Inspiration for the statue came from Dr. Lloyd Harrison, the tenth superintendent of the Missouri School for the Deaf, who labored over several years to bring the project to fruition. The statue is one of the prominent features of the campus and has been the site for hundreds of photographs made of students and visitors to the MSD campus. There has been a steady stream of deaf educators whose experience includes service at MSD or family background rooted in Callaway County. Callaway County can boast as no other county in the country with the number of native sons who have served as chief administrator of state schools for the deaf. Numerous other former residents and MSD-connected individuals continue today to uphold the tradition of high caliber professional service.
Students come from virtually every corner of the state.
Most enrollees attend as residential students, although over the years many families have moved to Callaway County and the surrounding area so their children could attend as day students. The Missouri School for the Deaf has also been fortunate in being able to provide strong vocational programs. In 1982 an expanded vocational complex was dedicated. The entire school program is accredited by both the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf. Students who do not pursue their education at the college level receive strong training in vocational education and are placed successfully in jobs throughout the state and nation.