When Miss Stephens donated money to Hiram College for construction of a new observatory, she specified it be dedicated to the memory of her family. The photographs on this page illustrate what can happen to a memorial plaque if it is not properly maintained and how, with expert attention, it can be recovered, restoring a memory.
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In May of 2006 the bronze memorial dedication plaque looked like this. Moisture, chemical reactions, and time had left it in very sad shape. This flash photo actually makes it look better, and easier to read, than it looked to one's own eyes. |
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We began our own efforts at restoration by washing the plaque and hand sanding the high points --border and letters-- with a very fine grit paper. It was looking better already. |
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The beautiful metal was revealed and we could see the potential end product, especially after washing with dilute, gentle detergent and rinsing with distilled water. It became clear however, for several reasons, that finishing was a job for experts. |
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In February of 2009 we contacted Gil Wellman of the All-Craft Wellman Products company in Willoughby and asked him to finish the job. Mr. Wellman told us he wondered for a moment if the piece dated from his company's early days but he concluded it did not. The character font, however, is called Wellman Tablet and original letters used in casting our plaque may well have been created by Mr. Wellman's predecessors. Our thanks to Gil Wellman and his skilled craftsmen for a job well done! The plaque was reinstalled in Observatory's entry in April. |
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