Today we went to the campus of Stanford University (official Leland E. Stanford, Jr. University) to attend the public worship service at Stanford Memorial Church. We arrived at the campus about 10:20 AM and had time to walk around before the doors opened at 10:30. The church building sits at the back of the quadrangle. It is an elegant and beautiful structure as are the buildings of the campus. We arrived early enough to view the interior and sit and quiet our minds as we prepared for worship.
Although, not a large crowd, it was a wonderful mix of all ethnicities gathered together. The Senior Dean and pastor is an African American lady from New Jersey with family ties throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. She knew how to say “ya’ll” well and encouraged our participation with “Amen” frequently. Her message for the second Sunday of October regarded the two, greatest commandments: “Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.” The music covered a broad range from anthems to gospel hymns.
After service we walked over to the Herbert Hoover Memorial Bell Tower before heading back to our car and a drive over to Half Moon Bay for lunch. The photos (below) reveal some of the beauty and sense of permanence to be seen. Byron had been to the campus at least a half-dozen times. For Martha, this was her first time and she found it to also be awesome. We both agree that Stanford’s campus offers more beauty than that of Notre Dame in South Bend. Both, however, are outstanding.
Palm Drive, the drive the leads to the main entrance.
Groves of trees are on either side of the roadway.
Only the palm trees are next to the road. Other types
are in the wooded areas.
This photo of Stanford Memorial Church was taken through the arch
at the back side of the Quad. Since its completion in 1903,
Memorial Church, non-sectarian from the start,
has been a spiritual sanctuary on campus.
An interpretive sign reveals the fact that a larger archway and
steeply were part of the original construction.
Even the covered walkways around the buildings of the Quad
are beautiful in detail. The stonework is truly amazing.
This photo was made as we were under the archway in the Quad.
Stanford Memorial Church stands as the focal point and was
built after the original buildings were constructed. The façade
of the building contains gold foil tiles. The religious scenes
are mosaic tiles and have been on the façade since completion
and dedication in 1903.
The interior of Stanford Memorial Church is as beautiful inside
as it is outside. Scriptures and wisdom sayings are carved
into the stone walls. Stained glass windows abound as
do more images of mosaic tile.
The organ is at the rear of the sanctuary mounted to the
rear of the choir loft. It is actually two organs in one.
Pipework from the original remains in place on
either side of the C. B. Fisk organ installed
in the 1980s.
After the service, we walked over to the Herbert Hoover Memorial Bell Tower before heading back to our car and a drive over to Half Moon Bay for lunch. Byron has a friend who has played concerts at this carillon. Originally, there were 35 bronze bells of the instrument. In 2002, the carillon was refurbished and expanded to 48 bells. The bourdon (largest) bell has the inscription, "For Peace Alone Do I Ring." Hoover felt it captured the purpose of his library.
Hoover Tower is a 285-foot art deco edifice that is recognizable
all over the Stanford campus. It is a part of the Hoover Institution
on War, Revolution and Peace complex. The carillon was originally
installed in the Belgian Exhibit of the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
The tower was commissioned by Herbert Hoover before he
became President of the USA. Construction was overseen
by the architect of Coit Tower. It was dedicated in 1941
for the university's 50th anniversary.
Getting out of Palo Alto was not an issue. However, where we were to start over the coastal range, traffic got heavy. It took us one hour to go six miles. The reason for the slow traffic, as we later observed, was the extreme business at the pumpkin farms along the coastal area near Half Moon Bay. As it turned out, it has been an annual thing to buy pumpkins on the second Sunday of October. Everyone knew this but we sure didn’t! We enjoyed lunch at Half Bay Brewing Company with a view of the bay and marina. We completed our visit by returning to the campground via a different route.
Since it was a bit cool, we elected to sit in one of the dining
rooms at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company instead of
eating on the patio.
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