Death by Lightning!
Author Candice Millard, Tim Garfield, and producer Mike Makowski.
Through the recommendation of Hiram Mayor Anne Haynam, I was designated as the official Netflix photographer for the local premiere of Death by Lightning, a dramatic mini series on the short presidency of James A. Garfield. The film was screened on November 5, 2025 at the Hayden Auditorium on the Hiram College campus. Netflix flew in the film’s producer-writer-creator Mike Makowski along with Candice Millard, author of Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President, the 2011 book upon which the film was based. There was a sell-out crowd on hand and it was amazing to watch so many people with a shared passion for Garfield streaming into the auditorium. Informational programs and boxes of popcorn were made available to the attendees. Tim and Carla Garfield were on hand representing the Garfield Trails of Ohio association, the event sponsor. Tim was one of three generations of the Garfield family at the event. Following the screening, a panel discussion was held featuring James Thompson, director the James A. Garfield Center for Public Leadership as moderator. Panelists included producer Mike Makowski, authors Todd Arrington and Candice Millard, and Tim Garfield. The panelists fielded questions from the audience for about 30 minutes, and this could have easily gone on for another hour absent time constraints.
The action shifted across the street for a reception in the Kennedy Center following the panel discussion. Candice Millard signed copies of her book for a long line of fans while Mike Makowski chatted with guests in an adjacent room. I had hoped to make great use of the reception to shoot candid photos to help balance out the mostly posed shots from the screening. As fate would have it, there was a village-wide power outage exactly 12 minutes into the reception which plunged the hall in darkness (the result of extreme winds from a cold front that blew in earlier that day). There was only the red glow of exit signs and some emergency lighting along with the many smartphone flashlights. This effectively ended my photography for the evening. I found that while my flash was more than adequate to ligtht the room, I was unable to effectively compose pictures in the darkness. I carried on with my iPhone camera with the assistance of guests to light the way.
Interestingly, the party in the reception hall carried on in darkness as if everything was completely normal. Candice Millard’s fans weren't going anywhere until their books were signed. And Candice greeted and spoke with each one individually until the last book had been autographed.
PS: The film’s title is based on a rathe prophetic quote by James A. Garfield: "Assassination can no more be guarded against than death by lightning, and it is best not to worry about either". Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau less than four months into his first term, and died several weeks later.
Written by Dave Dreimiller
Photos: Dave Dreimiller, Courtesy of Netflix
Bates Hall on the Hiram College campus, home of the Hayden Auditorium, the venue for the Netflix film screening taken the evening of the event.
Attendees receive programs as they enteri the Hayden Auditorium.
Garfield descendant Jay Garfield shakes hands with Mike Makowski as Candice Millard and Robert Bohrer look on.
Allison Powers, Todd Arrington, Candice Millard, Mike Makowski and Ethan Antonucci.
Informal gathering of guests and panelists shortly before the film screening.
Author Candice Millard and film producer Mike Makowski.
Chris and Debbie Weinkamer chat with Todd Arrington before the screening.
Hiram College President Robert Bohrer with Hiram Village Councilman Chris Perme.
Todd Arrington with Candice Millard, Mary Lintern, and Mike Makowski.
Kathleen Lewarchick chats with Ethan Antonucci.
Candice Millard and her sister Anna with Ethan Antonucci.
Robert Bohrer, James Thompson, Todd Arrington, Candice Millard, Mike Makowski, and Tim Garfield.
Kathleen Lewarchick, Keira McDonald, Todd Arrington and Candice Millard.
Title screen for the Netflix premiere inside the Hayden Auditorium.
Jay and Tim Garfield with Candice Millard and Robert Bohrer.
Tim Garfield gives opening remarks ahead of the screening.
The panel discussion following the screening moderated by James Thompson (left) with Mike Makowski, Todd Arrington, Candice Millard and Tim Garfield.
A large segment of the audience remained for the post screening Q&A with the panelists.
Candice Millard at the book signing which was held at the Kennedy Center after the film screening.
Mike Makowski contemplates a bust of James A. Garfield as Todd Arrington discusses Garfield’s roots in the Hiram Community.
Candice Millard greets a fan during the book signing event.
Film maker Todd Lax with Kathleen Lewarchick at the reception.
John (far left) and his father Tom (center) Garfield, both descendants of James A. Garfield, greet Candice Millard at the book signing. There were three generations of the Garfield family at the Netflix event.
Stacy and Professor Steve Romberger with Jeff Swenson and Shawn Daley.
Tim Garfield and his wife Carla pose for a portrait under the illumination of smartphone flashlights after a power outage plunged the reception into darkness.