{"id":1281,"date":"2023-02-10T09:17:53","date_gmt":"2023-02-10T14:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/2023\/02\/10\/ringing-in-a-new-chapter\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T17:49:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:49:22","slug":"ringing-in-a-new-chapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/2023\/02\/10\/ringing-in-a-new-chapter\/","title":{"rendered":"Ringing in a New Chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no better place to fall in love than NC State. Thomas Stafford, who served as vice chancellor of student affairs for nearly 30 years and now serves as NC State\u2019s unofficial Memorial Belltower tour guide, firmly believes that. He\u2019s even played a key role in several NC State love stories. Over the years, Stafford has helped coordinate seven proposals inside the university\u2019s iconic landmark. It started several years ago when a young alumnus asked his permission to propose to his girlfriend at the Belltower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told him he didn\u2019t need anyone\u2019s permission to do that,\u201d said Stafford. \u201cBut I could offer him something that might be a little bit better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He met the alumnus the day before the proposal and took him inside the Belltower. They left the engagement ring sitting overnight below the memorial plaque<\/a> \u2014 which honors the 34 NC State alumni who lost their lives in military service during World War I \u2014 so it could soak up the spirit of the Wolfpack. Stafford met with him again the next day to hand off the key so the alumnus could propose in the Shrine Room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter I\u2019d done two or three proposals like that one, I began to include those stories in my Belltower tour,\u201d said Stafford. \u201cOver the years, hundreds and hundreds of people have heard me tell those stories, and they\u2019ve spread through word of mouth. That’s why I still get requests to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick and Olivia: A Key Proposal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nick Livengood \u201821 is one of the people who heard the proposal stories during one of Stafford\u2019s Belltower tours. He met his now-fiancee, Olivia Bradley \u201820, at Bragaw Hall when they were both first-year students at NC State. Last fall, when he was brainstorming proposal ideas, he knew he had the perfect spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNC State is a place that formed the first couple of years of our relationship,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Belltower isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so I figured it could serve as a memento to us of, \u2018Hey, that’s where we got engaged.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"An<\/a>
Livengood placed Bradley’s ring below the memorial plaque the night before proposing. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a>
Bradley wears her engagement ring after accepting Livengood’s proposal. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

About two weeks before the proposal, Livengood told Bradley he\u2019d signed them up for a Belltower tour. On the day of the supposed tour, he arrived early to pick up the key from Stafford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she arrived, Bradley was surprised to find she and Livengood were the only ones there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI handed her the key and said \u2018I was able to pull some strings. Why don’t we go inside and take a look?\u2019\u201d said Livengood. \u201cIt worked out really well the way Dr. Stafford and I planned it, where the Shrine Room was nice and dark when Olivia and I opened the door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Livengood turned on the light that illuminates the plaque, Bradley saw her engagement ring sitting right in front of it. Livengood got down on one knee, and the rest is history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a feeling of community at NC State that\u2019s unique compared to other college campuses.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Stafford says that when a ring \u2014 whether it be a class ring or an engagement ring \u2014 spends the night inside the Belltower, it becomes imbued with the unique characteristics of NC State. These characteristics \u2014 commitment to service, leadership and excellence \u2014 are what Livengood and Bradley love most about their alma mater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a feeling of community at NC State that\u2019s unique compared to other college campuses,\u201d said Livengood. \u201cThere’s an unspoken theme of looking out for each other and being respectful. I believe that theme has been carried right into our relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mackenzie and Amber: Snow Place Like Home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In seventh grade, classmates Amber King ’19 (nee Black) and Mackenzie King \u201819 used to Skype about wanting to go to NC State together. In a full-circle moment, they got engaged at the Belltower in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n