Jay, I tried to hint that your efforts might be better spent trying to urge the essential parties to do a much better job in contacting Mr. Russell. As a professional, I'm sure you've thoroughly researched the mistakes made in the past on this issue. My reason for starting this string was my surprise at our university granting one degree after 48 years, and not allowing Mr. Russell to earn his decades after his class graduated. My feeling is unless you are able to establish a proper communication with Mr. Russell, you will most likely never get your and our statue, no matter how many signatures you collect. It's not that people are against your idea. It's more they're extremely skeptical of your methods since they've been attempted in the past by individuals much closer to Mr. Russell than you. Like the late Ollie Matson, try an "end around." As DC says, we hear you. Now it's time for you to work on the fore mentioned communication off DC, but if it looks impossible, which it well could, remember your well meaning efforts might be better spent in an other area. Perhaps, after 50 or so years after many of us have passed, Bill Russell will still be a USF legend, and then his statue will be erected.