Wooden's mural
I went to John R. Wooden High School (a continuing education school) this morning for the unveiling of a 20 by 25 foot mural of John Wooden. It was incredible. I should have a photo of the mural attached soon, so you can check it out. Local artist Hector Rios didn't know who John Wooden was before he started the mural, but he did plenty of research and numerous renderings to capture the essence of Wooden. It was a three-month process. Principal Jay Kessler came up with the idea for the project, and students assisted in the effort.
The mual is on a wall on the English classroom, which was a perfect tribute to Wooden, a former English teacher.
Many of the school's kids were there for the ceremony. Wooden, dressed in a blue sweater, bolo tie and black pants, sat in a wheelchair for the ceremony. He was as sharp as ever. In his speech, he recited poetry and the seven-point creed that his father, Joshua, gave him.
Asked what his favorite part of the mural was, Wooden said: ``My wife.''
The late Nell Wooden is depicted holding a basketball. Also on the mural are ``Inch and Miles'', the character from his children's book, Wooden heroes Abe Lincoln and Mother Teresa, etc. The words ''father, husband, teacher, coach, athlete'' are on the mural, with pictures of Wooden in each of those roles.
Also, the school has a farm - you could hear roosters in the background during the ceremony - and is looking for donations of animal food. To donate, contact principal Jay Kessler at jkessler@lausd.net.
13 Comments
Leave a comment
About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
sweet. cant wait.
That sounds awesome! Can't wait to see a photo. Wish they would have added one of Coach Wooden's favorite poems to the mural.
amazing.
gives me the goosebumps
Wow, that really is something special. Thanks for the image!
You can see Coach always had intensity from his Purdue basketball shot. A couple of questions: what do the cartoon characters in the upper right side symbolize, and who is No. 3 cutting down the nets?
The player in question is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He wore No. 33, but only half of the number is clearly visible in the mural. Also, the cartoon characters are ``Inch and Miles'' from his children's book.
Jill, technically, that might have been Lew Alcindor back then. Not sure when he converted to Islam and became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Brian, I have a suggestion for the Blog. Replace the photo of the UCLA Bear on the top of the blog with a photo of the Wooden Mural. Thanks.
Yes I agree. Imo, when referring to Kareem in his UCLA days, I prefer Lew Alcindor. I believe there's a lot of significance to the name "Lew Alcindor" in bruin AND ncaa history. It was Lew Alcindor from Power Memorial High who chose to play at UCLA just as it was Cassius Clay who fought Liston in the first fight.
Hopefully it doesn't get 'tagged'. Nice mural.
...is that Abe Lincoln on the left?
Yes, Abe Lincoln on the left and what looks like Coach Wooden's father as well. Mother Teresa at the bottom between Coach & Nell. The award on the right is the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which Coach won in 2003:
http://www.medaloffreedom.com/JohnRWooden.htm
Where's Sam Gilbert?