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Artist Betty Jean\u00a0Alden with her Samuel Gompers statue in 1982. The commissioned artwork honoring the labor leader was widely criticized for being out of\u00a0proportion and unattractive. The statue was dedicated on Sept. 6, 1982, and remained in its downtown spot for nearly 40 years.<\/p>\n
FILE PHOTO<\/p>\n
For nearly 40 years, a stature honoring labor leader Samuel Gompers remained in its spot at the River Walk Public Art Garden on Market Street, across from the Convention Center.<\/p>\n
J. MICHAEL SHORT\/SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS-NEWS<\/p>\n
San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros, shown in this undated file photo, holds a replica of the Samuel\u00a0Gompers statue that was installed in downtown San Antonio in 1982.<\/p>\n
Jose Barrera\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
A commissioned piece of art honoring labor leader Samuel\u00a0Gompers<\/a> faced harsh criticism 43 years ago, even before the \u201chideous\u201d sculpture was officially unveiled.<\/p>\n The statue was dedicated on Labor Day 1982 in downtown San Antonio. The controversy started weeks earlier, as the full scope of the artwork became more widely known.<\/p>\n The 15-foot statue of\u00a0Gompers, created by artist Betty Jean Alden<\/a>, depicted the labor union advocate speaking to a group of workers and their children. Gompers, with one hand raised and the other holding a rolled-up notebook, appeared to be standing on a soapbox. Critics said<\/a> the statue\u2019s proportions made those gathered around him appear much smaller than Gompers, whose head and hands looked unusually large compared to his shoulders and chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Adding to the controversy was that\u00a0Alden created a full-length statue, rather than a \u201csmall bust on a pedestal\u201d that was approved by the city\u2019s Fine Arts Commission, a predecessor to the Historic and Design Review Commission. The result, commissioners said, was a statue that wasn\u2019t suited to the proposed site on Market Street, across from the Convention Center.<\/p>\n Some critics called the statue \u201chideous,\u201d and others pointed out its odd dimensions, including a \u201cmuch larger head than a body would normally have,\u201d according to newspaper archives.\u00a0<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Two friends, one dream: Best pals follow passion to become teachers<\/a><\/p>\n The sniping overshadowed Gompers\u2019 work that was being honored,\u00a0Alden\u2019s family said years later.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gompers, the founder of the American Federation of Labor, the precursor of the AFL-CIO, fought for eight-hour workdays, higher wages and safer working conditions, according to archives. Gompers, a New York resident who traveled extensively for his work despite failing health, died in San Antonio in 1924.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Fine Arts Commission recommended that the city not install Alden\u2019s piece, but the\u00a0AFL-CIO\u00a0\u2014 whose Texas and San Antonio offices, along with the American Federation of Government Employees, commissioned the work\u00a0\u2014 appealed to city leaders and won, archives show. A celebration was planned to dedicate the statue on Sept. 6, 1982, the 100th anniversary of the Labor Day holiday.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the time, I had my feelings hurt a lot,\u201d\u00a0Alden told a San Antonio Express-News reporter in 2003.<\/p>\n Alden said the statue captures what Gompers looked like\u00a0\u2014 a bit irregular.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was called many names because he was built so strange,\u201d she said in 2003. \u201cI could have made him an anatomical person, but it would not have been\u00a0Gompers.\u201d<\/p>\n ALSO READ: ‘The Selena Effect’ exhibit celebrates late Tejano star with rare photos, outfits, fashion sketches<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For years, local union organizations gathered at the\u00a0Gompers statue every spring to remember workers who were injured or killed on the job.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe statue is an emotional icon for union members,\u201d Alicia\u00a0Garza, president of the San Antonio AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, told the Express-News in 2003. \u201cIt\u2019s not real pretty, but it means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n For nearly 40 years, the\u00a0Gompers statue remained in its downtown spot, where exposure to the elements took its toll. The statue, made of a shell and sandstone mixture called shellcrete, deteriorated to such a condition that the city decided to remove it for storage in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n The statue was replaced by Labor Plaza<\/a>, which honors San Antonio\u2019s labor history and is part of the River Walk Public Art Garden<\/a>, a public art space dedicated to San Antonio\u2019s labor history, in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE: San Antonio schools among the first in the U.S. to desegregate 70 years ago<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Also, this week in San Antonio history, the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners played their first football game on Sept. 3, 2011, in front of 56,743 fans at the\u00a0Alamodome.<\/p>\n UTSA set a record for the highest-attended game for an\u00a0NCAA Division I FCS start-up program, archives show.<\/p>\n The Roadrunners won\u00a031-3, over Northeastern State.\u00a0The team finished the 2011 season with a 4-6 record under head coach Larry Coker.\u00a0<\/p>\n UTSA started its football program from scratch, following a practice year in 2010. UTSA football kicked off its 15th season Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Slaying of ‘vigilante cop’ stunned San Antonio 39 years ago<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n This week also marks 39 years since the minimum legal drinking age in Texas was raised from 19 to 21 years.<\/p>\n The new law was effective Sept. 1, 1986. The change was made to comply with the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act<\/a>, which called for U.S. states to prohibit anyone younger than 21 years from purchasing alcoholic beverages. States had to comply with the mandate or face\u00a0losing federal highway funds.<\/p>\n The minimum legal drinking age in Texas had been 19 years since 1979, when it was raised from 18 years. Texas was among 29 states that lowered<\/a> its minimum legal drinking age in the early 1970s, a time when minimum-age limits for other activities, such as voting, also were being lowered.<\/p>\n Researchers found that a lowered minimum legal drinking age led to an increase in traffic crashes,\u00a0the leading cause of death among teenagers. Several studies in the 1970\u2019s showed that traffic crashes increased significantly among teenagers after the minimum legal drinking age was lowered, according to the National Library of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Spurs great Tim Duncan subject of new documentary<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n