Not a day has gone by since Cowduck’s passing in July in which her presence has not been missed on campus. As the school’s unofficial mascot, she brought joy to the campus community on a daily basis and her company has been missed in these last several months. Now, thanks to Charlotte Middleton ’18, Cowduck is back on the pond. A few months ago Middleton, a studio art major and sculpture enthusiast, was approached by Professor Kelly Goff, who knew she enjoyed ceramic sculptures and thought she would be perfect for the task of recreating Cowduck. Honored by the offer, Middleton spent several weeks recreating Cowduck in a sculpture so that the animal’s legacy may always be remembered. The process began over winter break when Middleton returned to campus to construct Cowduck’s body. After lots of research and tweaking, the sculpture was eventually sent away for bronzing. Before heading off for spring break, Middleton worked with Professor Goff to paint and put the finishing touches on the sculpture. The finished product now resides in Peacock Pond on Cowduck’s old rock. Middleton is incredibly grateful that she had the opportunity to memorialize Cowduck through doing what she loves. “Honestly, I feel so much more confident in myself as an artist. It was such a huge honor to be chosen to create it and I’m excited for everyone to see it. I’m a little nervous because I know how important Cowduck was to some community members, so I hope it does Cowduck justice and that people enjoy her,” Middleton said. Thanks to Middleton’s passion and dedication, Wheaton is lucky enough to have a visual reminder of Cowduck for many years to come.
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