Chillicothe, MO Nov. 27, 1901

Col. Wm. F. Switzler, 

Greetings,

In reply to yours of the 23rd inquiring as to the meaning of the symbol upon the dome 
of the Academic Hall, State University of Missouri, I will briefly say that it is the plumed disc or
winged sun of the ancient Egyptians, and is to be found in most of their hieroglyphic characters 
of the gods and sacred personages.  It was carved in relief over the entrances and porches of 
all their temples and frequently upon the panels of the interior ceilings as evidenced by the 
ceiling of the great hall of the Temple of Luxor.

The disc or sun was emblematic of spirit, power, life, light, intelligence; the wings were 
to represent motion, especially swift, uplifting motion, and the combined symbol