Who Were the 12?

In 1925 — before there was a chancellor on campus or bicycles pervading pathways — 12 individuals quietly made history at the institution now known as University of California, Davis. They were the very first graduate students studying agriculture at what was then the University Farm for UC Berkeley.

And while much has changed over the last century, one question still lingers like the Central-Valley Tule fog: 

Who were the 12?

What were their names? Their ambitions? Did they band together as a cohort? Or were they simply a dozen students who loved Davis so much they never wanted to leave?

Archival records from the era are sparse. Paper documents can vanish or disintegrate over time, coupled by the fact that these early students exist in sort of limbo-alumni status, somewhere between UC Berkeley and UC Davis. Plus, graduate education itself was an enterprise still in its early stages: a bridge between undergraduate studies and a new tier of academic rigor that did not use the same labels used today.

Century Celebration Prompts A Quest for Answers

Fast forward 100 years, when members of the UC Davis Graduate Studies staff became determined to find answers. It was the summer of 2025, and hidden among the digital archives one name emerged: Floyd J. Schwall — a chicken farmer from Oakland. 

Schwall’s place in UC Davis graduate education history comes with its own mystery because of all things: a typo. He is mis-recorded as “F.S. Schwall” instead of “F.J. Schwall” in the 1925 “RODEO” yearbook. Yet after reviewing photographic records, it was confirmed by Schwall’s descendants that it was in fact Floyd J. Schwall who is listed as a post-graduate student in 1925 when graduate education at UC Davis began. At the time, “post-graduate” was a term often used to describe graduate students. And while Schwall’s academic status still eludes those trying to confirm it, it is apropos that he is linked (even tangentially) to the founding of graduate education in Davis, since his story may well be one of the most emblematic.

Chick Magnet 

Flipping through a digitized version of the 1925 “RODEO” yearbook — past a first-person narrative written by Peter J. Shields — one will find a portrait of a clean-cut young man donning a V-neck sweater and neat, center-parted haircut, under which the name “Schwall” is written. A member of the University Farm baseball and boxing squads, as well as Philo Delphos fraternity, Schwall studied animal husbandry with a specialization in poultry. He was reportedly the only member of his fraternity studying poultry — a fact that earned him the unmistakable nickname “Chick.” 

Whether young Chick Schwall regarded himself a pioneer is unknown: Did he sense that he was helping lay a foundation from which UC Davis would build a globally ranked graduate education enterprise? Or was he simply a young guy who was into chicks?

One thing is certain: Chick Schwall left a legacy at UC Davis.

Growing Their Life and Legacy

After his time at the University Farm, Schwall and his father purchased land along the American River near Folsom, deploying what he had learned to build a substantial poultry business with roughly 2,000 laying hens. In 1939, he married Mary Elizabeth Sims, a Sacramento-born artist. The couple lived there happily until construction of the Nimbus Dam in the 1950s submerged their property, forming Lake Natoma and forcing the couple to relocate to the Bay Area where they reinvented themselves selling real estate.

Even as the years passed, their bond to UC Davis remained firm. Following Mary’s passing in 1989, she gifted the majority of the Schwall’s estate to the Regents of the University of California, establishing what would become the Floyd and Mary Schwall Fellowship in graduate medical research. Their vision was to assist academically promising graduate students — especially those preparing for or engaged in medical and health-related research — who lacked the resources to pursue advanced study.

Schwall Fellowships

Over the years, the impact of this fund has been significant (you can read more about several of the Schwall Fellows and their work below the story). The original contribution has grown to a multi-million-dollar endowment from which two major fellowships are awarded annually. Collectively, these fellowships have enabled more than 150 graduate students to launch careers in medicine, neuroscience, biology and other research fields that improve human health.

“Winning the Schwall Dissertation Year Fellowship was a game changer,” wrote one recipient, noting that the $5,000 research and travel support allowed her to attend a critical international conference where she networked with collaborators and accelerated her dissertation work.

Another scholar recognized by the fellowship described the award as “more than financial support — it’s validation.”

She continued, “For a medically focused Ph.D. candidate who is balancing lab work, coursework and clinical skills, the fellowship provided a sense of belonging and institutional confidence that sustained me through the toughest quarters.”

Aggies 12

Undeniably, Floyd J. Schwall and his family have had a profound impact on graduate education in Davis for generations. In fact, as of the 2027-28 academic year, the Schwall Fellowship will be the largest endowment fellowship offered by Graduate Studies. Whether this impact stems from Schwall’s own history as one of the original 12 graduate students here remains a mystery. Even his descendants when asked could not confirm Schwall’s student status back in 1925.

But that’s how research goes sometimes. Questions do not always have answers, problems do not always yield solutions, and the process can feel boundless. Graduate students know this better than anyone.

The academic spirit and scholarly ambitions of the 12 original graduate students continue to have a tremendous ripple effect. Today, UC Davis offers more than 100 graduate and professional degree programs, spanning the STEM fields, health, the arts, humanities and social sciences. Additionally, the graduate community comprises nearly 7,000 students, more than 1,000 postdoctoral scholars and over 80,000 graduate alumni who together create a transformative, global network scarcely imaginable in 1925.

So, while it is a story that began with 12 — possibly including one chicken farmer — 100 years later, it is a narrative that is still leading the UC Davis community forward. 

Schwall Fellows Over the Years:

Ankita Singh

Neuroscience Ph.D. Program
Floyd and Mary Schwall Medical Research Fellow

Research: Singh studies how inflammation in the brain contributes to neurodegenerative disorders, with a focus on immune-cell signaling in Alzheimer’s disease.

“This fellowship allows me to pursue high-risk, high-reward questions that directly impact how we understand the aging brain.”

Deborah Paterniti, Ph.D.

Sociology & Internal Medicine
Schwall Dissertation Year Fellowship Recipient

Research: Paterniti’s dissertation examined physician-patient communication and how trust forms during medical decision-making — especially around chronic illness and end-of-life care. Schwall Fellow Debora Paterniti’s research on physician-patient communication now informs clinical practice across UC Davis Health.

“Support from the Schwall Fellowship helped me finish a dissertation that continues to guide my work with patients and healthcare teams today.”

Shelly Meeusen, Ph.D.

Molecular & Cellular Biology
Schwall Medical Research Fellow

Research: Meeusen’s work in the Nunnari Lab advanced understanding of mitochondrial dynamics and cell division. Her dissertation research led to publications in Cell, Science, and Journal of Cell Biology. Former Schwall Fellow Shelly Meeusen is now a research director at the Jackson Laboratory in Sacramento.

“The Schwall Fellowship funded both my research and the scientific training that shaped my career.”

Krista Schendel, Ph.D.

Neuroscience & Clinical Psychology
Schwall Medical Research Fellowship Recipient (1995–96)

Research: Schendel investigates the neuroanatomical basis of attention, memory, and neurological disorders. Her work now supports clinical research for the VA Northern California Health Care System. Schwall Fellow Krista Schendel’s early UC Davis research now informs clinical work with veterans across Northern California.

“The Schwall Fellowship supported my early research and ultimately my path into clinical neuroscience.”

Anahita Bassir Nia, M.D., Ph.D.

Neuroscience / Psychiatry
Schwall Dissertation Year Award Honoree

Research: Bassir Nia investigates how stress, trauma, and neurochemical signaling influence psychiatric disorders, with implications for addiction and mood-disorder treatments. Former Schwall Fellow Dr. Anahita Bassir Nia now conducts clinical research in addiction psychiatry.

“This award provided the time and space to finish the work that became the foundation of my medical and research career.”