Holt
Chapel, located on Elon’s South Campus, was rededicated
during a special May 4 service. The chapel was renovated in
2005 to host a variety of religious and student life events.
A lead gift by the late Iris Holt McEwen Coupland of
Burlington and additional gifts by Elon parents Joe and Anne
Hsu of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Jack Shaw ’58 and
his wife, Jane, of Greenville, S.C., provided funding for the
Holt Chapel renovation.
Coupland was a trustee emeritus and longtime friend of the
university. Her parents, James H. McEwen and Iris Holt
McEwen, and brother, James H. McEwen, Jr., also served on the
university’s board of trustees.
The Hsus
(at right) are active members of Elon’s Parents Council
and frequently serve as hosts for campus events such as
freshman orientation, open house weekends and move-in day.
They are the parents of three sons, Hartley, a 2005 Elon
graduate, Wesley, a senior, and Ryan, a sophomore.
Shaw (below right with wife Jane) is chairman and CEO of
Shaw Resources, Inc., a construction, real estate management
and development firm. Shaw and his family are generous
supporters of community and educational institutions.
Holt Chapel,
named in honor of Coupland’s grandparents, William
Kirkpatrick Holt and his wife Maud May Holt, was built in
1957 as part of Elon Homes for Children. For nearly four
decades, it was used for religious services, community
meetings and weddings.
During the campus service, the Rev. Walstein
“Wally” Snyder ’45, who served as executive
director of Elon Homes for Children from 1960 to 1990,
thanked the university for restoring the chapel. During his
tenure, Snyder recalled that Holt Chapel was used by students
at Elon Homes for a variety of religious services and
programs, and many of the students were later married in the
chapel.
“Now this chapel will live on in the history of Elon
University,” Snyder said.
Elon President Leo M. Lambert said Holt Chapel will
“provide a focus for Elon’s spiritual programming –
a place where people of faith will find refreshment and
renewal.”
Renovation work restored the main chapel as well as a
meeting room on the lower level. The pews were refurbished,
and a small vestibule and handicapped-accessible restroom
were added. The chapel serves as a center for student and
religious life activity on South Campus. Elon’s Truitt
Center for Religious and Spiritual Life uses Holt Chapel for
a variety of programs and religious services.Student groups,
honor societies, fraternities and sororities use the chapel
for formal initiations and other meetings. The lower-level
meeting room hosts potluck suppers, informal meetings and
programs for student organizations.