The Fountain of the Four Seasons made a big splash at its rededication Saturday afternoon in front of the Memorial Union.

A mid-afternoon rain shower had the ceremony’s organizers wondering whether they should move the ceremony inside.

James Huss, Memorial Union Board chair, joked with a colleague about the rain, saying, “It’s only appropriate since we’re going to dedicate a seasons fountain that we show one of the seasons.”

The rain subsided, and the rededication was held in its original location, around the fountain.

Lynette Pohlman, director of University Museums, welcomed the crowd, consisting mostly of alumni from the classes of 1946-48. Pohlman recognized the presence of Mary Petersen, the daughter of Christian Petersen, the artist who created the fountain.

Pohlman said 200 campus art pieces were reviewed for renovations, and the fountain was one of 16 that were prioritized as needing repairs immediately.

She said the fountain needed repairs because of damage due to Iowa’s freeze and thaw cycle, inside and outside plumbing damage and bacterial growth.

Pohlman said the fountain was sent to the Conservation Technical Associates of Connecticut to have the surface cleaned and have cracks repaired. She said the plumbing was replaced with stainless steel pipes, and since the north side of the fountain was totally replaced, it would not need to be renovated for another 57 years.

Thomas Mitchell, ISU Foundation president, said the fountain renovation is part of the ISU Foundation’s Campaign Destiny: To Become the Best. He said the foundation tried to raise $250,000, and over $200,000 was raised.

Mitchell introduced Robert Boeke, a 1948 Class Reunion Committee member, and Andy Lashier, 1998 senior class president, who watched the actual installation of the fountain and presented checks for funds that both of their organizations had raised.

Boeke said it was an “unanimous choice” of the members of the 1948 class reunion committee to raise money for the fountain to make it as “good as new.” The 1948 class goal was to raise $50,000, and over $53,000 was raised.

Lashier, who was the first senior to become a member of The Order of the Knoll because of his large donation to the fountain, said during the senior class’s sophomore year, it decided to raise money to repair the fountain. He said the class aimed to “bring back the four most beautiful women this campus has ever seen.” Lashier said the senior class’s goal was $25,000, and he presented a check of $34,325.

ISU President Martin Jischke said the fountain brought together many generations.

“There is no generation gap when preserving things that are beautiful to us,” he said.

Jischke recognized former ISU President Charles Friley for having the vision to make Christian Petersen the sculptor-in-residence from 1934 to 1955 and to have Petersen sculpt the fountain.

Jischke told how the Fountain of the Four Seasons was not the first fountain in front of the Union. Jischke said vandals made a tradition of defacing the original fountain with toilet seats. He said Friley called Petersen and asked him to “do something beautiful [to the fountain] so they can’t joke about it.”

It took Petersen just two days to think of the idea and the fountain was the first officially installed and dedicated piece of art on campus in 1941.

“Petersen transformed the natural beauty of campus to artistic beauty,” Jischke said.

Jischke said the fountain is a representation of life and culture in the state of Iowa and is “one of the earliest expressions of multi-culturalism” because the fountain represents Native Americans and Petersen was an immigrant from Denmark.

Jischke told the myth that tossing a coin into the fountain reverses the curse of failing a future test if a person walks across the Zodiac inside the Union.

“Many [alumni] have symbolically tossed their coins in the water,” he said.

Jischke said the fountain is a treasure no money can replace. He said it combines the science and technology, the growing of the corn and the pregnancy of the woman, with the arts and social sciences, the fountain itself, that represent the university.

Jischke, Pohlman, Boeke and Lashier symbolically started the fountain by pouring clay pitchers of water into the pool as the fountain started shooting out water.

According to the rededication program, the fountain is one of the best-known sculptures produced by Petersen during his 21 years as ISU resident sculptor.