‘Women Getting Stuff Done’
Workers slowly ease "The Suffragist" to her new home on Front Street in Coeur d'Alene early Saturday morning. The 564-pound statue commemorating 100 years of women's right to vote was sculpted by local artist Terry Lee and will be officially dedicated in a ceremony today at noon. (CRAIG NORTHRUP/Press)
COEUR d’ALENE — Today’s unveiling of “The Suffragist” will commemorate the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, a movement that required 51 years of organized devotion to the fight for women’s right to vote in America.
The statue will be officially unveiled at noon today. It was created by artist Terry Lee, who also sculpted the three statues “Idaho Farmer,” “American Worker” and “Idaho Lumberjack” next to McEuen Park.
The ceremony includes representatives from the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer, members of the City Council and members of the Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission.
The group “Women Getting Stuff Done” — originally comprised of Teri Farr, Mary Sanderson, Ruth Pratt, Mary Lou Reed and Roberta Larson — led fundraising efforts to help finance the nearly $60,000 for Lee’s endeavor to build the 564-pound statue that will forever stand on Front Street.
“This project really tried to reach out to women,” Reed said. “I think they were very excited about finally having a woman in the lineup of statues.”