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Lady Liberty or Venus de Milo? Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Medford's miniature version of the Statue of Liberty in Hawthorne Park is missing her arm and torch. Parks officials are hoping the thief will return the arm to the statue, long the victim of abuse, with no questions asked. Local Boy Scouts dedicated the statue in 1951 and the city had planned to commemorate its 50th anniversary on Aug. 25. By JESSICA SMITH Lady Liberty has no lamp to shine on Medford's door. Someone stole the torch, and the arm carrying it. "It's disturbing," said Greg Jones, Medford parks director. About a week ago, a parks employee noticed that someone made off with the torch-bearing arm that belonged to the 8-1/2-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty in Hawthorne Park. Thursday, a dried-out red rose rested in the leftover stump. City officials are pleading for the arm's return. "If someone will just bring it back and place it at the base of the statue ... there'll be no questions asked," said Molly Kerr, a parks commissioner. Kerr said the arm's theft is especially distressing because 2001 marks the 50th anniversary of the statue's installation. On May 7, 1951, the statue was unveiled and dedicated by the Crater Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts got the statue from a Kansas City man who made and sold replicas to cities and Scout troops around the country. "It's a treasure, and it belongs to the city," said Kerr. "She's one of only 13 in the country, which makes her special." A ceremony is planned Aug. 25 to commemorate the statue's 50th anniversary. Kerr said event organizers likely will mask Lady Liberty's injury with red, white and blue scarves. The recent attack on Medford's liberty statue is the latest in a string of assaults. More than a year ago, the city spent about $1,000 to repair the now-missing torch-bearing arm, which was found sitting by the statue's side. Over the years, the parks department has replaced broken and missing spikes in Lady Liberty's headdress. Dents cover the statue's copper surface. "We've got to do something," said Kerr. "The city cannot afford to keep repairing her." Members of the Medford City Council on Thursday said officials should look at measures to protect Lady Liberty and other pieces of public art. Meanwhile, parks director Jones said the city may ask for a wax cast of the arm from one of the 12 other statues in the United States. If the appendage isn't returned, the city could hire a metal worker to build another arm, he said. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.