Stadium News of the Chillicothe Education Foundation

Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium

Photo: Butch Shaffer 11 03 17

Stadium Press Box Gets Signage
CT March 10, 2015

Chillicothe High School's athletic stadium has a more visible identity now with signage installed on the front of the press box. Impact Sign Company of Sedalia was in town Monday and placed the words: "Chillicothe Hornets" across the top in 24-inch white letters. Below the name lists Chillicothe's football history, stating "State Champs" with the winning years listed inside 15-inch football designs: 1970, 1972, 1978, 1985 and 1991.

CT Photo March 10, 2015

When the new Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium was built a few years ago, no football history was displayed in signage. Under the scoreboard at the previous stadium, years were listed identifying when the Chillicothe Hornets made it to the final four, the semi-finals, and when they became state champions. CHS Athletic Director Dan Nagel said that most stadiums in the state have signage on the face of their press boxes identifying their schools and that adding signage and Chillicothe's football history shows pride of the school. The signage project was funded by the school and local foundations.

A New Era: Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium, Bob Fairchild Field Dedicated
August 27, 2012 C-T

CAPTION: History was made Friday evening with the dedication of the Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium and Bob Fairchild Field just north of Chillicothe High School. The $4 million facility was built entirely through private donations. The dedication took place just prior to the Hornets' game against the Marshall Owls.

A capacity crowd gathered at the new Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium Friday night to witness history as officials dedicated the stadium in memory of the late Chillicothe congressman and the playing field in honor of Chillicothe High School football coaching legend Bob Fairchild. The ceremony concluded with the Chillicothe Education Foundation transferring the property deed to the Chillicothe R-2 School District. The ceremony preceded the Chillicothe High School Hornets' first football game at the new $4 million stadium.

Photo Courtesy of Butch Shaffer

Five years ago, this plot of land just north of the high school was little more than a vacant field. But, from this piece of ground emerged a vision to construct a state-of-the-art sports complex. Less than a year ago, construction began on the facility, and Friday night marked the beginning of a new era in Chillicothe High sports.

Ed Douglas, president of the Chillicothe Education Foundation, welcomed those in attendance and recapped the development process for making the sports complex a reality. He stated that the previous stadium, originally built and used by Chillicothe Business College, was 90 years old. He said the facility needed a million-dollar renovation, but had no interest from donors in making the improvements happen. In addition, the former stadium, which had been given to the school district in the early 1950s, was a significant distance from the present high school and was land-locked, preventing expansion. Additionally, the former facility was limited in its track offering with just six lanes and limited parking availability was another issue.

Stadium Photos Courtesy of Butch Shaffer

Paid solely through private donations, the new complex sports an eight-lane track, a full soccer field, and artificial turf to allow greater opportunities of play after heavy rains. The facility also has a top-of-the-line lighting system providing twice as much illumination as at the previous field. The funds to construct the complex came from 225 donors, Douglas said. He noted that, at this time, there remains a $300,000 shortfall, and that there is still opportunity for interested individuals and others to give and become a part of the project. Donors of $1,000 or more will be noted on a permanent marker to be affixed to a wall at the stadium entrance.

Photo Courtesy of Butch Shaffer

About half of the complex's funding came from local foundations. Although foundations normally don't contribute to public projects, this stadium project was "above and beyond that which the school could reasonably be expected to do for themselves," Douglas said. Foundations providing $1.7 million for the project were the Mervyn Jenkins Foundation, Lenore Lambert Foundation and Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation. Representatives of each foundation were asked to stand and be recognized during Friday's 40-minute ceremony.

Photo Courtesy of Butch Shaffer

Douglas introduced members of the stadium committee: Robert Cowherd, Mike Turner, Tom Ashbrook, Dave Rogers, Brent Turner, David Neal, Ed Turner, Phil Willard, Dan Nagel, Roger Barnes, Julie McCoy, Andrea Graves, and Kathy Gilliland. "This is a great group of people," Douglas said. "They saw a need and filled it. They did a lot of work."

Douglas also acknowledged the Education Foundation, which provided land for the project and served as the entity for signing contracts and borrowing money.

Douglas introduced others involved in the project, including Mike Cole, Dave Copeland, McAnany Construction, J.J. Gates, Chillicothe State Bank, John Hutchison, Duane McCauslin, Jason Graves, Gary Willard, Wagner Chapman and Tim Marsh, the late Nancy Elliott, Brian Sherrow, and many others.

Douglas also expressed appreciation to the city of Chillicothe for being a unique town of which the sports complex is a part.

Douglas had members of the Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation step forward and be recognized. A short video of the late Congressman was played on the new scoreboard's screen.

Douglas introduced current Chillicothe Hornets football head coach Phil Willard, stating that "no one has put in the hours on this project like Phil by a magnitude of 10." Willard provided dedicatory comments about Fairchild, his predecessor as coach and for whom he played in the 1960s and served as an assistant in the 1990s, before asking Chillicothe cheerleaders to unveil the colored turf interlaced into the field's west sideline, designating the playing surface as Bob Fairchild Field. "It is with a great deal of admiration and respect that we name this field for a man who put in many hours at the old Litton Stadium, maintaining it, constructing buildings, and renovating the stadium in 1979," Willard said. "No one but Coach would know the hours he spent during the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s developing one of the best football programs in the state of Missouri." Fairchild's coaching legacy includes an overall career record of 307 wins, 79 losses, and five ties. He is a 1950 Chillicothe High School graduate and began coaching Hornet football in 1963, continuing through the 1997 season. During his time at Chillicothe, Fairchild led the Hornets to 287 wins, and five state championships (1970, 1972, 1978, 1985, 1991). He recorded four perfect seasons (1965, 1969, 1970, 1978). He had 61 all-state players and 142 all-district players. Fairchild's successful coaching career led to him being inducted into the Missouri and National High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Willard asked family members of Fairchild to stand, as well as all former coaches and players of the retired coach. "I feel I was a lucky man," Willard said. "I got to play for Coach Fairchild and also coach with him." Fairchild then took a turn at the microphone, highlighting his first year in Chillicothe as head coach, and provided anecdotes about coaching the Hornets. "I feel honored that they've got my name on the football field, naturally, but more importantly it's all the kids I've coached - seeing them again," he said of the evening's ceremony. He extended words of appreciation for those who were involved in creating the new sports complex. "It is a beautiful place," he said.

In his closing comments, Education Foundation President Douglas applauded all who were involved in the stadium project. "This is something that I think we can all be proud of," Douglas said. "This is first class."

Douglas' final action at the podium was to present Dr. Roger Barnes, Chillicothe R-2 Superintendent of Schools, with a deed to the property.

Ed Turner, vice president of the Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation, said the late Charley and Mildred Litton, whose donation allowed the former stadium to be renovated in 1979 and extended its life for more than three decades, would be proud to have supported the new stadium and to have it continue to bear their son's name. "There is absolutely no question about it," Turner said. "The foundation has been strongly supportive of the athletics programs here at CHS from the mid-1970s on and continues to do so and will continue to do so in the future." "We're extremely proud of this facility," Turner said. "It's second to none. They've done a wonderful, wonderful job and we're so proud to be a part of it."

Sports Complex Track Asphalt Laid
08 01 12

C-T Photo / Paul Sturm

Crews began laying the asphalt for the underside of the all-weather track at the new Jerry Litton Sports Complex on Tuesday (August 1, 2012). It is expected that the all-weather surface will be laid over the top of this surface a couple weeks from now. The hope is that the entire sports complex will be completed by the 2012 football home opener on August 24, versus the Marshall Owls.

Hornets Scoreboard
07 10 12

C-T Photo / Catherine Stortz Ripley

The scoreboard at the new Jerry Litton Sports Complex north of the Chillicothe High School was set up recently. It will later be topped by an iron decorative arrangement, which was donated and completed by Chillicothe Iron and Steel.

Stadium Press Box
June 20, 2012

C-T Photo / Drew Van Dyke

The stadium pressbox for the new Jerry Litton Sports Complex is taking shape at a rapid rate, as evidenced by this Wednesday morning photograph. The stadium complex's Bob Fairchild field continues to progress for the 2012-13 school year and football season. The R-2 district will be working on constructing a new high school parking lot at this time, as well.

Liquid Sod Sprayed at Stadium
June 7 2012

C-T Photo / Drew Van Dyke

Family-owned and -operated, Kansas City, Missouri-based company Pro Landscaping spread "liquid sod" on the inclined areas south and east of the new Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium on Thursday. "Hydroseeding," as the process is called, consists of mixing premium seed blends, wood fiber mulch, fertilizer and water in a hydraulic machine to form a homogeneous, green-tinted slurry. This slurry is then sprayed - under pressure - uniformly over the soil surface at the material application rate. Hydroseeding is marketed as the "way of the future for turf," by Pro Landscaping. It shows no seam lines, prevents erosion, and is said to save up to two-thirds of the cost of laying normal sod.

Artificial Playing Surface For New Chillicothe School Sports Stadium Being Installed
May 09, 2012
Constitution-Tribune / Paul Sturm

Installation of the artificial playing surface of Chillicothe's new school sports stadium was begun Wednesday, May 9, 2012. Other work at the facility also continues and figures to pick up pace again over the next week as drier, warmer weather is currently forecast following a recent wetter, cooler spell.