EMU stars in upcoming documentary

Talk about a tough interview – Alexandra Notman and Jonna Threlkeld are doing a documentary about a building.

Fortunately, the building is the EMU. Notman and Threlkeld, both of EMU marketing, will tell the tale of the 61-year-old student union through alumni shaped by their experiences there.

“This is my first out-in-the-world documentary – and it’s about a building,” Threlkeld said, laughing.

“A building we’ve fallen in love with,” Notman added.

The EMU first opened its doors in 1950, serving not only as a common ground for students and their organizations, but also as a memorial to Oregonians who died in World War II and a facility for young men returning from service.

The documentary – to debut Aug. 17 at the EMU picnic in Alton Baker Park – will include Lylle B. Parker, whose family was among the first African-Americans to settle in Eugene; explorer Anne Bancroft; and Jefferson Smith, Portland mayoral candidate and commencement speaker.

“We both expected (the documentary) to be very dry,” Notman said. “But then we got creative about research and it just came to life.”

For more information, contact Notman at anotman@uoregon.edu.

“Duck Tales” is a regular feature of Inside Oregon, focusing on the lighter side of faculty/staff life at the UO. Contact Matt Cooper at mattc@uoregon.edu if you have story suggestions.