ORIGINAL HOUCK STADIUM BURNS

From the start, Houck Field House was more than a sports arena. If there was a large regional gathering, Houck was the place to be. Great political meetings, religious services, automobile shows, cooking schools, scouting events, civic celebrations -- the list of activities held in Houck Field House go on and on.

The facility was named after Louis Houck, a longtime civic leader who served for 36 years as a member of the college's board of regents.

Houck Field House was a direct outgrowth of the Billy Sunday evangelistic meeting of 1925 and Dr. Joseph A. Serena, a former president of the college. When the well-known evangelist's services ended, the question arose as to what was to be done with the lumber used to build the temporary tabernacle. Serena accepted the timber and construction of the community center began in earnest.

The field house was completed in 1927, and one of the first public uses came that May. The facility housed hundreds of residents of McClure, Ill., driven from their homes by Mississippi River flooding.

But that all changed on the morning of Feb. 17, 1948. This revered community center was destroyed by fire.

Six college students living in the building fled to safety through a window. Most escaped only with only the clothes on their back.

James Crawford, one of the six, was awakened by the smoke about 7 a.m. He quickly went to awaken the others. One student was found overcome by smoke on the floor, but he was assisted to safety. Another of the students, Bill Abernathy, was treated for cuts on his hands for smashing the window that proved their escape route.

The cause of the fire was never determined. One theory blamed a lighted cigarette had been dropped in the bleachers during the evening and smoldered for hours before breaking into flames. Faulty wiring seemed doubtful since the college turned off its power every night at 11.

The fire came only a few hours after a crowd of 1,500 saw a charity basketball game between the Kiwanis Club and Optimist Club.

In addition to the destruction of the building, the college lost almost all its athletic equipment -- valued at more than $10,000.

Judge L.R. Kelso, a member of the Board of Regents, called the six college students and underwrote the cost of outfitting them so they could attend classes until complete wardrobes could be furnished.

Until a few weeks before the fire, a large number of male students were housed in dormitory fashion with double deck bunks in the handball court at the rear of the building. They had since moved to other quarters on campus.

A new field house was built at the site of the first. This time, the planned stadium was built adjoining the field house -- on the grounds of an abandoned stone quarry. The new stadium and field house were dedicated Oct. 3, 1950.

Early on, many in the community scoffed at the idea of turning a five-acre, rat-infested, water-filled abandoned quarry into an athletic facility. But the college did just that. The community eyesore was transformed into Houck Stadium at a cost of about $150,000. The project was financed without the use of state funds.

At its opening, it was hailed as one of the finest athletic facilities in the Midwest. Pride over the top-notch complex spread from college to community.

The same field house and stadium continue to serve Southeast Missouri State University today.