Globe Refiners installation

On September 28-29, 2020 the Globe Refiners installation took place in McPherson, Kansas. My installation team consisted of Johnson Granite Supply, West Point Monument, myself and Jessica. We coordinated closely with Hutton Construction and CHS Refinery from Kansas.

In the beginning

The project got it’s start in July 2019 when Jessica and I met with McPherson Mayor Tom Brown and the Mingenback Foundation. We met at the McPherson Museum and afterwords got a tour of the newly renovated community building where the Globe Refiners played from 1933-1936. The foundation and Mayor Brown communicated that they wanted a sculpture to honor the whole team.

After a couple of weeks of sketching out ideas I submitted my design. In September 2019 I got the green light, signed a contract and began work. I then gathered up my team which consisted of nine businesses from six states. And these businesses were all with companies I had done work with previously.

The finished artwork

After 13 months of hard work and close attention to details (and plenty of measuring) the project was finished. The monument consists of a curved bronze relief mounted to it’s core stainless steel structure. This stainless cage holds 8000 lbs. of laser etched black granite walls and 8000 lbs of pre-cast concrete for the roof. Three benches of black granite and pre-cast concrete house three different ceramic tiles representing the Olympic Gold medal, the Globe Refiners logo and the Berg ball used in the Olympic finals. To mimic the hardwood floors on a basketball court we used linear pavers. Up-lighting provided the final touch for viewing at dusk.

Thank you to all involved in helping to honor the McPherson Globe Refiners basketball team and for the smooth Globe Refiners installation. Without all of those passionately involved there is no way this project could have happened. It was a labor of love for me and my team as it was for the Mingenback Foundation and the mayor of McPherson who spearheaded the project!

The Globe Refiners story will continue on for future generations to come. And now “The Tallest Team in the World” and the first basketball team to win Olympic gold has a permanent bronze sculpture to tell their story.

Photos below highlight the installation process

McPherson Globe Refiners installation, Sutton Betti, basketball sculpture — CHS refinery lent the crane while Hutton Construction worked with my team for installation.

basketball sculpture installation, bronze relief sculpture, Sutton Betti — The 3000 lbs. bronze relief and stainless steel frame were lifted evenly with three straps strategically positioned. We had a narrow area to lift between the power lines and so care was taken to ensure safety.

outdoor bronze relief, Sutton Betti, McPherson Kansas, Olympics — The 1st of 8 granite tablets each weighing about 1600 lbs. is lifted up and over the artwork. Once these are positioned the concrete cap can be installed.

Olympic basketball gold, Globe Refiners, Sutton Betti — Tripp Johnson carefully removes a strap while Hutton Construction and West Point Monument team hold the granite in place. Once the straps are removed the granite tablet is held in place with adjustable plates on the top and bottom.

granite tablets, bronze relief, Sutton Betti — One of the granite walls is lifted up and over the artwork then carefully positioned next to the previous granite wall. Each of these walls had to be precise in positioning so as to appear as one larger wall.

basketball bronze sculpture, Globe Refiners, McPherson, Kansas — The pre-cast concrete cap was made in five sections with each section weighing about 1500 lbs. Once the straps are carefully positioned the team lifts each concrete section into place.

granite basketball, Globe Refiners, Sutton Betti — A 16 inch diameter laser etched black granite basketball illustrates, from a distance, that the outdoor monument honors a basketball team. But this was no ordinary basketball team. The Globe Refiners are credited with many firsts including inventing the fast break style of basketball, the zone defense, the slam dunk as well as winning the first Olympic gold medal in basketball.

outdoor sports sculpture, basketball monument, Sutton Betti — The 400 pound black granite basketball is positioned into place using a scissor lift clamp that is attached to the crane,

outdoor basketball monument — “easy does it” and then some.

FINISHED!

basketball bronze monument, Globe Refiners, McPherson Kansas, Sutton Betti, ta-da, outdoor plaza sculpture — What a RELIEF! And it only took twelve months of planning, sculpting and coordinating while paying close attention to the tiniest of details. The joy I express in the photo says it all.

Olympic basketball sculpture, basketball sculpture, Kansas sculpture, Loveland, Colorado, Sutton Betti, Globe Refiners, Gold medal Olympians, Berlin Olympics, Hitler's Olympics, Joe Fortenberry, slam dunk sculpture, McPherson, Kansas — The Globe Refiners monument honors “The Tallest Basketball Team in the World” who won Olympic gold in Hitler’s Olympics.

basketball in the 1936 Olympic, Berlin, Germany, Jess Owens, Globe Refiners, Sutton Betti — The black granite walls briefly describe the history. Tablet 1 (left) highlights the three seasons of the Globe Refiners. The center tablet highlights the unique and important history. Tablet 3 (right) highlights the Globe Refiners in the 1936 Olympics.