Will Terry Fox artwork inspire once more?
Most of us remember where we were when JFK was assassinated or when men walked on the moon, but one thing Canadians will never forget is Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope.
Nearly 40 years after his run and subsequent death, the university student-turned-hero continues to live in the hearts and minds of Canadians across the country.
Whether we are young or old, healthy or sick, sentimental or cynical, the memory of Fox reminds us that a kid with one leg and a prosthetic can change the world.
His courage, charisma and strength of character still have the power to inspire us to go beyond the limitations of our lives and try — even if vainly — to make a difference.
It’s no surprise then that a group of Torontonians has spent the last four years pushing for a new public artwork dedicated to Fox and his legacy. But don’t expect another bronze likeness of the beloved Canadian hero; this one will not be a statue but something more contemplative, something that will become a catalyst.
“It won’t be a memorial because that’s looking backwards,” explains Geri Berholz, a former teacher and co-lead of Legacy Art Project Toronto, the group with the plan. “It’s a tribute to what will be. We hope it will be an inspiration for future projects and that it will help keep Terry’s dream alive.”
Legacy Project’s co-lead, Leslie Scrivener, is a longtime Star feature writer who befriended Fox while covering his Marathon of Hope for this paper.
“When Terry told his mother he was going to run across Canada, she told him she thought it was a stupid idea,” Scrivener says.
“Terry didn’t want to be made a hero, but he drew people in and inspired them. We want people to come to this artwork and be inspired again. He is part of our Canadian story.”
As Scrivener, who went on to write Fox’s biography, also points out, he ran a marathon every day for 143 days before cancer spread to his lungs and forced him to stop.
By then, he had travelled 5,373 kilometres from his starting point in St. John’s, N.L. The agony of every step clearly visible in his face, he carried on regardless. But, he famously declared, “Somewhere the hurting must stop.”
When he reached Toronto in July 1980, the Marathon of Hope instantly became the biggest story in Canada and quickly went global.
Thousands showed up to greet him at Scarborough Civic Centre and Nathan Phillips Square. A small army of locals, including hockey star Darryl Sittler, joined him for his run down University Ave.
“There was a look of suffering on his face,” Scrivener recalls, “but he was doing exactly what he wanted. Inside him there was a very strong core. He was totally authentic. He became a vehicle for all our aspirations.”
As envisioned by Scrivener and Berholz, the Legacy Art Project will focus less on Fox than what he accomplished. When the design competition was launched earlier this year, the idea was to create, “A place that will inspire and galvanize people into social action ... that evokes the spirit of courage, determination and action that drove Terry Fox forward ... (and that) points to every person’s capacity to do something extraordinary in their own life.”
A short list of five artist-led teams has already been chosen. Their final submissions will go on public display in January and the winner chosen on Feb. 5. It will be installed in a small field on the south side of Queens Quay West directly east of the Music Garden and close to Lake Shore Blvd. where Terry Fox ran so many years ago.
“It was Terry’s parents who wanted a permanent tribute in this city,” Scrivener explains.
“Toronto was a turning point for the Marathon of Hope. When he arrived here, there was a groundswell of support; something he had not experienced until then.” Indeed, running through Quebec, he complained about how often impatient drivers forced him off the highway.
“The city embraced the legacy project immediately,” Berholz says. “Mayor John Tory opened the gate for us and (city public art officer) Clara Hargittay got the project straight away then made it happen.”
The next task is to raise the $1 million needed to build it. A fundraising campaign will begin in 2019.
More information is available at terryfoxlegacyproject.com.
A short list of five artist-led teams has already been chosen. Their final submissions will go on public display in January and the winner chosen on Feb. 5