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Documentary on Wellsboro native William Wilson to be shown

WELLSBORO – “William B. Wilson: A Life’s Journey” will be shown at 7 p.m. June 23 in the Deane Center for the Performing Arts’ Coolidge Theatre, 104 Main St. Audience members will be given the opportunity to meet some of those involved in the documentary.

Attorney Bill Hebe, of Wellsboro, narrates the film.

“Doing it was fun and very meaningful to me,” Hebe said. “My Scottish ancestors came to America about the same time as the Wilson family. They were also coal miners and settled in Morris Run and Arnot. So, Wilson’s story is part of my family history, too.”

“The film is an amazing work, detailing the life of Billy Wilson, Tioga County’s most significant historical figure,” he added. “It is a Ken Burns quality film.”

Gale Largey, of Wellsboro, was prompted to tell Wilson’s story by historians David Jones, a Wilson descendant, and Keith Lindie, both of Blossburg.

“Wilson was an important national figure,” Largey said. “He immigrated with his family to Blossburg from Scotland as a child and began working in the Arnot mines when he was nine. … He served four terms in the United States Congress and was involved in all the major strikes from 1913 to 1921 when he served as the first U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Woodrow Wilson.”

As secretary, Wilson oversaw four bureaus – Children, Immigration, Naturalization and Labor Statistics – and a Division of Conciliation. Many of the labor department’s activities today can be traced back to Wilson’s time. He put his department on the map by mobilizing an effective workforce for defense production, for which he was credited with helping to win World War I.

Largey did the research and wrote and produced the documentary. Ken VanSant, of Wellsboro, did the editing. Locals, all descendants of coal miners, are the voices in the film. This is the most recent of the 11 documentaries Largey has produced, first as a sociology professor at Mansfield University and now as a retiree.

Admission is by donation with the funds to be used to support the Deane Center and its free programs. For more information, call the Deane Center at 570-724-6220.

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