News : Creator of the Vinton Viking Mascot passes away

Wade Henkel is remembered for creating the original Vinton Viking, featured on the 1983 yearbook for the first time. Photo courtesy of Melody Snow

Courtesy of Melody Snow

A personal touch that Wade was known for in a yearbook. Courtesy of Jackie Bear

Some of Wade's earliest artwork from kindergarten, a birthday card. Photo courtesy of Kathy Dzewaltowski

A poor copy from a newspaper article about Wade creating the first Vinton Viking.

A second version, design unknown...for now.

This week, the Vinton Class of 1983 noted something that should be remembered. Before I get to that, we need to back up a few decades before the 1980s.

Before our now well known black and gold theme, the school colors were purple and gold. The sports teams for the Vinton schools were known as "The Purples." I have to admit, that name "The Purples" doesn't sound quite as intimidating as a Viking!

According to Vinton historian Tom Lynch, the Vinton "Vikings" came into being during the 1958 school year. Until this point, it would have been hard to come up with a mascot. (If anyone knows the history of how the Viking name was chosen, I'd love to know more about that!)

From 1958 until 1983 the idea of putting a face to a Viking mascot didn't seem to cross anyone's mind. And then Wade Henkel came into the picture.

Wade Henkel, a Washington High School graduate from the class of 1983 has the distinction of being the man who came up with the idea to design the very first Vinton Viking mascot. He drew, enlarged and then painted the mascot that hung in the then Washington High School. The painting was placed on the east wall of the student lounge in the school.

The first Viking was pictured seated on a white steed with the wind blowing the horse's mane, unlike the current Viking. In an article from that time, Wade said that he planned to go to college for commercial art and get more experience in the field. The original article about the Vikings mascot mentioned the firsts for Henkel, but failed to mention the firsts that the art teacher who came alongside him had as part of his history with the school.

The art teacher at the time. Mr. Val (short for Valmah) Patrilla, himself a Vinton graduate, received his diploma in 1944 from Vinton's Lincoln High School. Shortly after graduation, he enlisted with the Army serving from July of 1944 until May of 1946. A Purple Heart recipient, he returned home from Germany and began his adulthood as an employee with Edwards Plumbing and other locations. His education also continued at the Cummings School of Art in Des Moines; Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls; and he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Drake University in Des Moines.

When Patrilla returned to Vinton in 1959, he created the Art Department for the Vinton School District. Because he did, nearly 10 years later the program introduced Henkel to art. Throughout the years, classmates of Henkel noted that he created cards for fellow classmates even in Kindergarten. Into high school, he personalized yearbooks with not only his thoughts but with watercolors.

Little did he know that the senior yearbook for the class of 1983 would sport his creation of the Vinton Viking.

The creation of the Viking was designed and painted in one-hour increments over the course of about a month. Art teacher Patrilla said that he served as Wade's consultant during the project, but he made it clear that the entire design was Wade's.

The 4X6 foot painting started out on a sheet of paper but then had to be enlarged. This could have been done with the help of copiers at the time but in a limited way. Patrilla credited the design as being a good design that didn't have issues when it was enlarged.

The painting was originally set to be painted on one of the walls, but it was decided that it would be put on a moveable panel in case the wall needed to be repainted.

The Viking was the first time that Wade had used acrylics and the first time he had ever used a paint sprayer for his art. Wade learned to use it to paint the wall-sized work of art and he talked about using the base color as well as a top layer to help the colors play together better for the Viking.

Wade ended an interview at the time by saying, "It was a real challenge for me. It feels like I'm leaving a part of me with the school."

Yes, you did Wade. While your Viking has aged and changed, you gave him a face, something that the mascot didn't have before. While our Vinton Viking has changed over the years, the pride that goes with it hasn't.

The Class of 1983 remembers Wade with fondness and pride and extends our condolences to his family. To read Wade's obituary, click HERE.

(Thank you for the contributions from former classmates and for the historical additions Tom!)