Big Bull on a Pylon, Dedicated by Ike

Kansas City, Missouri

Never underestimate the power of the beef business. On October 12, 1954, the American Hereford Association erected a big Hereford bull on a 90-foot-high pylon, lit from within at night, in front of its new headquarters building overlooking the Kansas City stockyards. And it somehow convinced President Eisenhower to dedicate the bovine, which was modeled on Hillcrest Larry IV, a real bull. It's perhaps the only giant fiberglass creature ever blessed by a sitting President.

We know about Ike because a plaque honoring the dedication is still mounted on the pylon at W. 11th and Jefferson Sts -- even though the bull is gone. It vanished into storage in 2000 when new owners moved into the building, but public outcry forced its return in 2002. It now stands atop a new, shorter pylon, only a couple of blocks south of its old spot, where it does double duty as both a civic symbol and a cell phone tower.