Class of 1964 Commissions Statue Representing Winthrop’s History
August 14, 2014
ROCK HILL, SC – This fall, students strolling down Winthrop University’s Scholars Walk will be greeted by a new face – one that illustrates both the university’s history as a teacher training institution and the universal passage from the uncertainty of freshman year to senior-year confidence.
Commissioned by the Class of 1964, “Metamorphosis” depicts a female Winthrop student dressed in an early 1900s-era school uniform. The bronze statue, which weighs approximately 100 pounds, will be installed permanently on campus – seated on the bench at the end of Scholars Walk near Kinard Hall – during August.
The piece, created by sculptor Gregory Johnson, has special meaning to the Class of 1964 and includes a butterfly in flight – an emblem that served as a symbol for the class, explained Jan Watson ’64.
“During Classes Night, we entered as cocoons and departed as butterflies, which symbolized our journey from our freshman year through senior year,” said Watson, who was involved in all aspects of the statue planning process.
Watson added that the idea for the statue stemmed from class members’ initial desire to “tell the Winthrop story as a teacher training institution for women.”
“Metamorphosis” will be dedicated officially during 2014 Homecoming and Alumni Weekend in November, which marks the Class of 1964’s 50th reunion.
In addition to commissioning “Metamorphosis,” the Class of 1964 raised funds to establish the Class of 1964 Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship will support rising sophomores at Winthrop who meet a variety of academic criteria. Class members also established an additional fund, the Class of 1964 Alumni Programming Endowed Fund, to provide programming support to the Office of Alumni Relations.
