CSF Staging Tribute to Rodney Anderson
as Part of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Dec. 6, 2004 Fullerton, Calif.
ABC’s hit show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will be at
Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday (Dec. 8) to film a special tribute to
CSUF student Rodney Anderson.
The 6 p.m. taping in Titan Gym will feature Titan basketball players and
supporters of Anderson, a former Titan basketball player who was shot
and wounded in Spring 2000 while visiting his family in Los Angeles. While
Anderson’s life was spared, the shooting ended a promising basketball
career. Today, he attends games (and classes) in a wheelchair and is scheduled
to graduate in January 2005.
Anderson and his family were selected to be featured on ABC’s Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition, a show that attracts 20 million viewers each week.
The show features a family whose lives are changed when their home is
selected for an extreme makeover. The makeovers range from remodeling
living space to complete demolition of the home and subsequent rebuilding.
The families are not aware they have been selected until the crew shows
up on their doorstep.
The Anderson family was alerted on Sat., Dec. 4, and whisked away for
a week’s vacation. In the meantime, Wednesday night, during the
taping on campus, Anderson’s jersey will be retired during a special
ceremony. Portions of the evening’s highlights will be screened
for the Anderson family while they are on holiday. Footage from the campus
event as well as Anderson’s reaction will be part of the televised
program, that is expected to air in early 2005.
Show designers Preston Sharp (“Big Ideas”), Tracy Hutson (interior
designer), Paige Hemmis (carpenter) and Ed Sanders (project manager and
new designer) will be in Titan Gym during the campus tribute and taping.
This campus taping will open to the public as well as to students, faculty
and staff members. Refreshments will be served. Audience members are being
encouraged to arrive by 5:30 p.m. to enjoy pre-show festivities and get
a good seat in the bleachers..