On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the year 1918, an armistice between the Allied troops and Germany came into effect, officially ending World War I.

Throughout the semester, OU has recognized the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I with a series of courses, lectures, and film screenings.

On November 11, 2018, the world will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the finale of the war that was once dubbed “the war to end all wars.” At 11:00 a.m. on November 11, bells will toll across the nation in remembrance of all those who served and sacrificed during the four-year war and as a nationwide celebration of peace.

Oglethorpe University will participate in the ringing of the Bells of Peace. On Sunday morning, the 42-bell carillon atop Oglethorpe’s Lupton Hall will ring 21 times at five second intervals—to align with the 21-gun salute tradition for the “laying down of arms”.

Afterwards, a short program in the Great Hall of Hearst will feature students and professors reading poetry and speaking on the literature and music of the period.

Oglethorpe’s bell tower is a part of history itself. In fact, Lupton Hall was first constructed in 1919—only a year after the end of World War I—and the first four bells of the carillon were added in 1922. The tower was officially named The Lale Özgörkey Bell Tower in 2013 in recognition of a generous gift to the university from the Özgörkey family. The Carillon Ceremony, a favorite tradition, invites graduating seniors to climb the tower and chime the bells themselves to mark the conclusion of their time at Oglethorpe. Alumni can do the same during Alumni Weekends.

As an iconic piece of the university’s history, Oglethorpe University is proud to include the carillon in the historic Bells of Peace WWI remembrance. Throughout the semester, Oglethorpe has also commemorated the anniversary of the armistice with a collection of World War I specific events and courses.