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The winter of ’96-’97 a huge Indian teepee stood on a lawn in Hubbard, people maybe have thought Arlen and Sana Zierke were braving the cold while getting closer to nature. Instead, the teepee was providing shelter as artist Norm Kulow carved a stature out of a red Schwedler Maple that had been dead since the Spring of 1995. The statue was patterned after the “Gentle Doctor”, presently in the courtyard of the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames, Iowa. The original stature was carved by Christian Peterson, ISU resident sculptor from the 1920s into the 1950s. His “Gentle Doctor” was completed in the 1930s. Many ISU veterinarians have either a bronze or plaster miniature in their clinics. Dr. Zierke, himself a veterinarian, had a plaster one stored in his basement that was destroyed by the flood of 1993. They are no longer made, so that was part of his motivation to choose the tree carving. Dr. Zierke feels the statue is appropriate for three reasons: It is close to the Midwest Veterinary Clinic, which is located next door. Dr. Zierke is a veterinarian and was first sole practitioner and later senior partner in the Midwest Veterinary Clinic P.C. for 20 years. The builders and first residents of his house were veterinarian Dr. Clem Pierce and his wife Leona. Norm Kulow has done several smaller wood carvings, but this was his tree sculpture. “He’s a very talented individual,” said Dr. Zierke. “Norm can do about anything, and some of his work is simply amazing.” The Schwedler Maple was enjoyed by the entire neighborhood for many years. It contained 47 annual rings. The tree had splits and areas of bad wood which prevented Kulow from carving more detail in the puppy being held by the veterinarian. Kulow ingeniously draped the puppy with a towel and was able to get a paw hanging out underneath. The following Spring, after the wood had dried out, the Ziekes applied a stained preservative both externally and internally to preserve the statue. “I must say that now it is much easier for people to find our house,” said Dr. Zierke. He invites everyone to stop by and take a close look at Hubbard’s “Gentle Doctor.”

Hubbard City Hall
323 E. Maple Street
Hubbard, Iowa 50122
641-864-3187


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