9/20/2023 0 Comments Save the clock tower![]() On December 14, 1955, in conjunction with the Detroit Free Press, the Save the Tower Committee sponsored a lecture by “Peanuts” cartoonist Charles M. Ultimately, the Save the Tower campaign raised $8,000. Two local theaters donated the proceeds from one night toward the campaign as well. Robert Chable added, “There is no question in my mind about the ability of our students to accomplish anything they set out to do.”ĭonations continued to pour in over the next weeks and months from the letter campaign. Donald Phillips said in a Collegian interview. “I am delighted that student leaders have demonstrated a mature constructive initiative and concern for their alma mater,” President J. From that one evening alone, students raised $1,300.Ĭollege administrators and faculty expressed their confidence and delight in the ambitious student undertaking. On the evening of December 5, 1955, more than 200 students canvassed the town in a door-to-door appeal, while simultaneously, local radio station WBSE ran a 12-hour “tower marathon” to raise money. The tower, in itself, means nothing-but as an enduring symbol of our school, it means everything.” Students sent 15,000 letters to alumni, county residents, and friends and parents of the College. Student Federation President Bill Allinder, ’57, summed up the importance of such a lofty campaign: “It’s our chance to do something lasting for our school. A Save the Tower Committee, headed by Ed Moran, ’58, was formed, and committee members quickly outlined a campaign with an ambitious goal: raise $10,000 for the tower. ![]() When Hillsdale students learned of this dilemma, they sprung into action. But how could the College, not fully recovered from years of financial difficulty, afford this expense? ![]() At minimum, reconstructing it would cost $7,500 at maximum, $10,000. In November 1955, Hillsdale’s Board of Trustees received the grim news from engineers who had surveyed the deteriorating tower: it was a “menace to life and property” and should be either torn down or restored. For nearly 150 years, Hillsdale College’s iconic clocktower has risen high above the surrounding countryside pointing to an azure sky, as beautifully stated in our alma mater, “White and Blue.” But did you know there was a time when our clocktower was in danger of being lost? Thanks to the determination of Hillsdale students in 1955, coupled with the support of alumni, parents, local residents, and friends of the College, the beloved clocktower continues to stand as an enduring symbol of Hillsdale College. ![]()
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