UCLA Hillel kicked off the creation of an alumni association on
Thursday night with the inspirational words of Westwood legend John
Wooden.
Wooden was part of a three-person panel that spoke on a range of
topics from the definition of success to the importance of
mentorship.
The panel also included actress Mayim Bialik, best known for her
role on TV show Blossom, and Andy Hill, author and television
executive.
The event was opened to alumni as well as students, and drew a
large crowd to the 2-year-old Hillel building.
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, executive director of the Jewish
organization, cited both the “opportunity and
obligation” for the organization to start an alumni
association. He described the unique experience that Hillel offers
as a “dynamic religious and cultural” environment, and
one that alumni crave long after they leave the UCLA campus.
Both Seidler-Feller and executive board member Daniel Inlender
emphasized the important role Hillel has played in the Jewish
community at UCLA.
Hillel also hopes to bridge the generation gap between current
Bruins and alumni.
Inlender explained their choice of panelists, saying that
“all three capture the human spirit that we look to generate
in Jewish life.”
The panel opened with comments from Bialik, who is currently
attending UCLA as a neuroscience graduate student. Bialik attended
UCLA as an undergraduate student as well and served as co-chair of
the event.
Wooden, widely considered the best coach in NCAA basketball
history, was the main speaker of the night, concentrating on his
definition of success and character. His words did not directly
relate to the role of an alumni association, but alumni in
attendance said his speech was still meaningful and
inspirational.
Wooden spoke directly to a crowd of people, the majority of
which remember vividly the successes of Wooden’s teams. He
covered a range of topics, from his Pyramid of Success to a
humorous anecdote involving one of his more famous players, Bill
Walton.
Wooden was lighthearted yet earnest, relating both to younger
and older generations that were present.
His remarks were interspersed by comments from fellow panelist
Hill, a UCLA alumnus who played under John Wooden from 1970 to
1972.
Hill received little playing time under Wooden and wrongly
believed that Wooden harbored negative feelings toward him.
He spent the next two decades with no relationship with his
former basketball coach until he realized he spent his life
“trying to be just like him.” Hill called Wooden 25
years after he had last talked to him, and since that phone call,
he has called Coach Wooden his mentor.
The panel was immediately followed by an announcement regarding
a potential mentorship program between alumni and current
students.
The alumni association executives called the event a success, as
did students and the alumni themselves. First-year film student
Jamie Zimmerman called Wooden’s speech an
“inspirational event.”
“The mentorship program is an amazing opportunity for
current students to learn from the graduated Bruins,”
Zimmerman said.
Betty Kabaker, who graduated from UCLA in 1954, said that she is
“looking forward to giving back” to Hillel.