
Statue of young F. Scott Fitzgerald stolen from St. Paul, police say
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A statue of one of St. Paul's most famous sons was stolen from the capital city earlier this month, police say.
The statue of a young F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of high school English class staple "The Great Gatsby" among other works, sat outside 25 Dale Street North, the former site of a school that he attended.
A St. Paul Police Department spokesperson said the statue was reported missing Friday but may have been stolen as early as Feb. 3.
Police believe someone cut the statue free. Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call 651-291-1111.
Fitzgerald was born on Laurel Avenue in St. Paul on Sept. 24, 1896, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. He attended St. Paul Academy, which once sat where the stolen statue resided. Though he spent much of his life in New York, Paris and Hollywood, Fitzgerald did return to St. Paul with his wife Zelda and finished his first novel, "This Side of Paradise," in his home city.
The historical society said Fitzgerald's upbringing in the wealthy Summit Avenue area of St. Paul greatly impacted his later life.
"Fitzgerald's experiences with St. Paul's elite profoundly influenced his life," the historical society said. "He loved, and loathed, the life of wealth. He desperately sought acceptance from elites, but also recognized the emptiness of their lives."
According to CCI Properties, which manages 25 Dale Street North, the statue was created by artist Arron Dysart and put up in 2006.
The plaque that accompanies the statue reads: "F. Scott Fitzgerald attended school here at the St. Paul Academy from 1908 to 1911 where he published some his first short stories in the school magazine Now and Then and penned his first plays."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Afternoon Briefing: What to know about protests in Chicago and LA
Good afternoon, Chicago. A massive demonstration by thousands who marched through Chicago's Loop in protest of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown yesterday briefly snarled traffic and resulted in several confrontations between protesters and police as crowds surged into downtown streets and DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Protests that sprang up in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement raids and prompted President Donald Trump to mobilize National Guard troops and the Marines have begun to spread across the country, with more planned into the weekend. Today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended his decision to order troops to provide security during federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, telling senators during a hearing it's about 'maintaining law and order.' Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Andy Austin was an artist drawn to the activities, antics, boredom, rare joy and frequent heartbreaks of the dramas that play out in the courtrooms of our city, vividly capturing their characters and crimes for more than 40 years. Read more here. More top news stories: Built in the 1950s and known as the Frazel House after its first owners, the redwood brick and glass house is located in the Kane County portion of Wayne and sits on a 3.76-acre lot that bisects Norton Creek. Read more here. More top business stories: In the moment that night in October 2005, Robert Prevost indeed looks like any other guy from the South Side. That has become a big part of the allure. The night has taken on a sense of timelessness. Two decades later, people want to revisit it. Some are making pilgrimages to Rate Field, now home to one of the most hapless teams in baseball, to feel closer to Pope Leo XIV. Read more here. More top sports stories: Chi-town could have another local Top Chef if they win, a coveted title that frequently propels cast members to successful restaurants, television spots and cookbooks. Read more here. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: Ramón Morales Reyes was accused of a writing a letter threatening Trump in a blistering social media post by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. But the claims quickly fell apart as Wisconsin authorities determined that Reyes, who doesn't speak English well or write in the language, was framed. Read more here. More top stories from around the world:

3 hours ago
Jury awards more than $500,000 to Guatemalan men who said they were exploited on Michigan farms
DETROIT -- A jury has awarded more than $500,000 to five men from Guatemala who said they were exploited and underpaid by a labor contractor that brought them to Michigan to plant and harvest fruit and vegetables. Much of the verdict last week — $450,000 — was in the form of punitive damages against Purpose Point Harvesting for violating an antitrafficking law. Interpreters translated Spanish to English as the five men testified in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. They recalled three seasons as laborers who handled asparagus, apples, cherries and other crops in Oceana and Newaygo counties, from 2017-19. They sometimes worked 100 hours a week but never got paid for more than 60, wore headlights to pick asparagus after midnight and slept on couches, attorney Teresa Hendricks said Wednesday. 'They were told if they didn't like it, it was better than what they could earn in Guatemala,' she said. 'They're some of the bravest men I know,' Hendricks added. 'They had to come to this country to stand up for their values and speak the truth in a strange courtroom, in a town they're not familiar with, in front of a jury and lay it out bare.' An attorney for Purpose Point said other workers contradicted the claims. 'Ultimately the jury makes a decision based on the facts they're allowed to see. We still deny the allegations and look forward to the appeals,' Robert Alvarez said. The men entered the U.S. under a federal program, known as H-2A, that allows farms to use foreign labor if they can't find domestic workers. Purpose Point serves as a middleman, recruiting people to fill jobs at Michigan farms and handling payroll. The head of the company is a native of the Malacatán area in Guatemala, the workers' same home region, Hendricks said. She said it's difficult to find foreign farmworkers who are willing to speak up about wages and working conditions. Hendricks recalled meeting one of the men in a cornfield late at night. 'The retaliation of being deported early, losing their jobs and visas — those were all real fears,' she said.

Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jury awards more than $500,000 to Guatemalan men who said they were exploited on Michigan farms
DETROIT (AP) — A jury has awarded more than $500,000 to five men from Guatemala who said they were exploited and underpaid by a labor contractor that brought them to Michigan to plant and harvest fruit and vegetables. Much of the verdict last week — $450,000 — was in the form of punitive damages against Purpose Point Harvesting for violating an antitrafficking law. Interpreters translated Spanish to English as the five men testified in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. They recalled three seasons as laborers who handled asparagus, apples, cherries and other crops in Oceana and Newaygo counties, from 2017-19. They sometimes worked 100 hours a week but never got paid for more than 60, wore headlights to pick asparagus after midnight and slept on couches, attorney Teresa Hendricks said Wednesday. 'They were told if they didn't like it, it was better than what they could earn in Guatemala,' she said. 'They're some of the bravest men I know,' Hendricks added. 'They had to come to this country to stand up for their values and speak the truth in a strange courtroom, in a town they're not familiar with, in front of a jury and lay it out bare.' An attorney for Purpose Point said other workers contradicted the claims. 'Ultimately the jury makes a decision based on the facts they're allowed to see. We still deny the allegations and look forward to the appeals,' Robert Alvarez said. The men entered the U.S. under a federal program, known as H-2A, that allows farms to use foreign labor if they can't find domestic workers. Purpose Point serves as a middleman, recruiting people to fill jobs at Michigan farms and handling payroll. The head of the company is a native of the Malacatán area in Guatemala, the workers' same home region, Hendricks said. She said it's difficult to find foreign farmworkers who are willing to speak up about wages and working conditions. Hendricks recalled meeting one of the men in a cornfield late at night. 'The retaliation of being deported early, losing their jobs and visas — those were all real fears,' she said.