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Frank Gaylord

{{short description|American sculptor (1925–2018)}}

{{Infobox artist

| name = Frank Gaylord

| image =

| imagesize =

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| birth_name =Frank Chalfant Gaylord II

| birth_date = {{birth date |1925|03|09}}

| birth_place = Clarksburg, West Virginia, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|03|21|1925|03|09}}

| death_place = Northfield, Vermont, U.S.

| resting_place = Hope Cemetery, Barre, Vermont

| field = art, memorials

| training = Carnegie Institute of Technology, Temple University

| movement =

| works = Korean War Veterans Memorial

| patrons =

| influenced =

| awards =

}}

Frank Chalfant Gaylord II (March 9, 1925 – March 21, 2018) was an American sculptor best known for "The Column", a sculptural tableau of United States soldiers and sailors which is part of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Career

Gaylord was born in March 1925 to Richard and Thelma (Hamilton) Gaylord in Clarksburg, West Virginia.[http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_bcdetail.aspx?Id=252295 Birth Record Detail. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. 2012.] Accessed 2012-09-08. He was named for his grandfather, Frank C. Gaylord. He graduated from Washington Irving High School in Clarksburg.Shearer, Connie. "Making of a Monument: West Virginian Designs Memorial for Sometimes Forgotten Korean War." Charleston Gazette. July 16, 1995.

Gaylord was drafted at the age of 18 into the United States Army. He served as a paratrooper in the 17th Airborne Division during World War II.{{Cite web|last=Hallenbeck|first=Brent|title=Barre artist Frank Gaylord, sculptor of Korean War Veterans Memorial, dies at age 93|url=https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/entertainment/2018/03/28/barre-artist-frank-gaylord-sculptor-korean-war-veterans-memorial-dies-age-93/467876002/|access-date=2022-01-21|website=The Burlington Free Press|language=en-US}} He saw action in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for fighting in the Battle of the Bulge.[http://www.vermontartscouncil.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=meAJJO/kidw=&tabid=100 Vermont Arts Council. 2004 Annual Report. Montpelier, Vermont. 2004, p. 3.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501135104/http://www.vermontartscouncil.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=meAJJO%2Fkidw%3D&tabid=100 |date=2013-05-01 }} Accessed 2012-09-08. During this time, he sketched many of the men he served with in the military.Efird, Jo Anne B. "Soldier Immortalized in Memorial Stone." The Callaway Journal. April 2000, p. 30. He was wounded, and spent several months in military hospitals convalescing.

After being discharged from the Army at the end of the war, Gaylord attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He transferred to the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1950.[http://www.temple.edu/tyler/alumni/gestures/gestures.pdf "The 2002–2003 Honor Roll." Gestures. Winter 2004, p. 5.] Accessed 2012-09-08.

Gaylord and his wife moved to Barre, Vermont, in 1951.[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/11/us/granite-art-it-isn-t-just-tombstones.html Calta, MariaLisa. "Granite Art: It Isn't Just Tombstones." New York Times. December 11, 1988.] Accessed 2012-09-08."Evidence of 'Soul' Lets Sculptor Live A Dream." Boston Globe. July 10, 1990. Interested in a career in sculpting granite, Gaylord apprenticed under noted Vermont sculptor Bruno Sarzanini.{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130204014427/http://www.thenorthfieldnews.com/news/2009-10-22/front_page/005.html Comiskey, Mary. "Sculptor of Partridge Statue Honored at Norwich Rededication." Northfield News. October 22, 2009.]}} Accessed 2012-09-08.

Early in his career, Gaylord carved tombstones. Over time, he received numerous commissions for life-sized and larger-than-life representational figures and figure groups throughout the United States and Canada. In 1989 Frank became partners with his son-in-law John Triano. John ran the business and Frank was able to focus on the art. In 1990, Gaylord was selected to sculpt a field of 38 soldiers (later reduced to 19) for the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Some of the faces of the sculptures he created for the work (known as "The Column") are drawn from men he served with during World War II, including William A. Callaway and John Erdman.Kilian, Michael. "'Forgotten War' Remembered." Chicago Tribune. July 27, 1995.

=Copyright infringement lawsuit against USPS=

In 2002, the United States Postal Service used a photograph of Gaylord's soldier sculptures for a stamp commemorating the Korean War. Gaylord sued for copyright infringement in 2006. The United States Court of Federal Claims denied his claim, but this was overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Gaylord v. United States, 595 F.3d 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2010). On remand, the Court of Federal Claims awarded Gaylord $5,000 in compensation. But on appeal, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit again vacated the decision and remanded the case back to the Court of Federal Claims for a new determination of damages based on what Gaylord and the Postal Service might have negotiated.Gaylord v. United States, No. 2011–5097 (Fed. Cir. May 14, 2012); "Sculptor Can Recover Copyright Royalties From USPS – Fed Cir." Reuters. May 14, 2012. On September 20, 2013, The United States Court of Federal Claims awarded Gaylord damages of {{US$|684845|2013|long=no}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions/WHEELER.GAYLORD092013.pdf |title=Court papers|website= uscfc.uscourts.gov}}

Personal life and honors

Gaylord was married to Mary Cornwell. The couple had three children, Leanne Gaylord Triano and Victoria Gaylord. Also, his son, John Richard Gaylord died in 1962. He has two grandchildren, Amy Triano Tefft M.D., her husband Cory, his great granddaughters Quinn Nicole Tefft, Isabel Mary Tefft, great grandsons Theodore John Tefft, Henry Hart Tefft, and grandson John Gaylord Triano. Gaylord worked in a {{convert|7000|sqft|m2}} studio in Barre, Vermont.

Gaylord was honored for his work several times. These recognitions include an honorary doctorate from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, in 1998 and the Governor's Award from the Vermont Council on the Arts in 2003.

Gaylord died at the Northfield, Vermont home of his daughter and son in law on March 21, 2018.{{cite news |date=March 23, 2018 |title=Obituary, Frank C. Gaylord II |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesargus/obituary.aspx?n=frank-c-gaylord&pid=188530756 |work=Times Argus |location=Barre, VT}} He was 93. He was buried in the Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont.{{cite news|via=Legacy.com|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesargus/obituary.aspx?n=Frank-C-Gaylord&pid=188628615|newspaper=Times Argus|title=Frank Gaylord Obituary|date=April 3, 2018}}

Notable works

This is a partial list of Gaylord's works which have received public notice:

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

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Category:1925 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:Sculptors from West Virginia

Category:Artists from Vermont

Category:People from Clarksburg, West Virginia

Category:20th-century American sculptors

Category:20th-century American male artists

Category:American male sculptors

Category:Temple University Tyler School of Art alumni

Category:Norwich University alumni

Category:Military personnel from West Virginia

Category:United States Army personnel of World War II

Category:People from Barre, Vermont