Artist: Alexander Phimister Proctor

Date: 1930; installed 1932

Location: Women's Quadrangle

Medium: Bronze

Pioneer Mother was dedicated on May 8, 1932. It was sited near the original women's buildings--Gerlinger Hall, and Hendricks and Susan Campbell dorms. Its sculptor, Alexander Phineas Proctor (1862-1950) also created The Pioneer (1918) located between Fenton Hall and Friendly Hall. Made of bronze with a granite base, this 1930 work was donated by Burt Brown Barker, University Vice President, in memory of his mother.

Proctor, born in Canada, was educated at the National Academy of Design and later in the Art Students League, New York. His work is represented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other major museums. The Pioneer, directly south of this work, became commonly known as Pioneer Father.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hassrick, Peter H. Wildlife and western heroes : Alexander Phimister Proctor, sculptor. Fort Worth, Tex. : Amon Carter Museum, 2003

Proctor, Alexander Phimister. Alexander Phimister Proctor, sculptor in buckskin; an autobiography. Edited and with an introd. by Hester Elizabeth Proctor. Introd. by Vivian A. Paladin Publisher Norman, University of Oklahoma Press [1971].

"'Pioneer Mother' unveiled with impressive ceremony." Daily Emerald 5/10/32, 4.

"Pioneer mother typifies peace and achievement of Oregon's forefathers." Daily Emerald 4/9/37, 4.