At 12, Model for Patriotic Statue; As Adult, Utah Supreme Court Justice
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- In 1936 sixth grader D. Frank Wilkins was
chosen as the model for a patriotic statue, in which the boy points
towards the top of a flagpole, while a girl next to him is holding a
copy of the U.S. Constitution. The statue, by LDS artist Torlief S.
Knaphus, was dedicated that year, and has stood ever since in front
of the Salt Lake City-County Building on State street in Salt Lake
City. But Wilkins hasn't stood still. While he wanted to become a
journalist, he ended up going to law school, and eventually became a
justice onthe Utah Supreme Court, where he was known for his
soul-searching, eloquent rulings. Wilkins resigned from the court in
1980.
Source:
Story Behind a Statue, Model for patriotism grew up to be model jurist
Salt Lake Tribune 25Feb02 US UT SLC T2
By Dawn House: Salt Lake Tribune
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