Thomas Jefferson-University of Missouri Campus- Columbia
N 38° 56.774 W 092° 19.696
15S E 558210 N 4311024
Sculptor George Lundeen posed with his creation in bronze,
a seated Thomas Jefferson, when the sculpture was dedicated
on the University of Missouri's Francis Quadrangle in 2001.
Waymark Code: WMAK8N
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 01/24/2011
Views: 43
President Thomas Jefferson was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 (
visit link) from which the State of Missouri was carved in 1821. The Jefferson Club at Missouri University wanted a statue of Jefferson (
visit link) to commemorate Jefferson's role in the Louisiana Purchase and his founding of the University of Virginia. Furthermore, Missouuri University was the first institution of higher learning west of the Mississippi River and its campus reflected Jefferson's plan for the University of Virginia.
Sculptor George Lundeen (
visit link) was there to speak at the dedication at the invitation of the Jefferson Club and Missouri University President Elmer Ellis.
After the ceremony in 2001 I waited until the crowd and the media had dispersed and then asked sculptor Lundeen to pose with his seated Thomas Jefferson. He was most gracious to comply with my request.
That photo was taken a long time ago,but recently I revisited the campus in October 2010. The statue was near where ESPN's Game Day hosts did their television broadcast in preparation for a featured Missouri-Oklahoma football game that was to be nationally televised that weekend.
It was fun to see huge crowds in the quadrangle that day. The statue of the the seated Jefferson was being used for so many photo-ops with young students,families and football fans stopping at the statue. I am sure that the sculptor would be pleased to know of its popularity.
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Personal remarks:It took a while to find the old photo. I was still using a film camera then. However, the print scanned well, and now I have a most interesting WAYMARK with the subject of the work seated with the sculptor.
Jefferson's original gravestone from Monticello is a few steps away. (
visit link)
But, that's another story. Select nearest WAYMARKs to see it.