As the 20th century began, it became clear University of the Pacific’s 17-acre campus in San Jose was insufficient. Leaders feared the small size would limit growth and that already stiff competition for students from nearby Stanford University, UC Berkeley and San Jose State was growing. Not to mention the disruptive noise from more than 100 passenger and freight trains rattling through the tiny campus each day.

At the same time to the east, California’s giant Central Valley region had no four-year college to serve the growing agricultural hub, the nation’s largest region without a college, wrote former Provost Philip Gilbertson in his book “Pacific on the Rise.”

Under the leadership of President Tully C. Knoles, California’s first university began looking for a new home. Sacramento, Modesto, Turlock, Lodi and others expressed interest, but Stockton emerged as the clear choice with engaged business and civic proponents led by the Bank of Stockton, Central United Methodist Church, the Stockton Chamber of Commerce and The Stockton Record. Doors to the new 50-acre campus, with its distinctive Ivy League-style architecture, opened on Sept. 29, 1924.

One hundred years later to the day, the Pacific community will gather to celebrate the centennial of the now 175-acre campus on the historic lawn named in honor of Knoles.

“At Pacific, innovation is our tradition,” said President Christopher Callahan. “This bold, unprecedented and truly innovative initiative to move an entire university 75 miles away a century ago exemplifies that spirit perfectly.”

The president also noted that it was perhaps one of higher education’s first public-private partnerships, with business leaders working side-by-side with the university and the community.

That unique relationship will be on display at the Sunday afternoon celebration. Mary-Elizabeth Eberhardt ’76, chair of the Board of Regents and vice president of the Bank of Stockton, which continues its essential role at Pacific a century later, will talk about the powerful relationship between university and community. Eberhardt is the fifth family member to serve on the board over the past 71 years, including her grandfather, parents and uncle. Her father, the late Robert M. Eberhardt, served as chair for 28 years.

Also speaking will be Regent Leticia Robles, a 1989 graduate of the Eberhardt School of Business and founder and president of Pacific Homecare Services, the Stockton-based agency that provides home care to the elderly and disabled. She will talk about the impact a Pacific education had on her life and career.

The Pacific Jazz Ambassadors from the Conservatory of Music will perform the music of alumnus and jazz great Dave Brubeck ’42.

Attendees will receive a free copy of "A Century in Stockton," a new history book on the university written by Pacific faculty experts. Other books have focused on the people and programs of the university over time. “A Century in Stockton” focuses on the place, with faculty experts writing about the geography, native history, trees, wildlife, architecture and more.

“People are important, but place is the constant,” said History Professor Ken Albala, who co-edited the book along with university curator Lisa Cooperman. “The weather, the sun, the animals, the sound of the traffic at night. People always change, but there is a sense of place that is created by the intersection of these other components, even those that are not visible.”

“It is my hope that the celebration will have an impact on how Pacificans view and cherish the university,” said Albala, who brought the idea of a centennial book to the president. “People should not just walk around campus but really look at it closely. I have seen sea otters, sea lions, foxes and so much more. The variety of trees and birds on campus are amazing. People should stop and take more time to appreciate their surroundings. And the Stockton Campus is the perfect place to do that.”

A special exhibit celebrating the university’s centennial, “Pacific: 100 years in the Central Valley,” also opens at Pacific’s William Knox Holt Memorial Library and Learning Center on Sept. 29 and runs through Dec. 20. The exhibit will feature materials from the university’s archives along with state-of-the-art technology in the Cube to showcase videos and other items.

“The Holt-Atherton Special Collections and Archives shares our history in many ways all the time,” said Mike Wurtz, head of special collections and archives. “The events and the library’s exhibit this fall give Pacificans yet another opportunity to tell the university’s positive relationship with California’s great Central Valley.”

The Sept. 29 celebration and reception will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Knoles Lawn. All are invited.