Text from plaque: Zohrab Arakiel Kaprelian, 1923-1981. 1962-1973 Chairman of Electrical engineering. 1970-1981 Dean of Engineering. 1972-1947 vice president for Academic Administration and Research. 1975-1980 Executive vice president. This building is dedicated to his vision, leadership and achievement on behalf of the University of Southern California.

[about the base]Tufa, a volcanic rock with a distinctive salmon-pink coloring found only in the mountains of Armenia and widely used there in the construction of churches, government buildings, schools, and monuments.