College to dedicate bronze Thatcher
Statue will be dedicated as the third of nine statues for Liberty Walk project
Aaron Hummel
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: News
Another bronzed Brit will grace the Hillsdale College campus this spring, with the scheduled May 9 dedication of a larger than life statue of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Thatcher, who approved the construction of the statue and met with artist Bruce Wolfe for photographs, may attend the dedication ceremony if her health allows it, President Larry Arnn said Friday.
Arnn, who has visited Thatcher on nearly 10 occasions, said a statue of her is fitting because she helped bring an end to the Cold War and has always supported the principles of limited government.
"She came to power when I was living in England and she seemed monumentally good," he said. "She was just awesome when you'd see her giving speeches and facing her opponents, but what you think when you meet her is that she is very sweet. She reminds me of my mother-in-law."
The 1.43:1 scale statue will depict Thatcher in her late forties, seated and wearing business attire.
Wolfe, who spent nearly a year crafting the statue in a studio near his home in Piedmont, Calif., said this is only the second statue of Thatcher ever made.
The first stands in the Parliament building in London.
"It's very labor-intensive," he said. "In this case it's Margaret Thatcher and it's hard to do because she's 82 and I never knew her when she was Prime Minister."
"She's a cool lady," he said. "She needs dignity and respect."
Thatcher will be the third in a series of nine statues the college hopes to place around campus for a project called the Liberty Walk, Assistant to the President Mike Harner said. The George Washington statue in front of Moss Hall was the first in the series, followed by the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, which now stands in the Grewcock Student Union.
Designed to honor champions of freedom, the Liberty Walk statues will be placed around campus in locations fitting the person honored, Harner said.
The statues of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas, for example, will likely be placed near the Civil War monument in front of Central Hall when they are dedicated, he said.
Because she studied chemistry, Thatcher will be placed outside near the Strosacker Science Center.
Other historical figures to be cast in bronze are Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Ronald Reagan and Ransom Dunn, who was instrumental in raising support for the College during its early years, Harner said.
Artist Tony Frudakis '96, who also sculpted the Washington statue in front of Moss Hall, is completing statues of Jefferson and Lincoln, Harner said. Jefferson will likely be dedicated this fall, with Lincoln following sometime next year.
The last four statues have not yet been commissioned.
Arnn conceived the idea of placing statues of historical figures around campus the day he was hired, he said.
"The connection between duty and living and learning has always been fundamental here, and these statues represent that," Arnn said. "So it seems right to recognize them, especially here."
Each statue comes with an endowed scholarship that will be awarded to eligible students, Arnn said. The endowment sizes vary, but the Thatcher statue is endowed with a $25,000 scholarship.
For more statue stories, "target="_blank">click here.
Thatcher, who approved the construction of the statue and met with artist Bruce Wolfe for photographs, may attend the dedication ceremony if her health allows it, President Larry Arnn said Friday.
Arnn, who has visited Thatcher on nearly 10 occasions, said a statue of her is fitting because she helped bring an end to the Cold War and has always supported the principles of limited government.
"She came to power when I was living in England and she seemed monumentally good," he said. "She was just awesome when you'd see her giving speeches and facing her opponents, but what you think when you meet her is that she is very sweet. She reminds me of my mother-in-law."
The 1.43:1 scale statue will depict Thatcher in her late forties, seated and wearing business attire.
Wolfe, who spent nearly a year crafting the statue in a studio near his home in Piedmont, Calif., said this is only the second statue of Thatcher ever made.
The first stands in the Parliament building in London.
"It's very labor-intensive," he said. "In this case it's Margaret Thatcher and it's hard to do because she's 82 and I never knew her when she was Prime Minister."
"She's a cool lady," he said. "She needs dignity and respect."
Thatcher will be the third in a series of nine statues the college hopes to place around campus for a project called the Liberty Walk, Assistant to the President Mike Harner said. The George Washington statue in front of Moss Hall was the first in the series, followed by the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, which now stands in the Grewcock Student Union.
Designed to honor champions of freedom, the Liberty Walk statues will be placed around campus in locations fitting the person honored, Harner said.
The statues of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas, for example, will likely be placed near the Civil War monument in front of Central Hall when they are dedicated, he said.
Because she studied chemistry, Thatcher will be placed outside near the Strosacker Science Center.
Other historical figures to be cast in bronze are Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Ronald Reagan and Ransom Dunn, who was instrumental in raising support for the College during its early years, Harner said.
Artist Tony Frudakis '96, who also sculpted the Washington statue in front of Moss Hall, is completing statues of Jefferson and Lincoln, Harner said. Jefferson will likely be dedicated this fall, with Lincoln following sometime next year.
The last four statues have not yet been commissioned.
Arnn conceived the idea of placing statues of historical figures around campus the day he was hired, he said.
"The connection between duty and living and learning has always been fundamental here, and these statues represent that," Arnn said. "So it seems right to recognize them, especially here."
Each statue comes with an endowed scholarship that will be awarded to eligible students, Arnn said. The endowment sizes vary, but the Thatcher statue is endowed with a $25,000 scholarship.
For more statue stories, "target="_blank">click here.
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