Wake Forest names residence hall in honor of Larry and Beth Hopkins
The University celebrates a legacy of leadership
Wake Forest University will name a residence hall in honor of Larry and Beth Hopkins, two trailblazing alumni with deep ties to the University and Winston-Salem. In recognition of their extraordinary contributions – as former students, faculty members and leaders, South Hall will be renamed Dr. Larry D. Hopkins and Professor Beth N. Hopkins Hall.
Beth Hopkins has had a decades-long career in law, education, and community outreach and was one of the first two Black female residential students at the University. Her late husband, Dr. Larry Hopkins, a football star at Wake Forest, was a well-known physician who improved access and outcomes for women’s and neonatal health. Both have served on Wake Forest’s Board of Trustees.
“Beth and Larry Hopkins changed Wake Forest and Winston-Salem for the better,” said Wake Forest University President Susan R. Wente. “We are forever grateful to them both and look forward to seeing Hopkins Hall honor their legacy. Both Larry and Beth have selflessly shared their intellect, heart and talents with Wake Forest University in order to make it a better place for all who live, learn and work on the Reynolda Campus.”
Wente made the announcement at the annual Founders Day ceremony held on February 20 in Wait Chapel.
Beth Hopkins graduated from Wake Forest in 1973. After earning a law degree from William & Mary, she served as a federal prosecutor and a civil rights attorney. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Virginia and Louisiana and as an Assistant Attorney General in Virginia.
Beth Hopkins returned to Wake Forest in the 1980s to work in the legal department and teach an undergraduate course on race and the courts. In 2010, she joined the law school to lead the pro bono and public interest programs as the inaugural director of the Smith Anderson Center for Community Outreach. She has done extensive work for the United States Tennis Association (UTSA) and received the Billie Jean King Champion of Equality award in 2023. Beth also received Wake Forest’s 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award. She is well-known throughout the Wake Forest community as an exceptional teacher, mentor and advocate.
Dr. Larry Hopkins was a physician and an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Wake Forest School of Medicine. He served thousands of patients in the community and was a valued role model and teacher for hundreds of medical school students. In 2020, he received Wake Forest’s highest honor, the Medallion of Merit, in recognition of decades of service to the University and the community. He was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1987.
More than 50 years ago, Dr. Hopkins enrolled at Wake Forest, where he emerged as a standout student and athlete. In 1972, he graduated with a degree in chemistry. After declining a contract from the New England Patriots, Hopkins enrolled in the Wake Forest School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree in 1977 and enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he rose to the rank of major before returning to Winston-Salem to practice medicine. He co-directed the Women’s Health Center, serving on Today’s Women’s Wellness Center’s Health Advisory Council and the Women’s Health Center Advisory Board, among other roles. Inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 1989, Larry Hopkins played a key role in Wake Forest’s first ACC football championship.
“Naming a building on campus– particularly a residence hall – is a rare opportunity and one of the highest honors a University can bestow,” Wente said. In the fall of 2024, she convened the South Hall Ad Hoc Administrative Committee on Honorifics to consider names for the residence hall. The group gathered feedback from the Wake Forest community and conducted extensive research. They made the recommendation to name the building in honor of Larry and Beth Hopkins and the Board of Trustees approved the recommendation at its February meeting.
Plans for a dedication ceremony are underway.
South Hall History and Background
- South Hall was originally named for its geographic location on the south side of campus
- It opened in the fall of 2010 and was the first LEED-certified residence hall on Reynolda Campus
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