The UT Tower

The first time I heard the bells in the UT Tower strike the time, my mind flipped through the memories of my childhood to 301 South Orchard Street, the place I knew as home for most of my life, even after my family moved to Georgia. It was only a few blocks away from the Oklahoma State University campus, and every hour, on the hour, I could always count on the bells from the library clock to play their melody and mark the time.

I didn't even remember that that regular occurrence had such a place in my memory, but as soon as I heard the UT Tower bells my first day on campus, lots of other memories replayed themselves: feeding the ducks at Theta Pond, looking at the homecoming floats, walking up the many steps to my dad's old office, and tagging along with my brother and his friends when they played tennis on the campus courts. Of course there are non-campus memories, too, and they typically involved trips to Braum's Ice Cream and candy runs to Quick Trip.

Mostly, though, I remember always being surrounded by books and learning. My dad is a professor, so my family always lived in university towns. I had the advantage of growing up in places where people were, for the most part, fairly educated, and if not, they at least saw the benefit of education. I am thankful for that. I'd like to always live near a university, if at all possible.

I pass the UT Tower every day I walk to work. From my office desk, I can faintly hear the bells peal the time or the student carillonneurs practice new music. Each sound reminds me of every good memory from my childhood and the curiosity that motivated me to read and learn and wonder.


Thing I'm thankful for: Fricano's!