UNCW Seahawk sculpture receives official dedication

A larger than life-sized seahawk has called the campus of UNCW home, since May. Friday, faculty and staff officially dedicated the sculpture.

The seahawk was created by local artist Dumay Gorham III, and took more than a year to construct. The bird has a wingspan of 20 feet and weighs 2,000 pounds.

The dedication ceremony took place in the Belk Plaza on UNCW's campus. Charlotte philanthropist, Irwin Belk, commissioned the project. He was pleased with the final product. “That is the largest seahawk in the world! It is made of copper, and the handy work is done by a local boy and that boy did a super job. The credit goes to him and not to me.”

The statue sits in front of Hoggard Hall. The traffic circle was renamed the Belk Plaza earlier this year, in honor of Irwin Belk and his family.