October 05, 2009

Governor, First Lady Prepare for Unveiling of Helen Keller Statue at U.S. Capitol

MONTGOMERY - Governor Bob Riley and First Lady Patsy Riley leave Tuesday for Washington to celebrate the unveiling of a statue of Alabamian Helen Keller in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

The statue, commissioned by Governor Riley and paid for with private donations, will be permanently placed in the new Capitol Visitors Center shortly after its unveiling on Wednesday.

It will be the only statue in the U.S. Capitol depicting someone with a disability and will be the only statue depicting a child.

“Helen Keller was an extraordinary Alabamian who showed us the power of a determined human spirit can overcome any obstacle. The remarkable moment at the water pump, so vividly captured by this statue, will inspire countless others and remind them there truly are no limits to what people can accomplish,” said Governor Riley.

Since 1864, each state has been allowed to place two statues of influential residents in the U.S. Capitol. When Congress changed the law in 2002 to allow states to change the statues submitted by their states, then-Congressman Riley suggested the state place a statue of Keller. The Alabama Legislature passed a resolution asking Congress to accept a statue of Keller as a gift from the state.

Mrs. Riley served as the honorary chairperson of a committee that raised private donations and selected an artist to create the statue.

The statue will depict the Tuscumbia native as a seven-year-old at her family’s water pump at the moment she began to learn language. The iconic image was famously portrayed in the film “The Miracle Worker.”

The statue is made of bronze, its base is Alabama marble and it weighs about 600 pounds. It will replace a statue of Jabez Curry, a native of Georgia who was president of Howard College, which later became Samford University in Birmingham. His statue has represented Alabama in the Capitol since 1908. It is being sent back to Alabama where it will be displayed at Samford University.

Alabama’s other statue in the U.S. Capitol is of General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Wheeler and was donated by the state in 1925.