Economy kindles memories of Depression

Lafayette, Ind. -- The Great Depression, frozen in time by iconic black-and-white photographs of soup lines and hardscrabble lives, has returned to the news in recent months.

President Barack Obama has evoked images of that bleak era during the 1930s as today's stock market shed 50 percent of its value and he pushed his economic stimulus plan. The Depression talk could continue tonight as Obama addresses the nation in a State of the Union-style speech on the economy.

But how does the current recession compare to the Great Depression, according to the recollections of those who lived through it?

Several Greater Lafayette residents who lived through the Depression shared their memories of sacrifice and offered advice for getting through tough economic patches to our news partner the Journal and Courier.

Bernice Fettinger, 87, of West Lafayette said the comparisons between 1930 and 2009 might not be apples to apples, but still she worries. Click on the video to hear more.