Kempthorne hosts namesake for dinner

When Douglas Kempthorne was called into the principal’s office at Gonzaga Preparatory School it wasn’t a reprimand that was waiting for him. It was a dinner invitation from Dirk Kempthorne, former governor of Idaho and the man the teen is named after.

“It was great meeting him,” said Douglas, who graduated this month from Gonzaga Prep.

Douglas’ parents named him after Dirk Kempthorne because the governor played a big role in bringing them to the Inland Northwest from their home country, Rwanda.

Douglas’ father, Theo Mbabaliye, was studying at the University of Idaho when genocide broke out in Rwanda. Gov. Kempthorne helped him get his wife, Immaculee Mukakalisa, to the United States. As a tribute to Kempthorne, the couple named Douglas after him. Read more . Pia Hallenburg, SR

Who were you named after?