At the Art Castings studio in Loveland, Colorado, metalsmith Alex Haines carefully coats a mold of Jackie Robinson with wax. The significance of this project lies in its imminent replacement of the bronze statue of the baseball icon in Wichita, Kansas, which thieves destroyed earlier this year.
“Many sculptures come through here,” Haines reflected. “Some are a little bit more important than others. And this is definitely one of them.”
A Devastating Theft
In January, thieves brazenly cut the original statue off at its ankles, leaving only Robinson’s cleats behind at McAdams Park in Wichita. The park is home to League 42, a youth baseball league named after Robinson’s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947.
A Wave of Support
The news of the theft spread rapidly, prompting a national outpouring of donations that enabled Wichita to quickly commission a replacement statue.
“There’s been a lot of serendipity when it comes to League 42 throughout our entire existence,” said Bob Lutz, executive director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the statue. “It’s almost like there’s somebody watching out for us. And certainly, in this regard, we feel like… there was a guardian angel making sure that we could do this statue again.”
Generous Donations
The nonprofit received an estimated $450,000 to $500,000 in donations, including a $100,000 gift from Major League Baseball. This generous contribution will cover the statue’s $45,000 replacement cost and fund other improvements, such as landscaping and decorative bollards, to protect it from future vandalism.
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The nonprofit will use the remaining funds to enhance its programming and facilities. Last year, League 42 opened the Leslie Rudd Learning Center, which includes an indoor baseball facility and a learning lab. Lutz mentioned there might even be enough money to add artificial turf and more lighting.
An exact replica
The fact that the replacement statue will resemble the original, which his late friend, artist John Parsons, created before his death in 2022, is a blessing for Lutz. The original mold remained viable, enabling the creation of an exact replica.
“If that wasn’t the case, I don’t know that I would feel as positive about all this as I do,” Lutz said.
A Crime Uncovered
The theft took a dark turn when fire crews found the burned remnants of the statue while responding to a trash can fire at another park about seven miles away. Police believe that plans to sell the bronze for scrap motivated the crime, not racial animosity, as one man has pleaded guilty and the investigation continues.
“It was a stupid plan,” said Tony Workman, owner of Art Castings of Colorado. “The problem is you can’t get a fire in a dumpster hot enough to melt metal. All you’re going to do is burn the sculpture. Therefore, you will still be able to identify the sculpture.
A New Home for the Cleats
The severed bronze cleats from the original statue have found a new home at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. This location is fitting, as Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of black American ballplayers. Robinson is not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon.
Legacy and Inspiration
“The outpouring of support that folks have gotten as a result of this reminds us that light indeed does come out of darkness,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The cleats are now part of a display that includes a gunfire-riddled plaque erected outside Robinson’s birthplace, near Cairo, Georgia.
“It renews our spirit and belief in people, because sometimes people will do despicable things, and it makes you want to give up on people,” Kendrick said. “But you know you can’t give up on people, even though sometimes you want to.”
A Symbol of Endurance
On a recent morning, Emilio Estevez, a financial services worker from Miami, stopped to look at the cleats. He described Robinson as an inspiration, both for his athleticism and his ability to endure hardships while integrating the sport.
“We can all learn from that,” Estevez said. “And the thieves couldn’t take that away. He’s still in our minds. He’s still very present, like here in the museum, very prevalent.”
The bronze statue of Jackie Robinson will soon stand again in McAdams Park, symbolizing resilience and the enduring legacy of a true American hero.
The Information is Taken from ABC News and The Guardian
