The State We're In, 7 January 2012. Steve Lickteig thought he was the adopted son of Kansas farmers, only to discover a shocking truth that everyone in town knew, except him. Jerry Winkler was a homeless man in Amsterdam when he discovered that his late father was a millionaire. And an Australian composer turns grief into a soaring requiem after the tragic loss of his son. Comment on the show.
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What if everything you thought you knew about yourself was a lie, and everyone around you knew the truth except you? Steve Lickteig grew up as an adopted child on a farm in Kansas. When he was 18, his best friend told him that his mother was actually his older sister, Joanie - more photos below.
Steve discovered that the secret to his story lay in the hidden lives of his adopted mother, Mary Jane; his biological mother, Joanie; and his long-lost father, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor named Henry.
Open Secret is a documentary film by Steve Lickteig.
Jerry Winkler had a tough time growing up.
He left home an angry teenager, turned to crime and ended up living on the streets.
But when he discovered who his father really was, it completely changed his life.
He tells his remarkable rags to riches story.
The Jerry Winkler Foundation (Dutch)
Australian composer Nigel Westlake, pictured above, has created musical scores for hit movies like Babe and Miss Potter.
But when his son Eli was killed by a drunk driver, he lost the will to make music. Yet loss eventually turned to inspiration when Eli became his muse and he composed a requiem for his son.
Visit the Smugglers of Light website to find out more about the foundation and its support for indigenous hip-hop artists and filmmakers.
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As a homeless person myself, I gained terrific inspiration & motivation listening to both stories. I feel Jerry Winkler's testimony espicially hit accord similar to my own loss of family. I pray both men are doing continual great works assisting others and glad they are both healthy & able to reconsile past turmoil.
I've heard the segment on Steve Lickteig before, and I thought I heard it on This American Life. Was this previously aired on TSWI? I swear it was the same exact interview -- same wording and everything -- but I didn't think I had heard it on TSWI before. I can't find it in the This American Life archives, though, so I'm wondering if it's been previously aired on TSWI or if I'm going crazy.
Thanks.
Hi, well-remembered - the Steve Lickteig piece indeed aired on the show back in January last year: http://www.rnw.nl/english/radioshow/secrets-and-lies
Fascinating program. Congratulations on some outstanding journalism.
My new friend who lives in The Netherlands has found this site for me. Iam desperately trying to find who my relatives are and my family tree!!!!!
When we immigrated to New Zealand in March 1959, my father broke ALL ties with family and since age of 10 years I have not been back. My fathers names were Johannes Jacobus, mother Gertruida Cornelia (nee Schiffer) sister Petronella Loisa and would love it if ANYBODY knows extended family (relatives) Born Amsterdam Tilaanus straat The Netherlands.
Hi Casper,
I use the Dutch website Genlias.nl to do much of our family genealogy. I see several Casparus and Johannes Hijgemann's who lived in Amsterdam in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Most likely this family is related to you because Dutch children were often named after their grandparents. You may also find extended family members who have done their genealogy online and can go from there. Good luck.
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