The original bust of John Marshall was made of Italian marble. Unveiled June 3, 1937 by the chief justice's great-great-grandson, Charles Marshall Scott, it commemorated the 100th anniversary of Marshall College.
During Easter weekend of 1957, the erosion-marred bust was damaged by vandals, who broke off part of its nose and the right ear. J.S. Jablonski, then chairman of the Department of Art, pronounced the statue unrepairable, and volunteered to donate his time and skill to create a replacement. Andrew R. Winters, former state senator and Marshall alumnus, contributed $600 to pay for the casting of the bust into bronze. Jablonski worked for nine months on the new bust, spending 150-200 hours on the project.

Using information from the library; studying photos, the Inman portrait, and the original statue; and working from the sketches of Col. Tiller E. Carter, former Marshall professor of military science and tactics, who according to Jablonski was a living image of John Marshall, he created a clay model. A three-piece mold of plaster-of-Paris cast made. This was cast in bronze by the Roman Bronze Works of Corona, N.Y. The F.C. McColm granite Company donated a new granite shaft to replace the previous limestone pedestal which was also chipped and eroded.
On May 9, 1959, Margaret Ann Scott of Dayton, great-great-great granddaughter of John Marshall stood where her father had 22 years before to unveil the new bust.