The Four Chaplains monument - Arbor Crest Cemetery - Ann Arbor, Michigan
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member GT.US
N 42° 17.462 W 083° 42.576
17T E 276614 N 4685645
This marble monument is a memorial to the four chaplains who gave away their own life jackets to save the troops aboard the Dorchester.
Waymark Code: WM5RJ9
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 02/07/2009
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member GA Cacher
Views: 5

The Smitsonian website (visit link) provides the following information:

Artist: Angell, Carleton W., 1887-1963, sculptor.
Zuckermann, Bernhard, 1912-1980, sculptor.

Title: The Four Chaplains Monument, (sculpture).

Dates: Dedicated Memorial Day 1954.

Digital Reference:

Medium: Sculpture: marble; Base: brick.

Dimensions: Overall: approx. H. 25 ft.

Inscription: C W Angell sc (On front, below relief:) THEIR EXAMPLE HAS INSPIRED AND STRENGTHENED MEN/EVERYWHERE MEN OF ALL FAITHS CAN BE PROUD THAT/THESE MEN OF DIFFERENT FAITHS DIED TOGETHER (On panel on right of base:) IN THEIR LIGHT/SHALL WE/SEE LIGHT/CLARK V. POLING/GEORGE L. FOX signed

Description: Marker with shallow relief depicts four men standing at a ship's railing while waves encroach on the ship. The men, military chaplains John Washington, Alexander Goode, Clark V. Poling and George L. Fox all wear heavy coats and gaze into the distance. To the upper left of the relief are four emblems with military insignias. To the upper right is a pair of pillars with incised Roman numerals of one through ten. The pillars are topped with a Star of David and are flanked by a pair of Crosses.

Subject: History -- United States -- World War II
Portrait male -- Washington, John -- Waist length
Portrait male -- Goode, Alexander -- Waist length
Portrait male -- Poling, Clark V. -- Waist length
Portrait male -- Fox, George L. -- Waist length
Occupation -- Religion -- Clergy
Emblem -- Military Insignia
Emblem -- Cross
Emblem -- Star of David
Architecture -- Boat -- Dorchester

Object Type: Outdoor Sculpture -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor
Relief
Sculpture

Owner: Arbor Crest Memorial Park, 2521 Glazier Way, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Remarks: The sculpture was carved by Bernhard Zuckermann based on a model by C. W. Angell. The men depicted in the sculpture, Washington, Goode, Clark Poling and Fox, Catholic, Jewish and (two) Protestant chaplains respectively, were aboard the troop transport ship the "Dorchester" when it was torpedoed and sunk on Feb. 3, 1943. They aided the troops in abandoning the ship and gave away their own life jackets. They were among the 678 who went down with the ship. IAS files contain an unpublished excerpt from Einar Kvaran's "An Annotated Inventory of Outdoor Sculpture in Washtenaw County," 1989. For related reading, see "Mine Eyes Have Seen," by Daniel Poling, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1959, pg. 202-205, Time Magazine, Dec. 1, 1944, pg. 73 and the Ypsilanti Press, May 26, 1954.



Website pertaining to the memorial: [Web Link]

List if there are any visiting hours:
Michigan Cemeteries are closed by law from sunset to sunrise.


Entrance fees (if it applies): 0

Type of memorial: Monument

Visit Instructions:

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bobfrapples8 visited The Four Chaplains monument - Arbor Crest Cemetery - Ann Arbor, Michigan 06/03/2022 bobfrapples8 visited it