NOHO SEEKS PERMANENT STATUE FOR EARHART.Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer NORTH HOLLYWOOD - On the surface, the bronze-colored statue of aviator Amelia Earhart gazing confidently ahead with an airplane airplane, aeroplane, or aircraft, heavier-than-air vehicle, mechanically driven and fitted with fixed wings that support it in flight through the dynamic action of the air. propeller propeller, device consisting of a hub with one or more blades that propels a craft to which it is attached by rotating its blades in a fluid such as air or water. in her hand appears to be as tough as the reputation of the the famous aviator herself, weathering the years without a trace of decay. For three decades, however, the steel and fiberglass fiberglass, thread made from glass. It is made by forcing molten glass through a kind of sieve, thereby spinning it into threads. Fiberglass is strong, durable, and impervious to many caustics and to extreme temperatures. statue in North Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
v. de·te·ri·o·rat·ed, de·te·ri·o·rat·ing, de·te·ri·o·rates v.tr. To diminish or impair in quality, character, or value: from within and could now fall apart at any time, local artists and historians warn. Today, on what would have been Earhart's 101st birthday, a group of civic leaders and aviation enthusiasts is expected to announce a campaign to raise more than $100,000 to create a real bronze statue of the local heroine. ``Our community has had a love affair with Amelia since the `30s, and we're proud of what she symbolizes,'' Guy Weddington McCreary, chairman of the new Amelia Earhart Historical Committee, said Monday. ``She's a very deep part of our history and our whole landscape here in the Valley.'' Earhart lived on Valley Spring Lane in what is now Toluca Lake and flew her plane out of what is now the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport. Throughout her flying career and until her death in 1937 in an around- the-world flight, Earhart shared her fame and sense of adventure with the entire community, McCreary said. ``She was an inspiration and someone everyone could look up to,'' he said. ``She was a rugged individualist in·di·vid·u·al·ist n. 1. One that asserts individuality by independence of thought and action. 2. An advocate of individualism. in who proved women could do much more when they were challenged.'' Created by sculptor Ernest Shelton in 1971, the existing statue - which stands in North Hollywood Park in front of the Amelia Earhart library branch - was designed to be used as a temporary model until a bronze statue could be made, said Sandy Decker of Decker Studios in North Hollywood, the art studio that made the statue. However, plans to create a more durable bronze statue were abandoned as a result of a funding shortfall, Decker said. ``At this point, it's just being held together with paint,'' he said. ``The urgency of making a mold mold, name for certain multicellular organisms of the various classes of the kingdom Fungi, characteristically having bodies composed of a cottony mycelium. The colors of molds are caused by the spores, which are borne on the mycelium. at this time is, if it's not taken, we could lose the whole thing.'' Today, those leading the fund-raising drive Noun 1. fund-raising drive - a campaign to raise money for some cause fund-raising campaign, fund-raising effort crusade, campaign, cause, drive, effort, movement - a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end; "he supported are expected to announce the beginning of the Save Amelia Bronzing Project. The effort is a joint project among the North Hollywood Community Forum, the North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Zonta Club of Burbank, the North Hollywood Jaycees and the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. 99s, an all-female aviators Well-known aviators People largely known for their contributions to the history of aviation While all of these people were pilots (and some still are), many are also noted for contributions in areas such as aircraft design and manufacturing, navigation or club. In conjunction with the start of the fund-raising project, the county Board of Supervisors The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. The Board of Supervisors is the body governing counties in the U.S. has declared today Amelia Earhart Day in the San Fernando Valley. McCreary estimated that it would cost $100,000 to $150,000 to create a bronze statue of Earhart, adding that he is counting on numerous small donations and a few large donations to carry out the project. The committee is also applying for a $50,000 state grant. Though the city owns the statue, McCreary said he does not believe city funding will be available for the bronzing project. Officials with the city's Cultural Affairs Department, which is responsible for the statue, were unavailable for comment Monday afternoon. The existing statue will be used to create a mold, and will likely be destroyed in the process, said Decker, who will create the bronze statue if enough money is raised. For McCreary, the bronzing project is needed to preserve the Valley's fleeting sense of history and Valley residents' sense of identity. ``Stories like Amelia's need to be told because history is the foundation of America,'' he said ``If you lose your sense of history, you lose your roots, and if you lose your roots, you lose your sense of who we are as a country.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Local leaders today launch an effort to replace this crumbling statue of local aviator Amelia Earhart with a bronze version. (2) North Hollywood resident and historian Guy Weddington McCreary is heading an effort to replace the Earhart statue. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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