In a ceremony recently held on the center green of the hospital’s campus, Brattleboro Retreat officials, staff, and supporters gathered to dedicate a new bronze statue, created and donated by sculptor Susan Read Cronin, to outgoing President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robert E. Simpson.
The whimsical 7’ sculpture entitled “XXO” depicts an elephant writing the word “Courage” into the poured-cement patio on which the piece was installed.
Dr. Frederick “Fritz” Engstrom, the Retreat’s Medical Director, who served as master of ceremonies, told the gathering that Dr. Simpson not only modernized the Retreat during his nine-year tenure, but he modernized what it means to be a leader as a person who, not unlike the sculpture’s subject, can be both strong and vulnerable.
The sculpture’s creator, Susan Read Cronin, is a Vermont-based artist who also spends time at a home studio in California. Her works are held in a number of private and public collections including the Erie Art Museum in Pennsylvania and the Madeira School in Virginia. “XXO” is the second elephant-themed sculpture that Cronin has donated to the Retreat.
“Being that this elephant was going to be dedicated to Rob, it occurred to me that I should ask him what word he would like to have the elephant write…a word he would want to leave as a permanent mark of his tenure here,” said Cronin. “Eventually an email came and there was the word ….all seven letters of it…C-O-U-R-A-G-E. I sat with it for quite a while and saw what a wise choice it was.”
Simpson, who came to the Retreat in 2006, has announced his plans to step down as CEO at the end of this year in order to pursue other professional opportunities.
The Brattleboro Retreat, founded in 1834, is a not-for-profit, regional specialty psychiatric hospital and addictions treatment center, providing a full range of diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services for individuals of all ages and their families. Recognized as a national leader in the treatment mental illness and addiction, the Brattleboro Retreat offers a high quality, individualized, comprehensive continuum of care including inpatient, partial hospitalization, residential and outpatient treatment.