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The Campus Theatre - A History by Denise Cummings (University of Florida)

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In 1953, Harold Stiefel, son of Morris Stiefel, took over management of The Campus when his Uncle Barney retired. Harold, a graduate of Bucknell, and his wife Jacquie managed the theatre until Harold's death in 1988. Their partnered tenure produced a lasting legacy. Harold and Jacquie started and maintained many of the community outreach programs, such as the free matinees and canned food drives. Today, a brass star honoring Harold is embedded in the sidewalk in front of the theatre's entrance. After Harold's death, Jacquie Stiefel devoted her time and energy not only to continuing a family legacy, but also to keeping a piece of bygone Lewisburg alive. Throughout the 1990s, The Campus Theatre hosted a special film-showing each year, honoring Harold, with the proceeds benefiting a local charity.

The Campus indeed fulfilled, and continues to realize, the mature role of community centerpiece. During World War II, The Campus's second-floor office space served as a USO canteen, and later, in the 1970s and 80s, a dance studio. Beginning in the 1940s, The Campus began to offer free movie matinees to children during the holiday season, complete with local merchant giveaways. One weekend of the year, two cans of food secure admission; the theatre donates the contributions to the local food bank.

In the early-mid 1990s, renovator Owen Mahon (Open Door Gallery, Lewisburg) worked intermittently with Jacquie Stiefel on a project to repair and restore the auditorium's ceiling, interior light fixtures, and seats. The ceiling had suffered some condensation damage from the air conditioning system, the lighting fixtures were dirty, and the seats needed reupholstering. Mahon recalls that it was easy to tell that The Campus hosted many matinees: the seats in first few rows "were shot." Mahon worked with J&J Upholstery (Milton) to restore nearly all damaged seats. He and Jacquie took each one of the lighting fixtures down and cleaned them. After photographing "every square inch" of the ceiling, together with Jayco Inc. (Mifflinburg), they meticulously repaired and repainted. "We took paint samples and put colors back the way they should be." Insurance covered some of the restoration costs and before any restoration work commenced, Mahon and Stiefel visited other restored landmarks, such as the Williamsport Community Center, for guidance.

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