ben Kimball—this unique series uses modern AI technology to recreate Grandpa Bob's voice, allowing him to narrate his own written memoirs more than 25 years after his passing.

In this introductory episode, the hosts explain the origins of the project, from finding his self-published autobiography in a three-ring binder to their mission of sharing his experiences living through the Great Depression and World War II. Listen to hear the hosts discuss how an ordinary life can leave an extraordinary legacy.