Lawson, Richard A.

Fred E. Myers was a southern Illinois coal miner who found a true calling in the art of wood carving. An appendectomy made it impossible for him to work in the mines in 1938 so he took a job with the Works Progress Administration. Between 1939 and 1942 he worked carving prehistoric animals for dioramas for the Southern Illinois Normal Museum. Because of his already existing injuries, and a substantial hernia condition, he died at the young age of 39 while working on The Last Stand, which some say was his masterpiece. His work was noticed and celebrated outside of Southern Illinois, and because of his work with the college he found mentors and friends who would consistently encourage him to go to graduate school or to persue his work as a career. Myers never took their advice and many of his sculptures became lamps or were lost altogether. This collection reflects his work, his life, and much of the acclaim he was able to earn in spite of his chosen low profile and simple lifestyle.