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Who's that boy?
Identity of student in statue contested
story by cammi heimann features @kansan.com
"It's more than a rumor that the student is Alfred Alford.It's thought to be him. It's thought to be his face.I think you're quite safe in saying that."
sandra wiechert author of a manuscript claiming the student in the statue is alfred allard
A mystery surrounds the University of Kansas legacy of Alfred Cecil Alford, the first KU alum to be killed in battle.
One hundred years ago, Alford left Kansas to fight in the Spanish-American War. A few months later, he was shot and killed on the Philippino front.
On the fourth floor of the Kansas Union, a bronze plaque serves as a reminder of Alford's sacrifice for his country.
The mystery is whether this is the only place on campus that Alford is immortalized by the University.
Although it cannot be verified, the consensus is that he is the posthumous model for the student in the Jimmy Green statue on Jayhawk Boulevard in front of the former law school. Lippincott Hall.
In a 1984 Kansas Alumni magazine article, Chuck Marsh, associate professor of journalism, said that post-World War II stories in three area newspapers featured the unsubstantiated claim that sculptor Daniel Chester French modeled the student in the Jimmy Green statue after Alford. French reportedly chose a picture of Alford from hundreds of photographs of KU students.
However, in 1965 Walt Blackledge, a 1962 KU alum, rebutted the claim in another article for the alumni magazine. Blackledge concluded that, although it would make a good story, the student in the statue was not Alford.
"The identification of the student as Alford makes the statue a memorial to the many KU men and women who have given their best — and sometimes their all — for their country." Blackledge wrote. "The most reliable evidence indicates that the sculptor did not model the student's face to be that of anyone in particular."
Blackledge contended that Clarence "Scratch" Oakes, a 1922 KU alum, visited the sculptor in New York with a picture of fraternity brother Bob Mosby (class of 1925). Oakes claimed that Mosby's measurements were used as the model, but the figure in the statue didn't represent a specific student.
So who is the bronze companion of Jimmy Green?
Blackledge explained that, at the time the statue was being planned, the Lawrence Journal-World ran a story labeling Gordon Saunders (class of 1922) as the student in the statue. However, Oakes said that this claim was planted by Saunders' fraternity brothers.
Blackledge's article indicated that the earliest reference of Alford as the student appeared in a 1940 issue of The University Daily Kansan. The article said that the statue might portray Alford, but records to verify this were lacking.
The statue makes no reference to the student standing with Jimmy Green. It reads, "In Memory of James Woods Green, 1849-1919. Forty Years Dean of the School of Law, 1879-1919. The Students' Counsellor and Friend."
Alford had spent much of his time in the school of law. He received a degree from the University in 1896 and then returned to earn his law degree in 1897.
The 1869 yearbook, Alford's senior year, included pictures and brief biographies of each senior. Alford's description refers to Jimmy Green. It reads, "In the latter stages of his education he has divided his attention between the School of Arts and that intellectual sewer for which Jimmy Green is the chief scavenger."
Francis Heller, emeritus professor of law and political science, said he heard that the model was an engineering student who had been killed in the first World War.
"The boots that are on the student in the statue — boots that tie up to the knee — were worn by all the engineering students." Heller said. "They would have to go out and do land surveys, and
there was very little on campus that was paved." James Maloney, emeritus professor of chemical engineering, said that he had heard that the sculptor, Daniel Chester French, had created the student to represent no particular person.
Areta Meyer. Lawrence resident, is a second cousin of Alfred Cecil Alford. She said she was convinced that the statue is her cousin.
"It looks just like him," Meyer said. "It looks like the Alfords."
Meyer has a postcard from the University proving it, she said.
The explanation on the back of the 1995 postcard reads, "The figures are Uncle Jimmy Green, a Kansas University professor and the founder of the KU School of Law, and Alfred Alford, a KU student who was killed in the Spanish American War."
In a brochure produced by the Historic Mount Oread Fund about the historic buildings at the University, the statue is pictured with a description of the two figures as "Uncle Jimmy" Green and Alfred Alford, a KU student killed in the Spanish American War."
Dennis Farney, president of the fund, said that he obtained the brochure information from an unpublished manuscript about the historic buildings and artifacts on Mount Oread.
"I personally don't know if it's him." Farney said. "I don't know if we'll ever know. I'm just relying on the manuscript."
Sandra Wiechert, one of the founders of the fund, is the author of this manuscript.
"It's more than a rumor that the student is Alfred Alford," Wiechert said. "It's thought to be him. It's thought to be his face. I think you're quite safe in saving that."
She said that, although she did not know where the rumor originated, she had read numerous accounts that it was believed to be Alford. Wiechart said there was something to be said for the consistency of labeling Alford as the model.
Wiechert said that French put the student in boots not because he was an engineering student, but because he thought, from an artistic standpoint, four equally long legs in pants would be unsightly.
An excerpt from her manuscript reads, "The sculptor] apparently modeled the student's face on a photograph of Alfred C. Alford, the first KU graduate killed in the Spanish-American War. The student is wearing boots because, French wrote, 'four legs encasced in long trousers in exact line would be an object not pleasant to contemplate.'"
Rex Powell, the son of Areta Meyer and Alford's third cousin, said that it made sense that Alfred would be the model for the statue.
"That poor old guy got himself shot," Powell said. "They needed a model for the statute, and he was dead. For a statue, you usually use someone who is no longer living."
Alfred Aldard is the man most people think was the model for the student standing next to Jimmy Green in the statue in front of Lippincott Hall. However, two other men also are thought to have influenced sculptor Daniel Chester French. Look at the evidence and then decide which of the three is represented, or that none of them are able to lay claim.
Identification never has been verified
Alfred Cecil Alford
YOU MAKE THE CALL
After World War II, stories in three area newspapers featured the claim that French modeled the statue after Alfard, whose picture he had chosen.
sen from hundreds of photographs of University students
■ An article in a 1940 issue of The University Daily Kansan said the statute might portray Alford but that records to this effect were lacking. ■ Alford spent much of his time in the school of law, and received a law degree in 1897.
■ Areta Meyer, Lawrence resident and second cousin of Alford, said the stuia looks like Alford
■ The back of a 1995 postcard from the University identifies the student as Alford, as does a brochure produced by the Historic Mount Oread Fund.
■ Clarence Oakes, who had a large part in the commissioning and construction of the state provided French with four pictures of his Delta Upiosb brother Mosby — front back and
Bob Mosby
■ Affard's mother, Susan Savage
Affard, was one of the 26 women who climbed Mount Oread to attend KU's first classes in 1866.
■ Affard's grandfather, Joseph Savage, frequently entertained student groups at his farm. It was at this farm that the Rock Chalk chant was devised.
both sides—all of which the sculptor intended to use in modeling the student figure.
Statue painting kicked off student rumbles
■ Mosby was a member of the Jay-hawk football and basketball teams. The figure in the statue is wearing a letterman's jacket.
Gordon Saunders
The Lawrence Journal-World carried a story which said that a portrait of Saunders was sent to French to be used as a model.
Oakes claims that the story was planted by men from Sigma Chi, a rival fraternity
Unknown
The most reliable evidence indicates that French did not model the student's face to be that of anyone in particular, a conclusion to which Oakes agrees.
"Marvin was just a hop-skip and-jump away from Green,but I guess Learned
The plaque on
the statue makes no reference to the student standing next to Green.
James Maloney, emeritus professor of chemical engineering, said that he had heard that French had created the student to represent no particular person.
By Tim Harrington
was just too much of hike for them."
The scene erupts into violence. The two groups make fun of each other, call each other names and then, when both groups will stand for no more, they go home.
By Tim Harrington
Associate feature editor
harrington@kansan.com
photos and some information provided by university archives
francis heller emeritus professor
Within a few days of the confrontation, Jimmy would invariably get a coat of green paint courtesy of the engineering students. The department now known as Facilities Operations would clean Jimmy up only to have it happen again the next year.
Why the color green? Why would engineers have anything against lawyers?
It was like the opening scene to "West Side Story."
From Marvin Hall, engineering students by the tens appeared along the Mount Cread horizon making their way toward Green Hall, now Limnincott Hall.
Sort of
neering-student style. And they may be drunk.
The two groups square off. You could cut the geek anst w with a knife.
Enter the real victim of this, one of KU's oldest intracapital rivalries, now all but extinguished: the statue of Jimmy Green.
There are no fingers snapping in unison — we're talking about engineering students here — they're certainly not frolicking about in well-choreographed dance moves — again, no rhythm — but they are ready to rumble; engi-
Riveting. isn't it.
Upon reaching Green Hall they're confronted with their rivals. and daunting foes they are; peeved lawyers in-training preparing to enter the real world to begin practicing evil as a profession: also, possibly drunk, but scotch-drunk.
Instead of wearing colors, the two groups accessorized. Law students identified themselves by walking with canes — very tough. The engineers had their slide-rules — very ... well, engineer-like.
No knives or chains here. It's canes and slide rules.
Whatever the reasons, the beginning of the end for the tradition came when the engineering school was banished to Learned Hall in 1983
"Marvin was just a hop-skip-and-jump away from Green," said Francis Heller, emeritus professor of law and political science. "But I guess Learned was just too much of hike for them."
Maybe it was because of Jimmy's last name. Maybe what they had against lawyers was the same thing that the rest of us have against lawyers.
Now, the greatest threat to Jimmy's bronze hue comes from an enemy even more vileness than lawyers, even more socially inept than engineers. No, they're not journalists. They're K-Staters donning purple paint. Shoot to kill.
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