The Willie A. & Carrol C. Deese Tower, simply referred to as Deese Tower, is a free standing campanile located on the campus of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. The tall tower was a gift to the university from alumni Willie A. Deese and Carrol Chalmers Deese.

History

The $1.3 Million Funding for the project was given to North Carolina A&T by alumnus and longtime benefactors Willie A. Deese and his wife Carol Chalmers Deese. Deese, who earned his Bachelor's degree from North Carolina A&T in 1977, is a retired executive vice president and president of Merck Manufacturing Division, where he oversaw a network of more than 55 manufacturing and distribution sites for Merck's global operations. Deese also served as Chairman of A&T's Board of Trustees and co-chair of the university's 2005 capital campaign. On March 24 2017, the tower was dedicated in a ribbon cutting ceremony as part of the university's quasquicentennial celebration. Among the list of dignitaries in attendance were Mr. & Mrs. Deese, Chancellor Harold L. Martin, and

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

President Margaret Spellings.

Architecture

The tower was designed by Vines Architecture, based in nearby

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

. The structure incorporates the use of both traditional brick

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

, and modern touches such as translucent glass. Construction of the tower was completed by WC Construction and utilized cast in place concrete footings, steel structural frame, glazed brick veneer, translucent glass and composite metal panels. The tower also contains an amplified electronically simulated carillon system and the LED lighting system was constructed uses a color lighting to illuminate the glass portion of the tower in either blue; gold or white, the official colors of the university.

References

{{North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina A&T State University Bell towers in the United States Clock towers in North Carolina