This award recognizes non-alumni for demonstrated loyalty and devotion to Wittenberg University that is exemplary to alumni and to those who have long and well served the institution and have worked diligently to sustain it.
Kenneth E. Lake
Closer to home, Kenny Lake has not only helped to preserve and maintain Wittenberg's past, but he has strengthened its future through his skilled hands and caring heart as the university's carpenter foreman. A native of Springfield, Lake originally worked for Pauley Construction, which was hired to build Thomas Library in 1980. Two years later, he was hired by Wittenberg, and 25 years later, his craftsmanship is evident everywhere on campus.
From building the oak cross that hangs beneath the arch on Weaver Chapel's altar and the marble Veler chapel to Wittenberg's first computer lab and the recent rebuilding of the historic Kissing Bridge, Lake has literally had a hand in much of what defines Wittenberg. In 2006, Lake created another masterpiece when he helped the class of 2006 begin a new tradition at Commencement. After months of research and design work, Lake crafted an original Wittenberg torch, modeled after the one that appears on the university's Seal, which each class now physically passes to the next class during graduation.
His creativity can also be seen in the restored Myers Hall cupola to accommodate the hanging of the bell, given by the classes of 1992-93, as well as in the setting up of approximately 12,350 chairs throughout his career for Commencement, a ceremony that still inspires him each year.