Bobcat statues expected on campus in spring

By late spring, GCSU will see the addition of six fiberglass Bobcat statues measuring 30 inches high and 50 inches long. They will be paid for by sponsors and scattered throughout campus and each statue will be painted with its own individual design.

The statues are the brainchild of local businessman Frank Chambers. After seeing numerous Milledgeville businesses close and people lose their jobs last year, he believes that the city would be in an unstable financial condition without GCSU.

“We wouldn’t have the restaurants downtown. We wouldn’t have the rental income. We wouldn’t have a lot of things if it wasn’t for the economic benefit of the college,” Chambers said.

Chambers wanted the community to give back to the university and he had the idea to bring Bobcat statues to GCSU after seeing mascot statues at another university about a year ago.

“The business community needs to do something to show the appreciation of the economic benefit that Georgia College & State University makes to this community,” Chambers said. “What better way to do that (than) to go back and have some Bobcats put around the campus, around town, somewhere to show the appreciation for the college?”

Chambers presented the concept to President Dorothy Leland, which she met with enthusiasm.

“I think they are going to be whimsical and a lot of fun, and I think people will enjoy having them on campus,” Leland said.

In the past year, Chambers has been working with University Advancement on the project and has also been in communication with Cowpainters, a Chicago-based business that also made The University of Georgia’s statues of Bulldogs and has clients such as Disney and Dreamworks.

Cowpainters has designed over 250 custom-made statues, but they have never designed a statue of a bobcat. Chambers has been assisting them by providing them with numerous images of bobcats.

“We had to go around to some taxidermists and send (Cowpainters) some pictures of wild bobcats, then give them addresses of people that had mounted bobcats up in (Chicago) for them to go look at,” Chambers said. “It’s been an ongoing process.”

Chambers wanted to bring the bobcat statues to GCSU to show appreciation, and that gratitude is reciprocated by the university.

“Frank has been tremendous for us because this all came from him. … It’s all about the economic impact that Georgia College has on the community, and to hear that come from someone outside of the university community, that’s fantastic,” said Lee Snelling, senior development officer of university advancement.

Each Bobcat will recognized its sponsor with a plaque as a permanent fixture. Sponsors will also choose how the statues will be painted from submissions of a community contest that closed Feb. 26. Art students will paint the statues, and art department faculty will oversee the painting.

Currently, four statues have sponsors. The first is sponsored by Chambers and his wife, Joann, and Wilkinson County Bank. The second sponsor is Frank Pendergast, owner of The Brick. Mitch Melder of Melder Properties will help fund the third statue. The GCSU Foundation or the GCSU Alumni Association will cover the cost of the fourth.

University Advancement plans to begin the painting toward the end of March and debut the statues in late spring.

The exact location for each statue has yet to be determined, but the statues will be scattered throughout the Centennial Center, Front Campus and West Campus to boost university ethos.

“I think it reinforces the college’s presence. It’s very obvious physically, but from a spirit standpoint, the blue and green and the Bobcat is an important part of Georgia College’s tradition and spirit,” said Amy Amason, vice president for External Relations and University Advancement, and executive director of the GCSU Foundation.

Students, such as senior marketing major Pam Cunneen, have been happy to hear about the new statues.

“I think it’s exciting. It makes me even prouder of the school because it makes the Bobcat a more predominant figure in the community,” Cunneen said.

Leland believes the statues will not only bring pride to the campus, but will also benefit interaction between the community and GCSU.

“I’ve seen these in several different places and you always see particularly parents with kids hanging out around these statues and people really enjoy them. I know people will enjoy them here as well,” Leland said. “I’m looking forward to this.”

Posted by Courtney Kelly on Mar 5 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry