TERRE HAUTE —
The people came to see the likes of Larry Bird, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and the cast of “Sesame Street.”
But the one face seen most often by visitors to Hulman Center since the place opened nearly 38 years ago belonged to Maurice “Pete” Ray. He took the first ticket when the building debuted on Dec. 14, 1973, when the host Indiana State University Sycamores took on Purdue. Last Saturday, Ray was still on the job as lead usher for ISU’s 2011 spring commencement ceremonies.
“I’d introduce him, saying, ‘This is Pete Ray, and he comes with the building,’” said Fred Clark, the assistant director of facilities and operations at ISU.
Ray died at age 84 Thursday morning in Union Hospital after a bout with pneumonia, said his brother-in-law, Jim Brown.
In 1973, Ray, then the personnel manager at the Quaker Maid plant in Terre Haute, added the job as Hulman Center usher when recruited by former usher supervisor Dick Roberts, Brown explained. He never quit.
Through hundreds of concerts, basketball games, stage productions, weddings and seminars, Ray guided people to the right spots in the 10,200-seat facility. Eventually, Ray became lead usher, and continued to supervise and schedule a 70-person usher crew through last weekend.
That stretch included, of course, the unforgettable Bird era of ISU basketball. The ushers were at their busiest back then, when students would camp outside the Hulman Center doors, and then rush in to get the prime seats, back in the days of first-come-first-served seating. The students also scavenged toilet paper from their dorms, and sometimes the Hulman Center restrooms, to hurl into the air above the court when the Sycamores were introduced before tipoff. The resulting pile of wide confetti had to be swept up, and the ushers swung into action.
“It was a great time,” said Brown, also a veteran Hulman Center usher. “Never another one like it.”
Brown joined the usher crew in 1975, and said only a handful of the original team remain. One of those guys, Jack Vicars, occasionally suits up for duty, added Clark. Ray remained a regular, and his kind, affable demeanor will be missed, said Judy Price, assistant director for conferences and event services at ISU.
She served as Ray’s direct supervisor the last several years, “which is kind of funny, because I learned so much from him every day,” Price said.
In an emotional voice, Price expressed her gratitude for having known Ray, whose office was just down the hall from hers. “If he had retired at age 65 like lots of people do, I would never have come in contact with him,” she said. “He was just a bright, shining light who was so generous and thought of others before himself.
“He was a true servant leader,” Price added.
Fittingly, services for Ray will be in Hulman Center on Sunday, May 15. Visitation is from 1 p.m. until the time of the funeral service, set to begin at 6.
“He was like Mr. ISU,” said Brown.
“He was true blue,” added Clark. “There’s no doubt about it.”
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Mark Bennett B-Sides
B-SIDES: A man who ushered in history; Pete Ray, a Hulman Center original
- Mark Bennett B-Sides
-
-
MARK BENNETT: After running for 28 hours straight, what’s another 5 miles?
Some phrases can only be uttered by a few people, or none at all.
-
MARK BENNETT: Glitches show limitations of high-stakes testing concept
The dog ate my homework. That age-old excuse — based on a shockingly unforeseen complication — rarely works for a kid who didn’t finish yesterday’s math assignment. Yet, in a role reversal, Indiana school children, along with their teachers and administrators, are left to accept an explanation for a disruption best described as the mother of all ironies.
-
MARK BENNETT: One step at a time to save lives
Joan Brown.
Remember that name. -
MARK BENNETT: Sometimes, the mere posing of questions is significant
The era seems quaint now, almost like a fable. When people left their house doors unlocked. When the sight of a police officer in a school meant it was Career Day.
-
MARK BENNETT: New reality steers Nashville singer to Crossroads for Historical Society concert
People pass through the Crossroads of America for lots of reasons.
Business trips. College campus events. Federal prison sentences. Visits with relatives. Gas pitstops.
Or maybe a career change and a twist of fate.
Ty Brown makes his first stop in downtown Terre Haute as the headliner of a multi-band Sweet Sensations Country Jam concert May 4 in the Ohio Building — a fundraiser for the Vigo County Historical Society. -
MARK BENNETT: Terre Haute barber ‘sharpens up’ customers for 50 years
People streamed through this section of downtown Terre Haute in those days.
“You could hardly walk by here,” John Hochhalter said, pointing toward the sidewalk outside the window.
The bustle has faded since the early 1960s. Hochhalter remains. He’s still barbering in the same shop he and late business partner Kenny Thomas opened a half-century ago this week. -
MARK BENNETT: Memories, emotions rush back with announcement of new pope
I saw a pope once.Read quickly, that sentence sounds too casual, almost as if we’d crossed paths at Home Depot. Say it slowly, though, and the significance comes through.
-
MARK BENNETT: Reflections of grid success stir with Brent Anderson’s passing
A few hundred miles away, and nearly 40 years gone by, a special game ball still occupies a fond place in Rudy Bohinc’s memories.
-
Lent meets ‘The Bucket List’ in Terre Haute
Initially, the concept might conjure images of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman jumping out of an airplane or sitting atop the Pyramids. Instead, think “Lent Meets ‘The Bucket List’ in Terre Haute.”
-
MARK BENNETT: Never truer: Knowledge vital to narrowing ‘skills gap’
The pillar at the gates of Faber College in the movie “Animal House” bore a wise motto, despite its tongue-in-cheek intent …
-
MARK BENNETT: Great-niece to re-enact Paul Dresser’s musical legacy in Terre Haute show
People can be forgotten. Their lives end, time passes and memories fade.
Often, the only keepers of their legacies are family and friends, who tell and retell their stories, generation to generation.
For Paul Dresser, his fame burned strong enough as a turn-of-the-century, million-seller songwriter to preserve bits of his public notoriety. -
MARK BENNETT: An Olympic takedown
Imagine an iconic image of American sports history erased.
-
MARK BENNETT: Indiana’s ‘skills gap’
A problem lasting decades ceases to be a “problem.” By then, the situation becomes “part of the culture.”
-
MARK BENNETT: America’s best quality of life? Indiana must address flaws, set priorities
Just as the job interview seems smooth, the interviewer drops the question.
“So, where do you see yourself in five years?” -
MARK BENNETT: Pondering what is meant by ‘quality of life’ to Hoosiers
Sometimes it’s sincere. Other times, it’s sarcasm.
You cross paths with a friend, ask how they’re doing, and they say, “Ah, just livin’ the dream.”
Livin’ the dream. What exactly does that involve? Can it be defined? -
MARK BENNETT: By whatever name, stomach virus still a sick story
It’s the ugly side of the cold-and-flu season.
-
MARK BENNETT: Living on the banks
We are the Wabash.
Really. -
MARK BENNETT: Rising young producer lands spot in Sundance Film Festival
When a project clicks, the moment is clear.
-
MARK BENNETT: Remember the 20 children lost
Their names were listed on the screen at the front of the church on Sunday.
Our pastor asked us to choose one and pray for their family. I selected Noah Pozner, just by chance. -
MARK BENNETT: Tasting panel to help find Champagne Velvet’s ‘million-dollar flavor’
Rounding up enough volunteers to serve on a committee can be a struggle.
-
MARK BENNETT: Thanksgiving’s feast can be defined by either the presence of family or the family’s quest for presents
The best gift deals will be gone by 12:01 a.m. Nov. 23.
-
MARK BENNETT: Salvation Army touches many lives
Sometimes, the unexpected happens.
-
MARK BENNETT: Election excellence: 30 out of 32 is pretty darn good
Detroit car makers unveil the latest Mustangs and Corvettes on Wabash Avenue.
-
MARK BENNETT: Climbing the rungs of Lincoln’s Ladder
One crucial quality helped Abraham Lincoln become America’s greatest president.
Courage? Political savvy? Wisdom? Moral character? -
MARK BENNETT: Drop the needle
Over time, excellence and nostalgia inappropriately merge in our minds.
-
No matter the age, voting’s a part of American fabric
The electoral karma seemed, well, unfair.
-
MARK BENNETT: A moment on the brink
Ominous, but distant.
-
MARK BENNETT: Valley-born filmmaker influenced by roots
Real-life stories inspire Laura Brownson.
Even those vastly unlike her own. -
MARK BENNETT: No debating it: Candidates have it easier than ‘forensics’ specialists
Nightmares can jolt us awake, just before we fall off a cliff or show up for work or school unprepared.
-
MARK BENNETT: Landmark win propels Sycamores to Hall
There’s a thin line between the possible and the impossible.
- More Mark Bennett B-Sides Headlines
-
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Gun Scare Mars Cannes Film Festival
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
Raw: Suicide Bomber Kills 2 Americans, 13 Others
Raw: Texas Gov. Flies Over Tornado Damage
Music Therapy Bonds Parents and Preemies
China, Others Want What's Under the Arctic Ice
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: 6 Die in Russian Ship Fire
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
Raw: Germany Protestors Picket Barbie House
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Tornadoes Spotted in Kansas
Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel
Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony
Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash
Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder
Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner
Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion
Beyonce Is Pregnant!
SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT
Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch
See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion
Woman tricked into taking abortion pill
Emma Watson Goes Pantless
IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes
Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety
Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos
Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths
