UCLA's Enduring Legacy: A History of Innovation and Impact
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has a rich and storied history, evolving from its humble beginnings as a two-year teachers’ college into a world-renowned research university. This article explores key moments and figures that have shaped UCLA's identity and its impact on Los Angeles and the world.
Early Years and Establishment
UCLA's origins can be traced back to 1919 when California Governor William D. Stephens signed Assembly Bill 626, establishing the Southern Branch of the University of California. That same year, Ernest Carroll Moore became director of the Southern Branch of the University of California (prior to the formal founding of UCLA). Through the efforts of Moore and Regent Edward A. Dickson, UCLA came into being. The Vermont Avenue campus opened its doors, and classes began in September. In 1922, Charles Henry Rieber, who had previously taught at UC Berkeley and Stanford, became professor of philosophy and dean of the new Southern Branch of the university at Los Angeles.
Early milestones included the establishment of the UCLA band as a 50-piece ROTC unit under the direction of W.G. Powell. In 1928, Paul A. Dodd joined UCLA as a labor economist, contributing to the university's growing academic expertise. Graduate studies expanded to include doctoral degrees, and in 1939, UCLA awarded its first Ph.D. in mathematics to Kenneth P. Hill.
The Impact of World War II
The 1940s were a transformative period for UCLA, marked by the profound impact of World War II. The United States entered World War II in December 1941, and UCLA's campus life was significantly altered. Students, alumni, and faculty enlisted or were drafted into the military or contributed to the war effort. Southern California became a hub for the defense industry, with UCLA playing a vital role. Army, Navy, and Air Corps programs were established on campus, fraternity houses were converted into dormitories, and Kerckhoff Hall was transformed into a mess hall.
Despite the disruptions, college life continued, and new traditions emerged. In 1942, the annual USC-UCLA football game became a war bond drive, raising over $2 million. UCLA achieved its first victory against USC, reclaiming the Victory Bell. In 1944, fraternities began competing to be named the "Champion Serenaders of Sorority Row," and in 1945, ASUCLA director William Ackerman ’24 organized Spring Sing, a co-ed singing contest held in Royce Hall.
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The war also brought challenges, particularly for Japanese American students. Executive Order No. 9066 led to the mass removal and incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans, including 175 UCLA students. Akio Hirashiki Yamazaki, president of Chi Alpha Delta, was forced to leave UCLA and was interred at Santa Anita Park.
Post-War Expansion and Academic Growth
Following the war, UCLA embarked on a $38 million construction program, the largest campus project in America at the time. Several of UCLA’s premier graduate schools were established during this period - including funding and building the engineering, nursing, law and medical schools. In 1945, Clarence A. Dykstra, a professor of political science and an advocate for on-campus housing, became UCLA’s first post-World War II provost. Dykstra reversed a regental policy to establish UCLA’s first dormitories.
The School of Engineering, now the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, was established in 1944, with classes beginning in 1945. Llewellyn M.K. Boelter, who had previously taught engineering at UC Berkeley, led the college of Engineering from 1944 until his retirement in 1965.
The 1940s also saw the start of what is today recognized as one of the most comprehensive and advanced health care systems in the world, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and UCLA Health. In the fall of 1951, the first 28 students, 26 men and two women, began attending classes under Dean Stafford Warren, who’d served on the Manhattan Project.
The UCLA School of Law opened in 1949 in former military barracks behind Royce Hall, becoming the first public law school in Southern California.
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Key Figures in UCLA History
Throughout its history, UCLA has been shaped by the contributions of numerous individuals who have left an indelible mark on the university and the world.
William Coit Ackerman ’24: As executive director of the Associated Students from 1933 to 1967, Ackerman played a crucial role in shaping student life at UCLA. He also coached the tennis team from his sophomore year until 1950, with his teams posting 10 Pacific Coast Conference titles, as well as an NCAA championship.
Arthur Ashe ’66: A tennis champion and activist, Ashe was the first African American man to win the U.S. Open and to be named No. 1 in the world.
Tom Bradley ’41: Bradley, whose grandfather was a slave, earned a scholarship to UCLA and later became Los Angeles’ first African-American mayor, serving for 20 years.
Ralph Bunche ’27: Bunche excelled as a student-athlete and later served in the U.S. government and the United Nations, earning the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in negotiating an armistice agreement between Israel and the Arab States in 1949.
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Lily Bess Campbell: Campbell taught at UCLA from 1922 to 1950 and made significant contributions to the study of Renaissance and Shakespearean literature.
William Andrews Clark Jr.: Clark Jr. named the library for his father, William Andrews Clark Sr., who founded a mining empire in Montana.
James A. Collins: Collins graduated from UCLA in 1950 and went on to found a successful restaurant company that includes hundreds of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Sizzler restaurants.
Marion Davies: Davies, an actress of the early 20th century, donated $1.9 million in 1952 for the construction of the children’s center that bears her name.
Clarence Addison Dykstra: Dykstra became provost and vice president of UCLA in October 1944. He taught political science for eight years and eventually became president of the University of Wisconsin.
Louis Factor: Factor, once vice president of the international cosmetics firm Max Factor Co., found success in the business world.
Grace Maxwell Fernald: Fernald established a center in 1921 originally as a research and training center for the study, diagnosis and treatment of learning disorders in children.
Shepherd Ivory Franz: At UCLA from 1924 to 1933, Franz served as professor and as the first chairman of the UCLA Department of Psychology.
Leslie Gonda: Gonda escaped from the Komárom forced-labor camp in Hungary.
Charles Grove Haines: Haines served on UCLA’s political science faculty from 1925 until his death in 1948.
Earle Raymond Hedrick: Hedrick served as vice president and provost of UCLA from 1937 to 1942. Prior to his administrative position, he taught mathematics for 13 years.
Mira Hershey: Hershey was a wealthy philanthropist whose support made the building of the first campus dormitory possible.
Glorya Kaufman: Kaufman is a generous patron of the arts and a dance lover.
William G. Kerckhoff: Kerckhoff found success in the lumber industry and then turned his attention toward the development of hydroelectric power, bringing electricity to Southern and Central California.
Edgar Lee Kinsey: Kinsey taught at UCLA from 1928 until his death in 1961.
Vern Oliver Knudsen: Knudsen served as professor, department chair, dean of graduate studies, vice chancellor and, eventually, chancellor of UCLA. As an academic, Knudsen studied physics and specialized in acoustics.
Lester Korn ’59, M.B.A. ’60: Korn was a founder of Korn/Ferry International, the world’s largest executive recruiting firm, and served as its CEO for more than 20 years.
Morton La Kretz ’48: La Kretz founded Crossroads Management, which manages industrial, commercial and residential properties throughout the Los Angeles Basin.
James E. Lu Valle ’36, M.A. ’37: Lu Valle was a student-athlete who won a bronze medal as a track runner in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Kenneth Macgowan: Macgowan taught at UCLA from 1946 until his retirement in 1956 and served as the first chairman of the UCLA Theater Arts Department.
William Melnitz M.A. ’43, Ph.D. ’47: Melnitz earned his degrees in Germanic languages at UCLA and joined the faculty soon after.
Ernest Carroll Moore: Moore was director of the Southern Branch of the University of California (prior to the formal founding of UCLA) in 1919.
Peter Morton: Morton owns the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and, with partner Isaac Tigrett, started the Hard Rock Café chain of restaurants.
Franklin D. Murphy: Murphy, a physician, became UCLA’s chancellor in 1960.
Morris “Mo” ’51 and Evelyn Ostin: The Ostins are generous supporters of UCLA and the arts, athletics, medicine and education.
Harvey S. Perloff: Perloff served as dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning from 1968-1983.
Lawrence Clark Powell: Powell joined the library staff in 1938 and served as UCLA’s second university librarian from 1944 to 1961.
Clarence C. Reed: Reed was a Southern California physician whose gift of land, plus a matching grant of $1.37 million from the National Institutes of Health, provided construction funding for the center.
Charles Henry Rieber: Rieber became professor of philosophy and dean of the new Southern Branch of the university at Los Angeles in 1922.
Franklin Prescott Rolfe: Rolfe held a number of administrative positions at UCLA. He chaired the English Department and the Humanities Division and served as dean of the College of Letters and Science.
Josiah Royce: Royce graduated from UC Berkeley and taught philosophy at Harvard University, where he also served as department chair.
David S. Saxon: Saxon taught physics at UCLA, served as dean of physical sciences and later was appointed executive vice chancellor and provost of UCLA. He eventually was named president of the University of California.
Arnold Schoenberg: Schoenberg was a member of the UCLA music faculty from 1936-1944.
Terry Semel: Semel has been a powerhouse in the business world, working for Yahoo! as chairman and CEO for six years and for Warner Bros. for 24 years.
Louis Byrne Slichter: Slichter served as professor of geophysics and as founding director of UCLA’s Institute of Geophysics from 1947 to 1962.
Robert Gordon Sproul: Sproul was president of the University of California from 1930 to 1958.
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