"Once Upon a Time..." starts most any tale worth telling
Stories of derring do, or fairy tales of bad-dude quelling
Every parent knows, the bond of reading is tight
Part of so many rituals -- as the ones that end, "Good night."
Good night, Dr. McConnell, may your legacy prosper and grow
For "Once Upon a Time..." ends "...Happily Ever After," you know.
This touching bronze sculpture of a mother (curled up on a couple large classics, including Shakespeare) reading to her squirming pre-K child is a moment well understood by any book-loving parent. A sweet tribute to Dr. Betty Jane McConnel, who co-founded the Salado Public Library.
Dedicated in December 2008, the sculpture is one of an edition of 10 (according to (
visit link) by award-winning Texas sculptor Ronnie Wells.
The bronze portion is 36x24 inches, and set upon a 'wedding cake' of 3 concrete slabs (the lowest slab is basically a footer for the top two rectangles). A simple bronze plaque on the front vertical surface of topmost 'cube' reads:
Dedicated in Memory of
Betty Jane McConnell
Co-founder and Volunteer of Salado Public Library
2008
A larger plaque on the horizontal surface of the middle rectangle reads:
"ONCE UPON A TIME"
BY RONNIE WELLS
followed by more information on the dedication, and three columns of acknowledgements.
The Salado Public Library futher memorializes "B.J." with the McConnell Conference Room.
Lovely tribute!
About the Dedication:
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Salado Public Library Dedication of the bronze sculpture “Once upon a time” commemorating co-founder of the Salado Public Library, Dr. B.J. McConnell. The event is on December 6 [2008] at 11 a.m. on the grounds of the Library, 1151 North Main Street, Salado. RSVP at 254-947-9191.
About Dr McConnell:
(Salado Voice Obituary 2008) (
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Dr. Betty Jane (Golter) McConnell
Dr. Betty Jane (Golter) McConnell, of Dallas after recently moving from Salado her home of more than 25 years, died on January 25, 2008 a dearly loved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. B.J., as she was called by so many, was born on September 28, 1923 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Feb. 2, at Christ Episcopal Church, 300 N. Main St. in Temple, Texas.. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Salado Public Library, P.O. Box 1178, Salado, Texas 76571.
A wife, a mother of six, a physician, an artist, a gentle friend - her family and her many friends associate all these with BJ.
There were fun dinners with friends of the supper club, duplicate bridge gatherings. BJ loved to travel, visiting England several times, Japan, Germany, Italy, and China. BJ was a sports enthusiast - loved to play golf and tennis. She was an avid artist, an active member of the Salado Village Artists. Two of her oils of Native American scenes, from a stay in Sante Fe with friends, were shown at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. She thoroughly enjoyed a month in Italy painting the countryside and studying art. BJ was a co-founder of the Salado Public Library, President of its board, and held several committee chairs. She belonged to several social organizations in Salado and Temple, among which were the PEO Sisterhood, Arno Art League and the Salado Historical Society.
BJ and her twin brother, Lowell (“Jim”), graduated from medical school at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. In the middle of her sophomore year, on July 1, 1944, she married a classmate, Robert McConnell (Bob). They all graduated with M.D. degrees on February 17, 1946. At the beginning of their junior year, she and Bob were recruited to the staff of the Cincinnati General Hospital, to the role of ‘extern’, involved with the direct care of patients, as most of the usual interns and residents were in military service.
BJ took her internship at Cincinnati General following graduation, from February 1946 until March 1947. On April 14, 1947 she gave birth to Barbara Ann McConnell. Over the next 13 years she delivered five more children: Patricia Ellen, Robert Glen, Marilyn Reed, Marcia Jean and Thomas Andrew.
Her husband Bob was asked to join the practice of a group of radiologists in Davenport, Iowa and the family moved there in January 1952. When their youngest, Tom, was three years old, BJ decided to learn about a new specialty in radiology, Nuclear Radiology (Nuclear Medicine). She and Bob were recruited to start a Nuclear Radiology department at St. Paul Hospital in Dallas, moving to Dallas in 1967. BJ undertook a year’s training in Internal Medicine and a year of further training in Nuclear Medicine at Southwestern Medical School. She became certified by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine in 1971.
Dr. McConnell was lauded by author Elizabeth Silverthorne in her book ‘Woman Pioneers in Texas Medicine’. She was on staff at Mercy Hospital in Davenport, Iowa, Parkland Hospital in Dallas, and was director of Nuclear Medicine at the Veterans Hospital in Dallas. In 1976 she became the Associate Director of the Nuclear Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School in Houston, and joined the staff at the Hermann Hospital in Houston. In 1982 she was asked to join the staff at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas, to enhance their program in Nuclear Medicine. In this regard she became an Associate Professor of Radiology of the Texas A&M University College of Medicine and was a member of its Admission Committee. She retired from the Scott & White Clinic in 1994.
As a member of the Texas Medical Association she was a delegate to the Interspecialty Society Council, Chairman of the ad hoc Committee on Volume Reduction of Radiation Waste and Chairman of the Nuclear Medicine Section. She was President of the Texas Association of Physicians in Nuclear Medicine and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Southwestern Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine. She authored or co-authored 21 articles on Nuclear Medicine, particularly related to kidney transplants and trauma to the chest and heart. She had several special exhibits at scientific meetings both nationally and internationally.
BJ is survived by her husband Dr. Robert McConnell, six children, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
About the Sculptor, Ronnie Wells:
(
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Artist Biography
Mr. Wells received a degree in fine arts from Louisiana Tech University in 1968. He has been a full-time professional artist for over twenty years. Ronnie and his wife Patricia, reside in Salado, Texas where they own and operate Wells Gallery.
Due to his unique ability to paint and sculpt, Mr. Wells has become a mainstay at wildlife exhibitions across the country. The pursuit of perfection and constant desire to seek realism has cemented his foothold as one of the nation's premiere wildlife artists.
Being an avid flyfisherman and duck hunter most of his life, Mr. Wells infuses a sportsman's insight in all his artwork.
Over the past few years Mr. Wells has become one of North America's top monumental bronze sculptors. One of his most recent monumental bronzes (a seven foot piece of two mallards landing) can be viewed at the Ducks Unlimited corporate headquarters in Memphis, TN.
Two links to the sculpture itself:
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