Appreciating The Past And Anticipating The Future
I took the train home this year. I’ve done it before in undergrad from Hastings, Nebraska into Denver, Colorado and it took about 7 hours, which is the same amount of time it takes to drive (except I can sleep, which is amazing).
This time I ventured on the train because it was easier to bring home breakable gifts and I had the time. There is something about train travel too… Maybe it’s the gourmet meals, legroom, ability to walk around, scenic views, good conversation or a trip down memory lane. Or maybe it’s all of it.
On this same route years ago the train came through Nebraska at about 4:30 a.m. This time it stopped around 1:00 a.m. (I think), and I woke from the jolt and recognized the train station from the green trim on the tan brick overhang.
As the train continued to move forward a scent of nostalgia filled the air. Hastings is a small place that people barely think about in passing, but that holds many memories for many people and some fun stories too. The Kool-Aid building comes into view as we gradually travel forward. Yes, thank Hastings for your childhood Kool-Aid drinks, as it was (accidentally) invented there and holds a festival every summer to celebrate that great mistake.
The main road appears next where I drove into town as my friend tested out her new camera and we joked and laughed as we turned left to see a movie at the Rivoli Theatre, a place that one day future students will view movies by us, probably. The bar Murphy’s Wagon Wheel came into view next, our own version of Cheers. Following that there wasn’t much town left to see. We had already passed the Blue Moon coffee shop where our college news station had meetings. One of the first radio stations in the country was located downtown originally too: KFKX. Here is where the career of Will Hay started, known to audiences at the time as the announcer for Amos and Andy the later controversial radio and TV program. KFKX became attached to the college that sits further north that was founded in 1882. KFKX is defunct now but the Gray Center still teaches modern communications.
In 1988 former President and Warner Brothers contractor Ronald Regan dedicated the building. The advisory board on the building as well as the technical aspects within it was impressive to say the least… Walter H. Annenberg, John Denver, William S. Paley, Grant Tinker and Ted Turner. Robert Gray, a Hastings native and chairman of Hill and Knowlton P.R. Worldwide had some decent contacts for such a small school and the education I got there was top notch. The focus is news and many students leave there and do very well for themselves, and quite a few have ties to SU. Two to mention are Erica Christensen of Burbank, CA who is currently a Production Coordinator at Dick Clark Productions. That guy sounds familiar. There’s also Chris Schukei who was a former Music Coordinator for Late Show with David Letterman where Newhouse alum Chris Licht is currently the show runner under the new host Steven Colbert. There are more alumni that do very well at the local level too.
Passing through this small town was a healthy reminder to never forget where I came from, especially in regards to where I’m hopefully headed, and to appreciate every opportunity that comes my way knowing that there will continue to be ups and downs as experienced during the 2008 crash – a humbling experience that some master’s students went through, but not all.
The last time I was at Hastings College was in 2012 for Homecoming. I was a guest speaker as I had just produced a short film that was selected for a screening series in New York City and had recently finished my stint at CBS Paramount International Television (now CBS Studios International).
And now, here I sit in a place 19 hours from where I came with many hours of work ahead of me. Like most, I am proud to be a student at Newhouse. It was my number one choice for my graduate degree, but I also appreciate the base, connections and support that my undergrad gave me and driving through that quiet, dark town it is something that I will always keep in the back of my mind and appreciate how I grew as a person there and the work ethic that pushed students like me to work in Los Angeles and continue our educations at top notch programs such as this.
We’ll all leave with amazing experiences and contacts from here but also always remember our connections to other schools and the people within those schools; these are people that we’ll have the opportunity to work with one day.
Eventually I’ll be back and my view of Hastings will again be different, the program I was in will have adjusted even more so as technology and media changes, just like Newhouse, but the goal to entertain and inspire no matter where we come from will always remain.
