Editor’s note: This article was originally published in UTSA newsletter The Discourse in Sept. 1974.
(May 17, 2019) — The day was perfect. It was sunny and warm with the pleasant diversion of a late summer breeze. At 3 p.m. the processional began, and UTSA faculty members and graduates in traditional academic regalia walked across the courtyard to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio auditorium.
The occasion was a historic one. On August 18 UTSA awarded degrees to 82 students—the university’s first graduates.
Bevington Reed, commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas College and University System, delivered the commencement address. Speaking of accomplishments since the university opened its doors in June 1973, he called UTSA “an island of light,” a place of happiness and challenge, and he compared it to the free University of West Berlin, which shines from within East German borders.
>> Read the rest of this story and relive other memories from UTSA’s history as we celebrate UTSA’s 50th Anniversary.
