Quarter Controversy

[dave]

I haven't been able to find a story on it, but picked it up off the radio this morining. Apparently, some folks are upset because the feel the Alabama State quarter, with Helen Keller sitting in a chair reading a book, to them looks like she's sitting in an electric chair.(?) I for the life of me can;t seem to see what they, whoever they are, are talking about.

[Jeff]

THIS JUST IN.......DUE TO RECENT COMPLAINTS, AND THE RESULTS OF A TELEPHONE VOTE, HERE IS THE LOOK OF THE NEW ALABAMA QUARTER. RESULTS OF THE TELEPHONE VOTE INDICATE THAT A STRONG PERCENTAGE CAME FROM RUBEN'S CHURCH IN BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA. YOU GOT IT HERE FIRST :) :)

[mmcd3182]

while changing the pic you should have changed the txt at the bottom to read "E Pluribus Ruben"

[Sassy Frass]

The anger steming from the Helen Keller Quarter is coming from this :

There was a state wide contest, with strict rules and regulations that had to be abided in order to maintain in the contest.

A few rules were the diameter of the circle to draw the quarter in and the use of photographs were prohibited. It had to be drawings and work done by hand. School age children that wanted to participate, was more than welcome to.

The anger comes from the fact that the contest was down to the last three finalist, one of which is a local from Demopolis, Alabama (Keaton Thornhill) or Poppy as some called him. He was in that top three.

The judging was to be done by the Governer and his elected staff. (What a great Governer) A friend of our Governer sent him a PICTURE of Hellen Keller (no pictures allowed in contest) This PICTURE is what the governer chose as the STATE QUARTER OF ALABAMA.

So, without entering the contest, without submitting the correct drawing of the proper dimentional quarter and going through, contest after contest and Just doing the right thing... this FRIEND OF THE GOVERNER, cheated all of these artistic children, men, women, and one of our on local artist out of what could have been a DREAM COME TRUE.

Keaton Thornhill (poppy) has been recently diognosed with termainal cancer and is currently living out his last days with his son Eddie and his Wife Anita Thornhill. Wouldn't that have been a great thing for this man.

[dave]

Were they all pictures of Helen Keller or could you do any theme?

[Sassy Frass]

No NO... it was to be based on anything that related to the state of Alabama. As a matter of fact, one of the contest rules was that drawings of people would eliminate it from the contest.

There is someone in the state of Alabama that still sits on a copy of the RULE and Regerteration form that was sent out all over the state at the time of the contest. Maybe check with the schools , maybe the bank, or call a few of the news papers... I believe the Montgomery paper ran it for a few weeks, so that you could rip out the regerstration form. They also have had quite a big wright up on it.
Let me see what I can fish up? Be Back Later it's 12:00 lunch

[Sassy Frass]

I can tell you that Mr. Keaton Thornhill had a beautiful drawing that some members of his family still has copies of. It did have a rocket, for Huntsville's Space Center.... I believe it had desoto helment and a few other things that portraded Alabama , a heck of a lot better. Let me do a little more digging, that's just something I forgot to add in

[kaye334]

I know that the democrat ran a story on him when he was a finalist. It had a picture of his drawings too.

[Long's Horn]

Could somebody over ride the Governer's dicision?

[Easyrider]

Well I saw a preview of all the submissions to the U.S. Mint for the Alabama quarter, and there were quite a good number of them including Marengo County's own Keaton Thorhhill. His design was rather busy, but seemed to cover all aspects of the state.
I'm not taking anything away from Hellen Keller, but our previous governor had many better choices. Anyway...it's as they say history now and the Arkansas quarter is the last one for the 2003 year. Personally, I think it looks rather cool. :D