Friday, 2/28/97
Benefit dinner honors chancellor’s 29 years of service
Distinguished guests attend gala, raising $500,000 for
scholarships, construction
By Frances Lee
Daily Bruin Contributor
They call him Chuck.
He is the man who has spent nearly half his life at the helm of
one of the greatest universities in the nation. Under his
leadership, UCLA grew from being the "southern branch of the
University of California," to the school that educates more
students than any other California college.
In the words of Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, "Chuck Young
has created a living, breathing university that thrives on debate
and brings people together. He has created one of the truly great
universities in the world."
Surrounded by family, friends and 1,200 guests, retiring
Chancellor Charles E. Young was honored for his 29 years of service
to UCLA at a benefit dinner Wednesday night.
The gala was attended by UCLA alumni, faculty and
administration, as well as elected officials and corporate and
community leaders – a testament to the chancellor’s and the
university’s far-reaching influence. Former mayor Tom Bradley was
also in the audience, making his second public appearance since
suffering a stroke earlier this year.
"It’s impossible to picture UCLA without Chuck Young, and Los
Angeles without UCLA," Riordan said.
The event was sponsored by the Tom Bradley Library Foundation,
the Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA, the UCLA Black Alumni
Association, the UCLA Latino Alumni Association, the UCLA Alumni
Association and the Rita & Stanley Dashew International Student
Center.
In addition to celebrating the career achievements of Chancellor
Young and his wife Sue, the sold-out event at the Beverly Hilton
Hotel raised $500,000 to help with construction costs for the Tom
Bradley International Center at UCLA and fund scholarships of
UCLA’s ethnic alumni associations.
Several distinguished UCLA alumni took to the stage to offer
their tributes to the chancellor and his wife. Special guest Carol
Burnett, a UCLA alumna, introduced a video presentation
highlighting some of Young’s accomplishments.
Taking over the university from former Chancellor Franklin
Murphy at the age of 36, Young was the youngest person to hold the
position.
During Young’s tenure, the annual operating budget of the
university has increased to its present $1.9 billion from a mere
$170 million in 1968. Nearly 60 percent of the students enrolled at
UCLA during the 1996-97 academic year come from ethnic minority
backgrounds, while the average GPA of incoming freshmen is
3.99.
And of the 343,624 degrees awarded at UCLA since 1919, 224,713
have Young’s signature on them.
Although Burnett wryly noted that Young was "before my time,"
she thanked the chancellor for his service to the school where she
"spent some of my happiest days."
"You’ve watched UCLA grow, fought for it, sacrificed for it and
made it one of the shining lights of higher education," said
Burnett. "This job is demanding – though not as difficult as being
a SWAT team commander – and we’ve come together to honor you and
thank you for your dedication to UCLA."
The audience joined Burnett and the other speakers in thanking
Young with a standing ovation.
As an added gesture of appreciation, and in recognition of his
legacy of leadership, the alumni associations presented the
chancellor and his wife with a painting by Los Angeles artist
Kenneth Gatewood.
Accepting the gift, Young thanked the audience for their
recognition. "I am as close to speechless as I can become," Young
said.
"I hope there’s some shred of truth to everything that was said.
If there is one shred of truth," he added, "it’s that this would
not have been possible without Sue Young."
Young went on to say that "in addition to Sue, I have another
great lover – UCLA. This is one of those rare loves that has truly
been requited. I do hope that the (UC) Regents and the university,
in their wisdom, will bring to UCLA someone who will carry on that
love. It would truly be worthwhile to see someone who can do a
better job than I’ve done," Young said.
But according to some in attendance, that is not likely.
"His is a pair of shoes that is not likely to be filled – at
least not in our lifetimes," said Los Angeles City Supervisor and
UCLA alumnus Zev Yaroslavsky.
Chancellor Charles Young was honored Wednesday night at the
Beverly Hilton.
Of the 343,624 degrees awarded at UCLA since 1919, 224,713 have
Young’s signature on them.