African-American academic to be honored with sculpture

RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — The first black president of an American college will be the next Rutlander honored with a downtown sculpture.

Organizers of the Rutland Sculpture Trail announced Thursday that Martin Henry Freeman had been selected as the subject of the first of two sculptures planned for this year. The sculpture is funded by a trio of local families — the Wakefields, Jennifer and Fred Bagley, and Donald Billings and Sara Pratt.

Organizer Steve Costello said Freeman, the descendant of freed slaves, was born in Rutland in 1826, and was among the first African-Americans to enroll at Middlebury College, graduating as salutatorian in 1849.