Chadron State College Athletic Hall of Fame
The Chicoines were inducted into the Hall of Fame for meritorius service. They were longtime Chadron-area residents and strong supporters of Chadron State College and its programs for many years.
Specifically, they were honored for contributing $116,000 toward the construction of a new pressbox at Elliott Field in the mid-1960s. The pressbox was named in honor of Con Marshall, long-time director of information and sports information director at CSC. Frances Chicoine was Marshall’s aunt.
Previously, the Chicoines had established an endowment that provides funding for several scholarships to CSC students through the Chadron State Foundation. The couple received the college’s Distinguished Service Award in 1994 and the Friend of Education Award in 1996.
Mrs. Chicoine died at age 82 in January 1997. Chicoine married Madge Fortune the following year. In 2000, they gave $161,000 for the construction of the Vernon and Madge Fortune-Chicoine Atrium that is attached to the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center at CSC. Vern Chicoine died at age 89 in February 2003.
