A major business property owner, Charles W. Palm, was a familiar figure in Medford, Ore., often seen downtown with his wife, Callie, and their two cocker spaniel dogs.
A year after he died at age 72 in 1933, his widow donated to the city a statue carved in Italy of white Carrara marble, depicting a seated young man bent down to pet two adoring dogs intently looking up at him. The city placed the gift of the statue, including its granite base, a reflecting pool, drinking fountain, and benches, in Alba Park in 1934, where it remains today.
The park is located at the intersection of Holly and Main in downtown Medford. A railroad company deeded the park property to the city in 1888. The park was first named Library Park for the nearby Medford Carnegie Library that opened in 1911. Later, the city renamed it after Medford’s sister city, Alba, Italy.
The Medford Mail Tribune reported at the time of the statue’s dedication that it was not intended to be a memorial to Charles Palm, but a gift from the Palms to the City of Medford.
Source: Truwe, Ben, editor. "Palms." Southern Oregon History, Revised. Medford, Ore., truwe.sohs.org/files/palm.html. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.
