Campanile compendium
The bronze doors on the south side of the Campanile are the Doors of Memory; those on the north side, the Doors of Kansas. The plaques on the Doors of Memory depict the emotions of humanity at war: silence, meditation, sorrow, courage and achievement. They were a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Stoddard, Omaha, in memory of their son, Lt. Robert E. Stoddard, killed on Iwo Jima.
Carillonneur Elizabeth Berghout plays "Giga," from Arcangelo Corelli’s Sonata for Violin and Continuo
Inscribed above the Doors of Memory is the Latin Cedant Arma Humanitati — Let Arms Yield to Humanity.
The plaques on the Doors of Kansas represent pairs of historic characters and ideals of the state: homemaker and pioneer, scout and plainsman, explorer and native, worship and faith, investigation and exploration, freedom and equality. These doors were a gift of Harry Ames Hart, Dodge City, in memory of his parents, Henry and Adaline Hart, Mitchell County pioneers.
Sculptor Bernard “Poco” Frazier created the plaques. He grew up on a farm in Smith County, Kan., near Athol, where his grandfather had pioneered. He was a track star at KU, winning seven Big 6 championships and setting two Central AAU records, in the 10,000-meter and 2-mile steeplechase races. He was living in Tulsa, Okla., when he made the plaques.
He was no stranger to wartime loss. His nephew, Glenn Frazier, was shot down in a bomber over Japan and executed by Japanese authorities.
The Doors of Memory were cast at the foundry of Eugenio Ortiz. The Doors of Kansas were cast at the foundry of Fernando Diaz. Both foundries were in Mexico City; Frazier was unable to find a foundry in the United States that possessed the necessary skill and access to good-quality bronze.
Dedication of the doors
The bronze were dedicated June 6, 1955, the last step in finishing the campanile. Frazier said, “As their sculptor, I ask the bronze panels of the Doors of Memory to convey simple and eloquent statements of emotions of humanity at war — and then the tragedy of those who knew the full bitterness of battle.
“They must speak, in a general way, for all fallen warriors of all time and also serve as a personal shrine for each of us who has reason to recall the sacrifice made by an individual here. From this day on, their silent voices must contain the anguish of parents and widows and orphans — and must utter forever that last cry of a life, which by battle, was not allowed to complete itself.”
In 1972, vandals stole one plaque and damaged another. Elden Tefft, professor of art, had assisted in the casting of the original plaques. After some bureaucratic limitations were straightened out (Tefft, as a faculty member, could not also be paid as an independent contractor), he created replicas. These were mounted in 1978.