Holli Hoch Hamner comes from a long line of farmers and teachers, those “figure-it-out-ers” who love to tell stories at family gatherings.
Holli’s heritage runs deep in Western New York State. Following high school, she spent a year as an exchange student in Portugal, then went to Auburn University in Alabama. She was privileged to be part of the first summer staff at Camp ASCCA, an adventure for her and for children and adults with special needs.
With a degree in elementary education, she taught 2nd grade. Then she married a Hamner and found a whole new gene-pool of tales (yes, they are long-distance cousins of the Hamners made famous by The Walton’s television series).
Later, in South Carolina, Holli spent many years sharing a classroom with wonderful 4th graders. A “Family Histories” language arts unit became a favorite with students and parents. The updated Questions to Generate Family Stories is available on this website.
Holli says, “History is Personal”.
We often think of “history” in big chunks — eras and events, leader and ideas. But through the centuries, day by day, “history” is lived out by individuals, each with a unique perspective and story.
Whether with family or people you meet, ask questions. Listen carefully. Write down what you hear. Share history.
Holli is writing a Middle Grades novel inspired by her father’s German cousin. Living under Nazi rule in the 1930s-40s, Ria’s life was in danger. She’d been born with spina bifida and as a young girl, a doctor amputated one of her legs. In her own words, “During the war I couldn’t go out. I took care of my baby sister, helped with household chores, and sometimes I took food to the men in the cellar.”
This brief exchange more than fifty years ago inspired Holli’s work-in-progress, The War at My Door.