Calling All Nic Alumni For Reunion
Anyone who’s attended or worked at North Idaho College, raise your hand.
I knew there were more than 100, even though that’s the number of alumni who have registered for NIC’s first all-college reunion coming this Saturday.
“You have to start somewhere,” says Dawn Atwater, NIC’s alumni coordinator. She’s worked doggedly for months on this reunion, determined to pull it off in any way possible.
“I’m not disappointed by the numbers,” she says. “I have the feeling that something that starts with 100 people has a lot of potential.”
Student records weren’t a great help to Dawn. They go back only 20 years, leaving 40 years of student history to the imagination.
But she found enough older alums still in the area to zero in on one of NIC’s more interesting graduates, Jack Lemley. He agreed to speak at the opening luncheon.
Lemley graduated from NIC in 1956 and went on to earn a degree in architecture at the University of Idaho. He took his skills to England a few decades later and saved the stalled English Channel tunnel project.
His leadership pushed the project forward until the Chunnel opened in 1994. Was he in any of your classes?
Dawn understands the weak loyalty community colleges typically inspire in their students, so she padded her reunion schedule with plenty of eating opportunities.
After lunch and a campus tour, the barbecue fires will burn on NIC’s beach. After steak dinners, the party will continue on lake cruise boats. Dawn’s not surprised at the reunion’s low turnout; after all, she sent only 19,000 invitations. She’s sure the smell of grilling steaks late Saturday afternoon will lure a few more alums to the college on the beach.
Hmmm. I’ve spent a lot of time at NIC over the years. Wonder if I’m eligible. … Tickets are available for Saturday’s events. Call 769-7806.
Life’s good
Oh, to be 19 and working alongside Kevin Costner. All it takes is talent - or someone to finally notice it. That’s what happened to Post Falls’ Mike Fox this year.
You might remember that Mike was chosen last spring to attend a workshop at the prestigious National Theatre of the Deaf in Connecticut.
Before he left last month, Warner Bros. offered him a bit part in “The Postman” with Kevin Costner. That job started in Metaline Falls the day he returned from Connecticut.
Mike left Metaline Falls last week with hopes for more big-screen work. He was told Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise and Steven Seagal will need extras for the movies they’re filming soon in the Pacific Northwest.
Mike also turned down an offer to join a theater company scheduled to tour Singapore and South Africa. He’s hoping to launch his career closer to home.
Who was that masked man?
Masks are in. An auction of artistic and outrageous handmade masks made money for the Kootenai Arts Council last year. The idea was so good that next month the Post Falls Arts Council will try it.
The council wants original masks in any medium for a contest and silent auction at the Festival of the Falls on Aug. 17.
Anything goes at this contest, but the masks with a Northwest theme stand the best chance of winning a gift certificate for art supplies. Call the art council at 777-9278 for details.
Good ole days
The Panhandle’s summers are packed with triathlons, organized lake swims, town fairs and arts and crafts shows. Pick any weekend and there’s a pancake breakfast somewhere in North Idaho to start it.
What were some of the special events of summer 20 or more years ago? Relive the good ole days for Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814; fax to 765-7149; call 765-7128; or e-mail to cynthiat@spokesman.com.
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