 |
“The rapprochement
of peoples is possible when differences of culture and outlook
are respected and appreciated rather than feared or condemned,
when the common bond
of human dignity is recognized as the essential bond for
a peaceful world.”
–J. William
Fulbright
|
 |
Fulbright College dedicated the Fulbright sculpture on October
21, 2002,
in tribute to the legacy of J.
William Fulbright.
Delivering the keynote address
was the Honorable William Jefferson Clinton, who remarked that Senator
Fulbright believed that "the best thing America could do was
to be an intelligent example of the world through material helpfulness
without moral presumption, that we should make our own society an
example of human happiness, make ourselves the friend of social
revolution, and go beyond simple reciprocity in the effort to reconcile
hostile worlds. He would far prefer to see us be a sympathetic friend
of humanity, rather than its stern and prideful schoolmaster."
The University of Arkansas and Fulbright College also celebrated
the 50th Anniversary of the German-American Fulbright Commission,
the largest Fulbright Program worldwide. The German-American Commission
has sponsored more than 30,000 American and German leaders and awards
more than 700 grants each year.
Joining us for the dedication were Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger
from Germany as well as two other special guests, Bettina Audenauer,
granddaughter of Konrad Adenauer, former Chancellor of the Federal
Republic of Germany, and John J. McCloy II, son of former U.S. High
Commissioner John McCloy. Konrad Adenauer and John McCloy signed
the original German-American agreement on July 18, 1952 at the Palais
Schaumburg in Bonn.
SCULPTURE FACTS
Donations from 115 individuals and 18 countries
Size: The 7-foot bronze sculpture is posed above
a five-foot granite base.
Created by artist Gretta Bader of Alexandria, Virginia.
In her artist's statement, Bader writes that "What I tried
to do was to capture the intensity, the accessibility and the physical
liveliness of the Fulbright of the tumultuous 60's, his finest and
most courageous moment. And at the same time, I wanted the sculpture
to speak to all of us, particularly to the students, that he is
still ready for a good conversation."
|
