Thomas Walton Patton Biographical Documentary Premieres Aug. 21;
Produced by Two UNCA Faculty Members

"Thomas Walton Patton: Asheville’s Citizen and Soldier" a biographical documentary produced by UNCA Mass Communications Professor Phyllis Lang and Adjunct Instructor Chanse Simpson, will premiere on UNC-TV at 10:30 p.m. Monday, August 21.

Using interviews with two of Patton’s granddaughters and two Civil War historians, this engaging documentary retraces Patton’s involvement in the Civil War and 19th century civic affairs in post-war Asheville. During the Civil War, Patton served with the Buncombe Rifles and Joseph McDowell’s battalion, which became part of the North Carolina 60th Regiment. Later, during the Spanish-American War, he joined the First North Carolina regiment in Cuba.

"He was a strong believer in civic responsibility," said Lang. His civic ventures included helping establish Mission Hospital and the Children’s Home. He was twice elected Mayor of Asheville in 1890s. "We were fortunate to have a lot of pictures from that time period that we could use in putting the video together," said Simpson. "And we also found local sources for music and interviews, so this truly is a Western North Carolina project."

Lang and Simpson began working together in 1998 to make Patton’s story into a video. The half-hour documentary, which was edited at UNCA’s new digital video laboratory, features many local photos from the 1800s aw well as footage from Civil War sites, including Chickamauga National Battlefield and Bennett Place near Durham where the war ended.

For more information, call UNCA’s Mass Communications department at 828/232-5027.

Media Contacts:

• UNCA Public Information, 828/251-6526