Sequim Sunrise Rotary members are going forward with an effort to build a statue in honor of Olympic gold medalist and former Sequim resident Joe Rantz.
Following City of Sequim guidelines for public art installations, Sequim city councilors unanimously approved the statue’s design at their Dec. 11 meeting.
The statue would be 14 feet tall and feature Rantz, who lived in Sequim as a teen before going to Seattle and eventually competing with the UW rowing team and winning the gold medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
Sequim’s statue will look similar to a statue on the 700 block of J.P. Patches Place in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood that features a 6-foot 2-inch metal silhouette of Rantz with a 14-foot oar.
Rotarian Pat McCauley said she’s been in discussion with the firm that designed the original statue and Rotarians intend to use a rock base similar to the elk sculptures found along U.S. Highway 101.
She said the statue is included in the Rotary’s effort to bring attention to Rantz’s connection to Sequim while also fundraising for the Joe Rantz Rotary Youth Fund, an effort that aims to build a home for homeless youths in Sequim in honor of Rantz, who also was homeless in his youth.
Rotarians also helped bring an advance screening on Dec. 8 of “The Boys in the Boat” film to Port Angeles and they held a Tribute to Joe Rantz fundraiser the same night at the Sequim Museum and Arts.
They sought to rename a portion of Hendrickson Road after Rantz, but withdrew the idea after business owners expressed concern over how it’d impact billing/mailing.
McCauley said that idea is on hold, but they seek about $30,000 for the statue from Clallam County’s Lodging Tax Fund and possibly the city’s Tourism Enhancement grant.
“We’re looking to create a tourism product here,” McCauley said.
“Seven million people have read the book and a few more million will read it after the movie comes out.
“Rowers around the world know Joe grew up here too.”
Rantz is featured prominently in “The Boys in the Boat” movie that releases in theaters Christmas Day.
McCauley said they seek lodging tax funds because the Rotary Youth Fund and statue are separate efforts with the fund focused on raising $750,000 for its homeless teen home.
Initially, Rotarians sought someplace for the statue to go along Hendrickson Road and the Olympic Discovery Trail. However, McCauley said they are now working with city staff to secure a Right of Way permit likely somewhere on Sequim Avenue.
“We want visitors to go around Sequim,” she said.
The statue could serve as one of many stops on a historical loop of the area, McCauley added.
The Sequim Arts Commission unanimously approved the statue concept at its Nov. 27 meeting and recommended the project move forward to the city council.
City councilor Kathy Downer said it’s a great idea so long as the site can accommodate people pulling over their vehicle for a photo-op.
For more about the Rotary Youth Fund, visit joerantzrotaryyouthfund.org.
Photo courtesy Len O’Donnell/Rowing Archives A replica of a statue honoring the 1936 University of Washington rowing team with Joe Rantz’s silhouette in Seattle could be coming to Sequim. Sequim Sunrise Rotarians seek tourism funds to build the approximate $30,000 statue and place it in the City of Sequim to honor Rantz, a former Sequim resident and Olympic Games gold medalist.
