The LIDC media design group: (l to r) Francis Campbell, Andrew Szendrey, Joel Schwarz, Rick Tunstall and Jonathan Nodrick.

Document Tools

By Stuart Colcleugh

Their first, 45-minute oral-history DVD, The Excitement of the Early Years, was produced by Joel Schwarz, then with the education faculty's Centre for Educational Technology, and first shown in 2005 during the run-up to the university's 40th anniversary last year.

Schwarz also helped create The Instant University in 2006, this time as a member of SFU's Learning and Instructional Development Centre (LIDC) media design group. Both DVDs were funded as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations.

The two videos combine archival film footage and still photos with first-hand reminiscences by retired staff, faculty and students to create a compelling account of SFU's first five years, from 1964-69.

The Instant University DVD runs about 50 minutes and features interviews with 13 students, staff and faculty from 1965-69. They include Dave Cutler,
Susan Digney, Lorne March, Marg Jones,
Nini Baird, Dennis Roberts, Ken Strand, Kenji Okuda, Alan Aberbach, Elinor Ames, Andrea Lebowitz, Leigh Palmer and Shue Tuck Wong.

Participants in The Excitement of the Early Years include Ron Baker, Marilyn Cairns, Win Caldwell, Roy Carlson, Harry Evans, Allen Garr, Maurice Gibbons, Thelma Finlayson, Malcolm Page, Klaus Rieckhoff, Stan Smith, Hal Weinberg and Stan Wong.

Both DVDs can be purchased for $20 each at the Feb. 15 showing. For more information, visit www.sfu.ca/retirees.