On This Day: November 25, 1975

Today’s feature in our On This Day series takes us to the November 25, 1975 dedication of Kerr Hall. Kerr Hall, completed in 1969, was originally known as Academic Office Building (AOB) #3. The building was designed by Frederick L.R. Confer & Associates of Concord.

The dedication program included remarks by Chancellor Meyer and Chancellor Mrak, Jerome Rosen, Chairman of the Davis Academic Senate, and Mrs. Edward Heller, Chairman of the Regents of the University of California. Clark Kerr’s address was titled, “Higher Education: The Year 2000.”

Clark Kerr (1911-2003) served as Professor of Industrial Relations (1945-1952) and Chancellor (1952-1958) at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1958, he was appointed President of the University of California, a position he held until 1967.

At the time of the building’s dedication in 1975, it contained offices for the following departments and units: Economics, Education, Geography, Mathematics, Black Studies, UCD Spectator, Teaching Resources Center and the Water Resources Center. In subsequent years, it was also home to Afro-American Studies, the Division of Statistics, the Davis Honors Program, the Education Abroad Program, and the John Muir Institute of the Environment. As of 2014, Kerr Hall houses the following departments: Communication, Linguistics, and Political Science.