Reverend Curtis Harris commissioned Paul DiPasquale to work with the Martin Luther King Foundation of Hopewell Virginia to design and produce a bronze monument to Dr. King in 2002. As a current Councilman and former Mayor, Reverend Harris had long had in mind the honoring of Dr. King’s historic civil rights visit to the Hopewell courthouse on March 29, 1962.
DiPasquale worked with the committee to establish the monument design which fit the site, the budget and a ‘fund raising-with-maquette’ strategy. Work was begun on the full scale clay model in 2003. The sculptor added folded arms with King’s omnipresent pen in the right hand... (inscribed: the pen is mightier than the sword). The completed clay model was pictured with the King Foundation Committee in the Richmond Times Dispatch honoring Dr. King on Jan 17, 2004.
The limited edition of 15 cold cast bronze and black marble maquettes were sold and the full scale bronze casting and installation was completed for the unveiling in Ashford Plaza in front of the same court house Dr. King visited with Reverend Harris.
At the ceremony, Martin Luther King III declared the monument “Of the very many, one of the very few which actually look like my father” and “I am very pleased with his presence in this likeness.”
As of 2007, there remain several maquettes in the limited edition of King Maquettes; proceeds benefit the Hopewell King Foundation scholarship fund. For further information on this or on other Dr. King bronze sculpture, contact the sculptor at dipasq@verizon.net