1928
The Class of ’28 gifts an original text by German theologian Johann Arndt, Wahren Christenthum (True Christianity), published by Benjamin Franklin in 1751. It’s the largest book ever printed by Franklin.
1929
A stained-glass window to adorn brand-new Royce Hall, costing $300 and including the class numeral, comes the following year. The meaning and history behind this gift and all of the stained glass in Royce are documented in the 1930 class yearbook.
1942
Feeding the war effort, the patriotic Class of ’42 buys war bonds at the height of World War II, which will eventually be used to create scholarships for members of the class of 1953 serving their country. The gift inspires the rest of the student body to raise additional money for military scholarships, USO dances and libraries.
The Founders’ Rock bronze plaque by the northwest corner of Murphy Hall, commemorating the spot where UCLA co-founder Edward A. Dickinson stood when deciding where to build the campus, is given by the Class of ’46. Its inscription reads: “Here on October 25, 1926, the new campus of the University was formally dedicated.” 
1947
Feeling sunny, the Class of ’47 bestows a sundial on the south end of Powell Library. The gift is actually presented in 1949, with graduates unveiling it in front of Provost Clarence Dykstra, Head Librarian Lawrence Clark Powell, football coach Red Sanders and new basketball coach John Wooden. A Daily Bruin headline declares, “Bruins Now Can Tell Time While Sun Shines.”
1963
Following a decade with no class gifts, the Class of ’63 resurrects the tradition and purchases six pictures for the walls of the Housing Cooperative, the “Coop.” Two years later, 1965’s class follows suit and donates two photos of UCLA’s basketball team in a continued effort to beautify student housing.
1972
Accepted at commencement with suitable gravity by Chancellor Charles E. Young M.A. ’57, Ph.D. ’60, a bronze plaque recognizing UCLA students who fought and died in the Vietnam War is given by the Class of ’72. The plaque especially acknowledges Black, Chicano, Asian and Native American students affected by the war both overseas and at home.
1986
Getting into the swim of things, the Class of ’86 donates a new swimming pool for the UCLA nonprofit UniCamp in the San Bernardino Mountains. Campers today continue to enjoy the pool at UniCamp’s Camp River Glen, near Big Bear.
1989
Originally named “The Graduate,” the picturesque Shapiro Fountain in Royce Quad is bestowed by the Class of ’89. Explicitly designed to contribute to the beauty of the campus while not taking away from the grandeur of Royce Hall and Powell Library, it will be built using bricks from the same quarry used to construct the four original campus buildings: Powell, Royce, Kaplan and Haines.
1991
A new reading room, dubbed “Night Powell,” opens courtesy of the Class of ’91. Transforming old university housing archives, it offers extended library hours while providing additional book storage and new reading nooks. Today, Night Powell stays open all night beginning the third week of every quarter.
2006
A portion of the UCLA Fund donated by the Class of ’06 is used to house students affected by Hurricane Katrina. Eighty-four students who had planned to attend school in Louisiana instead enroll at UCLA; 30 live in on-campus housing.
Read more from UCLA Magazine’s Fall 2024 issue.
