Film collection produced by IT offers glimpse of Rice

Film collection produced by IT offers glimpse of Rice’s history

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

A new film collection produced by the Division of Information Technology (IT) offers a historical and educational look at Rice University.

“Rice University on Film, Volume 2” features five short films shot on campus and is the second in the series that focuses on campus life, events and people. The collections are available on DVD at the campus bookstore for $20 each.

Doug Killgore

News coverage of Rice students’ model construction is featured in “Small is Big @ Rice: The World’s Largest Nanotube Model,” one of the five short films included in “Rice University on Film, Volume 2.”

The first short film included in the collection is “Rice Today (1977),” which was originally produced to show to alumni groups around the country. The piece features several Rice faculty members and encompasses a broad look at the university’s departments, architecture and history.

“Rice: Leading the New Century” looks at new buildings, professorships and advancements made possible by the successful Next Century Campaign. The 2003 film is narrated by former Rice President Malcolm Gillis.

The third film, “25th Anniversary of the School of Social Sciences (2004),” celebrates the accomplishments of faculty and student in economics, political science, sociology, psychology and anthropology.

The collection’s longest film, “Small is Big @ Rice: The World’s Largest Nanotube Model,” is a 29-minute documentary of the student-constructed nanotube model, which in 2005 set the Guinness World Record at more than 1,000 feet in length. The film includes comments by city dignitaries, news footage and remarks by the late Rice University Professor Richard Smalley, one of the best-known and respected scientists in nanotechnology.

Also on the DVD is “From Lovett to Leebron: the History of Rice University,” a 2005 lecture relaying the ongoing vision of Rice presented by John Boles, the William Pettus Hobby Professor of History.

Doug Killgore ’69, an IT audio/video production specialist at Rice, spearheaded the effort to make the films available to the community on DVD. Killgore also directed, wrote and produced several of the films included in the collections, as well as “The Trust,” a film depicting the murder of William Marsh Rice and the founding of Rice Institute. “The Trust” is also available for purchase at the campus bookstore for $20.

“I believe that the Rice community, especially faculty and alumni, would really enjoy the opportunity to see these films,” Killgore said.

Five short features comprise the first volume of “Rice University on Film”: “Through the Sallyport” (1953), “Golden Years” (1962), “A Walking Tour of Campus with James C. Morehead” (1979), “Rice Today” (1983) and “The Charter Centennial Presentation” (1991).

“Rice University on Film” may also be viewed on the Internet at <http://webcast.rice.edu>.

For more information, contact Killgore at <killgore@rice.edu>.