Documentarian seeks public input for Parsons College film

FAIRFIELD — Fair Field Productions has announced that it will premiere its fifth documentary in the Fairfield History Series in October 2023, this one featuring the 98-year history of Parsons College.

Producer and director Dick DeAngelis said he had interviewed 25 people as of mid-November, and planned to interview at least seven more. But before DeAngelis and his team make the final round of edits, they want to leave no stone unturned, and that is why they are asking the public for any input they can provide about Parsons College.

DeAngelis is inviting former Parsons College students, staff, faculty or any other members of the public to share their ideas about Parsons College during a discussion at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30 at the Fairfield Public Library. Parsons College alumnus Dave Neff will be on hand to facilitate the discussion.

“We have been researching, filming interviews and are now getting ready to edit this film and want to make sure we haven’t missed anything about Parsons College history,” DeAngelis said. “If you have a specific story, opinion or photo that you think will contribute to our understanding, we hope you will attend this meeting on November 30 at 7 p.m.”

DeAngelis announced that the film will premiere during a reunion of Parsons College alumni Oct. 6-8, 2023 at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. The film will document the history of Parsons College, which called the north side of Fairfield home from 1875-1973, and premiere exactly 50 years after the college’s closure.

“The weekend will provide an opportunity to share your memories, renew old friendships and, who knows, maybe make new ones,” DeAngelis said.

For more information about these events, contact Nancy Wirtanen at nwirtanen@yahoo.com.

DeAngelis said he is excited for the public to see this film, which will be the fifth film in what he plans to be an eight-part series on Fairfield’s history. He said that, as he has researched the college’s ebbs and flows, its changes over the years, he realized that the history of Parsons is a microcosm of American history.

For instance, the college’s history dates back to 1855, when Lewis B. Parsons Sr. leaves a bequest to his sons to start a Christian college in Southeast Iowa. However, Parsons does not open until 1875. DeAngelis said the Civil War delayed the establishment of the college.

During World War II, when men went off to fight, Parsons College became a predominantly female institution. DeAngelis said he was able to interview a 99-year-old Parsons College alumna with a unique story. Ida Nakashima Schneck is a Japanese American who grew up in California, and after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, she and her family were forced to live in an internment camp. During the war, Schneck attended Parsons College, and went on to obtain a pre-med degree and become a pediatrician.

DeAngelis said his film will document the college’s meteoric rise under its president Millard Roberts in the 1950s and 1960s, when it reached its peak enrollment of about 5,000 students. The film will review the school’s struggles with maintaining accreditation, which it lost in 1948 and again in 1967. It goes into the influx of students during the Vietnam War.

In an effort to keep costs under control, DeAngelis searched far and wide for home movies that were taken of Parsons that he could use in the film. A couple of people turned in home movies, which show the buildings on campus and scenes from the college’s parades. One person lent DeAngelis a number of reels showing Parsons football games.

Unfortunately, none of these home movies contained Millard Roberts, and DeAngelis felt strongly about having him appear on screen. His only recourse was to pay Getty Images to use a portion of an NBC news report on Parsons in 1966, featuring an interview with Roberts. DeAngelis said that including just a portion of the NBC segment cost “thousands of dollars,” and that he was so thankful that Parsons alumni donated specifically to ensure that Roberts’ interview would be included in the film.

“A lot of Parsons alumni have thanked me for doing this film,” DeAngelis said. “We’ve raised $13,000 just from Parsons alumni.”

DeAngelis said he may need to make a final fundraising push as “Parsons” enters post-production. Those interested in donating to the film series can make checks payable to Fair Field Productions at 405 S. Third St. in Fairfield, IA 52556. Donations can also be done online atfairfieldhistoryseries.com.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com