Groundbreaking for the Samuel J. Cadden Chapel

Clemson University joined alumni, donors and student leaders for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Samuel J. Cadden Chapel. The chapel, named for a Clemson student who passed away unexpectedly in 2015, will be located adjacent to the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts and serve as a venue for all people to celebrate, meditate and reflect. Ken and Mary Cadden, the parents of Samuel J. Cadden, made the lead gift of $1.5 million. Fewer than three years later, pledges received for the chapel from more than 1,500 donors exceed $7 million. The natives of Richmond, Virginia, were in attendance and spoke of their strong desire to carry on their son’s legacy. Samuel Cadden was a rising junior majoring in financial management at the time of his death. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and Knights of Columbus. Following his death, his parents discovered a wish list that included a desire to one day have a building at Clemson named in his honor.