Bernard Ramsey Statue
Bernard Ramsey StatueCommissioned by Martha Woodruff PierceErected in 2004Infront of Moore College on North CampusBernard Bruce Ramsey (1915 -- 1996) was an executive with the Merrill Lynch brokerage firm, but more widely known for his contributions to the University of Georgia. Born in Macon, he graduated from Lanier High School before attending UGA at what is now the Terry College of Business. He received a degree in Commerce in 1937. Over the years he generously donated to UGA, culminating in a $20 million gift in 1993 and $34 million in his will. To date, he is the largest benefactor of the school. Not only does he have this statue on North Campus, but the recreation center and UGA’s prestigious Ramsey scholarship is dedicated in his name as well. The bronze statue of Ramsey sitting on a park bench with his arm raised in a comfortable fashion is meant to inspire the late donor’s welcoming attitude to those who receive the honors scholarship with his name attached to it. Martha Pierce, who pushed for the idea of the statue, stated that Ramsey’s vision and admiration for the school is meant to inspire future alumni to succeed and give back as Ramsey did. She also stated that she hopes taking pictures with the statue and remembering Ramsey’s legacy will become a tradition for graduates who benefit from the scholarship. “When seniors walk under the Arch, I would hope that Foundation Fellows and Ramsey Scholars would like to also sit next to [Ramsey] on the bench,” Pierce said in a Red & Black interview.
Statue of Abraham Baldwin
By artists Donald Haugen and Teena Stern Commissioned by the Alumni Association and erected in 2011Abraham Baldwin was an American politician, and Founding Father. He also founded and served as the first president of the University of Georgia, which he modeled after his alma mater, Yale. This statue stands at 7 feet, 6 inches tall, and sits atop a base made from a slab of Georgia marble. It stands in front of Old College in the heart of the original campus layout, which we now call North campus. The project was commissioned by the UGA Alumni association and was erected in 2011.Abraham Baldwin was one of only two Georgians to attend the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where he fought hard for states’ rights. This included his view that involvement in the slave trade should be determined by each individual state and not be abolished federally. UGA presents itself as a diverse, inclusive community where students of all ethnicities can pursue quality higher education, and to ignore the pro-slavery aspects of Abraham Baldwin’s beliefs, along with his establishment of UGA as an originally all-white institution does not support this message. This is why, despite being a topic that the University of Georgia often tries to distance itself from, it is an important one that deserves to be remembered and brought to contemporary discussion. What is one way you think UGA should address statues and buildings commemorating figures with controversial backgrounds?
"Field Cell" by Jack Kehoe
The Legacy of John Daniel "Jack" KehoeThe Field Cell sculpture was created by University of Georgia professor and sculptor John D. "Jack" Kehoe. Kehoe was a Lamar Dodd School of Art Professor Emeritus and the program founder for the UGA Cortona Studies Abroad Program who passed away in 2016. His metal sculpture, Field Cell, is located at the front of Denmark Hall at UGA and was dedicated to Dean Hubert B. Owens (the founder of UGA’s landscape architect program) in 1973. An internationally recognized sculptor, Kehoe founded the UGA Cortona Studies Abroad Program in 1970 and with the help of his wife, Marilyn, directed the program for twenty years. For Kehoe, the UGA Cortona Studies Abroad Program was more than just an academic trip. Kehoe was beloved by both the people of Cortona and UGA students and staff. Through these personal connections, Kehoe was able to create a unique and impactful experience for both the students of UGA and the citizens of Cortona that far surpassed a regular academic experience. For more information on the life of Jack Kehoe: https://cortona.uga.edu/about-uga-cortona/33-about/cortona-history/38-jack-kehoe
Statue at the Founders Memorial Garden
Sculpture in Founders Memorial GardenLeslie Thomas Posey (1900-1985+-)Dedicated to Founders Memorial Garden 1954The sculpture in the Founders Memorial Garden was created by Leslie Thomas Posey, a Sarasota FL native and US veteran. The statue features a young maiden draped in a loose, flowy garment as she holds a rose to her heart. She overlooks the French serpentine garden. It was dedicated to the Founders Memorial Garden at the University of Georgia in 1954 by the National Council of State Garden Clubs to commemorate the organization’s 25th anniversary. The American garden club movement was established here in Athens in 1891 as the Ladies’ Garden Club and the garden is dedicated to the twelve founding members. This statue’s original inscription reads “For every good thing has a beginning and the beginning was here”. An additional plaque was later added that bears the inscription “The Ice Follies Daffodils, Cloud Ballet Irises and Sunstruck Roses in this bed were painted by artist Annie Laurie Dodd for the Southern Garden Series watercolor print collection honoring the 75th anniversary of the Founders Memorial Garden (1939-2014) and the 125th anniversary (1891-2016) of the Ladies’ Garden Club, America’s first garden club”.
