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| Shirley and Ralph Shapiro Fountain |
Hannah Carter Japanese Garden
The authentic, Kyoto-style garden is located a mile from campus
in Bel Air. The former Guiberson Garden, created for oil man Gordon
Guiberson in memory of his mother, Ethel L., was donated to the
university in 1965 by Edward W. Carter, department store magnate
and then-chairman of the Board of Regents. He named the garden for
his wife, Hannah, an art enthusiast. (Japanese
Garden Web site)
Dickson Plaza
The open area at the heart of the campus is known as Dickson Plaza,
bounded roughly by the flagpole on the east and Janss Steps on the
west.
Edward Augustus Dickson served as a UC Regent from 1913-'56, the
longest-serving Regent in UC history and at first the only member
from "the Southland." A newspaper reporter, editor, and
publisher, Dickson played a major role in the creation of the Southern
Branch of the University of California, leading, along with Ernest
Carroll Moore, the fight to establish the institution that came
to be known as UCLA.
Janss Steps
The Janss Investment Corporation, led by Dr. Edwin and Harold Janss,
owned the land that today is the UCLA campus, Westwood Village,
and much of the surrounding residential area. The Janss brothers,
enthusiastic about building a "college town," made 375
acres of land available for the campus at far below market value.
They also donated to the university the red brick steps named after
them. Before Bruin Plaza became the student activities area, the
Janss Steps were often used as an informal assembly area. Speakers
at the Steps have included Adlai Stevenson and Martin Luther King.
At the top of Janss Steps is a terrace surrounding the Shirley
and Ralph Shapiro Fountain. Completed in 1995, the fountain
(pictured above) is a popular campus meeting place, especially in
hot weather.
Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden
The Botanical Garden was established when the campus opened in 1929.
It was named for Mildred E. Mathias, its long-time director, in
1979. Mildred E. Mathias was an internationally renowned botanist
and UCLA faculty member from 1947 until her retirement in 1974.
Even after retirement, she led botanical tours to Costa Rica and
the Peruvian Amazon; at age 88, she led a tour to Chile.
Dr. Mathias was well known for her work with UCLA's department of
pharmacology. She believed the tropical forests could be a source
for new medicines, and she worked with indigenous herbalists and
healers to catalog the characteristics of drug plants. (Botanical
Garden Web site)
Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden
Franklin D. Murphy served as chancellor from 1960-'68. Intensely
interested in the arts, he loved the "outdoor museum"
concept of the Sculpture Garden because it literally surrounded
students with beautiful objects. (Sculpture
Garden Web site)
Wilson Plaza
The plaza at the base of Janss Steps, between the Men's Gym and
Glorya Kaufman Hall, is named Wilson Plaza in honor of alumni Bob
and Marion Wilson.
The Wilsons have shown their generosity to UCLA in many ways. In
addition to their own gift of $5 million, Bob Wilson serves as chair
of Campaign UCLA. Launched in 1997 with an initial goal of $1.2
billion, Campaign UCLA is the most ambitious fundraising effort
ever undertaken by a public university.
Bob Wilson is chairman of West Los Angeles-based Duckett-Wilson
Development Co. He graduated from UCLA in 1953 with a degree in
business administration. Marion Wilson earned her bachelor's degree
in design at UCLA in 1950 and has been involved with many activities
at UCLA, including the group Women and Philanthropy.
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