Robert Russin

Robert Russin's sculptures are found internationally, including in his home state of Wyoming.Robert Isaiah Russin (August 26, 1914 - December 13, 2007) was an American sculptor, artist and University of Wyoming professor. He was best known for a number of public sculptures throughout the United States, including the "Spirit of Life" fountain sculpture located at the City of Hope National Medical Center in California and a giant bust of Abraham Lincoln, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument, located on I-80 in Wyoming.

Early life Robert Russin was born in New York City on August 26, 1914. Inspiration that he found in the state and family health reasons prompted him to move to Wyoming in his mid-thirties. His works include bronze figurative sculptures. Russin struck his hammer and chisel to stone, including marble, for abstract expressions.

He won his first major commission in 1938 for two monumental bas-reliefs at the post office in Evanston, Illinois. In 1969, after Interstate 80 was built, state officials moved the monument to become a centerpiece at the Summit Rest Area and Visitor Center between the cities of Cheyenne and Laramie. Russin cast Lincoln's monumental bust in more than 30 bronze pieces designed to be bolted together. He then shipped the sculpture from Mexico to Laramie. The first leg of the 1958 shipment featured rail travel to Denver, Colorado.

"The statute [sic] came up from Mexico with armed guards from the Mexican Army, because they were afraid that someone was going to steal it", said the late sculptor's son, Joe Russin, in an interview for the Laramie Boomerang.

The bust continued its journey north from Denver to Laramie by truck transport. All went well until the truck reached Laramie. Joe Russin recalls:

"My dad hadn’t thought about how low the wires were over Grand Avenue. So they had to move it through Laramie really early in the morning and they cut the electric and telephone wires for each block as they went through." The family held a memorial service celebrating the sculptor's life in the visitor center, including comments by the Wyoming governor and state senator and ambassador to Guatemala Tom Stroock, according to the Casper Star Tribune.