Witherspoon statue unveiled Saturday near East Pyne

As the Tigers clinched a homecoming football victory in the stadium on Saturday, the larger-than-life statue of John Witherspoon, Princeton's sixth President, was unveiled in a ceremony by East Pyne.

The enduring legacy of Witherspoon was appropriately symbolized by the several descendants of the former president and numerous alumni present at the unveiling. Following a series of bagpipe folksongs, President Tilghman began the ceremony, saying that "[the statue] gives Witherspoon a presence on campus befitting his [legacy] on campus and in this country."

As the ceremony program noted, the East Pyne statue and its twin at the University of Paisley in Scotland are meant to honor Witherspoon's achievements as a "patriot, President and preacher" and to commemorate the special connection the remarkable man forged between the two communities.

President Tilghman noted in her opening remarks, "John Witherspoon [is a] shared son."

A native of Scotland, Witherspoon had a remarkable influence on politics and religion both in the land of his youth and in his second home in America. Witherspoon was a highly controversial leader in the Popular Party in the Church of Scotland. In America, he was the only clergyman and college president to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Former University President Harold Shapiro, under whose tenure the project was begun, also addressed the audience. Reflecting on the installation of the twin statue at the University of Paisley last June, Shapiro chuckled, "I certainly never expected to participate in the unveiling of not only one statue of Witherspoon, but [two]!"

The final speaker of the ceremony was Alexander Stoddart, the sculptor of the statue. Stoddart corroborated Shapiro's humor, commenting on the perseverance of those involved with the project: "It's harder to get to make a thing than to make it!"

The 10-foot, 2,750-pound statue was unveiled by the Principal and Vice Chancellor of Paisley along with Stoddart, Shapiro and Tilghman with extended scissor cuts of the thick rope holding up a black veil covering the statue.