Union Local’s alumni are raising money to purchase a decommissioned F-16 for the district campus as a mark of school spirit and illustration of the motto: “Jets Aim High.” (Photo Provided)

Union Local School District alumni have long planned to obtain a mascot to match the district’s distinctive jet plane emblem.

Now an initiative spearheaded by Dirk Davis of Bethesda is aiming to bring a decommissioned F-16 to the district campus, but first a fundraising campaign is in the works.

“The F-16 is the … same emblem that the Union Local Jets use. It is a modern jet, still being used today,” he said. “The jets we’re sending over to the Ukraine right now are F-16s.”

The alumni group — the After Burners — started the project in 2018, but issues arose that have stalled the process.

“COVID delayed us, and then the inflation,” he said. “That delayed us.”

Davis commended Pete Busack, formerly of the Bethesda police force, and Union Local school board member Terry Puperi for assisting in connecting the alumni with U.S. Air Force officials who could provide decommissioned jets. If the project is successful, they will receive the “shell” of a jet with systems and equipment removed. The alumni will provide a base and stand for the jet.

Davis said they will need to raise a total of $125,000. This includes $15,000 for a base and stand; Worldwide Aircraft Recovery will charge $45,000 to disassemble the jet, $35,000 to transport and $12,000 reassemble it. The alumni must also raise $18,000 for perpetual care.

Davis said other possible additions include a wall featuring donors’ names and a fence.

“There is a timeline,” he said, adding that as of August 2021, the Air Force informed the alumni they had four years to make ready.

“Two years have already been by,” Davis said. “We’ve got two years to start getting the money together.”

Davis said the alumni are 18th in line with other groups to receive a jet.

“There’s other groups ahead of us, and if we get our money together quickly, we can get that jet quicker. They gave us a window of four years. We’ve only got two years left.”

He added he also expects fuel costs to eventually increase the cost of transportation, but as of now the prices have not changed.

“The plan going forward, I’ve just had a meeting last week with the Union Local alumni,” Davis said. “There’s 63 classes that graduated at Union Local, and we’re hoping we can get each class to donate.”

Davis said they will also reach out to the businesses and communities in the school district.

“No money comes out of Union Local. All this will be donation moneys from graduates, from businesses,” he said.

Davis said they hope to have the jet on campus in 2024-25.

“It depends on how quick we raise the money and how soon a jet becomes available,” he said. “There’s a waiting list.”

Davis said community members have offered assistance.

“We have to build the base, and James Lewis of Belmont, he’s taken that chore on,” Davis said, adding other graduates have offered to set the jet in place with a crane at no cost.

Drew Greenwood, shop teacher at Union Local, has said his class would provide facsimiles of missiles and armaments.

Davis said there have been four attempts to obtain a jet for the campus since 1960.

“This is the fifth time, and we’re going to do it,” he said, adding excitement is high. “If we get that jet over there, the response from all the kids that ever graduated Union Local, the parents, the kids, everything, you’ve got an emblem.”

He said a jet and the effort to bring it to campus would further solidify the school spirit among the relatively far-flung communities of the district.

“This will help make it Union Local. That’s what our group believes.”

Anyone interested in supporting the project should mail donations to P.O. Box 416, Bethesda, OH, 43719 and make checks payable to Jets “After Burners.” Anyone with questions can call Davis at 740-582-1888.