Dixon, Illinois — This statue of Ronald Reagan holding corn kernels in his hand stands at the center of the small park next to the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home at 816 S. Hennepin Avenue.

Designed by Stan Efran of Inocast Corporation, the sculpture was a gift from Dwayne Andreas, chief executive officer of Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) of Decatur, Illinois, the statue was installed in October 1989. According to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, ADM has an identical piece at their corporate headquarters in Decatur.

Since the six-and-a-half-foot bronze statue stands atop a 3-foot black marble base, visitors cannot see the corn kernels resting in Reagan’s left palm, but a brass plaque on the sculpture’s base reads as follows:

 

RONALD WILSON REAGAN
ERECTED IN 1988
AS A TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT REAGAN.

ILLINOIS IS FAMOUS FOR IT S PRODUCTION
OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS; SO IT SEEMS
APPROPRIATE FOR HIM TO BE ADMIRING
THE KERNELS OF CORN IN HIS HAND.