Fund raising for 'The Gift' under way

By CHUCK SMITH csmith@gbtribune.com

"I will always think of Great Bend as my home town." — Jack Kilby

Long before Jack Kilby won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics for his part in the development of the integrated circuit — the guts of all modern computerization — he had identified this as his home. And he continued that designation until his death in 2005.

Great Bend was home, even after he'd moved on to other horizons. Now Great Bend will be home to a larger-than-life monument to Kilby and local residents are getting a chance to help make it happen.

The monument will be located on the west side of the Barton County Courthouse in downtown Great Bend and it will be the center of a new plaza in front of the courthouse.

"'The Gift' will be a large solid-bronze monument to honor Kilby, and will be constructed on the west side in the courthouse square that already bears his name, as Jack Kilby Square," according to information about the project.

More than $63,000 has been raised on the project, with a total of $400,000 needed.