AK donates statue of founder to MUM
Thursday, May 15, 2008
MIDDLETOWN — If you were wondering what happened to the bronze statue of Armco Steel founder George M. Verity that stood at the entrance of AK Steel's former headquarters on Curtis Street, don't worry, it hasn't been snatched by scrap metal thieves.
Company officials announced Wednesday, May 14, that the statue, which stood in the same spot at 703 Curtis St. for 60 years, is being donated to Miami University Middletown. It will be relocated to the Verity Lodge on the university's campus.
AK Steel Corp. is paying to refurbish and relocate the statue of company founder George M. Verity from the former Curtis Street headquarters to Miami University Middletown. File photoAK officials said the donation is a tribute to the Verity family, one of America's "First Families" of steel.
"Over the years, the Verity family has left a tremendous legacy on the city of Middletown and the surrounding region," said James L. Wainscott, AK's chairman, president and CEO. "AK Steel is proud to donate Mr. Verity's statue to Miami Middletown, a place where that legacy can be appreciated for years to come."
MUM Dean Kelly Cowan said the statue's relocation is a homecoming of sorts for Verity.
"The campus was built on land that had once been the Verity estate, and Miami Middletown owes its very existence to the company that Mr. Verity founded and the people who worked there," Cowan said. "We are proud to have the statue here."
The statue, cast in 1943 by Amos Mazzolini of Yellow Springs, was formally dedicated at the company's site on April 22, 1948. It is currently being cleaned and reconditioned and will be relocated to MUM later this summer, said Alan McCoy, vice president of government and public relations.
AK Steel is picking up the tab for the relocation and reconditioning, McCoy said.
"Our family is honored that his statue will reside at Miami University Middletown, and we are very appreciative that AK Steel has made this possible," said Will Verity, son of the late Bill Verity Jr., former Armco CEO and great grandson of George Verity. "We hope that his presence will serve as an inspiration to future leaders that anything is possible when you 'pin your faith to men,' as he (George Verity) used to say."
