Submitted by Annette Barnette
Public Relations & Marketing Director
Glenville State College
Glenville, WV - A bell that has rung for many years in Central West Virginia will soon be laid to rest. A group of Glenville State College employees is making plans to move the bell from the campus clock tower and preserve it in a new location.
The GSC Clock Tower Project Committee is made up of a diverse group of faculty, staff, and administration who hope to see the original bell and 'clockworks' safely removed and restored in a new environment. Classified Staff Representative on the Board of Governors and Clock Tower Project Committee member Jason Phares said, "The bell is an indescribably important piece of history to past students, the community, and those of us who hear the bell ringing everyday.
Glenville State College is the site of many events for the community, visitors, and alumni, so we hope to make this historic display easily visible and available to everyone who comes on campus."
The bell, with an estimated weight of 1800 pounds, has hung in the current location since 1901 and has long been a symbol of 'the lighthouse on the hill.' The ringing of the bell is an hourly tradition that has been taking place for more than one hundred years.
For the past few years, the chime has come from speakers controlled by a computer system in the Harry B. Heflin Administration Building. The familiar sound to students, faculty staff, and GSC visitors keep them on time for classes and appointments.
Glenville State College President Dr. Peter B. Barr said, "This committee has taken on the Herculean task of moving an icon - the Heflin Building bell - of the Glenville State College community to a place of prominence. This ambitious project will bring the bell to a place that attracts students and community members and recalls the rich history of Glenville State College."
Vice President for College Advancement and Executive Director of the GSC Foundation Dennis Pounds says a campaign to raise funds for the project is underway on campus. In order to kick start the fund raising drive, all members of the committee and senior administrative staff were asked to pledge their support. Pounds said, "One-hundred percent have stepped up to pledge. We hope to receive more donations from others on campus and elsewhere."
For more information on the Clock Tower Project or to make a donation, contact Pounds at (304) 462-6381 or email Dennis.Pounds@glenville.edu
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