A variety of Ball State majors ranging from English, history and graphic arts are helping to keep the legacy of the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles alive.
Hans Kellogg, an assistant professor in the technology department, is in charge of the ACD Rolling Sculptures class. The class is putting together a documentary that they hope will air on PBS.
Kellogg said he is hoping to have a positive impact on the university.
"It would be delightful to have people to start to try to understand, 'Where is this Ball State University? Where do these students come from?'" he said. "Our students have been very well received."
After two weeks, the class has already traveled to Auburn, Ind., and to Michigan for pre-ACD Festival activities. The ACD Festival is this weekend.
The production company the class has made is called Barn-Find Productions. A barn-find is considered a car that someone has left in a barn and when found, the car is intact with its original parts. It's significant because the theme of this year's ACD Festival is "The Year of the Unrestored Car."
The class is quickly learning the history and the beauty of the old cars after many interactions with the people, and even a quick ride in some of the cars. Seeing so many on the roads almost takes Kellogg and his students back in time.
"It's actually frustrating that [cars] aren't as cool anymore," Katelyn Calhoun, a senior telecommunications major, said. "Our [project] is called 'Rolling Sculptures' in the idea that we don't have the same sleek design and curves they used to have."
Calhoun said car experts are not the only ones who can enjoy the experience of learning the history of these vehicles.
"We've been sleep deprived, and it's been a lot of work," she said. "But I am loving every minute of it."
Calhoun said having their documentary air on PBS is the class's ultimate goal.
"If someone was watching it and enjoying it as much as I enjoyed making it, that would mean the world to me," she said.
Sophomore history major Julia Ricci said she never knew these types of cars existed before taking this class.
"As a history major, it's just cool to see all these old cars," she said. "It's cool to experience that and see cars from a different time period and kind of get a clue of how people lived back then."
Another goal for the class is to contact Jay Leno because of his similar interest in Duesenbergs.
Calhoun said she hopes Ball State will benefit from the success of this class.
"If we're doing things with these programs and coming up with amazing projects, I think it will really help our academics in a really awesome way," Calhoun said.
Kellogg and his students are hopeful for their final product, but Kellogg wants everyone to realize "that in this little town of northern Indiana, these world-class automobiles were produced."
For more updates on the class' progress, visit their website barnfindproductions.com and their Facebook page facebook.com/BarnFindProductions.
Editor's note: A Daily News editor is involved with the class and did not contribute to this article.
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