Evelyn and Warren Willis Garden of Meditation
1938
Formerly known as the Fisher Garden, Hindu Garden
In 1938, Methodist missionaries Bishop Frederick Fisher and his wife Welthy Honsinger Fisher came to speak at Florida Southern College. Impressed by the beauty of the campus, the missionaries, having recently returned from Benares, India, decided to donate their replica of a Hindu temple, which had been given to them by a converted village as a farewell gift upon their return to the United States. The temple sits just south of Joseph-Reynolds Hall adjacent to Edge Hall in front of a reflection pool.
Named for Evelyn Willis and her husband Warren Willis, the garden was rededicated on March 14, 2009 by their son, W. Waite Willis, Jr., a professor at Florida Southern from 1978-2024, and the Pendergrass Chair in Religion. Evelyn was born in Dungannon, Virginia, on September 20, 1918. She attended Florida Southern College in 1937, majoring in education and religion. There she met her husband Warren, and the two were married in 1940. Evelyn was a teacher at Padgett Elementary School and an avid supporter of the development of the Florida United Methodist Youth Camp. She was a dedicated volunteer and philanthropist to church and community activities. Evelyn passed away on November 11, 2017.
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