Bradley University’s iconic Lydia Moss Bradley statue is back on display. Hundreds were on hand as officials unveiled the repaired likeness of the school’s founder Thursday.
The bronze statue was knocked off its base in a June car accident. Bradley University President Gary Roberts told the enthusiastic crowd that Lydia Moss Bradley was a remarkable woman.
“One of the things I tell people as I go around the country talking about Bradley - we are the only university or college I’m aware of in the United States founded exclusively by a woman,” says Roberts.
Sculpture professor Fisher Stolz says the restoration fixed the accident damage, addressed issues in the original casting and highlighted important elements of the statue.
“You now see that she has a lace collar and a brooch and a chain that goes to the pocket watch to talk about the origins of Bradley as a school of horology,” says Stolz.
Lydia Moss Bradley founded a watch repair school that later opened in 1887 as Bradley Polytechnic Institute. The statue of her likeness has graced the university's Founder’s Circle for 20 years.
