Project collaboration between the Tonkawa American Legion, THS Art, and the Pioneer Tech Industrial Arts Department was recently completed. Forty years ago Bill Stowers made 600; 6” aluminum “V” shaped flag markers for veteran’s graves at the Tonkawa IOOF cemetery at his local foundry. Recognizing that the cemetery would soon run out of flag markers due to more deaths of veterans the Legion and THS Art worked for the past five years to find a foundry to produce the V’s but it was too costly due to the labor intensity. Fortunately, with new technology and the help of Lori Evans of Pioneer Tech and Dawn Huff of THS Art, local groups coordinated and were able to produce V’s at nearly half the price quoted by foundries. Using 3-D imaging machines the Pioneer Tech. instructor designed a program to reproduce the “V”s and tech students volunteered their labor and the post. THS Art students Jules Thompson and Karlee Meadows served as co chairs for the committee formed to raise the $600.00 needed for the aluminum to produce 100 “V” markers. The co chairs were joined by other students to organize and collect the money including Tuff Crosby, Jake Randall, and Brendan Ochoa. The work at Pioneer Tech. was completed under the direction of department head Ryan Burkett. Also volunteering their time to pour, polish, and thread the markers were Pioneer students Robert Drake, Austin Spiser, and Alex Valentine. A special shout out to generous donations made by Jeff and Amy Foss and Dale and Lori Evans of Tonkawa. A big thank you to the THS Class of 1957, they made a donation of $267.00 in memory of their classmate Norma Buffalo. If you have a loved one that has been laid to rest at the Tonkawa Cemetery that has not had a flag marker installed please contact the American Legion Post 71.
