Socratic sculpture
Local resident lives the examined life cast in bronze
Thomas Currey
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Arts
Dick Stack lives a peaceful life, and those who meet him at Hillsdale College may see in his face something vaguely comforting, familiar and serene. Stack, a retired Hillsdale resident, was the model for the statue of Socrates near the main entrance of Mossey Library.
The statue's sculptor, Associate Professor of Art Anthony Frudakis, recalled meeting Stack shortly after the college hired him in the 1990s.
"He stopped by to say hello and to see who the new guy was, I guess," Frudakis said. "We're talking, and it suddenly occurs to me: 'This guy looks a lot like Socrates.'"
Shortly thereafter, Frudakis received a commission to sculpt a statue of Socrates for Athens Square Park in Astoria, the center of New York City's Greek community. Stack agreed to model, and his seven-foot bronze double now sits toga-enshrouded and immortalized near the heart of the city.
The real Stack, a retired teacher who once taught at Will Carleton Academy, often drives the Sunday shuttle from the college to St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and remains active in the community in other ways.
The statue in the library was a gift from college faculty and staff in 1995. Professor of Political Science Robert Eden heard about the project and spearheaded the effort to purchase the first small bronze cast of the clay original, Frudakis said.
"I had used Dick as a portrait model sometime back in the 1980s," Professor of Art Samuel Knecht said. "He has good bone structure and planes in his head that appeal to the artist's mind."
Senior Zach Hendrickson agreed.
"I think the real Socrates was much uglier than that," said Hendrickson, a library employee who has logged many hours at the checkout desk facing the statue. "I like to picture all the statues in the library coming to life during the night, and I figured Socrates would have to hide from the giant eagles. Perhaps Winston Churchill would protect him, because he's a big fan of Plato and the Greco-Roman traditions."
Stack, meanwhile, remains humble about the statue.
"To put it in perspective, [the statue in Astoria] is also a pigeon roost," he said. "I may be eternal, but those pigeons will always be crapping on me."
The statue's sculptor, Associate Professor of Art Anthony Frudakis, recalled meeting Stack shortly after the college hired him in the 1990s.
"He stopped by to say hello and to see who the new guy was, I guess," Frudakis said. "We're talking, and it suddenly occurs to me: 'This guy looks a lot like Socrates.'"
Shortly thereafter, Frudakis received a commission to sculpt a statue of Socrates for Athens Square Park in Astoria, the center of New York City's Greek community. Stack agreed to model, and his seven-foot bronze double now sits toga-enshrouded and immortalized near the heart of the city.
The real Stack, a retired teacher who once taught at Will Carleton Academy, often drives the Sunday shuttle from the college to St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and remains active in the community in other ways.
The statue in the library was a gift from college faculty and staff in 1995. Professor of Political Science Robert Eden heard about the project and spearheaded the effort to purchase the first small bronze cast of the clay original, Frudakis said.
"I had used Dick as a portrait model sometime back in the 1980s," Professor of Art Samuel Knecht said. "He has good bone structure and planes in his head that appeal to the artist's mind."
Senior Zach Hendrickson agreed.
"I think the real Socrates was much uglier than that," said Hendrickson, a library employee who has logged many hours at the checkout desk facing the statue. "I like to picture all the statues in the library coming to life during the night, and I figured Socrates would have to hide from the giant eagles. Perhaps Winston Churchill would protect him, because he's a big fan of Plato and the Greco-Roman traditions."
Stack, meanwhile, remains humble about the statue.
"To put it in perspective, [the statue in Astoria] is also a pigeon roost," he said. "I may be eternal, but those pigeons will always be crapping on me."
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