The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
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For the time being, he will be known as simply Mr. X.
At least that's the moniker applied by Rick Williams, director of the University Honors Program, to the anonymous Carbondale businessman who has crept up and volunteered to purchase the Varsity Theater, located on the Strip at 418 S. Illinois Ave.
But, for now, Mr. X prefers to remain anonymous, and Williams, who says he has known the businessman for years, has been designated to serve as his unofficial spokesman.
"Out of the blue, I got a call from a local businessman I'd known for 20 years, and he asked if I was involved in SAVE [Save Arts and the Varsity for Everyone]," said Williams, who attended a SAVE meeting three weeks ago on behalf of the International Film Festival.
"I said, ''Sure.' And he said, 'Well, are you still looking for a fairy godmother?' I said, 'Wouldn't it be nice if someone would buy it from Kerasotes?' And he said he would buy it."
Tony Kerasotes, CEO for the Springfield-based Kerasotes Theaters, which currently owns the Varsity, confirmed that he has spoken with the businessman a couple of times during the past week about a possible deal.
Although Kerasotes said he is in the process of having the property appraised and that finalizing a possible business deal would take about five to six weeks, he also said talks are in a very early stage.
"These are very preliminary talks," Kerasotes said. "We haven't yet discussed price, so they are very nascent discussions."
Kerasotes said he is currently involved in no other talks regarding the property.
As for Mr. X himself, Williams said he is a local person who owns multiple Carbondale businesses and has been a longtime supporter of the arts. Williams also said that the businessman is interested in preserving the building in much the way on which the community has come to a consensus - that is, as a community arts and cultural center - and that he is a trustworthy individual.
"He's interested in diversity," Williams said. "I can't think of anything the general public would consider art that he wouldn't also consider art. He's an open-minded person, and he's interested in helping the arts."
The possibility of a local buyer puts wind in the sails of community initiatives such as SAVE that have spent almost three months trying to determine the fate of the Varsity, which had its doors closed one day before Kerasotes opened its new ShowPlace 8 on the east end of University Mall.
Of course, the current situation raises more questions than just who the mysterious Mr. X is. Also unanswered as of now is what role SAVE will play in the event that the theater is purchased by a private buyer and what part Mayor Brad Cole, who has served as Carbondale's go-to man in talks with Kerasotes despite saying that the city would not contribute funds, has yet to do.
Either way, the news has community members hopeful.
"It is exciting," said Hugh Muldoon, director of the Interfaith Center and the early convener of SAVE's meetings. "It's an interesting development."
Williams concurred.
"We've got the two bulls together, and they're talking," he said. "Let's cross our fingers. If they can come to an agreement, [Mr. X] will buy it."
