The evening of Nov. 5 was a big one for Hiram College, which received loads of positive exposure when it played host to the premiere of “Death by Lightning,” an outstanding Netflix historical drama that follows the parallel paths of President James A. Garfield and his deranged assassin, fantasist Charles Giteau.
In 1881, Giteau shot Garfield four months into his term. Garfield died two months later.
Held at Hayden Auditorium, the event included the first hour-long episode in the series in which Garfield becomes the Republican nominee for president. The showing was followed by an all-star panel that included Mike Makowsky, the award-winning filmmaker who scripted and produced “Death by Lightning,” and Candice Millard, author of “Destiny of the Republic,” a best-seller that postulates Garfield might have survived his assassin’s bullet, but for horrible medical care.
Also on the panel were Todd Arrington, author of “The Last Lincoln Republican,” and Timothy Garfield, the great-great-grandson of James A. Garfield and the executive director of The Garfield Trail, the evening’s sponsor. Hiram President Robert Bohrer welcomed a nearly full house to the free event, which provided attendees with free popcorn.
Makowsky’s storyline shows the parallel lives of the two men moving toward their joint destiny, fueling the film’s dramatic tension. Makowsky discovered Garfield by reading Millard’s best-seller, which described Garfield’s intelligence, leadership qualities and eloquence, which fired up the Republican Convention delegates who nominated him.
Only 50 when he died, Garfield’s assassination begs the question “what if”?
Millard said post-Civil War America would have been reunited more skillfully by Garfield’s leadership. Garfield’s commitment to civil rights might have blunted southern white supremacy. Arrington’s book, “The Last Lincoln Republican,” shows Republican commitment to reconstruction fading as it transitioned to the party of big business.
Because the country of Hungary provides generous subsidies for filmmakers and gave Makowsky a grant, he filmed most of “Death by Lightning” in Budapest, whose many beautiful 19th century buildings recall America’s 19th century architecture.
The Garfield Trail consists of four Northeast Ohio sites – a replica cabin like the one in which Garfield was born on the Moreland Hills Village campus; the James A. Garfield National Historic Site that shows off his beautifully restored farm in Mentor; and the imposing Garfield Memorial in Cleveland’s Lakeview Cemetery, where he and his wife, Lucretia, are buried.
The Hiram College site includes the Garfield-Zimmerman home, where Garfield and his family lived when he was Hiram’s president, and the statute of Garfield at Koritansky Hall, a classroom building that houses Hiram’s political science department, but was once a parish where Garfield preached.
Although Janet was unable to attend the Netflix premiere, it was nevertheless a week of Hiram activities for us because Saturday evening, Nov. 1, we joined former Ohio Sen. Leigh Herrington and his wife, Anita, for a Halloween themed “Hiram Ghost Tour,” a fundraiser to benefit The Portage Foundation at the Hiram Inn.
The “Hiram Ghost Tour” was one of four packages offered by the Portage Foundation during their “Experience Portage County” online auction in September. Robert Painley, a renowned medium who graduated from Hiram College before a successful career in sales, later came home to the area. He enthralled us with his stories of encountering the “other side.” He led our group around the campus, pointing to buildings where he has confronted spiritual energies.
Simmons-Mortimer credits Hiram Village Mayor Anne Haynam and the Hiram Historical Society with helping The Portage Foundation. Hiram’s team included Jenny and Ed Backos, proprietors of the historic Hiram Inn, who lease the attractively restored building from Hiram College. Following our campus walk, our group returned to the inn, where we were handsomely feted by the Backoses and members of the Hiram Historical Society.
Simmons-Mortimer said the Hiram Historical Society and Haynam support The Garfield Trail. Their collective efforts have added new energy to picturesque Hiram Village and its centerpiece, the college’s beautiful campus.
David E. Dix is a former publisher of The Record-Courier.
David E. Dix
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Hiram College shines at premiere of President Garfield bio on Netflix
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