At the entrance of The Eager Free Public Library is a very large statue. The bronze statue of Mr. Almeron Eager. The man who donated the money, $10,000 in 1907 for the library. $10,000 in 1907 dollars would be how much today? I would guess it would be over $500,000 but some of you finance pros can tell me.
Every young child points to the statue as he/she enters the library. For non-English speaking kids they also ask, "Quien es este?" In my rough Spanish I mention dinero and they understand that Mr. Eager donated it. Then they usually respond, "Gracias." Thank You.
Everyone knows about the statue. Few know the rest of the story. As The Observer, the rest of the story is what I write about.
The donation of Mr. Eager had three conditions; 1) that the library was to be "Free." That was no small matter in 1907. There were few free libraries open to all citizens. 2) The city of Evansville had to pledge to support the library out of the city budget. This was no small task. Many in town did not want the burden of this expenditure. and 3) In addition to naming the library the "Eager Free Public Library", a statute of Mr. Eager had to be placed in the entrance. Without these three conditions being met, the ownership of the library would revert to the Eager family.
So. Surprise, Surprise. When the statue arrived. It was TOO HEAVY for the library floor to support. What shock and awe. Quick thinking. If you go to the basement you will notice the pillar that is right below the statue. Without that pillar put in after the library was erected, we would never have had the statue, and all of the history that goes with it.
That is really the way it is. The statues we cannot really control in life. But beneath each statue is a pillar that supports it. Makes the fame work. As The Observer, I always pay more attention to the pillar---- Rather than the statue. The pillar is where the strength comes from. So just as in basketball we say "Be like Mike." Rather---"Be like the pillar. "
Thanks for sharing the history of the statue. No offense to Mr. Eager, but the statue has always made me feel a bit off. Maybe its because I feel like I'm being watched. Maybe its from the stress of keeping my children from banging on his feet.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to check out the post next time, and I'll have to rethink my first impression of Mr. Eager. We are grateful to have such a wonderful library!