Louise Bell Houston Terrace Dorm

It was a rainy August evening in 2006 in Augusta, Georgia, at one of the Alumni dinners that Mr. Wade Houston made his desire known to build a dorm in honor of his wife who was an alumna of Toccoa Falls High School. For several months following that initial meeting, he secretly sent in funds to pay for the facility that was to be named the Louise Bell Houston Dorm.

Mr. Houston swore the staff to secrecy as he wanted the unveiling of the dorm to be a complete surprise to his wife. Clandestine meetings were held with Mr. Houston, the Advancement Office staff, and Dr. Gardner. Invitations to the dedication ceremony were couched in phrases such as, “PLEASE KEEP THIS A SECRET” for fear an innocent statement would be made by one of their dear friends and ruin Mr. Houston’s surprise. The surprise was not ruined.

The Louise Bell Houston Terrace Dorm was dedicated on January 19, 2007, and became the first official act of business during the school’s Centennial anniversary year. When the name of the dorm was unveiled, Mrs. Houston was so overcome with emotion that she leaned back on her husband who was grinning from ear to ear. It was such a wonderful site.

A bronze plaque was placed inside the Louise Dorm which expressed Mrs. Houston’s heart. It reads: Louise Bell Houston intends to pray daily for the students who live here for as long as she lives. During Homecoming 2007 Mrs. Houston met with the young ladies who live in “her” dorm; she brought them boxes of goodies and prayed with them. They were elated to meet this gracious, Godly woman whom they lovingly call "Miss Louise."

Twenty-four young women moved in their brand new, two-story dorm during the Spring 2007 semester. The dorm is built in four six-person “quads”. Each quad is equipped with a full kitchen, common study area, four two-person bedrooms, handicap accessible bathrooms, and complete wireless connectivity.

The Terrace Dorm concept was the brainchild of Mr. Ken Sanders, former Vice-President of Student Affairs. Ken understood the housing challenges that Toccoa Falls faced as the student body grew. Several years ago he proposed that we take advantage of the natural landscape upon which the college stands and construct smaller dorms than the typical two-hundred person facility. This design concept was a stroke of genius for several reasons; one, it became more affordable to build and maintain; two, each facility fit the landscape perfectly; and three, it provided greater flexibility as our gender populations changed from year to year.

So, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, the Administration, the Alumni Association, and the student body, we thank Mr. Houston for his sensitivity to the housing needs of Toccoa Falls College and for his endearing love for “Miss Louise.”