The monument consists of several elements. At the center is a bronze relief sculpture representing the vulnerable soldier struggling against the environmental and man made elements. He represents not a super hero but the common man in an extreme situation. The phrases are derived directly from the Medal of Honor certificates. We found that nothing was more powerful than the words themselves.
University of Washington Campus
Memorial Drive round about
Site design by Heidi Wastweet and
Mike Magrath with Dodi Fredericks
Cast bronze relief on natural granite
by Heidi Wastweet 34” x 21” 2009
Minerva cast glass on basalt pedestal
by Mike Magrath
University students initiated this privately funded monument to commemorate eight alumni who have received the Medal Of Honor. No other non-service University has as many.
- Click here for an article about the monument
- Click here to see the UW dedication ceremony
Around the circle are 5 qualities exemplified by the Medal of Honor: VALOR - SACRIFICE - COURAGE - HUMILITY - RESOLVE
Four sentinel stones attend the book stone which is engraved with the names of the 8 Medal of Honor recipients and quote. The fallen stone represents those who didn't come home alive. Overseeing the book stone is the cast glass Minerva pedestal sculpted by Mike Magrath. A five pointed star reaches out across the road offering pathways to this place of honor through the five qualities. These are qualities that not only apply to military life but to whatever life we each chose.
The goal of this design is to create a bridge between the academic and military communities on the UW campus which have been historically divided. The Goddess Minerva is Goddess of both war and education which makes her the perfect connector. She is pictured on the actual Medal of Honor and traditional statues of Minerva grace several universities. Here her face is mysteriously hidden in cast glass atop a columnar basalt pedestal.
The book stone was unearthed several years earlier and donated to the University without a cause. For this project it found its purpose. This serpentine boulder appears ordinary on the outside but when cut open reveals an amazing core. Just like these young men who were ordinary on the outside but extraordinary at heart.
My wish is that students will find this a place to consider the unbelievably difficult situations that these men triumphed in and take courage in it knowing that these men were ordinary men who once walked this same campus. I want them to feel that if these men can face what they did then nothing is too difficult for the human spirit.