Spotlight

“Martha,” the Ghost of the ESU Memorial Union

by Roger Heineken (BFA 1978), Memorial Union administrative officer

In 1919 following the Great War, students and staff of the then-Kansas State Normal School wanted to do something fitting to honor and remember the students who lost their lives in not only World War I, but the Spanish American War. Also to be honored were two student veterans who died playing football for Emporia State.

The campus formed a committee to determine the appropriate tribute which would then determine the scope of fundraising. First ideas included an athletic stadium and campus chimes. But over time the committee gravitated to a student union which was a new idea in higher education. There were a few on the east coast and a building that served the non-academic needs of the student body seemed like an appropriate utility-memorial that would remind the campus community daily of the KSN student sacrifice serving the nation in war.

A student union it would be. The committee organized a significant fundraising campaign that was launched in late 1922. Fundraising teams canvassed the state convincing alumni of the merit, worth and need for the project. Prominent Emporia citizens, including William Allen White, made lead gifts to the capital campaign.  In a relatively short span of time the funds were available to begin construction of phase one. Building began in 1924 and the grand opening of the Memorial Student Union was held in December of 1925.

The Kansas State Normal Memorial Union became the first student union building at a Kansas school, the first west of the Mississippi River and the 11th-oldest union in continental North America.

In May of 1929, the second addition Colonial Ballroom opened, expanding the utility and function of the student union. The grand ballroom was the most elegant place in Emporia and was fondly remembered by generations of alumni for first kisses, first dates and engagements.

The KSN Memorial Union was designed with space for student clubs, the student newspaper and yearbook, faculty lounge and student social space. The top floor was designed to house ten single female faculty members. There is a rumor that one teacher committed suicide in this building. This is why we fondly call our ghost “Martha.”

But, is it the teacher? Could it be one of our student casualties of the Spanish American War? We lost three students and one teacher. Is it a student casualty of WWI? We lost 17. Is it one of our football players? Would it be one of the Air Corps Cadets that trained on campus during WWII? Surely some of these young men lost their lives in WWII. Could the spirit have returned to reside in this memorial to student veterans? Is it the alum spirit, jilted in love, returning to the elegant Colonial Ballroom of the first date?

Because we don’t know the spirit that plays around at night in this hall, we simply have given it/her the name of “Martha.”

For decades now, Martha has centered her fooling around in this oldest part of the building but occasionally she strays into newer additions to this building. For years in cycling frequency she will turn lights on and off. Various staff have encountered this kind of tomfoolery from Martha. Building managers travel through the building locking it down and turning off lights in the meeting rooms only to leave the locked building and see the lights on in the top floor of the old part.

Band members here to perform later in the evening have set-up, done the sound check and retired to the top floor to relax as they waited for concert time. Snoozing on the sofas here became impossible because of opening and closing doors to rooms. These people have no prior knowledge of Martha. They do now.

In recent years, Martha has been helping out in the bookstore in the newer part of the building. The manager would open the store in the morning to find all the paper tape in the adding machine fed through the machine and in a pile on the floor. This has happened with three different machines over time. He doesn’t use paper in the machine any longer. This doesn’t stop the machine from running, though.

On occasion the machine will start running during the day. The manager has found that by saying, “Stop it, Martha.” the machine will stop. Recently, he was interviewing a potential employee at the desk with the paperless machine. During the interview the machine began running. The alarmed interviewee looked inquisitively at the manager who said, “Oh, that is our ghost Martha,” and continued the interview as though nothing had happened. The candidate did not take the job.

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Last Updated April 17, 2008