2002 James Madison Statue Dedication



James Madison Statue Dedication
September 17, 2002

Thank you, Michael.  We appreciate your coming from Montpelier to take part in this very special ceremony.  It's always a pleasure to continue the close relationship between Mr. Madison's home and the university that proudly bears his name.

I think Michael would agree that it is an arrangement that has served the mutual interests of our organizations. JMU archeological teams have worked at Montpelier since 1987 and efforts by these teams have been responsible for many exciting discoveries about the history of Montpelier and those who lived on the estate.

A warm welcome to everyone.  Thank you for coming. I will be brief, but I would like to make some comments this afternoon about three items: Mr. Madison, The Constitution, and our patrons, the Forbes family.  

For 64 years, the name of our university has honored James Madison.  The name was chosen in 1938 when it became obvious that the college - then called the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg - had expanded into a liberal arts college, not just a teachers college.

President Duke and others argued for the name Madison College for several reasons:  first, it would honor a Virginian who had not been so honored.  Second, it would recognize one of the Founders who was a champion of education - for women as well as for men.   

And, finally, Dr. Duke - looking accurately into the future - said the name would be appropriate if the institution changed from a women's college to a coeducational one. 

Three decades later, coeducation did come to campus and the institution grew and expanded rapidly - becoming James Madison University in 1977. 

I am personally pleased that Dr. Duke thought it appropriate to honor James Madison by naming this enterprise of higher learning for him. For Madison, a devotee of learning, was a scholar and champion of the intellect. He was a graduate of Princeton, then called the College of New Jersey, and he succeeded Thomas Jefferson as the rector of the University of Virginia.

Jack Rakove, one of Mr. Madison's best-known contemporary biographers, in his little book, James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic, provides reason enough as to why it is appropriate to honor president Madison. Mr. Rakove observed that as of March 2001 when the nation celebrated the anniversary of Mr. Madison's birth, "Madison's reputation as the most original, creative, and penetrating political thinker of his generation was secure."

To his credit, he perhaps better than any of his contemporaries, recognized that philosophical ideal had to be tempered by the practical. As we dedicate a piece of artwork on our campus today we also honor a man who "turned our government from a collection of 18th century ideals into a spectacularly successful political artwork." (Timpane)

Constitution Day is not the recognized national holiday that July 4th represents. We have no fireworks, no official swearing in of new citizens, no big family gatherings and picnics, no special sales at Wal-Mart - but we should!

It is often the case that the new explosive idea gets the attention and the recognition. But it is those who take what could well be ephemeral ideas and turn them into lasting enterprises who deserve the real credit. All new ideas are challenged, like the constant force of gravity, by a regression to what was, to what had existed previously.

On April 19, 1775, Madison didn't "fire the shot that was heard around the world," he didn't win any battles, even in retreat from the Whitehouse during his presidency, it was Dolley who is remembered for her last minute heroics, not James. As John Timpane wrote in his tribute to James Madison on the occasion of Madison's birthday in 1998, "He didn't chop down trees or split rails. He thought hard things about hard stuff."

No, James Madison only crafted words. He was the master of balancing the ideal and the real. He wanted, I think, to believe in Jefferson's view of men, but he knew we weren't perfect. It is evident in one of his often-quoted lines, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary…. The great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence upon the people is no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions."   

He was surely a scholar, a student of other cultures and governments, but beyond the possession of that knowledge it was its application combined with his own experiences and his unique ability to abstractly consider eventualities and possibilities that differentiated him from his colleagues. How else might one explain the lasting application of the Constitution and its accompanying statement of rights and freedoms? It was his singular talent that made the articulation of such a document feasible. It is on Constitution Day that we should pause and give thanks for the ENDURING FREEDOMS that we enjoy! As Dr. Chris Arndt said earlier today, "The ratification of the Constitution was really the culminating event of the Revolution."

The campus has had the privilege for some time of enjoying the bust of Madison located at Carrier Library. It was crafted by Ken Beer while he served so faithfully as a member of our faculty. However, one thing has clearly been missing - a full statue of James Madison. 

Happily, that deficiency has now been rectified. 

The process began about a year and a half ago. Lois Forbes, a dedicated Madison alumna of the Class of 1964, and a member of the James Madison Foundation Board, had served on the committee planning our James Madison Day celebration and she often expressed her feeling that JMU needed a statue of Madison. Bruce and Lois actually took it upon themselves to travel the country observing other such statuary to find a model for what should be done here, at JMU.

You know, college and university presidents often like to take credit for making a request for a contribution and then culminating the exchange with the nodding head of the donor. Last year, I met with Bruce and Lois, and I had rehearsed my role well to make the request, but I never got the chance to proffer the question.  You see Bruce and Lois announced what they wanted to do - that they wanted to fund the commissioning and acquisition of the statue. I was the one left nodding my head as Bruce told me how he wanted it to be done. It was a role I was happy to accept!

They will join me later to unveil the statue but I'd like to ask now for you to join me in recognizing Lois Forbes; her husband Bruce Forbes; their son Jeff - a member of the Class of 1990, with a master's degree in 1992; daughter-in-law Stephanie, a member of the Class of 1992 with a master's degree in 1993; and granddaughter Samantha, class of 2023, I think.

On behalf of James Madison University, thank you very much. You have added a great deal to our university. Yes, you have added the obvious - a statue of Madison, but you have also added a place of prominence on our campus. You have added a feature that will be the subject of photographs for thousands of student applicants who visit, and for alumni who come back to feel young again. My guess is that the students will label the statue of Mr. Madison with some appropriate term of affection, and it will be used as a meeting place by many.  As in "I'll meet you at Jemmy!"

Finally, your gift will serve as a constant reminder that one day when we have money, which we don't right now, we need to finish this plaza pedestrian way to the front of Burruss where we will construct a replica of Montpelier's Temple.

I would like to also recognize the talented sculptor whose skills brought Mr. Madison to life, Lee Leuning.  Lee and his partner, Sherri Treeby, are noted artists whose work can be found throughout the Midwest - and, now, in Virginia.  In addition to the Madison statue, they have done statues of George Washington and James Monroe for the Rapid City, South Dakota "City of Presidents" outdoor display.  They have also done six statues of servicemen and women for the South Dakota World War II memorial.  Ms. Treeby had teaching responsibilities in South Dakota and could not join us today but, Lee, we're very glad you could make the trip to Virginia.

There are also some other guests here today I'd like to recognize:

  • Lance Pedigo, who is Supervisor and Drum Major forthe Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, the group that has provided the stirring music today.  The Fifes and Drums corps is actually composed of high school musicians from the Williamsburg area.  The musicians appearing today are "alumni" of the corps, including staff from Colonial Williamsburg and several current JMU students.   Lance is also a member of the JMU Class of 1986
  • Mark Obenshain, a member of the JMU Board of Visitors.
  • Zane Showker, former rector of the Board of Visitors and benefactor to the University.
  • Jim Richardson, President of the James Madison University Foundation.
  • Harrisonburg Mayor Joe Fitzgerald.
  • Rockingham County Administrator Bill O'Brien.
  • Generous supporters Alvin and Nancy Baird.
  • And First Lady, Judith Rose

I would also like to recognize Mr. Wylie Cook of MMM Design of Norfolk, who conceptualized this beautiful plaza, and Mr. Cliff Miller of Cliff Miller Construction, who turned drawings into reality, and  Mr. Mike Davis, JMU's Director of Facilities Management, who made sure Cliff's interpretation of Wylie's drawings got finished on time!

Would the Forbes family please join me.

I'd like to ask the Forbes to unveil this new and exciting addition to the James Madison University campus. 

Sources:
Jack Rakove, James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic.