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Culver, Marshall, Indiana

Culver Military Academy

Culver Memorial Chapel CULVER ACADEMY PLANS LARGE MEMORIAL CHAPEL Culver, Ind., July 13. - Plans for a Memorial chapel to be built at Culver Military Academy as an enduring tribute to its alumni serving in World War II are announced in the recent issue of The Culver, alumni magazine. The Culver Fathers' Association, the Culver Summer Schools Alumni Association and the Culver Legion are now engaged in raising a fund of $1,000,000 for its construction, furnishing and endowment.

Keeping full pace with plans for the Memorial Chapel, the board of directors of the Culver Educational Foundation has announced the allocation of funds for a new health center and two academic buildings, one to house the departments of mathematics and science and the other the depatments of social studies' languages and English.

Long Range Program The allocation of funds for the new building begins a long-range program toward a greater Culver Military Academy. Developed over a long period, these building plans necessarily were postponed at the outbreak of the war and are now being reactivated. And with the drive for the million fund under way, the chapel becomes an integral part of these plans.

In May, 1944, the Culver Fathers' Association proposed the erection of a chapel to honor Culver men in the war and urged directors to permit them to join with the Legion and the Summer Schools Alumni Association in raising necessary funds. In granting approval, recognizing the appeal of the memorial and the vital place of a chapel upon each generation of cadets, the board of directors made an unprecedentd exception to their traditional policy of permitting no organized campaign for financial contributions to Culver Military Academy.

Plans for the Memorial Chapel have been drawn by Jens Fredrick Larson, internationally known architect. According to plans the chapel will be located at the approximate center of the Woodcraft Camp site, overlooking the entire campus, and will be connected by arcades with the Science building on the east and Humanities building on the west.

The plans provide the placing of a carillon in the tower and the Honor Roll will be a feature of the tower vestibule. In planning the interior, provisions are made to include a pipe organ, seminar room, the oratory, chancel, sanctuary, study and vestry and nave and gallery seating.

Officers of the Legion, Summer School Alumni Association and Culver Fathers' Association are serving as a chapel fund committee, with their respective presidents serving as co-chairmen.
The News-Sentinel, Friday, July 13, 1945

This booklet contains - Front Cover, Back Cover, Title Page, Inserts, Chapel sketch, About the Chapel Pages 3 - 10, List of Culver Graduates who lost their lives in World War II 11 15, Lay Program of Deciation pages 16 - 25, Carillion Recital page 26, Organ Rectial page 27, List of Individiual Gifts of Specific Features (Donors): Pages 28 - 70 page 71 was blank; Listing of the Contractors & Suppliers page 73

Bob Hartman tells the stuggle of the year in which the chapel was built in: " The Architect , the Fundraisers, and the Memorial Chapel

Here are some pictures of the Chapel:

Chapel Building memories by Strow

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Carillon
Traditional carillon in the tower of the Memorial Chapel consists of 51 bells Pitch of heaviest bell is B [6,459 pound] in the bass octave down to 1 1/2 pounds (pitch=d4) tos (B). Transposition is down 1 semitone(s),(key of B).Keyboard range: C D# / C C 24. There is one missing bass semitone. The whole instrument was installed in 1951 with bells made by Gillett & Johnston and was the last North American carillon installation by the Gillett and Johnston foundry of Croydon, England. There is an identical practice console it is situated in the tower as well. The carillon has undergone restoration work by the John Taylor Bellfoundry of Loughborough, England in 1982 and 1998. Annual maintenance is carried out on the instrument directly by John Gouwens.

Carillonneurs: ded.Oct.1951: Kamiel Lefévere
1951-54: Alan Ross
1954-57: James Kohn
1957-67: Milford Myhre
1967-80: Robert Kamrow
1980-?: John Gouwens

John Gouwens has several CD's out that are performed on the CMA carillon.

Last updated 15.11.2009

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