Nebraska Is Putting A Bronze Cat Outside Its State Capitol And Every Lawmaker Who Knew Him Wants It There

Cameron the Capitol Cat spent roughly a decade as the unofficial greeter of the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, showing up on the south steps when the legislature was in session, waiting for staffers after heated filibusters and late-night votes, and offering what Nebraska's House Speaker John Arch described as a quiet moment of warmth to senators, legislative staff, and constituents alike as they entered and exited the building. Cameron belonged to Dianna McGinnis, who lived near the Capitol and watched her tabby make the walk over whenever he sensed the building would be busy, which he appeared to sense with uncanny reliability. He retired in May of this year when McGinnis moved to assisted living, and his absence has been felt. State Senator Jana Hughes of Seward and former Senator Anna Wishart of Lincoln are now pitching a privately funded life-size bronze statue of Cameron to the Nebraska Capitol Environs Commission, to be placed on the south side of the Capitol off Goodhue Boulevard. The statue would stand 18 to 20 inches tall on a pedestal of Indiana limestone chosen to mirror the stone and architectural trim of the historic building. No state or taxpayer funds would be used.

The sculptor chosen for the project is Benjamin Victor of Boise, Idaho, who has four statues in the United States Capitol's Statuary Hall, making him the only living sculptor with that distinction. Victor previously met Cameron on his trips to the Nebraska Capitol and said it was awesome to see his impact. He described the commission as a warm idea for a sculpture and noted that while people know their own pets touch their hearts, it is something else entirely to see a cat that just hung around the Capitol all the time and got to know everybody. The fundraising campaign launched a few days ago and has already raised thousands of dollars toward its $37,500 goal, with photographer John Shaw donating proceeds from his book about Cameron to the project through October. Wishart said one of the goals is to get the statue completed as soon as possible for McGinnis, who relocated due to serious health decline. Speaker Arch wrote in a letter supporting the project that Cameron represented the sheer goodwill of the Capitol culture, and that moving his memorial to the south grounds allows the state to preserve his story while respecting the physical integrity of the building. Hughes put it in the most direct terms available: his little head would be petted, and it would be shiny gold because everybody would rub it coming in. She is right.

Source:https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/cameron-the-capitol-cat-nebraska-statue