German-Americans have a long-established presence in St. Louis, Missouri, so after the deaths of local newspaper industry heavyweights Dr. Emil Preetorius, Carl Schurz, and Carl Daenzer, the community sought a way to commemorate them. The Preetorious-Schurz-Daenzer Memorial Association was formed, and launched a design competition. Adolphus Busch, of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company, served as the honorary president as well as the main donor. Proposals rolled in, and a 26-member jury reviewed the submissions and selected a design proposed by Wilhelm Wandschneider, a sculptor from Berlin. While Wandschneider was the only…
