The 40-foot bell and clock tower has been installed on the Coastal campus, named the Graham Bell Tower in honor of the late Harvey Graham Sr. of Loris.

We are so grateful to BB&T and to the Graham family for this beautiful tower that will become a special tradition for Coastal, marking its first 50 years and looking ahead to the next 50, said Fred DuBard, chair of Coastals Board of Directors.

The 25-bell tower, constructed by the Verdin Co., was dedicated during Coastals Founders Day activities Sept. 20. A time capsule was placed in the structure, to be opened in 2054, the year of the universitys 100th anniversary.

Constructed of steel and topped with a pitched, copper roof, the tower is located in Spadoni Park between the Lib Jackson Student Center and Wheelwright Auditorium. The towers bell carillon rings on the hour and has a keyboard that is played during special events, such as Founders Day. The 25 bells give it two octaves of sound.

Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., BB&T Corp. is a fast growing financial holding company with $97.9 billion in assets. Its bank subsidiaries operate more than 1,400 branch offices in the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, Alabama, Indiana, Florida and Washington, D.C.

BB&Ts banking subsidiaries are organized as a group of community banks, each with a regional president, which allows decisions to be made locally, close to the customer. This also engages BB&T with its local community and makes possible the support of higher education.