Good things come to those who wait.

And wait. And wait.

In August 2016, Akron resident Miriam Ray read an item by her favorite columnist in which I quoted another reader bemoaning the absence of "a tangible image of Akron's rubber heritage."

Joel Neilsen of Broadview Heights had suggested the creation of a large statue of a rubber worker, a prominent bow to the most important industry in the city's history.

He further suggested it be modeled after the cover photo for the 1999 book “Wheels of Fortune,” the definitive history of the rubber industry, written by David Giffels and Steve Love. The photo shows a Goodyear worker wrapping up a finished tire for shipping.

Ray loved the idea and swung into action. Thanks to her patience, energy and ability to bring people together, her dream will become a reality.

In September 2020, the city will dedicate a 15-foot-tall bronze version of that worker in the center of the new roundabout at Main and Mill streets in the heart of downtown.

The statue will have two marble bases that together will stand 5½ feet high. The lower one will be in the shape of Summit County. The top one will be shaped like Akron. Water — another key element in the history of a city that grew up next to a canal — will cascade down from the top.

Judging by the renderings, the statue will look awesome, not only from every direction coming into the roundabout but from the windows of tall downtown buildings. And, for that matter, from the air.

Inscribed bricks will be sold and placed on the northeast corner of the intersection, the side by the library. Nearby will be an interactive kiosk called “Rubber Worker Stories” that will offer audio and video recordings contributed by former rubber workers and their families.

The city intends to spend $350,000 in private donations for the statue, the granite bases and a bench across the street, mostly from corporate sponsors. It already has $75,000 in hand and commitments for $150,000 more. Additional organizations will be approached, and the city is optimistic the remainder can be raised.

Part of the cost will be picked up by the federal government. Money for the fountain, the foundation, lighting and other elements inside the roundabout are mostly coming from an existing grant that is funding the road reconstruction and “green” improvements in that area.

To buy a brick ($100), make a donation and/or share your personal story of the rubber era, go to the handsome website put together by noted Akron artist Mac Love, who has been an integral part of the planning and design: akronstories.com.

The site offers live video and audio submissions and uploads. But the group expects to collect about half of the stories via the telephone or one-on-one interviews. If you're interested in contributing, send an email to contact@akronstories.com.

Ray assumed the lead on the project because she took it personally. Referring to her husband, Carter Ray, who runs Akron Gasket and Packing Enterprises, Miriam says, "We are both kids from Akron, with family who worked at the rubber companies.

"I have a daughter who teaches history at Firestone High School and another daughter who created the Facebook page 'Akron Historical Buildings' [which has 9,400 members]. We love history and Akron.”

Ray and her husband are active in charity and volunteer work, and when she contacted a number of folks in her circle in 2016 to gauge the level of interest, so many were fired up that she hired a sculptor to create a prototype.

Alan Cottrill of Zanesville has designed and built more than 500 statues, many of historical figures (such as Woody Hayes for the Ohio State campus) and many of generic figures, such as coal miners for mining towns. Ray shopped around the prototype and interest kept growing.

In April 2017, she and I started pushing the idea of placing it in the center of the new roundabout. It's the perfect spot.

The key was winning over Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, who is thrilled with the project.

“It's exciting,” says Horrigan, sitting in a meeting room at City Hall.

“This city was built by these men and women who went to work every single day, in sometimes not the greatest conditions, but built the city and raised families. Being able to honor them in this way — in a very centralized, iconic place in the middle of downtown — is a very befitting tribute to their sacrifice to us.”

As Ray notes, it is almost impossible to go anywhere in Akron without running into someone who has family ties to the rubber companies.

That includes the mayor. “My dad sold tread rubber for 27 years for Mohawk,” Horrigan says. “My grandmother worked for General, my great aunt worked at General for the O'Neil family as an executive assistant.... All of my neighbors [have ties]. Everybody has a connection.”

A crucial component of the project, in Ray's eyes, was the interactive kiosk and developing partnerships with the local institutions that are major repositories of rubber history, the Akron-Summit Public Library and the Summit County Historical Society. Those relationships are being finalized.

"We are one generation from the stories of the rubber workers being gone," she says. "Telling the history to our future history-making generation will be a great thing.”

Those involved are highly appreciative of Ray's vision. Malinda Sampsell, grants manager for the city, says Ray has always wanted to develop more than just a beautiful piece of art.

“She's been so passionate about wanting to ensure that there is a community engagement piece, that the stories of the families and the workers are heard. It's very relevant to this project.”

And a marvelous project it is.

Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com. He also is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bob.dyer.31