I recently visited the Arizona Peace Officer Memorial at the plaza in front of the state capitol in Phoenix. Was Wyatt Earp the model for the statue?
Vanessa Keller
Scottsdale, Arizona
As a charter member of the Arizona Peace Officer Memorial Board, I recruited artist Wes Chapman to bid on the quarter-million dollar project in 1986. Gordon Selby, a retired Department of Public Safety major and retired Phoenix City Police captain, served as the model for the statue. Selby was a local legend during his years as an Arizona lawman. Today he resides in Payson.
That being said, many of us cannot ignore the striking resemblance the statue bears to Wyatt Earp.
Related Articles
-
More than 40 actors have portrayed Wyatt Earp, but few have even slightly resembled him.…
-
New lawman Wyatt Earp tries to figure out who killed a prostitute in John Shirley’s…
-
August 15, 1873. Ellsworth, Kansas. Gunmen Ben and Billy Thompson get into a confrontation that…
