Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2019 | Page 5

BELL
TA’s 2018 Class A state championship football team celebrates victory!
the bell was a gift from Charles Cutts Gookin
Thornton 1843, grandson of Thomas Thornton,
a generous benefactor for whom the school
library (now New Media Center) created much needed space,
was named. The younger Thornton was present at the
and an opportunity to reposition the bell. For two years the
dedication of the “new” Thornton Academy and presented
bell lay silent, housed in a barn located near the Alumni
his gift during the ceremony. It is told that at its dedication
House. As former headmaster Carl Stasio recalls, “it was
an observer remarked, “the bell is now hung in the tower
a pretty intentional decision” to move the artifact to the
and with its deep mellow tone, calls the students to their
auditorium entrance where it was more easily accessed
daily work.”
for a postgame celebration. Gifts from trustees William
Johnson and James Nelson ’67 were integral in supporting
From the era following World War II to the present day, the
the project.
bell’s major purpose has been to celebrate athletic excellence
and team success. For most of its history, that tradition was
specific to the school’s football team, and during that time
the Victory Bell routine remained the same. Following a win,
players would walk together to the main building, remove
their cleats, walk up the stairs to the science area (later used
for home economics), and sound the bell. In recent years,
other athletic teams have followed suit and adopted the
bell tolling tradition. Lori Roth Smith ’88, head coach of
the school’s field hockey program, says her team loves the
tradition; they sound the bell following every win. “The
players love how it lets the community surrounding campus
know about a TA team win.”
The Victory Bell was actually silent for a time while the
school received a facelift in the mid-1990s. The construction
of the Harry S. Garland Auditorium, dining commons, and
Left: Two members of the class of 2001 celebrate at
Commencement. Right: 2015 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee
Susan Picard Rondeau ’97 rings the Victory bell with her son.
The infrastructure supporting the bell has sustained
damage on two occasions. Following a football victory over
Massabesic in 1990, the glee of the victorious Golden Trojan
team was cut short—literally—when the rope attached to
the bell fell into the hands of a surprised group of players.
The rope was replaced prior to the next home game, and
each player on the 1990 team gained a souvenir from the
experience—a segment of the rope cut and distributed by
Phil Paquette whose son played on the team.
In 2015 the fragility of the original wooden-pegged wheel
allowing the bell to swing became evident as the boys soccer
team celebrated a playoff victory. The sound of silence
permeated the air as that wheel broke. A temporary solution
allowed its operation until final repairs could be made after
the family of John Duranceau made a generous donation in
his memory to restore the bell to full use.
From its original purpose to “call the scholars together”
to its current role in celebrating success on the athletic
field, the Victory Bell has served as a centerpiece of life
on campus. Its sound echoes as a reminder of past glories
while acknowledging the accomplishments of current
students, binding generations of Trojans together. As Jack
Morrison notes, “In my 45 years (four as a student and 41
as a member of the faculty), the ringing of the Victory Bell at
Thornton Academy is my most cherished tradition.” He adds,
“It gives us the opportunity to celebrate in the moment, reflect
on efforts of the past that created this moment, and signal a
transition to next steps—moving on to future endeavors.”
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