Fresno State Centennial

Commemorative Book

 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW!

A cornerstone of the university’s Centennial celebration is “Fresno State: A Century of Excellence,” a book that covers highlights and traditions from the university’s first 100 years.

Local historian William Secrest, a 1982 alumnus, combed archives at the Henry Madden Library and the Fresno County Library and other sources to lay the foundation for the book.  Fresno State's own Lanny Larsen then chose hundreds of photographs, artifacts and other archival material to help illuminate his written words.  The result is the first in-depth history of Fresno State set to be released in the summer of 2011.

Sections of the 300-page coffee-table-sized publication cover academics, athletics, traditions and the buildings that hundreds of thousands of people remember from their time on the two main campuses.

Secrest also developed a timeline that extends from before Fresno State held its first classes in 1911 through 2010 as it prepared to mark the Centennial with 13 months of events running through the 100th Commencement in 2011.

Special features include a glimpse of all Fresno State’s presidents, a look at the Huntington Lake summer school, campus humor, notable campus visitors, alumni and other support organizations.

“The goal is to find something for everyone to remember,” says Secrest of his mission in creating “A Century of Excellence.” “We wanted it to be much more than just a history; we wanted to take people back to what was happening when they came to campus.”

Copies of “Fresno State: A Century of Excellence” can be reserved and a book-signing will be scheduled as part of the Centennial celebration.