World War II Memorial Campanile
The Campanile in 1951
Image courtesy of University Archives
THE BELLS OF MT. OREAD
Sunday, May 27, 1951
On May 27th, 1951 the Memorial Carillon and Campanile was formally dedicated to the 277 KU men and women who had given their lives in the Second World War.
Among those who heard the first melodious tones resonating from the tower’s 53 bells were the friends and families of the deceased. They looked out towards the Kaw Valley over Memorial Stadium, built to honor the 130 KU students and alumni who had died in the First World War. As they listened to the heartfelt praise and gratitude expressed for their departed loved ones, the moment must have been as poignant as it was picturesque. Surely no sight or experience better revealed the truth of the old adage that “freedom is never free.”
Campanile construction 1949
Image courtesy of University Archives
Groundbreaking for Campanile circa 1940s
Photo courtesy of University Archives
Interior ceiling of the Campanile
Photo courtesy of University ArchivesMore About the Memorial
The Campanile on the KU campus is a memorial to those students who fought and died in World War II. Warren Corman, e’50 shares the story of the creation of this campus landmark and the KU tradition born of it. Video courtesy of the Kansas Alumni Association.
