Statue
The first life-sized statue of the late Barbara Jordan resides in the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Created by California artist Bruce Wolfe, the bronze sculpture depicts Jordan seated, in deep thought, with her finger tips pressed together; her glasses and a book placed in her lap.
statue
A near-constant flow of people arrive daily at the bottom of the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to snap a picture with the Rocky statue, originally created for a scene in Rocky III and now a real-life monument to a celluloid hero who endures as a favorite fictional son of the City of Brotherly Love.
The Joe Paterno statue was removed Sunday morning from its pedestal outside Beaver Stadium, and it will be stored in an unnamed "secure location," Penn State president Rodney Erickson announced. Erickson also said the Paterno name will remain on the university's library.
The work crew then removed the 7-foot, 900-pound bronze statue by forklift and placed it into the lower level of the stadium. Erickson released his highly sensitive decision to the public at 7 a.m. ET Sunday.
Paterno's widow, Sue, and two of the Paternos' children visited the statue Friday as students and fans lined up to get their pictures taken with the landmark. The statue was built in 2001 in honor of Paterno's record-setting 324th Division I coaching victory and his "contributions to the university."
Erickson's decision to remove the statue but keep the Paterno name on the library appears to be the product of compromise. Keeping his name on the library does not entirely disconnect Penn State from Paterno's contributions -- from the millions of dollars he donated to his 61-year coaching career to the university's academic life.
"I now believe that, contrary to is original intention, Coach Paterno's statue has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing in our university and beyond," Erickson said in his 592-word statement. "For that reason, I have decided that it is in the best interest of our university and public safety to remove the statue and store it in a secure location."
If the statue of Paterno, his right index finger raised in a No. 1 salute, had remained in its current location, Erickson said he believed it would "be a recurring wound to the multitude of individuals across the nation and beyond who have been the victims of child abuse."
Erickson did not say where the statue would be kept. He also did not say whether it would be later placed in a public place for viewing or placed into storage. Trustees over the past two days who have spoken with Erickson said two possible locations have been discussed: the Penn State sports museum and the library, which still bears the Paterno family name.
Erickson's decision comes at an especially sensitive time for the university. Trustees and administrators are the subject of an NCAA investigation, and several trustees have said that if the statue remained it could weigh as a negative symbol in the NCAA's discussions on a punishment for the football program.
In many of those conversations, trustees and university officials said they hoped that if the statue would be removed, it would send a positive message to the NCAA that Penn State was "moving forward" past its symbolic embrace of Paterno.
The issue of the appropriateness of the Paterno name on the library has received far less attention as the future of the statue, which was paid for by a group of about 35 alumni and their spouses in the late 1990s.
The issue quickly divided the country and the Penn State community. Commentators argued about the symbolism of the statue, from college coaching legends like Bobby Bowden to iconic stars of the football team like Franco Harris. For three days last week, a small plane pulled a banner over State College that read, "Take the statue down or we will." Several nights last week, a handful of students guarded the statue from vandals. On some days, a campus auxiliary police officer guarded the statue.
The bronze statue of Paterno has been a place for supporters to rally and pray since the coach's death on Jan. 22. One late night after Paterno died, one of his sons, Jay Paterno, visited the statue and had his photograph taken with fans. Supporters have placed flowers and signs at the statue's foot, most supportive of Paterno. On Friday, Joe Paterno's widow, Sue Paterno, visited the statue with her two daughters, accompanied by Harris and trustee Anthony Lubrano. The Paternos took pictures of the statue.
Late last week, the trustees and Erickson decided whether to remove statue should be an administration decision. As recently as Friday, some trustees expressed fury that the statue might be taken down.
Dozens later gathered to watch and listen to the sound of sawing, scraping and shoveling as white-helmeted workers behind tarpaulins removed Paterno's name and various plaques from the walls behind where the statue had stood. Shortly before midday, all that appeared to remain was the bare concrete and stone.
Derek Leonard, 31, a university construction project coordinator who grew up in the area, said the construction workers on the project told him it was like watching a funeral when the statue was lowered onto the truck and then rolled away. He didn't completely agree with the decision but worried more that the NCAA would shut down the football program.
Colby Walk, 40, who grew up in the Penn State area, wondered why an NCAA punishment was necessary, given the criminal charges, officials fired or forced out, Paterno's death and now the statue's removal.
Diane Byerly, who traveled from Harrisburg in the morning when she heard the statue was coming down, wondered if the university was trying to make a symbolic gesture in hopes of lessening the NCAA's penalty.
Construction along Champions Way (the drive that leads to the statue) will necessitate the temporary removal and storage of the statue, which serves as a popular point on campus for photos by students, graduates, visitors, fans and friends of the university.
The statue will enter storage on May 1 as construction gets underway. Current planning calls for the statue to remain in storage through summer 2025, when it will be restored to a new location in the same vicinity. Currently, the new indoor practice facility, to be located at the site of the Sheakley Athletic Complex on Champion Way, is scheduled for completion by August 2024 and the adjacent Athletic Performance Center is scheduled for completion in Spring 2025.
Criterion (i): This colossal statue is a masterpiece of the human spirit. The collaboration between the sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi and the engineer Gustave Eiffel resulted in the production of a technological wonder that brings together art and engineering in a new and powerful way.
In a moment of reckoning and reimagining for monuments, why do millions of people each year from around the world visit Philly's Rocky Statue? What does a statue celebrating a fictional boxer tell us about how we memorialize some stories over others? Monument Lab's Paul Farber dives deep into the story of the statue to the greatest Philadelphian who never lived.
The Alumni Board of Directors is excited to present the third annual Winter Carnival "Snow" Statue Contest. Alumni and friends were invited to create their very own snow statue that reflects this year's Winter Carnival theme, Tasty Foods for Wintry Moods.
Red Grange will forever be a focal point as fans enter Memorial Stadium as former Director of Athletics, Ron Guenther, said the UI had several Illini greats to choose from for the proposed statue when renovations on the stadium began in 2006, but Grange stood out from all others. In 2009, a 12-foot statue of Red Grange was dedicated as the capstone of Memorial Stadium's "Illinois Renaissance" renovations. The bronze statue of Grange sits outside the west side of Memorial Stadium, and was created by sculptor George Lundeen, who earned a master's degree in fine arts at Illinois in 1973. The one-ton statue sits on a 14- to 18-foot base made from the same brick and limestone used on Memorial Stadium. While the statue is twice Grange's height, the figure is actually cubed, which makes him eight times bigger than life size. Since its arrival, Illini and visiting fans have been flocking to the statue for photos on game day.
Albert Gallatin was the fourth and longest serving Treasury Secretary of the United States (1801-1814). The statue was created by American sculptor James Earl Frazier who also sculpted the Alexander Hamilton statue on the south plaza.
Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury and in tribute, his statue graces the plaza of the south wing of the Treasury building. Hamilton served as Secretary under President George Washington.
The south plaza, with the statue of Alexander Hamilton looking over the ceremony, was the location of the dedication ceremony when the Treasury building was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 10, 1972.
In January 1994, Schanwald hired the husband-wife team of Omri and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany of Highland Park, Illinois, to design and create a statue of the then retired Bulls superstar which would stand forever at the entrance to the United Center, the Bulls' new home, which was set to open in August of that same year. Schanwald sought a design which would be a realistic depiction of Jordan, illustrate the spectacular nature of his unique skill, and create the illusion of flight. Following a review of submissions by a number of sculptors, the now familiar design submitted by the Amaranys was approved by Jerry Reinsdorf.
The statue, unveiled before a national television audience by Larry King, Reinsdorf and Jordan himself in a November 1, 1994 ceremony at which the famous No. 23 was retired, sits on a 5-foot high black granite base inscribed with Jordan's basketball achievements, and the words, "The best there ever was. The best there ever will be."
The statue itself measures 12 feet tall (17 feet from top to bottom) and weighs 2,000 pounds. The statue was cast in bronze using the "lost wax" method at Art Casting of Illinois, a foundry in Oregon, Illinois. 041b061a72