After two pandemic-related postponements, Guilford College finally dedicated the Paul E. Zopf Jr. and Evelyn M. Zopf Gazebo on a picture-perfect Saturday afternoon during Homecoming and Family Weekend.
Caption: Longtime Guilford professor Paul Zopf stands in front of the Gazebo outside Founders Hall dedicated to Paul and his late wife Evelyn on Saturday.
Friends, family, faculty, and alumni gathered on Bauman Terrace at Founders Hall for the long-anticipated ceremony, postponed by COVID. President Kyle Farmbry thanked the many friends and family of Paul and Evelyn for contributing funds to name the space, and, of course, for Paul and Evelyn themselves.
“Beloved members of the Guilford Community since their arrival in 1959, Paul and Evelyn are revered for the impact they’ve had on thousands of lives of students, faculty, and staff members,” Kyle said.
Paul is Charles E. Dana Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Emeritus after teaching at Guilford for 34 years. He held many administration roles, too, and served as Chief Marshal for nine years after his retirement. Evelyn, who died in 2016, was an unofficial hostess for Guilford, who served with the Guilford Art Appreciation Club for 56 years.
Paul was moved by the large gathering and kind words during the ceremony. “Evelyn deserves much of the praise,” he said. “Me, I’m not so sure. I especially love the location (of the gazebo). It’s really at the heart of what is Guilford College. You cannot be any closer to the essence of what goes on here than being in the gazebo either in spirit or in person.”
Ron Powers ’80 and his former coach Charles Forbes share memories during Saturday’s dedication ceremony of the Forbes Sports Center.
Forbes Sports Center Dedicated
The gazebo ceremony was one of two dedications Saturday. Earlier in the day, the Forbes Sports Center in Alumni Gym was dedicated. Charles Forbes is the College's winningest and longest serving football coach, compiling a 68-74-3 record in 15 seasons before leaving in 1991 to coach at Lenoir-Rhyne. His 1984 Guilford team earned a top 10 ranking in the NAIA and finished 7-3.
The Sports Center, made possible by the generosity of Charles and his wife, Katherine Forbes, provides all student-athletes with a flexible space in which to relax and learn. More than 100 friends and alumni showed up for the dedication, many of them former football players who played for Charles.
Players told story after story about Charles, who stood in the back of the room smiling and laughing with each new memory. “Thank you so much for coming here today,” he told them. “This means so much to me. Each of you means the world to me.”