Winterset in Madison County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
George Leslie Stout
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2021
1. George Leslie Stout Marker
Died July 1st 1978
Lt. Commander US Navy Res.
Legendary art conservationist George Stout was born in Winterset, Iowa and graduated from Winterset High School in 1915. After 2 years at Grinnell College, he served overseas for 2 years in the US Medical Corps during WWI. Stout earned his bachelor’s degree and taught art at the University of Iowa. He earned his master’s degree in art history at Harvard University. Throughout his brilliant career, Stout developed the modern scientific principles of art conservation. During WWII, Stout was called back into active duty in Europe. He and a small troop of “Monuments Men” recovered millions of the world’s finest artworks which had been stolen by the Nazis. The art was hidden in salt mines, castles and other remote areas. For his military service, George Stout was awarded the Bronze Star and the US Army Commendation Medal.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • War, World I • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is October 5, 1897.
Location. 41° 20.001′
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2021
2. George Leslie Stout Memorial
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 102 West Court Avenue (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 52 Court Avenue (about 400 feet away); 54 Court Avenue (about 400 feet away); 56 Court Avenue (about 400 feet away); 58 Court Avenue (about 400 feet away); 60 Court Avenue (about 400 feet away); Carnegie Building (about 400 feet away); 64 Court Avenue (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winterset.
More about this marker. Marker is embedded in the concrete walkway in front of the George Leslie Stout Memorial "Storybook."
Also see . . .
1. George Leslie Stout.
Stout was one of the first Monuments Men to go ashore at Normandy. As the Allies marched through France and Germany, he was near the front lines helping to rescue cultural treasures in places like Caen, Maastricht, and Aachen. His expert knowledge of safe transport for works of art was put to the test repeatedly in evacuations of repositories in Siegen, Heilbronn, Cologne, Merkers, and Altaussee, each time using improvised materials and unskilled labor.(Submitted on March 20, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2021
3. Michael Goodall and the George Stout Story
Michael Goodall, an Iowa native, is a fountain of ideas shaped by his personal experiences. Having sailed around the world, hungry to absorb every detail, he has seen beliefs, hopes, and history communicated through artistic expression. These experiences have all impacted his desire to create and share his own works of art for future generations to enjoy. Working in various artistic media, Michael uses hand blown glass, cut wood, molded concrete, and vivid paints to produce his visions. Erik Rolek, an established artist and invaluable collaborator, encouraged and advised throughout the creation of George Stout’s Storybook.
The George Stout Story: This gathering area at the base of the book is symbolic of George Stout and his legacy. Stout, an accomplished academic, planned international conferences bringing people together, founded journals, pioneered art preservation techniques, and risked his life at war. He did all of this in the name of art, while never taking the spotlight for himself. Stout’s life was noteworthy, yet his own story has gone untold until recently.
2. Iowa art expert George Leslie Sout was a real 'Monuments Man'.
He was from Iowa, this art restoration expert who saved priceless works of art by the likes of Vermeer and Michelangelo. His legacy reaches far beyond the Midwest, because millions of people from all over the world regularly see the masterpieces he preserved during World War II.(Submitted on March 20, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. The Monuments Men (2014). The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys — seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 — possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements.
—Sony Pictures Entertainment (Submitted on March 20, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2021
4. George Leslie Stout Memorial — “Storybook” detail
"I have to admit that man's growth toward civilization looks slow and unsteady. At moments, whole nations seem to fall back, their people fret for deliverance from selfish fears. They pay homage to persons who have snatched power for themselves, all manner of tyrants, and people beg them for comfort and for peace. But when I look beyond the weak spots, I can notice those men who pursue knowledge for the common benefit, or labor for sound structures rather than for gain, or fight and die, not for praise or possessions but for the freedom of others. These are not strange or distant to men."
—George L. Stout
—George L. Stout
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2021
5. George Leslie Stout Memorial — “Storybook” detail
"He was also meticulous, a trait that carried over to his personal appearance: carefully swept-back hair, trim worsted suits, and a fine pencil mustache. Stout was dapper, debonair, and resolutely unflappable. But beneath his placid exterior was a brilliant and restless mind, capable of great leaps of understanding and far-reaching vision. He also possessed another essential quality: extraordinary patience."
—Robert Edsel
—Robert Edsel
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2021
6. George Leslie Stout Memorial “Storybook” — by Michael Goodall
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 2, 2021
7. George Leslie Stout Memorial “Storybook” — by Michael Goodall
Credits. This page was last revised on March 20, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 20, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 148 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on March 20, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
