[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21721]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO JOHN DEERING AND HIS ``TESTAMENT'' SCULPTURE

 Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, nearly half a century ago, Arkansas 
experienced one of its darkest moments. As nine African-American 
students fought to integrate Central High School, they were accosted by 
students, threatened by parents and forsaken by local leaders. It took 
an intervention by President Dwight Eisenhower to bring desegregation 
to this public school.
  But in the 48 years since this event my State has seen brighter days, 
most recently on August 30, 2005, when I was proud to be present for 
the unveiling of ``Testament,'' a sculpture of the Little Rock Nine 
depicting the nine brave students on their journey to claim an equal 
education.
  ``Testament'' is a tribute by John Deering, one of Little Rock's own, 
to those students and the courage they demonstrated that day. The life-
sized sculpture depicts the nine students as they were in 1957: Equally 
brave, scared, determined. It is the largest bronze statue in Arkansas 
and the first monument honoring the civil rights movement on the 
grounds of a Southern State capitol. During the 40th anniversary of the 
desegregation, John came up with the idea for the sculpture. With 
approval from the Little Rock Nine Foundation, John created the work 
with his wife Kathy and studio partner Steve Scallion. The sculpture 
has been 7 years in the making and now stands proudly in Little Rock.
  I would like to recognize John for this sculpture and his 
contributions to journalism and the arts. As the editorial cartoonist 
for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, John has earned numerous local and 
national accolades. He has been recognized by the Arkansas Press 
Association with the Best Editorial Cartoonist Award seven times in his 
career and in 1996 he won the illustrious Berryman Award from the 
National Press Foundation. His editorial cartoons are nationally 
syndicated, as is his comic strip ``Strange Brew,'' allowing readers 
throughout the country to share in his humor.
  But make no mistake, John is serious about his cartoons, and the 
artistry is as important to him as the jokes. His dedication to 
artistry has translated to other mediums, including painting and 
sculpture. John has works displayed throughout the country. 
``Testament'' is not the first monument he has sculpted for Arkansas. 
In 1987, John created a life-size sculpture of an American soldier for 
the Arkansas Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which I consider both poignant 
and powerful.
  When the ``Testament'' sculpture was unveiled, the Little Rock Nine 
once again stood together in solidarity. An emotional moment for those 
brave men and women, it was also a moving event for John as 7 years of 
private work was finally put on public display. As this sculpture 
stands on Arkansas' capitol grounds, it serves as a testament to the 
Little Rock Nine, as well as Arkansas' past and future. I applaud John 
for his valuable artistic contribution to Arkansas and the nation and I 
hope that this statue will serve as a lasting reminder of the 
difficulties and triumphs of the civil rights movement for generations 
to come.

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