Finding The LaGuardia Bust

As discussed during the October 30, 2020 post titled "Where Is The LaGuardia Bust?", I'm still looking. This post covers the next stage in the search for the fleeting sculpture. ​

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I was able to locate a photo dated April 23, 1968. On the right of the photo is Maria LaGuardia, wife of Fiorello LaGuardia, a unnamed individual in the center and on the left is the bust of Mayor LaGuardia, in question.  

The photograph seems to be a presentation of some kind but the important fact is that the event took place April 23, 1968, which is about one year and a half prior to the M&A dedication ceremony.

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On October 17, 1969, the Proclamation Ceremony was held in the auditorium during which the school was renamed the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and a bust of Fiorello was presented.

Available for our viewing is the program that was handed out during the ceremony. Thank you to Irene Simonsen-Davis, Class of '70, for saving her copy.

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And the presentation began. There was even media on hand to record the festivities.
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​Thanks you to Leon Leader, Class of '70, for taking all the the following photographs of the event.

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​Some of those speaking and pictured are:
Richard Klein, Principal, M&A,
John V. Lindsay, Mayor, NYC,
Joseph A. Monserrat, President of Bd. of Ed.

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And then there was the famous bust, which was presented to the school by Mrs. Maria LaGuardia.

​No, the bust isn't floating in air. Its lower front portion is fixed to a wooden base that cannot be seen clearly in the shadows.

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​The ceremony closed with musical entertainment from The Senior Ensemble and The Senior Wind Ensemble. Conducting was Sybil Mendel.

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Regardless of the memorable ceremony, afterwards, the bust of Mayor LaGuardia was nowhere to be found in the school. 

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NY Daily newspaper, Dec. 12, 1982, page 259

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The last reference I can find on the whereabouts of the bust is on December 12, 1982 in the Daily News newspaper. It shows a photograph of Maria LaGuardia standing near a bust of her husband, which looks similar to the one given to the school at the proclamation ceremony.

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Mrs. Maria LaGuardia passed away on September 22, 1984 in Riverdale, Bx. County, NY.

As of 11/19/20, I contacted Robindra Deb - Membership, Database, and Technology Manager at Alumni and Friends of Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS of Music and Art and Performing Arts. She stated:
"I have not seen a bust of Mayor LaGuardia at the school, but that does not mean that there is not one anywhere. Unfortunately, the school has been temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 rates, and there is no one there that would be able to tell us if a bust is there, and where it is located."

So the mystery of the present whereabouts of the Mayor LaGuardia bust continues.

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Link to the prior post:

WHERE IS THE LAGUARDIA BUST

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