WOMEN WHO BUILT THE BERKELEY CAMPUS: Final reflections
As we complete our stroll of the Berkeley campus, it is clear that without the contributions of these early women, the Berkeley campus we know today would not exist. In some cases, the women were the widows of successful lawyers and businessmen whom they memorialized in the names of the buildings they endowed. In other cases, women who had inherited sizable wealth contributed to the founding and development of new departments and schools of study on the campus.
Some of the women were graduates themselves of the University and desired to create a rich environment for study and research. Others envisioned the benefits of developing a strong system of higher education in California. The backgrounds of these women were varied but they were joined together by their belief in the value of education, the power of individual initiative, and the desire to extend opportunity to others. Their names remain prominently on the Berkeley campus, both as a tribute to their generosity and to their determination to make the University of California an unparalleled community of excellence.
- Sandra P. Epstein, Ph.D.
