Wood carving fulfills wish

The steady buzz of a chainsaw has filled the west side of the Holton Square for the past two weeks – not from construction, but from creation.

Holton artist Gerald Copeland has transformed the remains of a Bradford pear tree into a sculpture for Becky and the late Dr. Joel Hutchins.

Five playful bears are featured in the commissioned art piece, along with the couple’s initials “JH + BL,” Joel Hutchins and Becky Lederer, surrounded by a heart.

The couple and Copeland all attended Denison High School, and the bears in the carving are also a nod to the school’s mascot, which was the Bears, Copeland said.

“We’ve all known each other a long time, and we knew of his wood carvings,” Becky said. “And this project was something Joel had talked to Gerald about before he was diagnosed with his brain tumor.”

The idea for the sculpture took root several years ago when the couple heard a crash in their loft home on the Square.

“We thought it was a car wreck outside,” she said. 

A large branch from a Bradford pear tree outside their building along the sidewalk had fallen on Joel’s truck.

“Joel’s truck was already pretty beat up so it didn’t hurt it,” Becky said. “When we looked at the branch, it was completely hollowed out inside. We knew it had to come down.”

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