The Pappy Boyington Memorial Fund Bronze Statue

The original idea to sculpt Pappy was born two years ago by myself and Richard LeFrancis after finding out our fathers were both P-38 pilots serving in WWII. We both were raised as dependents in the military and of course attended schools around the world.

Richard in Guam and my family in Birkenfeld, Germany for six years and three years in Misawa, Japan.

We started the sculpture of "Pappy" in Richard's hanger at the Coeur d' Alene-Pappy Boyington Field airport and finally finished the original at my studio in Sagle, Idaho the first week in November, 2009.

We need to raise the funds to have the statue cast in bronze by the first of January, 2010. The original will be cast at the foundry and we expect to have it erected at the airport for a dedication this next summer of 2010. The casting process will take 4 months.  

The process at the foundry is very interesting since they make a mold of "Pappy" and then cast it in bronze adding infrastructure to have it mounted on a base.
We plan to have a plaque for donors and on the back of the plaque have the poem an ensign wrote when "Pappy did not return from his last mission thinking he was gone.

Thank you for your help in honoring "Pappy" and hope all of you can make the dedication ceremony next year!

Bryan Ross, Sculptor 

Here is a series of pictures following the process of producing this amazing statue:

The statue is currently at the foundary for bronzing. Click on the images above to see a larger view. If you would like to help us meet our goal, click here.

The foundary process:

Come back often as we are adding pictures as the statue progresses!