An installation of 5,171 ceramic poppies on the Richland College campus represents the Texas veterans who died in World War I.
Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Nov. 5, 2015
Editors’ note: See below for a list of “fast facts” about the poppies and the project for your use/reference.
(DALLAS) — World War I … the forgotten war … the war commemorated for years with poppies … the war in which 5,171 Texas veterans died.
Now, 5,171 ceramic poppies on the campus of Richland College are stark reminders of those veterans from the Lone Star State who died during what history professor Clive Siegle now calls “the almost forgotten war.” The installation is the only one of its kind in the United States.
Siegle, whose great uncle fought in WWI, collaborated with Jennifer Rose in visual arts; together, they conceptualized and created the project, which became a three-day program to resurrect the poppy as a symbol of remembrance for that war. Siegle handled the historical aspects and research; Rose oversaw the design and creation of the poppies in her ceramics lab. Additionally, dance program director Gina Sawyer choreographed a special piece, “This War,” for the remembrance event. The dance is based on a poem of the same name, penned by Vietnam veteran Ted Jason Bishop, which ties the performance to the event.
“This project is a chance for us to resurrect something that is uniquely American,” said Siegle. “The idea to use the poppy as a symbol of remembrance for Americans who died in World War I originated with Moina Belle Michael, a teacher and YMCA volunteer from Georgia. After reading the poem ‘In Flanders Field’ by Lt. Col. John McCrae, Moina wrote her own poem and became known as ‘The Founder of the Poppy Memorial’ (so noted on a 1948 commemorative U.S. postage stamp) as she campaigned to have that flower accepted as a symbol for U.S. veterans who died in that first great world war.”
“The Blood of Heroes Never Dies,” which is the theme for what’s become known fondly as Richland’s “Poppy Project,” comes from Michael’s poem “We Shall Keep the Faith.” Last year, Great Britain created its own ceramic poppy tribute for the British Commonwealth’s veterans from WWI.
The poppies were hand-formed, baked, glazed and assembled individually by approximately 500 volunteers — students, faculty, staff and community members — over a two-month period. “Every poppy is as individual as each soldier who served during the war,” explained Rose.
The deep-red poppies were installed in late October, with the exception of one lone white flower representing a nurse from Texas who was the only woman from the state to die serving in that war, plus the final red poppy that will be installed during the 10:45 a.m. program on Wednesday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day.
Dance student Elizabeth Nguyen will perform "This War," choreographed by dance program director Gina Sawyer for the Veterans Day event.
Why undertake such a huge project?
Siegle, a Vietnam-era veteran, explained: “Many of my students hardly know what that war (WWI) was about and that we had a huge stake in it. It was a horrific war, and the U.S. entered late. However, even though we entered late, it still took its toll; we went through all of the worst aspects of combat during World War I like everyone else.”
He added, “This project, for me, started with the centenary of World War I. I’m a history teacher. The legacy of the poppy is part of history. The fact that World War I is fading from our collective memory even more quickly than World War II also prompted me to get involved. We are losing contact with memorial legacies like the poppy, which are slipping away, and we don’t have a lot of symbols of remembrance for that war. For example … the Vietnam Memorial is our current and probably the most prominent war symbol, and it’s different from how we remember World War I. The poppy has a rich history, and we need to bring it back.”
The origin of the memorial poppy and its connection to Veterans Day — and initially with Armistice Day/Memorial Day — dates from one of the most famous poems to come out of that most infamous of wars, World War I, said Siegle. From the start of the war in August 1914, the use of sophisticated weaponry on an industrial scale produced staggering casualty rates which, by the end of hostilities, exceeded 37 million.
By 1915, the appalling casualties and ferocity of the war moved McCrae to pen the war’s most famous poem, “In Flanders Fields.” The poppy figured into the poem, said Siegle, because it is a flower native to Flanders that thrives in disturbed soil — something that the millions of battlefield shell craters and burial mounds covering the Flanders landscape provided in abundance. McCrae did not survive the war, and he was buried in a grave likely covered by those same Flanders poppies he cited in his poem.
During the 1920s, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars began selling cloth or paper “Buddy Poppies” to raise funds for needy veterans. These poppies are still sold to benefit U.S. veterans, but by the 1960s, the practice began to disappear. Last year, Siegle handed out paper poppies in his history classes and explained to his students what they were. Most had never seen or heard about them and what they symbolized.
Proceeds from sale of the poppies, seen here on the east bank of Richland College's lake, will be donated to a charity that benefits veterans.
The project has become the focal point for this year’s Richland College Arts Fest, which remembers Texas heroes. The event spans three days of exhibits and performances — from dramatic readings to concerts and lectures to the poppy installation commemorating Texas veterans who died during that century-old war.
The poppies will remain “planted” on campus until the end of November; each will be sold for $10. Proceeds will be donated to “Puppies Behind Bars,” a nonprofit organization that engages incarcerated individuals to train assistance dogs for veterans who have mobility disabilities as well as cognitive disabilities such as mild traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress.
A pre-World War II Stearman bi-plane will fly over the campus during the Veterans Day program; the flyover has been made possible by the Commemorative Air Force, which is based at Dallas Executive Airport. An indoor exhibit in Fannin Hall (near the lakeshore poppy installation) commemorates a number of Texas WWI veterans through photographs and pictures of ID cards issued to several veterans killed in action.
For more information, contact Katie McClelland or Whitney Rosenbalm in the Richland College marketing office at either 972-238-6019 or 972-238-6023.
# # #
Richland College “The Blood of Heroes Never Dies ‘Poppy Project’”
Veterans Day 2015 — Fast Facts
- The Richland College “Poppy Project” is one major component of the college’s 2015 Arts Fest. The 5,171 poppies are symbolic of the 5,171 Texas veterans who died during World War I. The exhibit is the only one of its kind in the United States.
- The idea behind the project, started by Richland College history professor Clive Siegle, is to bring the poppy as a symbol for veterans back home to the United States, where the idea originated with Moina Belle Michael.
- Jennifer Rose, ceramics faculty member, oversaw the production of 5,170 red poppies and one white poppy for a total of 5,171 ceramic flowers for the outdoor installation.
- Poppy points:
- The poppy design was created during the summer of 2015; production began on Sept. 4, involving the entire campus.
- The outdoor installation was completed on Oct. 30, with the exception of the last red poppy and the single white poppy, which will be “planted” during the college’s Veterans Day ceremony.
- The total budget for the poppy project was $8,000; several donors helped fund the cost.
- Rose created two designs for the flower, each slightly different and overlaid, then shaped; as a result, each poppy is unique.
- Rose and her volunteers used: 1,800 pounds of stoneware clay; 9.5 gallons of red glaze; 1,050 pounds of steel and hardware — 5,300 rods (the stems), hexnuts, acorn nuts and washers (used to secure the flower on the stem).
- They completed 24 kiln firings on a continuous basis.
- Each poppy is 4 inches wide and weighs 3.5 ounces.
- The color of the underglaze is “Clown Red,” purchased from Trinity Ceramics.
- The flowers are planted on the east bank of the lake.
- The choreographed dance piece by Richland College dance faculty member Gina Sawyer is titled “This War” and will be performed by student Elizabeth Nguyen.
- Assistance with the photo exhibit, which explains the origins of the poppy as a remembrance symbol, was provided by the Texas Military Forces Museum, and statistical information for the poppy installation came from the “Handbook of Texas” by the Texas State Historical Association. The exhibit was designed by John Spriggins, coordinator of the Richland Gallery.