Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
On August 4th, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Francis Marion University’s to open the new Luther F. Carter Center for Health Science. Gracing the front of the building is a statue of Dr. R. N. Beck Sr. In addition to being a practicing physician for 56 years, Dr. Beck was a humanitarian, a military veteran, a community leader and a talented musician. He was very active in the Florence, SC community where the sculpture and university is located. Alex Palkovich, a sculptor residing in the Florence, SC and NSS elected member, created the 500-pound sculpture. It stands six-and-a-half feet high and depicts Beck examining a child.
Palkovich was born in the trans-Carpathian Mountains, now part of the Ukraine. As a mechanical engineer, he managed companies in the design and production of advanced medical equipment in Mexico, the United State, Israel, and the UK. As his business career flourished, so did his artistic career, as he sculpted and exhibited throughout the world prior to retiring as a CEO with GE to become a full-time sculptor. He is a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, the Oxford Art Society, and AMSA.