Elon held groundbreaking ceremonies
for the William Henry Belk Pavilion and the Luvene Holmes and
Royall H. Spence, Jr. Pavilion in the Academic Village
on Tuesday, April 18. Construction on both pavilions
will begin in May, with completion scheduled for May 2007.
A gift by The Belk Foundation of Charlotte will name the
William Henry Belk Pavilion, which will house Elon’s
Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. The
center promotes the development and testing of new methods of
teaching by faculty members. The pavilion will feature the
latest in technology and video equipment so faculty members
can observe and evaluate their performance in the classroom.
William Henry Belk founded the Belk department store
organization in 1888. His son, John Belk, retired as chairman
and CEO of Belk, Inc., in 2004 after a 59-year career with
the company. John Belk and his wife, Claudia, attended the
groundbreaking ceremony.
Trustee Emeritus Royall Spence, Jr. made a naming gift for
the Luvene Holmes and Royall H. Spence, Jr. Pavilion, which
will house the philosophy and religious studies departments.
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
Elon’s board of trustees.
Spence and his wife, the late Luvene Holmes Spence, a 1943
Elon alumna, donated more than 47,000 volumes to the former
McEwen Library in honor of his father, Royall Spence, Sr. He
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, who also
attended the ceremony, was elected trustee emeritus in
1991.
The Belk and Spence pavilions are the fourth and fifth
pavilions in the Academic Village, the liberal arts
quadrangle on campus that combines classrooms with living
spaces. The pavilions surround a central lawn and outdoor
amphitheatre.