Herbert Hoover arrived at Stanford in 1891, neither wealthy nor from a distinquished family, and was admitted on the condition that he become "proficient" in English. From that inauspicious beginning came the long and mutually rewarding relationship between Herbert Hoover and his alma mater, Stanford University. During his lifetime Hoover followed several careers: engineer, philanthropist, author, statesman, and president of the United States.George H. Nash points out that Stanford gave Hoover his first chance, and he spent much of his life repaying that debt. The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, the Student Union, the Food Research Institute, the Lou Henry Hoover House, and the Graduate School of Business were direct results of his involvement as a Stanford trustee, his fundraising ability, and his personal philanthropy.

Although Hoover in later years was often at odds with both the faculty and administration, Nash's research reveals the enduring ties that bound the man and his university together. Stanford president David Starr Jordan said at Hoover's commencement that men and women "are judged by achievement, not by dreams." Hoover shared that view of life, and Stanford University today is itself part of Herbert Hoover's living legacy of achievement.