WSU geography student wins award for documentary

OGDEN – Weber State University student Issac Goeckeritz recently received a 2009 Best of State Award for his documentary detailing a small town's response to the 1922 shooting of a student by a school principal.

"Uintah United," tells the story of Marlow J. Christensen's successor, Golden Kilburn, as he struggled to unite a community divided by the incident as well as reach out to the murdered student's friends. The film is narrated by former KSL-TV news anchor Dick Nourse and was produced and directed by Goeckeritz.

Goeckeritz has done film work for ESPN and HBO and various other organizations. He earned his first Best of State Award for his previous documentary, "Ogden: Junction City of the West," in 2008.

He is currently working on a documentary that focuses on homeless veterans in America who are seeking to change their lives through 18-month, community-based transitional housing programs. Goeckeritz plans to graduate from WSU this fall with a bachelor's degree in geography.

The Best of State Awards strive to recognize outstanding individuals, organizations and businesses in Utah by recognizing excellence in the community and sharing examples of success and triumph in many worthy endeavors.