Going to Barton Springs is more glorious than ever since this statue's arrival. Now, every visit takes one by three illustrious Spirits of Austin Past - naturalist Roy Bedichek, historian Walter Prescott Webb, and folklorist J. Frank Dobie - engaged, as they often were in life, in lively conversation by the springs. Sculptor Glenna Goodacre's portrayal of these men - informal, languid in repose but vigorous in intellect, connected with the environment and each other, having a good time - captures their spirit and Austin's, too, at least Austin's at its best. It does what great statues do: recognize achievement, convey a sense of the community from which it sprang, and inspire us.
