The American Sport Art Museum & Archives (ASAMA) recently received a donation of a Liberty bas relief presented in memory of late United States Sports Academy Founding President Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich.
Donated by Academy Trustee Jack Scharr, the bronze bas relief depicts the Statue of Liberty and features a plaque that memorializes the life of the Academy founder. Scharr, the president of Fine Art Limited in St. Louis, said the Liberty piece is one in a series depicting the fourteen major ethnic groups that entered the United States through Ellis Island. The Liberty piece was originally sculpted in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the donation of the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States.
Rosandich was a first generation American born in Sheboygan Falls, Wisc., in 1932 to parents from Croatia. His lifetime of contributions to sports and education were recognized by the Ellis Island Foundation, who conferred upon Rosandich the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2008 during a ceremony at the island in New York Harbor. Rosandich passed away in August of 2020 at age 88.
The Elis Island Medal of Honor is presented by NECO (formerly the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations), a nonprofit founded in 1984 to showcase Americans’ diversity as the source of their nation’s greatness and to cultivate leadership.
“I wanted to honor Tom (Rosandich) because he was just such a good friend and a remarkable person,” Scharr said. “I always enjoyed his company. Tom basically built the Academy from the ground up and I wanted to give the institution something lasting in honor of everything that he did.
“Tom was a true patriot so this Liberty piece seemed appropriate to honor his life. I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to know him.”
Since 1986 the annual medals have honored U.S. citizens of various ethnic backgrounds, in homage to the immigrant experience. Each medalist owns a remarkable résumé of personal and professional achievement benefiting others, and has furthermore acted to preserve the richness of his or her family heritage.
The bas relief is featured prominently in the Founder’s Room at the American Sport Art Museum & Archives (ASAMA) on the campus of the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala. You can read more about the life of Founding President Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich here.
