News Detail
"In This Space..."
Over the summer, changes in the foyer and plaques in Pendleton Memorial Hall were begun to make the space and its intended purpose — a celebration of honor, service, and sacrifice — clearer for all who enter.
Named in honor of William Nelson Pendleton, who, in 1839, was appointed the first Principal of Episcopal High School, this hall was constructed in 1950 and served as the School’s chapel until 1990.
In this space, we honor the former students of the School who have given their lives in military service. In their valor and sacrifice, these individuals upheld the School’s highest ideals of honor and service, values to which the students, alumni, and faculty of Episcopal High School are eternally committed.
In this space, we also remember friends we have lost, those whose names are here displayed and all others, who have shared the blessings of life on the Holy Hill, and whom we see no longer.
Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter
These words now occupy the central wall panel in the foyer of Pendleton Memorial Hall. They welcome all who enter the building, setting a reverent tone and telling the story of the plaques that adorn the walls.
Since the building’s construction in 1950, it has served as a space in which memorials old and new are displayed. In discussions last year, Head of School Charley Stillwell and the Board of Trustees saw an opportunity to better convey the intended message of the space and its many memorials. They noted the rather random arrangement of the plaques in the lobby, stairs, balcony, and auditorium; the lack of explanation for their presence; and the use of the prominent entry wall for the plaque honoring those former students who died during the Civil War. An effect was that one conflict overshadowed the memory and sacrifice of all who have given their lives in peacetime and in war throughout the School’s history.
“We wanted the space to be every bit as meaningful as it deserves to be, and we wanted the experience to feel intentional, respectful, and consistent in how those who died in service were remembered,” Stillwell said.
In the spring, several steps were identified to accomplish this goal, and work began over the summer with installation of the word wall, described above. Plaques were then rearranged so that one wing holds those representing 19th Century wars, with 20th Century wars in another. Several plaques currently in the upstairs lobby — honoring alumni lost during the Mexican-American, Korean, and Vietnam wars as well as during peacetime in the 20th Century — will be moved to these wings in the coming months. A new granite plaque memorializing the School's Civil War dead is now in the 19th Century wing of the foyer; it flanks the entrance along with the WWII plaque, of similar design and text, in the opposite wing.
“Many members of our Episcopal community today have family members who have been memorialized on the plaques in Pendleton for generations, and we continue to name and honor them all. It is a reminder that we are all part of something greater than ourselves, and that the ideals of honor and service are so important for our School to continue to hold high,” Stillwell said. “These ideals become only more critical as we endeavor to prepare students for lives of leadership in a world that is changing in exciting and complicated ways."
