Ca. 1910-

In 1934, Theodore Andre Beck earned a bachelor's degree in sculpture from Yale University's School of Fine Arts. Not much is known about his life, other than he won a competition to create a sculpture for the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, in 1931. Beck's design became the official representation of "The Volunteer", the school symbol for its "spirit and ideas", and the University had a series of small- scale reproductions manufactured and distributed. Construction of the full-size statue, however, would be delayed until 1965 due to a series of funding issues and the onset of WWII. By then, students and faculty were unfamiliar with the design and objected to it, stating that it didn't fully reflect the Volunteer's ethos. Beck agreed to make a series of modifications, and the new nine-foot statue was unveiled in 1968. It is currently located at the University's Circle Park. Photo: "Pig with Apple”, unattributed.