There’s no denying it – some people are mind-numbingly boring, but the rest of us just might have stories worth sharing.

Don Cuddy, the Executive Director of Old Rochester Community Television, is on the hunt for the personal histories that often never get beyond the family’s kitchen table.

To date, Cuddy's video series “Neighbor to Neighbor” has featured approximately 20 local residents recounting their interesting, unusual, and often untold pasts.

In 2006, Cuddy interviewed the now deceased Arthur Lionberger, then 103. “When he was a young boy, he watched them digging the Panama Canal,” said Cuddy. “He came from a wealth family in St. Louis, but he shunned wealth and prestige and social standing and raised chickens in Rochester.”

Two years later, Cuddy interviewed Rochester’s George Church and Mattapoisett’s George Randall as they shared memories of logging and farming at the turn of the century.

Cuddy also interviewed Eloise Ricciardelli, of Mattapoisett, who spent 50 years at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and once gave Japan’s emperor a private tour of an exhibit she curated.

“I want to try to capture the stories of these people, the stories that will never appear in any history book because it’s local history. It’s living history,” said Cuddy.

An avid reader of biographies and a journalist by trade, Cuddy said he began to question what kind of history the current generation is leaving behind.

“We send texts and emails, but I don’t think we’re going to leave very much of a written record about the kind of people that we are. I wonder about the history that our descendents will have,” he said. “What I can do now though is capture some of the stories.”

The hard part, he said, is getting people to sit in front of the camera.

“People don’t think their own lives are remarkable because they’ve lived them.  But if other people found out exactly what’s going on with them, they’d be amazed,” said Cuddy.

Beyond weekly showings of the series on ORCTV, Cuddy would like to get DVDs to the public to help preserve these histories. A recent grant for $500 from the Eastern Bank Foundation will help him do just that.

“I was very pleased to be awarded this grant, which will enable me to supply the regional libraries and historical societies with copies of these interviews,” he said.

Recent additions to the library include an interview with Marion resident Tom Shire, who brought vaudeville, burlesque, and ballet to the Zeiterion Theater.

Going forward, Cuddy said he wants to record the experiences of veterans and the Cape Verde population.

“I’d like to hear from anybody who has an interesting story to tell,” he said.

Watch “Neighbor to Neighbor” Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. on ORCTV. Contact Don Cuddy at doncuddy@orctv.org.