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Florida experiences a huge population boom after World
War II. Because of its mild climate, Florida was used
to train troops for battle. By the time the war is
over, Florida has an excellent transportation system
for residents and visitors. Many high-tech industries
relocate to Florida, most notably the Space Program.
The exploding population of the state carries over into
its universities. The University of Florida goes from
being a school of 5,000 white males to a diverse student
body of more than 28,000 men and women.
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1953 » UF
Centennial
Century Tower is built to commemorate the university's
centennial celebration and honors UF men killed in World
Wars I & II. Markers are placed in Lake City, Ocala,
Bartow and Gainesville to mark the sites of the colleges
that combined to form UF. A 49-bell carillon that rings
every 15 minutes will be added in 1979. |
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| 1955 » J.
Wayne Reitz Builds Campus Infrastructure
During Reitz's time as president, $50 million is spent
on campus construction. Much of that money goes to the
Health Science Center and teaching hospital (now Shands),
which admitted its first patient in 1958. Segregation
ends at UF when George H. Starke, Jr. enrolls in the
College of Law as the university's first African-American
student. |
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1958 » First
UF-FSU Football Game
The Gators stomp the Seminoles 21-7 in Gainesville. |
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1967 » President O'Connell Steers UF Through Turbulent Times
Stephen C. O'Connell is the first UF alumnus to serve
as president of the university. During his tenure, total
student enrollment increased. A 1970 evaluation of graduate
programs by the American Council on Education gave national
ranking to twenty-two departments compared to eleven in
1965. Perhaps his greatest achievement was the reorganization
of the Alumni Association and the creation of an Office
of Development staffed by professional fund raisers. The
result has been the enrichment of the University's endowment
fund. O'Connell lead the campus through its most turbulent
period of unrest, as numerous demonstrations, both peaceful
and militant, are held to protest the Vietnam War, and
racial and feminist issues. |
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1971 » "Black
Thursday" Protest
UF integrates in 1958 with little protest. By fall of
1970, though, there are still only 343 African-American
students, who experience a sense of alienation in a historically
white campus. A sit-in at the president's office in April
culminates in the arrest of 66 students. When O'Connell
refuses to grant amnesty to the demonstrators, approximately
one-third of the black students and several black faculty
members leave the university. By the time President O'Connell
retired in 1973, African American student enrollment had
reached over 1,000. |
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| « 1928 - 1947 |
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View a Flash Presentation of UF's History
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