Community Impact

Community Fundraising

The Kennedy Chapel was officially moved to its current residence on UWG’s campus in August of 1964, 3 months after the dedication ceremony. West Georgia College collected $3,812 of their $5,000 from contributors. The funds were donated by community members all over the West Georgia area including: Carrollton, Villa Rica, Bremen, Bowdon, Tallapoosa, Douglasville, Fairburn, and more. A full list of all contributors can be found in UWG Special Collections.

Controversies and Protests

The Chapel’s dedication to President Kennedy was controversial for several community members. West Georgia KKK members were against the dedication due to their aversion to Catholics and the Kennedys. They were opposed to the Kennedy family's work and support of the Civil Rights Movement. Additonally, supporters of Alabama Governor George Wallace were present at the dedication ceremony and protested against the Kennedys.

In 2002, Carrollton resident Nell Meadows wrote a letter to former UWG President Beheruz Sethna about her disapproval of the Kennedy Chapel name. She wrote, “The little chapel on the university campus called the John F. Kennedy Chapel has the wrong name… that Chapel should be called the Slade Chapel for the family who built it.” This view was shared by several community members who wanted to honor the history and impact of the Slade family.

Meadows's letter is currently held by UWG Special Collections.

Maple Street School

While Robert F. Kennedy was driving to the university’s campus for the Chapel dedication ceremony, he made a brief stop at the Maple Street School. Outside the school, students stood on the sidewalks and greeted Kennedy energetically. According to The West Georgian, Kennedy walked up and down the sides of the road multiple times to shake hands and pat heads. As Kennedy got back in his car, The West Georgian reported, he “threw up his hands and said, ‘Now you children go back to school!’”

While no longer in use, the Maple Street School still stands today near the corner of Maple Street and Lovvorn Road.