DETROIT – Trying to sell a dubious Walter P. Chrysler and corporate executives on using the ram as a symbol for Dodge, sculptor Arvard Fairbanks explained the animal was "king of the trail," adding "Besides, if you saw one on the trail in front of you, you'd think ? 'Dodge!' "


Arvard Fairbanks
Chrysler immediately agreed, "That's it! The Dodge gets the ram!" And it did, beginning with the 1933 models.

In 1981 the ram moved beyond a symbol as Dodge Ram became the formal name for the company's full-size.

Fairbanks, who died at age 90 in 1987, created inspiring works, characterized by a fusion of classical realism and modern sensibilities. He studied art in the United States and Europe, and earned his doctorate in anatomy at the University of Michigan, where he was a professor of sculpture.

The artist created more than 100 public monuments dedicated to American leaders and historical events, four of which are located in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Some of his other commissioned projects were designs for original radiator ornaments, including both the ram and Plymouth's winged mermaid.

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