Creighton University names plaza after Columbia astronaut - noteworthy news - Michael P. Anderson Memorial Plaza named - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, July 17, 2003

OMAHA, NEB.

A plaza at Creighton University has been named "The Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson Memorial Plaza" to honor the life and memory of the Columbia astronaut and Creighton graduate.

Anderson and six other astronauts were killed earlier this year in the Columbia space shuttle accident.

"Michael was an exceptional alumnus and a wonderful representative of Creighton," said the Rev. John P. Schlegel, president of Creighton, on the day of the tragedy.

Anderson, who earned a master's of science degree in physics from Creighton in 1990, was payload commander on the flight and the only African American among the astronauts on the Columbia.

The plaza will eventually feature a full-scale bronze bust of Anderson, designed and sculpted by Littleton Alson, an associate professor of fine arts at the school. A small-scale bust was unveiled at the naming ceremony held last month.