THS goes old schoolChandeliers return home to cafeteria

By Adrielle Harvey

The family of Jack Deeter, who was a Topeka High associate principal in the 1970s, returned the chandelier, prompting three other Topeka alums to return their chandeliers."Topeka High is very lucky to have people that care, that continue to give back time, talents and money that were given them when they were students," said Rick Friedstrom, former president of THSHS.The chandeliers were removed from the cafeteria in the late 1950s. Barker said its still unknown what happened to the chandeliers after that time, but she believes they were stored for nearly 20 years before being given to people who wanted them.At Tannadice you would expect the two nominated to have been Andy Carroll and Harper himself."Topeka High is very lucky to have people that care, that continue to give back time, talents and money that were given them when they were students," said Rick Friedstrom, former president of THSHS.The money given by Powell then was matched by the classes of 1951 and 1958.In 2005, one of the original chandeliers returned home.Tim Degginger, owner of Degginger's Foundry and a THS alumnus, restored the original chandeliers and used the parts from the originals to make molds for the replicas.The chandeliers were removed from the cafeteria in the late 1950s. Barker said its still unknown what happened to the chandeliers after that time, but she believes they were stored for nearly 20 years before being given to people who wanted them.Now I know we have an owner who is not the brightest bulb in football's chandelier, no manager, no new signings and no hope. But, surely, this cannot be true.The replicas, made of aluminum, are safer and more economically feasible.The replicas, made of aluminum, are safer and more economically feasible.A recent project at Topeka High School has helped restore the original look to the school's cafteria.The project took about a year since the time it was approved, funded and the chandeliers made, said Janet Zoble, of Promark Management, of Topeka. Zoble, whose main client is Degginger's Foundry, did much of the initial work on the project, including Photoshop replications and drawings of the chandeliers in the cafeteria."They've all been placed in the same spot where the originals were," said Joan Barker, executive secretary of the Topeka High School Historical Society. She said electrical work needed to be done for the installations."What we figure is that they were taken down to modernize the space," Barker said. "They had been stored and who knows where? But you can imagine, they took up a lot of space. We figure from when a couple of these were returned to us, that it was probably the late seventies when they were just made available for people to take them."Twenty-four chandeliers, four original and 20 replicas, were installed in the cafeteria the week of July 13.The original chandeliers, which are made of cast iron and weigh approximately 50 pounds, were a part of the school when it opened in 1931.at (785) 295-1285

or adrielle.harvey@cjonline.com.

Author: Tomari Quinn