
Excitement filled the air on the University of Florida campus on Thursday afternoon. But it wasn’t just for the first day of fall classes.
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of UF’s George A. Smathers Libraries, faculty, staff and students gathered in front of Library West for an unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the sixth alligator statue on the university campus.
The statue – formerly known as “Focused Attention” – was created by sculptor David Price, a Polk County native, and donated to the libraries in 2016 by the A.H. Burnett Foundation.
Judy Russell, former dean of University Libraries, spoke on the meaning behind the statue’s name.
“Most of the Gator statues on campus, whether inside or outside, are associated with athletics,” Russell said. “Shortly after this statue was installed, I gave each of the [university’s] head coaches a framed photograph of Focused Attention with a plaque that aptly said: ‘Focused Attention. The key to success in academics and athletics.’ … I encourage each of you to rub his nose or pat his head before you leave today, and to come back often to admire him or pat him for love.”
While addressing the crowd, Price said in his opinion, alligators are a “perfect example of nature’s timeless design.”
“They embody a kind of focus – both in body and mind – that I find amazing,” he said. “They have the ability to block out distractions and zero in on a single task, and that kind of attention is something we could also use a dose of in this day of noise and distractions.”
Before making its appearance outside, “Focused Attention” had spent the last nine years inside Library West.
“It was first installed up on the third floor of the library, sort of in a computer area that not a lot of people saw,” Price said in an interview with Mainstreet. “It’s just so nice to have it out in the open.”
According to a UF press release, Focused Attention is over 400 pounds and nine feet long.
Price said if the alligator’s tail was straightened out – the tail is curved like an “S” – it is 10 feet in size.
After the statue was unveiled and the ribbon was cut, attendees who had gathered for the ceremony flocked to the alligator to pat its nose and take photographs.
“I think people really relate to it [the alligator]. Not just the symbolism of nature, but also the symbolism to represent the University of Florida,” Price said.
According to the release, the other five alligator statues on campus include the Bull Gator outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the corner of Stadium Road and Gale Lemerand Drive, the Bull Gator on Gator Walk facing University Avenue, the Bull Gator outside of the University Auditorium, Albert and Alberta outside of Emerson Alumni Hall and Ubiquity Gator outside of Heavener Hall.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.