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MediaLab documentary premieres in Tacoma
October 26, 2007
MediaLab students will premiere an original documentary film about the Alaska-Canada Highway at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.
“Building Connections: Reclaiming Lost Narratives of the Alaska-Canada Highway” tells the untold stories behind the construction of the highway, commonly referred to as the ALCAN. This year is the 65th anniversary of the project.
The 1,500-mile military road was built in the spring of 1942 to help protect Canada and the United States from possible Japanese invasion. Optimistic estimates indicated the project could take three years. It was completed in just eight months.
A panel discussion will follow the film showing. Panelists include prominent Canadian author and historian Kenneth Coates, Yukon government official Lesley McCullough, PLU political science professor Peter Grosvenor, PLU assistant communication professor Rob Wells and junior Shannon Schrecengost.
The hour-long documentary film is based on the research of Wells and Schrecengost. From January to July 2007, the two traveled more than 10,000 miles, from the East Coast to California to a long bumpy ride up a large chunk of the ALCAN, Schrecengost said.
During their travels, they performed archival research, conducted interviews with World War II veterans and their families, as well as met with community leaders, Native peoples of Canada and Alaska, U.S. and Canadian government officials and historians.
In her three years at PLU, Schrecengost said she hadn’t thought of participating in a research project.
“I never thought I would have the opportunity to do something like this,” she said. “I was very fortunate … I knew it was a great opportunity and jumped on board.”
While on a Canadian fellowship to the Yukon, Wells learned about the road and its construction by African American soldiers. Inspired to bring attention to this story, he originally planned to look at the racial implications associated with these soldiers.
But as Wells and Schrecengost dug deeper into the history of the highway, the original topic morphed and grew to encompass how the road touched those who constructed it and the communities it gave access to.
“It’s all the implications that one road really can have,” Schrecengost explained. “I experienced the growth of one idea into a whole other thing.”
The experience also ignited a passion for research Schrecengost wasn’t aware she had. While at National Archives in Washington, D.C., she was in awe of the huge building and the documents she was able to access.
For example, at 20 years old, she held files stamped with the “Top Secret” tag. While the documents she looked at have since been declassified, the experience of seeing these high-level government documents first hand was amazing, she said.
“Rob and I were in hog heaven,” she said. “It made me feel very official and was a lot of fun. I had no idea that research could be so fun.”
The trip up the Yukon highway was another highlight. Schrecengost’s grandmother was born and raised in the Yukon Territory, and it was interesting to be exposed to that part of her heritage.
“I’m from Whidbey Island, and I thought I knew small town living, but that is nothing like the Yukon,” she exclaimed.
While Wells and Schrecengost completed all the research, the students involved in MediaLab helped pull together the documentary and plan the Nov. 3 premiere.
“It’s been awesome to see all my peers shine in their areas of expertise,” she said. “The entire event is put on by students, so it’s great to see them have this experience.”
Dreamed up by associate communication professor Joanne Lisosky and created by Wells, MediaLab officially became a credited course last fall. It is made up of skilled PLU students who produce professional quality work for local media organizations, businesses and other entities.
“It creates opportunities that are not always readily available,” Schrecengost said of MediaLab. “At other universities, there’s no outlet. This gets us out into the community; it gets us the hands-on experience. When we leave, we have the actual know-how.”
For more information, contact ml@plu.edu.
University Communications staff writer Megan Haley compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact her at ext. 8691 or at haleymk@plu.edu.
The 1,500-mile military road was built in the spring of 1942 to help protect Canada and the United States from possible Japanese invasion. Optimistic estimates indicated the project could take three years. It was completed in just eight months.
A panel discussion will follow the film showing. Panelists include prominent Canadian author and historian Kenneth Coates, Yukon government official Lesley McCullough, PLU political science professor Peter Grosvenor, PLU assistant communication professor Rob Wells and junior Shannon Schrecengost.
The hour-long documentary film is based on the research of Wells and Schrecengost. From January to July 2007, the two traveled more than 10,000 miles, from the East Coast to California to a long bumpy ride up a large chunk of the ALCAN, Schrecengost said.
During their travels, they performed archival research, conducted interviews with World War II veterans and their families, as well as met with community leaders, Native peoples of Canada and Alaska, U.S. and Canadian government officials and historians.
In her three years at PLU, Schrecengost said she hadn’t thought of participating in a research project.
“I never thought I would have the opportunity to do something like this,” she said. “I was very fortunate … I knew it was a great opportunity and jumped on board.”
While on a Canadian fellowship to the Yukon, Wells learned about the road and its construction by African American soldiers. Inspired to bring attention to this story, he originally planned to look at the racial implications associated with these soldiers.
But as Wells and Schrecengost dug deeper into the history of the highway, the original topic morphed and grew to encompass how the road touched those who constructed it and the communities it gave access to.
“It’s all the implications that one road really can have,” Schrecengost explained. “I experienced the growth of one idea into a whole other thing.”
The experience also ignited a passion for research Schrecengost wasn’t aware she had. While at National Archives in Washington, D.C., she was in awe of the huge building and the documents she was able to access.
For example, at 20 years old, she held files stamped with the “Top Secret” tag. While the documents she looked at have since been declassified, the experience of seeing these high-level government documents first hand was amazing, she said.
“Rob and I were in hog heaven,” she said. “It made me feel very official and was a lot of fun. I had no idea that research could be so fun.”
The trip up the Yukon highway was another highlight. Schrecengost’s grandmother was born and raised in the Yukon Territory, and it was interesting to be exposed to that part of her heritage.
“I’m from Whidbey Island, and I thought I knew small town living, but that is nothing like the Yukon,” she exclaimed.
While Wells and Schrecengost completed all the research, the students involved in MediaLab helped pull together the documentary and plan the Nov. 3 premiere.
“It’s been awesome to see all my peers shine in their areas of expertise,” she said. “The entire event is put on by students, so it’s great to see them have this experience.”
Dreamed up by associate communication professor Joanne Lisosky and created by Wells, MediaLab officially became a credited course last fall. It is made up of skilled PLU students who produce professional quality work for local media organizations, businesses and other entities.
“It creates opportunities that are not always readily available,” Schrecengost said of MediaLab. “At other universities, there’s no outlet. This gets us out into the community; it gets us the hands-on experience. When we leave, we have the actual know-how.”
For more information, contact ml@plu.edu.
University Communications staff writer Megan Haley compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact her at ext. 8691 or at haleymk@plu.edu.