McAllen honors firefighters with statue

City leaders unveiled a half-ton bronze statue here Friday, a sculptor’s tribute to the firefighters who protect McAllen.

The piece, installed on a concrete base outside the fire administration building on North 21st Street, depicts a firefighter comforting two girls. Several firefighters helped sculptor Douglas Clark, 60, of McAllen pour bronze at the University of Texas-Pan American’s foundry.

“To me, his securing the girls is the epitome of what a fireman does: He protects us,” Clark said.

City officials, including Commissioner Scott Crane and City Manager Mike Perez, unveiled the statue Friday morning. Workers installed the piece two weeks ago and still have minor work to do on the concrete base, said Fire Chief Rogelio Rubio.

Rubio described the statue as a milestone for the department and a proud moment for the city. About 150 firefighters work for McAllen.

The city gave Clark studio space in exchange for the statue, a deal Clark arranged with Perez. UTPA students helped Clark craft the statue at the university’s arts foundry.

“How many cities care enough to put art above potholes, or anything else for that matter?” Clark said. “This is the finest city in the (Rio Grande) Valley, bar none.”

Clark said he started life as a farmer but sought work in Port Arthur after his farm soured. A certified welder, he interviewed for a job at Palmer Barge Line Shipyard wearing a shirt and tie. He didn’t get the welding job.

“Two days later they called back and asked me to be the sales manager,” Clark said. A friend at the shipyard later encouraged him to become a full-time sculptor.

Sculpting would take him to Mexico City, where he spent three years learning the craft. Today, he operates a studio and teaches classes at UTPA.

Asked how much the statue cost, Clark would only say “a lot.”