Let Oak Live as Sculpture, Says Preservationist

Hoping to resurrect the sentiment behind a now-dead memorial oak at the old city hall complex, a local preservationist would like the wood to go to art, rather than waste.

The oak was dedicated in 1973 as a living memorial to Air Force Capt. Eric Huberth, who was 25 when shot down over Cambodia in 1970 during the Vietnam War. His body was never found.

Choking weeds have strangled the tree and insects have gnawed its bark. But the hard wood is still intact.

Distraught at the prospect that the tree could be torn from the earth or burned to the ground as the city prepares for the National Park Service to move into the old Civic Center at 401 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks preservationist William Maple had a thought.

Why not sculpt the wood into an appropriate remembrance, wondered Maple, who designs interpretive museum exhibits for a living.

“The concept of it being thrown away or dealt with indelicately after its death seemed tragic,” Maple said Monday. “The builders up there see it as a dead hunk of wood. . . . But [Huberth’s] sisters see it as something symbolic--his gravestone, his tomb. How insensitive it would be to tear it out or throw it out.”

So, with the backing of Huberth’s family, Maple is making a pitch to the Thousand Oaks City Council: Offer a grant for the production of a memorial sculpture. The Civic Arts Plaza Visual Arts Committee could administer a competition for the commission. The family would pick an appropriate theme for the sculpture--such as freedom, sorrow, loss or hope. The finished work of art could be given to the family or could be placed in a public setting.

So far, Maple’s suggestion has drawn positive response. But the appropriate design for such a sculpture and the proper amount for such a commission are open to debate. “Our family fully supports creating a sculpture out of the wood,” said Suzanne Huberth, 36, one of Eric Huberth’s four sisters. “We don’t want the whole thing forgotten.”

Huberth said she and her sisters would welcome design suggestions for a sculpture. Councilwoman Elois Zeanah approves of the idea too but said she has no idea what size grant should be offered.

“I think it’s a very creative and meaningful suggestion,” she said. “This would be fitting for so many reasons. It’s like rejuvenation, something that would live on. And the city has put an emphasis on art in public places. “I hope the city looks favorably on the suggestion.”