Dave Hestad
Producer

Q&A

How has this experience changed you? How has it affected your views on the World War II generation?
It's one thing to understand intellectually what people went through, but hearing these stories firsthand is a riveting experience that sends chills down your spine. The scale and scope of the war is astounding: its effect on every person in the state is amazing. Many veterans tried to put it aside and forget about it, but the war really was a cataclysmic event that set the stage for everything that came after. We were fortunate in that many of the veterans have decided now to tell their stories, after holding them in for so long. And the stories will give Wisconsin people a chance to understand a generation that became swept up by world events, and responded with an incredible commitment.

What do you see as this project's relevance to the people of Wisconsin?
This generation consists now of our most senior citizens, and it's good to remind ourselves that they fought for freedom, and that without their efforts, the world would be a much different, less free place today.

Biography

David Hestad started out making films for the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, training with two photographers from Germany who at first only let him carry the tripod.

Eventually, he became cinematographer for such quintessential Wisconsin films as "Wisconsin Cheese for All Seasons." He then became involved in a diverse range of projects, from filming the tagging of gray whales in Baja, Mexico, to a series of international projects in Guatemala, Indonesia and West Africa.

Hestad brought his specialty in environmental subjects to WPT, producing programs about sustainable agriculture and winning a regional Emmy award for "Manure!"— a program about Wisconsin's most misplaced resource.

He changed gears for the 1998 Wisconsin Sesquicentennial, producing programs on the history of the state for Sesquicentennial Wisconsin Stories, a five-part documentary series. Though finding the time spent in the Wisconsin Historical Society stacks with luminaries like "Fighting Bob" La Follette interesting, Hestad concluded that there were countless smaller stories around the state that were just as intriguing.

Teaming up with history writer Tracy Will and local historian Debbie Kmetz, Hestad and WPT colleagues Mik Derks and Carol Larson designed a new, free-flowing version of Wisconsin Stories, which took viewers on an entertaining and wide-ranging trip through Wisconsin history. He continues the Wisconsin Stories tradition with the series Wisconsin World War II Stories.

Carol Larson
Executive Producer

Mik Derks
Producer

Dave Hestad
Producer

Jim Gill
Staff Photographer

Everett "Butch" Soetenga
Videographer