Q. What is that statue in the Gearhart Reading Room?

The bust is located in the Library Gearhart Reading Room in the area between the quiet and loud sections is of Augustus Caesar (born Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus), the first emperor of Rome. He lived from 63 B.C. to A.D. 14. The statue was given to the university in 1968 by Mr. & Mrs. Frank Kent who purchased the artwork in Italy for TCU. The bust rests on a pink marble base and a specially designed wooden stand.

From Britannica Online:

Augustus was one of the great administrative geniuses of history. The gigantic work of reorganization that he carried out in every field of Roman life and throughout the entire empire not only transformed the decaying republic into a new, monarchic regime with many centuries of life ahead of it but also created a durable Roman peace, based on easy communications and flourishing trade. It was this Pax Romana that ensured the survival and eventual transmission of the classical heritage, Greek and Roman alike, and provided the means for the diffusion of Judaism and Christianity.

"Augustus." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.