NIU's Class of 1969's Carillon Gift

From the March 13, 2019, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1969, 50 Years Ago.

"Sounds of a carillon concert will ring from atop a 17-story tower on the Northern Illinois University campus at noon.

"A guest carilloneur will play a demonstration concert on what Northern's seniors hope will be their gift to the university."

The tower would be the what is today the Holmes Student center.  I can find no mention of whether or not it is still there.

--Cooter

The Belangiga Bells-- Part 5: After 2017 Years, the Bells Are Back in the Philippines

Efforts to have the bells returned began in 1957 when the Franciscan monks of the Catholic Church said the bells were owned by them and should be returned.  In 1987, the government of the Philippines got involved with returning the bells.

It was discovered that two of them were at Francis E. Warren AFB in Wyoming, but the Air Force refused to give them back.  They continued to try to get them returned during the Clinton administration,   but were told the bells were U.S. property and it would take an Act of Congress to return them.

After that, there were a whole lot of efforts, both U.S. and Philippines to have the bells returned but all failed.  Finally, in 2018, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis was given the authority to make the decision and he decided to return the bells, the two in Wyoming and one in South Korea.

The bells arrived in the Philippines on December 11, 2018, just five months ago.  On December 14, they arrived in Belangiga.  On the next day, a Sunday, one of the bells was rung for the first time since 1901.

A Happy Ending To A Sad Moment in Time.

The Belangiga Bells-- Part 1: Taken As War Trophies

Last month I wrote about the Belangiga Massacre which took place during the Philippines Insurrection in 1901.  That was in relation to Fort Russell in Wyoming where two of the bells ended up as war trophies.  That traced back to Francis E. Warren, a powerful senator from that state and a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.  This was all part of one of my Road Tripping Through History.

From Wikipedia.

The Belangiga Bells are three bells that were taken by the U.S. Army  from the Church of San Lorenzo  de Martir in Belangiga, Eastern Samar, Philippines, as war trophies following the Belangiga Massacre in 1901.  One ended up at base camp of the 9th Infantry in South Korea and two others at the former base of the 11th Infantry at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

People representing the Catholic Church in the Philippines, the Philippines government and the residents of Belangiga have tried since the 1950s to get these bells returned and they were returned on December 11, 2018, after 117 years.

A Story With a Happy Ending.  --Cooter

American Legion, The 1960s and 1970s: POWs, National Emergency Fund, Freedom Bell

1960s

SEPTEMBER 1, 1966--  The Legion voices concern over POWs in Vietnam and urges full accounting.  That has now grown to include all wars.

AUGUST 24, 1969--  The Legion's National Executive Board establishes the  National Emergency Fund as a result of Hurricane Camille.  (Up to $3,000 for each member in a disaster.)

1970s

MAY 1, 1972--  Legion implements a Halloween  safety program for children which remains the only national program in the country.

APRIL 1, 1975--  The Legion-sponsored Freedom Bell goes on the Freedom Train on its tour of the country for the U.S. Bicentennial.

I will continue with these important dates in the May newsletter, on our second 100th anniversary commemoration for the St. Louis caucus.

Big Ben Goes Silent-- Part 2: Longest Period of Silence Ever

Steve Jaggs, keeper of the Great Clock, said that the clock mechanism will be dismantled piece by piece, and its four dials will be cleaned and repaired.  The 15.1-ton bell will be cleaned and checked for cracks.

Big Ben has been stopped several times since it first sounded in 1859, but the current restoration project marks the longest period of silence.

Parliamentary officials say, however, that they will ensure that the bell still sounds on major occasions like New years Eve and Remembrance Sunday.

--Cooter