CANYON, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – The West Texas A&M University Police Department asked the community for information connected to the recent vandalism of the campus’ newly installed statue of Robert Frost in front of Cornette Library.
According to university officials, the Frost sculpture was “seriously damaged” around Oct. 30, when the leg was broken off of the statue’s writing desk. The leg was later found elsewhere on campus by WT landscapers.
“This has to have taken some pressure and some time to have occurred,” said Dr. Pat Tyrer, WT’s Jenny Lind Porter Professor of English, “It’s an awful act of vandalism.”
The sculpture was dedicated to former WT President James P. and Mary Elizabeth Cornette in October and features the image of Frost penning the poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Similar works by its creator, Colorado artist George W. Lundeen, have been featured on other university campuses across the country.
The university said that the sculpture will be repaired and cameras will be installed around Cornette Library, “to provide added security for the sculpture and others that may be added in the courtyard in the future.”
In the meantime, officials have continued to search for those responsible for the vandalism.
“We’re hoping anyone who saw the vandalism or have heard who might have perpetrated it will come forward,” said UPD Assistant Chief Robert Byrd, “It’s such a senseless, stupid act; that’s the disappointing aspect.”
UPD and the Office of Academic Affairs have offered a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest. Tips may be reported to 806-651-2300.