Area sculptor hired to create bronze statue of Miyamura

By Bill Donovan
Staff writer

Hershey Miyamura

GALLUP — Local Medal of Honor recipient Hershey Miyamura will be honored by the McKinley County Commission, which agreed Tuesday to spend $39,000 to build a larger than life bronze sculpture of Gallup’s local hero to put at the new high school being named in his honor.

The commission agreed to give the contract for the sculpture to Orlando Joe, the Kirtland sculptor who is best known in this area for his sculpture honoring the Navajo Code Talkers.

Joe was one of three who submitted a bid for the project. He received 90 — out of a possible 100 — points in the evaluation, as compared to Arthur H. Norby, who received 84 points and Gallup Monument, which received 65.

Funds for the project will come from a $40,000 state grant that the county received this past year.

County Attorney Doug Decker said Joe has agreed to build a 18-inch scale model which will be shown to the commission before the actual sculpture is done. The actual sculpture will be 6-feet, 5-inches high, which will be bigger than Miyamura, who is 5-feet, 10-inches but Decker explained that this was needed because otherwise it would look too small from a distance.

“You also lose about 3 percent when the bronze cools,” he said. He expects the commission will be happy with Joe’s creation. “If it is similar to what he has done in the past, it will really be nice,” he said.

The making of the sculpture is expected to take about 22 weeks and when it is done, it will be turned over to the school district so it can be put in a place of honor at the new Miyamura High School, which is taking the place of Gallup Junior High on Boardman Avenue.

Decker said the city plans to contribute a series of painted murals that will depict various aspects of Miyamura’s life. This will also be placed in the high school.

He added that no decision has been made as yet as to whether the sculpture will be outside or inside the school.