[MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm Gage Duffin.
I'm an Aggie, a political science and English major,
and I love the bell tower.
I've actually been wanting to get in the bell
tower for some time now.
You may even know me as the bell tower boy.
Old Main and I?
Oh yeah, we go way back.
She's beautiful, isn't she?
Anyway, I'm here to take you into, underneath,
and around some of Utah state's most obscure and often unseen
places.
This is the icing on the cake.
This is the good stuff.
[THEME MUSIC]
Today's the big day.
After a year of patient anticipation,
my big dream is finally coming true.
I'm just so excited.
It's going to be awesome.
You see, I've done my research.
The cornerstone for Old Main was laid in 1889,
and the rest of the building was completed in the year 1902.
This place is the oldest functioning academic building
in the state of Utah.
The OG Old Main bell went up in the year 1904
and eventually came down in 1914.
And then it ended up going into storage for over 70 years,
until in 1987 when it was installed high on the north
side of the Spectrum addition where it
shines in all its rusty glory.
All right, let's mask up.
Let's go.
Just got the chills a little bit.
[WORDLESS HUMMING]
I don't know what I'm going to do after this.
I don't know what I've got left.
Oh, stairs.
Might as well get my steps in for today, huh?
This is getting so real.
[LAUGHS]
I don't think anybody down there can hear me,
but I hope they can.
Go Aggies!
Is it OK if I call my mom?
I hope she-- if she doesn't answer--
she always answered my phone calls, but--
[RINGING]
It happened.
Wow.
Yeah, I'm up here.
Here's the-- I mean, there's no bell.
There's speakers.
But--
That's cool.
Yeah.
Do you get to take pictures?
I already took plenty of pictures.
We're taking videos.
It's awesome.
All right, love you.
Love you too, mom.
Bye.
Is it OK if I call my dad too?
Those are the only two people that I really--
my siblings don't need to see this.
My dad.
So here we have a carillon bell system.
The bell is totally digital now, and it's played
over these large speakers.
The first carillon model was installed
by the classes of 1914 and '15 to replace the original bell.
It was played by a giant piano of sorts,
and the player had to use their whole hands to play each note.
1978 marked the transformation to the digital carillon
bells, which we now hear today on campus.
[BELLS TOLLING]
I just found out that that--
[HUMS CHIME MELODY]
--actually dates back to the late 1700s.
Centuries old.
It's on practically every clock tower you've ever heard.
The tune is called "Cambridge Quarters,"
and it was composed by Reverend Dr. Joseph
Jowett for a clock in St. Mary the Great,
the University Church in Cambridge, England.
It's based off of a popular oratorio, Handel's Messiah,
which I learned about music 1010.
Shout out to my professor.
And it's still popular to this day.
But the bells aren't the only notable feature
of the bell tower.
We also have the iconic "A" that shines as a beacon of light
to the rest of Cache Valley.
The white lights are triggered at dusk and turned off at dawn.
And of course, the "A" turns blue for special occasions,
including wins of all University varsity team
sports and special university occasions approved by USU
President Noelle Cockett.
Well, did it meet my expectations?
Absolutely.
Can I sleep at night knowing my wildest
dream has come to fruition?
Yeah.
Do I know where I'm going to go next?
You tell me.
Leave a comment down below and let
us know where you want to see me go next.
But in the meantime, mask up, stay safe, and go Aggies.
[MUSIC PLAYING]