Athens, Ga. – A dedication ceremony will be held Friday, Aug. 8, at 10:30 a.m. for the installation of a new sundial face on a historic spot on the University of Georgia’s North Campus.
The ceremony will be in front of the UGA Chapel at a marble pedestal that marks the spot where the famed Toombs Oak stood. The pedestal and a sundial face were a gift of the Class of 1908. The original sundial face disappeared in 1971, and the pedestal has been bare since then. To mark the centennial of the original installation, descendants of J. Howard Neisler, president of the Class of 1908, are donating a new face.
The new face, made of brass and weighing about 15 pounds, was made by Tony Moss, a master sundial creator in Bedlington, England. It is similar in size and appearance to the original but more elaborate in design and artistry. It was created for the exact longitude and latitude of its North Campus location and incorporates modern scientific knowledge that makes it almost as accurate as a clock for telling time.
Speakers at the dedication ceremony will include Tom Landrum, UGA’s vice president for external affairs; John Neisler Whatley of Cary, N.C., grandson of J. Howard Neisler; and Jamarl Glenn, a UGA senior and member of the Student Government Association. Also attending will be Neisler’s daughters, Ann Neisler Whatley of Dunwoody and Francis Neisler Persons of Atlanta. A reception will follow the dedication ceremony.