August 2008 

A Tale of Two Cenotaphs

Cenotaph:  A monument erected in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains lie elsewhere. Click here for more info on cenotaphs in general.

By Rebecca A. Doyle, The University Record, November 26, 1997:

"The Cenotaph, equally well-known as the Professors' Monument, was dedicated last Friday as historical marker number three. The sculpture, a broken column that signifies a life cut short, cost the University $130.48 in 1846 when it was built by stonecutter William Peters.

The monument, which stands on the southeast side of the Hatcher Library, was installed as a memorial to one of the University's earliest professors, Joseph Whiting, who died in July 1845. Plaques were added in his name and those of Douglass Houghton, Charles Fox and Samuel Denton last summer."

Click here to read full article by Rebecca A. Doyle.

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By Geneva Kachman, TSOA25 poster, 2005: 

"[Above] is the proposed “broken tampon” memorial to victims of toxic shock.  This fountain incorporates the familiar shapes of  tampon and string, pad and wings; the latter are inscribed with the “darling daughters” of menstrual product advertising: protection and confidence. Planned location of this memorial? Detroit, Michigan, in the courtyard of MOLT: The Museum of the Menovulatory Lifetime.

Detroit has battled its own state of “toxic shock”  for decades: Tammy Brooks, in a recent Detroit News interview, says: “As Detroiters, we’re so caught up by the city’s blight and poverty that it’s sometimes hard not to let it get you down. But for me, it helps to do a little something to show I care.”

Click here to read the full text, and click here to leave a comment about the Broken Tampon Memorial Fountain.