Elon honored Carole Chase, Doris Maney and Royall Spence, Jr. with Elon Medallions during a ceremony Monday, Aug. 19 in McCrary Theatre. Details...
The medallion is given to individuals who have rendered outstanding service to the university and are distinguished by the unusual length and quality of their service.
Chase taught in the department of religious studies from 1976 until her retirement in 2001. Regarded as a leader in her field, she developed and taught many interdisciplinary courses in global studies, environmental ethics, and women’s and gender studies. She was an early proponent of the experiential learning model at Elon, requiring internships of her students and leading study abroad courses. A prolific writer, Chase published numerous poems, articles and reviews. She also published scholarly works about noted author Madeleine L’Engle, a close personal friend. Chase created the Constant and Frederica Chase scholarship for non-traditional students at Elon, in honor of her parents.
Maney handled numerous responsibilities in the Elon business office during her career. She frequently worked long hours behind the scenes to accommodate the needs of Elon students, and was noted for her sound judgment, integrity and graciousness. She has been actively involved with Elon’s athletics program and the Elon Athletics Foundation. For many years, she assisted with the box office and ticket sales, and frequently attends Elon football and basketball games.
Spence has served the university in various capacities since graduating from Elon in 1942. He was a successful business executive, serving for many years as president of Canada Dry Bottling in Greensboro, N.C. He served 22 years on the board of trustees, was vice chair from 1974-1989, and served as board chair from 1989-1991. Spence and his wife, the late Luvene Holmes Spence ’43, donated more than 47,000 volumes to the former McEwen Library in honor of his father, Royall Spence, Sr. Spence also created a substantial endowment for the library, and made a naming gift for Colclough residence hall in honor of his mentor and friend, George Colclough. Spence was named Alumnus of the Year in 1977, received an honorary doctoral degree in commercial science in 1982 and was elected trustee emeritus in 1991.