Heroes Among Us, the memorial in honor of the nine men who died
as a result of the August 2007 Crandall Canyon mine collapse,
will be officially unveiled in Huntington, Utah on Sunday,
September 14, 2008. The monument, created by sculptor Karen
Jobe Templeton, consists of deep-relief bronze portraits of each
of the nine men -- the six miners trapped in the mine collapse
facing the three miners who died during the failed rescue effort
-- set in a 16-foot long, 6-foot tall curved wall. The monument
will be located in the scenic rest area at the base of
Huntington Canyon. To see and read about the work-in-progress
visit
www.templetonsculpture.com
Sculptor Karen Jobe Templeton’s Note to Readers
It seemed that the world itself held its breath last August. The
mayor of Huntington, Hilary Gordon, appointed special people
just to answer the phone during the first three weeks of August
while the tragedy was unfolding. People from all over the world
called to offer their prayers and support. The phone literally
never stopped ringing. The mayor took it upon herself to answer
every phone call, email, letter, card that came into Huntington
City. Nearly a year later, she is still not finished.
Nearly a year later, the deaths of the nine miners continue to
have a profound impact -- even on those of us who did not know
the men personally.
Sculpting their faces affected me in ways I never anticipated. I
feel like I know them. More than that, I feel like they are some
of my closest friends; I mourned their loss every time I worked
on their portraits. Their families -- who worked so closely with
me to develop nuance of expression and the intention of the eyes
-- are now my family.
We can all grieve the loss of miners to a mountain. But seeing
their faces, their eyes, forces you to acknowledge that they
were individual men, acknowledge the loss experienced by their
wives, their parents, their children, their siblings, their
friends.
As a complete novice to the world of mining (although my father
worked the mines in Pennsylvania), there were many instances
where I needed explanations or descriptions of mining roles,
clothing and equipment. Without fail, every miner that I
approached went the extra mile, making sure that I had photos,
or actual equipment/clothing to use as sources of information.
They would come to drop off some mining paraphernalia and then
stay for an hour or more – and talk.
Probably the most profound statement I heard was something a
miner said when we were talking about the overwhelmingly
complicated feelings that accompanied the Crandall Canyon
collapse. He said, “How can we ever hope to put this behind us.
We still haven’t gotten over the Wilberg [mine] disaster, and
that was in 1984.”
I doubt you ever get over it. But we can remember.
Please visit
www.templetonsculpture.com
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