For us? You shouldn’t have. We think living in Cola is the greatest gift of all, but our city has actually been on the receiving end of quite a few delightful donations. From statues of Soda Citizen icons to remarkable historical donations, check out these three unique gifts given to Columbia.
A’ja Wilson statue | SC native A’ja Wilson has made a tremendous impact on her community, both on and off the court — so much so that she was honored with a bronze, 11-ft-tall statue in front of Colonial Life Arena. Dedicated in 2021, the monument was funded through private donations from the late Dodie Anderson, Darius Rucker, and Dawn Staley. This tribute stands as a testament to her legacy, as she continues to dominate in the WNBA with back-to-back championships, multiple MVP titles, and six WNBA All-Star selections.
Anne Frank letters | In 2022, UCS received a remarkable piece of history — over 22 years’ worth of letters (more than 100 in total) — for the Anne Frank Center, the only official US partner and North American site of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. The donor? Cara Wilson-Granat, a pen pal + friend of Otto Frank (Anne’s father), who first wrote to him in 1957 because she was auditioning for the film “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The epistolary relationship lasted until Otto’s death, after which she continued corresponding with his wife, Fritzy.
“Concrete City” | If you love miniatures, you won’t want to miss this folk art at the South Carolina State Museum, including 33 waist-high buildings carefully constructed by Leslie Cosgrove L.C. Carson. Created in his Orangeburg County backyard, L.C. Carson carefully replicated historic sites he traveled to, such as the Parthenon and the Colosseum. In the 1990s, L.C. Carson and his family donated the entire collection of handcrafted buildings, plus a few extra pieces from the artist, to the South Carolina State Museum.
