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Next film in Fairfield History Series explores life after Parsons

Courtesy of Dick DeAngelis, Producer and Director of Fairfield History Series

Feb. 29, 2024 9:24 pm

In 1974, Fairfield was struggling. Over a year had passed since Parsons College collapsed and left a huge hole in the community. Colleges nationwide were failing and Fairfield found it difficult to find a college to purchase the campus from the creditors.

A small California college connected with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (famous for having taught meditation to the Beatles) was interested in purchasing the campus. Residents investigated Transcendental Meditation (™) and despite some lingering questions and concerns, they welcomed the newcomers in the fall of 1974, albeit with a healthy dose of skepticism.

The sixth film in the highly popular Fairfield History Series will tell the historical account of “When Maharishi Came to Town.”

“This chapter in Fairfield’s history is important and needs to be told,” says Dick DeAngelis, director of Fair Field Productions, a non-profit organization with over 100 local volunteers.

Last October, DeAngelis’ latest film, “Parsons”, attracted big crowds to its premiere weekend. It received rave reviews from throughout the community as well as from visiting Parsons College alumni.

“The people who live in this area have always been receptive right from the start to the Series,” says DeAngelis. “As a community, we enjoy learning more about the place we live and the people who lived on this land before us”

Fair Field Productions is a non-profit organization consisting of over 100 volunteers from throughout Southeast Iowa who have combined their knowledge, resources, and talents to produce the award-winning Fairfield History Series.

The Fairfield History Series hopes to leave a lasting legacy for generations of Fairfielders to enjoy. Clips from the films are already being used in both public and private classrooms. The first five films have received recognition by over 50 film festivals throughout Iowa and the U.S.

For details on how to view the Fairfield History Series documentaries online or on DVD, or how you can support the production of the series, visit www.fairfieldhistoryseries. com.

For the upcoming documentary, “When Maharishi Came to Town,” Producer and Director Dick DeAngelis interviewed Gordon Aistrope (left), former bank president and chairman of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, and Roger Leahy of Overland Outfitters and who was one of the first of the MIU students to arrive. (Photo courtesy of Dick DeAngelis)
Dick DeAngelis of Fair Field Productions dug into the Fairfield Ledger’s archive and found this story about how the first MIU students had to clean up the campus after the abrupt closure of Parsons College in 1973, which was sold to Maharishi International University the following year. Pictured on the far right is Roger Leahy, who was interviewed for the documentary. (Photo courtesy of Dick DeAngelis)
This newspaper clipping from the early days of MIU in Fairfield profiles bank president Gordon E. Aistrope, who was interviewed for the documentary “When Maharishi Came to Town.” (Photo courtesy of Dick DeAngelis)
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