| In
the summer of 2002 while boating with friends on the St. Lawrence
River, Jim observed a family of four Bald Eagles, two adults and two
young, high up in a nest on a neighboring island. He became
inspired. He watched them all through the summer, making note of
their habits and characteristics as well as photographing them
constantly.
Upon his return to Sanibel he set out to create his
first life-sized Bald Eagle, and at the beginning of 2003, this Eagle sculpture
was purchased by friends of Florida Gulf Coast University to be placed in
the new student union building. The mascot of FGCU is the Eagle and
images of Jim’s Eagle now grace the covers of many of the
University publications.
In the winter of 2003 while on Sanibel Island for a refuge visit,
Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton remarked how appropriate it
would be to have one of Jim’s Eagles placed in the White House,
especially after the events of ‘9/11’ and all that has since
transpired around the world. Discussions ensued, official doors were
opened and the White House concurred with Secretary Norton. Generous
friends
of Jim on Sanibel and Captiva Islands came together to donate the
funds to make this happen.
By mid-October, "Freedom Fighter" was completed and
then came the logistical nightmare of transporting the fragile
sculpture to the White House. Coordination problems among the White
House, the Secret Service and the FBI were resolved due to the
efforts of our District Representative Porter Goss's Fort Myers and
DC office staffs. At 3:05 p.m., on Monday, March 1st,
2004, Jim and Porter Goss walked into the Oval Office of the White
House to present the piece to President George W. Bush. A scheduled
five-minute visit turned into a fifteen-minute one as they discussed
baseball and kids. As Jim turned for one last glance at
"Freedom Fighter", President Bush called out, "Don't
worry, Jim, I'll take good care of the Eagle for you."
There are no words that can adequately describe the pride that Jim
has, knowing that his sculpture is displayed as a symbol of the
American spirit and love of country. Acclaim for this project has
already come from many areas, but cannot compare to his feelings of
personal achievement, for this is truly the highlight of his carving
career.
A FOOTNOTE
Jim donated the one-third size model that he
used in the design of the White House “Freedom Fighter” to
Sanibel Cares, an annual event to benefit The Children’s Hospital
at Health Park, Fort Myers, Florida.
On
April 3rd 2004
this sculpture was sold in live auction for $40,000.
The entire amount went towards providing additional beds for
the Children’s Observation Unit and for the purchase of
technologically advanced incubators for the neonatal ICU, the only
local facility of its kind.
~
To
read an in-depth article on the actual carving and painting of
"Freedom Fighter, please go to http://www.wildfowl-carving.com.
There you may find other articles about and by Jim.
~
To
read more about Sanibel Cares and the Lee Memorial Hospital Foundation,
please go to www.leememorial.org/foundation.
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