The Kansas University graduating class of 1983 had some 3,500 members. It was the 111th graduation ceremony for KU and the 100th birthday of the KU Alumni Association, started on June 6, 1883.

Nearby Baker University, which had its commencement a day earlier than KU, had its event hit by wet weather and soggy conditions. The event had to be moved from Liston Stadium to the Baldwin High School gymnasium. It was Baker’s 113th commencement, two more than for KU. There were 156 graduating seniors.

Douglas County was gearing up for a May 30 official reopening of Lone Star Lake for recreational use – the first open season in three years at the lake 14 miles southwest of Lawrence. The lake needed about four more feet of water to be up to par, said caretaker Bob Steele. The lake had been drained and the dam had been repaired after numerous problems due to leaks.

It was the first major meeting in the nearly completed Adams Alumni Center at KU, and those attending the commencement occasion were high in praise of the new $5 million facility. The building was named after K.S. “Boots” Adams, a KU alumnus and former chief executive officer and chairman of the Phillips Petroleum Co.