Dodd Hall: A Cornerstone of UCLA's History and Academic Excellence
Dodd Hall, situated at 315 Portola Plaza on the UCLA campus, stands as a testament to the university's rich history and its commitment to academic pursuits. Housing the Philosophy, Classics, and Art History departments, this building is more than just a physical structure; it represents the intellectual heart of UCLA. Named in honor of Paul A. Dodd, a distinguished labor economist who joined UCLA in 1928, Dodd Hall embodies the legacy of influential figures who shaped the institution.
The Legacy of Paul A. Dodd
Paul A. Dodd's contributions to UCLA extend beyond his expertise in labor economics. His dedication to the College of Letters and Science, where he served as dean, left an indelible mark on the university's academic landscape. Naming Dodd Hall after him was a fitting tribute to his commitment and influence.
Early Days of UCLA
In the early 1920s, Los Angeles was transforming from a landscape of rolling hills and farmhouses into a thriving, cosmopolitan city. UCLA mirrored this growth, evolving from a teachers’ college with a small enrollment into a world-renowned institution. This transformation was fueled by the advocacy of Angelenos for a local University of California campus, championed by UC Regent Dickson and Southern Branch director Moore.
The Birth of a Unified Student Body
One of the initial goals was to establish a unified student body. The Associated Students organization (ASUC, now ASUCLA) was created. Under the leadership of Student Body President John McManus ’22 and a “Committee of Twelve,” a new Constitution and Honor Pledge were drafted, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose. The Associated Students played a crucial role in managing student publications, the bookstore, cafeteria, and student government, laying the foundation for a vibrant campus life.
From Cubs to Bruins: The Evolution of UCLA's Identity
As the Southern Branch of the University of California, UCLA's athletic teams initially competed against four-year schools, often at a disadvantage. Known as the Cubs, a nod to their older sibling, Berkeley’s Bears, the students sought a more ferocious identity. In 1924, the school changed their nickname to Grizzly. Later, with their athletic teams entering the Pacific Coast Conference, the Grizzly moniker was already claimed by the University of Montana. The university adopted the name Bruins.
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The Move to Westwood and Campus Expansion
As UCLA grew in stature and enrollment, its original location on Vermont Avenue became inadequate. The Regents agreed to relocate the Southern Branch to Westwood, marking a significant milestone in the university's history. The first structure built on the new campus was the Arroyo Bridge. It facilitated access for construction crews and, later, students.
In May 1927, construction began on the university’s first buildings and the surrounding neighborhoods. Move-in day took place over Memorial Day weekend in 1929. The new location spurred the development of transportation infrastructure, with railway companies opening new bus lines to connect the university to the sprawling city.
Influential Figures and Enduring Legacies
Many buildings on the UCLA campus are named after influential figures who shaped the university's early years. Rieber Hall honors philosophy professor Charles Henry Rieber, credited with first using the initials UCLA. Campbell Hall recognizes Lily Bess Campbell, a scholar of Renaissance and Shakespearean literature. Bunche Hall commemorates Ralph Bunche ’27, a summa cum laude graduate and accomplished student-athlete who later achieved international recognition for his work in the United Nations.
The Spirit of the 1920s
The UCLA of the 1920s embodied the energy and ambition of the era, with a constant focus on the future. The 1929 Southern Campus yearbook was dedicated to the people of California, celebrating the rise of the Westwood campus as the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream.
Other prominent figures in UCLA history
William Coit Ackerman ’24 came to UCLA in 1920, a year after the Westwood campus opened. As a sophomore, he began coaching the tennis team and held the position until 1950, with his teams posting 10 Pacific Coast Conference titles, as well as an NCAA championship. He served as executive director of the Associated Students from 1933 to 1967.
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Arthur Ashe ’66 was as much an activist as he was a tennis champion. Open, and the first African American to be named No. 1 in the world.
Llewellyn M.K. Boelter was a graduate of UC Berkeley, where he taught engineering for more than 20 years. He came south to organize and lead UCLA’s College of Engineering from 1944 until his retirement in 1965.
Professor Paul D. Boyer has taught in UCLA’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry since 1963. He is also founding director of the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute. He achieved greatness even before coming to UCLA, however, by working on war research in 1943 at Stanford University and introducing kinetic, isotopic and chemical methods for investigating enzyme mechanisms at the University of Minnesota.
Tom Bradley’s grandfather was a slave. His parents were sharecroppers. He was born in a log cabin. But after earning a scholarship to UCLA, joining the Los Angeles Police Department and earning the rank of lieutenant, Bradley became Los Angeles’ first African-American mayor, an office he held for 20 years.
As a Bruin, Ralph Bunche ’27 played varsity basketball, competed in track and field, wrote for the Daily Bruin, took part in debate and graduated summa cum laude, all while working as a janitor. government and served in the United Nations. Through his work in Palestine, Israel and the Arab States signed an armistice agreement in 1949.
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William Andrews Clark Jr. named the library for his father, William Andrews Clark Sr., who founded a mining empire in Montana. The elder Clark owned mills, smelters and mines - almost everything he needed to produce copper.
James A. Collins graduated from UCLA in 1950 and soon afterward opened his first restaurant, “Hamburger Handout.” Today, his company includes hundreds of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Sizzler restaurants.
Constructed in 1995, Cornell Hall is named after Clark and Barbara June (B.J.) Cornell, who funded this new addition to UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
Dr. Mitchel D. Covel enrolled as an undergraduate at UCLA in 1934 and eventually earned his medical degree at UC San Francisco. After World War II, he returned to Southern California and joined the clinical faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine in 1960.
Marion Davies, born Marion Cecilia Douras, was an actress of the early 20th century. She starred in such films as Chin-Chin, Miss 1917 and Cecilia of the Pink Roses. By the time her acting career was over, she had starred in 46 films. She donated $1.9 million in 1952 for the construction of the children’s center that bears her name.
Clarence Addison Dykstra became provost and vice president of UCLA in October 1944. He taught political science for eight years on both the Vermont and Westwood campuses and eventually became president of the University of Wisconsin.
Louis Factor, once vice president of the international cosmetics firm Max Factor Co., began his career as a teenager, working in his family’s Hollywood plant. He became a force in the industry and found success in the business world.
Grace Maxwell Fernald established the center in 1921 originally as a research and training center for the study, diagnosis and treatment of learning disorders in children.
In 1992, what had been known as the Museum and Laboratories of Ethnic Arts and Technology was renamed the Fowler Museum of Cultural History - after the family of collector and inventor Francis E. Fowler Jr.
At UCLA from 1924 to 1933, Shepherd Ivory Franz served as professor and as the first chairman of the UCLA Department of Psychology.
Leslie Gonda escaped from the Komárom forced-labor camp in Hungary. His wife, Susan, survived Auschwitz.
As an undergraduate at Ursinus College, Charles Grove Haines played football and discovered his love for government. He served on UCLA’s political science faculty from 1925 until his death in 1948.
Earle Raymond 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 was a wealthy philanthropist whose support made the building of the first campus dormitory possible.
Philanthropist and dance lover Glorya Kaufman is a generous patron of the arts.
William G. 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. Less than two decades later, he and his colleagues created the Southern California Gas Corporation in 1910.
Edgar Lee Kinsey, professor of physics and former chairman of the department, taught at UCLA from 1928 until his death in 1961.
Vern Oliver 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 was a founder of Korn/Ferry International, the world’s largest executive recruiting firm, and served as its CEO for more than 20 years. In 1987-1988, he served as an ambassador to the United Nations. He is now the chairman and CEO of Korn Capital Group and Korn Tuttle Capital Group, as well as a member of the UCLA Anderson Board of Visitors.
Morton La Kretz ’48 founded Crossroads Management, which manages industrial, commercial and residential properties throughout the Los Angeles Basin.
James E. Lu Valle ’36, M.A. ’37 was a student-athlete in the highest sense. He held a Regents’ Scholarship, a job in the chemistry lab and won a bronze medal as a track runner in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He earned his master’s degree in chemistry and physics at UCLA and continued his studies at Caltech, working under famed chemist Linus Pauling.
Kenneth Macgowan taught at UCLA from 1946 until his retirement in 1956 and served as the first chairman of the UCLA Theater Arts Department. Before coming to UCLA, he worked as a drama critic, publicity director, producer and director.
After a long and tumultuous journey from Germany to New York and finally to Los Angeles, William Melnitz M.A. ’43, Ph.D. ’47 earned his degrees in Germanic languages at UCLA and joined the faculty soon after.
Ernest Carroll Moore was director of the Southern Branch of the University of California (prior to the formal founding of UCLA) in 1919. Through the efforts of Moore and Regent Edward A. Dickson, UCLA came into being.
Peter Morton owns the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and, with partner Isaac Tigrett, started the Hard Rock Café chain of restaurants. He also chaired the board of visitors of the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Franklin D. Murphy, a physician, became UCLA’s chancellor in 1960. During his eight-year tenure, the College of Applied Arts transitioned into the College of Fine Arts, and the schools of library science and architecture and urban planning were established. He was instrumental in the passage of the 1962, 1964 and 1966 bond issues that ultimately gave UCLA $95,000,000 in construction funds.
Morris “Mo” ’51 and Evelyn Ostin are generous supporters of UCLA and the arts, athletics, medicine and education. Throughout his career as a music executive, Ostin has worked with an era-spanning catalog of musicians, including Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix and The Who.
Harvey S. Perloff served as dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning from 1968-1983. During his career, he produced 16 books, 15 reports and 57 scholarly articles.
Lawrence Clark Powell joined the library staff in 1938 and served as UCLA’s second university librarian from 1944 to 1961.
Clarence C. 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 graduated from UC Berkeley (known then as the University of California) in 1888, then earned advanced degrees at Harvard and taught at Stanford before returning to UC Berkeley to teach in 1903. In 1922, he became professor of philosophy and dean of the new Southern Branch of the university at Los Angeles.
Franklin Prescott 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 graduated from UC Berkeley (known then as the University of California) with a B.A. in classics and returned to his alma mater in 1878 to teach composition and literature. Years later, he taught philosophy at Harvard University, where he also served as department chair.
David S. 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. However, years before he became president or executive vice chancellor, Saxon was dismissed, along with 30 other UC faculty members, for refusing to sign a then-required loyalty oath.
Famed composer Arnold Schoenberg was a member of the UCLA music faculty from 1936-1944. He studied and gained fame in Europe before fleeing the Nazi regime in 1933. After teaching at the Malkin Conservatory in Boston, he came to Los Angeles, where he gave private lessons to film composers and arrangers.
Terry 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. He currently sits on the board of directors for both Polo Ralph Lauren and the Guggenheim Museum.
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