Phil the Window Washer

Marquette, Michigan

A plaque next to the statue of Phil Niemisto states that he "became an icon in Marquette's downtown district, working tirelessly, rain or snow, washing merchants' windows and planting and caring for this public garden." Phil also labored without pay, a point particularly praised by city officials at the statue's dedication.

The life-size likeness, by local artist Earl Senchuck (who had never sculpted a human before), shows Phil sitting on a bench -- an odd pose for such an active man -- in the clothes Phil always wore when he washed windows: a billed cap, blue shirt, and necktie. Phil wore the same outfit to the statue's unveiling on Oct. 17, 2017, two days before his 88th birthday. According to a report in The Mining Journal, Phil told the crowd, "It's nice that somebody does notice what you're doing day after day after day." He died four months later, on Feb. 25, 2018.