DEMOREST - Piedmont College is holding a two-day celebration next week to mark the inauguration of its 12th president, Dr. Danny P. Hollingsworth. The dates are Oct. 13-14.
The special events include a keynote speech by a leader in higher education in the Southeast, a special Inauguration Service in the Chapel, and a celebratory piano concert. Each of these events is free and open to the public.
At 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 13, Dr. David S. Spence, president of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) will present the keynote speech in the Swanson Center Mainstage Theater. The SREB was created in 1948 by 16 Southern states to help government and education leaders work together to improve education in the region. Headquartered in Atlanta, the SREB helps states increase the graduation rates of postsecondary and college students. Spence also leads one of the nation's foremost projects to establish statewide college readiness initiatives, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
On Friday at 3 p.m., faculty, staff, students, trustees and friends of the college will gather for a special Inauguration Service in the Chapel. Piedmont Board Chairman Thomas A. "Gus" Arrendale III will preside over the investiture, as Dr. Hollingsworth and former President Dr. W. Ray Cleere exchange symbols of the office. The Piedmont Chamber Singers and organist Dr. James Mellichamp will provide music for the ceremony.
Formerly executive vice president and chief financial officer at Carson-Newman College, Hollingsworth comes to Piedmont with some 36 years experience in business and higher education. Before joining Carson-Newman as Dean of the School of Business in 2008, he taught business and accounting at Mississippi State University, where he served as director of the School of Accountancy and as interim Dean of the College of Business and Industry. From 1987 to 2000, he taught at Baylor University, serving five years as chair of the Department of Accounting and Business Law.
The inauguration celebration will continue Friday evening at 7:30 p.m., in the Chapel, where noted Georgia pianist Terry Lowry will present a concert of piano music. A native of Albany, Lowry is a multi-faceted pianist and composer and has presented concerts throughout the United States and Europe. Lowry's recitals consist of original compositions, popular repertoire from the past and present, and improvisations on themes provided by audience members. In 1994 he was named to the prestigious list of International Steinway Artists. Lowry is the music director and conductor of the Carroll Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, he was appointed Organist/Choir Director of Decatur's St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, while continuing as Composer-in-Residence at Marietta's Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.
Sunday
July 6th, 2025
3:19PM
