First Glance

A century-old icon reimagined for today’s social distancing reality: After law dean James Woods Green’s death in 1919, students formed a committee to create a tribute to their revered Uncle Jimmy, and in January 1923 they reached sculptor Daniel Chester French by telegram at his New York City studio. French’s fame had soared after the May 1922 unveiling of his Abraham Lincoln statue on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., yet determined Jayhawks still persuaded the busy sculptor to visit Mount Oread. Smitten, French later conceded he had “never seen such love for a man—unless it be in the case of Abraham Lincoln.”

Photo illustration by Susan Younger; original photograph by Steve Puppe