A bronze statue honoring a young baseball player who passed away in 1982 has been stolen from the Kipper Mease Sports Complex in Pasadena, leaving the community devastated.
The stolen statue has reopened old wounds for 86-year-old Roy Mease, who lost his son Kipper in 1982.
The bronze sculpture, created to honor Kipper’s memory, was cut down earlier this month from its place at the Kipper Mease Sports Complex in Pasadena.
The statue was reported missing on Dec. 8, leaving behind only its sawed-off base.
“I feel very close to him here,” Mease shared, reflecting on the park named in his son’s honor. “When I come into this park, I can sit here sometimes and talk to him. It breaks my heart to look at the spot where it used to stand.”
Kipper was a sophomore at Sam Houston State University who tragically passed away in a car accident at the age of 20.
The statue was crafted by Houston artist Bridgette Mongeon, who described the work as her first public piece and a form of therapy for grieving families.
“These sculptures help them to grieve,” Mongeon said. “It helps them to celebrate a life. And we’re celebrating Kipper.”
The family fears the statue, made of bronze, may have been stolen to be scrapped for its material value.
Now, Mease says his life’s mission is to see the statue replaced. “I’m 86, and I need to live long enough to get it replaced,” he said. “I’ve got a purpose now.”
The Mease family is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the theft.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Pasadena police at 713-477-1221.
