Vietnam Women’s Memorial sculptor dies

Glenna Goodacre, sculptor of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., died April 13 at 80.

Diane Carlson Evans, founder of the memorial and a member of The American Legion’s 100th Anniversary Honorary Committee, stated in an email announcing Goodacre’s death that “she is a heroine to Vietnam veteran women for designing and sculpting a monument honoring them and for assuring that their service and bravery be an inspiration for generations to come.” The memorial was dedicated in 1993, with support in its construction from The American Legion; prior to that, the statue of three uniformed women helping a wounded soldier took a whistle-stop tour across the United States.

Born in Texas, Goodacre spent her later years in New Mexico. She also designed the obverse of the 2000 Sacagawea dollar, among other works. The American Legion Dispatch covered the 1993 dedication, where Goodacre described her rendition:

“She said the wounded GI’s face is obscured as to represent all of the men who served in Vietnam. The female figure holding him clearly is a nurse. The standing woman has her hand on the shoulder of the nurse and looks skyward, as in ‘prayer or waiting for a helicopter.’ The kneeling woman who stares into an empty helmet represents the ‘heart and soul of peace’ and is meant to be viewed as a civilian. ‘As my hands worked the clay to create the statue, I seemed to become a part of it,’ she said, her voice quivering with emotion. ‘Veterans, this is for you.’”