Dr. Rick Cernovich, Kim Cernovich and several members of their family were on hand Friday night at Kewanee High School Stadium for the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the newly constructed Cernovich Fieldhouse.
The 2,800-square-foot facility is located at the south end of the football field, adjacent to the old fieldhouse. It has 80 individual lockers, restrooms and showers for the football and track programs at KHS.
“Countless students will benefit from the new facility,” stated Dr. Chris Sullens, superintendent of the Kewanee School District. “The old fieldhouse was built in 1938, and although it served its purpose since that time, a new facility was much needed.”
Rick and Kim Cernovich were granted permanent naming rights in exchange for donations received by the Kewanee Schools Foundation totaling $250,000. Their wish is to honor and memorialize their fathers, George and Mike Cernovich, respectively.
An alum of KHS (Class of 1972), Dr. Cernovich has been in family practice for 36 years. Owner of the Sheffield Family Medical Center, he has served on the Kewanee School Board and was on the original board of the Foundation.
Both he and his father, George (Class of 1952), are KHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. Rick also was named an Honorary Boilermaker in 2019. George owned and operated a Clark Oil station in Kewanee for 30 years.
Also an alum (Class of 1977), Kim is the owner of Cernovich Auto & Truck Wreck, Inc. His father, Mike (Class of 1945), retired as an Illinois State Trooper, a position he held for 29 years. He founded M & K, which later became Cernovich Auto & Truck Wreck, Inc.
The Kewanee Schools Foundation has been selling the right to name a locker in the new fieldhouse (i.e. name and class year inscribed on a plate above each locker) to KHS athletes for $1,000 per locker. So far, 58 of the 80 available have been sold.
If interested, please contact Liz Breedlove, Executive Director of Kewanee Schools Foundation for further information at (309) 856-8702 or lbreedlove@ksf229.org. All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
