The sound of bells ringing from Pat Neff Hall is as much a part of Baylor culture as live bear mascots, red brick buildings and the Sic ‘Em bear claw. But not everyone knows the woman who is responsible for creating those beautiful chiming melodies –– or the fact that she also plays an important part in the life of the College of Arts & Sciences.

Lynnette Geary (BME ’75, MM ’82), Baylor University Carillonneur, serves as assistant to the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. She first became acquainted with carillons while attending Waco’s St. Alban’s Episcopal Church. A carillon is a set of stationary bells hung in a tower and sounded by using closed fists and feet to operate the levers and pedals of the mechanical keyboard. St. Alban’s carillon is a modest example with 36 bells.

“I was fascinated with the carillon at St. Alban’s –– it is just such a different musical instrument. When I saw the carillon played I thought it was the greatest thing in the world, so I taught myself to play,” Geary said. “I was the carillonneur at St. Alban’s from 1980 to 1988.”

In her days as a Baylor student, Geary majored in music and played the clarinet. After graduation in the 1970s she began her career at Baylor as administrative secretary for the history department, while at the same time starting work on a master’s degree in music history and literature. She left Baylor briefly to spend a year teaching elementary music at a private school, then put in a year as a full-time graduate student before returning to her position in the history department. Geary completed her master’s degree in 1982.

“I worked for history chairman Robert Reid for 15 years. Then I worked for the next chair, Wallace Daniel, for four years until he became dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and then for history chair Jim SoRelle,” Geary said. “In 1999, I moved to the College of Arts & Sciences as Dean Daniel’s assistant.”

Geary has served as the assistant to the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Lee Nordt, for 10 years. She has a full range of duties helping support the administration of Baylor’s oldest and largest academic unit.

“The core classes at Baylor are in the College of Arts & Sciences, so we have about 7,000 students at any given time,” Geary said. “As Dean Nordt’s assistant, I am responsible for his calendar and for making sure all documentation is present in tenure reviews and promotions. I interact a lot with the Provost’s Office and our 24 department chairs. I also schedule faculty candidate interviews and keep up with the documents for faculty evaluations, among other duties.”

“Lynnette has been an indispensable part of the administrative staff of the Dean’s Office in the College of Arts & Sciences for more than 18 years,” Dean Nordt said. “Her duties require a considerable breadth and depth of knowledge across a broad range of disciplines and programs.”

Geary began studying and playing the McLane Carillon in 1991 as a student under the tutelage of the late Dr. Herbert Colvin, Baylor’s first University Carillonneur.

“I took lessons in Roxy Grove Hall during my lunch hour,” Geary said. “Dr. Colvin was a wonderful teacher. He taught me about the music and how to approach particular pieces –– the technique was almost secondary,” she said.

The McLane Carillon, a gift to Baylor from the Drayton McLane family of Temple, was dedicated on Nov. 4, 1988. The 48-bell carillon was built by the Paccard Bell Foundry in Annecy, France, and is among 119 carillons on the North American continent with a range of four octaves or more. It weighs around 22 tons.

The tiny room containing the carillon keyboard is located just under the Pat Neff Hall belfry, and can only be reached by climbing several flights up a steep, narrow spiral staircase. The belfry housing the massive bronze bells is reached via a ladder, requiring yet another daunting climb.

With Colvin as her instructor, Geary played some recitals as his student and in 1996 passed her examination recital at Cohasset, Mass., for the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. Becoming a carillonneur member is a labor-intensive endeavor. The examination process entails recording a set of required advanced pieces, in addition to repertoire pieces, to comprise a 30-minute recital. The recording and scores are submitted to a jury who evaluate the performance, and make a recommendation whether or not the candidate will be invited to perform for the Guild membership at the annual summer congress.

If the Guild candidate receives an invitation, their recital performed before the group is judged by a blind jury. If the jury approves the candidate for carillonnuer status, the recommendation is made to the entire Guild membership, who then votes whether or not to accept the candidate as a member.

“I was very proud to pass the exam,” Geary said. “I served as a volunteer with Dr. Colvin for the next 10 years, and when he permanently retired in 2006 I was appointed to succeed him as University Carillonneur.”

Geary wants to do her part to ensure that the art of the carillon is passed on to future generations. To that end, she typically teaches two students each semester, and even accepted a request by a University of Texas student to mentor him on the instrument. In August 2014, that student performed “That Good Old Baylor Line” on the UT carillon in memory of two Baylor students killed the month before in an automobile accident.

To keep her skills sharp, Geary practices during her lunch hour each day, and gives approximately 12 to 14 recitals a year on campus in addition to guest recitals on other campuses or at the Guild conference.

“I play carillon concerts the Friday before the winter, spring and summer commencement exercises,” she said. “I also play during Homecoming and Ring Out and give a Christmas concert and a July 4 concert. People will sit in lawn chairs or under the covered walkway of the Draper building to listen.”

Baylor’s carillon has long served as a means to help the University family pause and reflect during times of both sadness and joy.

“I will toll the bells when I learn about a death in the Baylor family or for national tragedies, such as the Sandy Hook shooting,” Geary said. “I also peal the bells in celebration, such as at Ring Out, and I have pealed the bells when a member of the Baylor family finishes cancer treatment. I heard that M.D. Anderson Cancer Center does this, and I think it is a wonderful way to use the carillon. Dean Nordt has been very generous giving me the time to work with the carillon.”

Nordt believes his assistant should be applauded for juggling her hectic job in the Dean’s Office with those of University Carrillonneur.

“I don’t think many people realize how much work is required tending to all of the duties of the carillonneur. Lynnette is practicing, performing or giving lessons during her lunch hour and then again after work nearly every day,” Nordt said. “I honestly had not thought much about the carillon until she became our carillonneur. I have since learned a great deal about this art form, and I’ve joined the many students, faculty and alumni who enjoy listening to Lynnette play, especially on special occasions.”

Besides being a way to serve the Baylor community, Geary considers her carillon duties a way to express her artistic side.

“I play the carillon instead of keeping house,” she said. “Being the University Carilloneur is more than a part-time job, but it helps me keep things in perspective. The carillon is my creative outlet.”

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The entire Spring 2015 issue of Baylor Arts & Sciences magazine is available online.