Browning Building lost the cupola atop the  clock tower to the tornado's fury.

     With so many visible losses on the Austin Peay campus since the Jan. 22 tornado, it takes a few days to realize something else is missing. The carillon chimes are quiet.

     No musical melodies mark the hour. It’s raining, but there’s no cheery chiming of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." Since 1950, the sounds of the carillon chimes have emanated from the Browning Building’s clock tower.

     Now the cupola atop the tower literally has "gone with the wind" and, apparently, with it went the music. However, a closer inspection by Bill Coke (’73), assistant director of buildings and grounds for APSU’s physical plant, showed the clock and chimes still work!

     Although the clock itself was stopped by the storm, none of its four faces—or the speakers that broadcast the chimes—were destroyed. The carillon chimes were installed in 1950 and replaced in 1974. Unlike most of the bell towers in Clarksville, APSU’s system was not digital.

     Coke said, "We have priced some of the newer systems, but our carillon chimes are among the oldest in town. I believe ours is the last edition of this particular type of system.

     "For a while, everyone thought we’d never hear those chimes again. It was amazing to find them in such good condition. Their music will provide a bit of normalcy around here."