Title: Amid the Wreckage: Friends Facing Life After Katrina
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The Subjects: Three friends – Rita Walsh, Greg Wilkerson and Te Nguyen – found each other in the turbulent months following Katrina. Rita’s small house was destroyed, as was Greg’s. FEMA provided trailers for both, placed across the street from each other. Te, an experienced shrimper and also homeless, moved in with Greg and the three have been sharing nearly everything together as they move into an uncertain future.
The Student Filmmakers:
Doug Bruce, a sophomore from Milwaukee, majoring in Electronic Media.
David Mc Laughlin, a junior from New Jersey and also an Electronic Media major. Elizabeth Pace, a senior from Mobile majored in English.
Title: Pieces of a Broken Bayou
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The Subjects: Cynthia Barrere and Chris Shoemaker are a married couple renting a small house in Coden, adjacent to Bayou La Batre. Chris was nearly blind from cataracts when Sister Marilyn and the Daughters of Charity realized his plight and provided for the surgery to repair his eyes. The surgery was successful but Chris, a small boat oyster fisherman, has been facing a vastly declining oyster population in the area and Cynthia was recently diagnosed with severe health problems, for which they have no insurance to cover the monumental costs.
The Student Filmmakers:
Katherine Cortez, a senior from Jacksonville, Florida, majoring in Graphic Design.
Daphne Pagonis, a junior from Gulf Breeze, Florida, majoring in Electronic Media. Matt Sullivan, a junior from Chicago, majoring in Electronic Media.
Title: With Open Arms: Paulette Pulliam’s Story
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The Subjects: Paulette, with her husband Wayne and their five adopted children, are struggling mightily to make ends meet from their trailer home in Grand Bay. Paulette – who, as Sister Marilyn states, does not understand the word ‘no’ – has a loving and generous spirit. At any given time numerous other children and adults are in and around her home. Her spirit and love keep the family together, no matter what the hardship.
The Student Filmmakers:
Joelle Bernhardt, a senior from Birmingham, AL, double majored in Electronic Media and Integrated Communications, with a minor in Graphic Design.
Greg Mueller, a senior from Denton, Maryland, majored in Electronic Media.
Sidney Garmon, a senior from New Orleans, majored in Theology.
Sister Marilyn Moore – Daughters of Charity:
Last fall, while seeking help in identifying families and on the advice of a lawyer in the Bayou area, I contacted Sister Marilyn. She was part of a group from Providence Hospital that set up a mobile health care center behind St. Margaret’s Catholic Church in the center of Bayou La Batre to service the people immediately following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The situation was critical then and is still today as poverty in that area is widespread and pervasive. She already had significant contact with all of these families that we eventually profiled. Each person trusted her implicitly and it was only due to that trust in her that they agreed to let us tell their stories. She has maintained a strong relationship with these three groups throughout the semester and has provided encouragement to both us and to the families themselves. It often seemed like we were not communicating with each other and everyone got discouraged. Her help and understanding were simply invaluable. We can’t thank her enough.
These videos were produced by students in CMM429, Electronic Field Production, an elective for those concentrating in electronic media production, taught by Tom Loehr in the spring of 2008.
