Many years later, a carillon--miniature bells played with a keyboard, with the music broadcast via speakers--was the center of yet another bell tower controversy. The carillon had been given to UNH in 1952 to honor the late "Dad" Henderson, longtime UNH registrar. Soon after it was installed in Thompson Hall, former UNH News Bureau Director L. Franklin ("Frank") Heald '39 began playing the carillon as a favor to Irving Bartley, a music professor. When called upon, Heald would walk up one flight of stairs, and play the noontime concert. Appointed the official UNH carillonneur in 1982, Heald continued to select the music, which by then was played by a computerized 246-bell system located in the Elliott Alumni Center and broadcast through eight speakers in the Thompson Hall tower. He also fended off complaints about the volume--since affection for the carillon seems to be inversely proportional to distance from it. (One nearby listener describes the volume as "decibels beyond reason.")

But complaints of a different sort came to a head in 1992. Some faculty and students felt it was inappropriate for a state university to broadcast Christian hymns across campus, and then-president Dale Nitzschke silenced the music while a committee studied the issue. A media storm ensued. Heald, who has a puckish sense of humor (he often wears a chef's hat when presenting alumni office staff with birthday gifts of his home-baked bread), was astonished by the furor. "I've played the carillon for 40 years, and I never received the attention that I have received in the last week for not playing it," Heald quipped at the time. Many wrote Heald to express their support. "The bells remind us of home," one alumna wrote.

Heald took the position that the carillon should play examples of the best music of all kinds. After 11 days, a compromise was reached. "Onward Christian Soldiers" was banished: other hymns, including the Alma Mater (to the tune of "Lead On, O King Eternal") stayed. The carillon music resumed.