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Jon Ferguson, center, with his family.
By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief.
LUDINGTON — Jon Ferguson wanted to find an appropriate way to pay tribute to his wife of 47 years, high school classmate, mother of their two daughters, grandmother of three children and teacher to hundreds, if not thousands. While Sallie Peterson Ferguson probably would not have wanted him to commission a statue in her memory, that is exactly what he did, Jon told a crowd of about 100 people Friday afternoon, gathered at the Craig R. Rasmussen Outdoor Activity Area of the Ludington branch of the Mason County District Library. Many were classmates of Sallie and Jon’s, Ludington High School senior class of ’61. Many were family and others were community members and art lovers.
Double The Fun
Jon Ferguson commissioned “Double the Fun” as the latest statute in the Mason County Sculpture Trail and the second statute at the Ludington library. The statue, created by artist Stanley Proctor of Florida, pays tribute to the joy of reading and the love Sallie had for reading to her children, grandchildren and students.
It depicts a woman sitting on a bench reading to a boy and a girl.
Sallie grew up on a fruit farm on Meisenheimer Road in Summit Township. A high school English teacher, Sallie was passionate about literature and public education. She helped found the Montessori School of Kalamazoo.
Sallie created a myriad of educational opportunities for her daughters, often working with limited resources. Sallie was devoted to childhood learning.
Proctor, the artist, has installed numerous public and private commissioned monumental bronzes, including works at the Florida Governor’s Mansion Children’s Park, Hackensack University Medical Center, the Living Desert Museum in California, and the University of Southern Alabama. This is his third creation for Ludington, his others being “Follow the Leader” and “The Fruits of Farming,” both featured in the sculpture park at Waterfront Park.
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