by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Henry Gonzales cheated a little when he submitted his design sketches to the Otis Smith Foundation’s Big Cats for Kids campaign. Still, Gonzales caught the eye of the one person that really mattered — Jacksonville Jaguars part-owner Delores Weaver.
“I wasn’t going to submit a fourth drawing and we were only supposed to submit three,” said Gonzales, who is a facilities manager for the Red Cross by day and aspiring artist by night.
In this case, the fourth was the charm. Gonzales said all four submissions were different, but it was his spotted, saddled jaguar that caught Weaver’s eye.
“Normally, I do my own or pick an artist. But this time, we were in the process of moving and I didn’t have time,” said Weaver, who is sponsoring the jaguar on behalf of the Weaver Family Foundation. “I immediately liked Henry’s drawing.”
Weaver said her original idea revolved around a carousel theme and she envisioned a jaguar that could be mounted. When Gonzales presented his idea, Weaver didn’t have to look any farther.
“It’s perfect,” she said. “I just loved it.”
The installation of “Ride’ Em Catboy” was the first of several in the Downtown area for the foundation Wednesday, according to foundation executive director Bonnie Upright. She said there will be nine cats in the “first litter” with 44 more on the way. They will be placed at businesses all over town and the beaches until May, when they will go on the auction block.
Two years ago, the foundation conducted a similar campaign in which 43 decorative manatees were placed at businesses all over and eventually sold.
“The manatees netted us over $219,000,” said Upright.
Gonzales was talked into submitting drawings by his girlfriend, who actually attended the organizational meetings. He said the final product took a lot of time and is actually quite similar to his original sketch.
“It’s pretty close. I changed the spots a little,” said Gonzales. “It took about 200 hours. I started in February with a blank mold and did all the work in the basement of the Red Cross building.
“I worked on it a couple of hours here and there for the first couple of months. Starting in April, I worked on it every day until late at night. When I found Delores Weaver was sponsoring it, I kind of kicked it up a notch.”
Gonzales delivered the final product to the Otis Smith Foundation in June. Wednesday, it arrived at Alltel Stadium in the back of a moving van and with a skeptical Jaxson de Ville on hand. The Jaguars mascot entertained those on hand by sniffing at the cat and acting as if the new arrival was a “threat” to his territory. Once out of the van, Jaxson de Ville helped move the Big Cat to its permanent home just in time for the team to check it out as they were heading to practice.
Gonzales said he was given an expense check for the project and exceeded the amount. He didn’t officially get paid for the project, but the work was worth it regardless.
In the next week or so, other Big Cats for Kids will pop up Downtown at the Arena, Independent Square (two of them), the BellSouth building, CSX, the Main Library and other locations.