Ringing in America’s 250th

Moravian University alum and adjunct professor designs bell featured in statewide art installation celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s independence

Pennsylvania is celebrating America’s Semiquincentennial with a statewide art installation of 67 Liberty Bells—one for each county—decorated with artwork representing what makes the bell’s respective home unique. 

Moravian University’s history as the sixth-oldest college in the United States and the first to educate women, along with the recent designation of the historic Moravian Church Settlements–Bethlehem as a UNESCO World Heritage site, stands out in the Lehigh Valley. 

Several of Moravian’s best-known figures are featured on one of the 3-foot-by-3-foot fiberglass bells that will be displayed in front of St. Luke’s Orthopedic Care–Moravian University Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center on Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem through December 31, 2026, as part of Bells Across PA. 

Alum and Adjunct Professor Theodore Colegrove ’07 designed the bell to represent Lehigh County. Colegrove, who has taught Moravian’s Interactive Design 1 and 2 classes for 17 years, was asked by a colleague this past summer if he would consider the project. At first Colegrove thought it was for Moravian University. He was surprised and delighted to learn that Bells Across PA is part of something much bigger. 

“I’m honored that as a graphic designer I get to do something like this, because usually these types of projects are done by studio artists,” Colegrove says. “I don’t think I’ve fully processed it yet.” 

Colegrove chose portraits of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Benigna Zinzendorf, John Amos Comenius, and Anna Nitschmann to decorate the bell. The top of the bell is overlaid with a Moravian star. 

Colegrove already had portraits of the Zinzendorfs and Comenius that he’d created for an exhibit in Payne Gallery several years ago. He used the programs Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, and Fresco, Adobe’s digital drawing and painting application, to create a portrait of Nitschmann. He also resized the Payne Gallery portraits, which are about 6 feet tall and now adorn the walls of Reeves Library. Colegrove faced the dilemma of how to get his designs onto the bell. 

At first he considered using a projector to project the designs onto the surface and paint them by hand, but he ended up enlisting the help of a friend at Jam Graphics and Printing, a company whose services include making vinyl wraps for cars. 

The bell was delivered in the fall, and in addition to being surprised by the public impact of the project, Colegrove says he was surprised by the size of the bell itself. 

“The bell is ridiculously huge. It was delivered to [Moravian’s] facilities office, and when I saw it, I couldn’t believe it,” he says. 

His friend planned to transport the bell to Jam’s Schnecksville shop, but it wouldn’t fit in the back seat of his Subaru Outback. Colegrove had to transport the bell in the back of his pickup truck instead. 

Theodore is one of the most good-natured and genuinely passionate individuals I know. His enthusiasm is contagious, and he has a way of lighting up any conversation with his openness and willingness to engage

Angela Fraleigh, chair of Moravian’s art department

Colegrove admits he felt a bit of “impostor syndrome” about the project, especially because it’s so public. “I’m an event photographer, so I try to stay behind the lens,” he says. “At Moravian I adjunct at night, so I’m very much behind the scenes, and I’ve never really been in the public eye.” 

For encouragement, he reached out to his former painting professor, Angela Fraleigh, who is now chair of Moravian’s art department. 

“Theodore is one of the most good-natured and genuinely passionate individuals I know. His enthusiasm is contagious, and he has a way of lighting up any conversation with his openness and willingness to engage,” Fraleigh says. “He’s endlessly generous and has done a lot over the years to support the program and engage with the larger art community in the Lehigh Valley.” 

Colegrove says his education at Moravian prepared him for Bells Across PA, because even though he majored in graphic design, he still had to take painting and drawing as part of his studies. “I think it speaks to the well-rounded education you get at Moravian as an art student,” Colegrove says. “Even as a graphic designer, you can still create the kind of work that’s powerful and stunning at the same time.” 

Moravian’s Bell

The bell was unveiled to the public during a ceremony on December 3, 2025, at the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center. The event was attended by members of America250PA, the organization behind Bells Across PA, as well as members of the Pennsylvania State Police, and representatives from local and state government. 

Katelyn Donovan ’26 led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Madison Robb ’26, Jordan Soffera ’26, Abigail Rochlin ’26, Sean Riedy ’26, Amari Anaya ’27, and Professor of Music Paula Zerkle sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 

“These fiberglass bells may not ring, but they are far from silent. Each one tells a story about community, a story about creativity and a story, most importantly, about local pride,” ,” says Cassandra Coleman, executive director of America250PA. “We are deeply grateful to Moravian University for helping us bring this vision to life.” 

Moravian University President Bryon Grigsby ’90 thanked America250PA for the opportunity to participate in the project and thanked those in attendance at the unveiling. 

“Your presence underscores the strong bonds that connect our campus, and more importantly, connect our city,” Grigsby told the crowd. “The bell features four individuals whose leadership, vision, and courage shape, not only the Moravian Church and Moravian University, but also the community that became Bethlehem.”  

• John Amos Comenius: Considered the “Father of Modern Education.” His philosophies helped shape Moravian’s commitment to learning and inclusivity, values that remain at the heart of the university. 
• Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf: His spiritual leadership and protection of persecuted believers led to the renewal of the Moravian Church in the 18th century. 
• Benigna von Zinzendorf: Founded the first school for girls that ultimately became Moravian University, and one of the oldest schools in our nation. 
• Anna Nitschmann: A respected spiritual leader and advocate for women’s voices in the church who played a pivotal role in shaping early Moravian communities, and eventually Moravian University. 

Symbolism of the Bell

The Liberty Bell is not only an iconic symbol of freedom, independence, and the struggle for liberty in the United States; it is an enduring emblem of Pennsylvania’s role in early America. 

The Liberty Bell originally rang in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House, or what is today Independence Hall in Philadelphia. 

The Liberty Bell is inscribed with part of a verse from the Bible, “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.” After the Revolutionary War, the phrase became a rallying cry for abolitionists wishing to end slavery. 

These fiberglass bells may not ring, but they are far from silent. Each one tells a story about community, a story about creativity and a story, most importantly, about local pride,” ,” says Cassandra Coleman, executive director of America250PA. “We are deeply grateful to Moravian University for helping us bring this vision to life.

Cassandra Coleman, executive director of America250PA

Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly Isaac Norris first ordered a bell for the State House tower in 1751 from the Whitechapel Foundry in London, according to the National Park Service website. That bell cracked on the first test ring. Local metalworkers John Pass and John Stow melted it down and cast a new one in Philadelphia. It became the bell that would call lawmakers to their meetings and townspeople to hear the reading of the news. 

It’s thought that Norris chose the bell’s iconic phrase to commemorate the 50th anniversary of William Penn’s 1701 Charter of Privileges, which granted religious liberties and political self-government to the people of Pennsylvania, according to the National Park Service. 

No one recorded when or why the Liberty Bell first cracked, but the width of the crack is actually part of a repair job to prevent further damage, says the National Park Service. 

Bells Across PA is part of America250PA, established by the state legislature and then-Governor Tom Wolf in 2018 to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, Pennsylvania’s integral role in that event, and the impact of its people on the nation’s past, present, and future. —Christina Tatu

To see WFMZ coverage of the unveiling, click here: Bethlehem prepares for America’s 250th birthday with bell sculpture unveiling at Moravian University