PA Founders Lions Club cleans historic statue
Published 9:25 am Tuesday, September 27, 2016
- Greig Nicholson uses a spray washer on a statue near Gates Memorial Library. Mary Meaux/The News
Members of the Port Arthur Founders Lions Club were up early doing some cleaning at a familiar area on Saturday.
Motorists along Procter Street and Lakeshore Drive may have noticed the group of people carefully cleaning a statue in front of Gates Memorial Library on the Lamar State College Port Arthur Campus but they may not be aware that the group’s association with that area goes back many years.
Port Arthur Founders Lions Club members and family, Michael and Deborah Parker, left, Debbie Nicholson, Les Lucas and Greig Nicholson were on hand to do some cleaning at the Lamar State College Campus.
Mary Meaux/The News
The original intent was to do some sprucing up of Lions Park behind Gates Memorial Library as part of their Centennial Project but maintenance crews at Lamar State College Port Arthur had already taken over that task, Debby Parker, president of the organization, said.
So the group brought out pressure washers and scrub brushes and cleaned the statue of Music by the Sea, a historical statue dating to 1884.
“This year the Lions Club is 100-years-old and our Founders Lions Club is one of the 25 original Lions clubs,” Parker said. “It has grown to 220 countries.”
Club member Phil Guidry was pleased to take part in the club’s Centennial Project, he said as Greig Nicholson used the pressure washer on the statue.
As the work got kicked off Parker looked up to see Jennie and Pat Brady, club members who came in from Jasper. She said the couple drives to town every few weeks for meetings too.
The club also cleaned the surrounding cement and brick area before moving toward the concrete benches at Lions Park. This area was part of historic Lakeshore Park and was renamed in the 1920s to recognize the Lions Club’s contributions and improvement s to the park, Parker said.
The Lions Club provides glasses for qualifying children and vision screenings as well as a scholarship at LSCPA.
“We feel very connected to Lamar and enjoy doing something good for the school and its students,” she said.
Music by the Sea, a statue showing a little boy with seashell to his ear, was erected in memory of Charles Eugene Smith, mayor of Port Arthur, 1899-1901, by his daughter Edith, according to a plaque.
A close-up view of the statue Music by the Sea.
Mary Meaux/The News
The statue itself is a work of art signed H.H. Kitson whose full name is Sir Henry Hudson Kitson. Other artist markings include the word “Paris” and the date, 1884.
Mary Meaux: 409-721-2429
Twitter: @MaryMeauxPANews
