Bronze busts of three of Baptist’s most influential leaders are now prominently displayed in the administration area of Baptist Memorial Health Care’s Corporate building.
Newly created statues of Baptist’s third and fourth presidents, Joseph Powell and Stephen Reynolds, were unveiled during a special ceremony in December and join a bust of Baptist’s second president – Frank Groner – in a newly designed alcove. Spotlights shine above all three sculptures, illuminating the works of art.
Powell’s bust was created by David Clark, a renowned artist who created his first commissioned sculpture when he was a teenager. He designed the Tom Lee Park monument in Memphis, the University of Memphis Tiger and many other public pieces of art, busts and small sculptures.
Alan LeQuire, one of the nation’s premiere sculptors, designed Reynolds’ bust. His works are displayed at Vanderbilt University and the Country Music Hall of Fame, and he created the largest bronze figure group in the United States and the largest indoor statue in the western world.
Groner, Powell and Reynolds spent nearly their entire careers at Baptist, leading the organization for almost seven decades combined. Among their many accomplishments, Groner grew Baptist’s original facility into the largest privately owned hospital in the world. Powell created the Baptist Memorial Health Care system; most of the hospitals in the system today became affiliated with Baptist during his tenure. Reynolds successfully led Baptist into the 21st century, adding new types of facilities like the area’s first women’s hospital and residential hospice house.