Many outstanding faculty members have left a lasting mark on Kansas University, but none left a legacy more tangible than that of sculptor Elden Tefft, who died Tuesday at the age of 95.

Tefft’s bronze “Academic Jayhawk” is a fixture in front of Strong Hall, as well as in thousands of photos taken by visitors standing in front of it. The iconic “Moses,” which gazes at the burning bush in a stained-glass window at the Kansas School of Religion, took Tefft 15 years to complete using innovative bronze casting techniques. Other smaller pieces of Tefft’s work are scattered around the KU campus.

Tefft began studying art at KU at a time when such degrees weren’t held in particularly high regard. He told the Journal-World in 1990, “You have to remember that I was in school during the Depression. There weren’t a lot of people who thought you could make a living in art. Everyone was very practical.”

After working as an artist for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and studying in Oklahoma, Tefft came back to Lawrence and completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at KU. He established a sculpture program there in 1950, and, for the next 40 years, worked with hundreds of student artists, experimenting and refining sculpture techniques.

Even after retiring from KU in 1990, Tefft continued working on his own projects. In October 2013, the J-W did a story about him putting the finishing touches on pieces for a new exhibition at the Lawrence Arts Center in October 2013. At the time, he had been in and out of the hospital and a rehabilitation center, but told a reporter there was “always more” he wanted to do.

Tefft was one of the true icons of Lawrence and KU, someone whose legacy and work will continue to have an impact on our community for generations to come.