When an arctic blast swept through Johnson City in December 2022, it brought freezing temperatures that nearly destroyed a significant campus landmark at East Tennessee State University.
ETSU’s iconic fountain, a tribute to the five African American students who integrated the university, froze solid and cracked under the weight of the ice.
But from that moment of loss came an unexpected gift – one that the university will unveil on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 10 a.m. during its annual Homecoming festivities. The public is invited to attend this free event, and there will be a meet and greet with the honorees after the ceremony.
University leaders thought that the fountain would have to be completely replaced, so they put out a national call to artists to submit a new design to replace the damaged monument. A committee of community leaders, students, faculty and staff reviewed the five finalists and selected a final design – a sculpture by Detroit artist Austen Brantley.
The sculpture consists of five, life-size bronze statues of the five students who integrated ETSU in the late 1950s: Eugene Caruthers, Elizabeth W. Crawford, George L. Nichols, Mary L.W. Wagner and Clarence McKinney.
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