‘Hatfields, McCoys’ Miniseries on History Channel Could Be Acting Break GC Grad Needed
Jonathan Fredrick, left, with veteran actor Tom Berenger and Kentucky native Boyd Holbrook on the set of "Hatfields & McCoys." Photo by Trifecta Productions
Jonathan Fredrick ’01, who moved to Los Angeles shortly after graduation, may have finally gotten the break he needs in the acting world – a nice role on a three-night television event showcasing the most famous of family feuds.
Fredrick plays the besotted Jefferson McCoy in the much-anticipated History Channel miniseries, “Hatfields & McCoys,” which premieres at 9 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, May 28-30.
Billed as a “true American story,” the miniseries documents how the legendary feud nearly caused a war between Kentucky and West Virginia. Fredrick – as a native of Huntington, WV, and an alumnus of a Kentucky school (Georgetown College) – finds it fitting that this is his “first significant TV role.” He also found filming in remote Romania, especially in the Carpathian Mountains, “eerily similar” to his home state.
“They cast this with eye for quality – even for the smallest roles,” said Fredrick, who doesn’t get decent “face time” until near the end of the first night. But, just look at some of the stars who will be sharing the screen: Kevin Costner, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Mare Winningham and Tom Berenger! (Berenger and Fredrick will attend a private screening at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, according to a Huntington Herald-Dispatch story.)
Jefferson (Fredrick’s character) is a child in most of the first episode when his father (Harmon) becomes the first victim of the feud in 1865. “The second night I’m in it quite a bit with my sister (Nancy, played by Jena Malone),” Fredrick said. “(Jefferson) is half-drunk most of the time and too cowardly to seek revenge.”
Jonathan Fredrick came to GC as a baseball player in ’97, but after trolling left- and center-field for two years he began to go in a different direction. A Communication Arts major (Sociology minor), he took all of George McGee’s theatre classes. “Then, I knew I wanted to act,” he said. “But, I didn’t know that I could.”
All it took was a word of encouragement from his professor. “After I did a monologue from ‘Hamlet,’ George came up and said I should consider doing Shakespeare in the Park,” he recalled. “That’s the first validation I’d ever gotten!”
George McGee continued to be this major influence in Fredrick’s life, setting up an internship with Hollywood talent manager Billy Miller (GC Class of ’76) after his junior year. “That gave me a foot in L.A.,” he said.
Fredrick said he’s been “stubborn or stupid – or both” during the past decade of stereotypical jobs for wannabee-actors such as waiting tables, landscaping and working security at movie premieres.
He actually does have some experience on the other end of the camera. The past several summers he’s been post-production coordinator for CBS’s “Big Brother” television series. A short he did, “The Scenic Route,” won Best Comedy at The Five-Second Film Festival and he has another being edited now entitled “Love in Our Time.”
But, Jonathan Fredrick is really hoping – with “Hatfields & McCoys” – that NOW is the time for him, his wife Chandra and their 18-month-old son Charlie. “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this,” said the actor, who’d rather be served champagne at “The Oscars” next time than being the server again.
Georgetown College Education Students Enjoy Unique Opportunity for Study in Brazil
Pictured L-R with Dr. Alison Jackson-Wood, center: Shelby Riddell, Jonathan Balmer, Felipe Lima and Leticia Cedro.
Georgetown College’s Education majors now have the opportunity to spend a semester studying in Brazil with the majority of their expenses covered by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This study abroad program, entitled, “Diversity: Meeting the Cultural Demands of Education in the 21st Century,” is offered in collaboration with Ashland University and Brigham Young University.
Two rising GC juniors will be the first to go to Brazil to study. They are Jonathan Balmer, a History & English major (certifying in Education) from Mason, OH, and Shelby Riddell, an Art Education major from Georgetown, KY. Both took a number of classes in Portuguese this past semester. They will leave July 23 and return December 15, 2012. Two Brazilian students have just completed a semester at Georgetown. They are Leticia Cedro, who taught Portuguese here while taking classes herself, and Felipe Lima, who helped plan a number of international events.
Project director Alison Jackson-Wood said, “I’m very excited that education majors at Georgetown College now have a study-abroad program designed to immerse them in every aspect of living cross-culturally as they study with Brazilian students.”
Dr. Jackson-Wood, an assistant professor of education at Georgetown College, added, “One major benefit to students is that the grant pays for the bulk of the students’ expenses, including airfare, living accommodations, language study and materials. This is a unique opportunity for education students attending Georgetown College.” Dr. Andrea Peach, an associate professor of education at Georgetown College, will provide support for the project as a technological consultant.
The consortium between the U.S. and Brazilian institutions will provide opportunities for student exchange in upcoming years. The two Brazilian partner institutions are Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), located in Florianoplis, and Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janerio (UFRRJ), located outside of Rio de Janerio. One goal of the project is to prepare globally aware and cross-culturally responsive educators. It is underway now and will end July 31, 2014.
GC June 2 Golf Outing at Griffin Gate is Now FREE
Thanks to the generosity of a good business friend of Georgetown College, Neace Lukens Insurance, the June 2, 2012, Alumni, Family and Friends golf outing at the Marriott Griffin Gate Golf Course is now free. Neace Lukens stepped up to sponsor our outing in memory of their late employee and our alumnus, Robbie Rowe, who loved GC and loved his golf. Get your foursome together and call Judy Rush at 859-699-4837 or email her at jrush1114@gmail.com. Space is limited – first come, first served – so don’t dawdle. The day begins with registration at 10, followed by lunch from 11-12:30 and a putting contest. Then, a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Afterward, there’s a nice reception with door prizes that include an Arnold Palmer autographed golf flag and an Odyssey White Ice putter, among several other desirable items. Special guests for the day are Pat Rielly, former PGA president, and his son, Mike, an executive with CAA Sports in Los Angeles.
Three graduating seniors are Fulbright Fellows
For the third time in six years, three Georgetown College students have been named recipients of Fulbright awards.
GC’s Fulbright Fellows for 2012-13: Portia Watson, center, will teach English in Thailand; Sarah Carey and Thomas Owens will do so in South Korea.
All from small-town Kentucky, these three extraordinary students now have the wonderful opportunity to represent both their college and their nation as they spend the next school year as English teaching assistants in the Far East. They are: Sarah Carey of Mackville (Washington County) and Thomas Owens from Lancaster (Garrard County), who will both teach in South Korea; and, Portia Watson of Mount Washington (Bullitt County), who will be in Thailand.
“I am very, very pleased that the Fulbright program has given such an exciting opportunity to these three wonderful students,” said Dr. Rosemary Allen, Provost at Georgetown College and campus advisor for the Fulbright Program. “They will learn so much in the coming year, not only about the countries they will visit but also about themselves.”
The addition brings to 26 the number of recipients from Georgetown College since 1990.
Georgetown College team wins conference fishing event, advances to championship
The Georgetown College team of Clay Elliott of Pikeville, Ky., and Vincent Timperio of Corbin, Ky., won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Central Conference event on Kentucky/ Barkley lakes this past Saturday with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce. The victory earned the team $5,000. The win also helped them advance to the Central Conference Championship. Elliott and Timperio have been fishing as a team for the past three years and until now had not qualified for a FLW Conference Championship.
Elliott starts his senior year in accounting in the fall while Timperio will be a senior in business marketing.
