Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s four-day Centennial Celebration weekend will be filled with exciting events running Friday, Sept. 15, through Monday, Sept. 18.

Kicking off the celebration is the SFA Alumni Awards, opening with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. and the dinner and program at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, at The Fredonia Hotel in Nacogdoches. Honorees include two former SFA presidents, Dr. William R. Johnson and the late Dr. Baker Pattillo.

A Community Partnership Day will take place Saturday, Sept. 16, in honor of SFA’s hometown, Nacogdoches. Several local businesses will offer discounts on all things purple. That same day on campus, the volleyball tailgate for the SFA versus University of Mississippi game will begin 12:30 p.m. outside Shelton Gym until the game at 1:30 p.m.

The Griffith Fine Arts Building grand reopening will be the focus of festivities Sunday, Sept. 17. A ribbon-cutting will take place at 1:30 p.m. followed by plaque unveilings at 2 p.m. The $53 million expansion more than doubled the size of the existing building and added state-of-the-art performance spaces, rehearsal halls and dance studios, among many other additions in the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts. The full scope of the project can be viewed at finearts.sfasu.edu/expansion.

The world premiere of a composition commissioned for the university’s centennial — and created by Dr. Stephen Lias, professor of composition in SFA’s School of Music — will take place at the Centennial Concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, in the Griffith Fine Arts Building’s Turner Auditorium. The work is inspired by the poems of Nacogdoches’ own Karle Wilson Baker, one of Texas’ most celebrated poets in the first half of the 20th century.

While all activities of the grand opening are free and open to the public, the concert is a ticketed event due to limited seating. Complimentary tickets, available while they last, can be obtained by contacting the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or boxoffice@sfasu.edu.

The final day of the centennial weekend, Monday, Sept. 18, will begin with the dedication of the Centennial Ring Plaza at 10:30 a.m. and the unveiling of a new campus statue gifted to the university by the SFA Alumni Association. Beginning at 2 p.m., cars will line Vista Drive for the SFA Centennial Car Cruise In.

Visitors can enjoy guided and self-guided tours, as well as special tours of the Naymola Basketball Performance Center, SFA Makerspace and the School of Human Sciences’ aviation simulators. Centennial campus tours begin at 2:15 p.m.

Finally, a sprawling centennial birthday party on and along Vista Drive will take place at 4 p.m. Visitors will be invited to partake in birthday cake and ice cream, enjoy the annual Watermelon Bash, and participate in games and activities set up in the area. Guests will also be invited to tour the Centennial Axe Handle Exhibit, which will be set up in the Pearman Alumni Center’s Hall of Honor.

Monday is also SFA’s annual Giving Day, during which Lumberjacks and friends are invited to give in support of SFA programs and students. A goal of $192,300 was set in honor of SFA’s opening year. Donations can be made online at givingday.sfasu.edu.

All SFA Centennial Celebration events are open to the public, and all except the SFA Alumni Association awards ceremony are free.

View the up-to-date SFA Centennial Celebration schedule of events, read about the university’s history, find downloadable graphics and more at sfasu.edu/centennial.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 36 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By Parastoo Nikravesh, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University

A limited number of centennial volumes of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Stone Fort yearbook, celebrating a century of Lumberjack history and tradition, are available this fall for purchase by alumni, supporters and community members while supplies last.

The full-color, hardback edition costs $67 and features 312 pages of SFA images and stories pertaining to the past year and all 99 years that came before it. Proceeds from annual yearbook sales are used to help cover the cost of printing and pay for SFA student writers, photographers and editors who work for the award-winning publication.

“The yearbook staff set a goal in summer 2022 to elevate the centennial edition in all aspects, from making it full color to delving deep into the institution’s history for content and perspective to designing a high-quality cover that would look nice on any Lumberjack’s coffee table for years to come,” said Laney Wise, current Stone Fort editor-in-chief.

“Working on the centennial yearbook was such an honor,” said Wise, a junior graphic design major from Keller. “I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of such an important piece of SFA history, and I had an amazing time getting to talk to so many of my peers to help tell the story of SFA.”

Many historical photos and references from past SFA yearbooks made their way into the special centennial edition, said SFA Department of Student Publications Coordinator and Stone Fort advisor Rachel Clark.

“The students and staff have had a lot of fun during the last year reviewing past yearbooks and seeing how the campus has changed over the decades, not to mention students’ outfits and hairstyles,” she said. “But just as remarkable to us was the realization that a lot of aspects of student life at SFA, in particular Lumberjacks’ school spirit and reverence for tradition, haven’t really changed that much in the past 100 years.”

The first volume of the Stone Fort yearbook was produced in 1924 and chronicled the first academic year of SFA’s history. Except for two years during the Great Depression, the yearbook has recorded each intervening year of the unique SFA student experience.

Just a handful of Texas universities and only four public institutions in the state are still producing a traditional, printed yearbook each year, according to Amy Roquemore, director of student publications and divisional media at SFA. The Stone Fort routinely wins writing, photography and design awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and earned two national awards from the College Media Association in 2022.

“Changes in the student staffs’ interests and preferences, as well as publication design trends and cultural and societal institutions, have resulted in each Stone Fort yearbook’s uniqueness, yet the volumes share a throughline of Lumberjack history, spirit and tradition,” Roquemore said. “For the centennial edition, the staff doubled down on SFA history, and the students did an outstanding job of encapsulating highlights of the 2022-23 academic year while also paying homage to the history and alumni behind a lot of the traditions and activities Lumberjacks take part in today.”

Roquemore said the professional and student staffs decided early on in the centennial yearbook’s production to make the special edition available to alumni and community members in addition to current student yearbook subscribers.

“We knew this would be a one-of-a-kind piece of SFA history that Lumberjacks would want to have, whether they attended classes last week or many decades ago,” she added.

To purchase a centennial Stone Fort yearbook, call the SFA Department of Student Publications at (936) 468-4703, email clarkr1@sfasu.edu or stop by the office located in Room 2.308 of the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Stone Fort yearbook

Preserving one of the oldest traditions at SFA, Stone Fort staff members strive to create a yearbook that accurately captures the essence of the university and what it means to be a Lumberjack. Through compelling storytelling, captivating images and imaginative design, the staff works to foster a sense of community while developing talented students who share passions for journalism and art. Each volume is intended to portray the SFA student experience with accuracy and integrity, serving as one of the university’s primary sources of recorded history.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 36 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

“Yes, We Deliver,” a play written by Dr. Kenneth Untiedt, professor in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Stephen F. Austin State University, will open Friday, Sept. 15, at the Lamp-Lite Theatre.

The showings will take place at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Sept 15-16 and 22-23. Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m. Sept. 17 and 24.

“Yes, We Deliver” debuted in 2018 and was the first play Untiedt ever wrote. It tells the story of protagonist Jack Stephens, who has taken a job delivering pizzas at Pizza Rena’s while he attempts to “find himself.” Stephens has no interest in going to law school and following in his father’s footsteps at the law firm his grandfather started. Voluntarily displaced from his wealthy family and privileged station in life, Stephens begins to discover what is truly important to him as he interacts with fellow employees and some of the restaurant’s most interesting customers as he visits their homes.

According to Untiedt, who gained inspiration for the play from working at a pizza delivery restaurant in his youth, some of the characters and situations are loosely based on his experiences.

“The audience can expect to laugh a lot and, hopefully, to share the lessons the main character learns about what’s important in life,” Untiedt said. “The play is unique because it takes place in the restaurant and at a variety of different delivery locations, which change with each scene.”

Lamp-Lite Theatre is located at 4210 Lamp-Lite Lane, or near the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and Old Tyler Road. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and $8 for students with a valid ID. An audience dress rehearsal will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, and tickets are $5.

For more information about the theatre, visit lamplitetheatre.com or email lamplitetheatre@gmail.com.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 36 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By University Marketing Communications