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Vandals leave the lady crippled Photo by Bob Pennell Vandals have left Hawthorne Park's Statue of Liberty replica without a torch or an arm to hold it up, and have torn off four of eight points on the statue's crown. Medford's parks department has contracted with a local craftsman to repair the damage. Statue of Liberty a chronic target By DAVID PRESZLER Medford's Lady Liberty is looking a little tired and poor herself these days. Her right arm and the torch it holds have been broken off, as have half the eight points on her crown. And a "Think" sticker has been added to the tablet she holds in her left hand. "She's been vandalized in the past but this is the worst," said Greg Jones of the Medford Parks and Recreation Department. The replica of America's enduring symbol of freedom has done a lot of enduring in the nearly five decades she's stood in Medford's Hawthorne Park. Though many residents may not know she's there, the copper Statue of Liberty replica has been beaten, broken and plastered with stickers. The latest vandalism was discovered several months ago but has yet to be repaired. Jones said the city has contracted with a local craftsman to repair the damage but was unsure when the work would be completed. "We want her back together quickly," he said. Surprisingly, the vandals did not steal the statue's arm and torch but simply left them at her side. "That was a stroke of luck," said Jones. Replacing the arm and torch would have complicated matters. Instead, reattaching the arm correctly becomes the challenge. "The trick is to try and get it back on so that it doesn't look like a patch job," said Jones. The statue, which stands about 6 feet tall above a pedestal nearly as tall, was erected in 1951 by the Crater Lake Council of the Boy Scouts. The Scouts got the statue from a Kansas City man who made and sold replicas to cities and Scout troops around the country. The dedication ceremony drew a host of dignitaries, including then-Gov. Douglas McKay. "It was quite a presentation," said Crater Lake Motors owner Jim Coleman. Coleman was one of the Boy Scouts who took part in the ceremony. At the time, the statue stood out from the surrounding landscape, which included neither Interstate 5 nor the canopy of mature trees that now hides her from traffic passing along East Main Street. The statue was refurbished and rededicated in 1986 after a rash of vandalism. Since then, Jones says minor vandalism has occurred over the years, leading up to the damage to the arm earlier this year. He said the city is searching for ways to curb the vandalism. It has installed better lighting in the area and removed a hedge that blocked view of the statue from the parking lot. The city has also had the crown points reinforced. But it remains accessible and relatively tucked away. "It's not real high, and it's easy to get to," Jones said. The continued abuse of the statue is troubling both to those who remember when it was placed there and those who still come across it. "I'm sorry to hear that it's torn up," Coleman said when told of the latest damage. "That's too bad." "It's too bad they've damaged her," agreed a passerby Monday afternoon. "It's a damn shame." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA