Plaque honors an earlier mascot

A new bronze plaque took its place on a pillar of basalt outside Lake Roosevelt Schools Saturday as volunteers mounted it to the rock. "I'm really happy with it," said Lonna Bussert of the Grand Coulee Alumni Association, adding she hopes alumni of other schools that were blended into LR also add commemorative plaques. There's room on the stone for commemorating the Coulee Dam Beavers and the Nespelem Savages. The Grand Coulee alumni paid about $2,200 for both the pillar and the plaque, Bussert said. The plaque reads: "Grand Coulee Tigers, Established 1933, Gave their roar to Lake Roosevelt Raiders, Consolidated 1971." The tiger relief on the plaque was designed by local artist Keith Powell and the plaque forged in an Arizona foundry. The pillar was purchased from Young's Welding in Electric City. Ken Anderson, Mark Dunlap and Tom Youmens mounted the plaque Saturday. - Scott Hunter photo