Centennial Sculpture has new home but symbolism of past, present remains

A sculpture commemorating Northwest Missouri State University’s first 100 years has a new home this fall.

In conjunction with a flurry of sidewalk and plaza reconstruction projects during the summer, coinciding with the University’s infrastructure modernization project, the Centennial Sculpture was moved from the east plaza of the J.W. Jones Student Union and placed on Monday at a reconfigured plaza fronting the B.D. Owens Library.

“The Centennial Sculpture represents the Northwest student experience, and its depiction of students reading and working makes Owens Library a natural home for it,” Stacy Carrick, Northwest's vice president of finance and administration, said. “With the recent improvements surrounding the library, we also had an opportunity to place the sculpture in a prominent setting that complements its academic character and allows generations of Bearcats to continue enjoying it.”

The sculpture has a history of its own

Northwest unveiled the sculpture on Sept. 10, 2005, during a ceremony that continued its year-long slate of activities commemorating the institution’s centennial. 

The University commissioned artist Gregory Johnson to create the bronze, life-sized sculpture in his studio near Atlanta. Donations from Northwest alumni, spearheaded by Richard and Phyllis Leet, made the project possible.

The sculpture is uniquely viewable from any perspective and invites interaction as it depicts two Northwest students – one from 1905 and another from 2005 – studying on a bench.

A male student, wearing knee-high boots and a cap, is shown reading a book, one page of which bears the engraved image of an early tractor. A stack of books, bound with a strap and topped with an apple, appears beside him.

A female student – wearing jeans, boots and a hoodie with “Northwest” stamped across the front – holds an open notebook computer. Her cell phone and backpack are nearby.

Adding another layer to the sculpture’s history, the students depicted by the sculpture were actual Northwest students during the early 2000s who remain proud and active alumni of the University today. They are Latonya Davis Harrison and Danny Burns.

As Northwest was formulating plans for its centennial celebration and the sculpture, Darren Whitley, the University photographer at the time, was on the lookout for students who could act as live models for Johnson’s work. Whitley connected with Harrison, who was working as a student employee in the Office of the Provost, and Burns, a student-athlete who also was active with Northwest student publications.

While other students were photographed for the project, too, Harrison and Burns ultimately served as the primary models. Whitley captured images of them from all angles in multiple poses and clothing outfits in the Administration Building’s second-floor studio.

Burns, with a hint of sarcasm, recalls his response to Whitley’s invitation being something like, “‘Sure, having my resemblance placed on campus for all eternity would be great.’ … I had to get all dressed up. We did like 1,000 photos of every different angle.”

Harrison added, “I remember how my fingers hurt from being stiff to pretend that I’m typing on a computer or a laptop. It was long, but it was worth it. I knew it was a part of something big, so I was all over it.”

Then and now

Like many Northwest students, Harrison, a native of St. Louis, decided to attend the University after a visit to the campus, with a desire for a change from her big-city upbringing.

“It was the trees,” she recalled of her initial visit to the Northwest campus, which also serves as the Missouri Arboretum. “I really appreciated the campus, and I went on a college visit, and I was sold. It was so pretty.”

After some initial financial hardship that forced her to leave Northwest, Harrison, who was a first-generation student, worked her way back and completed her bachelor’s degree in physical education at Northwest in 2003. She stayed at the University to pursue a master’s degree in K–12 physical education, which she finished in 2004.

On campus, she worked in student employment roles as a referee for intramurals and as a student assistant with then-provost Dr. Taylor Barnes. She also was active with the Association of Black Collegians.

After graduating from Northwest, Harrison embarked on a 15-year teaching career in the St. Louis area. She returned to Northwest as a staff member in 2020, joining the Office of Academic Success and Retention as an academic advisor. She moved to her current role as a coordinator in Northwest’s Office of Engagement and Community Connection in 2023.

She also met her husband, Dr. Taylor Harrison, an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics, at Northwest.

“It’s so much more than just a university to me. It made me who I am,” she said. She added, “I’m able to help students that came in just like I did, and I’m so thankful and grateful that I get the chance to pay it forward, and I plan to continue to as long as I’m here.”

A native of Marshalltown, Iowa, Burns was attracted to Northwest by its financial assistance package, along with the chance to compete as a member of the Bearcat cross country and track teams. Northwest’s innovative mass media degree offerings, which provide students with opportunities to gain profession-based experience as soon as they arrive on campus, also enticed him.

“At the time, it was one of the only schools that offered a digital media degree, and it was very up-and-coming,” Burns said. “Nobody else had it. I could get involved in mass communications as a freshman without having to wait until my sophomore, junior or even senior year.”

Burns was active as a staff member of the Northwest Missourian student newspaper and Tower yearbook, in addition to student employment in the University’s marketing and communication office as a print and web designer. He also was involved with the campus chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

He completed his bachelor’s degree in interactive digital media at Northwest in 2005 and joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Kansas City, where he had a 17-year-career with the non-profit organization, directing and managing its online and digital platforms. In 2022, he transitioned to a new role as a technical project manager with Webconnex, a software company based in Sacramento, California.

Today, he resides in Independence, Missouri, with his wife and Northwest alumna, Ashley Grosse Burns, and their three children. The couple remains connected to Northwest by annually hosting a dinner for current students representing the Navigators student ministry organization.

Lasting Bearcat pride

Burns and Harrison didn’t realize the magnitude of their involvement in the sculpture project until long after it was finished and now take pride in their contribution.

Burns shared a special moment with the sculpture while visiting the Northwest campus with his family several years ago and snapped photos of his kids sitting on the bench with his likeness.

“To be able to have a small, little snippet of representation in physical form is very cool, even as the campus looks so much different than it did when we were students,” Burns said. To be able to kind of be part of that legacy is really special, and I think – for how much Northwest means for my wife and I, not only just professional career, but just life in general and our story – to be able to be represented on campus is really, really cool.”

Harrison says she can’t help but smile when she walks by the sculpture.

“It means a lot to me,” she said. “It makes me smile thinking about the little girl that took that picture, and it’s also kind of a symbol of my journey – not knowing anything about college and a look-at-me-now kind of situation. Now I’m able to help students like myself, like the girl that’s posed on the statue. I’m very proud of it. People always say, when they leave their university, what mark did they leave? And I can always say that I modeled for a statue that’s on campus.”