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A sculpture created by Brian Hanlon  remembers the firefighters who died ten years ago searching for homeless people believed to be living in the former Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. building in Worcester.  

On Nov. 7, about 30 alumni and friends gathered in the stone courtyard outside Smith Labs, part of the new Integrated Science Complex. In the brisk shade of a clear autumn day, they gathered to honor Fr. Pedro Arrupe as the new bronze statue of the beloved and admired Superior General of the Society of Jesus was dedicated.

Fr. Arrupe’s connection to the sciences began when he trained to be a doctor in Madrid, Spain, before changing his career course to a life of service as a Jesuit. His early medical training, however, proved an invaluable gift in the hours, weeks, and months after the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Serving as the leader of the Jesuit novitiate just a few miles away from ground zero, Fr. Arrupe saw the blinding flash of light from the bomb, and without regard to himself, led his brothers in turning their home on a hill overlooking the devastated city into a hospital.

Though this was the defining moment in Fr. Arrupe’s life, he also guided the Jesuits through the sometimes difficult phase after Vatican II addressed the needs of the Church’s people in the modern world. At the statue dedication, Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., president emeritus, spoke movingly about Fr. Arrupe’s deep love for people in need and ability to connect on a meaningful level with all around him. Senior Vice President Frank Vellaccio opened the morning dedication by introducing the sculptor, Brian Hanlon, who also created the Bob Cousy sculpture in front of the Hart Center.

Made possible by a generous gift from longtime Holy Cross supporter Stephen A. Lovelette ’78, the statue portrays Fr. Arrupe knelt in prayer, head bowed and slightly tilted, and hands placed serenely in his lap. In his blessing, Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president, asked for guidance and protection for all those who study and teach in the shadow of the statue and in the new Integrated Science Complex, scheduled to open fully early next year.

Stephen A. Lovelette ’78, accompanied by his wife, mother and several other family members, spoke passionately to the assembled group of his love for Mount St. James, his memories of being an excited new student on the Hill, and about how that excitement still finds him today, even as he drove up Linden Lane to attend the ceremony.

The most moving moments came when Lovelette spoke of his late father, Marshall, to whom he dedicated the gift of the Arrupe statue. He recalled, pausing with emotion, his commencement day in 1978, and looking into the stands where his father waved proudly with a rolled up program so his son could spot him in the crowd. The younger Lovelette then described his father as “a man who would never be a saint, but who did see a miracle in his lifetime — my graduation from Holy Cross.”

Following the statue dedication, invited guests gathered for a reception and luncheon in the Smith Labs atrium, where glass panel walls offer a view of the statue.

Hometown Hero

by Staci Backauskas

Brian Hanlon shapes memories. A sculptor, his chief subject is giving form to the past and catching people’s proudest moments.

Highlights from Hanlon’s career include a sculpture honoring 100 years of volunteer firefighters, which stands in downtown Toms River, N.J., and a statue recently unveiled in Barnegat Light (pop. 764) celebrating New Jersey’s fishermen. Last summer, he dedicated a bronze statue of a teacher reading to four elementary school students that now stands outside The Village School in the town where he grew up, Holmdel, N.J. (pop. 15,781).

Hanlon’s current pride and joy, The Spirit of the Little League, was dedicated this past fall. Inspired by the World Championship won by Toms River in 1998, Hanlon helped create the committee that has overseen the statue’s development. “The neighboring communities of Brick and Lakewood have had incredible teams as well,” Hanlon points out.

Now 40 and a resident of the Pleasant Plains area (pop. 2,577) of Toms River, Hanlon has sculpted professionally for more than 20 years. With the support of his wife, Michele, he created Hanlon Studios in 1994. A father of four—Molly, Maggie, Luke, and Declan—he loves living and working in the small Ocean County town that was once dotted with poultry farms.

Tucked behind a quiet residential street, the studio where he works is one of four old chicken coops once part of a farm, now filled with plaster casts and rubber molds. “I think it’s cool,” Hanlon smiles. “George Segal, one of the most famous American sculptors, is my hero, and he worked out of a chicken coop in South Brunswick for 50 years.”

A shelf in back holds busts Hanlon has sculpted over the years. Sea Bright’s Mayor Charles Rooney rests next to Pro Football Hall of Famer Dwight Stephenson. In describing each work, Hanlon pauses at Count Basie.

“That was an incredible experience,” he smiles. “A board member from the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, N.J., asked me to sculpt a bust of the Count.” His blue eyes sparkle as he continues. “I think Count Basie is the greatest band leader in history, so I jumped at the chance. B.B. King and I unveiled it together at the theater in 1999.”

Hanlon is interrupted by Molly Feldmus, the German woman who owns the chicken coops; she’s stopped by to say good morning. “Molly’s a big part of why I chose to do the Holocaust Memorial for the B’nai Israel Congregation in Toms River,” Hanlon explains after she leaves. “A lot of German holocaust survivors settled in New Jersey after the war. It was important to me to remember them.”

For that matter, it was a memory that turned him to sculpture as a lifelong pursuit. At Monmouth University on a track scholarship, Hanlon majored in art education and planned on teaching. Then, as a sophomore, he sculpted a statue honoring a Holmdel High School javelin thrower whose life tragically had been cut short. When he unveiled it for the athlete’s parents, it changed his life. “It was something about the look on his mother’s face,” Hanlon says, “that told me I needed to be a sculptor because I could make a difference as an artist.”

His work continues to make a difference. Joe Cannova, a local businessman and the chairman of the Spirit of the Little League committee, is excited about what Hanlon’s current statue represents to Toms River. “It was amazing what these kids did,” Cannova says. “They were the very best. The whole town got drawn in, and it forged a positive bond in the community. People still talk about that game.” (Toms River defeated Kashima, Japan, 12-9). Hanlon’s bronze statue of a coach and his player commemorates that excitement—and honors all those who take part in Little League.

Much of Hanlon’s work is rooted in history. Included on his docket are sculptures of retired University of Virginia football coach George Welsh and religious figure Padre Pio. But he’s already thinking ahead.

“I really want to do a statue of Mickey Mantle,” he grins. “He was the greatest baseball player who ever lived.”

Staci Backauskas is a frequent contributor to American Profile.

first appeared: 1/20/2002

For more information on Brian Hanlon, please visit http://www.hanlonsculpture.com

Famed sculptor Brian Hanlon has been creating statues and memorials since 1991.    In 2005, Hanlon completed an 8 foot bronze statue for the St Peter’s College in New Jersey.  The statue was a gift from an anonymous benefactor of the college honoring St Peter the Apostle, the college’s namesake. 

On March 31, 2005, college President James N Loughran S.J., dedicated the Sculpture of Saint Peter on the campus in a ceremony attended by students, community members, alumni and benefactors.

To read the full story, please visit http://www.hanlonsculpture.com/category/hanlon-sculptures-in-the-news

Brian Hanlon is the only full time commissioned sculptor in New Jersey with more than 200 public art pieces featured around the world.  Many of Brian’s pieces honor those we have lost.  Brian is especially proud to use his talent as a healing tool for those who mourn the loss of loved ones taken too young, too tragically, or just too early.

A photo gallery of Brian’s work can be seen on his website, http://www.hanlonsculpture.com

For more information:

Brian Hanlon

Hanlon Sculpture

Phone 732.240.7149

Fax 732.914.8579

sculpt1@hotmail.com

Brian Hanlon created the 8 foot bronze statue which stands as a memorial to St Peter.  The bronze figure of the college’s namesake weights 1,200 pounds!

Read the full story located on page 2:

http://www.hanlonsculpture.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Bronze_Statue_Honors_St_Peter.pdf