Statue Memorializes Good-Will Envoy Samantha Smith

A model of a statue of Samantha Smith was unveiled at a shopping center today, less than four months after she died in a plane crash. The 13-year-old’s 1983 appeal to the late Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov won her international attention.

The statue, showing Samantha holding a dove while a small bear sits at her feet, was sponsored by the Auburn Mall. The cost of casting the statue in bronze will be financed by public donations.

“Christmas is a time to honor children and celebrate peace,” Gov. Joseph E. Brennan said at the unveiling. “The candle that Sam lit in our hearts has not gone out since last August.”

Samantha and her parents enjoyed a highly publicized tour of the Soviet Union at Andropov’s invitation.

Samantha, her father and six others were killed when their commuter plane crashed in Auburn. Samantha was returning from England, were she had been taping episodes for a TV series called “Lime Street,” in which she had been given a role.