Sculpting History

Last year, on NASA’s Day of Remembrance, Bradley alumnus Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. ’56 was honored for his service. He studied chemistry at Bradley and later became the first Black astronaut through his work in the Manned Orbiting Laboratory project, which was part of the U.S. Air Force's human spaceflight program in the 1960s.

In 1967, at the age of 32, Major Lawrence was killed during a training operation at Edwards Air Force Base. During the NASA ceremony, he and his fellow fallen astronauts were recognized for their work and dedication.

To commemorate Major Lawrence on campus, Fisher Stolz, chair of the Department of Art and Design, is constructing a life-size bronze statue with the assistance of grad student Liz Johnson. It’s an arduous process that he started in the summer of 2023 and expects to be finished early in 2025.

“I hired Bradley alumnus Pierre Paul ’19 to model for the sculpture, wearing the appropriate gear I had collected—a helmet, parachute, flight jacket, coveralls, and boots,” Stolz explained. “The pose resembles a photograph of Major Lawrence standing before one of the jets he flew.”

Paul had played the part of Major Lawrence in a short play performed at Bradley’s 125th Anniversary Celebration in the spring of 2023, written by Tom Richmond, Bradley’s executive director of alumni relations. The casting was perfect.

Stolz photographed Paul from multiple angles and made life-size prints for reference while sculpting. “I also digitally scanned the model and had the scan milled in Styrofoam with interior steel supports to use as an armature for applying the clay,” he noted.

Once the clay figure was finished, it was divided into multiple sections to take molds of the clay surface. Those molds are used to make wax patterns that are used to create ceramic shells where the bronze will be poured. The bronze sections are then welded together, the surface is blended, and the entire statue is sealed with lacquer.

“Major Lawrence was a true hero,” Stolz said. “It is an honor to be part of a project recognizing his incredible achievements for our campus.”

The statue of Major Lawrence will be erected in the quad outside Olin Hall during Black History Month in February 2025.

—Emily Potts

The committee guiding the project included Vice President for Strategy & Innovation and project leader Chris Jones; former Provost Walter Zakahi; Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Warren Anderson; English Department Chair Lee Newton; Chemistry Department Chair Michelle Fry; and Fisher Stolz.