Rufus Columbus Burleson

[2][3] He was asked in 1869 by Barnas Sears, a former president of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, to establish the Peabody Education Fund.

[2][3] He also helped establish Bishop College, an historically black institution originally in Marshall, Texas, but later moved to Dallas.

The suburban city of Burleson in Johnson County south of Fort Worth, Texas, is named in his honor.

Standing about seven feet tall, the statue created by Signor Pompeo Coppini, can still be found in Burleson Quadrangle, which is also named after the past President of Baylor University.

The $4000.00 statue was purchased by the Baylor Alumni Association and consists of bronze for the sculpture with a base of pink and blue granite on a concrete foundation.