At the Center: A.J. Huffman Memorial Athletic Center

Approach
He began football practice the same way each year, a little apprehensive yet anticipating every bit of the experience. He felt proud as he ran onto the field, finished his last crunch, and worked through each and every pang of his body. Like a trophy, he earned them by the sweat of his brow. In every facet, he pushed himself to discover his limits learning his mental, physical, and emotional frame.

Although he probably would not admit it, camaraderie was what he liked best. He set personal goals and he set goals with his peers. They pushed each other. They pushed each other hard. And they accomplished much. They were a team. They earned the right to challenge each other on and off the field.

It was all so familiar to him, a warm and intimate familiarity that reached into his furthest memories. His father proudly wore the same colors on the field, as did his grandfather. And throughout his youth, he listened to their stories. The legendary tales of heroes (on and off the field) were from different moments in time but the location was unchanged. And the stories were eerily similar: awe-inspiring sagas of loyalties, courage, heartaches, and miraculous eleventh-hour victories.

On this particular August morn (the first practice of his senior year), he drove along familiar roads but parked in a new lot and began his walk toward the entrance of a pristine and somewhat intimidating athletic building.


Tradition
The opening of the A.J. Huffman ’67 Memorial Athletic Center together with Darlington’s history of family legacies make this scenario, although fictional, a possibility. Many Darlington students have fathers or mothers, and grandfathers who walked the same halls, heard the same stories. Many facets of Darlington remain a constant. Silver Lake rests in the shadow of Home-on-the-Hill. Darlington is still a boarding and day school. The athletic program remains strong. The School continues a reputation for academic excellence.

Without a doubt things change. Fresh faces join familiar ones each fall. Teachers come and some go. Buildings are demolished to accommodate expansions. Lanier House was razed. The Casino (once the wrestling gym) made way for the Sennett Bell Tower. And there have been additions: Zelle Fine Arts Center, the library, an information technology and communications department, and the transformation from the traditional dormitory life to the House system.

Changes, even those that are clearly good and paramount, can be bittersweet accomplishments because they often bear nostalgic sentiment. Moving to the Huffman Athletic Center is no different. It is a vast celebration of athletics with 100,000 square feet of fitness, toning, and competition space –more than any high school athlete could possibly dream. Offering spectators many different viewpoints, it is a very comfortable, well-planned arena.

There is no dispute that the facility exceeds expectations and will contribute enormously to all facets of the School. The Huffman Center gives Darlington students even more ways to get involved, more opportunities to explore different activities through intramural competitions and additional athletic programs, more available space for fitness, additional equipment. The Center is also a tremendous marketing tool by luring prospective students through the scores of visitors soon after they cross the Huffman threshold and catch a glimpse of its fineness.

Yet diehard sentimentalists may carry some reservations with them through the move. Asking, “What happens to the memories created in the previous buildings,” or “could it ever be the same without the unique and often quirky characteristics of each room?” There is a sense of mourning for things left behind.

Thanks to Darlington’s chronicle of legacies, traditions, and a foundation firmly footed in the past, the memories of the School’s people and places will continue. The Huffman Center and those who enter have an awesome responsibility. They will keep the stories alive while creating new ones of personal accomplishments, astonishing teamwork, and coaching satisfaction. Realizing this, the community can celebrate wholeheartedly the beginning of a new era. Darlington did so on Sept. 28, 2001.


Dedication
The band played, chorus sang, steel drums reverberated, and key individuals addressed an audience of almost 1,500 as the A.J. Huffman ’67 Memorial Athletic Center was dedicated in fitting celebratory fashion. Contributions and leadership from 134 supporters made this vision possible.

Guests, including Board of Trustees members, parents, alumni, faculty and staff, students in grades four through twelve, friends, and other special guests attended the dedication in the Center’s performance gym. During the event, head prefects (student leaders) from each of the six Houses gave special recognition and expressed the School’s gratitude to Huffman Memorial Athletic Center donors.

Addressing the audience and, fittingly, showing just how Darlington keeps memories alive, Larry C. Williams ’67, Board of Trustees member, reflected on A.J. “Butch” Huffman and the naming gift from the Class of 1967. “To the lucky students here today who have the privilege of enjoying this fantastic new addition to the Darlington campus, I want to stress the importance of the bonds, the friendships, the special relationships forged during your time together here at Darlington School,” Williams said. “These are friendships for life, they are special, and you should work hard to make them and keep them for the rest of your life. It is that special friendship that the members of the Class of ’67 felt for Butch Huffman and for each other that allowed us to pull together and help create this fabulous new facility in Butch’s memory.”

David Hicks, School president, also spoke emphasizing that the building is a reminder of Darlington’s blessings – the many exceptional individuals, students, and faculty, who have graced these halls. “Every time we enter this building, we need to remember that Butch Huffman was loved at Darlington by his classmates and teachers for who he was: a marvelous individual with many God-given talents, with enthusiasm for life, and with great affection for his friends. He was so loved that he still inspires them to this day, many years after his death,” Hicks shared. “But Butch, let us remember, is not unique. He is sitting among us this morning. He is every Darlington student, just as Mr. J.J. Darlington is every Darlington teacher. This building reminds us that it is the people in this place, not its buildings, that make it so special and that make our joy here possible.”


Pride
Jacque Huffman McIntyre (Butch’s sister) conveyed her appreciation and pride: “This is an extraordinary facility and I am so proud that it bears my brother’s name.” Reading excerpts from an article Butch Huffman wrote while a student at Darlington, for the May 1967 issue of the Darlingtonian, McIntyre perpetuated her brother’s thoughts:

“It sounds silly and trite to compare our position here, in America, at a prep school, to the situation of millions of people throughout the world who are starving or have no choice at all for education, but think seriously about this instead of letting it go into one ear and out the other. Let’s face it—you and I are lucky. Mighty lucky! God has given us the privilege of opportunities unknown in any other country of the world now or previously…. They won’t always be here; right now is the time to take advantage of the chance to establish a firm educational and moral background.”

More than 30 years later, his words are a fitting challenge to today’s students on many levels – even in relation to the building that bears his name.


Respect
During the event Bob Berry ’64, Board of Trustees member, made a surprise announcement that the performance gym will now be known as the Van Es Arena, in honor of the School’s Middle School principal and boys varsity basketball head coach, Jim Van Es, by Trustee John W. Thatcher ’44. The honor recognizes Van Es’ roles serving Darlington since 1968 including teacher, coach, mentor, and Middle School principal (since 1977).


Results
No doubt, the A.J. Huffman ’67 Memorial Athletic Center will bring about new traditions and stories. Already, the Center is being used for tournaments, dances, and even civic meetings. Those who enter the Huffman Center will leave with new tales of purple and white exemplifying Darlington’s motto: wisdom more than knowledge; service beyond self; honor above everything.