Gloucester icon gets voters nod for place on Massachusetts quarter

Massachusetts residents have chosen the iconic statue in the Gloucester Fishermen's Memorial to represent the state on the back of new series quarters that could come out as soon as next year.

In online voting over a three-week period last month, the Man at the Wheel, a tribute to the men who have lost their lives at sea, trounced 100 other nationally recognized historical sites in Massachusetts to gain the distinction.

The Gloucester statue collected 109,817 votes, more than four times as many as the Lowell National Historic Park, which took second place with 26,582 votes, according to results provided by Gov. Deval Patrick's office.

Third place was Salem's House of Seven Gables, with 10,028 votes and fourth place went to the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston, which pulled in 8,890.

"I think it is Gloucester, and it is wonderful to put it on a coin," said Gaspar Lafata, chairman of the committee that brought the cenotaphs bearing the names of lost sailors to the Memorial in 2000. "It's the best thing that could happen — for Gloucester to take center stage."

The Man at the Wheel will grace the rear of quarters unless the U.S. Mint or U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar objects to it.

The new coins are part of the successor to the Mint's 50 States Quarter Program, the America's Beautiful National Parks Program. The Mint will release five new quarters bearing a historic image and representing a different state each year starting in 2010. Washington, D.C., and American territories, such as Guam, will also get coins.

To select the image on the coins, the Mint asked each state's governor to make a recommendation for a historic site. Most, like Massachusetts, opted for a citizens' vote.

The federal government holds veto power over coin image selection, according to the Mint's Web site, to make sure that the location chosen holds sufficient "natural or historical significance."

Michael White, a spokesman for the Mint, said yesterday he believed that coin images had been modified at the federal level before, but never changed outright. White would not answer any other questions about the coin program.

The order of release is determined by when each site was recognized as a "national site" by the government.

The three "runner-up" sites are sent along with the winner to the Mint as alternates in case there is a federal objection to the first choice.

The bronze Man at the Wheel, created by sculptor and photographer Leonard Craske, was installed on Stacy Boulevard in 1923, the 300th anniversary of Gloucester's settlement.

The bronze plaques, or cenotaphs, surrounding the statue with the names of 5,370 Gloucester fishermen who have died at sea, were installed in 2000 and temporarily removed for a cleaning last summer.

City Councilor John "Gus" Foote, a former fisherman, said yesterday that the commemoration of the statue was a great thing for the city's fishermen.

"It is a big dedication for those at sea," Foote said. "My brother is one of them. It is a dedication for them."

"I think it is a befitting honor for the thousands of Gloucester fishermen who have made sacrifices to feed the world," Kirk said.

Photos

kate Glass/Gloucester Daily Times Gov. Deval Patrick asked Massachusetts residents to choose a national park or heritage icon, located in the state, to be reproduced on the back of U.S. quarters. Voters chose GloucesterÕs iconic Man at the Wheel over SalemÕs House of Seven Gables and other sites. Staff Photographer