125 Years of Appalachian

Appalachian State University celebrates 125 years of education leadership in 2024. A thriving institution, App State honors its founding commitment to educational access and excellence and its rural mountain heritage through teaching, research and service.

Previous Founders Days

2023: App State celebrates 124 years of history with Founders Day festivities

Sep. 21, 2023

Appalachian State University celebrated its sixth annual Founders Day on Sept. 7 to commemorate the first day of classes held in 1899 at Watauga Academy — the predecessor of App State — and honor App State’s founders, B.B. Dougherty, D.D. Dougherty and Lillie Shull Dougherty.

Read the recap of Founders Day 2023

2022: App State celebrates Founders Day with ‘Year of the Woman’ theme

Statue of D.D. Dougherty dedicated at Founders Plaza

Sep. 30, 2022

App State celebrated its fifth annual Founders Day on Sept. 6 in honor of the first day of classes held at Watauga Academy in 1899. Events included a poster exhibition, panel discussion, statue dedication, ceremony and cemetery tour.

Read the recap of Founders Day 2022

2021: History and tradition — App State’s 4th annual Founders Day celebration

Oct. 8, 2021

App State celebrated its history and traditions during the fourth annual Founders Day, Sept. 17. The day’s events included a Bell Ringers Society ceremony and a lecture and tour of the historic Boone Cemetery, along with AppalFest on Sanford Mall.

Read the recap of Founders Day 2021

2020: The tradition continues — App State celebrates a hybrid Founders Day

Sep. 8, 2020

App State’s third annual Founders Day commemorates a 121-year history. Ceremonies include Bell Ringers Society induction and ribbon cutting ceremony for two new residence halls.

Read the recap of Founders Day 2020

2019: App State celebrates Founders Day and 120 years of education leadership

Sep. 5, 2019

This year marked the second annual Founders Day celebration. It included dedication of Lillie Shull Dougherty’s statue, ringing of the Founders Bell and more.

Read the recap of Founders Day 2019

About the Bell Ringers Society

A new tradition at Appalachian State University — the ringing of the Founders Bell, an iconic symbol of App State’s history — was established Sept. 5, 2019, as the university celebrated its second annual Founders Day. Twelve members of the App State Community were selected to ring the bell 10 times each to signify the university’s 120th anniversary as an innovator and leader in higher education. These 12 bell ringers are the inaugural members of App State’s Bell Ringers Society. New members are inducted into the society each year to ring the bell on Founders Day.

Bell Ringers Society Members

2019 Inductees

• Dr. John E. Thomas
• Julia Adams ’56
• John Blackburn
• Penn Broyhill
• Philip Byers ’85
• Dr. Sheri Everts
• DeJon Milbourne ’20
• Jerry Moore
• Reba Moretz ’52 ’53
• Dr. Rennie Brantz
• Sammy Hartley ’72 ’73
• Doris Stam
• Jeannine Underdown Collins ’79 ’81

2020 Inductees

• Dr. Karl Campbell
• Dr. Baker Perry ’98

2021 Inductees

• Sam Cheatham
• Bo Henderson ’79
• Roberta Jackson ’91
• Maxine McCall ’60 ’65
• Lynn Patterson ’89
• Mike Steinback
• Jim Whittington ’52

2022 Inductees

• Deanna Ballard
• Sean Gaillard
• Dr. Brandy Hadley
• Emma Hatfield-Sidden
• Oval Jaynes
• Larry Nance
• Anna Boyce Phillips
• MaKaylia Ray
• Denise Ringler
• Nancy Schaffel
• Neil Schaffel
• Kim Shepherd

2023 Inductees

• Dr. Harvey Durham
• Judge Rebecca Eggers-Gryder
• Bruce Guy
• Linda Guy
• Juan Pablo “J. P.” Neri
• Bob Snead

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The App State Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. One of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, App State enrolls more than 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate majors and 80 graduate programs through its Boone and Hickory campuses and App State Online.