UCLA Athletic Hall of FameJackie Robinson starred in 4 sports at UCLA before he became the first black baseball player to play in the major leagues.Jackie Robinson’s uniform number 42 has been retired by all major league baseball teams.UCLA has won 120 national championships (all sports), which is second to Stanford University’s 131. UCLA has won 11 national championships in men’s basketball (Kentucky is second with 8).John Wooden, who coached UCLA to 10 national championships in 12 years (1964-1975). He is widely considered the greatest coach of all time.Coach Wooden’s den.Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) won 3 championships at UCLA, as well as three-time college basketball national player of the year. UCLA lost 2 games in three years with Alcindor.He went on to win 6 NBA titles and 6 MVP awards, finishing as the NBA’s all time leading scorer.Bill Walton followed up Alcindor with two national championships and three national player of the year awards. I remember watching him on TV when he led UCLA to the national championship over Memphis State in 1973. Walton scored 44 points, making 21 of 22 shots.UCLA has had one Heisman Trophy winner, Gary Beber in 1967, beating OJ Simpson for the award.Troy Aikman is one of 4 UCLA stars to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.The National College Basketball Player of the Year is now named for John Wooden. UCLA start Ed O’Bannon is the only UCLA player to win the John Wooden Award. He won in 1995 leading UCLA to their 11th and most recent national championship.1971 National Championship trophy1964.197519951954 Football National Championship trophyThe Hall of Champions displays all of UCLA’s national championship trophies. Very impressive sight!
So we finally made it to UCLA to see our beautiful granddaughter!In front of The BruinThe four buildings of the original UCLA campus. This is Kaplan Hall.Haines HallPowell LibraryRoyce Hall, the performing arts theater.At the entrance of Royce Hall.Water fountain at Dickinson Court.Looking east from Dickinson Court.Interesting tree.Sculptures from the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden. This is “Elegy III”, by Barbara Hepworth, 1966.“Pensive”, Deborah Butterfield, 1996.“The Song of the Vowels”, Jacques Lipchitz, 1931-1932.“Hybrid Fruit Called Pagoda”, Jean Arp, 1934.“Cubi XX”, David Smith, 1964.“Why?”, Richard Hunt, 1974.Intramural fields.The Bruin.
Little Rock Central High School was the site of an historic confrontation in 1957. Basically, nine black students, “The Little Rock Nine”, were integrated into this all-white high school. But there was much drama.
Background: In 1954, the US Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education (Topeka KS) that segregation of schools was unconstitutional, so schools must integrate. In the south states were mostly slow to follow the Supreme Court ruling.
In 1957, Congress passed and President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. This law established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. It also established a federal Civil Rights Commission with authority to investigate discriminatory conditions and recommend corrective measures. The final act was weakened by Congress due to lack of support among the Democrats.
On September 4, 1957, the first day of classes at Central High, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus called in the Arkansas National Guard to block the Black students’ entry into the high school. Later that month, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the Little Rock Nine into the school. It drew national attention to the civil rights movement.The Magnolia service station was one of the few businesses in the immediate neighborhood and had a pay telephone on site. During the early days of the desegregation crisis, when reporters from all over the state, nation, and world converged on Little Rock, many phoned in their reports from the station.The school is still an active high school, the only active school that is inside a National Park in the US.
Well, the unexpected drive home afforded us the opportunity to stop and tour the Arkansas State capitol in Little Rock. We had stopped here on our honeymoon, but it was closed so we did not tour the building then.Christmas in the state capitol.Looking up in the rotunda.Senate chamber.Dome in the Senate chamber.House of Representatives chamber.Dome in the House chamber.Arkansas Supreme Court.Arkansas Governor’s office.Copper doors.
