The new clock tower the university installed near the library
Photo: David Scibilia/The Bona Venture
BY ANDREW HALE, EDITOR IN CHIEF
St. Bonaventure University installed a new street clock, which they placed outside of the Friedsam Memorial Library.
Construction on the concrete patio and electric, brick walls surrounding the clock began this summer. The Verdin Company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, manufactured and placed the clock on Oct. 16, according to Tom Missel, Bonaventure’s chief communications officer.
Jack McGinley, former chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, donated money for the clock, said Missel. However, Missel declined to comment on the amount donated.
The design of the clock, inspired by those from the 19th-century Victorian Era in England, features lions on each bottom corner along with “St. Bonaventure” inscribed across the top.
The university strategically selected the location of the new clock, according to Missel.
But just to the new clock’s northeast stands another clock just outside of Butler Memorial Hall. It’s stood its ground since 1934, said Missel.
After more than 90 years, the clock will be removed later this semester, according to Missel
“It hasn’t told time for several years; the structure and clock faces have deteriorated and the repair costs couldn’t be justified,” said Missel. “The optics of having a clock in the middle of campus where ‘time stood still’ weren’t great.”
In the 1930s, the university bought the old campus clock from a closing bank in Hornell, New York, according to the university’s archives. The friars repaired the clock which had been broken for eight years before the university’s purchase.
However, in 1986, lighting struck the clock which left two of the faces defective leading to its repair and remodel three years later, according to the archives.
The base of the clock features four Latin phrases written by Rev. Thomas Plassmann, according to the archives. On the east side of the base reads Tempus Dei Gratia, “Time is God’s gift.” On the south, Tempus Sanat Vulnera, “Time heals all wounds.” Tempus Fundit Munera, “Time dispenses gifts” on the north and Tempus Horret Otia, “Time hates laziness” on the west side of the base.
Bonaventure archivist, Dennis Frank, plans to salvage the hands of the clock as well as attempt to preserve one or more of the inscriptions carved into the base of the tower, said Missel.
While the field in front of Butler Memorial Hall has been home to the clock for decades, the university decided against placing the new one in the same location, according to Missel.
“We didn’t want to impede any future potential plans for the Butler Gym site, and the area in front of the library makes it a great location for all to see,” said Missel.
The new clock provides a historical link to its campus clock predecessors, said Missel.
While the clock has already been placed, the university plans to add landscaping with bushes and stones around the brickwork exterior later this semester. However, there are no plans for any similar projects, according to Missel.
halea22@bonaventure.edu
