Topeka High School

The Historical Society has been instrumental in the restoration of the woodwork at Topeka High School, including the work being done this summer on the stair railings.

Nine years ago, at Dave Clark’s 50th high school reunion, he heard a request from Joan Barker for assistance with refinishing the wooden tables and chairs in the teachers’ lunchroom and the library. If her intent was donations, she got much more than that with her request. As Dave said, “I think I was born with hammer in my hand. My dad traveled, so I was always doing things for my family.”

He went to Joan and told her he could do the work to refinish the pieces she needed. When she took him up on his offer, she was surprised at how quickly he got the work completed. As a person that sees his finished work daily in the library, I can attest to what quality work he does.

Since he began working closely with the Historical Society, he has refinished over 300 pieces including the:

•plywood walls of the Cavalier Room
•mailboxes and trim around the windows in the main office
•library tables and chairs
•chairs in the teachers’ lunchroom
•teacher desks
•Hall of Fame room plaques
•front entry desk
•library circulation desk

This summer he has tackled the stair railings. Be sure to look at the before photos of the railings to see the years of sweat, dirt, and oil that has built up despite the custodial staff’s best efforts to keep it clean.

The GUM on the railings was so old and cemented on in places, that when he was able to get it scraped off, he often found original finishing underneath.

Dave knew there were lots of staircases in THS, but he had no idea how many until he started removing them and he would see more railings to add to his to do list. According to his records, he has currently refinished 2.5 football fields of stair railings and anticipates doing over four fields.

In a typical week, he works 30-40 hours to finish between 13-15 railings. This means he spends roughly 3-5 hours per railing. His process includes stripping them twice, sanding, staining them twice, and three layers of varnish with a light sanding between each varnish layer.

Dave has a vested interest in Topeka High School. He graduated in 1967 and has four generations of graduates in his family. He believes a fifth generation attended, but can find no evidence that his great grandmother graduated. Currently, his grandson Brady is assisting with the removal and installation of railings—even though he is a TWHS graduate.

The young boy that learned to refinish wood with his mom when they worked on a table is now leaving a lasting imprint in the Halls of Troy. Dave has been on the THS Historical Society board for several years. He has been the board treasurer (we appreciate his banking background) and chairman of the Projects and Maintenance Committee. In his retirement he has a woodworking business 'Wood by Dave'.

Thank you for your work to restore the beauty of Topeka High School. The railings look incredible!

*If you would like to find out more information about the restoration process sponsored by the Historical Society, you can reach out to them to see how you can get involved. Topeka High School Historical Society