The carillon project began as an attempt to upgrade and renovate the Altgeld Chimes of Altgeld Hall Tower, until it became clear that this would not be possible.

[3] The funding for the project came from Harold Richard "Dick" McFarland, a graduate from the university's College of Agriculture in 1952.

After the death of his wife Sarah "Sally" McFarland due to ovarian cancer, McFarland donated $1.5 million for the construction of the tower, which would be named in her honor.

[5] In the early hours of Sunday, September 21, 2008, students hung a replica of the "Eye of Sauron" in the top half of the tower.

The eye is from J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings and is a symbol of the principal antagonist.