The panels for the Demaray Hall Clocktower were designed by a former art professor at Seattle Pacific College named Ernest Schwidder. When the college learned how much these panels were going to cost, planners turned to art professor Larry Metcalf, who was then chairman of the art department. Three art students assisted Larry in the task of reproducing the designs in full-size sketches on paper. The forms were then carved in styrofoam and used in the process of forming the cement castings.

The clock was a gift of the Class of 1966. It was made in Holland and measures eight feet in diameter.

The following letter, written by Professor Schwidder, explains what the actual symbols represented on the clocktower mean.

John Glancy, University Relations

The cast stone relief panels follow the general theme of the liberal arts. Each side depicts a major area of investigation, the physical sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. The upper section of the panels employ pictograms alluding to the three persons of the Holy Trinity, referring not only to the particular Christian orientation of the institution, but to religion as the unifying element in all such intellectual pursuits and the Godhead as the font of all knowledge.

The first panel depicts the physical sciences and is headed by the symbols of an eye and a hand, biblical allegories of God the Creator (Ps. 33:18, Isa. 62:3 et al). The major concern of these disciplines is the exploration of life forms, substances and forces in the universe - i.e. God's creation. On the lower portion are forms resembling a magnetic field, symbolizing energy, and a fiery spiral representing matter. Above them are three forms in reference to the biological sciences. On the left is a cell and fish form representing fauna and on the right a tree shape alluding to flora. In the upper portion are various number types used in mathematical systems. Included are samples of ancient Egyptian, Babylonian cuneiforms and Arabic numerals as well as the sigma meaning summation and the symbol for infinity.

The center panel has at its apex, a sun burst (Matt. 17:2, Rev. 1:16) inscribed with Greek monograms for Jesus (ihc) Christ (Xp). This symbol of the Son of God relates to the several concerns and conditions of man. The forms on the lower portion represent his history - or anthropology. The shape on the left is an early primitive fertility fetish from the era of the "pre-historic" nomad cave dwellers in southern France. The symbol to the right is an early American Pima religious symbol. The group of symbols in the next section depict the ambitions of man. The center form is that of an astrolabe pointing to the "north star" representing his desire to explore. The fetus and skeleton allude to man's travel through life, man, forever moving from place to place and from birth to death. The figures above allude to the invention of man. The cogged wheels represent his industry - the bow and arrow his weaponry - and the ancient and modern coins his commercial enterprise.

The upper section of the third panel shows a descending dove and flame shapes, symbols of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:16 et al, Acts 2:3). The several forms depicted in the other sections represent the spirit of man. At the bottom is a symbol for man's concern for order - his philosophy. Ancient hieroglyphic "man" symbols are in groups of two meaning brotherhood, and each in turn is joined to the other to form a circle, the symbol of unity. The forms directly above are typical building types from Islamic (lower) and Aztec (upper) cultures. This symbol represents man's desire to control his environment - his search for beauty. Below the dove symbol are musical notations of a Gregorian type representing the spirit of man as expressed in the fine arts. The relationship of the symbols for music and the Holy Spirit is not accidental for as Luther stated: "Music is the language of the angels."

Ernest C. Schwidder
Assistant Professor of Art
Seattle Pacific College
1964-67

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