Tacoma, WA

Titled "We Honor a Hero," the bronze statue depicts 11-year-old crossing guard Marvin Klegman in mid-dash, looking upward, his right hand shielding his face, his left hand holding the hand of six-year-old Kelcy Allen. Marvin was crushed to death by falling bricks when his school collapsed after an April 13, 1949, earthquake.

The 7.1 magnitude Puget Sound quake had struck just before noon, damaging the Lowell Elementary School building. Most of the kids were outside for lunch, but Marvin spotted kindergartner Kelcy in the ground floor basement. He was leading him to safety when a brick corner near the exit door collapsed. Marvin reacted, pulling Kelcy under him. Marvin was Tacoma's only fatality. Kelcy was knocked unconscious but otherwise unharmed.

At the statue, sculpted by Larry Anderson (who also created Proper Role of Man and Fish), evocative bricks are scattered about the feet of the two bronze boys.

Kelcy Allen discovered the details of his rescue many years later, after another area earthquake in 2001, and shared his story in the newspapers. This sparked interest in creating the statue, which was dedicated in 2003.