An Estevan man has a new wood carving sculpture, and it’s a tribute to his family’s past.
Randy LaCoste had a wooden alligator carved by Darren Jones, the Alberta chainsaw sculptor who transformed trees into the Estevan Soldiers’ Tree monument, the Forever in the Clouds monument and other carvings in the city.
Jones carved an alligator for LaCoste, using a spruce tree that he found between Estevan and Hitchcock that had been damaged by the wind.
LaCoste said he is a descendent to Rene LaCoste, a famed tennis player who also started a tennis clothing line that famously has a crocodile as a logo; many believe the logo is an alligator.
“Two (LaCoste) brothers came over from France. One (Rene) went to the States and one came to Canada,” said LaCoste.
Fans gave LaCoste the nickname The Crocodile.
“I remember my mom telling me that we were related to him, and how he got the nickname of The Crocodile, because his serve was so vicious,” said LaCoste.
Since the logo for the clothing line looks more like an alligator than a crocodile, Randy LaCoste went with the alligator for the entrance to his property.
LaCoste said he looks forward to having a sign above the alligator that indicates it is home to the LaCoste family.
The sculpture is bigger than what he expected, but Randy LaCoste is still pleased with how it turned out.
