“Scouting changed my life,” says Joe Manchin III. “It challenged me …strengthened me …taught me responsibility…gave me new friends, and it made me the person I am today.”
As the former governor and current U.S. senator from West Virginia, Manchin led the local delegation support for building The Summit near the New River Gorge. “More than 10,000 acres that had once provided coal for construction of the Panama Canal. Also timber for PT boats, can now foster American ideals for the next 100 years. It was pure destiny,” Manchin explains.
This marked the beginning of a new and important relationship between the Boy Scouts and the state of West Virginia. Built on the shared values of family, faith and patriotism, and on the same promise that guides the lives of Scouts and West Virginians. To do one’s duty to God, country, state and one another.”
“We’re very excited about the sculpture… Everyone thought Joe’s bronze was ‘perfect’! …the BEST – just like you and Tom :)) thanks,” — Gayle, wife of Sen. Joe Manchin.
Tom, a hunter, has many friends who enjoy hunting to provide meat for their families as well and when one of them recently tagged out with a buck antelope, they called Tom to come take measurements for us sculpture.
It was important to Tom that the foundry we used in Wyoming to cast this into bronze, Eagle Bronze Foundry, do the patina in real life colors and shades. He wanted the wildlife bronze of the antelope to look like they had just stepped up to the waterhole.
It is a true pleasure to finally have one of Tom’s many public monumental bronze sculptures in his hometown. The sculpture is located in front of the government offices complex of the Town of Prescott Valley in front of the Police Department at the corner of Skoog and Lake Shore. It is along a favorite walking and running path and, thus, is able to be enjoyed by many folks in Prescott Valley.
The sculpture scene is available for recast in life-size and in the tabletop versions. Small wildlife desktop bronzes of the javelina eating cactus are available at Ian Russell Gallery downtown in Prescott Valley and are named “Snack Time” by Tom White. Call for information or to have your own custom wildlife scene for your ranch, farm, town or park designed by Tom.
