FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 18, 2017

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Flor carving, 'What Next'

GLENVILLE, WV - A half-century ago, Glenville State College became the recipient of two sculptures from local artist Wolfgang Hubert Flor.

In 1966, Glenville State College's newly completed library named a designated juvenile section after longtime librarian Alma J. Arbuckle. Obtained by faculty members, the room would include a piece by Flor. The carving, entitled "What Next," is still on display in the children's room at the Robert F. Kidd Library.

The following year, Flor was commissioned by the faculty and staff at GSC to design a sculpture to accent the library's main floor. He spent time studying the area and meditating on what would be appropriate for the space. "He saw that a library could be a place where students meet the ancients and speak with them in silence. It was the base of the pyramid of learning and was a place utilized by students for individual studying and reflecting. He believed that people develop the capability to acquire wisdom on their own with the right amount of support, and the library enabled these independent learners to find their own path in life," said GSC Archivist Jason Gum. These themes resonated with Flor, and he used them to create a piece of art that would exemplify the importance of education, the thirst for knowledge, and to symbolize the path towards enlightenment.

What ended up becoming his final design for the piece used the parable of the prodigal son in The Bible to represent the return of a beloved child to his aging father after he had left home to seek out wisdom on his own. The father embraces and comforts his child knowing that he could never have given his son the knowledge that he gained through his own personal experiences in the world. Flor also wanted the old man to characterize the wisdom that the child had begun to attain through his own personal journeys. The "Prodigal Son" became the title of the carving that was accepted by then Library Director Dr. David Gillespie on October 17, 1968.

Flor carving, 'Prodigal Son'

On Saturday, December 2, 2017, Mr. Flor passed away at the age of 89.

Flor was born in Naumburg, Silesia, Germany. When he was a teenager, he was forced from his homeland after World War II because allied forces had overtaken the area. While remaining in parts of Germany, doing many different jobs in the English and American sections, he eventually wound up in a whittler's shop, a job that would spark his passion for artwork.

He made his way to America and traveled extensively throughout the country. In 1961, he made his home in Rock Cave, West Virginia and began creating sculptures on a 30-acre tract of land. He even set up a workshop/studio in a barn without many of the modern-day comforts that most enjoyed at the time.

In addition to his pieces on display at Glenville State College, he also carved the college seal of West Virginia Wesleyan College as well as the 12 apostles and family tree which are displayed in Wesley Chapel on the WV Wesleyan campus. His piece, "Integration," is displayed at West Virginia University and he also has works at the West Virginia Culture and History Center in Charleston. These are in addition to pieces on display in numerous other places in West Virginia and across the country.

"Glenville State College is proud to have these unique pieces from Mr. Flor on display. We hope his legacy is able to carry on through his artwork," Gum added.