University of the South - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Sewanee, TN)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

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PREFACE Sewanee, despite its frequent characterization, is not a surrealistic haven for spoiled rich kids, nor is it becoming one. It is, instead, a unique spot to which come people of all ages. They are rich and poor, young and old, black and white, united in a search for knowledge. Despite the diver- sity of their interests, backgrounds, and demands, as they settle in they become united by a spirit that transcends the Honor Code, the gowns, the surroundings and the fog. It is this spirit which makes Sewanee special. When the University of the South was founded 125 years ago, it was born of a vision of a man who wished to create an environment that would serve both the spiritual and educational needs of students. His drive and dedica- tion kept the idea alive in the face of impossible odds. Since that time, others have maintained that Heavenly Vision . Today it demands new goals from those involved in the University. Change is constantly occurring, yet the same spirit that has sustained Sewanee for so many years has given it a quiet air of stability and a sense of perma- nence. The spirit can best be explained as a feeling of love, unity, and respect for one another, for the Domain, and for the God that guides and protects us all. It is that which makes this place a special home for the time we are here. The spirit of Sewanee permeates everyone that passes through her gates, and everything that rests within them. It seems to be centered in All Saints ' Chapel, the focal point of the campus. Just as Leonidas Polk based his vision on a religious ideal, the University today begins at All Saints ' and branches out into academic and social diversity. With so solid a foundation, the future of the University of the South is assured. 2 PREFACE

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For his service, dedication, and contribu- tions to the University of the South and its Heavenly Vision, the editors and staff wish to dedicate the 1982 Cap and Gown to the former Dean of the School of Theology, The Very Reverend Urban Tigner Holmes, III. On the Feast of the Transfiguration, 1981, following an extended period of study and writing at Kanuga and in England, the Very Reverend Urban T. Holmes, III, ninth Dean of the School of Theology, died suddenly in Atlanta, Georgia. In every way he was larger than life and he had become the intellectual leader of the Episcopal Church. He had served in his ministry for ten years as Episcopal Chaplain to Louisiana State University, and for seven years he was Professor of Pastoral Theology at Nashotah House. As Dean of the School of Theology here at the University, Terry Holmes built an international reputa- tion as a prolific writer and scholar in the fields of history, spiritual theology, pastoral theology, and theological re- flection. Of Dr. Holmes, his fellow dean the Very Reverend Dr. O.C. Edwards of Seabury-Western Seminary has written: he had a capacity for friendship that was extraordinary, both for its intimacy with a few and for its availability to incredibly large numbers of people . . . He did more in fifty years than most people could have done in a hundred. We shall not look upon his like again this side of the apocalyptic event. To his students at the School of Theology Dean Holmes wrote: I am sure that you will find the School of Theol- ogy sometimes challenging, sometimes disappointing, and sometimes very exciting. I suspect this is the way the Church is these days. Those who knew Dean Holmes personally or through the creative genius of his writings were continually struck by his vision of the Church and of Christian ministry. His vision was prophetic in that it confronted, challenged, and pushed to the very limits one ' s capacity to imagine. In its prophetic sense this vision was often painful, and through it he called everyone in the Body of Christ to turn from mindlessness, sentimentality, and shallow answers to the depth and perplexity of the vision of the Kingdom. His was a call not to success in ministry but to faithfulness to the Christian vision and witness. This edition of the Cap and Gown contains as its theme The Heavenly Vision, and it is dedicated to the loving memory of the Very Reverend Urban Tigner Holmes, III. In keeping with this theme and with the life, ministry, and Christian witness of Terry Holmes we can think of no better summary of his life and work than the words of one of his favorite spiritual authors, Dame Julian of Norwich, who wrote that in the lovingkindness of God. All shall be well, And all manner of things shall be well. Robert Dedmon and James Burns The Very Reverend Urban T. Holmes, III 1930-1981 Terry Holmes ' warmth spoke to all he met. 4 DEDICATION