They pack in. They pack in with a sense of anticipation—a feeling that only comes once a year. Ouachita alumni crowd the aisles of Jones Performing Arts Center as the lights slowly dim. As they do and the eagerness grows as quickly as the deafening roar of the crowd, one man sits back, waiting and watching. Ready to begin the three-hour show that is Tiger Tunes.
For Stephen Vaughn, this job wasn’t on his radar when he visited Ouachita for a prospective visit. A graduate of Lakeside High School in Hot Springs, Ark. just three years earlier, Vaughn started his lifelong passion of music as an audio and lights specialist in church at the early age of eight years old. From that point, he took on many rolls, specializing in the operation of sound boards, some of which he installed himself. From church to high school theatre and productions, Vaughn became an early expert in the study of stage production through music and lights.
“There was a guy who ran our whole music system in children’s music. I told him I wanted to help and he started me off with easy stuff and the basics and from there, I just kind of kept going and that’s just kind of how I really got interested in it,” Vaughn said.
Last year, Vaughn was on a 19-hour work study when his mentor and teacher Joey Licklider announced that he had taken a job in Florida, leaving the sound boards in JPAC unmanned for Fall of 2015. Vaughn, who was close with Joey, was given the job.
“He trained me up this whole last year to do this job without me even knowing it,” Vaughn said. “So, basically he got the job and they didn’t have time to find a permanent replacement, so I said I would take this for a year. Joey recommended me for this job.”
From accepting the job to today, Vaughn is still wow’ed each time he enters the doors into Jones Performing Arts Center.
“It’s mind-boggling because I’ve been coming to camp since sixth grade here, and I’ve always thought of JPAC as massive and overwhelming,” Vaughn said. “I performed on that stage when I was twelve, so it’s kind of weird to be in charge of all of these things.”
Vaughn officially operates as a staff member at Ouachita Baptist focusing on running sound and lights for all JPAC shows and managing a group of work study students.
“Technically, I’m a staff member. I’ve completed two years of school as a student and I’m taking a year break to assume this role,” Vaughn said. “I’m taking a few classes, but I won’t officially become a student again until next year. They will be doing a spring search for somebody to take over this role, and once they find somebody for that, I’ll be back to being a student.”
So for Vaughn, as the lights come up on Tiger Tunes 2015, it won’t be Joey Licklider running the show. Instead, it will be his hand-picked predecessor, making the shoes Vaughn has to fill so much bigger. However, Vaughn is up for the challenge, knowing full well that he’ll be ready for whatever arises, no matter what the crisis might be.
“I’m always nervous. I’m sure at the end there will be things that I’ll wish I would have done, but I’m going to do my best to make sure there are as few of those as possible,” Vaughn said.
By Dixon Land.
