FHU celebrates 156th academic year with annual ‘Tolling of the Bell’ ceremony

HENDERSON, Tenn. — Class is back in session for one of our local universities.

It is the start of a new year at Freed-Hardeman University and every year the university marks the beginning with the tolling of a bell. It is a tradition every single year on the first day of classes.

We spoke with FHU President David Shannon about why this event is so important and special.

“We actually toll a bell that A.G. Freed, one of the namesakes of Freed-Hardeman, tolled when he was also part of a school. There’s a lot of symbolism of that day, historical anchor that reminds us of who we are,” said Shannon.

Over the weekend hundreds of new students have moved onto campus and have spent the last few days getting acclimated to college life.

President Shannon has some advice for them.

“You know our message to them is to think about the four years that they will spend here and the growth and development that they want to accomplish in their life. When you think about it, most of our students come here as teenagers and leave as young adults,” said Shannon.

Shannon has been serving in his role as president of Freed-Hardeman University since 2017. It was announced a few months ago that he will be stepping away and the search for a new president has begun. He took some time with us to reflect on the past few years.

“Freed-Hardeman will always have the deepest place in my heart, also in my life. I came here also as an 18-year-old. When I left as a young adult, I cannot ever repay Freed-Hardeman for the blessing that was in my life,” said Shannon.

He will, of course, remain here in his role until a successor has been chosen. The tolling of the bell ceremony has been taking place for over two decades and Wednesday marked the beginning of the 156th school year for FHU.

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