by J. Robertson Miller
The year was 1930. Albert Einstein and his wife were on their way to California on the Belgenland, a transatlantic ocean liner and cruise ship, via the Panamá Canal. Their ship stopped briefly in the city.
He was taken around by members of the local community. After Einstein left, a triangular piece of land was donated for a commemorative park. They commissioned Carlos Arboleda to create a sculpture. Thus we have “Cabeza de Einstein” as the focus of this park.
Originally, Carlos Arboleda was commissioned to sculpt a bust. The word “bust” comes from a French word meaning a sculpture of the head and upper torso. However, the sculptor considered that it was Einstein’s brain which made the man so remarkable, therefore he sculptured the larger-than-life sized head.
It became common for local businesses to add “Einstein” to their business name. This practice has faded but a few remain, such as the Einstein Clinic on via Argentina.
The park is a pleasant place to sit outside and eat lunch. From there you can see the Spanish Panama Language School. When I first visited the school, the taxi driver dropped me off at the park. From there, I walked down the hill to the traffic light. Joseph Ennis, the founder and owner of the school was waiting for me across the street. We’ve been friends ever since.
Can you find the sculpture in the photo that is taken from the school steps? Hint: look to the left of the palm tree, just above the cars.
The sculpture faces the school and, from the school, you can see the park. Quite appropriate, I think.