A work crew relocating a mural during the renovation of Sutherland Auditorium uncovered a window to Biola’s past and revived the memory of the faithful woman for whom the auditorium was originally named.

Sutherland Hall was one of the first buildings constructed when Biola relocated from downtown Los Angeles to the La Mirada campus in the late 1950s. A renovation of the venerable building in 2023 included the relocation of a large mural hanging in the lobby. Created by noted California artist Millard Sheets, the sweeping mural illustrated Jesus’ parable of the talents.

When workers removed the mural, they discovered a dusty plaque hanging on the wall behind it. The undated plaque paid tribute to Ethel Maude Lee, and noted that the auditorium had originally been dedicated in her memory.

“I gave an update to staff on the construction, and I threw in this little tidbit about discovering the plaque,” says Brian Phillips, associate vice president of facilities management. “I think there was more interest in the plaque than in the renovations. All of us had always called that space ‘Sutherland Auditorium.’ We had no idea it was ever known by any other name. Who was Ethel Maude Lee? And why was the auditorium in one of the main buildings on campus named after her?”

Intrigued by the long-forgotten plaque and the mystery of the woman who inspired it, Biola staff members began digging through the archives, searching for the story of Ethel Maude Lee. They found answers in faded issues of The King’s Business, a publication once produced by Biola.

The Biola Bible Women were a group of women associated with the university who taught Bible studies in Southern California. Ethel Lee had been a Biola Bible Woman for 31 years, from 1920 until her death in 1951 at the age of 73. As one of the articles described, “Many souls have been brought to saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through her clear-cut messages.”

Born in England, Lee served as a nurse to the poor in the slums of London. After hearing the call to evangelism, she relocated to the United States to study at Moody Bible Institute, then spent a decade as a Bible teacher in Wisconsin. Lee eventually moved to California, where she joined the Biola Bible Women, a group formed by Anna Horton, wife of Biola co-founder T.C. Horton, and led for several decades by Lula Stewart, wife of Biola co-founder Lyman Stewart.

Lee dedicated the rest of her life to sharing the gospel throughout the Los Angeles area.

Following her death, Lee’s students and friends contributed to a fund in her memory, describing her as “a happy Christian, transparent in the radiance of the Lord Jesus Christ” and “a great prayer warrior” whose “teaching of the Word of God was clear, emphatic, with compassion and devotion.” Helen and Elizabeth Babcock, dear friends of Lee and donors to the construction of the auditorium, suggested it be named in her honor. Over the years, the original name of the Ethel Maude Lee Memorial Auditorium was forgotten as the space was commonly referred to as “Sutherland Auditorium.”

The rediscovery of Lee’s legacy inspired the Biola community to once again honor this faithful Biola Bible Woman. When the renovation was completed in 2024, some 66 years after the auditorium was originally dedicated, Biola rechristened this key space within Sutherland Hall the Ethel Lee Auditorium.

“The name Ethel means ‘noble,’” President Barry H. Corey said at the dedication ceremony. “What more noble calling is there than to teach and proclaim Scripture to a needy world.” After decades hidden behind a mural ironically depicting the parable of the talents, Jesus’ admonition that God’s gifts to us should not be hidden away but shared, Biola is once again honoring Ethel Lee’s devotion to sharing the gospel.

“I think it’s important to honor the memory and the history of these faithful folks who’ve supported the university,” Phillips says. “When no one living personally remembers what they did, it’s all the more important to keep their stories alive.”