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STATUE SHAPES: Fund-Raising for Paul Harris Sculpture Project Progresses

July Installation of Sculpture in Rotary Park Projected by Don Carlyon

April 2, 2014       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Carl McCleskey and Betsy Scott, are husband and wife artists who create stunning bronze sculptures at their Wildlife Bronze studios in Cloudland, Georgia.
 
Newspaper to be replicated for Paul Harris statue was special edition published on March 8, 1934.

Fund-raising for an outdoor art sculpture in Bay City, a statue of Rotary Club founder Paul Harris seated on a park bench, is more than half completed, says Don Carlyon, co-chairman of the project.

He says the statue is scheduled to be installed in July in Rotary Park fronting the historic train Pere Marquette depot that now houses the Bay Area Community Foundation.

Carlyon and Jerome Yantz, C.P.A., have so far raised $26,000 toward the estimated $45,000 cost of the sculpture, including a pledge of $5,000 from the Rotary Club of Bay City Foundation, that also may advance funds against pledges and future fundraising, said Carlyon. He is the retired president of Delta College who along with Mr. Yantz is active in leadership of many community events and beneficial activities.

With pledges of more than $3,600 on hand from Rotarians, the amount needed for the project stands at about $20,000, according to Steve Kent, club secretary.

Rotary Club committee members besides Carlyon are Cindy Chadwick, Linda Heemstra, Bob Chadwick and Kathy Czerwinski.

Sculptor Carl McCleskey, of Cloudland, Georgia, has ordered the bronze statue from a foundry and will soon pick it up and put the finishing touches on the second Harris statue in the U.S., and the only one that will be accessible to the public.

McCleskey also was the sculptor for the statues outside the Alice and Jack Wirt Public Library at 500 Center Avenue.

Bronze sculptures created by Carl McCleskey grace places like Cypress Gardens, the Audubon Nature Institute, Toledo Zoo and a championship golf course designed by pro-golfer Greg Norman. Beer magnate August Busch III has also purchased a couple of McCleskey's bronze masterpieces.

McCleskey and his wife, Betsy Scott, are renowned sculptors and owners of Wildlife Bronze LLC in Cloudland, Ga. The couple admits they get much of their artistic wildlife inspiration from the beautiful setting where they live.

"We enjoy the outdoors and rural areas, and I do get much of my inspiration from Lookout Mountain and the surrounding scenic settings," says McCleskey, who started bronze sculpting as a hobby in 1990 and now can't keep up with all the job requests he receives.

Most of McCleskey's sculptures are of wild animals, but some, like those in Bay City, are of people.

A drop in the price of copper, a major component of bronze, made the project feasible since the original estimate was about $90,000, said Mr. Carlyon.

A park bench, obtained here, will be part of the sculpture. According to Mr. Carlyon, it was sent to McCleskey and will be joined with the bronze statue. The Harris figure will be reading a special Bay County Building dedication issue of The Times published on March 8, 1934.

Rob Clark, editor of The Bay City Times and Saginaw News, a Rotary Club member, was consulted on the project and has arranged for the statue to show Harris reading a copy of The Bay City Daily Times from the day of the dedication of the Bay County Building.

The inclusion of that issue of the newspaper is significant since any photos taken of the statue from the North will show the county building in the background, said Mr. Carlyon.



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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

More from Dave Rogers

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