"I got the idea that he would just be able to rise physically from his wheelchair and go up to heaven," his father ... for months to create a mold for the statue, which was then cast in bronze.

The $10m (£8.1m) statue was inspired by a photo of Dr King and Coretta Scott King hugging The son of civil rights leaders ... sculpture did not have "mom and dad's images," it represents ...

Mease's son, Roy "Kipper ... have seen only bronze, the statue was a tribute to Kipper Mease and a place of reflection for those who knew him, particularly his father," Garcia told Chron.