Nora Chambers to be honored at special centennial chapel
“Lee University means family to me," Savannah Ogle, who is speaking at the Centennial Chapel, said. "It means growing in ways you never expected and being challenged to be the best version of yourself."
Courtesy of Lee University
Nora Chambers, the professor who taught the first class at Lee, will be honored at a special chapel service on Tuesday. Jonathan Bouvier and Savannah Ogle are set to host the Centennial Chapel in the Conn Center to kick off the celebration of Lee’s 100th anniversary.
Ogle, a junior music and worship major, said speaking at the Centennial Chapel was a special way to show what Lee has meant and still does mean to her.
“Lee University means family to me. It means growing in ways you never expected and being challenged to be the best version of yourself. It means getting opportunities to grow in your calling and abilities,” Ogle said. “It means making lifetime memories with your best friends, staying up into the wee hours of the night. It means being shown love and service in ways you never expected. It means an experience that goes way beyond the four years of schooling. It means the world to me.”
Like Ogle, Bouvier, a sophomore digital media major, said the Centennial Chapel is a way to honor Lee’s past and what it has done for students throughout the century on a holistic level.
“Lee is a school that goes above and beyond what is required of them. Most schools just want to see their students graduate and then check them off of the list. That’s not Lee,” Bouvier said. “Not only does Lee seek to provide a great education for students, but they honestly want to invest in us—spiritually, mentally and intellectually. Lee wants to do so much more than just hand me a diploma.”
Vice President for Student Development Dr. Mike Hayes said honoring the past and how far Lee has come will be the central theme of the chapel.
“We're going to be focusing on the idea from Nora Chambers of how the ‘unseen guest’ has been with us for 100 years,” Hayes said. “We'll also accentuate the role of the college benediction in our history. That's such a common foundation for students throughout the years.”
The institution now known as Lee University began on the morning of January 1, 1918. At precisely 9:30 that morning, a woman named Nora Chambers rang a small bell and called to order the first class of 11 members as the first instructor of the new college.
According to President Dr. Paul Conn, celebrating this centennial anniversary is important for all associated with Lee.
“In the life of a university, a 100th anniversary is as big as it gets,” Conn said. “This is certainly true of Lee. We have a story worth celebrating, and we look forward to doing it all year with friends and supporters.”
The Centennial Chapel will be held at 10:40 a.m. in the Conn Center.
