Labor Day is still four months away but some Westville High School alumni are already getting excited about it. It is because that holiday weekend a new bronze tiger will be dedicated at Westville High School.
Keith Kittell says while he and Lorna Konsis were planning a reunion for the Class of 1972 they decided they wanted to preserve the memory of those who had died. Then Konsis died, but Kittell decided to continue the efforts for the reunion. And he started raising funds to place a tiger head on a pedestal at Westville High School.
Kittell says donations started rolling in as the various classes from Westville High got excited about the idea of the tiger – which is the school’s mascot.
This fall a full-sized bronze tiger will be dedicated at the school. The plaques on its pedestal will not only pay for the statute, but also allow for the awarding of scholarships for at least the next nine years.
‘’We could not have accomplished this project without the help from class leaders from the over 50 classes on the pedestal,’’ says Kittell. He also praised the help of others who served on the Class of ’72 Committee – Cliff Kinney, Steve Blazaitis and Charlene Potter Hines. And Kittell also thanked the Adams Monument Company who heard about the project and wanted to get involved. ”That same week (that Adams Monument Company called) Cliff Kinney found a full body Bronze Tiger that would be lighter than granite. This allowed us to add 8 more spots on the pedestal which were grabbed up,” added Kittell.
”The one thing that I will take from this project is the love for WHS from the alumni,” says Kittell.
