Statue of Will Rogers facts for kids
The Will Rogers statue was created by a sculptor named Jo Davidson. Two versions of this statue were shown to the public in 1938.
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About Will Rogers and His Statue
Will Rogers was a famous entertainer and social commentator. He sadly died in an airplane crash on August 15, 1935. Soon after, the state of Oklahoma decided to honor him. They passed a law to create a statue of Will Rogers. This statue would be their second one for the National Statuary Hall Collection. This special collection is located in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C..
Will Rogers' wife, Betty Rogers, suggested that Jo Davidson should create the statue. Davidson was chosen for the job.
How the Statue Was Made
Jo Davidson and Will Rogers had known each other for many years. Davidson had often tried to get Rogers to pose for him. But Rogers always put it off, jokingly calling Davidson "you old head-hunter."
To prepare for the statue, Davidson watched many films starring Will Rogers. Rogers had acted in dozens of movies, both silent and with sound. Davidson watched these films in his Paris studio. He said he "worked, talked and lived nothing but Will Rogers" during this time.
Next, Davidson found a model who was built like Rogers. He then shaped clay to look like Rogers. Mrs. Rogers sent him some of Will's old clothes. Davidson felt these clothes "still contained his personality." He put the clothes on the clay model.
Once the life-sized clay model was finished, Davidson made a plaster copy of it. He sent this copy to a foundry in Paris. A foundry is a place where metal statues are made. Two bronze statues were created there. One was for the National Statuary Hall Collection. The other was for the Will Rogers Memorial. This memorial had recently opened in Claremore, Oklahoma, which is near where Rogers was born.
When the Claremore statue was revealed, President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke about it. His message was broadcast live on radio across the country from his home in Hyde Park, New York.
Journey of the Plaster Copy
The original plaster copy was sent back to the U.S. It was given to the Will Rogers Memorial Fund (WRMF) in 1936. This fund was a charity started by the movie industry to honor Will Rogers.
The WRMF later took over from another charity called the National Vaudeville Artist Fund. This older fund helped vaudeville performers and ran a hospital for those with tuberculosis. The hospital was in Saranac Lake, New York. It was often called the NVA Lodge.
Because of an agreement between movie and vaudeville producers, the hospital's name changed. It became the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital. The plaster copy of the statue was displayed there until the hospital closed in 1974.
After the hospital closed, a research and teaching lab was started. It was called the Will Rogers Institute. This institute was at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, New York. The plaster copy was displayed there until 1997, when it moved to Los Angeles.
In 2004, the plaster copy was restored by Irena Calinescu. Today, it is kept safely by the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. This is the new name for the WRMF since 2002.
Unveiling in Washington, D.C.
The Will Rogers statue for Washington, D.C., was revealed in 1939. At the unveiling on June 6, Senator Joshua B. Lee spoke. He talked about how Will Rogers helped the United States during the Great Depression. Senator Lee said, "His humor was the safety valve for American Life." This means Rogers' jokes helped people feel better during tough times.
