Brockton park's architect weighs in on boxer's statue

AS ARCHITECT of the Grand Army of the Republic Park in Brockton, I am quoted indirectly, by position if not by name, in your report on the Rocky Marciano statue, without the benefit of having been interviewed by your reporter ("A big piece of the Rock," Metro, Nov. 9). Let me put the record straight. I do indeed think that a 26-foot statue would be out of proportion to the park and its surroundings. It would above all be a major distraction from that most magnificent of civic buildings, Brockton City Hall. No one doubts that Marciano was a great heavyweight world champion, and it is important to honor this son of Brockton. But this essay in gigantism is really more reflective of a Kyrgyzstan dictator than a champion who ran the streets of his neighborhood and never lost contact with his home or his people.

As an excellent example of honoring a great man with a memorial that reflects the essence of that greatness, I would cite the statue of Kevin White at Faneuil Hall. He is 10 feet tall and without a pedestal - a great man but also a man of the people. Just like Rocky Marciano.

HUBERT MURRAY
Cambridge