UC Merced Magazine | Commemorative Chronicle

“Looking back, it’s incredible to see how far UC Merced has come,” said another early supporter, Kathleen Crookham. “From the very beginning, the university brought hope and opportunity to our community,” said Crookham, a retired educator and a former Merced County supervisor and UC Merced trustee. “It has created jobs, expanded access to higher education and li ed the entire region. “It’s been transformative.” Carpenter said strengthening the bond between the university and the region’s residents should be a central goal in the years to come. Insurance businessman Bob Carpenter was there at the start, a founder of the committee that in 1988 began to bang the drum for Merced. In the 1990 census there were 99 California cities larger than the Gateway to Yosemite; ve of them were in the San Joaquin Valley. Did that slow down the University Committee? Obviously not. “In those early days I spent roughly half my time on the e ort,” Carpenter said. “Once people in the community understood that UC was looking for a site, there was tremendous support for it.” BOB CARPENTER FORMER CHAIR UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE

From the very beginning, the university brought hope and opportunity to our community...it’s been transformative. KATHLEEN CROOKHAM FORMER MERCED COUNTY SUPERVISOR & UC MERCED TRUSTEE | RETIRED EDUCATOR Concerts, theater and other lively arts can bring people to a rural campus that is about two miles from Merced’s nearest urban edge. UC Merced athletics could provide a spark in community interaction. e program’s teams graduated to NCAA Division II this fall, increasing visibility, the quality of competition and, perhaps, the possibility of college-town fandom. “I’ve encouraged the university to promote things more and for the community to go out there and nd out what’s going on,” Carpenter said. June 14, 2002 — Founding Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey (le ) with Kathleen Crookham alongside the Wells Fargo stagecoach in front of the Smith Ranch barn — a former landmark on the Merced Vernal Pools & Grassland Reserve.