Frank Gaylord

Frank Gaylord
Born March 9, 1925
Clarksburg, West Virginia
Nationality United States
Education Carnegie Institute of Technology, Temple University
Known for art, memorials
Notable work Korean War Veterans Memorial

Frank Chalfant Gaylord II (born March 9, 1925) is an American sculptor best known for "The Column", a group of sculptures of United States soldiers and sailors which is part of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Career

Gaylord was born in March 1925 to Richard and Thelma (Hamilton) Gaylord in Clarksburg, West Virginia.[1] He was named for his grandfather, Frank C. Gaylord. He graduated from Washington Irving High School in Clarksburg.[2]

Gaylord was drafted at the age of 18 into the United States Army.[2] He served in the 17th Airborne Division during World War II. He saw action in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.[3] During this time, he sketched many of the men he served with in the military.[4] He was wounded, and spent several months in military hospitals convalescing.[2]

After being discharged from the Army at the end of the war, Gaylord attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He transferred to the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1950.[2][5]

Gaylord and his wife moved to Barre, Vermont, in 1951.[6][7] Interested in a career in sculpting granite, Gaylord apprenticed under noted Vermont sculptor Bruno Sarzanini.[8]

Early in his career, Gaylord carved tombstones.[6] Over time, he received numerous commissions for life-sized and larger-than-life representational figures and figure groups throughout the United States and Canada.[2] In 1990, Gaylord was selected to sculpt a field of 38 soldiers (later reduced to 19) for the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Some of the faces of the sculptures he created for the work (known as "The Column") are drawn from men he served with during World War II, including William A. Callaway[4] and John Erdman.[9] In 2002, the United States Postal Service used a photograph of Gaylord's soldier sculptures for a stamp commemorating the Korean War. Gaylord sued for copyright infringement in 2006. The United States Court of Federal Claims denied his claim, but this was overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Gaylord v. United States, 595 F.3d 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2010). On remand, the Court of Federal Claims awarded Gaylord $5,000 in compensation. But on appeal, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit again vacated the decision and remanded the case back to the Court of Federal Claims for a new determination of damages based on what Gaylord and the Postal Service might have negotiated.[10] On September 20, 2013, The United States Court of Federal Claims awarded Gaylord $684,844.94 in damages.[11]

Personal life and honors

Gaylord was married to the late Mary Cornwell. The couple have two children Leanne Gaylord Triano and Victoria Gaylord.He also has a son, John Richard Gaylord that died in 1962. He also has two grand children Amy and John Triano. Gaylord works in a 7,000 square feet (650 m2) studio in Williamstown Vermont.[2]

Gaylord has been honored for his work several times. These include an honorary doctorate from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, in 1998 and the Governor's Award from the Vermont Council on the Arts in 2003.[3]

Notable works

This is a partial list of Gaylord's works which have received public notice:

References

  1. ↑ Birth Record Detail. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. 2012. Accessed 2012-09-08.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Shearer, Connie. "Making of a Monument: West Virginian Designs Memorial for Sometimes Forgotten Korean War." Charleston Gazette. July 16, 1995.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Vermont Arts Council. 2004 Annual Report. Montpelier,Vermont. 2004, p. 3. Accessed 2012-09-08.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Efird, Jo Anne B. "Soldier Immortalized in Memorial Stone." The Callaway Journal. April 2000, p. 30.
  5. ↑ "The 2002-2003 Honor Roll." Gestures. Winter 2004, p. 5. Accessed 2012-09-08.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Calta, MariaLisa. "Granite Art: It Isn't Just Tombstones." New York Times. December 11, 1988. Accessed 2012-09-08.
  7. ↑ "Evidence of 'Soul' Lets Sculptor Live A Dream." Boston Globe. July 10, 1990.
  8. ↑ Comiskey, Mary. "Sculptor of Partridge Statue Honored at Norwich Rededication." Northfield News. October 22, 2009. Accessed 2012-09-08.
  9. ↑ Kilian, Michael. "'Forgotten War' Remembered." Chicago Tribune. July 27, 1995.
  10. ↑ Gaylord v. United States, No. 2011–5097 (Fed. Cir. May 14, 2012); "Sculptor Can Recover Copyright Royalties From USPS -Fed Cir." Reuters. May 14, 2012.
  11. ↑ http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions/WHEELER.GAYLORD092013.pdf
  12. ↑ Sneyd, Ross. "Statue to Vermont's First Governor Dedicated." Associated Press. June 18, 1999.
  13. ↑ "Governor Grasso Honored." New York Times. January 31, 1987.
  14. ↑ Milano, Philip J. "Statue Shows Kinder Side of Police Work." Florida Times-Union. October 12, 2002.
  15. ↑ "Fifth Third Field Gets New Artwork." SportsBusiness Daily. August 12, 2002. Accessed 2012-09-08.
  16. ↑ "Little League Honors Founders." United Press International. June 6, 1989.
  17. ↑ Milano, Kenneth W. The History of Penn Treaty Park. Charleston, S.C.: History Press, 2009, p. 140-146.
  18. ↑ "Dedication of the U.S. Korean War Memorial in Busan, South Korea on July 28". Events:. American Battle Monuments Commission. 22 July 2013. This is the third memorial commemorating the Korean War created by ABMC.
  19. ↑ Korean War Monument at Busan
  20. ↑ Delcore, David (September 28, 2013). "Barre granite is new, unique memorial in South Korea". Vermont Today. Rutland Herald.

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