On Wednesday, September 21, months of planning and fundraising efforts by the Joplin High School Class of 1954 concluded with the unveiling of a bronze eagle sculpture created by renowned local artist Jon Fowler. The unveiling took place in the Rose Garden at Joplin High School during a special check presentation event. During the event, TAMKO President and CEO David Humphreys, on behalf of TAMKO, presented the Class of 1954 with $25,000, helping the group meet its Eagle Project fundraising goal of $50,000. The JHS Class of 1954 started the Eagle Project as a way to recognize the recovery efforts by the district following the May 2011 tornado.
"We are pleased to help support the Eagle project as it represents the best in our community's resilient spirit and coming together," said Humphreys.
"We are so thankful to TAMKO for their generous support of this project and to the other donors who helped bring this beautiful piece of art to Joplin High School," said JHS Class of 1954 representative Earline Kelley. "We hope this eagle serves as a point of pride and encouragement and as a permanent reminder to students and staff of the power of hope and perseverance."
The eagle sculpture will rest on top of an important historical feature at the new school, the rock located in the Rose Garden. The rock, donated to the school by former Joplin School District Board of Education Member Lloyd Combs, was salvaged from the Rose Garden site at the original Joplin High School that was destroyed in the tornado.
The artist who created the eagle, Jon Fowler, is a long-time local artist who taught classes in ceramics and sculpture for 32 years at Missouri Southern State University and served as professor of art and chairman of the art department there. He and his wife Judith, who also worked at MSSU, raised their family in Joplin and their children graduated from Joplin Schools. Jon’s most interesting and well-known sculpture is the life-size “Uncle Buck” bronze at Brass Pro shops in Springfield, Missouri, and Atlanta, Georgia.
A number of donors from the JHS Class of 1954, other Joplin High School alumni groups and the community helped make the eagle possible. In addition to the $25,000 donation from TAMKO, other major donors included:
$10,000 - Brent and Phyllis Kyte, JHS Class of 1954
$10,000 - Jon and Judith Fowler, sculptor
$5,000 - Freeman Health System
$1,200 - Bill and Earline Kelley, JHS Class of 1954
$1,000 - Delmar Sutton, JHS Class of 1954
$500 - Dr. Lance and Sharon Beshore
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