Lake Forest Park resident Mary Sullivan was shocked on Wednesday when she learned that Fremont’s famous statue of Lenin is in fact an image of the Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, not the late singer-songwriter John Lennon, as she previously believed.
“Lenin and Lennon sound pretty much the same,” said Sullivan. “When people talked about Fremont’s statue of Lenin, I just assumed it was John Lennon.”
Sullivan admitted to having driven past the iconic landmark a number of times in visits to Fremont, but indicated that she never noticed that the statue bears little to no resemblance to the Beatles star. “It’s a big hunk of bronze,” Sullivan explained. “How am I supposed to know who it is?”
The startling realization came to Sullivan as she was conversing with her husband over dinner. When Mr. Sullivan referred to “the statue of Vladimir Lenin in Fremont,” an awkward silence fell upon the dining room. After a few moments, a clearly puzzled Mrs. Sullivan simply responded by asking “wait, what?” It was the first time Sullivan had heard someone use the full name of the figure immortalized by the notorious effigy.
Eventually, Sullivan realized that her husband was referring to the statue that she believed to be of John Lennon. “Oooooooohhhhh,” she exclaimed. “I never did understand why a statue of one of the Beatles would be considered controversial, unless it had to do with Yoko Ono, or something.”
After enjoying a hearty laugh at her expense, Mr. Sullivan explained the history of the statue to his wife, and suggested that the two visit Fremont soon so that he could point out just how little the statue resembles the late British rock star.
Mr. Sullivan expressed amusement at the episode, and said that he looks forward to “discovering what other ridiculous mistaken notions are floating around inside that head of hers, just waiting to be unearthed and mercilessly mocked.”
For her part, Mary Sullivan has maintained a lighthearted attitude about the situation. “If I got upset every time I was confused about something, I’d probably be rich,” she said. “Wait, that doesn’t sound right.”
We actually have a friend who had moved here from California and heard about a Lenin statue. One day we took her to see it and she stared at it for several seconds in silence before saying, “Um, I was expecting John.”
The Fremont Community Association is now raising funds for the acquisition of a statue of Adolph Hitler to be installed just across the street. Other murderous dictators including Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Mao Tse Tung, and Benito Mussolini were also on the list. Though the FCA does not want any totalitarians to feel excluded, and hopes to raise funds for the additional leaders in the future, but will concentrate on funds for the Fuhrer in the near term.
Yeah, I know, it’s an old post. But I love this story so much for so many reasons. I live in Lake Forest Park and work in Fremont, sometimes commuting along the BG Trail, which should now be renamed the Mary Sullivan trail.
Ms. Sullivan is a woman of great humor and wise humility unlike the murdering, unctuous bastard, V.I. Lenin who was a prick.