About 400 people gathered in Alumni Gym on Saturday afternoon for a memorial service remembering President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley, who died Tuesday at 92.
Elon University President Leo Lambert delivered opening remarks, followed by hymns, scripture readings and remembrances.
Danieley, who served as president from 1957 to 1973, was remembered as a genuine, affectionate leader who guided the university to prosperity. During his tenure, Danieley rose admission standards, enacted social change and promoted a vision for Elon in the future.
"To put it simply, Earl Danieley made Elon today possible," Lambert said.
Noel L. Allen '69, a member of the Board of Trustees, recalled how Danieley asked him to attend a student retreat near Boone during his sophomore year at Elon. There, Danieley "led us to a new way of looking at Elon," Allen said.
"We shall miss his smile, his with, his passion for this place," Allen said, "his roses, his birthday cards. His handshake, it wasn't just firm — it warmly enveloped your hand."
John G. Sullivan, Powell Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, and Adam Constantine '10, social media manager, also spoke to Danieley's impact and legacy.
Constantine began his remarks by questioning "how you honor a man with a 92-year legacy in just four minutes," since that's all the time he was allotted to speak.
A former basketball player at Elon, Constantine said he interviewed Danieley this past summer. He asked him how he wanted to be remembered.
"His answer was this: 'I want everyone to believe that here was an honest man, and that he always did his best,'" Constantine said. "...While I have many more memories and so much more I could say about Dr. Danieley's impact on me and everyone he touched, let me conclude by saying this undeniable truth about my friend.
"He was an honest man, and he always did his best."
There was a special College Coffee in the Moseley Center after the service.