May 19, 2015
Producers capture ‘Providence,’ emergency medicine
Mike Leonard ’70 & ’00Hon. tells the story of Providence — the concept of divine guidance and the College — in a segment of his new TV series, inCommon with Mike Leonard, which is airing on PBS stations across the country this spring.
Leonard, who is based in Chicago, filmed at PC in December with his son, Brendan Leonard ’07, and his co-executive producer, Mary Kay Wall ’13P, ’15P, & ’18P. He interviewed College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80; College Chaplain Rev. James Cuddy, O.P. ’98; Dr. Richard J. Grace ’62, professor emeritus of history; Nate Leaman, men’s hockey head coach; and several PC hockey players. Also featured are classmates Giacomo Mordente ’70 and James M. Murphy ’73.
For each episode in the new series, Leonard, retired features correspondent for NBC’s Today show, explores a theme. His “Providence” segment is about the war years, the draft lottery, and how some were sent to Vietnam while others were able to remain home.
Meanwhile, Mark F. Brady, M.D. ’02, who practices emergency medicine at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., produced a documentary, 24/7/365: The Evolution of Emergency Medicine, which premiered on PBS in Rhode Island during the winter.
Brady’s documentary is narrated by Anthony Edwards, star of the TV series ER. It tells the story of mavericks in the medical field who went against the establishment to meet the needs of patients in the 1950s and 1960s and turned emergency medicine into a specialty.
