Feb. 20 marked the 191st annual Wake Forest Founders Day, celebrated with a program held in Wait Chapel for students, faculty, staff and alumni. The event honored Beth and Larry Hopkins with the honorific renaming of South Residence Hall, as well as Donald Flow, the recipient of the 2025 Medallion of Merit.
“Our founders are our students, faculty, staff, every person who has lived, worked or studied at Wake Forest,” President Susan R. Wente said. “So today we honor nearly two centuries of Demon Deacons. We celebrate each person who has made new discoveries, uncovered new knowledge and expanded our reach and ability to serve humanity as our motto calls us to do.”
An Honorific Renaming of South Residence Hall
President Wente announced that South Residence Hall is being renamed Hopkins Hall to honor Professor Beth Hopkins and the late Larry Hopkins.
Beth Hopkins earned a Bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest in 1973 as one of the first Black female residential students in university history. She served in many roles at Wake Forest, most recently as a Life Trustee.
Larry Hopkins earned his Bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest in 1972 and his medical degree in 1977. The couple has been influential across the Wake Forest campus for many years.
“I always look forward to giving somebody a better chance,” Beth Hopkins said in a video presented at the event. “Because I have always believed that there’s an open door somewhere and all you have to do is tug on the knob a little bit.”
‘Don’ Flow’s Medallion of Merit
The Medallion of Merit was presented to Donald ‘Don’ Flow, a member of the Wake Forest community who has exhibited a driving belief in change throughout his career. Flow received his MBA from Wake Forest Business School in 1933. He served many roles in the business school, the medical center board, the health sciences board and the Board of Trustees, including chair of the board for three years. Flow’s work helped bring the Winston-Salem Open to Wake Forest, and he was instrumental in the success of the Wake Will philanthropic campaign. In 2017, he was awarded the Wake Forest Distinguished Alumni Award.
“It took me one conversation to realize he’s quite a Renaissance guy,” said Wake Forest Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Julie Ann Fresichlag in a video for Flow presented at the event. “He shocked me when I met him about how he asked questions and his persona. He was trying to solve a problem. When I came here he was the one that really participated in looking at the changes and how to make them happen.”
Following the presentation of the medallion, Flow spoke at the event.
“I tell people that my life is summarized in a simple formula,” Flow said. “Life is a profound gift, lived under grace, and the only appropriate response is gratitude expressed through generosity. Thank you, Wake Forest for not only helping me understand this but also for giving me a community in which to make this a reality.”
This award marks the only time two members of the same family have been individually named recipients. Donald Flow followed his father, Victor I. Flow Jr., who received the medallion in 2001.
A senior orator’s speech on theater and life
This year’s senior orator was Zac Anderson, whose speech, ‘Ephemeral Moments, Eternal Impact,’ explored the intersection of theater and life, the former teaching him that every moment of life is both fleeting and full of meaning. Anderson highlighted the role of Wake Forest’s culture and community in teaching him this lesson.
“The true beauty of [Wake Forest] is that the lessons don’t just show up in the big defining moments,” Anderson said in his speech. “They live in the quiet ones, too, in the spaces between all the milestones. [Wake Forest] isn’t just a collection of individuals, it’s a place where people lean in, lift each other up and create something bigger than themselves, and that’s what makes it unforgettable.”
The collective influence of Wake Forest’s community
The Founders Day addresses each touched on the deep and transformative impact of Wake Forest on the lives of all those who step on to campus, as well as the power each person has to be the creators of a transformative culture.
“There were so many similarities between my speech and [Flow’s] of how much this place has shaped us and made us who we are,” Anderson said, in an interview with the Old Gold & Black. “It was cool to see and think that some day in the future I’m going to be looking back at this and feeling similar things. It was cool to see how many people love and care about [Wake Forest].”
Founders Day serves as a reminder of the history of Wake Forest created by thousands of hands, as well as a call to live more fully into Pro Humanitate each year.
“When I think about Founders Day,” Wake Forest Alumnus and Fellow Roscoe Bell said, “it’s about remembering that the university has always been dedicated to developing the whole person and making them good agents of change in the world. The mission has only become more beautiful year after year as we continue to bring into question who is Pro Humanitate for and what are we here to do. I think it’s a communal reminder of who we are and that allows us to do our best work.”
