Mary and Tom thought it would be a shame if much of the oral history they had so patiently gathered were to be lost because of not being written down. Because neither of them knew shorthand, they bought an audio recorder so that they could better enjoy their visits with Tom's three living grandparents without having to focus on taking careful written notes.
Mary og Tom mente det ville være en skam hvis meget af den mundtlige historie de så tålmodigt havde samlet, ville blive tabt fordi det ikke blev skrevet ned. Da ingen af dem kunne stenografi, tog de en diktafon med, så de bedre kunne nyde deres besøg hos Toms tre levende bedsteforældre, uden at skulle fokusere på at tage omhyggelige notater.