Category Archives: When I Was at UCLA

When I Was at UCLA - June 2023

When I was at UCLA I clearly remember the filming of John Singleton's "Higher Learning" on campus. Since this was the early '90s, UCLA was still a major tourist destination for many people from around the globe. At least five times while strolling down Bruin Walk, I was stopped by random strangers either asking for my autograph or inquiring my opinion about filming on the UCLA campus. Nevermind the fact that I was carrying my book satchel or talking to some friends.

- Sean Anglon ʼ96

When I was at UCLA, Royce Hall was closed after the Northridge quake, I watched our men's basketball team arrive at LAX with the National Championship trophy and we beat ‘SC in football the entire time I was a student.

- Michelle Fisher May ʼ95

When I was at UCLA, there were two memorable earthquakes (Whittier and Northridge), one citywide riot followed by a weeklong curfew, heat wave and power outages before finals week, a measles outbreak before the UCLA-USC football game, a loss to Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, and Mardi Gras was still a thing. Those were some of the best years of my life though.

- Alan Chan ʼ89, M.D. ʼ94

When I was at UCLA, there was no Internet, there was "arena registration" for classes that was a huge scrum; there were interest groups of every stripe competing for attention on Bruin Walk; there were no "brand name" dining options; movie showings at Melnitz could become heated back-and-forth conversations with the director present; the music library was a cool refuge; film premieres in Westwood were common; and the gingko trees in Dickson Plaza had a distinct signature scent at certain times of the year. And the cafe on the first floor of Kerckhoff made you feel [like] you were in a different place altogether.

- Andrew Lueder ʼ91

Winter quarter freshman year January 1986. Walking to south campus, it was eerily empty on campus mid-morning. I remember passing the snack machines near Boelter Hall when I heard the broadcast from a transistor radio of a janitorial staff [member] announcing the space shuttle explosion shortly after takeoff. Frozen in my tracks, breathless, silent, my heart broke to pieces. Arrived late to class, in tears and completely distracted.

- Maria Dungo ʼ90

When I was at UCLA, I learned to think critically and question everything. Professors like the late Dr. Malcom Kerr challenged me to rethink and see the Middle East in an entirely different way. His insights have proven to stand the test of time.

- David Tenenbaum ʼ75, J.D. ʼ82

When I was at UCLA, disco and 8 tracks were in. The football team never beat ‘SC, but the men's basketball team always won the Pac-8. We registered for classes at Murphy and got our list of classes in the mail…Good times!

- Ellen Bohm Weber ʼ78

When I was at UCLA they had a Playgirl centerfold as a chemistry TA.

- Libby Anne Russler ʼ76

When I was at UCLA, I recall being in Dykstra Hall, on the upper floors, which were female only, visiting a lady friend. While “socializing” we were shocked to reality by the fire alarm. My first response was “ oh Shiite!” My moment of panic at possibly being caught in violation of rules. But happily the next thing I heard was several male voices exclaiming “#&$%” multiple spicy profanities as they too were caught with their pants down. I survived! Got caught and reported, but I survived to tell numerous variations of that story. Not sure which one is closer to the truth. Ah, youth!

- Henderson Cooper ʼ73

After graduation I turned my half-time job into a full-time job. Working on campus was great!  In addition to the atmosphere, so unlike a corporate atmosphere, I could enjoy my lunch at the botanical gardens, at north campus (I worked in the engineering building) or attend talks by acclaimed speakers. On one occasion I went to hear a talk by an author I knew a little about. He was a Black writer who had once been sent by Playboy Magazine to interview the head of the KKK -- and Playboy hadn't told the racist organization who was going to do the interview! This fellow spoke in a large auditorium during lunchtime, and the room was full. He talked about his background, noting that his grandparents had been slaves in the Antebellum South, and how difficult that was for them. He related stories passed down by them, and said he realized this information would be lost unless he documented it. He told a fascinating tale of how he researched his family tree, including flying to Africa to deepen his research. And this is how I heard the captivating story of the as-yet not published "Roots," described by Alex Haley himself, one fine day at UCLA.

- Stan Lieberson ʼ69

It was the summer of 1968 when I started graduate school at UCLA at what was then the School of Library Services located in the College Library, now Powell Library. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy had just been assassinated. While working at my summer job at the Reserve Book Room, we watched the war zone that was the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention. Kareem Abdul Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, one of the stars of John Wooden’s legendary Bruin basketball team, often appeared at the small window to pick up reserve materials for his classes. He had to bend over double for me to see his face. I was a commuter student. As I walked from the parking lot along Bruin Walk to the library, very loud members of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) shouted their disapproval of the Vietnam War and exhibited significant hostility toward anyone they identified as military or a veteran. It was a daily gauntlet that was very upsetting as I had several friends and family in the military, including some fighting in Vietnam. In the spring of 1970, a few months before receiving my M.L.S., recruiters from the Army Library program visited the library school. They were not in the military. They were civilian civil service employees of Army Special Services, the Army’s morale and recreation agency.  After almost a year of witnessing the hostile behavior of anti-war protestors toward soldiers, I saw a way to put my training as a librarian to work to support these soldiers. I went to work for Army Libraries as an administrative librarian managing recreational libraries for the soldiers in base camps in Vietnam. That year changed my life and my world view forever. It made me a better librarian and a better person. What I learned at UCLA about libraries, librarianship and life skills helped me succeed in job responsibilities that just graduated librarians normally don’t encounter for years. In very real ways, UCLA helped to shape the rest of my life as a librarian and a person. I won’t ever forget that.

- Ann Kelsey, M.L.S. ʼ69

When I was at UCLA, I heard future president John Kennedy speak, saw the new student union open, and took a bowling class in it. Rafer Johnson was my hero. Besides winning the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics, he rescued me at the Coliseum when UCLA beat USC. A USC band member was driving his car into UCLA students rallying in the tunnel. Rafer lifted me up and moved me away from the fender of the car that trapped me against the wall.

- Chelle Brown ʼ62

When I was at UCLA, many of us were commuters. Three of us commuted from Montebello, where we all lived and had attended different high schools. Timing was crucial for getting a parking place, and I frequently parked off campus after dropping off my two ride-sharers. In those early 1950s I could drive right up to the flag pool near Haines Hall and drop off two people who had 8 a.m. classes, then cruise around for a parking spot and get to my 9 a.m. class. One of my passengers dropped out after one semester, but the other stayed with me, shared the ride and we married before the start of our last semester in 1957. We shared 60 years of marriage until her death in 2017. So, I love UCLA because just getting there every day led to the best thing in my life.

- Robert Ewing ʼ57

When I was at UCLA from 1952 to 1956 not all parking lots were paved. One morning I parked at an unpaved parking lot in the northeast part of the campus that had a bit of a slope. It rained while I was attending classes. When I returned to my car late that afternoon it was about 30 yards from where I had parked it, having slid down the slippery surface of the lot. Fortunately, it didn't contact any other vehicles on the way down as the lot was mostly empty by then.

- Bob Schneider ʼ56

If you have a story to share, finish the sentence “When I was at UCLA…” and submit it to connectfeedback@alumni.ucla.edu.

When I Was at UCLA Articles

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  When I Was at UCLA - June 2023
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  When I Was at UCLA - May 2023

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When I Was at UCLA - May 2023

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n a recent issue of Alumni Connect, we put out a call for alumni to finish the sentence, “When I was at UCLA…” with anecdotes from their time on campus.  The submissions varied, telling interesting occurrences of personal significance, campus history and UCLA’s impact on generations of Bruins. Below are some highlights: 

• When I was at UCLA, I was a mother of five and married. It was during Coronavirus. I had one class on campus the entire time. I was a transfer student and I was still the best student I have ever been. I made the best of a hard situation and I succeeded. I had GRIT and I graduated with a 3.93 GPA. It was a dream come true and it was home to me. Go Class of 2022! I am proud to be in your graduating class. – Ayanna Robinson ʼ22
• When I was at UCLA, I was part of the first freshman class to select classes via telephone enrollment (yes, telephone!). – Jenny Grossgold ʼ93
• When I was at UCLA, I realized a dream come true: amazing research/library facilities; incredible, famed speakers; basketball giants (literally!); and a doctoral advisor/chair second to none (John McNeil). – Bill Younglove, Ed.D. ʼ83
• When I was at UCLA, I was walking to the student center - Kerckhoff hall in 1958 or 1959 and was stopped by Rafer Johnson ʼ59. He wanted to tell me why I should vote for him for student body president. He was very pleasant, and we spoke for quite a while. – Jo Ann Lesser ʼ59
• When I was at UCLA, I got my start with teaching. As an incoming freshman, I found the UCLA Computer Club located in 3514 Boelter Hall (the club no longer exists). I volunteered to teach one of the free computer classes the club offered in the evenings. I found that I loved to teach. I taught classes through the club nearly every quarter I was a student. After graduating, I started to teach for UCLA Extension where I still teach to this day. And I still love teaching! – Daniel Gutierrez ʼ78
• When I was at UCLA, I learned so much in the Army ROTC program. I thought that I knew so much because I was already a Vietnam Veteran when I enrolled in the program. I learned about accepting responsibility for my actions and not blaming others. My UCLA experience helped me a lot in my career as an educator. Thank you UCLA for all you have done for me and in the community as well as the world to make a difference. – Dr. Jonpatrick Anderson '79
• When I was at UCLA, I used to like the energy on Bruin Walk in the morning.  So many people were headed to class with their backpacks filled with books so they could study in one of the many libraries between and after classes.  Swami X was a familiar face on Bruin Walk in my day – what a character he was! – Michael Slater ʼ80
• When I was at UCLA, I would stop and listen to Swami for a few minutes as a bit of an escape.  I remember thinking he was pretty cool for an old guy.  – Roberta Stambaugh ʼ76
• When I was at UCLA, I would stop by the courtyard in front of Royce Hall and Powell to decompress. The grandeur of these buildings made the stress of college life feel temporary. – Arianna Rivera Lee ʼ17
• When I was at UCLA, You could always count on herb baked chicken and fire station casserole in the dining halls. – Lesley Lee ʼ93, M.Ed. ʼ94
• When I was at UCLA, my favorite place on campus was in the stacks below Powell Library. It took my breath away the day I discovered it as a first-year graduate student from a tiny college of 700 souls. There, in an enormous deep basement, were hundreds of thousands of books on shelves placed about 18 inches apart and ranging for what felt like a half mile. You could sit down on the floor and literally immerse yourself in your chosen discipline, with books on that topic surrounding you. Was I supposed to be down there? I'm not sure, but there were no signs forbidding it and the unmarked doors were not locked. During my time at UCLA, books in the stacks were moved to warehouses all over Los Angeles, for earthquake safety. But what sheer heaven it was to disappear at midday down into the silent dungeon of knowledge and read the afternoon away. – Janet Jones, Ph.D. ʼ89
• When I was at UCLA for college and law school, the basketball team won seven consecutive national championships. I feel guilty for leaving…. – Joe Hilberman ʼ70, J.D. ʼ73

SPOTLIGHT

David H. Walter ’65, MBA ’66, Ph.D. ’73,  entered UCLA in 1961 and spent the next 12 years as an enrolled student. He drew his recollections from a span of time that is hard to match in terms of historically important events, both at UCLA and in the culture at large. Here are some of the memories he shared with us:

• When I was at UCLA in 1961, the last year of semesters before transitioning to quarters, I vaguely remember my registration and tuition fees were in the vicinity of $100, give or take a few dollars!  What an amazing deal!
• When I was at UCLA, my first freshman semester, September 1961, parking on campus was free. Soon thereafter a fee of 25 cents was instituted—as memory serves. I don’t remember any parking structures, only large paved and unpaved lots (e.g., the entire northeast corner of campus at Sunset and Hilgard was a dirt parking lot).
• When I was at UCLA on Nov. 22, 1963, while walking past Murphy Hall toward the old Business School north of Dodd Hall at approximately noon, having been at UCLA for 2+ years, I first became aware that campus had a loudspeaker system. As I recall, “May I please have your attention, we regret to report that President John Kennedy has been shot. Classes are cancelled for the rest of the day; please leave campus at this time, thank you.”
• When I was at UCLA, my undergraduate graduation ceremony on June 11, 1965, was the inaugural event in Pauley Pavilion, even before any basketball games had been played there - a fitting christening for the Wooden era that was about to develop.
• When I was at UCLA on Jan. 17, 1969, I was on my way to the old (original) Business School. Walking past the east side of Campbell Hall, I noticed a commotion outside a classroom on the first floor; it appeared that the window was shattered. I soon heard that two men, Black Panthers (students?) had been shot (through the windows?) and killed. I continued on to class. Accounts of this event are readily available on the internet; I did not read them, I was there.
• When I was at UCLA as student at the Graduate School of Management, I was on campus one afternoon in the early 1970s, when I noticed a group of dignitaries in the Franklin Murphy Sculpture Garden. They were there to dedicate the donation of a Rodin sculpture by Norton Simon. Among them were (former) Chancellor Franklin Murphy, Norton Simon and Governor Ronald Reagan. A couple of years before I attended a wedding of my friend Paul Simon (no, not that Paul Simon) whose father was Norton’s first cousin. At the wedding I met Norton’s mother. So, wanting to meet this giant of industry, I nervously approached and said something like, “Hello Mr. Simon, I recently met your mother at Paul Simon’s wedding. I’m a student at the Business School and wanted to meet you." He responded, “Oh yes, I heard about the wedding,” and asked a few questions about my studies at GSM (before it was Anderson).  Governor Reagan and Chancellor Murphy were standing by. Paul loved the story of my encounter. The Rodin sculpture is at the top of the steps in the Northwest corner of the Sculpture Garden.
• When I was at UCLA in the mid-1990s I used to go running at Drake Stadium. On one occasion, I noticed John Wooden there also running laps. Wanting to meet and shake his hand, when he had stopped jogging I nervously walked over and muttered, “Hi Coach Wooden, I was a student here during all of our National Championships and just wanted to meet you.”  He shook my hand, asked me a few questions about my studies, and wished me well...or something like that; I had met Coach Wooden, the greatest collegiate basketball coach of all time.

Walter’s reminiscences of his time at UCLA do not end with receiving his Ph.D.

“I'm a psychologist now because of taking extension classes with Carl Faber,” he said. “I graduated in ʼ73 and about two years later, I started taking extension classes just for fun. I met a teacher that changed my life totally. I had been working in aerospace since 1966 and I realized within about a year of taking his classes in extension, I was in the wrong field.”

Walter went on to take over 50 Extension courses in the next 20 years and continues to attend events and lectures, both on campus and virtually, the most recent being the Psychiatry Grand Rounds lecture in April, the month he turned 80. He said, “I literally have been eminently affiliated and on campus in some way, shape or form from 1961 till today.”

If you have a story to share, finish the sentence “When I was at UCLA…” and submit it to connectfeedback@alumni.ucla.edu.

When I Was at UCLA Articles

• 
  When I Was at UCLA - June 2023
• 
  When I Was at UCLA - May 2023

Recent Articles