Community Legends Project in Grand Rapids

The Community Legends Project committee has been putting up statues of prominent Grand Rapidians since 2008. If you're wondering who these legends are, each statue has a plaque that gives a very brief description of each life. But you'd be better served researching them on your own. Up to 25 statues are promised.

1. Lucius Lyon (1800-1851). He's had two homes since being installed in 2008. We first found him on the corner of Monroe and Lyon.

He now resides on Lyon near the Wolfgang Puck outdoor seating along the river. Lucius was a U.S. Congressman and U.S. Senator from Michigan and is buried in Detroit.

Sculptor - Stuart Williamson, installed 2008

2. Chief Noonday, aka Noahquageshik or Nawquageezhig, 1755-1855 (or 1770-1840, depending which source you use), is located in front of the GVSU Eberhard Center, on the west side of the river near the Blue Bridge. He was the chief of the Ottawa Nation of Michigan Native Americans and is buried on the side of the road in between Plainwell and Hickory Corners (on Cressey Road just west of Lockshore Road).

Sculptor - Antonio Tobias Mendez, installed 2010

3. Jay Van Andel, 1924-2004, stands in front of the arena that bears his name, 130 Fulton St W. He was the co-founder of the Amway Corporation and a well-known, conservative philanthropist in Grand Rapids. He is buried in Chapel Hill Cemetery in Grand Rapids.

Someone visited the statue recently and brought him some sand.

Sculptor - J. Brett Grill, installed 2011.

4. The Most Rev. Frederic Baraga, 1797-1868, is at Cathedral Square at St. Andrew's, 301 Sheldon SE. Baraga was a catholic priest, later bishop, who ministered to the Native Americans in Michigan and Wisconsin. He spoke nine languages, including the Ottawa language. The 'snow-shoe' priest is buried in Marquette, in the crypt beneath the Cathedral of St. Peter.

Sculptor - Jay Hall Carpenter, installed 2012

5. Lyman Parks, 1917-2009, stands in front of a parking garage at 300 Monroe Ave NW. He was the first African American elected to the Grand Rapids City Commission (1968) and became the first African American to serve as mayor of Grand Rapids (1971-1976). Lyman is buried in Crown Point Cemetery in Kokomo, Indiana.

Sculptor - Antonio Tobias Mendez, installed 2013

6. Helen Claytor, 1907-2005, can be found at 143 Bostwick Ave, across from Fountain Street Church. She was a true trail-blazer and made outstanding contributions to interracial understanding and community service. Helen was the first African-American President of the Grand Rapids YWCA and the National YWCA. Her burial site is unknown.

Sculptor - Jay Hall Carpenter, installed 2014

7. Stanley Ketchel, 1886-1910, is on Bridge St NW, near O'Toole's on Winter & Bridge. His is a most fascinating and tragic story. Known as the 'Michigan Assassin,' he was one of the greatest middleweight world champions in history before he was murdered, shot in the back at age 24 (read the Killings of Stanley Ketchel by James Blake for his story).

Sculptor - Ann Hirsch, installed 2015

Here is his gravesite at Holy Cross Cemetery in Grand Rapids.

8. Anna Bissell, 1846-1934, stands behind the DeVos Convention Center along the river. After being widowed in 1889, she took over the family business and became its CEO, continuing to raise her five children.

Sculptor - Ann Hirsch, installed 2016

The Bissell family plot is located in Oak Hill Cemetery, Grand Rapids.

9. William Alden Smith, 1859-1932, has his statue behind DeVos Convention Center near Anna Bissell. William was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Michigan and he chaired the Senate investigation into the Titanic disaster. The Smith family is laid to rest in a mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.

Sculptor - Robert Eccelston, installed 2017 

10. Betty Ford, 1918-2011, is placed in front of the Gerald R Ford Museum near the entrance. Being married to our 38th President, Betty was First Lady from 1974-1977. She was an incredible woman who led an amazing and courageous life.

 Sculptor - J. Brett Grill, installed 2018
She is buried with her husband on the Ford Museum grounds in Grand Rapids.

11. Adulation: The Future of Science

This is the first multi-figure sculpture in the series and celebrates the scientists who developed the vaccine for whooping cough in a lab here in Grand Rapids. In 1940, Michigan started production and distribution of their vaccine, saving countless lives. It is located at 400 Monroe Ave NW.

From left to right: Grace Eldering, Pearl Kendrick, and Loney Clinton Gordon. Eldering is buried in Montana, Kendrick in New York, and no burial site is known for Gordon.

The above photos were taken after the 2019 installation, and the following were taken in 2023.

Sculptor - Jay Hall Carpenter, installed 2019