2 days after unveiling, Bill Wolfe's Lincoln sculpture vandalized in Kalamazoo

Aug. 30—A vandal damaged the latest work from Terre Haute artist Bill Wolfe — a 7-foot-tall bronze sculpture of Abraham Lincoln in Bronson Park at Kalamazoo, Michigan.

A crowd estimated at more than 400 people cheered its unveiling on Sunday, the 167th anniversary of an anti-slavery speech Lincoln delivered at Bronson Park in 1856.

Two days later, someone had spray painted the base of the sculpture with a message, apparently alluding to the U.S. Dakota War of 1862 in Minnesota. "38 Dakota Warrior" was spray painted in red over Lincoln's name and the date of his Kalamazoo speech — Aug. 27, 1856.

By Wednesday, almost all of the defacing paint had been removed, said Gary Swain of the Kalamazoo Abraham Lincoln Institute, a nonprofit group that worked for more than a decade to commemorate in bronze Lincoln's only Michigan visit ever.

Wolfe learned about the vandalism Tuesday evening while attending his grandson's sports event.

"How devastating it was to [the sculpture project organizers]. I worked on this statue for months, but they worked on it for 14 years to get this done," Wolfe said Wednesday morning.

Wolfe and his wife, Marina, traveled several times to Kalamazoo to prepare for the unveiling and placement of the sculpture, commemorating the speech by a man with Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois roots who became the 16th U.S. president and went on to lead the nation through the Civil War and the emancipation of more than 4 million enslaved African Americans throughout the U.S. South.

Bill and Marina Wolfe returned Saturday, when the Lincoln sculpture was set on the eve of the unveiling festivities. On Sunday, Wolfe and Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson unhooked the ribbon around the sculpture, the veil covering Lincoln's image fell and the crowd cheered.

"What a beautiful day on Sunday," Bill Wolfe said. "It was just a joyful celebration. For me to be the one to bring Lincoln back to Kalamazoo ... I was so proud."

Wolfe has sculpted more than two dozen historic figures, and has those works in multiple states, as well as Indiana and Terre Haute, ranging from aviation pioneers Weir Cook and Orville Wright to poet Max Ehrmann, basketball legend Larry Bird, writer James Whitcomb Riley and many more.

Only two have been targeted before by vandals. His likeness of a U.S. Navy V-12 sailor on the Indiana State University campus was removed by vandals and eventually located outside a Terre Haute tavern. And, two months ago, a vandal wrote "Superman" in marker on the bench beside Wolfe's bronze recreation of Ehrmann at the Crossroads Plaza downtown. Wolfe removed the marker lines himself.

This time, the culprit in Kalamazoo used red spray paint.

"It's hard to even fathom that someone would take it upon themselves to just deface it, ruin it for others," Wolfe said. "It's an honor for me to honor these people, who deserved to be honored. And then, you've got these people that want to make a political statement. I'm just devastated. It's awful."

Swain has experience in cleaning stone markers and monuments to veterans. "We've got 90 to 95% of it off," Swain said Wednesday morning by phone from Kalamazoo.

The vandal's message apparently refers to the execution of 38 Native Americans in the U.S. Dakota War of 1862, a six-week armed conflict between the U.S. Army and the Native American Dakota tribe, displaced from their lands along the Minnesota River during Lincoln's presidency. In the Dakotas' resistance to their displacement and unfulfilled treaties, hundreds of settlers were killed, according to historical accounts.

The Kalamazoo Abraham Lincoln Institute released a statement Wednesday afternoon through its president, Cameron S. Brown, on this week's vandalism. The group thanked the public for support and relayed a way for anyone with information on the incident to report it to Kalamazoo authorities.

"The Bronson Park Lincoln Statue pedestal has largely been cleaned up since it was vandalized Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Some residual paint remains and discussions are underway as to how best to remove this residual paint," the statement said. "The City of Kalamazoo has filed a police report and is reviewing park camera surveillance footage. We ask that anyone with information regarding this incident report it to Silent Observer at 269-343-2100.

"Our commitment remains to commemorate Kalamazoo's Lincoln legacy, a legacy which, in Lincoln's own words, appeals to the 'better angels of our nature.' The outpouring of support and concern for what the people of Kalamazoo have accomplished and what has of late occurred has been heartwarming," the statement continued. "We remain heartened by the outpouring of joy and celebration shown in the park at the statue's unveiling and we remain confident of its place in the ongoing history of Bronson Park as part of America's rich Lincoln legacy."

Mark Bennett can be reached at 812-231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.