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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.

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