Film celebrating Erskine’s 175th anniversary premieres Oct. 17
The first public screening of “Due West of Ordinary: 175 Years of Erskine College,” a documentary film by Erskine College alumnus Will Frampton, is set for Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall at Erskine College. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Please reserve a seat online.
Two other showings of the film are planned.
• The film will be shown Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. in Lesesne Auditorium during the ErskineFest celebration, which combines homecoming, family day, and a commemoration of the school’s 175th anniversary. ErskineFest is a free event. Food will be available for purchase.
• “Due West of Ordinary” will also be screened Sunday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville, where an Erskine exhibit is on display through Oct. 26. The Upcountry History Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday 1 – 5 p.m. Admission for adults is $5; college students with valid ID and adults 65 and older, $4; children and students age 4 to 18, $3; children 3 and under, free. There is no additional charge for viewing the film.
Filmmaker Will Frampton, a 2003 graduate who did an internship with CNN following his sophomore year, is now a reporter for CBS46 in Atlanta. During his time as a reporter for CBS in Columbia, he produced an Emmy Award-winning documentary film after being embedded for two weeks in 2007 with the South Carolina National Guard in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Making a documentary film celebrating the 175th anniversary of his alma mater was a work of loyalty and love, and he learned something in the process.
“I had no idea to what extent the college faced crippling challenges and situations throughout its early years, and even into the 20th century,” he said, adding that Erskine’s return from such setbacks “speaks to the resolve of the people who attended and supported the college in those days.”
Frampton recalled reading about an address given following the Civil War in which R.A. Fair spoke of Erskine as “a spot of hallowed memories and sweet associations,” a description that resonates with the young alumnus.
“I feel he is talking to me, even 147 years later. Because that’s what the college is to me, a place of hallowed memories and sweet associations,” he said.
“It was an honor to be able to tell the story of the college,” Frampton said. “In doing that, I fell in love with Erskine all over again. That’s what I hope other alumni feel when they watch the film.”