Bell tolling rings in FHU’s 153rd school year
HENDERSON, Tenn. — A bell ringing in Lloyd Auditorium means one thing for students at Freed-Hardeman University: the start of classes.
Tolling of the bell signifies the beginning of the 153rd school year for the university. Retired Brig. Gen. Billy B. Morgan of the US Air Force from Benton, Kentucky served as Master of the Bell.
He rang the bell 15 times, once for each decade of the school’s existence.
“The tolling of the bell gives us an official and a ceremonial beginning to bring an emphasis to just how important this fresh start is each year for every student, and also faculty, staff and administration. But also the tolling of the bell links back to our history. It’s a reminder that we all stand on the shoulders of those that have gone on before us to appreciate those individuals, but also to remind us that there will be those in the future standing on our shoulders. So our performance today is gratitude looking back, and it’s also serving hood looking forward,”
The bell was first tolled by A.G. Freed, the namesake for Freed-Hardeman, in the late 1800s at a school he attended in Essary Springs.
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