Though according to legend he has stalked Emory’s grounds for more than 100 years, Emory’s unofficial mascot Lord James W. Dooley has never been a permanent campus fixture, until now.

Set in stainless steel and cast bronze, the new Dooley statue, which was officially unveiled on Friday after the homecoming parade, sits with a perfect view of Asbury Circle, Emory’s unofficial center for student life.

“May this serve as a reminder to you that I am forever watching,” Dooley said through a proxy. He declared the statue, “standing in all its naked glory,” his greatest bit of mischief yet.

The statue “will represent Dooley’s calling us to be the best that we can be while gently chiding our own foolishness,” Vice President and Deputy to the
President Gary Hauk said at the ceremony.

The search for someone to construct the Dooley statue began soon after Ankith Kamaraju (’07C) and Lance Henry (’07C) began to rouse student support and proposed the idea through the Traditions and History Committee, which is chaired by Hauk.

Hauk wrote in an e-mail to the Wheel that the statue cost less than the original estimates and was partly paid for with redirected funds from the Traditions and History Committee. Donations from students and alumni contributed to the statue funds as well, he wrote. He declined to say the price.

After placing ads in two national art publications three years ago, the University received bids from 19 sculptors from around the country, some of which were Emory alumni. A selection committee of faculty from the visual arts department, architects from the Campus Planning Office, Emory’s brand manager and an alumnus narrowed the selection down and invited the four remaining sculptors to Emory to present their models.

Three of the models were what Hauk described in an interview as “much more traditional.” One model portrayed Dooley holding the Emory torch on a pedestal, resembling “an Olympic runner with a cape on,” he said.

The selection committee eventually settled on Matthew Palmer’s designs, which were then approved by the Public Art Committee, the President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees.

Hauk said that Palmer’s interpretation of Dooley was artistically different. His model immortalized the immortal being’s spirit so well that it was the unanimous choice of the selection committee, he said.

Palmer, who is based in Washington state but attended the unveiling of the statue, said the distorted cape-like mass behind Dooley represents the “mysterious ether” from which the Lord of Misrule emerges. In what Palmer called an ironic twist, Dooley’s costume is cast to the floor to reveal another skeleton.

Capturing Dooley’s essence was no easy task, Palmer said. After speaking with Emory students, Palmer said he sought to capture a spirit who possesses the “bravado of James Bond” combined with the “grace of Fred Astaire.”

According to Hauk, the committee played with the idea of putting a padlocked door at the base of the sculpture. This compartment would have served as the location of Dooley’s costume.

“Knowing the combination would be like knowing the secret formula for Coca-Cola,” Hauk said. He added that there are plans to erect a sign in front of the statue explaining the origins of Dooley and who he is.

After stalking Asbury Circle and causing mischief during the dedication ceremony, Dooley himself christened his statue by showering it with dirt from his original home at Emory’s Oxford College. While his facial expression always remains stoic, Dooley readily posed for photos with students, faculty and alumni, and playfully sparred with Swoop, Emory’s official mascot.

Many students were surprised by the modernity of the statue.

“It’s appropriately dark and inspiring for the enigma that Dooley is,” College sophomore David Burgess said.

David McClurken, Emory’s brand manager, noted the significance of the statue for Dooley himself.

“The emphasis and enthusiasm comes and goes for Dooley, but having a prominent expression of him on campus will help his popularity,” McClurken said.

— Contact Lizzy Encarnacao.