NWI Innovators of the Month highlights Tom Clark, a 33-year history teacher at Lake Central High School who founded the nationally recognized Gold Star Honor Roll Project. This new Fellow leads an experiental learning project involving 5000 students over three decades collecting memorabilia and visiting families of those killed in Viet Nam and other U.S. wars. Also featured is Kyle Ayling, a 25-year old entrepreneur who coined the term “skatentrepreneur;” this new Member launched a “super grippy griptape” for the skateboarding industry.
This issue is for the media serving Jasper, Lake, La Porte, Newton, Porter, Pulaski and Starke Counties. The Society is part of Ivy Tech’s Gerald I. Lamkin Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center. For information, contact O’Merrial Butchee, Director, Lamkin I & E Center at (219) 981-4942, or John Davies, Managing Director, The Society of Innovators of NWI at (219) 981-1111, Ext. 2292.
Lake Central Teacher Approaching Milestone for Student Project
Over three decades of Lake Central High School students have recovered all but 23 photographs of U.S. service personnel from Indiana killed in Viet Nam, said Tom Clark, a U.S. history teacher. He has been honored nationally for his work in one of the nation’s longest running experiential learning initiatives called the Gold Star Honor Roll Project. More than 5000 students over three decades have been engaged in collecting memorabilia, validating records, and visiting families of U.S. personnel killed in Viet Nam and other wars.
“Only 9 states have recovered all their photographs,” Clark said, who was named a Fellow in the Society.
Given that Lake Central students have recovered over 1590 photographs, our state will likely lead the nation in the number of recovered photographs for a single state once all are found. The project started in 1986 when students from Clark’s classes volunteered to honor five students killed from Lake County. Clark gave special credit to student Doug DeVries who led this initiative. DeVries is now a history teacher at East Chicago Central High School. The following year, Clark’s students wanted to continue the project. This led to the discovery of 261 U.S. Soldiers and Marines killed from Lake County. All but one photograph – that of James E. Nunley – have been recovered.
“This is an incredible learning experience for Lake Central students,” Clark added. Now children of former students take Clark’s classes, making this a “multi-generational” program about lessons of national sacrifice.
Dyer Skateboarder Uses Social Media to Sell Products Globally
Skateboarder entrepreneur Kyle Ayling of Dyer just may be the Johnny Appleseed of planting a positive image of skateboarders globally with his “Skate Happy” imagery. Even as he prepares a new summer lineup of his Cloud 9 apparel and griptape – the tape skaters use to maintain their footing – this 25-year-old innovator is marketing more than a “super grippy” product. He inspires customers by sharing the origins of Cloud 9.
“Our company’s name stems from the Katy Perry song, ‘Wide Awake.’ She wrote the lyrics: ‘Yeah, I’m falling from Cloud Nine.’ Those words stayed with me. Somewhere in that moment, I realized I needed my own definition of happiness instead of comparing myself to someone else.”
He shared how the lyrics of Cloud 9 inspired him to pursue his dream. While moving beyond selling products out of his car, he is using social media like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to sell his Cloud 9 brand globally. His mission: Make a positive difference in the lives of customers by…”showcasing uniquely handcrafted products.”
Borrowing tips from Apple and Nike, Ayling recognizes the importance of emphasizing how his product offers less wear and tear on shoes. His idea came from the discovery that conventional griptape was causing skateboarders to go through shoes almost monthly. Meanwhile, he is planning a co-branding strategy with skateboarding shops to place their logos on his griptape and build their business while selling his brand. For details, click on www.cloud9griptape.com.