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July 12, 2008

Madelia celebrates hometown general

Bust of Gen. Doyle E. Larson dedicated

By Robb Murray

MADELIA — During the 40 years he knew Doyle E. Larson, Jerry McKenna had heard many stories about Larson’s hometown.

But it wasn’t until Saturday that McKenna, a world renowned sculptor, actually visited the place where his former commanding officer grew up.

McKenna was in town this weekend for the dedication of a bust of Larson.

This one’s a replica of McKenna’s original piece, which sits in at the entrance of Larson Hall at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The replica bust was installed recently in Madelia’s Veterans Memorial Park.

Mckenna drove down Friday. On the ride from Minneapolis to Madelia on Highway 169, McKenna thought about his old friend.

“It looked like a bit of America that inspired Doyle,” McKenna said. “By the way, I never called him Doyle, it was always General Larson. Occasion-ally he let me call him by his first name, which was sir.”

That comment drew a few laughs from the crowd of 50 or some Madelia residents gathered. Later, though, McKenna said he actually did call him General Larson for nearly the entire time he knew him. That’s just the way Larson wanted it.

Their relationship was a curious one. They met long before McKenna became a world-known artist who has created statues of people such as Bob Hope, numerous University of Notre Dame football legends such as Ara Parseghian and Frank Leahy.

McKenna and Larson served in the U.S. Air Force together, with McKenna serving under Larson’s command. For many of those years, McKenna served as Larson’s assistant, helping organize Larson’s affairs and keeping track of his schedule.

McKenna spoke to those gathered Saturday, telling stories that illustrated what kind of military man Larson was. They worked together in Okinawa and Texas.

“We only worked half days,” McKenna said. “We’d go to work at 5:30 in the morning and go home at 5:30 at night. It took all those hours to keep up with Doyle.”

McKenna’s original bust was presented about a year ago at Lackland’s Larson Hall, which is the location of the Electronic Security Command. Larson was the first commander of that unit. The building is 74,000 square feet in size.

Larson was unable to attend that event, which took place just two weeks prior to his death. But he was able last year to attend the event that unveiled Madelia’s Veterans Memorial Park.

“It was about the last thing he did,” said Lois Larson, his wife.

And as for Saturday’s event, “He would have been pleased,” she said.

By the time McKenna was commissioned to sculpt Larson, he was already famous in his own right as an artist. Producing a likeness of his former boss, however, didn’t bring any extra pressure. He was just happy to get a chance to do it.

“I knew Doyle as a very, very loving husband, father and grandfather,” McKenna said. “He was a true patriot, a great American, a national treasure ... and my friend.”

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