Birdwell Field, Aikman Gym and the Women's Recreation Center

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Birdwell Field, Aikman Gym, and the Women's Recreation Center out in Nacogdoches County. Now, when the Texas legislature funded Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College in 1921, they authorized exactly one building.

One. The Austin Building, known as Old Main. Just one building for a whole college.

You might wonder what President Alton W. Birdwell thought about that, and the marker tells you plain: he recognized the importance of extracurricular venues for the college and the region, and he immediately began planning to meet those needs. Immediately.

Before the college had even moved to its North Street campus, Birdwell had arranged for the construction of the school's first athletic field in 1923. They went ahead and named it after the man, which feels about right. Birdwell Field ran from 1923 all the way through 1941, its last year of use.

In all that time, the only changes made to the field were the addition of bleachers in 1924. That's it. One upgrade in nearly two decades.

In 1946, Memorial Stadium, dedicated to those who had died in World War II, replaced Birdwell Field. Now, somewhere along the way, a local philanthropist by the name of Frank Aikman made a generous donation, and a multi-purpose building went up and was named in his honor. Aikman Gymnasium was something else.

It wasn't just a gym. It served the college as an arena for athletics, yes, but also as an auditorium, a theater with a seating capacity of three thousand five hundred, and as the setting for commencement exercises. Three thousand five hundred seats.

That is not a small room. Commencement ceremonies were held there until 1953, when they were moved to Shelton Gymnasium. Then there's the Women's Recreation Center.

A physical education building for women had been requested as early as 1931, but it wasn't constructed until 1935, with assistance from the Public Works Administration. Its primary purpose was women's physical education, but it took over from Aikman Gym as the location of college dances, and during World War II it served as the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps post exchange. Both Aikman Gym and the Women's Recreation Center were demolished in 1975 to make room for new university facilities.

And that's the thing about this story. Birdwell planned ahead when there was almost nothing to plan with. Aikman gave generously so something lasting could be built.

The women of that campus waited four years after asking before they got their building, then made it indispensable twice over. And eventually all of it, the gym, the dance floor, the post exchange, the three thousand five hundred seats, came down in 1975. What gets remembered gets marked.

And now you know.

What the marker says

When Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College was funded in 1921, the Texas legislature only authorized one building--the Austin Building, known as "Old Main". President Alton W. Birdwell recognized the importance for extra curricular venues for the college and the region, and immediately began planning to meet these needs. He arranged for the construction of the school's first athletic field in 1923, before the college even moved to its North Street campus. From 1923 until 1941, which was its last year of use, the only changes made to Birdwell Firld were the addition of bleachers in 1924. Memorial Stadium, dedicated to those who had died in World War II, replaced Birdwell Field in 1946. Thanks to a generous donation from local philanthropist Frank Aikman, a multi-purpose building was constructed and named in his honor. Aikman Gymnasium served the college not only as an arena for athletics, but also as an auditorium, a theater with seating capacity of 3,500, and as a setting for commencement exercises until they were moved to Shelton Gymnasium in 1953. A physical education building for women was requested as early as 1931, but was not constructed until 1935 with assistance from the Public Works Administration. While its primary purpose was as a setting for women's physical education, the Women's Recreation Center (WRC) replaced Aikman Gym as the location of college dances, and served as the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) post exchange during World War II. Both Aikman Gym and the WRC were demolished in 1975 to make room for new university facilities. (2008)