Give the man room : $b The story of Gutzon BorglumCasey, Robert J. (Robert Joseph)
General
Give the man room : $b The story of Gutzon Borglum
Casey, Robert J. (Robert Joseph)
Borglum, Gutzon, 1867-1941
Doane Robinson, Senator Norbeck and William Williamson occupied seats in
the front row of the platform, with John Boland immediately behind. The
President remained in his automobile throughout the ceremony, with his
party, including Governor Berry of South Dakota, around him. It was
Senator Norbeck’s last public appearance. At the end he smiled and
handed to Gutzon a note of a few lines reminding him touchingly of the
satisfaction he must feel to see this accomplishment.
At this time, the summer of 1936, the work on the Lincoln face had
advanced enough to show his eyes and part of his nose. It was pushed on
so that on September 17, 1937, the 150th anniversary of the adoption of
the Constitution, this head also was ready for unveiling.
For years Gutzon had been undecided whether to carve Lincoln with or
without a beard. He had tried it both ways in other carvings with almost
equal effect. But he had a feeling that a beard added strength to the
face and that the world was more familiar with a bearded Lincoln. That
was the face he finally decided to carve. He sent a small model of it to
Franklin Roosevelt, carrying out his promise that Roosevelt would be the
first to know.
The Lincoln head was dedicated on schedule and for the first time a
Rushmore program was carried by radio broadcast to the entire country.
Former Congressman Williamson, a member of the Rushmore Commission,
presided. United States Senator Edward R. Burke was chief speaker. There
was an impressive moment when the sculptor called the roll of “all those
friends of Rushmore whose understanding sympathy and instant aid made
this great memorial possible, and who are now with the gods--Calvin
Coolidge, Peter Norbeck, James Cullinan.” Then taps sounded from the
distant heights. The trooper who blew the call was suspended from the
side of Washington’s head, a quarter of a mile away.
During the rest of 1937 much work was done on the Roosevelt head. Gutzon
wanted it in condition to photograph for the appropriations committee.
He himself had to spend much time in Washington worrying about the
financing. He also made a brief trip to France to look after the
erection of his statue of Tom Paine, modeled in the Hermosa studio.
As a model for Roosevelt he used a bust of the President that he had
made during his lifetime. There was trouble finding stone enough for the
head. He had to go back 120 feet in the rock before the model could be
fitted. This was trying work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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