Sculptor Isabel McIlvain is closing in on the moment of truth for her 8-foot-tall portrayal of John F. Kennedy.
Her clay statue is being cast in bronze, the final step before its unveiling outside the Massachusetts capitol as the formal memorial to a beloved native son."My wish is to portray somebody who was a magnetic leader and who had a lot of youth, a lot of hope about his role and the possiblities for America," said McIlvain, a professor of sculpture at Boston University.
McIlvain's work, which will take about six months to cast, depicts Kennedy in a classic pose - striding into a breeze, eyes forward, elbows bent with his left hand tucked into his suit pocket.
The finished $175,000 sculpture, which has been paid for through donations from citizens' groups and schoolchildren, is scheduled for unveiling May 29, which would have been Kennedy's 72nd birthday.
The John F. Kennedy Memorial Commission was established by the state Legislature in 1983 to create a suitable tribute. The commission sponsored a yearlong competition, which drew 300 entries.
Judges debated the former president's stance, demeanor and whether both coat buttons should be buttoned the way Kennedy preferred.
History - and McIlvain - won after it was established Kennedy had indeed appeared in more than 200 photographs with his two-button coat buttoned contrary to sartorial custom.