Restoration Hightlight
The highly anticipated restoration and renovation of The McGaffin Carillon is complete. We are very thankful for the over 225 donors who have made this possible. A list of donors is on the Friends of the McGaffin Carillon website https://www.ucbells.org/friends . In these series of highlights The Friends of the McGaffin Carillon would like to honor some of the major gifts as well as some of the major upgrades to the installation.
The New Clock Chimes
The Digital Clock Display
Emily Blake
At its installation in 1968, The McGaffin Carillon marked the hours and played the Westminster Chimes every quarter hour. Unfortunately, these chimes stopped working decades ago. During our 2018 restoration of the peal, a community volunteer was able to repair the hour strike, but parts needed to repair the quarter hour chimes were no longer available and the quarter hours remained silent.
A digital clock control is part of the new system thanks to the generosity of the late Emily Blake. Emily was a lifetime member of the Church of the Covenant. She met her husband, Bob, at the church. Emily served as chair of the fundraising and membership committees of the church and was also a volunteer for the Covenant Cache, the church thrift shop. The entire family has been very active in church activities.
New quarter hour chimes, The McGaffin Quarters, were composed by Covenant and University Circle Carillonist, George Leggiero. The chimes highlight the new Eb bell, the last bell rung every quarter, and the new bourdon or lowest bell that counts the hours. The McGaffin Quarters will sound from 9am to 10pm. The hour strike will be heard 24 hours a day. The clock is set by an Internet time signal and the first stroke of the hour strike is always exactly on the hour.