The Guthrie Bell Tower, Plaza and Carillon – Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
A major monument on the WKU campus the Guthrie Bell Tower and Plaza started in 1990 when Lowell Guthrie, CEO of Trace Die Cast in Bowling Green, was approached regarding donation of a carillon. Guthrie decided to build not just the carillon, but also the Bell Tower and Plaza as a memorial to his brother Sgt. 1st Class Robert ‘Bobby’ Guthrie, deceased of Korean Conflict, and combat veterans of all wars who were alumni of WKU.
Guthrie took inspiration from the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial in Dallas, TX for the inscriptions seen on the Plaza’s surrounding benches and from the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the photographs etched into granite tablets on the memorial proper. The top of the tower is an homage to Cherry Hall at the head of the campus and the carillon is a computer-controlled marvel with its’ set of 47 bells (weighing in at 25,000 pounds) which can be heard throughout the campus and surrounding area. A life-size bronze statue of Sgt. Guthrie heads the Plaza and the name Guthrie is inscribed on each of the four sides of the cap of the tower which was erected in 2002.
It is an imposing and beautiful edifice, delighting both sight and hearing, which reaches out and touches the viewer.
The monument has been selected for this virtual cache not only because it is an enduring and worthy landmark, but also for a familial tie: my wife’s uncle, Colonel Elliot "Bud" Sydnor, is one of those whose photos appear here. We ask that as you enjoy it you accomplish these tasks:
1. Note how many round objects are on the right shoulder of the statue of Sgt. Guthrie
2. Note what the motto is on the item below the above objects
3. Find the proper granite tablet and take a picture of an item of your choice (could be you, a trackable - even a piece of paper with your geocaching name) WITH Col. Sydnor who is pictured below . Post this picture with your log.
Please DO NOT put any of the answers for #1 or #2 in your Cache Log but message them to the Cache Owner. Of course, any logs which have not had the correct answers sent or do not have a photograph as described uploaded to the log will be deleted. Happy Caching.
Col. Sydnor
Congratulations to waswashere3 for the FTF
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.