Few landmarks at NC State are as impressive or recognizable as the Memorial Belltower. Though not everyone may be familiar with its history, one former staff member has been generous enough to offer all-access tours of the structure. As luck would have it, he too is an icon of the university.
Tom Stafford is nothing short of a legend of the Wolfpack. Holding a plethora of positions within the Student Affairs department, including associate dean and vice chancellor, Stafford has spent over 40 years of his impressive tenure serving both our university and its tens of thousands of students. Additionally, he served on the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, authored more than 20 research papers and acted as chair to the Triangle Chapter of the American Red Cross. Despite involvement in a wide array of responsibilities beyond that of the university, Stafford emphasized the necessity of optimizing the individual student experience here at NC State.
“The mantra when I was chancellor was always ‘students first’ and I expected my staff to do everything they could to put students first and to make this the best opportunity they can have, so that when they leave they can truly go off and do great things,” Stafford said.
Now, six years into his retirement, Stafford continues to connect people with NC State via tours of the Belltower, which stands on the northeastern corner of main campus. He has spent nearly a decade offering a uniquely personal trip that begins on the steps of Holladay Hall and concludes inside the famed tower.
“The whole thing was really interesting,” said Parks Kelly, a second-year studying environmental engineering. “I’m really not even typically a fan of walking tours, but this tour was super engaging. Plus, I just feel lucky to have gotten to see the inside of it.”
These tours have no standard schedule, no sign-up list and no official website. So how does one go on a tour? Simply by contacting Stafford and setting up a time.
“I don’t advertise, it’s all word of mouth,” Stafford said. “People ask me all the time what the tour schedule looks like. There is no schedule, you just have to contact the guy who has the key on him at all times.”
Despite the lack of advertisement, Stafford has given over 300 tours since 2008, with groups typically ranging between 10 and 20 people. During its approximate hour-and-a-half duration, participants can expect a fascinating oration of the university’s foundations coupled with a short, scenic walk around one of campus’s oldest and most storied areas.
Unsurprisingly, the tour’s casual nature began with an informal maiden excursion. In 2008, a group of students involved with the Inter-Residence Council asked Stafford, who held a key to the Belltower, if he would show them the interior of the famous landmark. He obliged, and the subsequent excitement conveyed by the group led Stafford to discover a niche in which he could further his service to both NC State and the individuals that constitute it.
“When I saw those students once they got inside the Belltower, that’s when I realized there was an opportunity here that nobody had really thought about,” Stafford said. “Within 10 minutes, I realized that all of those pictures had been put up on Facebook.”
Stafford has also been guiding tours through Reynolds Coliseum for close to a year. Much like the Belltower tours, those interested only have to contact Stafford to arrange a time. Beginning with a 45-minute slideshow presentation, which covers a timeline beginning with the coliseum’s humble beginnings as an empty field, the Reynolds tour is Stafford’s attempt to encapsulate the importance of an undeniably venerable building.
“It was fun to research this, that building is incredible,” Stafford said. “Five presidents spoke in that building, Martin Luther King spoke in that building, Frank Lloyd Wright spoke in that building. The list of famous performers from the Rolling Stones to Elton John have played in that building. During that slideshow, I try to present the case that that building is not the most famous on this campus or even in this city, I think Reynolds is the most famous building in all of North Carolina.”
Stafford’s legacy at NC State will be virtually impossible to erase. Between the recognition of his decades of work with students, his current involvement in the university’s historical preservation or even the field outside Talley Student Union that bears his name, Tom Stafford has left a footprint which is thoroughly revered.
“This is just an incredible university,” Stafford said. “As far as I’m concerned, this one of the best universities in this part of the country. The education and opportunities here are just unbelievable. Whether it be through student media, sports or leadership positions, this school really does an amazing job preparing students for success.”
