Sundial
Southern is home to a large sundial located between the Thatcher Residence Hall and Hulsey Wellness Center. It was donated as a gift from the classes of 1965 and 1978.
The curved plate is 87 cm wide and weighs 300 pounds. The time marker is a bright spot of sunlight on the plate with a dark shadow around the spot. In the summer, the time marker is near the bottom edge of the plate, and in the winter, the time marker nears the top edge. When daylight savings time is in effect, the sundial is reoriented around its polar axis so that the time is always close to the real clock time. The sundial is adjusted approximately eight times a year, and with these adjustments, the sundial is always within five minutes of the actual time.
This sundial was designed by Henry Kuhlman, PhD, one of the professors in the physics department. Robert Garren advised on aesthetics, and Fabricators, Inc., of Chattanooga assembled the sundial.