Today's photo celebrates one of Greensboro's great naturalists, Dr. Joe Christian. Dr. Christian loved spending time outdoors whether hunting or exploring or just spending time with his family. He was instrumental in establishing Greensboro's Bog Garden. He helped reclaim the stream that was littered with garbage. He relocated over 16,000 native plant specimens to this natural space.
His bronze statue, featured above, is located at the northwest corner at the intersection of Hobbs Road and Starmount Farms Drive. The statue is by South Carolina sculptor, Maria J. Kirby-Smith. She knew the humble Dr. Christian personally and dedicated the statue while Dr. Christian was still living. Kirby-Smith depicted her subject with a shovel in one hand and a soon-to-be-planted alum plant in the other hand. Dr. Christian had so many talents, not to mention he was a well respected medical doctor who graduated from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine.
If you want to read more about the above statue, read here. You will learn that Kirby-Smith has sculpted many statues around Greensboro. We also direct you to Dr. Christian's obituary. The accomplished, Renaissance man died in 2011. Stop back by GDP tomorrow and we'll show you a view of Dr. Christian's bog garden in its tranquil, sleeping, winter state.
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