NewsT. Rick JonesLeonard Nimoy

Proposed monument to Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy has support from William Shatner and Nimoy’s daughter Julie

NewsT. Rick JonesLeonard Nimoy
Proposed monument to Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy has support from William Shatner and Nimoy’s daughter Julie
Drawing showing a proposed memorial to Leonard Nimoy. Image D. Phillips via Julie Nimoy (@JulieNimoy) on Twitter

Drawing showing a proposed memorial to Leonard Nimoy. Image D. Phillips via Julie Nimoy (@JulieNimoy) on Twitter

NOVEMBER 4, 2020 - There’s a new push gaining momentum for a statue to be built in tribute to Leonard Nimoy in his hometown of Boston.

Back in October, an article in the Beacon Hill Times profiled Bostonian Tom Stocker’s efforts to get the monument going. Stocker had first proposed the idea in 2015, in a letter to Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Sebastian Smee, who was, at the time, with The Boston Globe. As the Beacon Hill Times recounts, “Smee reprinted Stocker’s letter in the Globe soon afterwards while further proclaiming that erecting a monument to Nimoy in Boston would be most ‘logical’ in a nod to what is likely Mr. Spock’s best-remembered catchphrase.”

Fast forward to this year, and Stocker has support for his idea from a few high-profile places. City Councilor Kenzie Bok is on board with the idea, as is Leonard Nimoy’s daughter Julie Nimoy, who tweeted her support last week. “As a special tribute,” she said, “a 25’ stainless steel #LLAP memorial has been proposed in Boston. It will honor [Leonard Nimoy] and will be a symbol for peace and tolerance worldwide. Dad would be so happy that this positive message could resonate with people for yrs to come.”

The memorial also has the support of artist David Phillips, whose steel sculpture “Scrolls” was an inspiration for what the memorial could look like. According to the Beacon Hill Times piece, Stocker was walking past the New England Conservatory this summer, when he saw Phillips’ piece, a 16-foot-tall sculpture resembling the scrolls of violins. When Stocker told Phillips of the idea and of Nimoy’s Boston ties, he said of the proposed monument, “A symbol like that would resonate a lot with the public and the millions of Star Trek fans out there.”

Even fellow Star Trek alum William Shatner is a fan of the project; he tweeted his support for it last weekend, saying, “This needs to happen! Leonard was very proud of his Boston roots.”

The Beacon Hill Times reports that Stocker completed a successful fundraising campaign for the memorial last month, and that the project is now waiting for the final design. We’ve reached out to Stocker for more information about how to support the campaign, and we’ll update you when we have more information.