Incredible WV footage to be shown at Paden City Labor Film Fest
Dick Fauss in his office in The Cultural Center - the most interesting room in WV State government
Richard (Dick) Fauss has compiled about 45 minutes of the best footage I have ever seen from the WV State Archives. This compilation will be shown at The Paden City Eagles Club on Sunday, September 2, at 1 PM after Sherrill Shaw’s great film, “From Fire and Play - East Liverpool, Ohio - the First Hundred Years. Ms. Shaw will personally introduce the film. After a break, the DVD of footage will be shown.
As I watched the footage last night, I was truly marveled at what a powerful time machine the images I saw were, starting with a tour of the town of Ravenswood as they were expanding their huge aluminum plant, the oldest in the eastern U.S. I absolutely loved watching Walter Reuther, one of our country’s greatest labor leaders, speak at a WV centennial event held in Wheeling. The interviews with the surviving miners from the Hominy Falls Mine Disaster brought tears to my eyes given the current disaster going on out West and the recent Sago and other mine deaths in WV. I was truly saddened watching the bodies being carried out of the mine, and then watching footage from the Farmington Mine Disaster. Luckily, some more positive events related to coal mining are also shown including Arnold Miller talking at a miners rally in Washington and the dedication of the MSHA Mine Academy in Beckley by Senator Byrd. I really enjoyed seeing Hechler give his “bologna speech” at the miners rally in 1969.
Ken Hechler holding up his bologna
You can watch some of the footage at the WV State Archives website, and read some info about the events shown at - http://www.wvculture.org/history/av.html.
There is more footage on this compilation disk than the clips posted on the website. I know that B.J. Gudmundsson wants to make an entire film on the Hominy Falls Disaster and the WV Archives has some very good footage to give her.
As I have said many, many times over the last 25 years, when the BBC, 60 Minutes and a thousand other people have contacted me, “I buy finished films, but there is a great WV film archive with a great film archivist who can help you, Dick Fauss. ” Thanks Dick for creating this great compilation for the Paden City Labor Day Film Festival. Everyone who sees it will thank you.
I can’t count the hundreds of films that have used the services of Mr. Fauss, both produced in-state and all over the world. I know he is always very, very busy. He received the 2002 “local film archivist of the year award” which is called the Dan and Kathy Leab Award.
To contact Mr. Fauss - dick.fauss@wvculture.org, 304-558-0230.
Dick Fauss sitting looking at one of his many monitors.
