For Whom the Chimes Toll: UCSD Institute Co-Founder

Somewhere in the lofty towers of the central library at UC San Diego, an unfamiliar but pleasing sound came ringing forth Wednesday afternoon, and just about everyone turned to look.

What they heard was not bells, although it sounded like bells. They were chimes from a computer-controlled carillon, which a 95-year-old La Jolla man donated to the school in memory of his wife.

Joseph and Irene Rubinger, who died in February at age 86, were founders of the Institute for Continued Learning, which operates through UCSD Extension. The institute provides retired San Diegans with the chance to further their education through classes taught by their peers and a lineup of guest speakers.

About 80 members of the institute were on hand Wednesday at noon, when the Rubingers’ “bells” tolled for him and everyone within earshot.

What the listeners heard was “Far Above Cayuga’s Waters,” the Cornell University school song (Rubinger is a Cornell alumnus); “Our Sturdy Golden Bear,” the University of California fight song, and the school song of the University of Chicago, the alma mater of UCSD Chancellor Richard Atkinson. A touch of Handel and Purcell completed the serenade.

The gift was crafted by Maas-Rowe Carillons of Escondido. It consists of an instrument producing the sound of carillon bells; amplifiers and speakers; a computer for playing the carillon automatically and a control clock for scheduling concerts and chimes. The carillon will play every hour from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, school officials said.

“I could think of no more suitable memorial for Irene than chimes,” Rubinger said. “When I was an undergraduate and graduate, I was brought up on chimes at my university. I could not conceive of a university without chimes.”