Remembering Mr. Levon Chase, 1923-2008

The OHS Alumni Association would like to take this opportunity to remember Mr. Levon Chase, Principal of Orofino High School from 1954 to 1982. "Younger" Maniacs may also remember Mr. Chase as an OHS substitute teacher after his retirement into the early 1990's.


From the Lewiston Morning Tribune, Sunday, December 28, 2008:

Levon E. Chase, 85, Orofino


Levon Earl Wendle Chase passed away Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008, at Clearwater Health and Rehabilitation in Orofino, due to complications of Parkinson's disease.

Levon came into this world at the family home in Lewiston on July 10, 1923, the second of four sons born to Charlie Irvin and Agnes Marie Eikum Chase. He lived in Reubens, where he started first grade at 5 years of age because they needed students to fill a class. Soon after first grade, upon his father becoming ill, the family moved to Lewiston, where his father passed away when Levon was 6.

He attended the Orchards School through eighth grade, then moved on to Lewiston High School, where he was active in the National Honor Society, baseball and football. Levon played on Lewiston's first American Legion baseball team during the summer of 1939.

After graduating from Lewiston High School in 1940, he attended Lewiston Normal School for one year, then transferred to the University of Idaho to play football. There he seriously injured his knee, putting an end to his football career at the UI. He returned to Lewiston Normal (now Lewis-Clark State College) in the spring of 1942 and was elected student body president in 1943. During his college days he played football, basketball and baseball for the college and for town teams against such opponents as the Harlem Globetrotters, the Kansas City Monarchs and the House of David baseball clubs. He had professional offers, being scouted by five different professional teams, all the while working for Potlatch, the Forest Service and McCann's Ranch during those college summers.

Upon graduating from Lewiston Normal, Levon began his illustrious teaching career at Genesee from 1943-1948; because of wartime, he was teacher, principal, coach and most likely janitor and bus driver. He returned to NICE in the fall of 1948 to earn his bachelor's degree in education and met his future bride, Nellie Bruce. Levon had many college honoraries, including Alpha Epsilon, I Club, student body president and Phi Beta Sigma. In 1949 he went south to Weiser, Idaho, where he coached and taught math and sciences at Weiser High School for two years. Parma (Idaho) High School was Levon's next career move; he taught sciences and was the high school principal there for three years. Levon earned his Master of Education degree during the summer of 1953, but didn't walk until the UI graduation of 1954.

During this time, he was officiating many basketball and football games from the local to the state level. In June 1954 he moved to Orofino, where he was the Orofino High School principal for 28 years. He was proud of his students and started National Honor Society chapters at any school where he taught that did not have one at that time. By his retirement in 1982, he was the "grandfather" of Idaho principals, being in one school longer than any other principal in Idaho.

Levon was a past member of the Masons in Genesee, a current member of the Lewiston Elks and lifetime member of the Idaho Education Association and National Education Association. He served two terms on the IEA executive board and helped to get the first IEA building in Boise. Through his association and membership in the Idaho High School Athletics Association, he helped organize the different leagues in the high schools around Orofino and held many positions in the athletic groups. Levon helped organize the youth baseball league in Orofino and was treasurer of that group. He was awarded the IHSAA Distinguished Service Award in 1987.

During the summers of 1956-1968, he worked for the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protection Association as a fire inspector, a job he loved and always looked forward to. Levon's service to the community of Orofino included the Orofino Chamber of Commerce, and after retirement he was active with the R.S.V.P., the Clearwater County Senior Citizens, Orofino meal site volunteer for many years and student teacher supervisor with LCSC. Among his many interests were hunting, fishing, gardening and photography, where his handiwork can be seen in any of 28 Orofino High School yearbooks. He was very adept at woodworking, fixing anything, helping anyone, loving children, and was a voracious reader (the genre: always factual history and definitely National Geographic!). Levon was very proud of his Norwegian heritage and his immigrant grandparents. He would tell fabulous stories about the wonderful Christmas Eve dinners of lutefisk, lefse and krumkake.

Levon is survived by his wife of 58 years, Nellie Lou Bruce, whom he met at NICE and married on June 4, 1950, in the Presbyterian Church in Lapwai. He is the father of, and survived by, three children and their spouses: Patricia and Lyman Larson, Richard and Becky Chase, and Charles and Christi Chase; four grandchildren and spouses: Jerimy and Amy Chase, Cindy and Aaron Patterson, Marta Larson and Chase Larson; three great-grandchildren: Logan Chase, Brooke Chase and Troy Patterson. Also surviving him are two brothers, Wayne Chase of Bloomington, Ind., and Palmer Chase of Orofino; along with two nieces and four nephews.

Levon was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Clinton Chase of Bloomington.

The family would like to thank all the many people who helped during Levon's illness. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Orofino High School Alumni Scholarship, P.O. Box 855, Orofino, ID 83544; or the Clearwater County Senior Citizens Inc., P.O. Box 95, Orofino, ID 83544.

Services were held at 10 a.m. Monday, December 29th at Pine Hills Funeral Chapel in Orofino. As Levon said, "It's better to be an hour early than a minute late." A reception followed at the Clearwater County Senior Citizens building with burial at Normal Hill Cemetery in Lewiston.