Decatur High gym gets new life, name
DECATUR — Peterson Gym was ominously quiet Thursday afternoon after nearly six months of drilling, sawing, stripping and painting as work finally concluded on the Decatur High School gymnasium.
However, work continued outside on the aluminum siding and the roof overhang throughout the day until the 1 p.m. hour when the outside was finally finished, as well.
While work on the outside was progressing, work on decorating the inside was underway before the ceremony began. Jacque Smith, Decatur Bulldog athletic director, her two daughters Jacey and Kylie, along with Cali Lankford, volleyball head coach, put up decorations in the main entryway and concession stand area.
The sounds of power tools were replaced with the sounds of awe and laughter as the gym was opened to junior and senior high school athletes to see for the first time.
About 50 people filed into the gym through the new entryway where the coaches’ office was once located. Many filed past the new location of the Bulldog trophy cases which tell the story of Decatur’s winning spirit in track, basketball, cheer, football, and golf programs from the past.
This was the athletes’ first look at their restored gym. Everyone that entered was certainly impressed with the difference in the 50-year-old facility, both inside and out.
At 5 p.m, the volleyball and basketball players were gathered in the center bleachers. These athletes would make history by being part of the ceremony. After all, the restorations were as much for them as for the school itself.
When the athletes were in place, members of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, Decatur Mayor Bob Tharp and the community gathered behind the railing in front of the two teams. Ike Owens, a long-time member of the school board and 1976 graduate, had the honor of cutting the ribbon, formally reopening Peterson Gym. With fellow school board members Karen Davis, Kevin Smith and Amy Brooks by his side, Owens cut the ribbon and the old gym came back to life to the sounds of a pair of confetti cannons fired by Jacque Smith and one of the building contractors.
After the ceremony, the volleyball and basketball teams posed for pictures. Then the volleyball team gathered at one of the courts, forming a circle, and began passing the lone volleyball among the players. The basketball boys took the other end and put up a few jumpers with the two balls that were on hand for decoration. Finally, Peterson Gym was alive again with the sounds of balls bouncing off of the basketball rims.
But one more event shortly afterward capped off a day of renewed Bulldog pride.
Later in the afternoon, the Decatur School Board met in the board room at Decatur Middle School for items needing some attention. In that meeting, the school board voted unanimously to rename Peterson Gym after two members of the community who have done much to further not only sports but also academics in the Decatur community.
Peterson Gym will now be known as Ike Owens Fieldhouse. The basketball/volleyball court will now be known as Vernon Austin Court.
The 2022 Decatur volleyball season begins with a nonconference contest with the Gentry Lady Pioneers on Aug. 22 in Decatur. A special event is planned for the opening contest before the junior high game at 4 p.m.