What's with that bell in the University of Arizona's Student Union Memorial Center?
The 1,820-pound bell is one of two salvaged from the USS Arizona in 1941.
The battleship Arizona served in the U.S. Navy from 1916 until 1941 when it was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The bell made its debut on the UA campus in July 1946 after nearly being melted down at the Puget Sound Naval Yard.
Wilbur L. "Bill" Bowers, an Army captain and a 1927 UA alumnus, saved the bell from destruction and was instrumental in acquiring it for the UA.
It was installed in the clock tower of the first Student Union, which was built in 1951, and rung on special occasions for the next 50 years until the building was demolished to make way for the new Student Union.
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Nowadays, the bell is rung seven times on the third Wednesday of every month at 12:07 p.m. in honor of the achievements of the UA and its community, and on other special occasions.
The other original bell is on display in Hawaii at the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.
● Source: The University of Arizona . Compiled by the Arizona Daily Star's Sherri Lacy.
