By Jack M. Willis
Journal Correspondent

At the entry to the Louisiana Maneuvers and Military museum at Camp Beauregard near Pineville, Louisiana, is a static display of larger-than-life weapons and machinery relating to warfare, including famous Huey helicopter of Viet Nam campaign fame, a jet fighter, a couple of tanks, and even an old "tail" grader that was pulled by a crawler tractor and used for road maintenance around U.S. Army training camps.

Nearly overshadowed by the other larger displays, is a bronze sculpture of two men, one with a pair of binoculars, evidently in conversation with the other, who is operating an old tube type walkie-talkie from World War II. The uniforms are very authentic, even down to the replication of the canvas leggings worn by Army and Marines in the South Pacific during numerous island invasions.

The men's features have the look of Native Americans, remiiscemnt of the recent motion picture, "The Wind Talkers" starring Nicholas Cage. The Code Talkers, as they're more appropriately known, inspired Master Sculptor Jerry Gorum to create this commemorative work dedicated to the Comanche and Choctaw code talkers on public display at Camp Beauregard.

Secure communications are essential to operations on the battle field, and this was especially true in WWII. Military forces worked to develop communications systems and techniques to insure that the enemy did not gain access to friendly communications between allies.

To confound the enemy, American forces in both World Wars used Native America personnel and their unique languages, to insure communications that could not be decoded or understood by enemy forces. In World War I in France, the 142nd Infantry Regiment had a full company of Indians who spoke 26 different languages or dialects, only four or five of which had been reduced to writing. Two Indian officers were selected to supervise a communications system staffed by Choctaw Indians. They were used in October, 1918, in the Chufilly-Chardeny zone to send messages in their native tongue.

In World War II in both major theaters of war the U.S. Army and Marines used Native Americans in Signal communications operations. A group of 24 Navajos were assembled to handle telephone communications, using voice codes in their native tongue.

The Navajo "code talkers" took part in every assault the US Marines conducted in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945 with a total of 540 Navajos serving in the Marine Corps.

The acts of heroism, and the valorous conduct of the Indian tribes demonstrated in two World Wars, compelled sculptor Jerry Gorum to fashion the magnificent bronzes honoring these heroes.

I had first heard about Jerry Gorum from one of his talented relatives, James Ed Yule. In pursuit of his family tree, James Ed had determined that he and Jerry were kinsmen dating back to Eliphalet Remington, the firearm inventor and manufacturer, and Fredrick Sackrider Remington, the Western artist and sculptor. The genetically endowed talents that Gorum and Yule inherited have resulted in creations of bronze sculpture subjects exhibited across the United States, and in national award-winning waterfowl and upland game fowl calls, which proclaims that these two gentlemen have excelled in their respective fields.

Jerry Gorum is a very busy artisan. His studio is located on the main street of the Village of Glenmora, only about three blocks from US Highway 165. From that vantage point one can see a vacant lot, which at one time was occupied by the house he was reared in. In pointing out this fact, he said, "I haven't come very far, have I," and chuckled.

The periwinkle blue studio's exterior is almost two stories high, but actually only encloses a high ceiling of Jerry's own design. When he decided to pursue art full time, he bought the building, tore the roof off and renovated it from the concrete slab up.

Inside, on shelves, on the walls, on the floor, and on tables in various stages of completion, are glorious works of art. A computer is on one table, filing cabinets next to his desk are crammed full of research and information relating to a potential or finished project. Subject matter in voluminous folders ranges from a series of photographs of Clementine Hunter in her later years, including measurements of her physical features, to the ceremonial dress of a Plains Indian beseeching the Great Spirit for rain.

Jerry Gorum was a personal friend of Clementine Hunter, used to frequently visit her, and take her paints she needed for her various artistic creations. He even has one photograph of her, which she signed and dedicated to him.

Jerry Gorum was reared on a small hill farm in Allen Parish. He said, "The Great Depression was a cruel taskmaster, so I never knew we were poor people until after I was grown. We raised a lot of the food we ate, and my mother created our clothing on her treadle-type Singer sewing machine. Our clothes were washed in a No. 3 washtub on a rub board--the wash water was heated in a cast iron pot heated by a pine knot fire. Our water was drawn from a dug well, and at mealtime we drank milk we personally obtained from a milk cow. For a while we had no indoor plumbing, electricity or gas, but everyone we were acquainted with lived the same way." Jerry said, "Two things were never found around our house--liquor and money--the first, because my folks were strictly against it; and the latter because there simply wasn't any. But during these hard times our folks instilled in me and my two brothers a work ethic which still governs my everyday activities until this very day."

Jerry Gorum was born August 27th, 1940 in Taylor's Clinic in Glenmora. He graduated Glenmora High School in 1958 and promised his Dad that he would attend college for at least two years. Instead of attending a school with a good solid liberal arts curriculum, he opted to attend McNeese State College which was promoting a great rodeo program. Because he was already doing artwork for national publications like Western Horseman, Jerry wanted to audit an art class taught at the school by a gentleman named Nolan Daste.

Daste promptly told him he would never amount to anything as an artist, but Jerry found out from his roommate that Daste was using an artwork Jerry had done for the school newspaper, The Contraband, as a teaching tool in one of his art classes.

Jerry had all of the education he could stand, and promptly went to work as a longshoreman on the docks in Lake Charles where the labor was so demanding that the crews only worked five hour shifts.

From that employment he went to work at a furniture store for Howard Rush, and then became an assistant manager of a store in Baton Rouge.

The firm wanted to transfer him to Atlanta, Georgia, but Jerry had other ideas and moved back home to Glenmora.

He became vice president of a bank and a loan agency, and later formed Allen Investment Corporation which he sold in 1984. His wife Addie, whom he has been married to for 44 years, worked in a bank, and still does.

In 1984 he made a monumental decision that would alter his life and lifestyle forever. He began reflecting in his mind's eye, that he didn't want to one day be 90 years old sitting on the front porch of some nursing home, and think to himself, "I wish I'd got into art of some kind," so he did something about it.

He told Addie, "If you're used to a regular payday, and you don't want to be married to an artist, you had better get yourself a lawyer and let's get it over with." His loving wife just smiled and said, "Go for it!" He said that was all the incentive he needed.

Today Jerry Gorum is an artist much in demand. He's 65 years old, still married to Addie, and loving it, has one daughter and son-in-law (Mike and Shirley Downhour) and three grandchildren.

He is an avid duck hunter and spends most of his spare time at his hunting camp near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana. His next-door neighbors for many years happen to be "Coach" and Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, who happens to be Governor of Louisiana.

Jerry Gorum has the distinction of creating and displaying more realistic monumental bronze sculpture in Louisiana than any other sculptor in history.

Some of his works include The Louisiana Veterans Memorial near Alexandria, Motherhood Memorial in Pineville, Eight life-size figures for the Tunica-Biloxi Diorama, Tunica-Biloxi Reservation; Frontier Folks Series of Collectibles; Louisiana Fallen Firefighters' Memorial, State Fire Marshalls' Building, Baton Rouge.

Gorum is currently creating the design and related sculptures of the Re-Interment Gardens, for the Poarch Band of the Creek Indians near Wetumpka, Alabama, involving millions of dollars.

From humble beginnings Jerry Gorum, who never had a formal art lesson in his life, has matured into one of America's premier sculptors. Every work he creates is realistic and finely detailed, in that he not only captures the subject's features, but conveys their moods and exhibits their feelings.

His works speaks volumes for themselves.

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