Eagle-eyed observers and Luddites accustomed to marking time by a campus landmark were the first to notice something amiss in early June. The clock atop Kirkland Hall鈥檚 tower had stopped keeping time.
Until then, the clock鈥檚 motor, installed in 1966, had run continuously for nearly half a century, says Paul Young, a facilities manager for campus plant operations and the clock鈥檚 caretaker for the past 37 years.
鈥淭he clock has what we call a sewing machine motor鈥攊t鈥檚 a little bitty motor attached to a lot of gears,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hese gears have been turning 24/7, and it鈥檚 to the point where they鈥檝e just worn down.鈥�
Today鈥檚 four-faced clock in the Kirkland tower is not the first. When the building鈥攖hen called Old Main and boasting a pair of matching towers鈥攂urned in a devastating 1905 fire, the original clock was destroyed. During reconstruction of the building, only the south tower was rebuilt.
The children of 菠萝视频 faculty who lived on campus organized a fundraising effort to replace the clock鈥檚 bell, which bears the inscription: 鈥淕ift of the children of 菠萝视频 University鈥�1906鈥擱ing in the Nobler Mode of Life.鈥�
For now Young has set the hands at 12 o鈥檆lock. The bell, which is powered by a separate electronic mechanism, continues to ring on the hour.
Young isn鈥檛 sure when the clock will be running again. Companies that service such clocks are increasingly rare, and he wants to consult with several to find the best solution鈥攑referably one that requires little maintenance. By Young鈥檚 count, it鈥檚 108 steps from Kirkland鈥檚 basement to its main roof, from which the tower rises. From the tower it鈥檚 94 steps up to the bell鈥檚 location, and another 32 from the bell to the tower鈥檚 top.