North Fort Myers artist DJ Wilkins died in October 2021. As the official Sculptor of Fort Myers – a title given to him in the ’80s – Wilkins wearing a beret created some of Fort’s most famous statues and sculptures. Myers.
Those activities include:
- The 2nd Regiment Infantry Colored Troops memorial at Centennial Park (now part of the mall area for the new Caloosa Sound Amphitheater)
- A family of Florida panthers on Monroe Street
- Sculptures by Henry Ford and Thomas and Mina Edison at Edison & Ford Winter Estates.
- And the Iwo Jima Memorial at Cape Coral’s Eco Park on Veteran’s Parkway. Wilkins helped restore the statue, which was originally made by sculptor Felix de Weldon.
Wilkins ’“ Uncommon Friends ”is probably his most well -known work in Southwest Florida. The Centennial Park sculpture depicts three real-life friends (and Fort Myers icons) on a camping trip in the Everglades: Inventor Thomas Edison and carmaker Henry Ford (both part-time Fort Myers residents) and tire manufacturer Harvey Firestone.
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The plaque on the sculpture calls them the “Fathers of American Industrial 20th Century.”
In 1985, Fort Myers Mayor Art Hamel asked Wilkins to create a sculpture for Centennial Park after attending a dedication ceremony for Wilkins ’Ford sculpture at The Edison & Ford Winter Estates. The result is “Unusual Friend.”
To ensure the accuracy of the sculpture, Wilkins spent a year researching and consulting with others on the project.
Larger-than-living figures of Edison, Ford and Firestone rest around a campfire on a small island within a 40-foot diameter pool. The pool is full of Florida animals, including a mother gator and her five baby gators, a mother manatee and her calf, 16 fish, four floating lily pad groups and 12 frog fountainheads.
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The name of the sculpture is a tribute to Wilkins ’late friend, James Newton, who was a friend of all three people in the sculpture and wrote his book“ Uncommon Friends ”about that friendship.
Edison, Ford and Firestone are three of Fort Myers ’largest and most popular winter residents. They began making camping trips to the Everglades in 1914, according to the online profile of the City of Fort Myers sculpture.
Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email her at crunnells@gannett.com or connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
