CDHS Beavers' fighting spirit plaque unveiled

More than 40 Beavers gathered in front of Lake Roosevelt Schools July 4.

The Beavers, alumni of Coulee Dam High School, attended the unveiling of a plaque commemorating their alma mater and mascot as one of the forerunners of Lake Roosevelt Jr-Sr High School and its Raiders.

The plaque, applied the day before to a basalt column already sporting a similar one for the Grand Coulee Tigers, shows the school's blue and gold colors and a depiction of the mascot newly re-imagined by 1970 graduate Jack "Bobby" Knight.

Knight, who now lives in Prescott, Arizona, is a professional artist and sculptor, and worked in the movie industry making props and doing sculpting work on big-name movies such as "Minority Report," "War of the Worlds," "National Treasure," "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man 2," "Thor," and many more.

Knight attended Thursday to see his creation revealed to his old friends, having been recruited for the job by Bert Smith.

"I said, 'Hey, Bobby, would you like to do this? But you've got to do it for free," Smith said to crowd last week.

Smith said from 1947 through 1971, the school did not have just one depiction of its mascot, but several, which followed a "pretty standard" theme through the late 1960s.

"I did it the way I wanted to," Knight interjected, to chuckles from the audience that included two of his art teachers from the school, Neal McKenzie and Larry Curtis.

The bronze patina-treated relief depicts a standing, muscular Beaver with a clenched fist and declares that "Coulee Dam High School [1947-1971] Beavers sent their fighting spirit to Lake Roosevelt Raiders consolidated 1971."

Smith noted that Grand Coulee High School alumni had graciously invited their former rivals to put a plaque on the pillar they'd installed. And similar efforts are underway for Nespelem High School and Mason City High School, Smith said.

He also noted that Danny and Linda Zlateff had been "kind of the brains in putting this on."

Smith said the fundraising that started in January of this year hit $3,500 within three months for the plaque, which ultimately cost only $2,350, thanks to Knight's foundry connections. The remainder will go toward a 2020 reunion, Smith said.

Here's a video of the talk and unveiling:

Beavers mount their mascot plaque from The Star on Vimeo.