Halloween brings stories of SFA's haunted campus
By: Tracy Makwakwa
Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: News
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The most famous SFA ghost is Chester. Some report him to have been a former student who hanged himself in the bell tower of the Fine Arts Building. Other stories say Chester is the spirit of the building's architect.
"One of the stories is that the architect designed the Fine Arts Building to face the outside of the campus toward North Street," said Charlie Hueber, assistant director of student life. "He came to check on the foundation and saw the building was facing the campus, had a heart attack, and died."
In actuality, the building was meant to face the campus, and the architect did not die during the project. But, coincidentally, the foreman did die of a heart attack.
"Chester is a ghost who appeared in the Griffith Fine Arts Building in 1967," Hueber said. "He appeared in 1967 (when the theatre department was working on producing Edward Albee's play) 'Tiny Alice'. He appeared in 1967 again (during production of) Macbeth," he said.
"Macbeth is a cursed play and (even saying the name 'Macbeth') is bad luck to say on stage," said Brittany Hudson, Conroe freshman. Legend says that saying the name inside a theatre will bring bad luck to the play and to anyone acting in it. The only exception is when the word is spoken as a line in the play.
A Pine Log article by Claire Williams in October of 2000 pointed out that there are many documented accounts of encounters with Chester. The encounters allegedly included cold drafts, footsteps, strange voices, slamming doors and other manifestations."
There also is reported to be a ghost in Griffith Hall.
"On the first night of school a girl moved into Griffith Hall," said Maryia Compton, Lufkin junior and desk assistant for Griffith. "She was playing with a Ouija board, and she saw something and it scared her so much that she jumped from the third floor," Compton said.
The girl's spirit is said to still haunt the dormitory almost 50 years after her death.
Upcoming events that are Halloween themed or will be held during Halloween week include:
• Student Activities is holding a Texas Hold 'Em tournament with an open play casino and screening of the Pirates Trilogy from 8 p.m. to Midnight on Oct. 31. To sign up call 936-468-1222.
• The College of Fine Arts is having a ceramics exchange in the Griffith Art Gallery from now until Nov. 30.
• The College of Fine Arts is having Tubaween 2008 on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m .at the Cole Concert Hall.
• The Stone Fort Museum is having its Fifth Annual Halloween Festival from 6 to 10 p.m. tomorrow.
tmakwakwa@thepinelog.com
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