By Jim Polzin – Wisconsin State Journal –
“A Road at Night,” produced by Madison-based Roach Projects, is being shown Sunday night at the Wisconsin Film Festival. Tickets still are available for the 7 p.m. showing at the Barrymore Theater. The film was funded by UW-Madison alumni and philanthropists George and Pamela Hamel.
It wasn’t until John Roach and his crew began the first wave of interviews for their 20-month project that he fully began to understand what made Howard so special.
“One teammate after another talked about what a great teammate and friend Howard was, and how selfless he was,” said Roach, who worked in broadcast journalism in Chicago for 20 years before moving back to Madison to raise a family. “I found myself thinking, ‘Howard must have great parents.’
“Three days later, I’m interviewing Trennis and Howard Sr., and they lived up to the billing.”
‘Their faith has helped them endure’
Ask Roach what stood out most about Pops and Trennis, and he doesn’t hesitate to answer.
“Their faith,” he said. “Ordinarily I wouldn’t deal with faith in a documentary, but it’s an integral part of who they are. I’m a fallen-away Catholic, but I found myself envying their faith, and I think their faith has helped them endure.”
That faith has been tested, to be sure. Trennis said there are times when the whole situation eats at her. She finds herself asking why this happened.
“I say, ‘God, is this going to get better?'” she said. “I want to be here long enough to see him speak. It has been a journey, and it’s still a journey. But that faith keeps you alive. It’s kept me alive.”
The T-shirt Trennis wore during this interview, gifted to her by former Wisconsin standout Tracy Webster, says it all: Believe.