New clock tower named for GC&SU contributor
A brand new clock tower completed during the two-year period of construction of the new dorms on campus was nameless until early last week, when the Board of Regents decided to dedicate the tower in honor of Ralph H. Norman.
“Ralph was instrumental in developing the funding mechanism that allowed us to use private money through our foundation to build the residence halls,” Director of University Communications Mitch Clarke said, “The state of Georgia does not allow universities to use public money to build residence halls.”
Norman was a valued contributor to the Georgia College & State University community who was responsible for helping to provide financial aid that funded the renovations of the Sanford, Napier, Parkhurst and Adams residence halls last year.
Norman passed away last summer, and the Board of Regents named the clock tower after him in honor and remembrance of his efforts to improve the GC&SU community.
The 60-foot tall tower overlooks a newly-constructed reflecting pool, akin to the one in Washington D.C. that lies under the Washington Monument. Clarke said the tower was not a part of the original plan, but something that was added in when the idea was conceived.
“The clock tower was just a part of the design of the whole area where the student housing was going to go,” Clarke said. “The way the new resident halls were built, there’s now a courtyard that runs from behind Sanford Hall, all the way down to the area between Parkhurst and the Foundation, and the clock tower was just an amenity the architects that designed the residential area decided to add.”
As of the moment, the clock in the tower remains motionless. The landscaping around the area of the tower will be completed before the clock will become functional. There is no official word as to when the hands will go into motion, but Clarke said the dedication of the clock will become official, complete with a ceremony to mark the occasion when it does.
“Hopefully everyone will really enjoy the new clock tower,” Clarke said. “It really adds to that area that we’ve created, and the reflecting pool and the clock tower really tie the design together nicely.”
For more information on the progress of the clock tower, or for updates on the construction or completion dates, contact Mitch Clarke at (478) 445-4477. You can also log onto the InfoPage at info.gcsu.edu.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Mar 4 2005. Filed under News.
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