Templeton Hall Open House & Evening Gala
On Saturday, November 8th, alumni, families, and friends explored Templeton Hall—many for the very first time. Guests enjoyed seminars led by Dr. Cary, Dr. Yonan, Dr. Putnam, and Dr. Richards, giving alumni a chance to step back into the world of a Templeton student. Visitors toured the building at their own pace or joined guided tours with Dean Williams and building architect Brent Stebbins, learning about the thoughtful design, careful craftsmanship, and vision behind our beautiful new home.
After lunch, guests gathered in our new recital space, Clemens Hall, for a celebratory concert featuring President Matthews, the Opus Four String Quartet, Micah Roberts, and the Jakuboski Jazz Quartet.
On Saturday evening, over 160 guests gathered at The High Point Malvern for our 25th Anniversary Gala, beginning with a lively cocktail hour featuring music, conversation, and a silent auction. Guests enjoyed a beautifully served dinner before settling in for a highlight of the night: an engaging reading and reflection from poet, priest, and scholar Malcolm Guite.
Alumni such as Mary Elliot, Dr. Amy Richards, and Nathan Farris reflected on their experience at the Honors College, each offering stories of gratitude and the transformative role Templeton played in their lives.
Poet Christine Perrin shared the commissioned poem written for the anniversary, offering a fitting moment of beauty and contemplation near the close of the evening.
"In Reply" by Christine Perrin
“And there it is ahead of all as Goal, as the Beloved, as the Cause toward which all things move…” Dionysios the Areopagite, The Divine Names
Beauty bids and gathers and bestirs
to itself by the longing to have it.
It is the persistence of all things.
That day we lost the key in the woods
the blackbirds flew up all at once in a field,
the sun flashing on their hundred wings,
or the ceiling of the cathedral that pulls
our necks back to trace the fluent stone
till we see blue heavens come inside—
rest, movement, intelligence divine
traveling in a circle and a line,
in a spiral—turning unceasingly
around the beautiful and the good.
We yearn and it becomes us;
it may bring us the beatitude
of not belonging to ourselves one day.
We strive as best we can, poised
between lift and weight, thrust and drag—
yes, a careful shape, but, also, raised
like a wing gliding on an unseen wind
that makes flight, or the December night
we left the house and the warm fire,
to see the three planets align
and danced together in reply.
Commissioned for the 25th Anniversary of the Templeton Honors College from the poet Christine Perrin, a long-time friend of the Honors College.
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As we look back on a wonderful weekend of celebration, we’re reminded of our incredible community that makes this all possible. If the 25th Anniversary celebration encouraged or inspired you, we invite you to support the next generation of Templeton students. Your gift helps shape the scholars who will carry this mission forward for the next 25 years.