The city of Oxford is paying tribute to one of its own — the late Larry Brown — with the commission of a bronze statue by a fellow local artist.

In late April, the Board approved the advertisement of a Request-for-Qualification for a figurative bronze sculpture to be installed at Morgan Family Park, located at 658 North Lamar Boulevard.

Brown, an acclaimed writer and longtime Oxford firefighter, was stationed for many years at the former fire department once located on the site where the park now stands.

On May 2, artist submissions were blindly reviewed by an artist selection committee. After evaluating two proposals, the committee unanimously recommended Taylor resident William Beckwith, a nationally recognized sculptor known for his realistic bronze works, to lead the project.

Public art funds allocated last year for the current fiscal year will support the commissioning and installation of the statue. The final piece will feature a seated bronze figure of Brown, modeled from archival photographs.

Beckwith is expected to complete the statue within a year. The casting will take place at the Inferno Art Foundry in Atlanta, Georgia, and Beckwith will oversee the final installation in Oxford.

Beckwith has created bronze sculptures across Mississippi, including the Jefferson Davis statue at the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum in Biloxi; B.B. King in Indianola; Chief Piomino in Tupelo; Elvis Presley in Tupelo; William Faulkner in Oxford and L.Q.C. Lamar in Oxford.

The total cost of the project is $75,000, to be paid in three installments: $25,000 upon signing the contract, another $25,000 upon acceptance of the finished clay model, and the remaining $25,000 upon completion and delivery of the monument.