The Omnibus

Issue date: 9/21/07 Section: Forum

Media Credit: TrumanLibrary.org This was the scene in Bolivar on July 4, 1948. A statue of Simon Bolivar was erected in Neuhart Park as an estimated 50,000 people flooded the city. This event is unknown to many SBU students but for the natives of the town, it was Bolivar's biggest day.

Today at SBU you will find students visiting McDonald's countless times throughout their college career, but you will find that very few know about President Truman dedicating a statue nearly adjacent to the "golden arches." This article is meant to enlighten students about real history, not their next meal.
It was July 5, 1948 on a scorching day with temperatures hovering above 100 degrees (probably baffling many of today's global warming enthusiasts). The statue of Simon Bolivar was received by President Truman and unveiled in Neuhart Park. An estimated 50,000 people attended, with parking made possible through community members which allowed nearly 20,000 to park for free on their properties around town.
This event really put Bolivar on the map, including the mentioning of the town in the "New York Times" countless times. In this seemingly quiet town, for once, the whole world was watching.
The towns of Bolivar in the U.S. are named after Simon Bolivar. Known as the liberator, hence we have the name for Bolivar High Liberators, he helped all of South America gain their independence. Bolivar has similar reverence in South America as Americans have in George Washington. Truman was an admirer and even had a painting of Bolivar hanging up in the White House.
While I was wondering why Truman chose Bolivar, Missouri and not the Bolivar in Tennessee or New York, I searched for answers. The "New York Times" cited that Bolivar, Missouri was chosen because it had the largest population of any city carrying the Bolivar name. I think that is partially true, but our Bolivar was in the home state of Harry Truman and the Midwest was a critical campaigning area for the election of 1948. By appealing to small town America back in his home state, Truman used this opportunity with President Rumulo Gallegos of Venezuela as a means for helping his political career and also to mend ties between Venezuela and the United States.

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