Celebrating 78 years of The Spartan statue

“One of the possessions of all educated persons should be an appreciation for the beautiful and for the arts,” then University President John Hannah said at the original dedication ceremony for The Spartan statue in 1945. “A little appreciation for good music, for good painting, for sculpture can make life much more interesting for all of us.”

The Spartan statue has given Spartans an appreciation for art for 78 years now — and much more than that.

Hannah continued in his speech, “In the years ahead, this Spartan warrior in this beautiful and proper setting will become one of the distinguishing marks of this campus that all students and visitors will associate with this college and this campus in much the same way that Beaumont Tower is now generally recognized as the proper symbol of Michigan State [University].” Photo by Nick Schrader, 2023.

Circa 1943, before The Spartan statue was completed, Leonard Jungwirth showed University President John Hannah (second from left) and others a model of the sculpture.