Alexander C. Roberts had a distinguished career as an administrator, teacher-training supervisor, and professor of education in Iowa and Washington schools before beginning his 18-year presidency at SF State.

It was during Roberts' leadership that SF State College purchased the 56 acres of land near Lake Merced, replacing the cramped, aging building of the old campus just off upper Market Street (now site of the Federal Mint): "We all dream of buildings that are adequate and efficient so that scholarship might grow apace."

Although some ground was broken in November 1939, World War II restrictions delayed actual construction of buildings until June 1949, four years after Roberts' retirement in 1945.

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Archived Information. Last modified March 20, 2009, by University Communications