25th and 50th Pioneer Reunion Films

From director Sue Reynoldson on making the film:

"In 1990, I had progressed from teaching art in Wisconsin high schools to a clerical director in the UCSC Development Office. I needed a new creative challenge. Career guru David Thiermann saw me as a film director and suggested a video class at the campus Media Lab. The arrival of UCSC’s first class for their 20th reunion seemed a suitable subject. I got permission to make a video -- my concept, my time. David introduced me to his brother, videographer and class member Eric Thiermann. Eric provided his studio, equipment, early campus photos, and reunion footage. His collaborator, Brad Gardner, volunteered videography. College provosts bought the film. George Amis invited me to the brunch where I scheduled Pioneers in the Cowell Lounge for ten-minute reflections on UCSC’s past, present, and future. To cut 200 minutes to fit a one-hour video, I transcribed all and pasted clips fitting my narrative onto pages organized by topic. Media Lab colleague Elida Errante volunteered hands-on editing and added ‘60s music. Rita Bottoms, Head of UC Special Collections, welcomed the finished master tape. Glowing reviews in the Santa Cruz Sentinel and City on a Hill brought crowds to town and campus showings. I was on KSBW TV news and the video was often shown on Community TV."

For more information, check out this article from the April, 1991 edition of the campus newspaper, City on a Hill Press.

To commemorate UC Santa Cruz's 50th anniversary in 2015, local filmmaker Mercy Nakamura interviewed many of the same Pioneers -- 25 years later! Mercy's film is the perfect complement to the original documentary.