Painted Bricks: James Reeb Mural, Casper Wyoming

Painted Bricks: James Reeb Mural, Casper Wyoming: 

James Reeb Mural, Casper Wyoming

This is the memorial to civil rights activist James Reeb in Casper Wyoming.  I should have taken this photograph when this mural was new, as its faded considerably since first painted, and it isn't even very old.

Given that, I'm taking the unusual step of posting it in full size here as well.

James Reeb was a Presbyterian minister in Casper when first ordained.  He lost is life when murdered by segregationist in Selma, Alabama, where he was attending civil rights demonstrations, in 1965.  The mural depicts scenes from his life, as well as honoring the Civil Rights movement.

A Cottonwood Memorial.

Even though I've been in City Park in Casper lots of times, I managed to have never noticed this memorial to James Cobb Barlow.

James A. Barlow Jr. was a noted Wyoming geologist.  He was the son of the elder James Barlow who was a homesteader first in Colorado and then later in Wyoming, but who had relocated to the East Coast prior to marrying.  James A. Barlow came to Wyoming to study geology, and had one of the first two Ph.D's from the University of Wyoming's geology department.  While I hadn't realized it, he obviously served as Mayor of Casper, Wyoming in 1965-66.

Leonard L. Robinson Memorial Bridge, Casper Wyoming.

Back last year we posted this item here:

Lex Anteinternet: The 2020 Wyoming Legislative Session. Proposed Dr. Leonard L. Robinson memorial bridge.

Lex Anteinternet: The 2020 Wyoming Legislative Session. The early c...: There's a proposal to dedicate a bridge in Casper that crosses Center Street in honor of a veteran of the Bataan Death March.

2020

STATE OF WYOMING

20LSO-0464

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0096

Dr. Leonard L. Robinson memorial bridge.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Harshman, Blake, Brown, Lindholm, MacGuire and Walters and Senator(s) Anderson, Landen, Pappas and Von Flatern

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to highways and bridges; designating a bridge as specified; providing for signage; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.  W.S. 24‑1‑138 is created to read:

24‑1‑138.  Dr. Leonard L. Robinson World War II Bataan Death March memorial bridge.

The bridge on United States Interstate Highway 25 crossing over Center Street in Casper, Wyoming shall be known as the "Dr. Leonard L. Robinson World War II Bataan Death March Memorial Bridge."  The department of transportation shall install appropriate signage, in compliance with applicable federal and state law, to identify the Dr. Leonard L. Robinson World War II Bataan Death March Memorial Bridge.

Section 2.  Nothing in this act shall require the department of transportation to remove or modify any designation of the bridge specified in section 1 of this act submitted to the federal highway administration.

Section 3.  There is appropriated five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) from the general fund to the department of transportation for purposes of installing signage required by this act.  This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2022.  This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2022.  It is the intent of the legislature that this appropriation not be included in the department of transportation's standard budget for the immediately succeeding fiscal biennium.

Section 4.  This act is effective July 1, 2020.

(END)

1

HB0096

Robinson was an enlisted man 200th Coastal Artillery in the Philippines at the time of the Japanese invasion of the islands and was part of the large group of US troops taken prisoner as a result.  He had been an engineering student at the University of Colorado and conscripted in the prior year, during which period he was also a semi-professional golfer.

A deeply religious man, after the war he completed his engineering studies and obtained a Doctorate in Theology from Northwestern some time later.  As an engineer, he helped design one of the first US ejection seats for aircraft.

An Englewood Colorado native, he is certainly worthy of a memorial, although I have to say that I don't know if an Interstate 25 bridge in a confusing intersection is really a great one.  I don't mean to be disrespectful  on that, but it does seem a better memorial, or even a better bridge, could have been used.  Indeed, that's somewhat reflected in the poor quality of these photographs, as there's really no convenient way to take a photo from the ground, and the intersection is always pretty busy.