In his studio west of Lawrence, Jon Havener is doing his best to make a sculpture of four cranes look as stately as possible.

“You don’t want it to be yard art,” he said, “like flamingos.”

KU professor Jon Havener is finishing a sculpture to adorn KU's new Korean War memorial. The sculpture features four cranes, representing the four countries in the war.

He has good reason for his concern. The 7-foot copper sculpture isn’t just art — it’s part of a new memorial to the approximately 60 Kansas University alumni, students and faculty killed in the Korean War.

Havener, a design professor at KU, was approached a year ago by KU administrators who were looking for a piece of art to place in the center of the plaza at the new memorial, which is nearing completion along KU’s Memorial Boulevard. Other memorials in the area include Memorial Stadium and the Kansas Union, which are both memorials to World War I veterans; the Campanile, a World War II memorial; and the Vietnam War Memorial.

Havener came up with “Korean Cranes Rising,” a piece depicting four intertwined cranes, symbolizing the four entities involved in the conflict — South Korea, North Korea, China and the United States.

Only five legs support the cranes. Havener said each of the entities lost a leg through battle, and the fifth leg there represents those at KU who lost their lives.

Jeff Weinberg, the assistant to Chancellor Robert Hemenway who has spearheaded the project, said the cranes were in several ways an appropriate symbol for the memorial.

“Of all the symbols of Korea, the crane is probably the most important,” Weinberg said. “It means so many different things to Koreans — spirituality, longevity, peace, happiness, devotion. In one Korean legend, those who live an exemplary life come back as a crane.”

The site also will include a plaque with the names of KU victims, a plaque explaining the history of the Korean War and two benches.

An artists' rendering shows what the Korean War Memorial on the Kansas University campus will look like when completed.

The memorial has been in the works at KU for at least 15 years. But it gained momentum in 2002, when Weinberg and others resurrected the effort to honor those who fought in what has widely been called “The Forgotten War.”

Nearly all of the $100,000 it will take to build the project was donated by Koreans, who wanted to honor the Americans who fought for their country. Those who donated included both Korean-Americans and KU alumni living in Korea.

Examples of Havener’s art can be seen at the public installation at 23rd and Massachusetts streets; Prairie Park Nature Center, 730 SW Harper St.; Teller’s restaurant, 746 Mass.; and Free State Brewing Co., 636 Mass.

He is in the final stages of the crane sculpture. It probably will be installed over winter break.

The new Korean War memorial is close to completion and is awaiting the installation of a sculpture by Kansas University professor Jon Havener. The site overlooks Potter Lake on the north side of Memorial Drive. Havener's crane sculpture will be installed at the site sometime during winter break.

Plans call for an April 16 dedication, when classes are gathering for reunions during KU’s Gold Medal Weekend.

“I think he’s done an amazing job,” Weinberg said. “It’s something that really has life, and will be really very meaningful to Koreans and to Americans who have been to Korea and have fought in Korea.”

Havener, whose father fought in Korea, said completing the sculpture was among the highlights of his 27 years at KU.

“The school has supported me all these years,” he said. “It’s good to give back.”