Dee Garceau
Executive Producer, Director
Dee Garceau will lead the film team that produces A Different, Deadly Beast: The Influenza of 1918-19 in Montana. Dee earned a Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University and was a Professor of History at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, 1995-2017. She now teaches part-time at University of Montana, Missoula, and makes documentary films. Dee has produced and directed five films, three of which involved university students in the process. She loves hearing and sharing stories.
Telling stories through film is a journey of discovery; we get to know people in new ways as we listen to their experience. We layer the spoken word with visual narratives, music, action, and sound. Through collaboration with story tellers and team, a film emerges, nuanced and rich.
Ashby Glover
Assistant Producer, Director
Ashby Glover is a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, TN where she received a B.A. in History and minored in Computer Science. Ashby has been involved in the arts her whole life, from theatre to singing to playing the trumpet. She is excited to be involved in this artistic and scholarly process of making a documentary, which combines her love for the arts and for history. Ashby has worked at New Ballet Ensemble and School in Memphis for the past four years, tutoring children and assisting with administrative work. She also worked at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music where she was creating an exhibit on the life of the legendary Isaac Hayes before the Covid-19 pandemic cut her work short. She is enjoying the process of filmmaking as well as exploring Montana and its history throughout this year.
Reno Charette
Apsáalooke (Crow) Cultural Consultant
Reno Charette serves as Project Director for the Aseto’ne Networking Project (ANP) of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). AIHEC reaches 20,000 students at 37 tribal colleges and universities. The ANP is funded by the National Institute of Health and seeks to inspire college students to pursue a biomedical career in research. Reno holds an M.A. in History from the University of Montana, Missoula and has taught Native American Studies for over a decade. Reno is a member of the Ties in the Bundle Clan of the Crow Nation and a descendant of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa.
I appreciate this opportunity to work with you on such a creative project.
Leon Rattler
Amskapi Piikani (Blackfeet) Cultural Consultant
As leader of the Crazy Dog Society, Leon provides spiritual education to a new generation of Blackfeet. The Crazy Dogs mentor and teach the traditional practices of the Blackfeet way of life. Leon is a former leader of the Sun Dance and current Advisor to the Sun Dance. He earned a B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Montana, an M.A. in Education from Gonzaga University, and is a veteran of the Vietnam War. Leon also serves as an Indigenous Education Specialist at Gonzaga, and continues his work in the arts as a painter and maker of ceremonial regalia for the Amskapi Piikani.
Lori Lahlum
Researcher
Lori Lahlum earned a PhD in history from the University of Idaho and is professor of history at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she teaches courses on the American West, Minnesota history, and western women’s and gender history. With Molly Rozum, Lori edited Equality at the Ballot Box: Votes for Women on the Northern Great Plains, which came out with South Dakota Historical Society Press in 2019.
Kevin Mobley
Intern, University of Montana, Public History Program
Kevin writes: I’ve been a history lover since before I can remember. Nights when dad would bring home Nova documentaries from the mailbox, I count as my fondest memories as a kid. When I see old photos or reels of a different time, I instinctively want to learn the stories they might tell. When I was approached with an opportunity to be part of Dr. Garceau’s documentary, I knew this would be something I couldn’t pass up. With countless hours of archival research, study and discussions with my teammates, I hope our audience can gain a better understanding of the impacts of the 1918 influenza. If this documentary inspires anyone to dig deeper into the incredible stories of our past, like the documentaries my father showed me, it will be time well spent.
Kym MacEwan
Intern, University of Montana, Public History Program
I am a History PhD student and Moser-McKinney Fellow at the University of Montana. After serving in the United States Navy, I pursued my education and my true passion in History, especially the focus on Public Health. After receiving my MA, I taught as an adjunct for six years prior to my acceptance at UM. The reason I joined the film team is because it is important to tell individualized accounts of great historical events. Doing so makes history more accessible to a wider audience. In place of the faceless masses of the pandemic, actual tales of those who lived through the events come to fruition. Their stories will become an important piece of the historical record.
A Different Deadly Beast 