UNC Charlotte Magazine - Winter 2022

Every commencement ceremony concludes with the ringing of the Victory Bell, led by a deserving 49er graduate. Throughout the University’s history, it has rung to commemorate important institutional milestones.

The Old Bell, as it was originally known, was presented to Bonnie Cone in the early 1960s. After serving for years to summon children to Elizabeth Elementary School, the bell was gifted to Charlotte College by Principal Hattie Alexander. It was placed near the Kennedy Building in a redwood framework built under the direction of biology professor Herbert Hechenbleikner.

According to the Charlotte Collegian, on June 28, 1963, former Charlottean Herschel Johnson, a 25-year veteran of the U.S. diplomatic corps, gave a speech formally dedicating the Old Bell to Charlotte College.

The bell rang again on March 2, 1965, to celebrate the victorious legislative vote that welcomed Charlotte College to the statewide university system. Cone, in Raleigh for the vote, called campus with the good news. Over the phone, she heard the wild ringing of the bell and was told it was ringing once for the legislature members and twice for her. Gov. Dan Moore visited campus on July 1 to ring the Old Bell to mark UNC Charlotte’s official entry into the UNC System.

In 1990, Cone rang the Victory Bell to mark the University’s 25th anniversary as a member of the UNC System. It later rang to celebrate authorization to offer doctoral degrees and to announce the formation of the Charlotte 49ers football program.

The bell and tower remained near Kennedy until the construction of the Belk Tower, when, according to the Carolina Journal, it was relegated to a “lonely spot between the Cone Center and the gym.” It remained there until campus and student leaders refurbished it for ceremonial use.

Gov. Dan Moore