The E. M. Viquesney "Spirit of the American Doughboy" Database
Photo: Colson Art.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA
N 27° 20.063 / W 082° 32.640
1998 cast bronze replica molded from 1920 copyright version.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Number: NO ENTRY.
1998 cast bronze replica molded from 1920 copyright version.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Number: NO ENTRY.
In Rev. J. D. Hamel Park near the South corner of Main Street and South Gulfstream Ave., across the street from the large Gulfstream Towers apartment complex (a sidewalk path leads from the South corner directly to the statue).
There are a number of plaques mounted around the impressive octagonal base. At least two of them bear identical inscriptions for World Wars I and II, and probably other wars. They read:
IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE
VALIANT OF SARASOTA
COUNTY WHO GAVE THEIR
LIVES TO PRESERVE FOR THEIR
LOVED ONES AND YOU
THE PRICELESS HERITAGE
OF LIBERTY OBTAINED
BY OUR FOREFATHERS
(followed by list of names)
VALIANT OF SARASOTA
COUNTY WHO GAVE THEIR
LIVES TO PRESERVE FOR THEIR
LOVED ONES AND YOU
THE PRICELESS HERITAGE
OF LIBERTY OBTAINED
BY OUR FOREFATHERS
(followed by list of names)
There is an engraving carved around the top of the stone pedestal with a reference to the Star Spangled Banner.
A Replica of Clearwater's Doughboy
Clearwater's original.
This sculpture is a replica of Viquesney’s Doughboy. It was cast by Sarasota sculptor Frank Colson, using molds made from the real Viquesney Doughboy in nearby Clearwater (inset). There are some differences between its details and those of the original Viquesney Doughboy. It was dedicated May 25, 1998 (1998’s Memorial Day).
Sarasota’s original World War memorial was a flagpole erected in 1917 at Five Points in downtown Sarasota. An impressive octagonal base was added in 1928 with a plaque honoring Horace Mink, a Sarasota soldier who died in the war. Over the years, other plaques were added to the base, which apparently was a fountain at one time; four of the faces of the octagon have stone basins at their bottoms.
The monument, complete with the flagpole, was moved to the bayfront in 1954. All the plaques were cleaned and resurfaced, the base was repaired, and new flags were added in the 1980’s. Later, Jack Gurney, a former Sarasota Mayor, undertook a project to enhance the monument. Through that project, Frank Colson was commissioned to make this replica.
According to site visitor Chistopher Norman, whose father, Ron Norman, was Mayor of Sarasota for many years, the original plan for the octagonal base was to have Viquesney's "Spirit of the American Doughboy" placed atop it, but the Great Depression intervened and the plan was scrapped. It wasn't until 1993 that the Sarasota commission on fine arts discovered the original plan to erect a Viquesney Doughboy, and passed a bond issue to obtain the long-overdue statue. Of course, since Viquesney, the original sculptor, had been dead for decades, Frank Colson was commissioned to fashion the bronze replica that exists today.
Sarasota’s original World War memorial was a flagpole erected in 1917 at Five Points in downtown Sarasota. An impressive octagonal base was added in 1928 with a plaque honoring Horace Mink, a Sarasota soldier who died in the war. Over the years, other plaques were added to the base, which apparently was a fountain at one time; four of the faces of the octagon have stone basins at their bottoms.
The monument, complete with the flagpole, was moved to the bayfront in 1954. All the plaques were cleaned and resurfaced, the base was repaired, and new flags were added in the 1980’s. Later, Jack Gurney, a former Sarasota Mayor, undertook a project to enhance the monument. Through that project, Frank Colson was commissioned to make this replica.
According to site visitor Chistopher Norman, whose father, Ron Norman, was Mayor of Sarasota for many years, the original plan for the octagonal base was to have Viquesney's "Spirit of the American Doughboy" placed atop it, but the Great Depression intervened and the plan was scrapped. It wasn't until 1993 that the Sarasota commission on fine arts discovered the original plan to erect a Viquesney Doughboy, and passed a bond issue to obtain the long-overdue statue. Of course, since Viquesney, the original sculptor, had been dead for decades, Frank Colson was commissioned to fashion the bronze replica that exists today.
1998 Dedication Ceremony
Photo: Sarasota Times-Herald.
Three surviving veterans of the World War attended the 1998 dedication ceremonies. They were (l. to r.) Mann Berg (99), John Earley (101, a former Mayor of Sarasota), and Don Mosier (105). Mr. Berg died only three weeks later.
Links:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM601J
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM601K_Spirit_of_the_American_Doughboy_Fountain_St_Petersburg_FL
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM601J
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM601K_Spirit_of_the_American_Doughboy_Fountain_St_Petersburg_FL
