Mike Leonard ’70 & ’00Hon., who spent more than 30 years reporting stories around the world as a correspondent for NBC’s Today show, has focused his camera on Providence College to create a 45-minute film commemorating the College’s first 100 years.
The Promise of Providence, co-produced by Leonard and Mary Kay Wall, who are pictured above, premiered during PC’s Celebration of the Century on Saturday, Oct. 1, during St. Dominic Weekend, an annual event honoring the College’s most generous benefactors. Reviews were promising: the audience of 800 rewarded the film with a standing ovation.
Leonard, who directed and narrated the movie, explained in his introduction that it was not intended to be a “linear history,” but rather a series of stories about lives transformed. The film uses footage from athletic events as a metaphor for all achievement, including academic success, because “there were no cameras in classrooms when spirituality was strengthened or when wisdom was gained,” he said. “I wish we had it, but we don’t.”