Shirley Sikora, Night Manager of the ’Sco, Dies at 65

Shirley Adkins Sikora, a fixture in Oberlin’s Wilder Hall student union for 37 years, died June 3 at her home in Norwalk. She was 65.

Hired in 1983 to manage evenings at the Dionysus Disco—the basement-level club known more widely by its shorthand nickname, the ’Sco—Sikora quickly developed a warm rapport with her student employees. In addition to mentoring them on how to run the club, she delighted in teaching them how to crochet, scrapbook, and pursue other creative interests in their free time. Among generations of students, the lady who checked student IDs at the door came to be known affectionately as “Mama ’Sco.”

Sikora, who was celebrated at a Service Awards function in 2015, retired from Oberlin five years later.

“Shirley was the soul of the ’Sco, working tirelessly, sometimes for weeks without a break,” says Tina Zwegat, Oberlin’s director of student involvement and orientation, who worked with Sikora throughout her career. “Alums always looked forward to seeing her at the door of the ’Sco when they returned to campus for visits. She was a fixture on campus who made them feel like they had come home.”

Sikora is survived by her husband, James Sikora. Learn more in the Norwalk Reflector.