|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The inspiration for the Bell Tower appeared in a letter from Vance Sykes (Class of 1907) to E. B. Owen, then serving as alumni secretary. The letter is credited with starting the movement to construct a monument for alumni killed in World War I. The memorial committee appointed Architect William Henry Deacy to design the tower in 1920. Its blending of Romanesque features and Gothic verticality are reminiscent of the towers of West Point. The 115-foot monument, called "a legend in stone" contains 1,400 tons of stone set on a 700-ton concrete base, and exceeded $150,000 in cost. Although 33 alumni died in the war, the memorial plaque contains 34
names. Before the Armistice the name G. L. Jeffers, Class of '13, was
wrongly reported killed in action. Many years later, however, when
the memorial plaque was made, a list was furnished to the manufacturer
from which Jeffers' name had never been removed. When the error was
noted on the finished plaque, a decision was made to alter the extra
name beyond recognition. It was therefore changed to G. E. Jefferson,
a symbol of unknown soldiers from State and elsewhere. |
