Sculptor and security: Bill Wolfe

Area sculptor Bill Wolfe – who also is employed by the Sisters of Providence – recently sculpted this piece in memory of Terre Haute Schulte High School.

For almost 15 years, Bill Wolfe has had ties to the Sisters of Providence.

Bill has worked security for the sisters for many years now. They know him quite well.

But they know him for his other endeavors also.

Bill is well-known throughout the Wabash Valley for his sculpting ability.

And on May 30, another one of his pieces was unveiled.

For a handful of months, Bill has worked on the Golden Bear monument in honor of former Terre Haute Schulte High School. The Golden Bear was the school’s mascot.

Schulte High School was a Catholic institution of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and many Sisters of Providence taught there.

Bill said local lawyers Tom Newlin and Mike Eldred commissioned him to create the monument, which stands in front of where the school used to sit, located on Ohio Boulevard. Both Newlin and Eldred are Schulte alumni.

The bear was made from the same material Bill used to create his Larry Bird monument, which stands in front of the Hulman Center on the campus of Indiana State University.

Bill began sculpting in 2001 and has created several pieces that are on display in the area, including the Larry Bird statue, the sitting Max Ehrmann monument located at 7th Street and Wabash Avenue, the Charles Abrell Korean War Memorial at the Vigo County Courthouse, and many more.

He also created a medallion for former Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College President David G. Behrs and four murals in the Vigo County Courthouse, including one telling the story of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.

Sister Carole Kimes stands next to a sculpture of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Local sculptor Bill Wolfe created the piece.

Bill also had another sculpture recently dedicated. His monument for Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton rests at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, located in Carmel, was unveiled on May 16.

He began working on this monument in October 2014.

During the dedication, he attended Mass at the church.

“It was emotional,” Bill said.

While there, Bill had photos taken of the monument and Sister of Providence Carole Kimes, who ministers at the parish as the director of Spiritual Growth and Care for Mid-Life and Beyond.

Bill said Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and Saint Mother Theodore Guerin have much in common.

“I looked at lots of photos of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton,” Bill said. “She’s fairly similar to Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. What I read about her background was similar.

“The main thing is to read and do research before I begin. From that information, I get an image in my head and go from there.”