Coming back to Lindsey Wilson’s Campus students have been somewhat surprised to find construction on the quad. It was quickly brought to light that this construction work was going to lead to the creation of a bell tower.

As some may know, every year the senior class raises money by filling little blue piggy banks with cash. These piggies are called ‘Fillup’, as in fill them up. “Generally a few hundred dollars are raised” said class president Hannah McCandless. The senior class partners up with the graduating class of fifty years ago, that group is known as the golden graduates. “Generally the two groups come up with a gift idea together, but last year's was pre-determined. Initially people were really upset because they played games on that side of the quad but people are getting more excited now because they understand why it’s happening and it’s going to look cool”.

The bell that is going to be put on the new tower is the same bell that once hung on the administration building. Originally hung in 1904 as a gift from Mr. George Fletcher, the contractor in building the college and dormitory. It’s not known for sure, but it’s thought by many including, Mike Newton, the Director of Physical Plant operations, that “...the administration building was renovated, and in changing the structure it made keeping the bell on the building no longer viable.” said Mike Newton was who re-discovered the bell. “I found the old bell in storage and damaged in the basement of Phillips, I decided to fix it and keep it because one day it might mean something.”

Newton and Anthony Janes, the CEO of FABCO, a welding and fabrication company, worked together to design the bell tower. The base of the bell tower is twenty feet in diameter and is six to seven feet deep in the ground. When it’s finished the tower is planned to be a little over three stories high, or thirty-two to thirty-six feet. A locking mechanism is planned to be put on the bell so that it can’t be rung by anyone at anytime.

Burns liked the idea of a bell tower because the project would connect the alumni to campus and the two graduated classes to one another. Burns was adamant that “Mike Newton deserves the most credit, he made this possible.” He went on to mention the “...dedication ceremony on september 30th which is homecoming. The first bell ring may possibly happen then. SGA and the administration are working together to decide who rings the bell and why.”

The bell tower is planned to be finished a few weeks in advance of that date, giving some wiggle room in case there are any set back. As of right now the construction of the tower is on track and should be a grand addition to the already beautiful campus of Lindsey Wilson.

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