Tandy sculpture may move to TCU

The Fort Worth Art Commission wants to move the 8-foot bronze sculpture of Charles D. Tandy that has stood in Paddock Park north of the Tarrant County Courthouse for the past 27 years to the front of Tandy Hall at Texas Christian University.

The site would make the statue more accessible to the public, the commission says. The move is being prompted by the Downtown Public Art Plan, released last year.

Tandy was a pioneering Fort Worth businessman and philanthropist who turned Tandy Corp., originally a leather business, into a major corporation through many acquisitions. Those included a company that became Pier 1 Imports, the Leonards Department Store, Color Tile and a nine-store Boston electronics chain called RadioShack. In 2000, Tandy Corp. changed its name to RadioShack.

The statue was a gift to the city from a foundation established by Tandy’s widow, Anne Burnett Tandy, after his death. It was sculpted by Jim Reno.

Under the proposal, the city would retain ownership of the statue as part of the Fort Worth Public Art Collection, but TCU would bear maintenance and conservation costs. The Burnett Foundation would pay to relocate the statue, and TCU architects would provide site design services.

Public hearings on the proposal will be held today and July 14. The hearings start at 5:30 p.m. at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, 1300 Gendy St. City Council approval is also required.

For more information contact Melissa Simmons, the city’s public art coordinator, at 817-298-3027.

Energy to burn

Tim Carter, chief executive of Omni American Bank and former head of the local United Way, enlivened an annual gathering of area housing officials and lenders when he slapped on his soothsayer’s cap and predicted the next target of irrational investor exuberance.

Now that the housing bubble has burst in many markets and there are still memories of the high-tech and dot-com tumbles, Carter asked the crowd, "What’s next?" Then he told them.

He saw potential problems in healthcare, biotech and robotics.

But Carter identified the likeliest candidate as the alternative energy sector, citing an estimate that $8 trillion to $20 trillion in "fictitious" value — created by hyperinflated prices paid by investors following the herd — that could rise like a delicate souffle and drop just as fast when a door is slammed.

Distinguished alumnus

Dr. Sam Pearson, a longtime Cowtown Marathon activist and radiologist, was selected by his alma mater, the Citadel, to receive one of this year’s 11 Distinguished Service Awards from the Southern Conference.

The Fort Worth resident, who served on the marathon’s board for 16 years, has been an extremely loyal — and generous — alumnus of the South Carolina military college, creating a $2.25 million trust endowment for its stadium project. Half will go to academic scholarships and the remainder to more financial aid after the stadium has been paid off.

A member of the class of ’55, Pearson served as drum major in the Citadel’s 125-member regimental band, a college publication noted.

'Best executive’ named

A Fort Worth executive is among the winners of the latest American Business Awards.

Ron Books, chief operating officer of eCommerce Industries, was selected Best Executive of a software company.

The business awards, which were announced last week, go to individuals, companies, teams, products and media campaigns. Contestants for the 6-year-old awards compete only against other companies of their size, in their own industry.

The judges are executives from a number of companies, and there are dozens of categories.

Eleven other Metroplex businesses — most from Dallas — were also recognized in various fields.

Quality awards

The nonprofit Quality Texas Foundation has chosen several Tarrant County businesses for its 2008 awards.

The foundation — which emphasizes teamwork, training and performance evaluation among its values — recognized 18 winners, including Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine, JPS Health Network, the University of North Texas Health Science Center and the Weatherford school district.

Stork statistics

Doctors at Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth used to deliver 100 to 150 babies each month, but the opening of a new women’s hospital has quickly brought new milestones.

Within 75 days of the women’s hospital’s March opening, employees have welcomed more than 1,000 newborns. Baby No. 1,000 — a girl born June 11 — was delivered by Dr. Jay Herd to proud mom Shannon Moore.

Last year, 381 babies were delivered between April 1 and June 12.