The McPherson Globe Refiners history is unique and not very well known. I designed this monument to tell their story.
In 1936, Jesse Owens dominated the track and field competition in the Berlin Olympics. Most of us know that story. What most people don’t know is the story of a basketball team from central Kansas that won the first Olympic Gold medal in basketball… In the same year that Jesse Owens shined. It’s part of our American history and this monument to the McPherson Globe Refiners will shed light on their forgotten story.
At 11 feet wide and 8 feet tall the curved relief sculpture is a portrait of the Globe Refiners who were active from 1933-36. On the backside of the relief will be eight foot tall granite tablets will tell a brief history of the team and their Olympic gold medal dominance in Hitler’s Olympics.
The sculpture will be permanently installed in September 2020 outside of the community building where the team practiced. Here is a link to read more about the Globe Refiners: McPherson Globe Refiners basketball
