‘Lost Voices of the Great War’ documentary film screening Oct. 30

The University of Akron and Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens will present a premier screening of the documentary “Lost Voices of the Great War: Summit County in the First World War,” followed by a panel discussion on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. in the Main Auditorium of the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 South High St., in Akron. The screening is free and open to the public.

Recounting the story of Summit County residents’ experiences at home and overseas during the First World War, the documentary uses dramatic reenactment footage, narration, interviews, period music and sound effects to bring to life local hidden collections of 100-year-old letters, film, photographs, images and documents, including many from Archival Services of University Libraries.

A wide variety of voices tell the story, including:

• Mary Gladwin, an Akronite who volunteered to serve with the International Red Cross. (An 1887 alumna, her contributions to the field of nursing are many. Our School of Nursing is housed in a building named in her honor — Mary E. Gladwin Hall. Learn more.)
• F.A. Seiberling, co-founder of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and his son, Fred, who served with “Battery B.”
• Several “Goodyearites,” including Lester S. Himmelberger, who served in the “Balloon Division.”
• Akronite Charles C. Jackson, the only known decorated African-American officer from Ohio.
• Grace Goulder, a Hudson resident who served in France with the YWCA. 

“The purpose of the film is not only to honor the brave men and women from Akron and Summit County who served in the war,” explains Victor Fleischer, head of Archival Services and associate producer and lead researcher on the film, “but also to showcase some of the important historical resources in The University of Akron Archives and other repositories throughout the region that are available to students, educators and the public for research, study and personal enrichment.”

This documentary was made possible by Ohio Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The film is part of the Summit County and the Great War project formed to commemorate Summit County’s contribution to the U.S. war effort during World War I. The project is a partnership between Akron-Summit County Public Library, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, Summit County Historical Society, The University of Akron Archival Services and the MAPS Air Museum. More information on this collaboration and the film may be found online at Summit County and The Great War.

Media contact: Lisa Craig, 330-972-7429 or lmc91@uakron.edu.