A KISS THAT LINGERS
The 26-foot-tall "Unconditional Surrender" statue on Sarasota's Bay Front has been the subject of countless speeches, groans, quips, and kudos since it made its first appearance here in 2005. It will likely stay in that same spot for a decade, after the city accepted the donation of a World War II veteran who put up $500,000 to buy the statue, on the condition that it stay out front of city-owned Marina Jack. Jack Curran, a former signalman who served in the Pacific and European theaters, says he bought the statue for all the other guys out there like him, who were raised in the Great Depression and served their country in World War II and came home to their sweethearts. He suspects the rest of the world is forgetting about them. Others have debated whether the statue is a fitting tribute to veterans or a big gaudy sideshow on U.S. 41.
Above Quote is from the Herald-Tribune on-line article |