Ringing out twice an hour from St. Cloud State University’s tallest structure, carillon chimes have provided a steady background noise to campus life for over 50 years.
The noise originates from a digital system in Atwood Memorial Center, while speakers broadcast the music from atop 13-story Sherburne Hall, which stands as the tallest building in St. Cloud.
Members of the Atwood family provided the majority of funding for the original carillon, which was financed entirely by private contributions. SCSU’s carillon debuted 53 years ago during the inauguration of the institution’s 15th president Charles Graham.
“Bells have long been associated with institutions of learning; now carillon music will become a distinctive feature of our campus,” Graham said in 1972.
That sentiment remains five decades later, with bells still ringing throughout the day. The top of the hour includes the tune of Westminster chimes and gongs that correspond with the hour of the day. Additionally, SCSU’s University Hymn and University Rouser play at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Westminster chimes also ring at the half hour mark during the day.
The system from the Schulmerich Co. used to take up an entire room in Atwood. An organ was also connected to the speaker system, residing in Atwood’s Mississippi Room. It would play for special events like the student center’s 20th anniversary celebration in 1987.
In 1998 the system was digitized, reducing the size of the mechanism down to a small console and replacing the organ. The new carillon was more efficient and also enabled a wide variety of songs to be programmed to play.
While Sherburne Hall stopped housing students in 2021, the speakers from the former dorm’s roof continue dutifully echoing out songs from the university’s rich history, day after day, year after year.
