A bust of Dr. Richard Steadman now resides at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute wing of the new Vail Valley Medical Center.  In 1963, after earning his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Steadman went to work in South Lake Tahoe, California, as an orthopedic surgeon at Barton Memorial Hospital.  He began a long relationship with the U.S. Ski Team when he first volunteered his services at a World Cup ski race in Heavenly Valley in 1973.  During his career, he made waves in sports medicine by pioneering significant improvements in post-surgical rehabilitation and by developing new exercise regimens.

Bruce Wolfe created the bust of Steadman, which was funded by a grassroots fundraising campaign. Wolfe cast two additional editions – one to reside in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Center of Excellence in Park City, UT and the other in the Steadman residence.  Wolfe’s other notable commissions include is his statue honoring Tony Bennett in San Francisco, CA; his statue of golf legend, Arnold Palmer, at Wake Forest University’s golf course; and his statue of Barbara Jordan at the University of Texas in Austin and at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.