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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — In the four decades since Oscar recipient William Inge's death, a statuette that symbolizes his success has resided in the building that houses the University of Kansas' theater program.
Inge, a native of Independence, Kansas, received the Academy Award in 1961 for best original screenplay for "Splendor in the Grass," a story of sexual repression, the Lawrence Journal-World (http://bit.ly/1B35QEu ) reports. Inge was 60 years old in 1973 when he committed suicide after a decades-long struggle with depression.
His Oscar went to live at his alma mater, where it is brought out several times a year.
"It serves as an inspiration, I think, to see someone from the Midwest who went through KU and did such important work," said Kathy Pryorm, who is a caretaker of sorts for the Oscar in addition to serving as managing director and budget officer of theater at the university. "I think that's vital to students."
Pryor doesn't like to reveal the location where the Oscar is stored. Displaying it permanently would pose security issues, she says.
"There's no way to replace it," Pryor says of the golden statuette, which enjoyed a refurbishing from the Academy 15 years ago. "It's priceless."
Still, "a couple times a year" on very special occasions, the Oscar comes out of hiding.
Most recently, he made an appearance Wednesday night at a reception for KU Theatre's upcoming "A Raisin in the Sun," where he posed in pictures with students, faculty and staff, and theater patrons.
Watching students interact with Inge's Oscar is the most fun, Pryor says.
With a "light in their eyes," the aspiring thespians hold "him" as if they had just won their own Academy Award, expressing their gratitude to the parents and teachers who made it happen.
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Information from: Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com
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