In a Trailblazing fight for the Gay Cause, One Young UNH Graduate's Life is Changed Forever

(Durham, N.H., January 29, 2018) For decades, gay Americans did not have equal protection under the law; many faced prejudice, possible imprisonment and rejection from their families and society. On Tuesday, February 27th, New Hampshire PBS will air a new series called WE'LL MEET AGAIN, where host Ann Curry will document the struggle for acceptance in a new episode called, "Coming Out."

 Paul Tosi, who was University of New Hampshire student body president in 1973, searches for Wayne April, who organized the first gay student organization on campus. Wayne’s courage to take the fight to court against overwhelming opposition from the state’s conservative governor, Meldrim Thomson, changed Paul’s life and ultimately helped him accept his own sexuality.  Also in the program, Tom Dicioccio longs to find a friend he trusted with his secret and who saved him from brutal electroshock conversion therapy in the 1960s.

 Exploring some of history’s most dramatic events through the personal stories of those who experienced them, WE'LL MEET AGAIN, airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS. Executive produced and reported by Ann Curry, each episode of WE’LL MEET AGAIN reveals the powerful bonds forged among people who now, against the odds, have the chance to reunite with someone who transformed their life.

 WE’LL MEET AGAIN takes viewers on a journey of hope, searching for clues in marriage records and war and immigration documents, and combs through archives to reunite those separated by time and distance.

 “This series helps people separated by conflict, war and humanitarian disasters find each other again and reveals untold stories of courage, survival, friendship and even love,” said Curry. “This is human history — not from the point of view of kings or politicians or generals — but of everyday people on the front lines of massive events they have no way to control. Their stories tell us something about what we are made of.”

 “WE’LL MEET AGAIN is where history meets the drama of real life,” said Beth Hoppe, UNH graduate and Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming, PBS. “Major events are brought to life in a completely personal way through these memorable stories of those torn apart and thrown together. And how wonderful to have the opportunity to be present at these extraordinary reunions.”

 WE’LL MEET AGAIN is a production of Blink Films. The series is produced by Simon Harries, and executive producers Ann Curry, Justine Kershaw and Andra Heritage.

 WE’LL MEET AGAIN is made possible by public television viewers.

 About Ann Curry

Award-winning journalist Ann Curry, a former NBC News anchor and international correspondent, has been recognized for her incisive coverage of global conflicts, nuclear tensions, humanitarian crises and groundbreaking journalism on climate change. Known for her focused reporting from inside Iran, she first broke the news of Iran’s interest in negotiating a nuclear agreement with the outside world. She delivered the first live news report to an American audience from the South Pole, tracked the AIDS epidemic in South Africa and Botswana, and documented Al Qaeda’s link to Al Shabaab terrorists in Somalia and Kenya. Her long list of exclusive and news-breaking interviews includes those with world leaders, U.S. presidents from George Bush through Barack Obama, and notables from every walk of life.

 Winner of seven national news Emmys, Curry has won numerous Edward R. Murrow Awards, Gracie Allen Awards and National Headliner Awards. The NAACP has honored her with an Excellence in Reporting Award and she earned a Matrix Award from Women in Communications. Curry is the recipient of numerous humanitarian awards from organizations such as Refugees International, Americares, Save the Children and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which awarded her a Medal of Valor for her dedication to reporting about genocide.

Pressroom Contact

Carla Gordon Russell
Director of Communications
crussell@nhpbs.org
(603) 868-4339