Southwestern Magazine | Fall 2020

THEN AND NOW SOUTHWE S T E RN | 3 9 A Quiet Place Dedicated on November 13, 1950, Southwestern University’s Lois Perkins Chapel is celebrating its 70th anniversary this fall. The chapel was named in honor of Lois Perkins, who attended Southwestern from 1908 to 1911, and symbolizes Southwestern’s deep connection to the United Methodist Church. Impressed with its semi-Gothic stone exterior, renowned Texas folklorist and 1910 alumnus J. Frank Dobie said, “The new chapel at Southwestern is the most beautiful college chapel I have ever seen on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean.” A 1981 renovation updated the chapel with the installation of a new altar, heating and cooling system, floors, roofing, and a lounge and garden on the east side of the building. Today, the chapel is open from 8:00 a.m. to midnight for worship, meditation, prayer, and quiet reflection. It also hosts religious events, weddings, School of Fine Arts performances, and memorial services for faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Photo by Jeff Teicher