FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The first film to tell the 135-year history of the University of Arkansas, complete with its myths, traditions and little known facts, will premiere at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8, in the Arkansas Union Theatre. Admission is free and the public is welcome. A reception will follow, sponsored by the Arkansas Alumni Association.

Beacon of Hope: The Story of the University of Arkansas, was produced by journalism professors Larry Foley and Dale Carpenter. The two have more than a dozen documentaries to their credit, some made independently, some together, and they’ve each collected a shelf-full of awards for their work. For this project Foley did the research and wrote the script, while Carpenter did the photography and editing. The film’s original music was composed by music professor James Greeson and is performed by the UA Schola Cantorum, under the director of assistant music professor Graeme Langager.

The title of the film comes from the school’s alma mater, and the origin of that song is one of the many stories told in the film. In 1909, Brodie Payne, class of 1906, won a $50 prize when his lyrics were chosen over all other entries. Music professor Henry Tovey composed the music, and the documentary includes a rare photograph showing him playing an early version of the song on a pipe organ, while his dog sings along at the keyboard.

“Even the most loyal university alum will learn something from this film,” said Foley, a 1976 graduate and journalism department faculty member since 1993. “I moved to campus when I was two years old (1956), when my dad came here to finish his degree. I literally grew up on this campus, but there are stories in Beacon of Hope that I had never heard until I began digging into the archives.”

“The interesting part for me was seeing the old archival photographs and films about people and events in the university’s history that attracted national attention,” said Carpenter. “I was amazed to learn that in 1954, CBS television came to the campus to broadcast a story on Professor Mary Celestia Parler and her folklore research in the Ozark hills. It was fascinating to learn the importance of the Fine Arts building, and how it was regarded as a groundbreaking center for its time. I grew up in Arkansas and I’ve been on faculty here for 13 years, but this was all new to me. There are lots of things in this film that will surprise people.”

Beacon of Hope also tells the more familiar story of  Fayetteville’s successful bid to provide a home for the new institution and the first days of Arkansas Industrial University in 1872, before the construction of Old Main. But even here there are surprises, like the fact that a black man named James McGahee enrolled in that first university class. The film covers the myths about why one tower of Old Main is taller than the other — and the true story.  It explains the origin of the tradition of Senior Walk. It has the facts on when the Razorback became the school mascot, and how the school color nearly became “heliotrope,” until losing students insisted on “cardinal.”

The documentary also includes more serious topics, such as a profile of J. William Fulbright, the university’s most famous graduate, and the long and peaceful process of the integration on campus in 1948.

“We feature legends and stories about this campus from every decade since the 1870s,” said Foley. “Some of these stories fall into the 'strange but true’ category, like the one about how there were Roman numerals for a clock drawn on the south tower of Old Main for about 50 years, even though there was never a clock in the tower until recently.”

“As a photographer I was constantly reminded that this is a beautiful campus to film,” said Carpenter, who used a high definition camera to shoot original footage for the documentary.  “Everywhere I looked there was an interesting scene. We shot during all four seasons, everything from the peak of autumn, to snow falling down on the statue of Senator Fulbright. The more time you spend here, the more you realize the University of Arkansas is a very visual place to be.”

Following its premiere on campus, Beacon of Hope will have a world theatrical premiere at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival on Oct. 23. It was chosen from among thousands of entries to be shown at the festival.