Don Moorcroft

My previous two posts (here and here) dealt with sculptures on the Physics and Astronomy Building at Western University (UWO) in London, Ont. To wind up my coverage of that wonderful building, I thought I’d just post a few of my favourite faces.

The first is Tecumseh, the Shawnee Indian who was an ally of the British during the War of 1812. Notably, he joined British Major-General Sir Isaac Brock in the Siege of Detroit, forcing the city’s surrender in August 1812.

Then there’s this fellow, identified by Don Moorcroft, emeritus professor of physics at UWO, who photographed and identified most of the figures on the building, as “boy with toothache,” who he said was modelled after a magazine advertisement for toothpaste. But I think he’s actually the same boy as the one in the ads for Dent’s Toothache Gum. Note the tears in the ad below and the sculpture above.

Finally, Prof. Moorcroft didn’t identify this cowled fellow, but I’m partial to him:

In my next post, I’ll wrap up my very brief trip to London, Ont., with the faces on St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica.

In addition to failing to mark either of the anniversaries of the start of the First World War, I missed the 45th anniversary of the moon landing.

So, better late than never, I am noting it here with a picture of a sculpture of the moon on the Physics and Astronomy building at Western University (UWO) in London, Ont.

It’s one of 23 small sculptures surrounding the east entrance of the building. It — along with Old Bill (see previous post) and the other faces there — was identified by Don Moorcroft, emeritus professor of physics at UWO, who photographed and identified most of the figures on that building.

The moon has a companion sun at the west entrance. Prof. Moorcroft explains its presence there by citing a 1924 London Free Press story which reported the stone mason Dan Cree “was surprised one morning by a workman as he was carving the face of a summer sun. ‘What on earth are you putting the face of the sun there for?’ he was asked. ‘Oh, it’s a bit dull this morning,’ was the reply, ‘and I thought I might coax the sun out to see his picture.’ ”