This video titled, "College Chapel" was held in Whitley Auditorium on November 5, 2009. This weekly tradition held on each Thursday included music played by students and faculty with a keynote speaker from Elon University. Several classical pieces were played on the organ. An unknown Elon University student introduced Dr. J. Earl Danieley. The student stated, Danieley has spent 63 years touching lives of many students with all his roses that he adored planting at his home. Danieley walked to the podium. This particular week, Danieley spoke on the theme of the semester, "Defining Moments." When Danieley came to Elon College, Whitley Auditorium was only 17 years old. There were no portraits in Whitley Auditorium. The Whitley Auditorium portraits were place in the building in 1957, after Dr. Leon Edgar Smith retired from the Elon College presidency. The portrait on the left of the stage was William Allen. Harper (Class of 1899 and named the 4th Elon College president in 1911 " 1931). The portrait on the right side of the stage was Dr. Leon Edgar Smith (Class of 1910, served as a minister at Norfolk, Virginia in 1931 - 1957 and named the 5th Elon College president). The original seating in Whitley Auditorium were church pews. The aisles were different at that particular period to time. The men students were assigned seats on the east side of Whitley and the women students were assigned seats on the west side of Whitley. If a young man had a very special lady friend and wished that he could seat with her during chapel, they came a little earlier. The side balconies had three rows of seats. The seating capacity of the auditorium was approximately 600. And for those chapel services, the auditorium was filled. Student Assembly on Monday and College Chapel on Wednesday and Friday of each week. There were consoles for the four manuals of the Skinner Organ. The organ pipes were located in back of the attic. The Skinner Organ was used through the middle of the 1960s when Elon College did a renovation to Whitley Auditorium. The renovations included: a center aisle, theatre seats, an orchestra pit with an elevator for the organ console (when you wanted to play the organ " a person had to push a button and the organ was lifted up from the pit to the stage). One time there was a leak in the roof and rain destroyed the Skinner Organ due to rain damage. The new Casavant Fr"res Organ (a Canadian Organ Company) was installed in 2001 as a gift from Harold Smith family from Burlington, North Carolina. The Casavant Fr"res Organ has speaking pipes with the works of the organ behind the pipes. And the console is returned to the closet off the main stage. Danieley began his formal talk with stating that he came to Elon College in September of 1941, 68 years ago. He came from a small farming community just a few miles from Elon College, North Carolina. His family was driving a 1928 A Model Ford. The Danieley family was active in a small Methodist church. Danieley stated that the family had Sunday school each Sunday and preaching occurred twice a month (second Sunday morning and fourth Sunday afternoon). The minister was assigned to serve six churches. Loy Harris, H.E. Lance, L.L. Parrish, Dawn Durham, and Robert Nicks were some of the ministers who preached at Danieley"s Methodist church. Music at Danieley"s church was very limited. There was a piano (Danieley jokes by saying "I am not sure it was ever tuned.)" There was nobody in the community who could play the piano, said Danieley. Danieley picked out a hymn and with one finger guided the church to sing. Danieley laughs and said "sad." Returning back to Elon College Chapel, attendance at College Chapel was mandatory. All students were required to attend chapel services at Elon College. Seniors were permitted to have 10 absences per semester. All other students were permitted six absences per semester. Any further absences, a student would receive a one hour semester credit deduction. There were a few situations where students lost more credit missing chapel than they were gaining class credit (and ended up with negative credit at the end of the semester)- *Laughter from the audience.* Attendance at chapel was recorded by students who were called "chapel checkers" and the records were kept in the dean"s office. Faculty members sat in front on either side. Many faculty members attended chapel because President Smith "caught an eye" to look for what faculty members were not in attendance. If a faculty member was in attendance, Smith gave "bonus points" to the particular faculty member. A faculty member from the religious department was responsible for planning the chapel programs, presiding at the services, and serving as the preacher. Danieley spoke of the pipe organ and the specific hymns sung in Whitley Auditorium during his college education. Danieley listed his favorite hymns and his favorite preachers from Elon College Chapel in the 1940s. "The church is a society of people of the faith " united in striving to know and do the will of God," said Danieley. Danieley said, "There were Elon Alumni who complained in attending chapel, and Danieley was not one of those individuals. For me, the experience of being in chapel, of hearing the great pipe organ, of hearing the college choir & the soloists, and hearing some of the best sermons in the country. Those experiences provided for me numerous, defining, moments in my life. Thanks be to God. Amen." The Rev. Phillip W. (Phil) Smith, Associate Chaplain, (in 2016, owner of The Oak House) thanked Dr. Danieley for sharing his thoughts of his days as a student attending Elon College Chapel. Smith joked with Dr. Danieley, "someone said to Smith, I hope when I am Danieley"s age, I hope that I have Danieley"s memory. I (Smith) wish I had that memory now." Smith continued thanking Danieley with the attendance policy of college chapel and chapel checkers. Smith closed out his remarks in a blessing in remembering to love. "Amen. Go in Peace," said Smith. Images included: the swan stained glass, the two quilted international Gonfalons (by Carolyn Nelson). Some names included: Names included: Dr. Irwing D. Barkley, Margaret Whittington, Dorothy Shepherd, Mary Ann (unknown last name), Chester Alexander, Henry Robinson, Arnold Nickle, and Rockwell H. Potter.