Student Documentaries to Be Featured on Jan. 11 and 12

HOLLAND - For the second year, Hope College students in a documentary class will be showing some of their works on the big screen. A total of 10 documentaries will be presented on Tuesday, Dec. 7, and Thursday, Dec. 9, at noon at the Knickerbocker Theatre, located in downtown Holland at 86 E. 8th St.

The public is invited. Admission is free, and free popcorn will be provided.

The 10 students are part of Hope's Media IV class taught by Dr. David Schock. The documentaries with two exceptions fall in the category of personality profiles. Students will be available for brief comments and questions at the conclusion of each piece.

Members of the public are invited to gauge the time for any showing and drop in and out as they please. "We realize that not everyone has the ability to take a two-hour block out of the day and we'd rather have them show up for a few segments than none," said Schock, an associate professor of communication.

The five documentaries scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 7, are "Voyage to India," "Grandpa," "Diane Portfleet," "Bouncing Back" and "Duty in Vietnam."

The five being presented on Thursday, Dec. 9, are "Freedom Through the Underground," "Woman of Hope," "Dr. William C. Brownson," "A Lesson in Theology" and "Pledging Honor, Giving Friendship."

• "Voyage to India" features Boyd Wilson of the Hope religion faculty, who for many years has been leading small student groups to India, a nation with which he has been fascinated since graduate school. The 23-minute segment was produced by senior Kate Grambau of Kalamazoo.
• "Grandpa" highlights Holland's own Robert Koop, who shares his experiences as a top-turret gunner in World War Two, his time at Hope (where he met Marilyn, his wife of more than 50 years), and his life as a father and grandfather. The 17-minute segment was produced by junior Jeremy Cox of Grosse Pointe Farms.
• "Diane Portfleet" focuses on the unique life experiences of Diane Portfleet of the Hope English faculty, who has taught at the college since 1988. Running 17 minutes, the segment was produced by senior Lacey Gaubatz of Canton.
• "Bouncing Back" is a journey through the life of Kaye Sumners, from her childhood in small-town Michigan, through her move to California and back to Michigan, and the lesson she's learned: to make the best of every situation. The 23-minute segment was produced by senior Tamika Lee of Nunica.
• "Duty in Vietnam" shares the wartime experiences of James Brack, who is now a detective with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department, with the soldiers and civilians he met in country and his family experiences while he served. The 20-minute film was produced by junior Emma Irvine of Rochester, N.Y.
• "Freedom through the Underground" tells of Holland's Swany Vanderburgh, who while living in the Netherlands during World War II helped free Jews and British soldiers from concentration camps. Running 23 minutes, the segment was produced by junior Amber Hauptman of Troup, Texas.
• "Woman of Hope" tells of the life of the Rev. Liala Beukema, one of the first women ordained in the RCA, and her journey as pastor, mother and community activist as she followed her faith calling from rural Illinois to the big city of Chicago. The 23-minute segment was produced by senior Tessa Beukema of Chicago.
• "Dr. William C. Brownson" focuses on Brownson, who has served as a pastor, taught at Western Theological Seminary, was on "Words of Hope" for more than two decades, and is author of books including "The Plan is God's," "Tried by Fire" and "Do You Believe?" The 17-minute segment was produced by junior Mark Johnson of Marne.
• "A Lesson in Theology" features Miguel De La Torre of the Hope religion faculty, who as a successful businessman chose to change careers, completing seminary and additional graduate degrees in religion and becoming a minister, college educator and active scholar. The 18-minute segment was produced by junior Adam Witt of Kansas City, Mo.
• "Pledging Honor, Giving Friendship" tells of the Kappa Delta Chi sorority at Hope and how, even though much has changed since its chartering in 1963, the group remains true to its founding principles of friendship, independence and sisterhood. The 24-minute segment was produced by senior Stephanie Ross of Schiller Park, Ill.

In addition to the 10 pieces being shown on Dec. 7 and 9, the students will be presenting more films during the week of Jan. 10, the first week of classes next semester, also at the Knickerbocker. A schedule should be available shortly after the turn of the year.

"My students have been wonderfully productive and extremely busy," Schock said. "It's always amazing to see what they've come up with and the stories they want to tell."

In addition to the student documentaries, there is a class project that should be finishing up early next year, "Jack in the Box," which is an investigation into an unsolved homicide. Schock's class last year produced "Who Killed Janet Chandler?," an 84-minute documentary that helped to activate a cold case team looking into the death 25 years ago of the Hope College student.

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