Memorial Bell Tower Rededicated

Tower dedicated to those who served in World War 1.

June 12, 2006 — Despite the rainy Reunion Weekend, more than 500 people filled Cochran Chapel for a formal rededication ceremony of the Memorial Bell Tower. The ceremony celebrated completion of a $5.1 million restoration project that began in the winter of 2005.

The tower was dismantled and rebuilt, brick by brick, in order to correct engineering flaws that had compromised the structural integrity of the building and that ultimately forced the bells into silence in 1989. As much of the original fabric of the building as possible was salvaged and reused for the reconstruction, most notably the entire three-tiered wood belfry that forms the upper half of the structure.

Though the reconstructed tower appears identical to the original tower built in 1923, right down to the recut engravings in the Deer Island granite blocks at the base of the building, the structure has been fitted with an enhanced set of bells that is configured with a touch-sensitive electronic system. The system features a keyboard on the ground floor that is used to sound the bells, which remain stationary when played. In total, the new tower holds 49 bells, 19 of which were used in the original tower.

The rededication ceremony featured addresses by Director of Alumni Affairs and PA Protestant Chaplain Rev. Michael J. Ebner ’70, President of the Board of Trustees Oscar L. Tang ’56, Trustee Emeritus David M. Underwood ’54, Sikanyiselwe S. Maqubela ’03, and Head of School Barbara Landis Chase. Music Instructor and School Organist Patrick Kabanda played several musical pieces on the new Bell Tower carillon.

The full program for the rededication ceremony can be viewed by clicking here. In addition to the names of the many donors whose contributions made the restoration possible, the program contains historical information about the Bell Tower and about what life was like at Andover during World War I. It also includes excerpts of letters sent home to friends and former teachers by Andover community members who were serving in the war. In all, 2,222 Andover students, alums, and faculty members served in uniform in World War I. The Bell Tower was constructed in memory of the 85 who died