Coe College Campus: The Victory Bell

Another week, another tab on the site “Coe College: the First Hundred Years.”   This week it is 'The Campus', containing 'The Buildings of Coe' and 'The Attractions of Coe'.  One attraction being the "Victory Bell".

The Victory Bell: Celebrating 76 Years of Victories

“O mighty bell, thy power is great;
Your vibrant tones ecstatic swell,
And speak again of kindly fate
Thy notes are notes we all love well.


Ring out and tell of vict’ry won,
With penetrating tones, O bell.
Whene’er you speak, to live is fun;
When you keep still, to live is –!”

Roteiv
Cosmos November 12, 1925

Students first encounter the Victory Bell during orientation week when they ring it to signal the beginning of their career at the college.  This tradition, having begun in 1992, is relatively new to the bell .  The bell itself is also new having been donated by the class of 2000, but the tradition of a Victory Bell goes back to 1913.

The class of 1913 were the first to donate a Victory Bell to the college.  Athletics at Coe was going through a loosing streak at the time and the students decided that the athletes needed more collegiate support, hence the Victory Bell was born.  Over the years the bell has been apart of many traditions, been many bells, and traveled around the campus to many locations.  Check out the article, "The Victory Bell" on “Coe College: the First Hundred Years” to read the full story of it's journey.

~Sara Pitcher, Archives Assistant