Community of Christ’s desire for peace is reflected in the observance of the International Day of Peace on September 21. The day is among the many ways the church shows its commitment.
A physical display of that commitment is at Lexington Avenue and Walnut Street in Independence, Missouri, USA, near the Auditorium. It’s a fountain that features the statue of a girl who seems to float on joy as she releases a dove. The figure is above a dome that represents Earth, the center of the site known as the UN Peace Plaza.
The dedication October 26, 1997, was a stand-out event with a who’s who list of diplomatic, federal, and local officials. The UN Singers performed.
The site, dedicated to those who gave their lives in the cause of peace, grew from activities commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the UN and the pivotal role played by President Harry S. Truman at its founding. Truman was famously from Independence, and his home, now a national park, is a few blocks from the Community of Christ International Headquarters campus.
The site, dedicated to those who gave their lives in the cause of peace, grew from activities commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the UN.
Truman signed the UN Charter in San Francisco, California, USA, on June 26, 1945. He arrived in Independence the next day and addressed about 10,000 people in the Auditorium.
The peace-plaza concept came from Kevin Flattery, then president of the UN Association of Greater Kansas City. Tom Corbin, an artist also known for the Kansas City Firemen’s Memorial, sculpted the 12.5-foot bronze statue that stands on a 4-foot pedestal.
JE Dunn served as general contractor; Theis Doolittle was the architect.
The plaza and sculpture cost an estimated $427,938, which would be $893,531 today. It was paid for by public donations. The church owns and maintains the plaza.
Bill Richardson, then a UN ambassador and later a presidential candidate and governor of New Mexico, gave the keynote speech. Art, essays, and poems from middle- and high-school students were submitted to a contest, with winners announced as part of the events.
Information from Community of Christ Archives.