The Four Chaplains Monument, (sculpture).

The Four Chaplains Monument, (sculpture).

Angell, Carleton W., 1887-1963, sculptor.

Zuckermann, Bernhard, 1912-1980, sculptor.

The Four Chaplains Monument, (sculpture).

Dedicated Memorial Day 1954.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: marble; Base: brick.

Overall: approx. H. 25 ft.

C W Angell sc (On front, below relief:) THEIR EXAMPLE HAS INSPIRED AND STRENGTHENED MEN/EVERYWHERE MEN OF ALL FAITHS CAN BE PROUD THAT/THESE MEN OF DIFFERENT FAITHS DIED TOGETHER (On panel on right of base:) IN THEIR LIGHT/SHALL WE/SEE LIGHT/CLARK V. POLING/GEORGE L. FOX signed

Marker with shallow relief depicts four men standing at a ship's railing while waves encroach on the ship. The men, military chaplains John Washington, Alexander Goode, Clark V. Poling and George L. Fox all wear heavy coats and gaze into the distance. To the upper left of the relief are four emblems with military insignias. To the upper right is a pair of pillars with incised Roman numerals of one through ten. The pillars are topped with a Star of David and are flanked by a pair of Crosses.

History -- United States -- World War II

Portrait male -- Washington, John -- Waist length

Portrait male -- Goode, Alexander -- Waist length

Portrait male -- Poling, Clark V. -- Waist length

Portrait male -- Fox, George L. -- Waist length

Occupation -- Religion -- Clergy

Emblem -- Military Insignia

Emblem -- Cross

Emblem -- Star of David

Architecture -- Boat -- Dorchester

Outdoor Sculpture -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor

Arbor Crest Memorial Park, 2521 Glazier Way, Ann Arbor, Michigan

The sculpture was carved by Bernhard Zuckermann based on a model by C. W. Angell. The men depicted in the sculpture, Washington, Goode, Clark Poling and Fox, Catholic, Jewish and (two) Protestant chaplains respectively, were aboard the troop transport ship the "Dorchester" when it was torpedoed and sunk on Feb. 3, 1943. They aided the troops in abandoning the ship and gave away their own life jackets. They were among the 678 who went down with the ship. IAS files contain an unpublished excerpt from Einar Kvaran's "An Annotated Inventory of Outdoor Sculpture in Washtenaw County," 1989. For related reading, see "Mine Eyes Have Seen," by Daniel Poling, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1959, pg. 202-205, Time Magazine, Dec. 1, 1944, pg. 73 and the Ypsilanti Press, May 26, 1954.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Michigan survey, 1993.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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