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Friday, April 28, 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Field-house phantom, 70 devoted to backstage work
by Christiaan J. Kelly Special to the Kansan
Special to the Kansan
Few students at the University of Kansas know the legend of the Phantom of the Field House.
Legend has it that the phantom dwells deep within the winding bowls of KU's Allen Field House.
The legend is true.
The legend is that For the past 35 years, Francis Cupor has called Allen Field House home.
Czupor, 70, is the electrical technician and security guard at Allen Field House.
"My job is to make sure nobody is hiding in my building," Zcupr explains, with kind eyes shining from underneath his gray, bushy eye-
Nickman the Phantom because of the seemingly endless hours he devotes to his job. Cupor's story is one of struggle as well as success.
in 1945. Soviet troops invaded his homeland, Hungary, and at the age of 24, Francis Czupor went to fight in World War II. During the invasion, his younger brother, Joseph, was killed and Francis was separated from his older brother, Steven. During the war, Czupor was assigned to a communications division and learned electrical skills.
However strong the desire to defend Hungary, Czupor realized that the Hungarian army was no longer capable of maintaining its strength of the Soviet troops.
"There was so much killing." Czur-por says, "I did not want to be under communism; I decided to go to Germany."
While in Germany, Cupar was kept in a displacement camp along with thousands of other Hungarian and Polish refugees. It was at this
'M
My job is to make sure nobody is hiding in my building.'
Francis Czupor
camp that Czupor fell in love with Mary, who later became his wife.
"The camp was very rough — we never knew when we would see food again. We all lived day by day." Crunor said.
Csupor spent three years at the displacement camp waiting for his turn to leave the war-striken lands of Europe and start again.
"Boats were always leaving for places like Australia, but my dream was to go to America."
In 1950, Francis Czupor's dream came true.
"When I got off the boat in New York, I was handed a train ticket to Kansas." Czupor explains. "I had moved so much during the war that I decided wherever I got work, I would stay there forever."
Soon after his arrival in Lawrence, Cuzpor got what he calls his lucky break. He was able to learn English by taking courses offered to immigrants in old Fraser Hall at KU, and Cuzpor used his electrical skills to earn a job with the University, working at various places on campus.
"It was in 1953 that I first began working for the University. I feel very lucky to work for KU! I enjoy it very much."
Allen Field House is the home of many memories for Czupor.
"It used to have a dirt track. I used to have to wash down the track."
Crupor speaks of the old days with a slight spark in his eyes, like the
shine of the numberless keys that he carries around his waist.
"I used to have to move all the bleachers by hand; it is done by machines now. It is not easy, but I like it very much."
Technology has not made Czupor's job obsolete. There is an honesty and
integrity that makes men like Czupor worthwhile.
"It seems like he is here all the time," said Jay Price, a varsity basketball manager. "It would be strange not seeing Francis when I leave here (the field house) at night."
It's hard to miss Francis Czupor if one frequents the field house. He admits that in his younger days he worked 14, sometimes 15 hour shifts. Even though he has cut his shirts to six hours a day, Czupor still is able to bring smiles to the faces of his colleagues.
"Frances is a fun guy to work around. He's always in a good mood," said John Lowery, a maintenance man at the field house.
Cauper's job may not be considered glamorous to many onlookers. However, long hours and a strong work ethic will probably put pat his two children through college.
"Both of my children, Jimmy and Kathy, graduated from KU, and got their masters degrees," Czupor boasts.
Francis Caupor takes little credit for the job he does and usually receives little recognition for the 35 students he has worked for the University.
For as the Phantom of the Opera prefers to remain behind the shadows, so does KU's Phantom of the Field House.
Francis Czupor
H. J. Giostra/Special to the KANSAN
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