Free government does not bestow repose upon its citizens but sets them in the vanguard of battle to defend the liberty of every man. The memorial honors 277 KU dead of World War II. Cast bronze door panels dedicated in 1955 bear the words Achievement, Courage, Aspiration, Sorrow, Meditation, Silence, Pioneer/Homemaker, Scout/Plainsman, Native/Explorer, Worship, Investigation/Education, and Freedom/Equality. Panels on the bells and their donors record the restoration of the World War II Memorial Carillon through the generosity of Keith D. Bunnel, president of the K.U. Class of 1946, and Joan Stewart Bunnel, and its rededication on April 26, 1996.