Norm Hines ’57 Sculpture Dedication

Members of the Class of 1957 gathered in the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center on June 11 to dedicate a metal sculpture by the late Norm Hines ’57. Titled “Totem 57,” it was generously donated to the school by the Hines family. It is intended to serve as both an inspiration to students, and as a testament to Hines’ ideals of education.

“Norm’s deeply personal appreciation for the benefits of education, which had played such a crucial part in his own life, was reflected in his long career,” Peter H. Smith ’57 said in a remembrance read by Visual Arts Chair Andrew Richards P’20 ’23 at the dedication. “Even as his reputation grew, Norm remained loyal to the ideals of arts education, with an emphasis on personal creativity rather than social standing, reputation, or financial gain. He was a person of substance.”

Hines came to Gunn from New York City, having lived since the age of 7 at the Madison Square Boys Club. A natural athlete, he excelled on the football field and as captain of the wrestling team. He was an accomplished rower, who contributed to the success of the school’s first boat as well as to the four-man crew team that nearly won a place at the 1956 U.S. Olympics, “losing to the U.S. Naval Academy by one-tenth of a second,” Smith wrote, noting that his friend also understood the school’s emphasis on intellectual and creative achievement, and began to discover his talent as an artist, winning the Excellence in Art award.

After graduation, Hines graduated from Pomona College and earned his MFA in ceramics from Claremont Graduate School. He went on to found programs in ceramics and sculpture at Pomona and taught classes in both full time for many years. Near the end of his life, the college named its new sculpture studio for him, in recognition of his artistic achievements and his influence on generations of students. His best known public sculpture is the monumental, five-acre sculpture park in Arlington, Texas, “Caelum Moor,” which he was commissioned to create in the mid-1980s.

Hines found a home at Gunn, and decades after graduating told Smith: “I know that much of the success I have had in my life came directly from my years at Gunnery.”

“He cared deeply about the people around him,” Richards said in his own remarks. “This is obvious in the determination that his fellow classmates have shown to get this beautiful sculpture here for us to appreciate.”