Renowned gothic horror actress Hazel Court Taylor arrived in State College today to donate an original sculpture because of her strong belief in the Paterno Library's importance as an institution of higher learning.
"A library is knowledge, and knowledge is eternal, it never dies," said the 70-year-old actress.
The sculpture, unveiled at noon today in Pattee, is made entirely of marble, and was hand-carved by Taylor in Pietrasanta, Italy, where Renaissance masters Michaelangelo and Raphael worked. Her sculpture is a representation of three stacked books, with an eternal flame emerging from the uppermost book. The title of the piece is Knowledge is Eternal, and it is four feet high.
Eloise Stuhr, director of development at Pattee, said it is important for a library to have artwork.
"It's good that the sculpture represents the eternal nature of books," Stuhr said. "It ties in nicely with the Paterno Libraries Endowment Fund, a permanent sponsor from which we purchase books."
The project began after Nancy Cline, dean of University Libraries, attended a fund-raising event at Taylor's Santa Monica, Calif., home. Cline admired her many sculptures, and asked if she would do a piece for the library. Taylor was delighted.
Taylor became acquainted with the University through her husband Don Taylor, who graduated from the University in 1942. He directed a film for Alfred Hitchcock called The Crocodile Cave, in which Taylor starred. Taylor found that working with Hitchcock was an unnerving experience.
"He wasn't really interested in actors he was interested in the camera," said Taylor. "I remember actor Laurence Harvey turning to me and saying, 'Are you as scared as I am?' and I said, 'Absolutely.' "
After doing five films for Hitchcock, Taylor went on to star in The Curse of Frankenstein with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Due to the film's immense popularity, Taylor found herself well-established in the horror genre.
One of her most popular movies is The Raven, starring Vincent Price, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre, all legends of horror and suspense.
"They were three human beings with tremendous knowledge," Taylor said of her co-stars. "You never talked about acting or filming. Instead, we talked arts, literature, everything else. They were absolutely wonderful."
Price was to become Taylor's friend and sponsor in the arts, purchasing some of her art for his personal collection.
Having a son in 1967 made Taylor settle down and devote her talents solely to painting and sculpting.
"Being married to a film director and living in Hollywood, it doesn't bode well for the future. I stayed at home and brought up my son. The sculpting and the art was my first love," Taylor said.
Taylor and her husband travel to the University every homecoming to see longtime friend and State College resident Julius Epstein, screenwriter of Casablanca. "I just love the place, the people, and everything about it," Taylor said.
