Featured image. Front row, left to right: Nelson Barnett, Kay Southerland, Jerry Thomas, Gail Davis, Batesville School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Hester / Back row, left to right: Joe Hipp, Gary Anderson, Gary Bridgman, John Boykin, Tom Vanemberg
The Batesville School District has introduced Jedediah Bates, or “Ole Jed,” for the new school year. Jedediah has claimed his home in the grand foyer of the Batesville High School Charter (BHSC) campus.
The statue of the fictional Pioneer mascot stands 10 feet tall without his soon-to-arrive black marble base, according to a release from the district.
A committee of 17 Pioneers worked together for over a year to bring this project to fruition. The Pioneer Statue Committee was formed early in 2021 to work toward providing a statue to help boost the pride in Pioneer Nation.
The committee was composed of interested BHS alumni who wanted to work to see this accomplished.
The district said John Boykin and Nelson Barnett were named co-chairs; Kay Southerland, treasurer; and Gary Bridgman, publicity. Others who helped included Gary Anderson, Gene Crawford, Gail Welborn Davis, Joe Hipp, Batesville School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Hester, Butch Ketz, Stacy Finney Lindsey, Ned Metcalf, Brenda McClure Terrell, Jerry Thomas, Tom Vanemburg, and Mary Cochran Woodsmall. The money for the statue was raised by donations from BHS graduates from over several decades.
Members of the BHS Pioneer Statue Committee meet to select the log for the statue. Pictured above, from left to right: Joe Hipp, Kay Southerland, John Boykin, Clayton Coss (artist/sculptor), Nelson Barnett.
The committee researched possible sculptors for the work and decided on Clayton Coss of Muskogee, Okla.
“Ole Jed” was carved from a giant Sycamore cut near the foot of Main Street where the steamboats used to tie up.
Volunteers were found to transport the logs to the sculptor’s studio in Oklahoma. After completion, the statue was then transported to the BHSC campus.
In the release, the committee said it greatly appreciated all the time and energy spent on bringing this project to near completion.
A ribbon-cutting with the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce and reception will be on BHSC Homecoming Friday, Oct. 14 at 4:30 p.m., in the BHSC lobby. The public is invited to attend.
To donate, memorialize, or honor a friend or a family member, visit the committee’s GoFundMe page by clicking here or contact the association’s treasurer, Kay Southerland at kay.southerland@thecitizensbank.net or (870) 612-0075.
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Images provided by Batesville School District
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