Student sculptor honored with aid

The first person to receive a scholarship memorializing a fallen ranger is an ex-soldier.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 12, 2002

The college professor who recently established a scholarship to honor a close friend killed in the war in Afghanistan has picked the first student to receive the honor.

For St. Petersburg College mathematics instructor Ken Chapman, there was no contest. He chose Jeffrey DaCosta, a 22-year-old former soldier whose sculpture of a modern Army soldier has been displayed at the college's Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs.

"There was never any hesitation," Chapman said. "Not to slight the other candidates, but it wasn't even close."

DaCosta never thought of applying for the $500 award. He wanted to help raise money instead, Chapman said.

"That's the kind of kid he is," Chapman said. "He's selfless."

And that's why he's a perfect fit for the award, Chapman said.

"It really is an honor," said DaCosta, who lives in Largo.

Chapman established the memorial scholarship to honor his friend Marc Anderson, who was one of seven soldiers killed March 4 in the mountains of Afghanistan attempting to rescue a fallen Navy SEAL. Anderson was the leader of the weapons squad on the mission and was killed during a nine-hour firefight in which al-Qaida and Taliban fighters outnumbered U.S. troops 25 to one.

"It's amazing to think that they got back at all," said Steven Anderson, Marc Anderson's brother.

When Anderson fell, his assistant gunner did as Anderson had trained him: He picked up the gun and kept fighting, Steven Anderson said. It saved lives, the unit's captain told him.

"He was so ready for that firefight," Steven Anderson said. "If he couldn't make a mission, or if he fell, he had his assistants ready to step into his shoes immediately. Always a teacher."

Marc Anderson taught middle school math before becoming an Army Ranger to pay off his college loans. He followed in the footsteps of his father and two older brothers, who also joined the service.

Marc Anderson, 30, loved to teach.

"It was a junkie high for him," Steven Anderson said. His students meant everything. Part of his life insurance went to help one pay for college.

"He would have loved this scholarship," Chapman said.

Chapman is continuing to raise money to keep the scholarship going. He has received donations ranging from $5 to $1,000. He plans to travel to Rotary Clubs across the county to raise funds. Chapman said he's going after every possible dollar.

DaCosta served two years in the Army's 10th Mountain Division and another in the National Guard. Now he's studying to be an artist at SPC, sculpting military pieces. He plans to move to an art school in the Midwest next spring. His latest work is a 7-foot soldier that is the first in a series, he said.

It was on display for six weeks at the Leepa-Rattner Museum, where DaCosta picked up a flier for the scholarship.

The sculpture depicts a modern infantry soldier running, which DaCosta calls gravity-defying. It was built with a wood frame that acts as the soldier's bones and then was covered with black fabric and tar.

"It's a bit unusual," DaCosta said.

DaCosta spent every available minute for two months on the piece to get it done in time to be presented with the museum's student displays.

"I was pushing to get it done," said DaCosta, who put in an average of six to 10 hours a day on the sculpture.

He got the idea while working on his mother's roof.

"I had patched a hole in my mom's roof, so I had my hand in the material; and I thought it was pretty interesting," DaCosta said. "This particular piece was pushing boundaries."

DaCosta said he had long had an interest in military art and planned to continue to produce those types of pieces.

Chapman said the sculpture grabbed the eyes of those passing through the museum. DaCosta spent countless hours answering questions and explaining his work, Chapman said.

"The people at the museum have turned into his fan club," Chapman said. "They see him as the special person he is."

Steven Anderson agrees.

"It's phenomenal," he said.

Now Anderson wants DaCosta to create one more statue: half ranger, half teacher, like his brother Marc.

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