Choir of Clare College, Cambridge

Boe Memorial Chapel grew from loss, memory and collective philanthropy. Lars W. Boe served as president of St. Olaf College from 1918 until his death in 1942, overseeing a significant period of institutional growth.

At Boe’s memorial service in 1943, Carleton College president Donald Cowling called upon the friends of St. Olaf to make possible, through their gifts, a great chapel in Boe’s honor. The resulting memorial campaign culminated a decade later when Boe Memorial Chapel opened for student use in 1953 and was formally dedicated in 1954.

The name therefore commemorates Boe’s leadership rather than identifying a single donor. The chapel stands as the product of collective giving by the wider St. Olaf community.