Old Jacques: A Timeless Wanderer on Marquette's Grounds

Listen here, folks, don't let Marquette University's campus fool you; the glistening gems here ain't all as radiant as the library, the Haggerty, or the union, the Memorial. But if you ever fancy a bit of wandering off the beaten path, you'd soon chance upon something peculiar: a chap, clad in a robe and sporting a grand beard, lost in thought. That fellow, my friends, is none other than Jacques Marquette, the French Catholic adventurer, now turned into an 16-footer/tall as a skyscraper statue.

(Pause for effect) Ain't every passer-by always thinkin' it's just another statue? Nonsense, I say. This statue here, it ain't just another sculpture. It's historical significance, commissioned by John Madden, a proud Marquette alum, in May '04, and designed by the talented Ronald Knepper in '05. The statue shows Jacques Marquette in his pondering best, scroll in hand, cross at the ready. The cross? A subtle hint to its meaning. But for those in the know, this statue is much more – a striking piece of art overlooking the campus, a monument to history that never stops observing those strolling past.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata