Thomas Kelly's history, published in the year of the University's first centenary in 1981, effectively ended in 1979 – though there was a postscript from the Vice-Chancellor, Robert Whelan, reflecting on the years from 1977 to 1980. In the event, 1979 and 1980 turned out to be of more historical importance than might have been expected. 1979 saw the deaths of both Emeritus Professor Sir James Mountford, the University's Vice-Chancellor during the crucial post-war period from 1945 to 1963, and of Sir Kenneth Clinton Wheare, who died suddenly in September, only three months after resigning as Chancellor through ill-health. The University was fortunate to elect as his successor in February 1980 the present Chancellor, Lord Leverhulme, who was installed on the 22nd of May. This was in good time to be involved in the planning of the centenary celebrations which followed almost exactly one year later.

A week of centenary events began on Sunday, 10 May 1981 with a service in Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral, at which the preacher was the Archbishop of York, and former Bishop of Liverpool, Dr Stuart Blanch. He took as his text a passage from the Book of Job (Chapter 28, verses 9-12), ending with the words, ‘But where can wisdom be found? And where is the source of understanding?’