December 21, 1872: Helen Farnsworth Mears, sculptress, was born in Oshkosh. Her artistic abilities were evident at an early age and she was encouraged by her parents. She was commissioned to create a figure, "Genius of Wisconsin," to represent the state at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Her statue of Frances E. Willard was unveiled in the Statuary Hall of the U. S. Capitol in 1905. Died: February 17, 1916.