In celebration of UCLA’s first 100 years, we’re traveling back to our early days to visit some of the people, places and moments in time that have had a lasting impression on who we are as a university.

In March of 1930, with UCLA’s first four buildings mostly in place, and much of the campus a construction zone, the new Westwood home of UCLA was dedicated by the UC Regents in the name of the people of California. The majestic buildings, in an Italian style, perched on a hill overlooking a vista of rolling plains that stretched to the ocean, dotted with haciendas and citrus farms.

In events that lasted two days, more than 5,000 students, alumni and guests attended the ceremonies, including representatives from 160 colleges across America and several from abroad as well. As reported in the Daily Bruin, Robert Sproul, president-elect of the University of California said in his keynote address, “It seems most fitting that in these surroundings there should grow up a university that will take the place among the leaders of the world.” As the campus was being prepared for its new students, America and the world were heading for the Great Depression and into a second world war. Yet, even in the face of uncertainty Bruins, and Angelenos, pressed forward working to make the world a better place, even when they disagreed on how this should happen. Around Los Angeles, the Greek Theater, Olvera Street, the Griffith Observatory and Mines Field (what would be LAX), were all being built, while Raymond Chandler wrote the LA noir novel "The Big Sleep" and Hollywood made "The Wizard of Oz."

As construction on the original buildings wrapped up, new construction sprang up across campus. Among the first to be built were Moore Hall, named in honor of Ernest Carroll Moore, and the much anticipated Kerckhoff Hall. With spires that tower over campus, the hall was built in the Gothic style by Alison & Alison for Louise Kerckhoff in honor of her late husband, William G. Kerckhoff. She donated $815,000 for a student union building, making hers the largest gift by an individual to UCLA at that time. The student union was dedicated in a grand ceremony in January of 1931, with thousands of students and alumni gathered to celebrate. Soon after, the alumni office moved into new office space in Kerckhoff.

The student Co-op also moved from its temporary quarters into space in Kerckhoff. To celebrate the move, the Associated Student Union California organized a dance in what they called the “old shack.” Students tore down the walls in preparation and held the dance in the building’s shell, where “every student will be able to express his disdain of the little green building by stamping on its remains.”

During the fall of 1930, Carl Schaefer ’31 wanted to build student morale, and came up with the idea to have a UCLA Victory Flag; a Vermont campus flag had been lost. As editor of the Daily Bruin, Schaefer decided to wage a campaign in the newspaper to raise support from the Westwood business district, “There can be nothing more impressive than having the student body gather around the University flag pole at, perhaps, a time when the sun is sinking in the west, and have the yell leader lead a few yells, and then those gathered around, shoulder to shoulder sing the Alma Mater.”

On a frosty January morning in 1932, after an unusually cold winter, the UCLA campus woke to a winter wonderland. Snow had fallen overnight, blanketing the campus in a layer of white. Students, and some faculty members, made snowmen, while others celebrated with a big snowball fight on the quad. Luckily photographers Hoover and Graybill arrived in time to document the rare event, which melted away by the afternoon.

Along with Olympic athletes, in 1932, UCLA also hosted a lecture by Albert Einstein at Royce Hall, who spoke to enthusiastic students and faculty about his Theory of Relativity.

In 1933 a Master of Arts degree was approved, and Helen Bender received the first master’s degree in 1934. With a graduate student program in place, UCLA petitioned the University of California to open its first professional schools. In 1935 the College Commerce, now the Anderson School of Management, was formed, and within a few years there were more than 300 graduate students. In 1938, Kenneth P. Bailey ’34, M.A. ’36, Ph.D. ’38, became UCLA’s first graduating doctoral candidate and triple degree holder. Student and future Olympic medal winner, James LuValle ’36, M.A. ’37, wanted to form closer ties among the graduate students who were spread across campus, so the Associated Graduate Students was formed with LuValle as president.

UCLA Alumni Association grew during the 1930s as well. The Class of ’30 would be the first to graduate on the new Westwood campus. With a growing enrollment, membership in the Alumni Association grew as well to more than 2,400 strong. UCLA was originally formed as a Branch of the University of California at Berkeley, with Berkeley controlling the power and finances. In many cases, Berkeley would refuse to support UCLA initiatives, including the campaign to add graduate study. In 1933 UCLA alumni joined with faculty and administration to petition Berkeley for their own association. They passed two resolutions, known as UCLA’s “Declaration of Independence,” stating that the board must be recognized as an autonomous body, and be given the power to make recommendations affecting the University as a whole.

The UCLA Alumni Association gained official independence in 1934, establishing its own officers, council and constitution. The organization was an active force on campus, organizing the first Westwood homecoming, which also happened to be UCLA’s first conference football victory. One new initiative was to form regional clubs — Long Beach held the first regional meeting followed by one in San Francisco. By 1936, the Association was one of the five largest in the nation, and began to raise support for Alumni Scholarships. The first scholarships of $150 each were awarded to two graduates of California high schools.

In 1939, UCLA had its first undefeated football season. Superstar athletes, Jackie Robinson, Kenny Washington ’41, and Woody Strode ’39 played for UCLA, along with teammate Ray Bartlett. With four black students on the roster, at a time when only a few African American students played college football, UCLA’s was the most integrated team in the league. Washington and Strode were two of the best-known college football players of the time. Washington was the first Bruin football player to be named an All-American and Strode also excelled as a track star and actor. When they graduated, the segregated NFL would not sign them. However in 1946, it was decided that since the LA Coliseum was supported with public funds, it was bound by law to be integrated. Washington and Strode joined the Los Angeles Rams, re-integrating the NFL after a 13-year ban on African-American players.

In 1939, the Alumni Association, now 5,000 members strong, gifted the UCLA student body with a Victory Bell. The almost 300-pound bell was an old locomotive bell, attached to wheels and brought to games, where UCLA cheerleaders rang it after the Bruins scored. The gift would spark a prank war between two rivals that would create long-lasting traditions.

• The History of How UCLA Came to Be
• UCLA in the 1920s