Joe Moses discusses his family’s roots in Georgia, Ohio, and Kingston, his dad’s service with the U.S. Navy during WWII and later the Troy Police Department beginning in 1955, and his own experience growing up in Troy, including his time attending Doyle Middle School and Troy High.

Portions of the interview draws on Joe’s recollections of conversations with his dad, including about his time with—and subsequent departure from—the Troy Police Department. Joe also explains his desire to understand his own family’s multi-generational history, and his own personal journey that began in the Taylor Apartments to eventually running the Parks and Recreation Department for a Texas city of a quarter million people.

Show Notes:

• Officer Samuel Moses (Troy Police Department)
• Honoring Troy’s first black police officer (News10 ABC)
• Obituary: Samuel L. Moses (1925-2019) LINK

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Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

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Joe Moses — the son of Officer Samuel Moses, the first Black police officer to serve in the Troy Police Department beginning in 1955 — recalls his dad’s relationship with Charlie King, the Collar City's second Black police officer and detective.

New episode coming August 2024.

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Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)

In this episode, Mike shares his personal history with the Boy Scouts, the details of his Eagle Scout project, how he began his career in journalism, and where he sees the future of scouting in America following the most recent developments in the Boy Scouts’ evolution as a youth organization to embrace inclusion. Mike also explains what he sees as the cyclical nature of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation, and John briefly recaps the final vote total by the Troy City Council on the annual LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation (spoiler alert: it wasn’t unanimous).

“Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts—And America“ is available now, wherever books are sold.

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Show Notes:

• NPR: After years of scandal, Boy Scouts of America changes its name to Scouting America
• Troy Record: RITTNER: Troy and the Boy Scouts, Part 1 and Part 2

Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)

With Pride Month underway, we're diving into an often-forgotten part of American LGBTQ+ history, expertly told by Mike De Socio, Troy-based independent journalist, podcaster, and author of the new book “Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts—And America” which documents the fight to end a decades-long ban on gay people from the Boy Scouts of America.

“Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts—And America“ is available now, wherever books are sold.

Subscribe for email updates on upcoming guests, chapters, and special bonus content.

Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)

In this preview clip, Mike De Socio (author of the excellent new book “Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts—And America”) discusses the continued evolution of the Boy Scouts of America and the organization’s embrace of inclusion, and what he sees as the cyclical nature of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation. John also notes the final vote by the Troy City Council on the annual Pride Month proclamation.

Full episode coming June 2024.

“Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts—And America“ is available June 4, 2024, wherever books are sold.

Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)

In this bonus segment, Tri-City ValleyCats vice president and general manager Matt Callahan discusses the history of bobbleheads in minor league baseball, the ValleyCats' process behind deciding who will be permanently immortalized as a member of the team's bobblehead lineup, and the roots of the 'Mayor's Race' event familiar to Capital Region baseball fans.

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Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)

In the second half our our interview, Matt explains the ValleyCats' move to the independent Frontier League, and the obstacles the club overcame during COVID and the contraction of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) minor league system. We also dig into the archives to explore Troy’s deep links to baseball’s earliest days, including the first-ever grand slam in MLB history, hit by a Troy Trojan right here in Rensselaer County.

If you haven’t heard part 1 of Chapter 05, we strongly recommend you go back and check out the first half.

Show Notes:

• Tri-City ValleyCats (Official Website)
• Remembering the long-ago major league history of Troy, N.Y. (ESPN.com)
• Grondahl: Historian finds first grand slam in MLB history — in Rensselaer (Times Union)

Subscribe for email updates on upcoming guests, chapters, and special bonus content.

Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)

Looking for baseball puns? Well, you’ve come to the right place! This week, we're thrilled to have Matt Callahan, VP and General Manager of the Tri-City ValleyCats as our guest for Chapter 05. We talk all things Gatos, including what fans can expect during this month’s home opener at The Joe in Troy, New York, the team’s now-22 seasons in the Collar City, and the challenges of running day-to-day operations for a minor league baseball team.

This episode also features a preview of a very special clip from a future chapter of Troy Story: A Podcast for the Collar City that will revisit a major concert in Collar City history: Metallica at the RPI Field House, March 1989 (and includes an opportunity for you to be part of the podcast).

Subscribe for email updates on upcoming guests, chapters, and special bonus content.

Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)