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Lakemore's stolen doughboy statue found in reservoir

By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer

POSTED: 01:54 p.m. EDT, Sep 23, 2008

LAKEMORE: The Resting Doughboy is back home.

The unusual World War I sculpture, stolen two weeks ago from the center of town, was found by a fisherman this morning submerged in the Mogadore Reservoir in Portage County.

The 3-foot-high statue is damaged. The doughboy's head has been smashed in, leaving a gaping hole. And his left hand and most of his rifle are missing, but at least it's been found, police and community leaders said.

''We got him back,'' Police Chief Kenneth Ray said. ''Now we've got to go after the people who took him.''

The zinc statue — the centerpiece of Memorial Day parades and Veterans Day activities in the community — had stood in the village for about 70 years. But someone broke off the sculpture at the ankles and made off with it two weeks ago, upsetting residents, who considered it appalling that anyone would steal a veterans memorial.

The theft garnered plenty of publicity, including a front-page story in the Beacon Journal.

Police suspect it was taken for scrap metal.

''Hopefully, we'll get it repaired and back up before Veterans Day,'' said James Richards, commander of the Army Navy Garrison 273, which owns the statue.

The veterans group is still trying to figure out how much the repairs will cost.

''Hopefully, it's not too much,'' Richards said.

Michael Wright of Mogadore said he was fishing for bluegill along Sunnybrook Road and had just completed taking photos of ''Flat Stanley'' — a school project for his grandson, Tristan Wright of Cuyahoga Falls — when he made the discovery.

''I saw this little guy laying in the water and I thought, 'What the heck is that?' '' he said.

Wright, a Korean War veteran, pulled the statue in using a stick and rope. He recognized the doughboy from a picture in the newspaper and took it to Lakemore police.

''I'm a veteran myself,'' he said. ''I know that it means a lot to people. I'm glad I'm the one who found him to get him back to where he belongs and he didn't end up in a scrap yard somewhere.''

Police have a couple of solid leads, Ray said.

It's great to have the statue back in the community, he added.

''How can you replace him?'' he asked. ''Even if you did replace him, it's not the same.''

The sculpture was created in 1936 by Indiana artist E.M. Viquesney (1876-1946). It depicts an infantryman at rest with his helmet pushed back and rifle in his left hand.

About 130 of Viquesney's Spirit of the American Doughboy statues stand today across the country, including one outside the Summit County Courthouse Annex. But the Lakemore statue is considered unique, because it is smaller than the others and the doughboy is in a different pose.

Anyone with information about the theft should call village police at 330-733-6125, Ext. 6.

Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.

LAKEMORE: The Resting Doughboy is back home.

The unusual World War I sculpture, stolen two weeks ago from the center of town, was found by a fisherman this morning submerged in the Mogadore Reservoir in Portage County.

The 3-foot-high statue is damaged. The doughboy's head has been smashed in, leaving a gaping hole. And his left hand and most of his rifle are missing, but at least it's been found, police and community leaders said.

''We got him back,'' Police Chief Kenneth Ray said. ''Now we've got to go after the people who took him.''

The zinc statue — the centerpiece of Memorial Day parades and Veterans Day activities in the community — had stood in the village for about 70 years. But someone broke off the sculpture at the ankles and made off with it two weeks ago, upsetting residents, who considered it appalling that anyone would steal a veterans memorial.

The theft garnered plenty of publicity, including a front-page story in the Beacon Journal.

Police suspect it was taken for scrap metal.

''Hopefully, we'll get it repaired and back up before Veterans Day,'' said James Richards, commander of the Army Navy Garrison 273, which owns the statue.

The veterans group is still trying to figure out how much the repairs will cost.

''Hopefully, it's not too much,'' Richards said.

Michael Wright of Mogadore said he was fishing for bluegill along Sunnybrook Road and had just completed taking photos of ''Flat Stanley'' — a school project for his grandson, Tristan Wright of Cuyahoga Falls — when he made the discovery.

''I saw this little guy laying in the water and I thought, 'What the heck is that?' '' he said.

Wright, a Korean War veteran, pulled the statue in using a stick and rope. He recognized the doughboy from a picture in the newspaper and took it to Lakemore police.

''I'm a veteran myself,'' he said. ''I know that it means a lot to people. I'm glad I'm the one who found him to get him back to where he belongs and he didn't end up in a scrap yard somewhere.''

Police have a couple of solid leads, Ray said.

It's great to have the statue back in the community, he added.

''How can you replace him?'' he asked. ''Even if you did replace him, it's not the same.''

The sculpture was created in 1936 by Indiana artist E.M. Viquesney (1876-1946). It depicts an infantryman at rest with his helmet pushed back and rifle in his left hand.

About 130 of Viquesney's Spirit of the American Doughboy statues stand today across the country, including one outside the Summit County Courthouse Annex. But the Lakemore statue is considered unique, because it is smaller than the others and the doughboy is in a different pose.

Anyone with information about the theft should call village police at 330-733-6125, Ext. 6.

Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.



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cloverfield

Posted 04:32 PM, 09/23/2008

When we catch the perpetrator, can we make him dress like the Pillsbury Dough Boy and stand at attention in the middle of Lakemore for the exact amount of time the statue was missing?


jmoore
akron, oh

Posted 04:37 PM, 09/23/2008

Glad it was located. Now can we find the statue of Templeton the Rat stolen from the Richfield Library?
















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