Traditions Enhance Campus Beauty and Recognize Generosity

In 1993, Chapman began a tradition of honoring endowed chair gifts to provide a unique means of donor recognition and also help beautify the campus. When an individual, family or organization funds a chair, they are given the opportunity to select a renowned figure representing their field of study supported by their gift. Chapman then commissions a bust of that figure, and the donor selects an appropriate aphorism to be engraved on the pedestal.

Launching the tradition, a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. commemorates the Delp-Wilkinson Chair in Peace Studies. Bronze likenesses of Cecil B. DeMille, Ella Fitzgerald, Milton Friedman, Adam Smith and George Washington, among others, also grace the campus. The busts sit atop granite pedestals and are surrounded by greenery and colorful flowers.

“I often look outside the window of my office and see the students stop to read the quotation on the pedestal of the George Washington bust,” says President Doti. “It’s reassuring to know that as busy as we are, students will take the time to pause and reflect on the thoughts and memory of the father of our country.”

Representing another tradition, busts and bas-reliefs located inside academic buildings honor named donors for facilities, schools and endowed centers. Among them: George Argyros ’59, Dr. Arnold Beckman, Harry Rinker, Donald Kennedy, Walter Schmid, Ralph Leatherby and A. Gary Anderson.

The latest is a bust of preeminent psychologist and author Dr. Fahmy Attallah, recognizing his material and intellectual contributions to Chapman University. He and his wife, Donna ’61, recently made a generous gift to name the library of arts and humanities for the soon-to-be-constructed Leatherby Libraries and previously created the Attallah Chair of Church Relations, held by the Rev. Dan Oliver.

The sculptor of many of the busts is Newport Beach artist Miriam Lodder, a portraiture specialist who has studied internationally. She must sculpt the historic figures from photos-even album covers, in the case of Ella Fitzgerald- to create the likeness.

“This has given me an opportunity to meet some very special people,” Lodder says, “and I really get to know them and see their personality come out in the art.”

She is especially moved by the warmth and friendliness of Dr. Attallah. “When he smiles, I really feel it,” she says. “His philosophy is to see the good in everyone, and I see that goodness reflected in so many wonderful ways in his expressions.”

She also has fond memories of sculpting Dr. Beckman, who regaled her with stories of his youth - such as hopping a freight train and playing piano - when he posed for her at the age of 98. Another favorite is Argyros, who sat for her at her Newport Beach studio “with just about everybody who strolled by on the ocean in front of my house recognizing him and waving to him.”

Complete list of Endowed Chairs, Endowed Professorships and Research Centers