University Daly Kansan, June 11, 1981
Page 3
Centron brings films and awards to Lawrence
By LINDA LANG Staff Reporter
Dwarfed by surrounding apartment complexes, the small, well-kept brick building at Ninth Street and Avalon Road often goes unnoticed by passersby.
Few people would guess that the building at 1621 W. 9th St. houses one of the most creative enterprises in Lawrence, Centron Corporation, Inc., which produces and distributes educational and industrial films.
ONE OF CENTRON'S films, "Lee Beuerman," was nominated for an Academy Award in 1970, and was selected last year as one of the 10 best films of the past decade at the U.S. Industrial Film Festival.
More recently, their film "Energy Seekers," produced for the American Iron and Steel Institute of Washington, D.C., was one of only three prizes.
winning film nominated for the Best
Award at the 14th Annual U.S.
Industrial Film Festival.
And there has been a slew of awards since their corporation was formed in 1947, from such prestigious festivals as the 21st International Industrial Film Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark; and the National Educational Film Festival.
Although Centron has a crew of about 50 employees, they have used celebrities such as singers Ed Ames, Dennis Day, and the comedy team of Dick Martin and Dan Rowan. They have also used University of Kansas professors, students and other Lawrence residents.
"We like to say there are lots of characters in Lawrence," Russel Mosser, president of Centron, said with a straight face.
THE CORPORATION was started in an unused Lawrence movie theatre by
Mosser and Arthur H. Wolf, who is now the chairman of the board.
Though the distribution varies, about 40 percent of their films last year were industrial films, used by companies for such purposes as public relations, product information and sales promotion, according to Mosser. Their customers include Deere and Co., American Iron and Steel Institute, Union Pacific Railroad and the U.S. Navy.
Roughly 60 percent of their films last year were educational. Since its beginning, Centron has made more than 400 educational films alone, ranging in subject matter from home economics to death studies.
MOSER SAID THE subject matter of educational films has not changed much in 30 years, but the approach to educational films has.
"At one time, we wouldn't have had an open-enclosed approach that leads into discussion," Mosser said. "Before it,
The educational film the company received the most attention for was the film about Leo Beuerman, according to Mosser. Leo was a Lawrence man who, although he was deaf, mute, crippled and partially blind, sole items like pens from his home-made cart in downtown Lawrence. He never accepted more than the posted price for his merchandise.
would have been a nice little package that answers all the questions."
Mosser said he got a letter not too long ago addressed to Leo and asking Centron to forward it. Mosser had to open it and write the girl who had sent it, telling her Leo had died. The girl, who had enclosed a photograph of herself, was a student at Northern Iowa University.
"The film has always been very personal to anybody who's seen it," Mosser said. "They identify with someone." The movie can be stood for. It says to them that you can
"It was just a film that evolved. We thought there should be some footage preserved of Leo."
be a better person. In a sense, it's an upbeat film."
Mosser said the film had been translated into Spanish, French, German and Japanese and had sold about 2,500 copies, compared to an average of 200 or 300 for educational films.
"It's known in the trade as a classic," he said. "We don't know what the shelf life of it will be. Most films in this educational-informational category last maybe five to eight years, but Leo's going strong after 12 years."
HOWEVER SUCCESSFUL Centron's creative efforts have been. Mosser
"We're old-fashioned," he said. "We think we should make a profit. If we don't, we're dead. Don't realize it, but it's a fact of life."
For Mosser, there is no strict dichotomy between the artistic world and the business world.
"The film festivals give us some idea of how we compare with other people that produce films in terms of our technical active and technical ability." Moosser said.
"It's also important from the standpoint of people who are considering us as a company. If you win more awards, it gives you more credence in the marketplace. We've got quite a bit of credence."
Both Mosser and Wolf worked in KU's audio-visual department when they were students here. Wolf graduated from KU in 1939, and Mosser was a 1940 graduate in economics. After service in World War II and a few years of big-city life, they decided they would like to settle in Lawrence.
In their early days, one of their biggest sales problems was that people were curious why they would even locate in a town such as Lawrence.
"As we became established, we were better known by companies that buy films regularly. We don't have to explain ourselves."
Center faces short finances
By LINDA LANG Staff Reporter
President Reagan's decision to cut in half the budget for the National Enforcement for the Aris has had an impact on local police and fire streets. Council Ninth and Vermont streets.
Ann Evans, director of the center,
said she found out Thursday that the
NEA turned down the $6,500 grant
requested by the center for the 1982
fiscal year. The center received a $5,000
grant last year.
Evans said she would not find out until June 19 whether the Kansas Arts Commission would accept the center's application for a $8,000 administrative fee.
The Lawrence Arts Center sponsors exhibitions and concerts and offers classes for children and adults at a low cost. The 1981 summer program offers classes as varied as painting, mime and meditation.
Generic drugs available at KU
The pharmacist, John Bajuhm, said that because the hospital bought drugs in such large quantities, manufacturer's name brands were cheaper
Only a few of the estimated 65,000 prescriptions filled each year at Watkins Hospital pharmacy are the ones he reads, according to a Watkins pharmacist.
As it is used in the pharmaceutical and medical fields, generic designates a drug that is sold by its chemical name rather than by a trade name. Aspirin is a generic name. Bayer is a brand name.
Evans said that the center's proposed $70,000 budget for fiscal year 1982 was tight, but that she did not plan to drop any of the center's programs.
Bauhman said that they didn't use generic drugs at Watkins unless they had the physician's approval.
"In Kansas, doctors now have the opportunity to allow brand exchange." Baujhman said. He said pharmacists could substitute a generic equivalent, long as they indicated indicate which product to check by checking "dispense as written" on the prescription.
Generic drugs are attractive to consumers because of their low prices. One area pharmacist explained that the companies that made generic brands charged less because they didn't have the initial investment needed for development. He said that most doctors in Lawrence wrote prescriptions so they could be filled generically.
brand name drug exclusively instead of a generic substitute because they had found it worked better.
The reduced price that Watkins pays for its drugs is reflected in the price students pay, Baulhman said.
In some cases, Baujhman said, doctors at Watkins prescribed a certain
Evans said she was not certain how more money could be raised, but raising the price of class fees was one possibility.
"We will have to find some way to make the money up," she said.
The center would not request money from the city of Lawrence, she said, other than the building funds it already paid for utilities and maintenance.
He added that students covered by the student health insurance paid nothing for their medications. The drug coverage covers 100 percent of medication costs.
The city also provides the center's building rent-free.
Bauhman, a consultant for area nursing homes, said that generic drugs were advantageous for people who bought medicine from the hospital, and are usually concerned with costs facing the elderly on maintenance programs who had to buy in great quantity.
The center has a budget of $60,000 for fiscal year 1981, including $5,000 from the NEA and another $5,000 from the Kansas Arts Commission.
Film editor, Ralph Maize, edits one of many films put out by Centron. Centron, located on 9th Street in Lawrence, puts out a variety of educational and industrial films. Occasionally, they do commercials.
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