By Tim Binnall
Amelia Earhart is set to be celebrated at the U.S. Capitol by way of a bronze statue honoring the pioneering pilot. The recognition reportedly puts the famed aviator in rather rarefied company as she will join a proverbial pantheon of iconic American figures honored within a wing of the Capitol Building known as Statuary Hall. Created in 1864, the chamber is replete with 100 statues depicting two prominent citizens from each state and, at an unveiling set to be held next month, Earhart will take her place alongside Dwight D. Eisenhower as the representatives for Kansas.
Remarkably, the decision to honor Earhart at Statuary Hall actually came about over 20 years ago when the legislature of Kansas voted in 1999 to have a sculpture of the aviator replace one that depicted the state's former senator John James Ingalls. Since supporters of the switch were required to work out the funding and details of the new piece, all the way down to the pedestal upon which it would sit, the swap was delayed for more than two decades as all of these matters were handled.
At long last, Kansas senator Jerry Moran announced on Monday that the Earhart statue was ready to be revealed at Statuary Hall and that it will be dedicated at a ceremony at the site next month. Reflecting on the iconic citizen of his home state, the senator mused the aviator "soared into the history books, setting flight records and breaking barriers" and, in turn, "led the way for thousands of women to pursue their dreams – whether that was in aviation or to break their own, new barriers."