Newly named Ellen J. Mannoia Hall, located on College Avenue.

e have been blessed in the rich history and wonderful traditions of Greenville College. I’ve been a part of the Greenville College family for over 50 years. I’ve carefully observed the life
of the college, first through the eyes of a child living in a home on campus where Snyder Hall now stands and later as a student and now as a trustee.

Over the years I’ve recognized, as have you, those persons whose lives personify this place. For all the warm words we give to the hopes and desires we have for our students, there are those special people in our midst who clearly live out these ideals. We know it, we revel in the gifts they so freely share, and we selfishly soak it up. We want to live in the shade of their graces.

There is one such person we wish to honor today.

From the first day Ellen Mannoia set foot on this campus - she made a splash and we all got wet. We’ve been living in the wake of her wonder ever since. It’s been easy to follow the ripples of her presence across this place. Ellen touches lives.

Ellen is the student body’s First Lady. They are in her home - she is in their homes. The students want her to speak in chapel. The senior class students, who can choose the Baccalaureate speaker, chose Ellen to address them a couple of years ago. She is warmly embraced by the faculty, she is adored by the board members, and she is admired in the community.

Ellen is the reflection of the spirit of this place. A woman of God, a woman of character, a woman of service, a loving and caring wife and mother, a woman of beauty and of hospitality. For these past nine years, but really through the last 20 years of her journey and longer, Ellen has been teaching us about living, about courage, about wholeness. With Ellen - life is top down - full throttle. We reflect her radiant smile, we giggle with her infectious laugh and we stand taller in the presence of her poise.

This weekend, the Board of Trustees of Greenville College, without any knowledge of the President, is pleased to announce that the building formerly known as the College Avenue Residence Hall will be renamed - Ellen J. Mannoia Hall.

Ellen was in on this building from the start. She aided in its design, she daily watched its construction from her kitchen window, she did the decorating, she chose the furnishings and she contributed her own money to make it become a featured facility on campus.

Ellen J. Mannoia Hall is the first impression most visitors have when they approach the Greenville College campus. We think that reflecting Ellen is putting Greenville College’s best foot forward.

Will you join with me in celebrating this special woman who so wonderfully represents the best of Greenville College?

— Craig W. Tidball, Chairman, Board of Trustees Greenville College.

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