Kiska VI is No. 1 with Dieruff
Curt Swoyer is a 1972 Dieruff High graduate.
Last year he organized a 50th-anniversary class reunion and he wanted Kiska, the Husky that serves as Dieruff ’s mascot, to be at the reunion.
“I came to find out that due to circumstances that we didn’t have a current Kiska,” Swoyer said. “Kiska V died in February of 2022. So,\ I wanted to do something … .”
Swoyer went out and found a pair of Huskies about 11 miles from his house in Tower City, Schuylkill County. He posted pictures of the two on the Dieruff alumni page and on the Class of 1972 page.
“I had everybody take a vote, and one of them got 16 votes and the other got 51,” he said. “So it was pretty clear who they wanted the new mascot to be.”
Swoyer bought the dog and took Kiska VI to Dieruff to introduce her to school officials.
“That day happened to be teacher orientation day, and we took her down to meet all the teachers, including those from other schools,” Swoyer said. “They all loved her. Since then she’s been at too many Dieruff events to count. “She’s been a great one.” By taking care of Kiska VI, Swoyer has been able to maintain a tradition started by Dieruff trainer John “Doc” Warmkessel in the 1960s. Kiska was intended to be a unifying force for a school comprised of kids from different backgrounds and ethnic groups.
The tradition was taken over by Dieruff teacher Karen Coleman in 1976. She took over Kiska II and three other Kiskas for more than 45 years and with great help from her late husband, Ron, who was a master sergeant and an instructor in Dieruff ’s Air Force junior ROTC program. They raised and took care of Kiska III, IV and V.
But when Kiska V died in February of last year, Karen Coleman, who was known as Kiska’s mom to generations of Dieruff students, felt she could no longer raise and care for another Husky by herself. That’s where Swoyer stepped in. Kiska VI was at Dieruff football’s season opener against Liberty on Friday night and then was at East Side Youth Center’s youth football games against the Bethlehem Bulldogs on Sunday and was also there to greet the students on their first day of school on Monday.
“Any event that’s going during a weekend, I can bring her,” Swoyer said. “I come down from Tower City, and it’s about an hour-and-ahalf drive. But on weekends I have friends in Topton I can stay with so I don’t have to go back and forth.
“And I try to get to more than football games. All Dieruff kids love her, not just the football team, so I try to get to basketball games, volleyball matches, baseball games and other sports. Every time they see her, the kids get excited and they rush over to her, and she’s so good with them.”
Swoyer said it costs him at least $40 in gas to bring Kiska VI from Tower City to Allentown, and there are efforts being made to compensate him for that cost. He would gladly accept gas cards or Rachael Ray’s Nutrish dog food to help with costs.
But he’s happy to keep up the Dieruff tradition of having one of the few live mascots in local sports.
“I’m big on tradition, and I’m a person who’s big on making sure something gets done,” he said. “If something needs to be done, I’ll step up and do it.
“I couldn’t see Dieruff ’s tradition of having a live mascot fall by the wayside. I only hope that in 10, 12, 14 years, when her time comes, that someone else will step up.”
Swoyer said the most gratification he receives is seeing little kids come up to Kiska and the smiles on their faces as she greets them.
“She has a great personality, and a lot of people have thanked me for picking such a lovely, friendly dog,” he said. “But it wasn’t my choice.
“The choice was up to the alumni and everybody who voted. All I did was raise her up and take her to a few classes to train her. And we did some auxiliary training at home.”
At a recent ESYC game the attention given to Kiska VI was nonstop. She has become something of a good-luck charm for the Little Huskies.
The late John Hughes, who helped to start the Dieruff Alumni Association and didn’t miss a Husky event until his death in July, got to meet the new Kiska and loved her.
“He would drop his bag, get out his camera and start taking pictures every time he saw her,” said Joni Tedesco, who like Swoyer is a member of Dieruff ’s Class of 1972.
“Kiska attended John’s viewing and funeral, and his wife, Ginny, told us that Kiska being there would have made John so happy because he loved all of the Kiskas and he loved Dieruff.”
Hall of Fame reminder: The Lehigh Valley Softball Hall of Fame will induct three new members Sept. 6 at Allentown’s Patriots Park.
The new inductees include Northampton coach and former Konkrete Kids and Kutztown University standout Kristy Henritzy; Allen High graduate and local men’s fastpitch standout Mike Pessina; and former Bethlehem pitching star and Liberty softball coach Jimmy Lees.
The ceremony will be held at approximately 7 p.m. between games of a girls doubleheader involving the Lehigh Valley Flames U16 team. The first game starts at 5:15 p.m.
This is the 22nd induction class and will bring the total number of inductees to 103.
Barkley boosts Canaries: Saquon Barkley may have played high school football at Whitehall, but he has shown he cares about all Lehigh Valley schools. That was evident when he donated new Nike cleats to the Allen football team through his Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation.
“Saquon’s generous donation of cleats for our football team is a testament of his continuous support for inner-city youth,” Allen athletic director Randy Atiyeh said. “Having known him and his family from their days at Whitehall High School, I can vouch for their character and commitment to community service.
“This gesture is not about the cleats, but the message it carries. Successful athletes like Saquon have not forgotten their roots and are keen to uplift the next generation. For our student-athletes ... it is a beacon of hope and a validation of their dreams.
“We are fortunate to have someone like Saquon who uses his influence to positively impact our youth.”