MC Professor Completes Lina Song Sculpture
Nationally celebrated MC art professor Samuel Gore crafted the 35-pound memorial that's temporarily housed at the MC international programs office. The bust should be on display in a couple of weeks at the Leland Speed Library.
A 27-year-old graduate student from China, Song died Sept. 13, 2007 after she was struck by a car while she walked along U.S. 80 in Clinton one evening.
A student at MC since August 2006, Song forged many friendships on and off the MC campus. Enrolled in the health services administration program at MC, Song was expected to graduate in May 2008 and accept a position with the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C.
A memorial service at a packed Provine Chapel gave friends, family and MC employees a chance to mourn and deliver an emotional tribute to the bright young woman.
"I'm really glad (it was decided) to be caste in bronze," said Carrie Lassetter, program coordinator with MC's international office. "It is very permanent."
Earlier in the fall 2007 semester at MC, Song posed for Gore during one of his sculpture classes. Her death was a shock to the award-winning 80-year-old professor and many others in the MC family.
Gore's sculpture represents "quality work," said Jim Brackenridge, the international programs director. The work was commissioned by the international programs office.
Last fall, Song was among 330 international students, including 250 from China on the MC campus. The Baptist-affiliated university expects to enroll 400 international students this fall.
MC has honored her legacy in other ways. MC awarded its first four Lina Song Memorial Scholarships in the spring and will name four new recipients later this year.
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