Biography and family legacy books
Every person, every family, has a story – the traditions, values and vision that guide your journey. This is the “glue” that binds families with shared meaning and purpose.
Preserve your personal or family story with a legacy book that captures the challenges and triumphs, hard decisions, good fortune and pure grit that got you where you are today.
A legacy book not only honors your own history; it anchors future generations with a sense of pride and family unity in carrying this legacy forward.
From interviews and research to writing, design and printing, WriteStory will bring your legacy to life in a beautiful book. Because your most valuable gift to your family is not your financial assets. It is your story.
Hitch Your Wagon to a Star ... and Keep on Climbing
Hitch Your Wagon to a Star is the first in the NCH Legacy Book series to honor its major donors and inspire other philanthropists. This story traces the life of Audrey Morean Petersen, from her hard-scrabble childhood, to co-founding a fledgling business at the kitchen table, to the boardroom of an international corporation, to the powerful impact of her visionary philanthropy.
Client: NCH Healthcare System, Naples FL: www.nchmd.org
Research / interviewing / writing / project management: Patricia Winsten
Book design: Adrian Suarez; AdrianSuarez.com
Sample pages below
ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORIES
Your heritage stories are the bedrock of your organization's culture. They create meaning, identity and pride. Position you as brand and employer of choice. Build authenticity and trust. Drive business strategies, thought leadership and innovation.
Whether diving into your archives or conducting boots-on-the-ground interviews, WriteStory will bring your organizational history to life with captivating writing and storytelling. Together, we'll create a vibrant history that preserves the past, informs the present and inspires the future.
ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY SAMPLES
Together We Are So Much More: A Living History of Catholic Health East
Twelve religious sponsors brought together their health ministries under a new, co-sponsored national health system: Catholic Health East. This book honors the legacy of those founding congregations; traces their vision, hard work and faith in coming together; and highlights the system's health ministries and its people, from Maine to Maimi. The book is also a guidepost for current and feature healthcare leaders. Based on hundreds of interviews, site visits and archival research, this rich history is told through the insights and recollections of religious and lay leaders, colleagues, volunteers, donors, and the patients, families, and communities that are impacted by their healing ministry.
Client: Catholic Health East (now a member of Trinity Health), Newtown Square, PA: www.trinity-health.org
Research / interviewing / writing / visual asset procurement / project management: Patricia Winsten
Book design: Jan Quade, president, Quade Design
Historian: Tom Harvey, president emeritus, Catholic Charities USA
Sample pages below
A Century of Service
The Alliance and its 300+ interconnected member agencies from Hawaii to Maine have shaped the human services sector for more than a century. This book celebrates their individual achievements and collective vision in changing lives and transforming communities. In addition, the book traces the ever-evolving history of social services, from alms-giving to neuroscience-based behavioral care. Amidst turbulent disruption in the sector, the Alliance relies on this powerful history as a catalyst to meet the urgent challenges of today and tomorrow.
Client: Alliance for Families and Strong Communities, Milwaukee WI; www.alliance1.org
Research / interviewing / writing / visual asset procurement / project management: Patricia Winsten
Book design: Alliance for Strong Families and Communities creative services department
Sample pages to come
QuadGraphics interactive exhibit for Smithsonian National Postal Museum
As a global print and marketing solutions company, Quad is one of the largest mailers in the US. The Smithsonian National Postal Museum invited Quad to be part of its virtual exhibit on the US mailing industry. The interactive exhibit includes the corporate history and innovations, videos and photos.
Client: QuadGraphics, Milwaukee, WI: www.quad.com
Responsibilities: Historical research, interviewing, writing, editing, procurement of visual assets and project management
Sample pages below
Pilgrims on a Journey ... Franciscans for the Future
To honor their 150th anniversary, the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi wanted to preserve their heritage, capture their pioneering spirit, and position the community as a continuing force for transformational change. This beautiful history evocatively illustrates the community's humility, joy and relentless determination to make the world a better place.
Client: Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Milwaukee WI: www.lakeosfs.org
Research / interviewing / writing / project management: Patricia Winsten
Photography: Brian Malloy, Wauwatosa WI
Designer: Hare Strigenz, Milwaukee WI
Sample pages below