photo by: Contributed

A bronze statue crafted by Elden Tefft and dedicated to Aaron McCormick was reported missing Thursday from its location in the 3500 block of Clinton Parkway.

A bronze statue crafted by Elden Tefft on city property was reported missing on Thursday.

The sculpture was originally created by Aaron McCormick and was re-created in bronze by noted sculptor Tefft as a memorial piece for Aaron’s parents after Aaron died at 19 on July 13, 1997, after finishing his freshman year at the University of Kansas. Aaron made the original clay miniature, named “Paranoid,” when he was 17, his father said.

“Twenty-three years ago this was an emotional project for my wife and (me),” said Michael McCormick, Aaron’s father.

Michael reported the sculpture missing on Thursday, and he said that it had gone missing sometime in the last two weeks. The sculpture was located near the intersection of Clinton Parkway and Kasold Drive along the sidewalk just south of the former site of Great American Bank, 3500 Clinton Parkway. The sculpture sat on a short pedestal next to a stone bench.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

A memorial bench and pedestal are pictured where a bronze statue crafted by Elden Tefft once sat. The statue was reported missing on Dec. 15, 2022, in the 3500 block of Clinton Parkway.

“Whoever took that art piece that Elden Tefft made for us knew what they were doing as there were no visible signs of pry bar marks on the limestone pedestal to get that bronze lifted off,” Michael told the Journal-World in an email. “The bronze statue probably weighs over 100 lbs so it had to be a clean lift off the pedestal which would need more than one person to accomplish.”

Tefft, who died in 2015 at the age of 95, is known for creating bronze sculptures, including the large “Moses” in front of Smith Hall and “Academic Jay” in front of Strong Hall on the University of Kansas campus.

photo by: Contributed

Elden Tefft, left, and Kim Tefft, work to install a bronze statue dedicated to Aaron McCormick in 1999 in the 3500 block of Clinton Parkway.

The missing sculpture cost about $25,000 when Tefft made it in 1999. Tefft selected a piece from Aaron’s collection of artwork to cast in bronze for the memorial, Michael said. If the piece is determined to have been stolen and cannot be recovered, Michael said that he has preserved the original bronze mold created by Tefft and that the piece could be remade. He said that when he and his wife lived closer to the statue they regularly cleaned up the site, but after they moved across town it fell into disrepair.

“Being retired now and physically not really able to do some of that work, it is not getting done on a regular basis. The site has really run down which I am sure the bank does not appreciate. Last winter a homeless person actually lived at this site for about three months,” Michael said in an email.

The cost of re-creating the artwork is unclear, and Michael said he has reached out to the city to determine if the sculpture is insured since he believes it is owned by the city.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

A memorial plaque for Aaron McCormick, pictured on Dec. 16, 2022, in the 3500 block of Clinton Parkway.

However, the sculpture is not on file with the city, and not all of the art on city property is owned by the city, said Porter Arneill, communications and creative resources director with the City of Lawrence.

Lawrence police said they received the report and are collecting evidence, said Laura McCabe, a spokesperson with the Lawrence Police Department.

“What I really hope for is someone decides to return the art piece. Its scrap value is minimal, so if a collector is the one that took this piece from the site, gets some change of heart or gains a conscience, maybe they will put it where it can be found and returned to its site,” Michael said.