Claflin University will host the 11th Anniversary of the James and Dorothy Z. Elmore Chapel on Sunday, April 22 at 4 p.m. The guest speaker for the anniversary worship service is Bishop L. Jonathan Holston, resident bishop of the South Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.  

Two supporters who led the effort in building a new chapel for Claflin University are the late Dr. James Elmore, Sr., a former trustee, and his widow, Mrs. Dorothy Z. Elmore, a Claflin graduate. As a result of their pioneering vision, Claflin University's Board of Trustees voted to name the chapel in their honor. It was the wish of the Elmores to replace the T. Willard Lewis Chapel, named in honor of one of the Claflin founders, which was pulled down in order to build the W.V. Middleton Fine Arts Center. In 1999, the Elmores made a $250,000 challenge grant to initiate the fundraising effort for the $3 million edifice.

The first worship service was held on the fourth Sunday in
April 2007.

Mrs. Dorothy Z. Elmore, a philanthropist and leal and loyal daughter of Claflin University, pledged to fulfill her late husband's dream of constructing a new chapel at her Alma Mater. Prior to Dr. James Elmore's death on February 24, 2002, the Elmores made several major gifts to the University to support various fundraising campaigns.

Dr. Elmore was a member of the Claflin University Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors. A self-made man, he was the ultimate donor, enriching so many lives by sharing his success during his 70 years.

Dr. Elmore, trained by apprenticeship and holding a Master's License, was the dean of Orangeburg plumbers. He began his own plumbing business in 1949, shortly after his marriage to Mrs. Elmore. He was a graduate of the South Carolina Police Academy and an honored reserve officer of the Orangeburg Sheriff's Department. For 15 years, he was a proprietor of Edisto Theater, which provided a wholesome environment for entertainment.

Mrs. Elmore graduated from Claflin University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961 and did further studies at South Carolina State University. Mrs. Elmore's career spanned a period of more than 43 years to include 18 years as a classroom teacher, librarian, and an assistant principal. The other years were spent as a business partner with her husband in Elmore's Plumbing Company.

Mrs. Elmore and the late Dr. James Elmore, Sr., have three children: Ernestine Charleston, James (Gloria) Elmore, Jr. and Teresa (Richard) Wilks.

Considered to be the faith hub of the campus, the James and Dorothy Z. Elmore Chapel is one of the most impressive constructions to date. The facility not only serves as a place for worship services or weddings, it is also the educational building for those students who are studying religion and philosophy as well as humanities and social  sciences. The Chapel houses a sanctuary, the office of the University chaplain, as well as classrooms and offices for professors. This crown jewel of the campus was erected debt free.