alumni update - Kewanee Schools Foundation

Kewanee Schools Foundation
ALUMNI UPDATE
Volume #15 Number 2
Fall/Winter 2014
CLASS OF 1974 ESTABLISHES SCHOLARSHIP
The Class of ‘74 has officially established the KHS Class of 1974 Dual Credit Scholarship with initial
donations of $3,200. “Personally, I am truly humbled by the generosity of so many of you”, said classmate
and Foundation board member Lori Madsen Christiansen. For those who have sent your own children off to college, it’s hard to believe how little it takes to
help KHS students in financial need take dual credit classes that will significantly reduce the amount of
time and dollars spent on future college expenses.
The donation from the Class of ‘74 will enable the Foundation to pay the tuition for 213 semester
hours of college coursework for 71 individual classes taken by our Kewanee High School students through
Black Hawk College! This gift also serves as a great model for other KHS classes as the need for additional funds exist. The class of ‘74 challenges upcoming reunions to exceed their level of giving.
Check out this class on Facebook at Kewanee High School Class of 1974.
For more updates and details: www.kewaneeschoolsfoundation.org
TWIRLERS TAKE THE FIELD
ONCE AGAIN TO HONOR
THEIR TEACHER
So who taught Mary Kay?
Turns out she mostly taught herself. She grew up on a farm north
of Annawan and said when she
was about four her mother saw
that she kept twirling a stick. It's
not known if she saw someone
doing it, but more likely she was
expressing a natural talent. Her
mother signed her up for a charm
school in Kewanee where dance,
tap, baton twirling and modeling were taught, but that didn't
satisfy her. She then went to
Kneeling left to right: Kelly Lashbrook
the Kewanee Public Library and
Palen, Lisa Urquiza, Autumn Ebens
found books on baton twirling and
Janey, Kim Brackett Sellers and Lisa
taught herself.
Kelly. Standing left to right: Pam
When she got to Kewanee
Watson Verway, Connie Mahnesmith
High
School,
band director
Nyert, Connie Verstraete Younglove,
Mrs. Fulton, Dianne Schiltz DeMay,
L.J. Bert put her, and several
Anne Welch Churchill & Brenda
other girls who could twirl, in front
Miller Kegebein. Missing Sue Parrish
of the Marching Boilermakers. VanDeVelde.
Her 1964 senior Kewanite yearbook includes a photo of a squad
Mary Kay Fulton, and a
of eight baton twirlers including
retired Kewanee teacher, the forMary Kay, who is listed as capmer WIU Golden Girl was rememtain.
bered and honored by a dozen of
When she got to Macomb,
the women she taught, all former
Dr. Forrest Suycott, director of
baton twirlers with the Kewanee
bands at WIU, auditioned her and
High School Marching Boilermakset her on the path to becoming
ers, as part of a KHS Alumni Band
the school's iconic Golden Girl. A
that performed with the current
book published in 2009 found
band during the halftime of this
on Google about the history of
years homecoming football game.
Western from the beginning to the
This group of KHS alumni
present day, by Jeffrey W. Hancks
twirlers graduated between 1973
and Adam Carey, tells how "Long
and 1999 and all were taught by
part of the WIU marching band
Mary Kay. She formed a group
show, baton twirling expanded in
called the Fulton Flashettes,
which became the Mary Kay-ettes
and at one time included up to
200 students of various ages
and ability levels. The twirlers
became more than features in
front of the band and competition
became a big part of the activity.
Mary Kay's students included 10
national and 25 state U.S. Twirling Association champions.
the 1960s with the addition of
the Golden Girls and Silver Girls
ensemble." The entry, on page
55, is accompanied by a black
and white photo of four unidentified WIU Golden and Silver Girls
from the 1960’s in the classic
knee-up pose and — guess what
— one of them is Kewanee's Mary
Kay!
After graduating from WIU
she came back home and started
a 44-year career as an elementary school teacher in 1968 and
married Don Fulton. She retired
in 2011. Mary Kay began teaching baton to younger girls while
still in high school and continued
after college. She said through
teaching baton all those years a
connection developed with her
students which continues today
with many former twirlers including those returning for Friday
night's halftime show.
By Dave Clarke - Star
Courier Around Town
GREAT DANE, OUART
NAMED HONORARY
BOILERMAKERS
Kewanee’s largest
employer, Great Dane, and former
KHS head of maintenance
George Ouart were honored as
the 2014 Honorary Boilermakers
during homecoming festivities.
Under the leadership of
plant manager Chuck Kunz, Great
Dane has been a great supporter
of education and athletics in the
Kewanee School District. To date,
the company has donated more
than $125,000 to the district.
Kewanee High School
currently houses the Great Dane
computer training center and the
Great Dane Strength Training
Center. Great Dane has donated
to the fine arts program at KHS
with a custom made storage
trailer that houses backdrops,
props, sets and G.I. boxes.
Great Dane also has donated welding supplies to
Kewanee’s CTE program.
Along with these donations, Great Dane and Kunz have
purchased the cardio equipment
that is being used in the strength
training center.
Ouart worked for the
Kewanee School District as the
head of maintenance from 19852002.
He would maintain, repair,
mow, clean, and even drive a bus
in order to make sure that children of the district would have
a safe and clean place to come
and learn. Ouart’s service to KHS
didn’t end with his retirement in
2002. He continued to run the
clock at games and wrestling
meets.
He is a 1953 graduate of
Neponset High School and celebrated his 58th wedding
anniversary with his wife, Betty,
last summer. All five of their
children — Tim (1976), Angie
(1978), Jenny (1980), Bob and
Bonnie (1983) — graduated from
KHS.
BLOCK THROWS AT SIU
Kewanee High School
graduate Freya Block recorded a
number of top 10 finishes in her
freshman season as a thrower for
the women’s track and field team
at Southern Illinois University.
Block’s season best
throws during the indoor season
were 13.47 meters in the shot
put (sixth place) at Eastern Illinois
University’s Friday Night Special
and 16.62 meters in the weight
throw (12th place) in the Missouri
Valley Conference Championships
at Cedar Falls, IA.
In the outdoor season,
her top throws were 12.27
meters (16th place) at the Sea
Ray Relays in Knoxville, TN;
50.62 meters (12th place) in the
hammer throw at the Kansas
Relays in Lawrence, KS; and
43.94 meters in the discus (ninth
place) in the Arkansas State Red
Wolves Open at Jonesboro, AR.
Mr. Chuck Kunz
KEWANEEAN PERFORMS
WITH MONMOUTH
COLLEGE CHORALE
Mr. George Ouart
John Williams, III ‘11 is
performing this year as a member
of the Monmouth College Chorale
and Chamber Choir.
The Monmouth College
Chorale, under the direction of
Professor Tim Pahel, is a highly
selective mixed ensemble which
performs regularly on and off
campus.
The group serves as an
ambassador to alumni, prospective
students, and the general public. The ensemble tours nationally
and internationally, performing
recently in New York City’s Carnegie
Hall.
KHS STUDENTS
PRESENTED PLAY BASED ON BRITISH TV SHOW
THEATER SCHOLARSHIP ESTABLISHED
The Kewanee High
School Theater Scholarship was
established in 2014 by
Mr. & Mrs. Mike Komnick. This
scholarship is awarded annually
at commencement. The recipient
will be selected by a committee
consisting of the fall play director,
musical director, speech coach,
a member of the Kewanee High
School staff, and a member of
the Komnick family. The criteria
for selection are as follows:
Front row left to right: Victoria Gleichman, Kailey Komnick, Logan Hamilton,
Wendy Corral, Cass Grebner, Jessi Rose Lewis, Carlos Garcia, Rebecka Dennison.
1. Has participated in at
Second
row
left
to
right:
Kylie
Robbins,
Destinie
Monroe,
Heather
Hoadley,
Kali
Oliva
least one of the following: SumFarrell, Matt Worden, Jakob Drummond. Third row left to right: Sam Gleichman, Nick
mer Theater, Fall Play, Musical,
Gustafson, Kat Wolf, Conner DeVilder, Cullen Marshall, Zack Woods, Albert Kelley,
Group Interpretation, Contest
Tony Silvaggio. Fourth row left to right: Ty Jones, Ernest Toutant III, Alex Toutant.
Play, and/or Speech Team. It
is not necessary to be four year
If you were lucky, you might have caught an episode or two of
members of the theater depart“Fawlty Towers” on TV a few years back. “Fawlty Towers” was a British ment, though total involvement
TV comedy that aired in Britain from 1975 to 1979, and was picked up over the span of the student’s
on PBS in this country.
time at Kewanee High School will
If you never saw it, that’s not surprising; only twelve episodes
be taken into consideration.
were made. But those were enough that the British Film Institute in
2. Individual has dem2000 named it the best British TV comedy of all time.
onstrated an outstanding work
Three of the “Fawlty Towers” episodes have been adapted into
ethic, the ability to interact well
a stage play, and Kewanee High School presented the play on Novem- with others, and the capability to
ber 1 and 2 in the Petersen Auditorium.
encourage and uplift those they
Marc Nelson, the play’s director, said “Fawlty Towers” was the
work with. Talent will also be
creation of former Monty Python cast member John Cleese and his
taken into consideration, though
wife, Connie Booth. Both were in the “Fawlty Towers” cast.
more important than talent is the
Nelson said Cleese based the “Fawlty Towers” concept on a hotel in
student’s desire to be a part of
which Monty Python members once actually stayed. The hotel’s manthe productions and the effort
ager was a persnickety sort, and Cleese modeled his character in the
they put forth.
show after him.
3. Write an essay about
In recent years the Kewanee students have produced “To Kill
how being a member of the Thea Mockingbird,” which involves racial intolerance, and “Hana’s Suitater Department has helped you
case,” about the Holocaust. This year, Nelson, said, the kids were
grow as a performer and also as
looking for lighter fare. “I really wanted a comedy for all ages,” Nelson an individual.
said, and in “Fawlty Towers” he found it. The students think the play is
hilarious, he said.
Essays and the Scholarship Data
form shall be submitted no later
2015 MUSICAL: SHREK
than April 1, 2015.
SAVE THE DATE!
JANUARY 17, 7:00 PM
JANUARY 18, 2:00 PM
HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR
REPRESENTED ILLINOIS
FCCLA AT NATIONAL
CONVENTION
Emily Grebner, a senior
at Kewanee High School
represented Illinois FCCLA (Family
Career and Community Leaders
of America) as a state officer
this past summer. During June
leadership training in Springfield,
she was elected vice president of
community service for the coming
school year. “Em” also attended the
FCCLA national convention in
San Antonio, TX where she was
a voting delegate and attended
leadership sessions. Her
attendance and that of KHS
advisor Mrs. Suzanne Stern was
made possible through the use
of Harry Anderson Trust monies
administered by the Kewanee
Schools Foundation.
GROWING THE FUTURE WITH GIFTS OF GRAIN TO THE
KEWANEE SCHOOLS
FOUNDATION
Your crops are your livelihood, your life. You prepare, you plant,
you nurture and it grows. That’s what we do with the charitable gifts
entrusted to the Kewanee Schools Foundation and we invite you to
help grow the future of Kewanee students with us!
Why Donate Grain
Donating a gift of grain to the Foundation is a simple way to
make a lasting difference. The value of the grain can be used to start
an endowed fund in the name of your family, or support the overall
programs of the Kewanee Schools Foundation.
Individual programs of interest to the donor may also be identified as ones that you wish your gift to help!
How You Benefit
By giving grain to the Foundation, you avoid including the sale
of the grain in your farm income. Although a charitable income tax
deduction is generally not available to you, the avoidance of declaring
it as income is a significant benefit. You deduct the cost of growing the crops which typically results
in saving self-employment tax, federal income tax and state income
tax. You can benefit even if you don’t itemize your deductions and
take the standard deduction.
How to Complete Your Gift
For additional information Telephone: 309.856.8702;
or email [email protected]
Please note: As each individual farmer’s situation is different, you
should consult your professional advisor for legal and tax advice on
how a gift of grain to the Foundation may apply to your circumstances.
Miss Emily Grebner ‘15
ALUMNI ACTIVITIES
ATTENDED BY MANY
Numerous classes
celebrated their class reunions
the past several months. The
classes holding reunions ranged
from 1944 - 2004.
Members of the Kewanee
High School Class of 1944
celebrated their 70th class
reunion on Wednesday, Oct.
15, 2014 with a lunch at the
Kewanee Dunes.
Although many class
members are deceased and
others unable to travel, twenty
classmates and five guests
attended the lunch. Class
members from as far away
as Arkansas and Minnesota
attended the event. It was an
enjoyable gathering with everyone
participating in the conversations.
The final question was,
“Are we going to meet again?”
That will probably be decided by
the area classmates who meet
four times a year for lunch.
The Class of 1954 had a
great time at their class reunion.
The reunion was held at PL
Damron’s in Kewanee on June 7,
2014.
The Class of 1964 celebrated their 50th reunion Oct. 1011, 2014 with 62 class members
attending the weekend events.
Of special note, Marta Leite from
Brazil and George Zaum from Germany, the class foreign exchange
students, traveled from their
respective countries to attend.
Activities began with participation in the KHS homecoming
parade. Senior Class President
Dave Farmer and Student Council
President Joe “Tony” Kapacinskas road in the parade in a 1963
Buick convertible provided and
driven by Freshman Class President Bill Fulton.
A class social was held at
Cerno’s Friday evening followed
by the KHS homecoming football
game. Saturday evening the class
held a social hour and dinner at
the Kewanee Dunes.
Special class guests
included Mr. & Mrs. James Golby,
principal of KHS in 1964, Mr. &
Mrs. Ken Sullens, principal of
Irving at that time, and Mr. & Mrs.
Amron Buchanan, KHS biology
teacher in 1964. After dinner, a
1960-1964 trivia contest was
held.
For reunion updates and pictures
go to www.kewaneeschoolsfoundation.org and click on Class
Reunions.
Class of 1954 pictured front row left to right: Judy Nelson Zeiser, Betty Polansky Radler, Carol Fleming Richards, Barb DeSkeere
Steele, Helen Monroe Hubbell, Irene Corwin McDuffy, Joan Webber Currier, Nancy Lams Loughe, Nancy Nolan Nuding. Standing
left to right: Don Tomsic, Bill Vandierendonck, Joe Quagliano, Bill Wittmeyer, Caroline Andrews Evans, Dr. Don Christian, Olivia
Leon Lopez, John Bystry, Gerald Richards, Joyce Towne Kuehl, Larry Humble, John Ast, Barbara Pyle Rieder, Richard Uptegrove,
Joe Rosebeck, Marcia Moran Olson, Earl Dean, Marilyn Wiley Reiff, Pete Reiff, Nancy Jones Padilla, John Spets, Jerry Warner,
Clarence Robinson.
PASSINGS:
Class of ‘36
Jeanne (Smith) Anderson –
2/16/13
Eldon Gleason – 1/13/14
Ralph Peed – 6/19/14
William Goard – 7/18/14
Class of ‘38
Class of ‘49
Gene E. Swanson – 12/16/13
Class of ‘42
Ruth (Binkley) Clapper – 7/18/14
Carol Jean (Dickson) Kalapach –
12/10/12
Class of ‘50
Clarence Jones - 10/5/14
Ann (Bullock) DeWit – 10/8/14
JoAnn (VanBroundghem)
Hamilton – 10/14/14
Class of ‘44
Class of ‘51
Class of ‘43
Robert Kirkhove – 11/11/14
Vernon Adkins – 9/16/14
Class of ‘45
Class of ‘52
Richard O. Hildreth – 6/15/2014
Class of ‘47
Raymond W. Vinson – 8/25/14
Class of ‘48
MaryAnn (Roginski) Peterson –
11/17/13
Shirley (Fortman) Winders –
3/6/14
Harry Asbell
Robert D. Olson - 4/18/14
Donald Lazar - 6/7/14
Merriel L. Tellier - 11/2/14
Class of ‘54
Richard F. Currier - 9/16/14
Class of ‘60
Terrill (Terry) Heaps - 4/5/14
Gary VanVooren - 9/6/14
Class of ‘65
Paul Astrouski - 7/14/14
Class of ‘68
Deborah (Hughes) White 7/16/14
Class of ‘71
Judith (McBride) Simaytis 10/13/14
Class of ‘76
Jill (Roginski) Tellier - 10/13/14
Class of ‘80
Greg Engstrom - 7/5/14
Mark Bushno - 7/8/14
Pat Kenney
Kewanee Schools Foundation
1211 E. Third St.
Kewanee, IL 61443
309.856.8702
www.kewaneeschoolsfoundation.org
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
FOR OUR ANNUAL
AUCTION TO BE HELD
SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2015
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