Joyce EX - VP General

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This new statue at the University of Notre Dame honors the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, right, and the late Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, who served as the university's president and vice president, respectively, for 35 years.
Tribune Photo/JIM RIDER

Tribune Staff Report

SOUTH BEND -- Students, employees and visitors at the University of Notre Dame can now visit the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh and the late Rev. Edmund P. Joyce whenever they like.

A new statue recently dedicated on campus honors the men's longtime leadership and friendship. The bronze sculpture, which shows the two priests engaged in conversation, is located next to the reflecting pool just south of Hesburgh Library.

Hesburgh and Joyce were president and executive vice president, respectively, of the university from 1952 to 1987.

Joyce died in 2004 at age 87. Hesburgh, 88, remains active in retirement, working in his office in Hesburgh Library each weekday.

The figures are larger than life -- literally. The sculpture of Hesburgh stands 7 feet tall and Joyce measures 7-feet-4-inches in height.

The statue was cast in bronze by artist Lou Cella of the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt Amrany, in Highland Park, Ill.

The sculpture was presented to the university on behalf of the 50th reunion of Notre Dame's Class of 1953, the first class to graduate under the administration of Hesburgh and Joyce.