A 2,800-pound bronze bald eagle with a 21-foot wingspan is a fitting memorial to her late husband, said Gerry Weaver, wife of actor and environmentalist Dennis Weaver.
“The eagle is a sign of power. He was a very quiet, strong, powerful person.”
The sculpture is the centerpiece of the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park, a 60-acre site that Gerry Weaver is donating to Ridgway, in western Colorado.
The park, which will feature a fly-fishing area along with scenic biking and hiking trails, was dedicated Saturday evening.
Dennis Weaver acted in nine TV series and dozens of films – including the lead in Steven Spielberg’s 1971 thriller “Duel” – in a career that spanned six decades.
But it is his environmental work that makes his wife most proud. He preached about hydrogen cars, climate change and global warming before it became fashionable, once driving a fleet of alternative-fuel cars to Washington, D.C., to tout the vehicles’ benefits, Gerry Weaver said.
“They lived their life for others and the environment,” said friend Julian Myers.
Dennis Weaver’s humble beginnings instilled a love of the environment in him, Gerry Weaver added. Many town residents know and admire Dennis Weaver, said John Clark, mayor pro tem.
“Those of us over 40 remember him from his ‘McCloud’ TV show and his older movies,” he said. “He cared about the land and the area he chose to settle. It’s really appropriate that this park is here.”
The Weavers moved to Colorado in 1988 from California and bought 175 acres along the Uncompahgre River. Sixty of those acres were donated for the park.
It’s a park full of life, just like her 81-year-old husband until his death last year, Gerry Weaver said. She recalls the first time they met – on the dance floor when they were both 17.
“We danced a million miles in the 60 years we were married,” Gerry Weaver said. “His favorite word was passion. If you don’t have passion, what do you got?”
