The following press release went out today to local media outlets:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2012
CONTACT:Â Michael Edwards at the Snohomish Education Foundation: 206-940-5552 or michael@snoed.org.
The date is set for formal dedication of the newly installed bronze bust of Snohomish coaching icon Keith Gilbertson Sr. at Snohomish High School. It will take place Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, during halftime of the SHS girls basketball game against Mount Vernon.
The dedication event will also kick off a second phase of endowment fundraising for the Keith Gilbertson Sr. Memorial Scholarship at SHS.
Gilbertson, a 1945 SHS graduate, was a respected coach for 61 years at his alma mater, including the last 30 as an unpaid volunteer assistant, prior to his death in February of 2011 at age 83. He helped coach the girls basketball team from 1995 until the final weeks of his life. Inducted into multiple halls of fame, Gilbertson also coached football, boys basketball, cross country, track and baseball over his lengthy career at SHS and was a recognized genius in athletic training as well as a celebrated mentor and motivator.
Family and friends commissioned the bust by Seattle sculptor Louise McDowell, who previously sculpted the statue of legendary SHS football coach Dick Armstrong displayed at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Gilbertson bust is housed in a framed pillar in the foyer of the SHS gym facing the southwest entrance to the Keith Gilbertson Sr. Sports and Fitness Center. The pillar will also display donor recognition plaques with names of individuals or organizations making $100 or $500 donations to the Keith Gilbertson Sr. Memorial Scholarship endowment fund.
The scholarship, administered by the Snohomish Education Foundation, is awarded annually and provides $1,000 for college expenses to two graduating SHS seniors with ties to athletics. The scholarship is renewable each year for up to four years of college.
For more information about the scholarship or to honor the Gilbertson legacy with the purchase of a donor plaque, contact SEF board member Michael Edwards at 206-940-5552 or michael@snoed.org. Testimonials about Gilbertson and more stories and photos about the coach are also available online at http://CoachGilb.org.