INDIANAPOLIS — A bronze bust of the late Gov. Joe Kernan was unveiled during the 2023 Indianapolis St. Patrick's celebration. The Indianapolis Athletic Club Foundation commissioned the work.
In 1996, Kernan was elected lieutenant governor of Indiana with Gov. Frank O'Bannon. The pair won reelection in 2000 and Kernan became governor when O'Bannon died in 2003.
He was a graduate of the University the Notre Dame and served as a Naval Aviator in the Vietnam War. His plane was shot down over North Vietnam and he was held as a prisoner of war.
Kernan cemented himself in Indiana's political arena as the mayor of South Bend for three terms.
Kernan died in 2020 after battling Alzheimer's.
His bust will be on display at the Statehouse.