Wabash campus, Tuesday evening, April 19, 2011.
Russ Harbaugh ’06, Chris Ogden ’06, and Jake Knott ’03. Three talented Wabash football stars. The making of a Wabash football reunion. But it wasn’t about football.
It was the Wabash liberal arts in action.
Jake Knott is a very successful investments guy in the Indy area. He and his bride came for a friend.
Chris Ogden is off to Harvard Business School in August. He and his bride came for a friend.
Russ is finishing his degree at Columbia and it was his film, title in the photo, that brought everyone together. He has good friends.
I won’ tell you about the film – you need to see it. Yes, need. I can tell you this. I have been in exactly the same shoes as one of the characters…exactly. Russ captured, and more importantly documented, every single emotion an oldest son goes through. Spot on. A “shack” in fighter lingo. Perfecto.
Russ is in the “can of pork and beans for dinner” phase of being a film maker. Displaying his talents and looking for the right fit, the right opportunity. To make this film, Russ needed about $35,000. $20,000 of that came from the Wabash community. Sure some big names helped. But there were also people on campus, everyday good people, who helped make it happen. 57% from the Wabash family…57%.
This out-of-work fighter pilot believes the pork and beans phase will be followed by the Capital Grill and St. Elmos phase. I hope it will. But let me tell you this. Just like a few years back, Russ has proven again he’s a winner. The creative talents he has have shifted from 3rd down and 7 yards to go to film cameras, set design, writing a script, and character development. He’s kept one thing the same – calling audibles to make it happen/save the day. He’s a guy you want in the game when it’s time to make things happen.
Kinda’ like Jake Knott and Chris Ogden.
