Today, if you are on the College Green at 8 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m., you can hear the chimes (now operated by tape) play “Alma Mater, Ohio.” Chimes, which also ring one strike per hour, on the hour, replaced a bell that had been rung by hand for more than 130 years to sound the hours and call students to class. The bell was added to Cutler Hall's tower in 1820.
The chimes were a gift of Grosvenor S. McKee, a 1916 Ohio University alumnus. He was National President of Ohio University Alumni Association, a member of the Ohio University Fund, Inc., Board of Directors, and a member of the Trustees Academy. The McKee House, located across from Ellis Hall and between Tupper Hall and the Konneker Alumni Center, was named in honor of Mr. McKee.
The video below captures the chimes signaling the eight o'clock hour with eight tolls (recorded on Thursday, June 18, 2009). The song below that is a recording of the chimes playing "Alma Mater, Ohio."