Monday, August 21, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section C · Page 3
Area sculptor immortalizes WWII vets
By Jim O'Malley
By Jim O'Malley
writer@kansan.com
Special to the Kansan
It's strange, says Jim Brothers, but he knows he's got it right when his work makes people cry.
Brothers, a Lawrence sculptor, was commissioned to make 10 bronze figures for the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va.
He said he had seen veterans cry when they looked at the sculptures that were already in place at the unfinished memorial.
Brothers' assistant, Ken Wheatley, said his mother cried when she saw one of the sculptures called "Across the Beach." She lost a brother in the fighting in Normandy, France, after D-Day.
Brothers said he felt obligated to D-Day veterans to get it right. He has brought pieces of World War II U.S. Army military equipment to his Lawrence studio to use as models. And he has spent a lot of time with D-Day veterans.
"We've researched enough with the veterans that we are like channelers for them," he said. "You want to get it right not just for yourself, but for them. These people are my heroes. You want to get it right for them. They come up, shake my hand, and say I've got it. That's one of the rewards of the job."
Fifty-six year ago, Allied Forces invaded German-occupied Normandy. By the end of June 6, 1944, 6,603 Americans and 3,000 Allies were dead, but the Allied Forces had a firm foothold in France, and the defeat of Nazi Germany had begun.
But it was not until 1996 that a national D-Day memorial was planned.
Richard Burrow, president of the National D-Day Memorial Foundation, said the memorial was authorized by Congress in 1996. Fund-raising started in 1997. Since then, the foundation has raised $12.2 million. Construction has begun and dedication of the memorial is scheduled for June 6, 2001.
The memorial will include a 44-foot, six-inch granite-covered arch on a plaza surrounded by the flags of the 12 Allied nations, Burrows said. Brothers' sculptures will depict invasion scenes.
"Across the Beach," which depicts a soldier dragging a wounded man out of the line of fire, and "Death on Shore," which portrays a dead soldier on the beach, are done.
Brothers said "Across the Beach" was placed temporarily at the entrance to the monument, where it is framed by the arch. Brothers said it works so well that it might be kept there permanently, so he could end up creating additional figures for the memorial.
Brothers is working in his Lawrence studio on a composition called "The Wall" that will depict four soldiers scaling a wall. He said it would be the centerpiece of the monument.
Four seven-and-a-half foot figures made of metal skeletons and foam bodies covered with green clay fill Brothers' Lawrence studio. One is carrying a Tommy gun and throwing a leg over the top of the wall. Another is falling. The third man pulls the fourth up the wall.
The piece is based on U.S. Army Rangers' assault up sheer cliffs at Pointe-du-Hoc on D-Day.
brothers said one of the inspirations for the piece was August Rodin's "Gates of Hell."
"If there ever was a gate of hell, it was that day," Brothers said. "Pointe-du-Hoc was considered a suicide mission."
Three-quarters of the 200 men of the 2nd Ranger Battalion were killed or wounded in the assault, according to historian Stephen Ambrose's book, *D-Day*.
Other units had heavier losses on D-Day. Company A of the 116th Regiment lost more than 90 percent of its men at Omaha Beach, the site of the fiercest German resistance. Most of the men of A Company were from Bedford. Twenty-one men from Bedford were killed on D-Day. That's why the memorial is in Bedford, said Memorial Foundation president Burrow.
Brothers said the models for the figures were 17- and 18-year-old kids from Lawrence. That helps remind us of how young the D-Day veterans were in 1944, Brothers said. Ken Wheatley's son Chris is the model for the soldier at the top of the wall.
Brothers said the D-Day memorial was for all World War II veterans. D-Day was the deciding day of the war, and the national World War II memorial is progressing slowly, he said.
"This may be the only World War II memorial these guys will see," Brothers said. "They're dying off at 1,000 a day. This is for them all."
"It's the most impressive monument I've ever
seen. I feel very honored to be part of this. How many people get a chance to do a national monument? I couldn't be prouder. This will be there long after we're dead."
Brothers said he was chosen for the project based on
Jim Brothers, Lawrence resident, forms the clay on a soldier sculpture in his studio. Brothers was commissioned to make 10 bronze figures for the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va. Photo by Aaron Lindenk / KANSAN
his past work. He recently created busts of the Lakota chief Red Cloud for the Nebraska Capitol and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and his sculpture "Flight" is dedicated to the kids and teachers who died in the Oklahoma City bombing.
Brothers originally planned to be an illustrator when he attended Phillips University in Oklahoma, but a sculpture class got him interested in three-dimensional art. He returned to his native Kansas to attend graduate school at the University of Kansas in 1969 and 1970.
"The art business is less competitive in three-dimensional work than in two-dimensional." Brothers said. "Maybe because it's harder. There's a lot of messy manual labor," he said, gesturing with his clay-covered hands.
Four Midwest cities top choices for University graduates
Bv Melissa Freedman
Special to the Kansan
The beginning of a student's senior year is not too early to begin thinking about where the student wants to live and work after graduation, said Ann Hartley, associate director of the University of Kansas Job Placement Center.
Hartley listed four cities as top choices for KU graduates: the Kansas City area, St. Louis, Chicago and Dallas.
Since there is a need for teachers in
"Most people want to live in larger cities because of the opportunities," she said. "However, if a person is from a small town, it is likely they will stay in a small town."
the Kansas City area, almost 65 percent of students who get their teaching degree from the University will stay in Kansas," Hartley said.
Some cities may offer more opportunities for specific job categories than others, she said. Chicago, for example, with its large number of major advertising agencies, may be an ideal choice
St. Louis is another popular postgraduation destination for KU graduates. For those Kansas students who want to get out of state—but not too far—St. Louis offers opportunities in the communications and liberal arts fields.
for those earning a degree in advertising or a related field. Hartley pointed out that a number of event planning and graphic design jobs have been offered in Chicago.
Dallas also offers many opportunities for liberal arts majors. Hartley said.
"Texas is a popular state for KU graduates," she said.
"The University of Kansas draws students from many big cities throughout the entire United States," she said. "Many students want to go back from where they came. Not many people are willing to take the risk of going someplace where they have no connections and where they will know no one."
Hartley also said having basic computer knowledge was important because technology was a part of every day life and work.
This is a profile of University of Kansas students last fall by the Division of Student Affairs.
of Students Average GPA
Women 8,744----3.04
Male 12,016 — 47.3%
Female 13,390 — 52.7%
Male 12,016----47.3%
Black 701 — 2.8%
Native American 237 — 0.9%
Asian 774 — 3.0%
Hispanic 605 — 2.4%
White Non-Hispanic 20,523 — 80.8%
Unknown 1,019 — 4.0%
The top 10 feeder Kansas high schools to KU are:
are:
Shawnee Mission East 114
Shawnee Mission South 109
Lawrence 108
Lawrence Free State 107
Blue Valley Northwest 96
Blue Valley North 93
Olathe East 70
Blue Valley 64
Shawnee Mission Northwest 61
Shawnee Mission West 61
The top 10 feeder institutions of new transfer students are:
Students are:
Johnson County Community College 351
Kansas City Kansas Community College 65
Kansas State University 61
Wichita State University 57
Butler County Community College 37
Hutchinson Community College 33
Allen County Community College 23
Emporia State University 22
Barton County Community College 20
Highland Community College 20
Pittsburg State University 20
Student Financial Assistance
In Academic Year 1999, 12,932 (51.4%) of the total enrolled students received one or more of the following financial aid programs:
Financial Aid Programs 1999 Totals Percent of Total
Federal Subsidized Student Loan: $34,479,996 - 40.5%
Unsubsidized Student Loans 16,684,944 — 19.5%
Federal and State Grants 7,865,255 — 9.2%
Institutional Scholarships 8,822,548 — 10.4%
Federal Parent Loans 8,251,180 — 9.6%
Institutional Loans (KUEA) 2,058,711 — 2.4%
Athletic Grants 3,626,697 — 4.3%
Outside Scholarships 1,974,015 — 2.3%
Outside Schoolhips 2019 25% Federal and State Work-Study 1,559,505 — 0.8%
Total $85,212,851
*Students pay no interest while in school.
- Students pay no interest while in school.
* The average cumulative debt for Dec. 98 and May 99 graduating seniors with federal loans,
not including parent loans is $17,863
—Compiled by Graciela Stanley Special to the Kansan
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
PANHELLENIC ASSOCIATION
Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Gamma Delta Chi Omega Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma Gamma Phi Beta Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Delta
T/T
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The women of the KU Panhellenic Association would like to wish everyone the best of luck in the fall semester.