The water tower located behind Biggers Sports Center received a facelift and includes a fresh Lindsey Wilson College logo, and an alumni victory bell tower is under construction on the campus quad.
The cosmetic overhaul on the water tower began in May. The recognizable landmark on the A.P. White campus was once nicknamed by students the “mashed potato tower” after the potato side dish that appears daily on the Roberta D. Cranmer Dining Center menu. The exterior has been power washed and sanded and painted twice. The finishing touch – a larger than life Lindsey Wilson College logo was completed at the end of the month.
“The water tower hasn’t been painted in more than 15 years,” said LWC Vice President for Administration and Finance, Mark Coleman. “It’s one of the first things people notice on campus. A facelift was long overdue.”
The original victory bell hung in the L.R. McDonald Administration Building until the early 1970s and was rung after each victory in basketball, the only sport at the time. The same historic bell will be relocated to a different home in the newly constructed bell tower on the campus quadrangle.
“Students would race back to campus to be the first to ring the bell,” said Randy Burns, LWC Director of Alumni Relations. “We want the students to decide the new traditions for the victory bell. The alumni office and LWC administration will work with student government to make that happen.”
LWC staff members are building the 30-foot-tall victory bell tower with assistance from Anthony Janes and Fabco Incorporated. The finished tower will include a replica of the crown atop the iconic John B. Begley Chapel and will be completed by homecoming weekend, Sept. 30-Oct.1.
Money for the alumni victory bell tower was raised from donations by members of the Class of 2016 their parents and additional gifts from friends of the College.