A new Blue Star Marker at the Military and Student Veteran Center on University of the Pacific’s Stockton Campus honors all men and women who serve or have served in the United States Armed Services—highlighting Pacific’s continued commitment to supporting military-affiliated students.

The marker was presented in partnership with the Stockton Garden Club as part of its 100th anniversary celebration. Pacificans, civic leaders, including San Joaquin County Supervisor Paul Canepa, members of the state and regional garden clubs and other community members celebrated the Blue Star Marker dedication Jan. 30.

“As a Marine Corps combat veteran, the Blue Star installation is a momentous event for us,” said veteran George Retana ’25, ’28, a doctoral student in Pacific’s psychology program. “University of the Pacific serves a lot of veterans, so this highlights the work that veterans are doing in higher education and the different walks of life from veterans past and present. It’s a big achievement to be able to have that here at Pacific. I don't know a lot of schools that have a Blue Star marker.”

Pacific President Christopher Callahan kicked off the dedication ceremony, sharing Pacific’s history of supporting veterans.

“Pacific and the story of the U.S. military are inextricably linked, dating back more than a century. During World War I, Pacific was part of the Students’ Army Training Corps, educating and inducting more than 100 men into the U.S. Army. We have proudly continued to build on that rich, rich tradition.”

“In the past five years, we've removed all caps to allow any qualified veteran to enroll in Pacific under the Yellow Ribbon Program. We opened this wonderfully renovated Military and Veteran Center, which now has a full time Veteran’s Affairs staffer for veterans on our campus and across our community,” Callahan said. “Today, we are enormously proud to enroll 159 student veterans across our three campuses, as well as many more family members of military veterans.”

Pacific also recently opened Manor Hall, one of the nation's first residence halls devoted to student veterans. The building housed Pacific’s Red Cross unit during World War II.

Manor Hall, which reopened in August, includes ADA-compliant features such as a fully accessible kitchen and supportive furnishings to meet the needs of veterans with physical challenges.

The $7 million renovation was completely funded with support from donors and San Joaquin County, which gave $2 million to the project.

Manor Hall is strategically located next the Military and Veteran Student Center, which offers easy access to resources, events and additional support for student veterans.

“A lot of veterans, when they get out of the service and they go into higher education, we're not your traditional student,” Retana said. “Many of us have work and families and have to reintegrate back into society after we leave the military. To be able to have our own space here is very key. It's allowed us to excel, succeed and enjoy the camaraderie and brotherhood or sisterhood that we had in service here at the military student veteran center.”

The Blue Star program began in 1944, when the New Jersey Council of Garden Clubs planted 8,000 dogwood trees as a living memorial honoring World War II veterans. The blue star was chosen because it had become a widely recognized symbol during the war, appearing on flags and banners in homes, churches and businesses to represent sons and daughters serving overseas.

To learn about supporting veterans at Pacific or to learn about naming opportunities still available in Manor Hall, contact Scott Biedermann ’05, ’20, vice president for development and alumni relations, at 209.946.2166 or sbiedermann@pacific.edu.