Since the birth of Walla Walla University, its history has been chronicled in a variety of formats from handwritten notes to typewritten files, in articles, photos, books, and, more recently, digital data. Now WWU heritage is being preserved in a series of videos that feature first-person stories told by faculty and staff.
The video project emerged from a discussion started by Steve Walikonis ’78, current WWU Alumni Association (AA) board chair, who proposed a video to capture the history of Havstad Alumni Center. James Kneller ’95, current president of the AA, expanded the idea to a series of videos intended to preserve the experiences and memories of WWU faculty and staff.
Called the Remember When series, the videos are produced by CMBell, a marketing and communications firm that is rich with WWU alumni for whom this project was a labor of love.
At the helm, DeLona (Lang) Bell ’79 oversees the big picture and production. Business co-owner Michael Bell ’80 plays a supporting role, and their two sons, Christian ’10 and Miles-Erik ’15, contribute skill sets to the crew, which range from concept development to running cameras and editing footage.
Of course, behind every project, there is a story to tell. So we sat down with DeLona, Christian, and Miles-Erik and asked questions about the story behind the stories.
Read more about this project in the Spring 2019 issue of the Walla Walla University Westwind. Additional videos are available on the Remember When website.