New Bill of Rights Eagle statue unveiled on campus
Image: Rylee Kirk
The “Bill of Rights Eagle” statue was gifted to Mercer University by alumni, Lt. Gen. Claude “Mick” Kicklighter.
This year, Homecoming festivities on campus included the unveiling of a new statue.
The “Bill of Rights Eagle” by artist Gregg Wyatt now resides outside the first floor entrance of Tarver Library.
“I’m extremely proud and honored. This is one of the high points of my career,” Wyatt said at the unveiling event Nov. 2.
The ceremony included a presentation of colors by the Mercer University ROTC program as well as a dedication prayer by University Minister and Dean of Chapel Craig McMahan.
The bronze statue was modeled after the “Soaring American Eagle” that is in a courtyard at the U.S. Department of State, according to a handout given at the unveiling. It was specially altered to fit in the new site.
A special pedestal was constructed for the statue and will be engraved with a message from Mercer President Bill Underwood on one side and the Bill of Rights on the other.
The statue was gifted to the university by Lt. Gen. Claude “Mick” Kicklighter, a graduate in the class of 1955.
“It will speak volumes throughout the years to the students who walk by here, reminding us that this free and beautiful America is not really free,” Kicklighter said.
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