Northern Illinois University

"This film is really a tribute to the breadth and depth of the NIU community," said Jeff Chown, NIU professor of communication. Chown directed the film, which began as a student project in his graduate seminar class on documentary theory and practice. As the project grew in scale, the filmmakers tapped numerous resources, including NIU faculty experts and staff.

 

"History documentaries require enormous amounts of manpower," Chown said. "The success of this film speaks to the talent and web of resources available at Northern."

 

Jeffrey Chown

 

courtesy of NIU Media

Production - Imaging

John Peter Altgeld

in 1896.

 

Photo from "The Eagle Forgotten" by Harry Barnard

 

 

 

 

The documentary follows the life and times of German-born John Peter Altgeld, who was raised in Ohio. He joined the Union Army at age16, rose to political power in the late 1800s and served a controversial term as Illinois governor from 1893 to 1897.

Production of the documentary began in the spring of 1999. Students researched the project, conducted interviews on and off campus and wrote the script.

 

"During the first few weeks of the class, we spent a lot of time reading about Gov. Altgeld," said Mandy Davis, a part-time graduate student who also works as a research associate for NIU's Center for Governmental Studies.

"Everyone got excited about it from early on," Davis said. "I put in some long hours in libraries and archives in Springfield, but it was a lot of fun and we're proud to see it turned out so well."

 

Graduate student Deena Kerwin, who also works in the Department of Communication, said she lived and breathed everything Altgeld.
"The course also requires the study of theory, so it's like a regular classroom with lectures and tests and readings," Kerwin said. "On top of that, you're script writing, researching and lining up interviews. You have to be ready to commit a good portion of your life to it."

 

During production of the film, Chown's wife, Stephanie, died after a battle with cancer. Chown credits Brian Wiencek, an NIU alum and producer in the university's Division of Media Services, with keeping the project on track.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harper's cartoon caricature

of Gov. Altgeld depicts

the national climate

following his pardoning of the Haymarket anarchists.

Photo from "The Eagle Forgotten"

by Harry Barnard
 

 

 

A statue of John Peter Altgeld in Chicago's Lincoln Park.

Photo from "The Eagle Forgotten"

by Harry Barnard

"The film ended up taking more time to produce than we had anticipated and it was done under very adverse circumstances," Chown said. "It was Brian who kept the film going with many hours of editing in my absence."

Those involved in the film's production realized they had the ingredients for a compelling biography, a rags-to-riches story of a progressive leader whose many contributions often were overshadowed by controversy. During his term as governor, newspapers across the country vilified Altgeld for his pro-labor views and his 1893 pardoning of the remaining members of the Haymarket Riot anarchists. He also clashed publicly with President Cleveland over the Pullman strike in Chicago.

Many historians, however, look on Altgeld as one of the nation's great leaders during the late 19th Century. He was a staunch advocate of higher education, tripling the budget at the University of Illinois and creating teachers' colleges in both Macomb and DeKalb, the latter of which became Northern Illinois University.

He also was responsible for construction of five major university buildings across the state, including Altgeld Hall at NIU, which is currently undergoing a major renovation. Built in Tudor-Gothic style and resembling castles, the buildings are among the most recognizable on their respective campuses.

Photo from "The Eagle Forgotten"

by Harry Barnard