Leonardo da Vinci envisioned it in the 15th century. Charles C. Dent brought The Horse back to life in 1978 after reading an article in National Geographic magazine, and the 24-foot bronze statue was unveiled in Milan on Sept. 10, 1999. While The Horse would never have been completed without Leonardo’s genius and Charles C. Dent’s passion, scores of other people helped make the dream a reality, including those who took up Charlie Dent’s cause after his death on the morning of Dec. 25, 1994.
Charles C. Dent’s life story and the completion of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Horse That Never Was” – a passion Dent carried for the final 17 years of his life – are testaments to his resolve and to his courage to think boldly. In living as a Renaissance man of his age, Dent also was an accomplished pilot, philanthropist, and diplomat. See More
Sculptor Nina Akamu was hired by LDVHI in 1997, three years after the death of the project’s guiding force, Charles C. Dent. Akamu created a new master clay model that became the template for the final statue.
When Charles C. Dent passed away in 1994, his nephew Peter C. Dent was chosen to help carry on Charlie Dent’s legacy. Peter Dent served as an LDVHI Trustee from 1994-2003 and as its President from 1999 until the 2003 merger that formed the Da Vinci Science Center as it is known today. Peter Dent was Chairman of the Da Vinci Science Center’s Board of Trustees from 2006-2010. See More
As the end of Charles C. Dent’s life neared, Roger Enloe – Charlie’s brother-in-law and former President of UN WE BELIEVE, an organization also founded by Dent – became President of LDVHI. Shortly before Charlie Dent passed away, Enloe was among the friends and loved ones at his bedside who promised to complete the project. Enloe passed away on Jan. 10, 2006.
Charles W. Dent, nephew of Charles C. Dent and brother of Peter C. Dent, is the United States Congressman representing Pennsylvania’s 15th district, which includes the greater Lehigh Valley region, home to the Da Vinci Science Center.
Barbara Tripp Strohl, a long-time friend of the Dent family, served as Business Manager for LDVHI from 1989 until it merged in 2003 into what is known today as the Da Vinci Science Center. Strohl served as the Da Vinci Science Center’s Business Manager until her retirement in 2008. Strohl passed away on Oct. 9, 2010.
