President Emeritus Earl Danieley played tour guide Friday, Oct. 17, taking alumni on a BioBus tour of campus.
"Can everybody hear me in the back?" Dr. Danieley asked the full bus before departing.
Some alumni reserved their spots on the bus early specifically to hear Dr. Danieley tell the tale of a school he's been at for over 70 years.
"We got here 45 minutes early. We wanted to make sure we got a spot on the bus. Dr. Danieley is an institution in itself and everybody knows it," the alumni said.
Over the course of 70 years he has been a part of the Elon community, both Dr. Danieley and the university have grown together.
"It's [Elon University] just remarkable. And the quality of life that's on the campus now versus back then is just 100 times different," said Dennis Kopik, a member of Elon's Class of 1969.
Dr. Danieley explained these transformations, ranging from the new technologies on campus, to new buildings, like the Danieley Center.
"I told my chemistry classes for 60 years that we will not have geothermal heat because it's not practical here. I've had to eat my words," he said.
"Fred Young called and asked me could he name this Danieley Center and I told him on one condition. And he said, what's that? I said, that you name it in honor of me and not in memory," Dr. Danieley said.
To the alumni, it seemed like some of the new buildings, including the Station at Mill Point, came out of nowhere.
"All of these other buildings, I don't even know, just popped up," said Eric Akelatis, a member of Elon's Class of 1999.
Without Dr. Danieley's tour, Kopik said he wouldn't have recognized part of his old school.
"If I didn't go on the bus tour, I wouldn't have found half of the campus," Kopik said.
Despite the physical changes, some parts of Elon, like Dr. Danieley, have stayed the same.
"And it's all kept together. The character of the whole place is still the same," Kopik said.