A 21-Photo Salute

A look back at two decades in The Forest

By Wake Forest University

December 18^th, 2020

A 21-Photo Salute

As the century prepares to turn 21, it’s only fitting we mark this special occasion with a few photos from each year. Curated by our very own Ken Bennett, this collection captures a wide range of Ken's favorite images and moments from two decades of campus life.

We hope you’ll enjoy this stroll down memory lane and have a safe and happy new year.

2000

The turn of the century begins with Wake Forest selected as one of three universities in the nation to host a presidential debate between George Bush and Al Gore; Shorty's opens in the Benson Center with a nod to the Old Campus; MBA students work in their study group outside Worrell Hall; first-year student Holly Shankle tries out the new wireless card in her University-issued laptop; Provost Emeritus Edwin Wilson teaches a poetry class; the Winston-Salem fair lights up the sky behind the football stadium; friends congratulate each other at Commencement; and the football team huddles up before a game.

2001

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher speaks in Wait Chapel; the Equestrian team practices at a local horse farm; School of Divinity professor James Dunn teaches in a seminar room in the bell tower of Wait Chapel; students race in the "Quad 500;" painted Demon Deacon statues make their way to the Quad for “Deacons on Parade;” former First Lady Barbara Bush is hooded with her honorary Doctor of Humanities degree before giving the Commencement address; an impromptu prayer vigil forms outside Wait Chapel on the evening of September 11; and students hold candles high at the Lovefeast ceremony.

2002

Lloyd the barber is ready for your haircut; a cheerleader gets the crowd cheering as Wake takes on East Carolina; students make art in the sculpture studio in Scales Fine Arts Center; a photo shot from the top of Wait Chapel captures fall colors and the Winston-Salem skyline behind Reynolda Hall; head field hockey coach Jennifer Averill poses in the net; a foggy morning envelops the Quad; and Wake Forest Magazine chooses eight freshmen to follow for four years.

2003

The Screamin' Demons go wild as Wake beats Duke in double overtime; three chairs of the Health and Exercise Science department pose for a photo in Reynolds Gym; Wake Forest’s Jazz Ensemble rocks Brendle Recital Hall; retiring longtime Chaplain Ed Christman gives a thumbs-up after serving the University for 49 years; Scott Abbott, left, and Alison Abrahamsen have big smiles at Commencement; Wake defeats nationally-ranked NC State at Groves Stadium; the Quad is heavily rolled after the win over Duke; and the music department performs the opera “Dido and Aeneas.”

2004

The chapel bell tower rises into the fog on a February evening; just a week later, heavy snow blankets the Quad; Chris Paul surfs the crowd after beating Duke in Joel Coliseum; Wake Forest Theatre performs “Into the Woods;” new graduate Sam Imende calls a friend on his cell phone; President Thomas K. Hearn Jr., and his wife, Laura Hearn, walk in the garden at the President's House; the field hockey team celebrates their third NCAA national championship in a row after beating Duke at home at Kentner Stadium; and luminaries line the Quad as students walk past the Christmas tree.

2005

Wake Forest students camp out next to the Joel to get basketball tickets; the baseball team takes on Appalachian in an early season game; Golf legend Arnold Palmer delivers the Commencement speech; the field hockey team secures three in a row NCAA championship trophies; rugby and rowing are two of the most popular club sports on campus; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg talks about her career in Wait Chapel; and Nathan O. Hatch is inaugurated as the 13th President of Wake Forest University.

2006

Springfest means a carnival on Davis Field; the Wake Forest Magazine's eight freshmen graduate four years later; Sarah McPherson hugs her mom, Connie, before Commencement ceremonies get under way; student photographer Joe Martinez covers his own graduation; incoming Wake Forest freshmen attend the North Carolina Outward Bound School near Table Rock Mountain; President Hatch joins athletes for Hit the Bricks for Brian to raise money for cancer research; a bluegrass band performs during Homecoming; President Hatch takes part in Project Pumpkin, a student volunteer service event; and the Quad turns white after the football team wins the ACC Championship game and earns the right to play in the Orange Bowl.

2007

Wake Forest plays in the Orange Bowl in Miami; Writer, poet and Wake Forest professor Dr. Maya Angelou poses in her Winston-Salem home; Shakespeare comes to life in the Z. Smith Reynolds Library atrium as students perform a scene from “Romeo and Juliet;” Wake Forest hosts the first round of the NCAA Men's Tennis tournament; a beautiful clear blue sky greets students for Commencement; Faculty Senate President David Coates and President Hatch joke around before the University convocation; Mike Ford cheers on first-year students in the Pros vs Joes competition; Chaplain Tim Auman, right, listens as retired University Chaplain Ed Christman gives the benediction at the Lovefeast, and students roll the Quad in honor of basketball coach Skip Prosser after his sudden passing.

2008

"Ancestry and Innovation: African American Art from the American Folk Art Museum" opens in the new gallery in Reynolda House Museum of American Art; fencers demonstrate their sport on Manchester Plaza; friends hang out on a warm spring day on South Campus; faculty and grads share a moment of congratulations and thanks at Commencement; the new Deacon Tower opens at the football stadium; Joe Biden campaigns on the Quad during the 2008 election; fall colors surround Reynolda Hall during the golden hour; and sophomore Emily Boker studies for an exam in the library.

2009

Wake Forest Theatre performs “The Underpants,” a play adapted by comedian Steve Martin; snow blankets North Campus with Pilot Mountain in the distance; students enjoy slipping and sliding outside Johnson Residence Hall; economics professor Kosmas Marinakas teaches his macroeconomics class outside; volunteers from Residence Life and Housing help build a Habitat for Humanity house in Winston-Salem; Amanda Finney and friends sample treats at the Taste of Winston-Salem event for new students; the Quad is ablaze with fall color; fans celebrate a touchdown against Maryland at BB&T Field; and the women's basketball team takes on Duke at the Joel Coliseum.

2010

The men's basketball team comes together before a game at the Coliseum; “Mr. Wake Forest” himself, Ed Wilson, poses in the library; biology professor Susan Fahrbach and her students check beehives; Commencement is moved from the Quad to Joel Coliseum due to rain – the last time the ceremony moved indoors was 1991; freshmen visit Reynolda House Museum of American Art to view and discuss a Frederic Church painting as part of their orientation program; Gerson Lanza rides his bicycle during the "anything goes" lap at Hit the Bricks for Brian; interesting shadows form outside “The Pit;” swings engraved with a single word on the seat are installed around campus – this one is "Will;" and students raise candles during “Joy to the World” at the Lovefeast.

2011

Mackenzie Finnegan is “Ma” and James French is “Tom” in the Wake Forest Theatre production of “The Grapes of Wrath;” the new Porter Byrum Welcome Center opens on campus; students are invited to camp out on the lawn at the President's House; a line forms for the Baccalaureate Service; incoming first-year students climb during the Wilderness to Wake program and build houses for Habitat for Humanity with the SPARC community service program; Arnold Palmer stands with football quarterback Riley Skinner and former basketball player Chris Paul at the dedication of Wake’s new golf complex named in Palmer's honor; Brian Gorelick conducts the Concert Choir at Lovefeast; and the football team plays at the Music City Bowl in Nashville.

2012

The Charlotte Center opens in Uptown; Lauren Suffoletto leads her kickboxing class in the Miller Center; the early morning sun silhouettes the faculty lined up for Commencement; the Winston-Salem Open professional tennis tournament takes place at Wake’s new tennis complex; musicians gather in the library to play John Cage's Musicircus during Cagefest; the library cupola glows at dusk; volleyball takes on NC State in Reynolds Gym for the 2012 Dig for the Cure game to raise money for breast cancer research; the three-story open atrium of the soon-to-be business school, Farrell Hall, takes shape during construction; and students study together in the library during exam week.

2013

The lyrics of the Alma Mater are written in chalk outside the library; snow brightens the patio in the early morning sunrise; Chris Paul and his family are honored at the Joel Coliseum as his number “3” is retired; students paint desks for local elementary school kids during the volunteer service project DESK; Farrell Hall opens as the new home of the School of Business; rain holds off almost to the end of the Commencement ceremony; Wake Will: The Campaign for Wake Forest kicks off; Arnold Palmer rides with the Deacon at BB&T Field; and the holiday lights reflect in the University seal on the Quad.

2014

Biology graduate student Max Messinger works on a remote controlled helicopter in his lab in Winston Hall; beating Duke never gets old; new graduates toss their caps at Commencement; the "ice bucket challenge" hits President Hatch; Kevin Cox, the “Voice of Wake Forest,” runs laps for Hit the Bricks for Brian; a total eclipse of the moon is visible over the Demon Deacon statue; head baseball coach Tom Walter and outfielder Kevin Jordan pose for a photo at the baseball park after Walter donated a kidney to Jordan; performers dance in the fall concert; and senior Kristi Chan holds a candle during the Lovefeast service.

2015

An art exhibition opens at the new student-run art gallery (stART) located in Reynolda Village; the three story open living room of Farrell Hall is a popular place to study; friends take advantage of the snow with epic snowball fights on the Quad; students celebrate Holi, the Hindu spring festival of colors; swimmers pose for a Wake Forest Magazine cover in the deep end of the pool; the sun sets over Wait Chapel; President Hatch shakes hands with every graduate as they cross the stage during Commencement, then shows off his mad drumming skills on stage at the bi-annual President's Ball during Homecoming; and the Demon Deacon leads the football team onto the field.

2016

The Deacon joins the dancers at the Wake ‘N Shake fundraising dance marathon; Wake Forest Theatre puts on “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum;” new Army 2nd Lieutenants are sworn in at Commencement, while one of their classmates takes a selfie with President Hatch; incoming first-year students hike on the Appalachian Trail in the Wilderness to Wake program, while teams struggle to win a tug of war during Pros vs Joes, a new-student orientation ice breaker; the football team gathers before their home opener; junior Jamerdon Dean, (stage name Dean Chatham) performs his original music on Manchester Plaza; and art students learn how to shoot tintypes with an antique view camera.

2017

The start of classes marks a historic moment in the life of the University where for the first time medical school and undergraduate student education will occur together under one roof at Wake Downtown. The campus in downtown Winston-Salem houses new academic programs in engineering and biomedical sciences; students work in an organic chemistry lab in the new space; a deciduous magnolia blooms in Reynolda Gardens; Aylin Aguilar, Tessa Stockdale and Omar Benjamin hang out on an unusually warm February afternoon; studio art major Ann Thuy Nguyen exhibits her senior honors art project in the Hanes Gallery; Indy Cousin reacts as she sees the solar eclipse; students in the new Wake Washington program ride the Metro; the historic Reynolds Gym reopens after a complete renovation; and members of the men's soccer team celebrate a second round NCAA tournament victory with their fans at Spry Stadium.

2018

Engineering students laugh as they try to use a backboard in class; the new pool in the renovated Reynolds Gym opens; tulips bloom in early spring in front of the stone arch on the Quad; the climbing wall is a popular way to get exercise; Men's Tennis wins the NCAA team championship at Leighton Tennis Stadium; students work on a chemistry lab procedure in the newly renovated Salem Hall; Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State ROTC cadets, along with city firefighters, police cadets, and members of the campus community, climb 2997 stairs to commemorate those killed in the 9/11 attacks; Undergraduate Research Day in the library atrium draws crowds as students showcase their work; and luminaries line the Quad to celebrate the holiday.

2019

Danielle Mozingo and Lindsey Wilson study in the library; the sun peeks through a magnolia tree on the South Campus; Nathan Shepherd and Michelle MacDougald look through their telescope as they learn to calculate the diameter of celestial objects; dancers take flight in the spring dance concert; new students throw paper airplanes during orientation to symbolize the launch of the college to career journey (photo by Riley Herriman '22); players react to a goal during a women's soccer game (photo by Riley Herriman '22); The Wake Forest facilities team performs the dance piece "From the Ground Up" on Hearn Plaza; Wake Forest Theatre performs “The Crucible;” and the Quad is lit for the holidays.

2020

During Founders' Day Convocation, President Hatch offers an apology for the University’s participation in the institution of slavery; in March the Polo Road gate is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and campus signage from the University’s “Show Humanitate” campaign reminds the Wake Foresters that wearing a mask and keeping a safe distance is a way to care for one another; first-year student Jayden Brown gets some help from her parents, Hilbert Brown and Carol Wall-Brown, as she moves out of her room in Collins Residence during the pandemic; fireworks light up the sky over the Deacon statue; Wake Forest volunteers hand out food in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank and Duke's Mayonnaise; volleyball players watch from the sideline as their teammates take on Miami at the Joel (Photo by Riley Herriman '22); tents set up on campus give students a place to study and eat outside; engineering students work on electronic circuits in a lab at Wake Downtown; and instead of luminaries encircling Hearn Plaza, a pillar of light illuminates the sky over Wait Chapel to share the light of Lovefeast, which was held virtually due to the pandemic.

About the Photographer

Ken Bennett joined Wake Forest as the University Photographer in January, 1997. Ken is active in the University Photographers Association of America and has won numerous print and publication awards, as well as the UPAA Master of the Profession award in 2013. He was named National Photographer of the Year in 2014 by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and Wake Forest Employee of the Year in 2015. Photo of Ken by Lauren Olinger ('13), Red Cardinal Studio.