Gena Asher | Aug. 4, 2011
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| This portrait of Ernie Pyle by illustrator Dean Cornwell now hangs in the governor's office. |
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A painting of Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent Ernie Pyle was installed in the governor’s office July 14, one of a series of rotating artworks celebrating Hoosier achievers. Paintings in the Hoosier Heritage Gallery hang on the south side of the governor’s inner office in the Statehouse in Indianapolis.
“Ernie Pyle was one of the first Gov. Daniels wanted when he came into office,” said Stephanie Genrich, BA’90, director of advertising and marketing for the governor's office who has administered the gallery program since it began in 2006. “It took awhile to find the right painting of Pyle.”
That painting, by Dean Cornwell, shows Pyle kneeling by a soldier’s grave, flower in hand. A muralist and illustrator, Cornwell produced illustrations and paintings for book and magazine covers, and, in the 1930s and 1940s, specialized in illustrations with patriotic themes.
Pyle attended IU in the 1920s but left shortly before graduation to launch his career. He later gained national fame as a World War II correspondent who wrote about the war from the soldier's point of view. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944 and was killed on Ie Shima in 1945.
The School of Journalism is documenting its history this year as it commemorates this anniversary. In addition to hosting reunions in four cities earlier this year, the school is preparing a special Centennial Weekend in September.
Having Pyle's portrait hang in the governor's office enhances the school's anniversary, said Beth Moellers, director of communication.
“Ernie Pyle is a quintessential Hoosier luminary," she said. "He was skilled at his craft and humble in his manner. We are honored to have him recognized in this way, especially as we celebrate 100 years of journalism at IU.”
IU owns the painting, and Sherry Rouse, IU curator of campus art, is working to discover how it came to be part of IU’s collections. IU rarely lends its art, and this painting had to be framed before it was taken to Indianapolis. Rouse oversaw the installation in the governor’s office.
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| Photo by Ruby Kohler |
| The painting of Pyle is one of three on the south wall of the office. It will remain for six to nine months as part of the Hoosier Heritage Gallery. |
For now, the painting joins those of the late Bill Cook, founder of a Bloomington-based medical company, and Mother Theodore Guerin, who established a religious congregation of women at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and was canonized in 2006.
Genrich said these three will remain on the gallery wall six to nine months, to be replaced by paintings representing the work of three more people with Hoosier ties. Other achievers who have been represented on the wall range from jazz musician Wes Montgomery to Col. Eli Lilly, who founded the pharmaceutical company, to astronaut Gus Grissom.
“When the governor started the gallery, it was to give notoriety to Hoosiers who have contributed so much in their lifetime to the state,” said Genrich. “Ernie is an iconic Hoosier, as are the others whose paintings have been part of the gallery, though their contributions have been very different.”
More:
- Visit the Hoosier Heritage Gallery website to see a list of other paintings that have been part of the program.
- See a press release from the governor's office about the latest installation.
- Learn more about Ernie Pyle and his ties to IU.
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