Dedicated on May 29, 1954, the World’s Largest Penny honored the staff and students of Arbor Vitae-Woodruff School and reflected Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb’s dream for a local hospital, as well as the community spirit of Woodruff and Arbor Vitae residents and civic groups who donated labor and materials and organized fundraising activities. In the fall of 1952, Otto Burich and his geometry students led a district-wide campaign to collect one million pennies to raise funds for the hospital, mailing letters nationwide as part of the effort, while Arbor Vitae-Woodruff grade school students even donated their allowances. In all, 1,700,000 pennies were collected in just 104 days from 48 states. On Memorial Day in 1953, 10,000 people attended the Million Penny Parade in Woodruff to celebrate the achievement. Made of concrete block, the World’s Largest Penny is 10 feet in diameter, 18 inches thick, and weighs 17,452 pounds. Students at Arbor Vitae-Woodruff School continued to collect millions of pennies to help fund the Dr. Kate Museum Memorial Scholarship, and their efforts not only saved the hospital project, but also inspired the community and put the small town of Woodruff on the international map.