Mark Twain - Edmond, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 40.992 W 097° 29.321
14S E 636759 N 3949863
Mark Twain is sitting at the entrance to the Touchmark at Coffee Creek retirement community.
Waymark Code: WMJZ09
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 01/19/2014
Views: 17
On the north side of Edmond is a large retirement community, including homes, apartments, and assisted living facilities. This sculpture of Mark Twain is a bronze life-sized work which has Twain sitting on a metal park bench. He is sitting at one end, with his legs crossed, his head erect, and his hands folded at his knees, holding a small open book. Since it was Winter at the time of our visit, some local Edmonite had added a scarf and knitted cap to our famous author.
He is easily recognizable with his large mustache and heavy eyebrows, and an expression which appears to be alert, intelligent, and slightly mischievous. He is dressed in a three-piece suit with a bow tie.
A bronze plaque at his feet reads:
MARK TWAIN
By Gary Price
Purchased by
R.C. and Billie Van Nostrand
Partnering with
Edmond Visual Arts Commission
June 2013
Mark Twain is the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (11/30/1835 - 4/21/1910). He is the well-known author of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He was born in Missouri, and grew up along the Mississippi River, the setting for his famous novels. Apprenticing at a printer as a young child, he worked as a typesetter, and later submitted articles and stories for newspapers. He even worked as a riverboat pilot for a while, before heading west to try his luck at mining. He was a humorist and friend to presidents, artists, industrialists and even European royalty. Over his life, Mark Twain earned and lost fortunes, and at one time was forced into bankruptcy. A man of honor, he later paid back all his former creditors, even though not legally obligated to do so. Mark Twain died of a heart attack at the age of 74.