Lester Glen Leutwiler (1907-1993) was an American Boy Scout, member of the Order of the Arrow, and the first portrayer of the “Chief Illiniwek” mascot at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Leutwiler was born in Urbana on April 1, 1907, to Oscar Adolf Leutwiler, a mechanical engineering professor at the University, and Elise Verena (Kaeser) Leutwiler. He received a degree in mechanical engineering from the University in 1929 and worked at Pet, Inc., for the majority of his career. In 1930, Lester married Anna Louise Still (1907-1989), a dietician and fellow graduate of the University of Illinois. The couple had three children, Ann (Gasaway), Jean (Brandenburger), and Robert Leutwiler.
Leutwiler developed a deep interest in Indigenous culture through his time in the Boy Scouts of America and frequently performed dances inspired by Indigenous culture at Urbana High School. In August 1924, Leutwiler traveled to Denmark to participate in the Boy Scout Jamboree, where he learned a Sioux dance from scoutmaster Ralph Hubbard. The following year, Leutwiler constructed the first pieces of what was to become the Chief Illiniwek regalia at Hubbard’s Camp Ten-Sleep in Elbert, Colorado. Leutwiler would continue to construct various headdresses and regalia throughout his three years as Chief.
On October 30, 1926, Lester Leutwiler debuted the Chief Illiniwek mascot at the halftime performance of the Illinois-University of Pennsylvania football game. Though the character, which originated from an amalgamation of Indigenous culture, existed prior to 1926, Leutwiler was the first to physically embody it. Performing with the University Band under the direction of A. A. Harding and Ray Dvorak, Leutwiler exchanged his tomahawk for a peace pipe and linked arms with Illinois student George Adams, playing the role of William Penn using a costume loaned by the competing university. By November 11, Chief Illiniwek had been declared a regular feature of Illini games. Leutwiler would portray the Chief until the end of the 1928 football season.
Leutwiler continued his association with the Boy Scouts of America through his role as a scoutmaster and made appearances at the University to mark anniversaries of the Chief’s debut. Leutwiler passed away on February 10, 1993. Various students would continue to perform as the Chief until the mascot’s retirement in 2007.
Sources:Guiliano, Jennifer Elizabeth. “An American Spectacle: College Mascots and the Performance of Tradition.” PhD diss. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2009.
“Lester Glen Leutwiler.” Find a Grave. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94465732/lester-glen-leutwiler.
“Lester Leutwiler; Retired Pet Executive.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 21, 1993.
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