What Would Beloved West Des Moines Public Servant Do About Duck Damage? ENCORE

If you don’t know the backstory of a metal sculpture of a family of ducks at the , what’s been happening to the art installment might seem no worse than the hijinks of youth thoughtlessly sowing summertime oats.

The center -- on the west side of the Valley Junction neighborhood -- performs good works for some of West Des Moines’ most vulnerable residents.

Since it was installed two months ago, the sculpture depicting two adults in flight and six ducklings following behind has been vandalized three times. It was designed by Ginger and Wayne Fraser Bell of Mhuka Designs in Valley Junction.

One of the ducks was knocked over on July 4 after vandals removed the screws anchoring its feet to a large boulder. Sixteen days later, its legs were replaced with thicker metal. And seven days after that, sometime Friday night or Saturday morning, its feet were removed, according to reports.

The sculpture cost $1,000 and replacing the damaged parts will cost between $150 and $250. The money’s one thing -- not a small thing for a non-profit dependent on tax-deductible contributions to continue offering free food, clothing and medical services to needy families, but not a big thing, either, said longtime volunteer Barbara Long.

The big thing, the hurtful thing to Long, is that the sculpture is a memorial to the center’s namesake, the Rev. Eddie Davis, and her late husband, Johnny, who kept it running for most of its 20-year-history. Long died Oct. 1, 2010, Davis four months later in January 2011. Davis was Long's stepfather.

Serve the Poor, No Questions Asked

“It’s in memory of them for their leadership,” Barbara said. “The ducks are flying away and the little ducks are running behind them.”

Davis and Long were no-nonsense men with enormous, but practical hearts, according to Barbara. Recognizing that families suffer when bureaucracy stops some of the neediest residents from seeking public assistance, they and other center leaders put out the word the services were there for the taking, no questions asked or identification needed.

“If a person’s hungry, he needs food; he doesn’t need to fill out a form,” Barbara said.

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The memorial in Davis and Long’s honor is installed near a bench under a tree, where people can stop and reflect – as Barbara often does as she prays on how to keep the center going as hard times continue to grind down on West Des Moines' poorest residents.

“We really do miss their leadership and their support," she said. "They took a lot with them.”

The Epitome of a Public Servant

The statue has special significance for Barbara. She calls it “Two Wings” after the gospel song that “came on real loud” the first time she started Johnny’s Cadillac after his death. At the time, Barbara said, one of the kids remarked, “Daddy probably saved that song and prayed it while he was going through his illness.”

When Barbara looks at the sculpture, she sees her late husband and his stepfather and mentor in flight, ascending into heaven. That’s the memory the vandals are messing with.

So she will leave them with this:

If he were here, Eddie Davis would give them the benefit of a doubt. He would help them find a way for them to turn bad decisions into good ones that help others. And they would be better off for it.

“Eddie Davis was the epitome of a servant,” Barbara said. “He really knew how to reach people.”