The following article was published in the October 21st, 2010 Indian Hill Journal.
Indian Hill alumni have found a unique way to honor a former classmate.
Alumni from the class of 1979 have prepared and donated a bench in memory of Mark Groene, who died several years ago.
The bench was designed by former classmate Tim Englert, a development specialist for the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in New York.
Englert has made several of the benches for New York parks, but this is the first time he has created one which will be displayed in the Tristate.
The bench will be placed near the football field at Indian Hill High School. Groene had played on the school’s football team.
Lori Klinedinst, executive director of the Indian Hill Public Schools Foundation, said alumni came up with the idea during a 30th class reunion last year.
Englert and other alumni created the bench from a red cedar taken from Groene’s and a neighbor’s yard.
“It was a labor of love,” said Klinedinst, who is a resident of Indian Hill.
The Indian Hill Foundation helped coordinate the preparation of the bench.
“It really represents a community effort to recognize a classmate who was very well thought of,” said Superintendent Jane Knudson during last night’s Board of Education meeting.
Board President Tim Sharp complimented the work of the Foundation and the alumni.
“(The bench) will be a beautiful addition to the grounds,” he said.
The bench is 7 feet long and 15 inches in diameter.
A dedication of the bench will precede the football game at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, at the high school.
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