Fallen-firefighters memorial debuts in Bentonville
Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
BENTONVILLE - Rachel Nix was overwhelmed and amazed to see a bronze replica of herself that will keep her and three other firefighters memorialized for decades, perhaps centuries, to come.
"It almost makes you want to cry," said Nix, director of the Arkansas Fire Academy, who was one of four firefighters in the state who were chosen as models for the bronze statue that's part of the Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial. The statue was delivered to the Bentonville Central Fire Station at the intersection of Southwest Eighth and A streets on Monday morning.
But the statue's appearance at the Bentonville Fire Department is temporary. The statue, the first phase of the Firefighters Memorial to be built near the state Capitol in Little Rock, was going to be presented during the Firefighters Convention held in June; however, delays in the statue's construction pushed its unveiling back to Monday.
"We wanted to keep with our promise," said Johnny Reep, chairman of the Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
The purpose of the memorial is to have a setting on the state Capitol grounds to honor firefighters who have died in the line of duty.
The statue was rendered by Walnut Ridge resident Paula Haskins, and architect Brooks Jackson of Little Rock was chosen to design the memorial. The statue was sculpted by Robert Daus of Dutzow, Mo., who has also sculpted the fallen-firefighters memorial in St. Louis, Mo.
The bronze statue, weighing between 6, 000 and 7, 000 pounds, was delivered approximately 1, 850 miles to arrive at its first stop in Bentonville.
"What an honor," said Fire Chief Dan White as he looked up at the 16-foot-high statue that sits on a fountain base.
But the memorial is not about the models or where it's being displayed right now. "(It ) is all about the families of fallen firefighters," Reep said.
The cost of the statue is an estimated $ 1. 1 million. Still remaining is a groundbreaking for the memorial in Little Rock. Reep said the groundbreaking has been temporarily scheduled for November.
Also planned for the memorial is a 110-seat amphitheater, as well as the Win Rockefeller Fountain of Faith, named after Rockefeller, who served as finance chairman for the Memorial Board until his death in July 2006.
Reep said the statue will remain in Bentonville for three to five weeks before moving across the state.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
